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essenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  "*^  1/1/70 


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What  cln  We  Mxpec 
From  the  Seventii 

A  LOOK  AT  YOUR  CHILD'S  WORLD 


Sphwarzenau  Is 
*  for  Pilgrimage 


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readers  write 


SIMPLISTIC  AND   COMPLACENT 

While  I  affirm  the  basic  premise  of  "Who 
Says  the  Church  Is  Dying?"  (Dec.  18)  — 
that  God  continues  to  be  a  dynamic  force 
in  human  society  —  I  cannot  agree  with 
Levi   Keidel's  approach,   for  three   reasons. 

First  of  all,  writer  Keidel  seems  to  see 
quantity  rather  than  quality  as  the  signal 
of  the  church's  strength.  His  impressive 
statistics  of  church  growth  in  such  countries 
as  Taiwan  and  South  Korea  and  in  areas 
of  Africa  and  Latin  America  underscore 
his  preoccupation  with  numbers.  What  about 
commitment?  How  many  of  those  thousands 
of  persons  newly  professing  faith  in  Christ 
are  willing  to  take  the  risks  that  Christ  de- 
mands —  for  a  start,  loving  unlovely  per- 
sons and  doing  good  for  hate-filled  enemies? 

Along  with  overriding  quality  for  quan- 
tity, Mr.  Keidel  limits  God's  activities  to 
the  forms  which  the  church  has  tradition- 
ally used  to  show  that  God  is  working 
through  it.  Missionary  fervor  and  evange- 
listic zeal  may  still  be  valid.  But  surely  God 
is  not  limited  to  these  methods  of  showing 
his  love  and  concern  for  persons!  Because 
these  activities  may  be  on  the  wane  in  the 
United  States  does  not  mean  that  "the  gos- 
pel is  no  longer  a  powerful  shaping  force 
in  our  own  society."  What  but  the  power 
of  Jesus'  gospel  of  love  could  motivate  per- 
sons to  take  to  the  street,  the  marketplace, 
the  coffeehouse,  the  prisons,  to  share  concern 
and  commitment  with  "sinners"  who  would 
feel  unwelcome  in  the  neighborhood  church? 
Some  who  have  rejected  the  institutional 
church  can  in  the  religiously  neutral  setting 
of  the  coffeehouse  talk  about  their  theo- 
logical concerns  with  committed  Christians 
—  and,  if  not  talk  themselves  back  into  the 


church,  at  least  simply  talk,  the  point  being 
that  where  two  or  three  are  gathered  at  a 
point  of  concern,  there  God  is  at  work. 

Finally,  and  most  devastating,  Mr.  Keidel 
equates  the  practice  of  Christianity  with  the 
machinations  of  the  institutional  church. 
The  church,  he  points  out,  has  "been  planted 
in  virtually  every  country."  That's  com- 
forting, isn't  it?  It,  however,  does  not  ac- 
count for  the  fact  that  the  cynicisms  of  secu- 
lar society  become  the  hypocrisies  of  the 
church.  Racism,  for  example,  has  not  left 
the  church  untouched.  Could  God  be  work- 
ing through  a  person  like  Dr.  Archie  Har- 
graves,  who  shook  up  Annual  Conference 
1969  with  his  assessment  of  white  racism  in 
the  church?  Might  God  be  saying  something 
to  us  about  the  practice  of  Christianity 
through  Thomas  Wilson,  member  of  the 
Brotherhood  staff,  who  said  plainly:  "I  am 
aware  that  many  of  you  as  individuals  would 
not  lift  a  finger  to  harm  a  black  person, 
but  .  .  .  you  don't  have  to.  You  have  es- 
tablished institutions  that  will  take  care  of 
that"?  Perhaps  God's  purpose  is  not  al- 
ways to  make  white  Christians  feel  com- 
fortable in  the  knowledge  that  church 
buildings  dot  the  landscape! 

In  sum,  Mr.  Keidel's  article  is  a  sim- 
plistic and  complacent  approach  to  a  com- 
plex and,  to  some,  unnerving  problem. 
Rather  than  finding  myself  comforted,  how- 
ever, I  am  disturbed.  Thinking  like  this 
won't  shake  any  sleeping  spirits! 

Linda  Beher 
Villa  Park,  111. 

ALL  ARE  GUILTY 

The  young  man  who  started  the  small 
fire  in  Louisville  certainly  woke  up  a  lot  of 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  Grant  Heilman:  2-3.  5  Harry  Dehner  and  Associates;  6-7,  8  Nelson  M.  Seese; 
12  De  VVys;  13  courtesy  of  the  Elgin  Daily  Courier-News;  15  Jim  Brumbaugh;  16  (top,  bottom  left). 
17,  19  Religious  News  Service;  21  Stephen  Bubalo  for  Tom  Stack  and  Associates;  22  William  Gieseke  for 
Tom  Stack   and   Associates:    28   artwork   by   Tom   Goddard 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20.  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  .Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  $3.60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife,  $75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  .Allow  at  I 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other  I 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave,.  Elgin,  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin.  III.    Jan.    1,   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  1969.    Vol.  119   No.  I 


people  who  were  asleep,  or  at  least  silent, 
when  a  noted  governor  openly  defied  and 
broke  federal  laws  a  few  years  ago.  If 
this  young  man  is  dealt  with  in  the  same 
manner  as  the  governor,  he  will  be  the 
youngest   presidential   candidate    in   history. 

I  suspect  that  all  of  us  are  guilty  of 
breaking  federal  laws  —  fair  housing,  em- 
ployment, and  so  on.  And  if  the  audience 
in  Louisville  was  guilty  of  breaking  a  fed- 
eral law  just  by  observing,  what  about  we 
who  sit  back  and  watch  the  Fair  Housing 
Law  become  a  joke?  .  .  . 

Are  we  concerned  by  the  fact  that  Viet- 
nam is  a  poor  man's  war?  We  know  the 
majority  of  the  men  in  the  front  lines  (and 
fatalities)  come  from  low  income,  disad- 
vantaged homes.  Most  young  men  from 
more  prosperous  homes  are  either  college- 
deferred  until  married  or,  with  educational 
advantages,  are  officers  or  skilled  men  be- 
hind the  lines. 

Social  workers  and  doctors  in  veterans' 
hospitals  will  verify  that  men  from  normal, 
advantaged  homes  can  mentally  adjust  to 
the  inhuman  emotional  stresses  of  war  while 
those  from  broken  or  underprivileged  homes 
may  already  have  emotional  problems  and 
have  a  much  lower  breaking  point.  Vet- 
erans' hospitals  are  full  of  these  forgotten 
young   men. 

What  of  the  promises  that  our  young  men 
would  not  fight  in  Vietnam  —  that  we 
would  serve  in  an  advisory  capacity  only? 
Why  is  it  that  when  we  speak  of  our  na- 
tion's shortcomings,  we  are  told,  "If  you 
don't  like  it  here,  why  don't  you  leave?" 
This  is  one  of  the  most  ignorant  and  hateful 
statements  that  one  person  can  make  to  an- 
other. That  attitude  is  the  main  reason 
Amerca  was  founded.  The  people  who  came 
here  to  make  a  better  land  had  been  rebuffed 
and  rejected  by  their  neighbors  in  the  old 
world.  They  didn't  like  conditions  where 
they  lived  and  wanted  to  make  improve- 
ments. If  they  had  been  allowed  and  en- 
couraged, the  old  world  would  have  had  a 
happier  history  instead  of  the  miserable 
tribulations  that  turned  the  concerned  peo- 
ple toward  America  as  their  only  hope. 

Most  people  who  want  to  change  con- 
ditions do  like  it  here;  they  love  it  here  to 
the  extent  that  they  cannot  stand  to  see  [this 
country]  suffer  from  its  imperfections  and 
want  it  to  live  up  to  its  ideals.  .  .  . 

We  must  admire  the  young  men  with 
courage  and  conviction  who  risk  their  lives 


Page  One... 


by  bearing  arms  for  this  nation  overseas. 
They  are  no  more  guihy  of  the  bloodshed 
than  we  who  pay  taxes  to  support  and 
supply  them. 

We  must  admire  the  young  people  in  BVS 
who  conscientiously  cannot  bear  arms  but 
who  are  willing  to  make  sacrifices  and  risk 
their  lives  in  the  name  of  peace  for  the 
betterment  of  mankind. 

We  must  admire  the  convictions  of  young 
men  who  conscientiously  feel  that  they  must 
express  themselves  in  other  ways. 

We  parents  assume  much  risk  when  and  if 
we  encourage  our  youth  to  get  involved, 
to  be  doers  and  not  sitters,  and  to  make 
their  own  decisions.  While  we  certainly  do 
not  condone  violating  any  laws,  we  must 
strive  to  accept  the  decisions  they  make. 
Marion  E.  Dulabaum 
Uniontown,   Ohio 

WHAT  IS   IMPORTANT 

I  never  cease  to  marvel  at  how  mixed 
up  we  are  in  our  sense  of  what  is  important 
in  the  realm  of  morals.  Some  young  per- 
son's "mistake"  can  make  conversation  for 
the  church  grapevine  for  weeks  and  bring 
hasty  judgment.  I  hear  nudity  is  becom- 
ing a  fashion  but  I  doubt  if  it  will  become 
fashionable  for  Brethren  in  the  very  near 
future.  We  are  dutifully  shocked  at  cer- 
tain manifestations  of  sexual  freedom  which 
we   feel  threaten  our  system  of  morals. 

Do  you  know  what  shocks  me?  I  am 
shocked  by  the  morality  of  a  properly  at- 
tired Secretary  of  Defense  or  Secretary  of 
State  appearing  before  the  public  and  de- 
fending the  actions  of  our  nation  in  an 
immoral  and  indefensible  war  in  Vietnam. 

I  am  shocked  at  the  public  —  and  Chris- 
tian —  indifference  to  the  criminal  insanity 
which  allows  research  and  development 
in  the  realms  of  chemical  and  biological 
warfare. 

The  immorality  of  so  much  of  a  nation's 
resources  going  for  destruction  leaves  many 
of  us  coldly  indifferent. 

The  harshness  with  which  we  judge  the 
welfare  recipient  or  the  unemployed  poor 
represents  a  kind  of  immorality  which  God 
must  find  hard  to  forgive.  With  people 
starving  and  cold  and  without  shelter,  it 
must  appear  a  trivial  matter  to  God  if  one 
of  his  children  takes  a  dip  in  a  topless 
bathing  suit. 

Ernest  R.  Jehnsen 
Wakarusa,  Ind. 


Take  a  look  at  the  back  cover.  Yes,  this  January  1  issue  of  Messenger  is 
really  number  1  of  volume  119.  We  don't  know  whether  Henry  Kurtz,  far- 
sighted  editor  who  launched  the  Gospel  Visitor  in  1851,  ever  ventured  to 
look  around  the  corner  of  the  nineteenth  century  and  deep  into  the  twentieth. 
Could  he  have  guessed  that  his  monthly  publication  would  be  continued  into 
1970?  But  here  we  are,  beginning  a  new  volume.  The  name  has  changed,  of 
course.  Editors  have  come  and  gone.  But  the  ministry  of  a  periodical  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  goes  on  —  into  the  seventies. 

Speaking  of  the  new  decade  that  starts  today,  what  kind  of  a  world  will 
the  seventies  offer?  For  a  series  of  capsule  summaries  of  what  we  might  ex- 
pect. Messenger  turns  to  William  Kiihns,  a  young  scholar  who  is  the  director 
of  the  Institute  for  Environmental  Response  and  a  lecturer  at  Fordham  Uni- 
versity. Last  year  two  of  his  books  appeared.  Environmental  Man  and  The 
Electronic  Gospel.  Another  one.  The  Fifty-Minute  Hour,  is  scheduled  for 
later  this  year.  In  subsequent  articles  readers  can  look  for  more  specific  pro- 
posals as  to  the  ways  in  which  the  church  can  respond  to  the  seventies. 

One  thing  is  certain:  The  church  cannot  expect  to  set  its  own  time  sched- 
ule for  dealing  with  the  problems  of  the  seventies.  Some  issues  just  won't 
wait  until  we  are  ready  to  take  them  on.  For  example:  black  militancy  as 
expressed  in  James  Forman's  "Black  Manifesto"  and  in  his  demand  for  "repara- 
tions." A  month  ago  Messenger  offered  a  news  summary  of  various  kinds 
of  response  to  the  Black  Manifesto.  In  this  issue  Robert  W.  Neff,  assistant 
professor  of  biblical  studies  at  Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  sets  the  current 
proclamation  of  Forman  over  against  the  "Nazareth  Manifesto"  of  Jesus  and 
the  too  easily  overlooked  laws  of  Israel  concerning  the  equitable  redistribution 
of  wealth.  The  article  grows  out  of  a  study  paper  that  Professor  Neff  pre- 
pared for  discussion  with  the  staff  of  the  World  Ministries  Commission  of  the 
General  Board. 

Despite  the  note  of  seriousness  with  which  we  began.  Messenger  editors 
are  equally  sincere  in  praying  that  this  new  year  will  indeed  be  a  happy  and 
challenging  one  for  all  our  readers.  Our  single  resolution  is  to  keep  the 
reader  always  in  mind  even  when  we  get  carried  away  by  our  enthusiasm  to 
see  the  church  come  alive  with  a  new  sense  of  mission.  In  the  meantime  we 
salute  the  other  contributors  to  this  issue: 

Nelson  M.  Seese,  Falls  Church,  Virginia,  and  his  family  are  members  of 
the  Arlington  Church  of  the  Brethren  near  their  home.  ...  As  counselor  at 
Johnstown's  city-county  psychiatric  clinic  and  special  counselor  and  consultant 
with  Ligonier  Valley  Public  Schools,  Donald  F.  Hursh  can  speak  with  authority 
on  the  world  of  children.  He  serves  in  a  part-time  pastorate  in  nearby  Myers- 
dale,  Pennsylvania.  .  .  .  Former  church  renewal  consultant  Ralph  Turnidge 
left  his  Sacramento,  California,  position  to  take  a  United  Methodist  pastorate 
at  Elna,  Washington.  .  .  .  Cerro  Gordo,  Illinois,  is  the  home  of  Ralph  Skaggs. 
who  currently  is  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  congregation  there.  .  .  . 
Well-acquainted  with  the  setting  of  his  poem.  Bill  Herod  spent  time  in  Viet- 
nam with  Vietnam  Christian  Service  after  alternative  service  work  under 
BVS.  Returning  to  the  States,  he  helped  with  BVS  training  at  New  Windsor, 
worked  with  presidential  candidate  Eugene  McCarthy  as  Vietnam  consultant, 
and  later  assisted  his  own  denomination.  Disciples  of  Christ,  in  the  area  of 
peace  education  ...  He  anticipates  more  service  in  Vietnam  with  VCS.  .  .  . 
Drexel  Hill  Church  of  the  Brethren  has  the  part-time  pastoral  services  of  War- 
ren S.  Kissinger,  who  lives  in  the  Pennsylvania  community. 

The  Editors 


What  Can  Vie 

From  the  Seventies? 


by  William  Kuhns 


The  seventies  are  anybody's  guess.  Spec- 
ulating on  the  seventies,  just  after  the 
tumult  of  the  sixties,  makes  any  prophet 
have  a  queasy  feeling.  Who  could  have 
predicted  the  assassinations,  the  move- 
ment of  the  young  and  blacks  from  hope 
to  disillusion  to  cynicism  and  rebellion; 
the  enormous  triumph  of  the  moon 
against  the  backdrop  of  the  Vietnam 
debacle? 

If  the  seventies  promise  events  on  such 
a  grand  scale,  only  the  most  imaginative 
science  fiction  writers  could  give  us  the 
vaguest  of  hints.   But  assuming  that 
trends  which  have  appeared  in  recent 
years  will  continue  and  perhaps  come  to 
dominate  the  landscape  of  the  coming 
era,  here  are  some  speculations. 


Emergence  of  the  new  generation 

The  kids  who  grew  up  in  the  sixties, 
who  rallied  at  colleges  and  joined  the 
Peace  Corps  and  bussed  to  Mississippi, 
will  be  the  bankers,  the  doctors,  the 
teachers,  and  the  middle  management  of 
the  seventies.  They  won't  be  running 
the  system,  but  increasingly  they  will  be 
filling  it,  and  that  itself  will  make  the 
difference.  The  idealism  that  character- 
ized the  early  and  mid-sixties  hasn't  all 
soured  into  rebellion.  Increasingly  there 
are  lawyers  more  interested  in  challeng- 
ing a  city's  real  estate  practices  than 
bleeding  their  clients;  teachers  who  aren't 
apt  to  cling  to  the  textbook;  young 
political  assistants  who  are  learning  how 
to  budge  city  hall. 


This  new  breed  is  less  patient  and 
more  committed  to  change  than  earlier 
generations.  And  if  the  political  or  legal 
or  educational  systems  won't  bend  for 
them,  they  will  search  hard  for  ways  of 
slipping  past  them. 

Polarization 

The  sixties  made  us  aware  how  far 
apart  from  one  another  we  really  are. 
Urban  and  rural.  Blacks  and  whites. 
Parents  and  their  children.   Radicals  and 
liberals.  In  recent  Los  Angeles  and 
Minneapolis  mayoral  elections  the  dom- 
inant vote  was  white  backlash.  Long 
hair  has  become  a  symbol  to  which 
people  react  violently  —  as  witnessed  in 
the  movie  Easy  Rider. 


Unless  a  powerful  and  highly  popular 
leader  arises  —  an  unlikely  prospect  — 
the  country's  polarization  will  probably 
continue,  resulting,  perhaps,  not  only  in 
the  counterculture  of  the  young  but  in 
a  continuous  splintering  of  that  counter- 
culture, into  black  nationalists,  the  radi- 
cal young,  and  the  antitechnological 
young  who  flee  to  drugs  and  communes. 
The  net  effect  may  be  a  broadening  of 
cultural  values  or  —  again,  witness  Easy 
Rider  —  a  rise  in  intolerance  and  big- 
otry. 

Power  and  will  power 

Can  we  stop  air  pollution  and  the 
wrecking  of  the  land?  Can  the  poor  of 
our  society  be  entered  successfully  into 


the  affluent  American  economy?  The 
seventies  will  probably  spell  out  the 
decisive  answer,  showing  either  that  giant 
corporations  have  assumed  too  much 
power  and  need  answer  to  no  one  or  that 
new,  more  localized  forms  of  power  are 
possible  and  workable.  The  question  of 
power  is  a  crucial  one  for  the  seventies, 
after  a  decade  when  university  presi- 
dents, police  chiefs,  mayors,  and  the 
occupants  of  the  White  House  have 
faced  the  recognition  that  their  power  on 
paper  didn't  equal  their  power  in  fact. 
With  television,  the  abuses  of  power 
are  glaringly  evident,  and  people  feel 
increasingly  distant  from  the  decisions 
that  govern  the  air  they  breathe,  the  food 
they  eat,  the  way  their  sons  will  die.  The 


American  political  system  may  or  may 
not  be  workable  in  today's  technological 
age;  more  than  the  sixties,  the  seventies 
will  tell. 

Rebellion 

Is  long  hair  rebellion  or  simply  a 
hairstyle?  Do  people  smoke  marijuna 
because  it  is  illegal  or  because  they 
feel  it  gives  some  peace  to  a  war- 
ridden  time?  If  the  colleges  were  the 
generations'  battlefields  of  the  sixties, 
the  high  schools  may  be  the  battlefields 
of  the  seventies.  And  the  battles  are 
likely  to  be  more  tactical,  more  success- 
ful, since  the  high  school  students  have 
been  learning  from  the  mistakes  of  the 
college  revolts. 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     3 


The  generation  gap  is  becoming  as 
American  as  violence  and  apple  pie,  and 
it  is  likely  to  find  new  forms,  and  perhaps 
new  organization,  in  the  seventies.  The 
young  are  wise  to  Thomas  Wolfe's  dic- 
tum: You  can't  go  home  again.  And 
while  the  SDS  claims  that  they  can 
stretch  rebellion  into  revolution,  that  is 
unlikely  in  a  society  as  organized,  afflu- 
ent, and  satisfied  as  ours.  Drugs,  com- 
munes, and  guerrilla  tactics  aimed  at  the 
power  structure  will  probably  become 
standardized  forms  of  rebellion  in  the 
seventies. 

New   political   alliances 

Sometime  in  the  seventies  Chicago, 
Washington,  Baltimore,  Cleveland,  De- 
troit, and  other  major  U.S.  cities  will 
witness  the  consequence  of  twenty  years 
of  suburban  exodus:  Over  fifty  percent 
of  the  voters  in  these  cities  will  be  black. 
The  implications  may  not  become  ob- 
vious immediately,  but  no  doubt  will,  by 
the  1980s,  change  the  face  —  and  per- 
haps the  structure  —  of  city  govern- 
ments, perhaps  the  very  fabric  of  the 
political  process  itself.   It  won't  be  the 
surface  difference  between  a  white  mayor 
and  a  black  mayor,  but  more  likely  the 
transformation  to  a  new  political  con- 
sciousness —  a  profound  concern,  for 
example,  for  economic  freedom  in  the 
ghettos.  The  older  political  parties  may 
give  way  to  newer  organizations,  from 
the  militant  Black  Panthers  to  the  reac- 
tionary groups  emerging  throughout  the 
cities  and  suburbs  of  the  nation. 

Science  and  technology 

"The  quiet  revolution"  —  in  chemistry, 
biology,  medicine,  virtually  all  the  sci- 
ences —  has  been  going  on  about  us  in 
the  1960s  and  will,  if  anything,  mushroom 
in  the  seventies.   Many  scientists  feel 
sure  that  by  1980  they  will  have  localized 
the  virus  which  prompts  cancer,  and  may 
begin  inoculations  against  it.  At  the 


same  time,  drugs  for  restructuring  DNA 
molecules  - —  the  cell's  memory  bank  — 
may  be  developed,  even  used  experimen- 
tally.  Scientifically,  the  seventies  will 
bring  us  far  closer  than  any  previous 
decade  to  the  tools  which  may  transform 
society  into  a  Utopia  —  or  into  Huxley's 
dark  nightmare. 

The  sixties  saw  the  incredible  growth 
of  the  computer;  the  seventies  will  be  a 
decade  of  far-ranging  experimentation 
with  its  uses.   More  than  the  wiretap  or 
bug,  the  computer  may  —  unless  drastic 
steps  are  taken,  such  as  a  privacy  amend- 
ment to  the  Bill  of  Rights  —  spell  an  end 
to  privacy  for  most  people  in  America. 
A  person's  total  history  —  financial, 
academic,  social,  psychological  —  will  be 
at  instant  access,  though  presumably  for 
only  a  limited  few.  Who  needs  Big 
Brother  if  an  IBM  3800  with  a  ware- 
house of  memory  banks  can  do  the  trick 
instead? 

The  group  style 

The  sixties  saw  a  growing  conscious- 
ness of  the  group  —  in  group  dynamics 
and  group  therapy  of  institutes  like 
Esalen;  in  a  change  of  TV  and  movie 
heroes  from  individuals  to  groups  (Mis- 
sion: Impossible,  Bonanza,  Bob  &  Carol 
&  Ted  &  Alice);  in  musical  rock  groups; 
in  the  popularity  of  brainstorming  and 
group  approaches  to  business  manage- 
ment. The  seventies  could  witness  a 
reaction  against  this  trend,  though  that 
seems  doubtful.  Small  groups,  rarely 
larger  than  ten,  will  tend  to  become  a 
major  cultural  phenomenon,  in  the 
schools,  in  business,  in  leisure,  even  in 
sex.   It  is  not  that  America  is  relin- 
quishing its  sturdy  tradition  of  individ- 
ualism but  simply  relocating  it  within  a 
strong  group  context. 

Television 

Technology  in  the  seventies  will 
change  television,  threaten  the  existence 


of  movie  theaters  (as  it  already  has  of 
the  stage),  and  in  effect  broaden  the 
options  for  people  at  home.  Cable  TV, 
perhaps  pay  TV,  RCA's  new  device, 
"SelectaVision,"  and  CBS's  electronic 
video  recorder  ( both  of  the  latter  TV 
playback  systems,  with  tape  decks)  will 
make  it  possible  to  see  first-run  movies, 
ballets,  Broadway  musicals  without  leav- 
ing home. 

The  full  impact  of  these  new  systems 
and  devices  will  not  be  felt  until  deep 
into  the  seventies,  but  most  likely  they 
will  shift  the  economic  structure  of 
television  and  broaden  the  network  fare. 
In  the  seventies  the  networks  will  face 
what  the  movie  studios  faced  in  the  early 
fifties,  when  television  appeared.  Here 
the  impact  will  be  greater  than  it  was 
then  (the  studios  have  simply  absorbed 
television,  by  producing  most  of  its 
broadcasting).   By  1980  television  will 
not  represent  only  an  "information  ex- 
plosion" but  very  possibly  a  "cultural 
explosion"  as  well. 

Leisure 

Even  new  systems  of  television  cannot 
absorb  the  growing  leisure  needs  of  a 
nation  which  already,  on  an  average, 
works  a  thirty-five-hour  week.   If  there  is 
any  single  difference  between  the 
leisure  pursuits  of  the  seventies  and  those 
of  the  sixties,  it  will  be  a  new  sophistica- 
tion: a  taste  for  experimentation,  a  dis- 
taste for  prefab  gimmicks  like  miniature 
golf,  a  growing  popularity  of  speed 
machines  —  motorbikes,  snowmobiles, 
speedboats,  airplanes.  The  most  signifi- 
cant area  for  leisure,  though  —  already 
foreshadowed  in  film,  music,  and  theater 
—  will  no  doubt  be  sex,  where  the 
popular  ambits  of  experimentation,  with- 
in marriage,  outside  mariage,  between 
married  couples,  may  mark  forever  the 
death  of  puritanism  in  America.  The  pill 
has  vanquished  the  major  source  of  guilt 
in  sex;  the  seventies  may  see  the  erosion 


4     MESSENGER    1-1-70 


of  other,  particularly  social  and  religious, 
sources  of  guilt. 

And  the  church? 

These  trends  amount  to  a  most  cursory 
glance  at  the  seventies.  Neglected  are 
such  vital  areas  as  psychology,  space, 
transportation,  economics,  and  politics. 

What,  then,  does  all  this  mean  for  the 
church?  And  why  haven't  I  commented 
on  trends  within  the  church  —  unity, 
inner-city  work,  the  vocation  crisis,  the- 
ological tumult?  The  answer  to  both 
questions  is  the  same.  In  his  Ethics, 
Dietrich  Bonhoeffer  arrived  at  a  concept 
of  the  church  in  which  the  church  is 
defined  in  the  process  of  its  concrete 
relationship  to  the  world  and  what  is 
currently  happening  in  the  world.  If  the 
secular  thrust  of  current  theology  has 
any  meaning,  it  is  here.  And  if  the 
church  of  the  seventies  is  going  to 
change,  work  for  vitalizing  the  people  of 
the  seventies,  it  is  here. 

Whether  this  or  that  church  body 
merges  in  the  seventies  matters  far  less 
than  whether  pastors  and  laymen  come 
to  grips  with  the  challenges  of  that  era: 
economic  freedom  for  the  poor;  locating 
the  ambits  of  sexual  responsibility  (no 
longer  sexual  morality) ;  the  dangers  and 
possibilities  of  a  group  ethos;  the  mean- 
ing of  rebellion;  the  ways  of  bridging  the 
growing  gaps  within  society. 

For  many  commentators,  the  election 
of  Richard  Nixon  to  the  White  House  is 
the  forecast  of  an  era  like  the  fifties: 
quiet,  undemanding,  a  peaceful  veneer 
over  a  restless  subsurface.  This  I  doubt. 
We  can't  return  to  the  fifties;  the 
illusions  have  been  burst;  the  rush  of 
events  and  changes  is  coming  too  fast, 
too  violently.  The  sixties  have  taught  us 
that  responsibility  of  a  nation  changed  by 
technology  is  that  people  be  capable  of 
changing  also.  In  the  seventies  we  will 
discover  whether  or  not  people  have 
learned  that  truth.    Q 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     5 


Schwarzenau  Is  Still  a  Place 


For  many  years  my  wife  and  I  had  heard 
and  read  of  the  beginnings  of  our  church. 
Therefore,  when  we  planned  a  vacation  in 
Europe  last  summer,  we  included  a  visit 
to  Schwarzenau.  We  sought  out  the  Ger- 
man village  as  an  object  of  pilgrimage, 
believing  that,  just  as  members  of  other 
religious  bodies  journey  to  shrines  they 


venerate,  we  could  also  find  spiritual  re- 
newal in  visiting  the  birthplace  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Although  Schwarzenau  is  not  shown 
on  many  maps  of  Germany,  it  is  not 
difficult  to  find.  Marburg,  a  picturesque 
university  town  of  some  fifty  thousand 
inhabitants,  is  the  closest  large  city  and  a 


convenient  point  of  departure.  Schwarze- 
nau is  located  approximately  midway  be- 
tween Frankfurt  and  Kassel. 

Schwarzenau  lies  along  the  Eder  River 
between  Berleburg  on  the  west  and  Bat- 
tenberg  on  the  east.  One  or  both  of  these 
are  shown  on  most  maps.  Roads  in  Ger- 
many are  well  marked  with  route  num- 


Marching  band  leads  a  festival  parade  down  the  main  street  of  Schwarzenau,  birthplace  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 


rnXm 


r\'l 


.  -"iJh-'i^.w 


^    i     I 


or  Pilgrimage 


by  Nelson  M.  Seese 


bers,  distances,  and  place  names.  Finding 
your  way  is  no  problem. 

Consequently,  on  a  Sunday  morning  in 
July  we  headed  our  rented  Volkswagen 
north  out  of  Marburg  toward  Kassel. 
Soon  we  turned  off  the  main  highway  and 
drove  through  the  rural  German  land- 
scape following  signs  to  Battenberg. 


The  countryside,  with  its  rolling  green 
hills  and  valleys,  was  dotted  with  patches 
of  woodland  and  cultivated  fields  inter- 
spersed with  an  occasional  neat  village. 
The  setting  was  perfect  for  people  on  a 
pilgrimage! 

Before  leaving  home  we  had  studied 
a  book  obtained  from  our  church  library, 
Schwarzenau  Yesterday  and  Today,  by 
Lawrence  W.  Shultz.  Carrying  this  book, 
we  set  out  to  explore  the  village,  which 
we  easily  recognized. 

The  main  street  of  Schwarzenau  leaves 
the  highway  at  a  right  angle,  forming  the 
verticle  stroke  of  a  "T."  It  crosses  the 
Eder  River  and  runs  through  the  village. 
We  drove  to  the  eastern  edge  where  the 
railroad  station  and  the  Bahnhof  Guest- 
house are  located.  At  this  guesthouse  oc- 
curred a  highlight  of  our  visit. 

We  entered  and  found  in  their  kitchen 
the  two  ladies  who  operate  the  guest- 
house. There  we  noted  a  coal-burning 
stove,  porcelain  canisters  on  shelves,  and 
a  tempting  bowl  of  fresh  strawberries  on 
the  table.  The  most  delicious  odors  per- 
vaded the  atmosphere.  It  reminded  us 
of  a  farmhouse  kitchen  in  the  valley  of 
Virginia.  The  ladies  spoke  no  English 
and  we  no  German.  To  introduce  our- 
selves I  showed  them  the  Shultz  book. 
They  recognized  his  name  immediately. 
"Shultz,"  they  said  and  began  to  examine 
the  book.  When  they  found  their  own 
pictures,  they  were  fascinated.  We  asked 
them,  by  sign  language,  to  pose  for  us 
in  the  kitchen.  The  ladies  disappeared 
into  another  room  momentarily  and  re- 
turned, minus  aprons  and  with  their  hair 
freshly  combed.  They  insisted  we  take 
the  picture  in  the  "parlor"  instead.  We 
could  not  break  the  language  barrier  yet 
meanings  were  made  clear  as  we  shared 
a  common  interest. 

Next  we  decided  to  visit  Huettental, 
a  small  cluster  of  homes  in  the  hills 
above.  It  is  reached  by  a  narrow  winding 
road  ascending  from  the  highway  op- 


posite Schwarzenau's  main  street. 

About  two  switchbacks  up  the  road  we 
encountered  our  next  landmark  —  one 
too  new  to  be  in  our  "guidebook."  It 
was  the  Alexander  Mack  School,  built  in 
recent  years  and  partly  financed  by 
Brethren  contributions.  Although  the 
building  was  locked,  we  found  a  key  at 
the  adjacent  house  and  were  able  to  see 
some  of  the  interior.  A  drinking  fountain 
in  the  entrance  hall  commemorates  sev- 
eral of  the  early  Brethren  whose  names 
are  inscribed  on  the  wall  tiles.  The 
school  is  a  modern  expression  of  concern 
by  the  Brethren  for  their  birthplace. 

As  we  drove  on  up  the  road,  we 
stopped  at  numerous  points  which  af- 
forded excellent  vistas  of  Schwarzenau 
and  the  surrounding  country.  At  inter- 
vals benches  are  provided  where  you  can 
relax  and  enjoy  the  view.  Under  one  of 
these  benches  we  found  proof  that  even 
rural  Germany  is  being  Americanized. 
There  on  the  ground  was  a  badge,  such 
as  a  youngster  might  pin  on  his  jacket, 
displaying  two  familiar  faces  and  in- 
scribed "Ben  Cartwright"  and  "Hoss." 

Upon  reaching  Huettental,  we  stopped 
to  ask  directions  of  two  men  sitting  in 
front  of  a  house.  They  spoke  no  English 
but  apparently  understood  our  difficulty. 
The  younger  man  left  and  returned  short- 
ly with  a  girl  of  high  school  age  who 
spoke  excellent  English.  Upon  seeing  a 
photograph  in  our  book,  she  directed  us 
down  a  narrow  lane.  There,  perched  on 
the  hillside,  we  found  the  building  tradi- 
tionally assumed  to  be  the  home  of  Alex- 
ander Mack. 

A  recent  addition  at  one  end  of  the 
house  has  altered  the  aspect  of  this  early 
eighteenth-century  dwelling.  It  is  still, 
however,  recognizable  from  the  photo- 
graphs in  L.  W.  Shultz's  book.  The  origi- 
nal structure  appears  rather  dilapidated 
and  uninhabited  though  porch  railings 
have  recently  been  replaced.  The  owners 
have  built  a  new  modern  house  just 

1-1-70    MESSENGER     7 


King  and  queen  of 
Schwarzenau  festival 


across  the  lane. 

We  had  a  lengthy  conversation  with 
our  guide  —  it  was  so  good  to  hear 
English  again!  When  she  found  we  lived 
near  Washington,  D.C.,  she  told  us  about 
helping  two  ladies  from  Washington  find 
the  Mack  house  the  previous  summer. 
It's  a  small  world.  These  ladies  are 
acquaintances  of  ours  who  visited 
Schwarzenau  in  1968! 

Our  guide  also  informed  us  that  an 
annual  festival  and  parade  were  to  take 
place  that  afternoon  at  two.  How  for- 
tunate to  choose,  at  random,  a  day  to 
visit  Schwarzenau  and  find  it  to  be  the 
date  of  a  festival! 

We  drove  back  down  to  the  village, 
parked  our  car,  and  joined  the  gathering 
crowd.  This  festival  is  apparently  a 
major  yearly  event  in  Schwarzenau.  As 
we  stood  at  the  highway  intersection  op- 
posite the  Roeser  Guesthouse,  we  ob- 
served the  people.   Most  were  in  their 
Sunday  best  and  some  ladies  wore  tradi- 
tional costumes.  Mothers,  fathers,  chil- 
dren, whole  families  were  present. 

The  parade  marched  up  the  street  from 
the  village  and  crossed  the  bridge  over 
the  Eder.   First  came  the  band,  next  the 
couple  chosen  as  king  and  queen  of  the 
festival  with  their  court,  and  last  a  troop 
of  men  in  green,  forester-type  uniforms. 
The  whole  parade  was  preceded  by  a 
contingent  of  village  children. 


#^fter  a  ritual  at  the  guesthouse  the 
parade  and  onlookers  marched  back 
down  the  street.  Just  short  of  the  Eder 
they  turned  left  into  the  drive  of  the 
Herrenhaus,  a  summer  residence  of  the 
counts  of  Wittgenstein.  The  count  and 
his  wife,  attended  by  a  man  we  presumed 
to  be  the  chief  forester  or  estate  manager, 
awaited  the  parade  on  the  front  steps  of 
the  house. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  informal  cere- 
mony the  crowd  began  to  drift  away.  We 

8     MESSENGER    1-1-70 


boldly  pushed  our  way  up  to  the  steps 
and  discovered  that  the  count,  his  wife, 
and  the  forester  all  spoke  some  English. 
We  showed  them  our  "guidebook,"  said 
we  were  Americans  on  a  visit,  and  would 
like  to  shake  their  hands.  They  were 
familiar  with  the  book  and,  of  course, 
recognized  many  of  the  people  and  scenes 
in  it.  Communication  was  not  perfect  but 
we  were  well-received.  Later,  as  we 
walked  in  the  village,  we  passed  both  the 
count  and  the  countess  in  their  autos. 
They  recognized  us  and  waved.  Meeting 
the  local  "royalty"  whose  ancestors  were 
sympathetic  to  the  early  Brethren  was  an 
unexpected  bonus. 

As  we  turned  to  leave  the  Herrenhaus, 
the  forester  invited  us  to  examine  the 
adjacent  house.  He  proudly  said  it  was 
his  home  and  the  oldest  house  in  the 
village.   It  dated  from  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury and  was  a  fine  example  of  the  half- 
timbered  style  of  construction.  Both  the 
house  and  its  grounds  were  well  main- 
tained and  very  attractive. 

Next  we  visited  the  Evangelical 
Church.  It  is  just  off  the  highway  on 
the  road  to  Huettental.  The  building  is 
a  simple  one  of  stone  with  a  small  spire. 
Attached  to  one  end  is  a  frame  building 
housing  the  high  school. 

We  had  stopped  earlier  in  the  day  and 
found  it  locked  and  deserted  —  on  a 
Sunday  morning.  This  time  we  were 
more  fortunate.  We  met  two  ladies  who 
taught  in  the  school  and  they  let  us  into 
the  sanctuary  through  the  school  build- 
ing. The  interior  is  small  and  quite  plain 
with  a  balcony  at  the  rear.  The  masonry 
walls  are  white  with  the  balcony  and 
woodwork  painted  gray.  To  us  the 
unique  feature  of  the  sanctuary  is  its 
semicircular  chancel  lighted  by  three 
narrow  windows  in  the  rear  wall. 

Before  leaving  Schwarzenau  we  ex- 
amined more  closely  the  bridge  across 
the  Eder  River.  It  is  of  multiple  arch, 
stone  construction  and  wide  enough  for 


only  one  vehicle.  The  bridge  has  been 
modernized  with  a  macadam  surface  and 
iron  railings  but  the  stonework  appears 
old.  The  Eder  is  not  a  large  stream.  Its 
water  is  clear  and  flows  rather  swiftly 
between  low  banks  green  with  vegetation. 
The  river,  with  the  bridge  and  village, 
makes  an  almost  idyllic  scene. 

To  us,  however  beautiful  as  the  land- 
scape may  be,  there  was  a  deeper  sig- 
nificance. For  here,  before  our  very  eyes, 
was  the  traditional  site  of  the  first  bap- 
tisms of  the  Brethren.   In  imagination  we 
saw  those  eight  hardy  souls  who  dared  to 
found  a  new  fellowship  at  this  spot. 
Here  perhaps  was  the  culmination  of  our 
pilgrimage! 


In  retrospect,  two  questions  arise  in  our 
thoughts.  First,  what  has  been  the  influ- 
ence of  the  Brethren  on  Schwarzenau? 
To  us,  as  one-day  visitors,  the  only 
tangible  sign  of  our  church  is  the  Alex- 
ander Mack  School.  Not  seen  but  ex- 
perienced was  evidence  that  the  tours 
led  by  Lawrence  Shultz,  the  participation 
of  several  hundred  Brethren  in  an  anni- 
versary occasion  in  1958,  and  the  visits 
of  many  others  since  then  have  created 
a  reservoir  of  goodwill  and  fellowship. 

And  what  did  we  gain  from  our  visit? 
At  Schwarzenau  we  saw  a  Germany  not 
visible  from  the  autobahn  or  in  the  cities. 
In  such  a  peaceful  setting  we  could  un- 
derstand why  Alexander  Mack  and  the 
other  founders  advocated  the  simple  life. 
We  asked  how  many  organizations  born 
in  such  humble  circumstances  could  en- 
dure. 

I  hope  this  brief  sketch  of  a  personal 
visit  will  encourage  others  to  visit 
Schwarzenau.  Americans  fly  to  Europe 
literally  by  the  thousands  every  summer. 
Travel  on  the  continent  is  swift  and 
modern  —  autos  are  as  easy  to  rent  there 
as  at  home.  Why  not  conduct  your  own 
pilgrimage?   D 


James  Forman  and  the  Jubilee  "tear 


In  27  A. D.  a  bold  young  Galilean  presented  a  revolutionary 
"Nazareth  Manifesto."  In  light  of  this,  how  shall  Chris- 
tians respond  to  James  Forman  and  his  Black  Manifesto? 


by  Robert  W.Neff 


O 


n  Sunday  morning,  May  4,  James  Forman  interrupted 
a  communion  service  at  Riverside  Church  in  New  York 
to  present  the  demands  of  the  National  Black  Eco- 
nomic Development  Conference.    Forman's  disruption  of 
the  communion  became  front  page  news  across  the 
country  and  Americans  became  aware  of  the  Black 
Manifesto  which  declared: 

We  are  therefore  demanding  of  the  white  Christian 
churches  and  Jewish  synagogues  which  are  part  and  parcel 
of  the  system  of  capitalism  that  they  begin  to  pay  repara- 
tions to  black  people  in  this  country.  We  are  demanding 
$500,000,000  from  the  Christian  white  churches  and  the 
Jewish  synagogues.  .  .  .  This  demand  for  $500,000,000  is 
not  an  idle  resolution  or  empty  words.  Fifteen  dollars  for 
every  black  brother  or  sister  in  the  United  States  is  only  a 
beginning  of  the  reparation  due  us  as  a  people  who  have 
been  exploited  and  degraded,  brutalized,  killed  and  perse- 
cuted. Underneath  all  of  this  exploitation  the  racism  of  this 
country  has  produced  a  psychological  effect  upon  us  that 
we  are  beginning  to  shake  off. 

The  minister,  officials,  and  members  of  the  congrega- 
tion reacted  immediately,  stopped  the  service,  and  left 
the  sanctuary. 

When  the  letters  began  to  pour  into  the  church 
office,  Ernest  Campbell,  pastor  of  the  Riverside 


Church,  reported  that  an  overwhelming  majority  of 
them  had  the  following  tone:  We're  sorry  it  happened. 
Sock  it  to  'em.    Other  responses  were  so  hot  that  they 
should  have  been  sealed  in  asbestos-lined  envelopes 
and,  of  course,  were  of  such  a  nature  that  their 
contents  could  not  be  printed  here. 

A  copy  of  the  Manifesto  was  presented  to  Cardinal 
Cody  on  May   18  at  the  World  Communications  Day 
Mass  in  Chicago  but  was  rejected  by  him  during  the 
service.    The  Interchurch  Center  in  New  York  was  shut 
down  on  June  9  so  that  blacks  and  Puerto  Ricans  would 
not  have  to  face  placards  that  denounced  them  as  house 
niggers.    Even  the  Brethren  felt  the  press  of  the  Mani- 
festo at  Annual  Conference.    We  had  mixed  feelings 
about  a  possible  confrontation  with  James  Forman. 
Although  we  feared  direct  intervention  within  the  Con- 
ference itself,  we  did  not  want  to  be  considered  so 
small  that  we  were  unworthy  of  attention.    When  a 
busload  of  blacks  did  arrive  on  Conference  Sunday, 
some  Brethren  thought  that  the  long  awaited  encounter 
had  come.    To  the  chagrin  of  everyone  the  bus  brought 
members  of  the  First  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Chicago. 

The  Manifesto  has  produced  a  variety  of  personal 
responses.    One  minister  wrote  in  Christian  Century, 
"The  suggestion  that  the  money  be  given  over  carte 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     9 


JUBILEE  YEAR  /  continued 

blanche  is  asinine  thinking  on  the  part  of  people  who 
are  supposedly  responsible  agents  of  the  church  of 
Jesus  Christ  on  earth.    A  point  that  is  completely 
forgotten  these  days  is  the  proclamation  of  the  Good 
News  of  Jesus  Christ."    After  all  God  is  concerned 
with  the  spiritual  and  religious  needs  of  man.    Faith 
points  us  inward,  not  outward.    Participation  in  society 
is  excluded  by  definition  from  the  Christian's  witness. 

Christians  may  confess,  "We  live  in  a  world  over 
which  we  have  no  control."    If  we  did  give  substan- 
tially of  our  funds,  we  can  expect  no  cure  for  man's 
social  ills  as  suggested  by  the  Manifesto.    Man  is 
basically  corrupt,  dragged  down  by  his  original  sin,  as 
the  apostle  Paul  says.    Our  money  will  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  powerful,  the  overbearing,  the  more 
vicious  hands  of  the  community  of  the  poor.    The 
crimes  of  one  group  will  be  perpetuated  by  the  more 
cunning  and  forceful  of  another.    Since  history  repeats 
itself,  our  hands  are  tied. 

More  reflective  Christians  may  say  with  St.  Francis, 
"Jesus  was  a  simple  rural  figure."    He  talked  about 
sparrows,  lilies,  sheep,  and  fish  to  peasants  and  fisher- 
men.   He  personalized  all  ethical  problems  so  that  his 
morality  is  only  possible  in  a  village  or  town  where 
everyone  knows  one  another.    His  face-to-face  model  of 
obedience  can  say  nothing  to  us  who  sit  in  offices  and 
work  in  complex  organizations  bound  by  institutional- 
ized sin.    If  we  give  at  all,  we  must  give  to  someone 
we  love. 

None  of  these  positions  may  provide  a  suitable 
answer  for  us.    Nor  do  they  permit  a  creative  response 
to  James  Forman  because  they  ignore  the  issue  of 
social  and  political  inequity.    An  examination  of  Luke's 
presentation  of  Jesus'  ministry  may  provide  a  perspec- 
tive for  our  own  response  to  the  Manifesto. 

During  the  spring  of  27  a.d.  a  young  Galilean  in  a 
Nazareth  synagogue  rose  to  read  the  scriptures.    Ap- 
parently the  chazzan,  the  leader  of  the  synagogue,  had 
handed  the  scroll  of  Isaiah  to  the  young  man  who 
selected  the  following  verses: 

The  spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  we  to  preach  good 

news  to  the  poor; 

He  has  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the  captives; 

And  the  recovery  of  sight  to  the  blind; 

To  set  at  liberty  those  who  are  oppressed; 

To  proclaim  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 
In  reading  this  manifesto  from  Isaiah  Jesus  declared 
freedom  for  the  politically  and  economically  oppressed. 
The  vision  of  the  just  social  order  became  the  platform 
of  the  one  who  declared  the  coming  of  the  new  age. 
Jesus  had  spoken  to  the  deepest  hopes  and  aspirations 
of  the  Jewish  people.    A  deep  hush  fell  over  the 


synagogue  and  the  air  was  filled  with  suspense.    With 
the  eyes  of  everyone  fastened  upon  him,  the  young  man 
made  a  direct  tie  between  the  words  of  Isaiah  and  his 
own  ministry:   "Today  this  scripture  has  been  fulfilled 
in  your  hearing."    The  waiting  for  the  jubilee  of  God 
was  over;  the  messianic  age  had  dawned  with  a  mani- 
festo of  the  economic  and  social  restructuring  of 
society  in  which  Jesus  lived. 

What  intuitions  about  society  lay  behind  the 
Nazareth  Manifesto?    When  Jesus  spoke  of  the 
"acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,"  he  called  upon  an  im- 
portant tradition  of  Israel's  life.    One  early  law  of 
Israel  demanded  the  release  of  the  land  every  seven 
years  so  that  the  poor  might  eat  the  produce  of  the 
land.    After  Israel's  economic  life  became  more  compli- 
cated, the  law  was  reinterpreted  to  mean  release  from 
debt:  An  individual  burdened  with  indebtedness  was 
freed  from  his  financial  obligation  in  the  seventh  year. 
The  difference  between  debtor  and  lendor  disappeared 
because  of  the  expectation  that  there  will  be  no  poor 
among  you.    The  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord,  the 
Jubilee  Year,  means  the  year  of  release,  the  year  when 
social  imbalance  is  corrected.    Although  these  laws 
recognized  that  wealth  accumulates  in  the  hands  of 
certain  persons,  the  means  by  which  equitable  redistri- 
bution of  wealth  could  occur  were  provided.    The  laws 
did  suggest  ways  to  correct  social  and  economic 
inequities. 

When  this  current  of  thought  comes  into  the  New 
Testament,  we  often  misunderstand  it.    We  thmk  of  the 
poor  as  men  who  stand  in  a  blessed  estate,  since  Jesus 
taught  the  merits  of  a  life  in  which  riches,  food,  and 
shelter  are  renounced.    We  cite  the  parable  of  the  rich 
young  ruler  as  support  for  this  point  of  view.    However, 
the  young  man  contended  that  he  had  fulfilled  the  law 
from  his  youth  up.  As  I  have  shown  above,  the  law 
provided  for  the  redistribution  of  wealth.    Thus,  Jesus' 
admonition  that  he  sell  what  he  had  and  give  to  the 
poor  stemmed  from  the  man's  contention  that  he  kept 
the  full  measure  of  the  law.    If  riches  were  inherently 
evil,  Jesus  could  hardly  have  advised  the  dispersion  of 
wealth  among  persons  since  that  act  would  tend  to 
corrupt  rather  than  enhance.    Zacchaeus  returned  monies 
where  he  had  defrauded  in  order  to  correct  the  im- 
balance created  by  his  profession  as  a  tax  collector. 
The  issue  is  not,  "Become  poor  so  that  you  might  be 
saved,"  but  rather,  "Recognize  the  social  imbalance 
around  you  and  correct  it  with  the  means  given  you." 

The  spirit  of  the  issue  has  been  captured  by  Mike 
Royko  in  an  editorial  in  The  Chicago  Daily  News. 
"Instead  of  prosperous  people  eating  like  poor  for  a 
week,  some  poor  people  should  be  allowed  to  have  a 


10     MESSENGER     1-1-70 


week  of  the  American  dream  —  conspicuous  consump- 
tion."   The  affluent  have  felt  that  if  they  ate  like 
the  poor  and  lived  on  the  budget  of  the  poor  for 
a  time,  they  might  call  attention  to  the  plight  of 
the  poor.    We  know  that  fasting  feeds  no  one,  but 
assuages  the  conscience  of  those  who  have.    In  dis- 
cussing the  difference  between  John  the  Baptist  and 
Jesus,  Luke's  gospel  reports  that  John  came  eating  no 
bread  and  drinking  no  wine,  but  the  Son  of  Man 
came  eating  and  drinking.    The  Nazareth  Manifesto,  in 
contrast  to  the  Baptist's  teaching  of  asceticism  and 
restraint,  recognized  that  all  shall  eat  and  all  shall 
drink,  that  all  shall  share  in  material  well-being. 

Before  the  time  of  Job  the  orthodox  theology  of 
the  wise  stated  that  a  poor  man  must  have  sinned  in 
order  to  account  for  his  present  condition.    Thus  when 
Job  meets  financial  catastrophe,  the  theologians  offer  to 
examine  his  life  and  to  discover  the  sin  in  his  past. 
One  line  of  thinking  in  the  affluent  society  runs  that  if 
a  man  had  the  desire  to  work,  he  would  pull  himself 
up  out  of  the  mire  of  the  ghetto.    The  man  without 
income  evidently  despises  work.    He  deserves  his  posi- 
tion.   To  those  who  make  this  judgment,  the  Bible 
points  an  accusing  finger.  Job,  the  poor  man,  is  justi- 
fied; the  wise  theologians  who  accuse  Job  are  con- 
demned.   Jesus'  association  with  the  poor  and  destitute 
confirms  the  high  worth  of  the  low  and  despised. 

Another  argument  of  the  official  theology  stated 
that  the  poor  could  not  be  counted  on  for  any  creative 
solution  to  society's  problems.    We  have  heard  that  the 
poor  in  our  society  are  the  patients  and  that  those 
who  have  riches  are  the  doctors.    Any  cure  for  society 
must  come  from  those  who  enjoy  an  apparent  position 
of  status.    In  Ecclesiastes  we  find  a  refutation  of  this 
point  of  view: 

I  have  also  seen  this  example  of  wisdom  under  the  sun,  and 
it  seemed  great  to  me.  There  was  a  little  city,  with  few  men 
in  it;  and  a  great  king  came  against  it  and  beseiged  it, 
building  great  seige  works  against  it.   But  there  was  found 
in  it  a  poor  wise  man  and  he  by  his  wisdom  delivered  the 
city.  Yet  no  one  remembered  that  poor  man. 

Inherently  men  distrust  the  poor.    Who  would  believe 
that  a  poor  man  could  save  a  city?    The  Nazareth 
Manifesto  affirmed  that  the  Jubilee  of  God  begins  with 
the  release  of  the  dispossessed  and  the  poor,  which  in 
turn  may  spell  a  release  for  the  rich  and  a  new  dis- 
covery of  freedom  for  the  haves. 

Jesus'  declaration  in  the  Nazareth  synagogue 
marked  a  sharp  departure  from  the  mind  set  of  his 
peers.    One  group  argued  that  the  golden  era  of  the 
past  was  gone  forever  and  that  one  could  only  repent 


in  looking  at  what  had  been.    Another  group  felt  that 
the  future  of  God  was  so  far  ahead  that  all  one  could 
do  was  wait.    Jesus  proclaimed  that  the  dream  of  a  just 
social  order  was  a  reality  breaking  into  man's  present. 
The  new  social  reality  was  not  a  heaven's  width  away 
but  rather  the  length  of  a  man's  arm.    In  announcing 
the  imminent  beginning  of  a  new  social  regime,  Jesus 
emphasized  that  men  would  have  a  new  mentality  now 
if  they  believed  the  good  news. 

The  old  teaching  that  men  would  share  a  common 
destiny  in  the  future  was  superceded.    The  parables  of 
the  kingdom  underline  the  teaching  that  men  share  a 
common  future,  but  that  common  destiny  must  be 
shared  in  the  present.    It's  not  enough  to  say  that  in 
heaven  things  will  be  different.    Rather  since  heaven 
will  be  this  way,  things  in  the  present  wUl  be  different. 
The  vision  of  the  kingdom  is  not  an  Idle  dream,  be- 
cause what  one  believes  of  the  future  creates  the 
pattern  for  his  life.    If  the  kingdom  is  one  in  which 
men  share,  sharing  does  not  begin  then  but  now.    The 
Nazareth  Manifesto  affirmed  that  the  Year  of  Jubilee 
which  spoke  of  restitutions,  cancellations  of  debt,  and 
realignment  of  wealth  begins  now. 

Given  the  character  of  the  Nazareth  Manifesto,  we 
may  give  an  answer  to  James  Forman.    On  the  one 
hand,  we  do  not  have  to  accept  his  Marxist  rhetoric; 
we  do  not  have  to  flagellate  ourselves  each  Sunday  by 
bathing  in  our  guilt;  we  do  not  have  to  accept  his 
disruptive  tactics.    Furthermore,  since  we  Christians 
confess  that  forgiveness  comes  from  God,  we  know 
there  is  no  way  to  pay  for  our  sins.    Reparations  can 
never  free  us  from  the  past  sins  of  racism.    Repara- 
tions with  that  motive  brings  a  return  to  tokenism 
which  appears  all  the  time  in  our  society. 

On  the  other  hand,  we  must  say  yes  to  James 
Forman  when  he  says  that  the  poor  can  plan  their 
own  programs;  we  must  say  yes  to  James  Forman  when  he 
says  that  social  and  economic  imbalance  needs  to  be 
corrected;  we  must  say  yes  to  James  Forman  when  he 
says  that  large  sums  of  money  are  needed  now.    We 
can  say  yes  because  we  believe  in  the  kingdom  in  which 
all  men  share.    Thus  we  may  give  not  to  pay  for  our 
guilt  but  to  affirm  our  belief  in  Christ's  kingdom  set 
forth  in  the  Nazareth  Manifesto.    To  report  to  the 
Black  Manifesto  is  only  a  beginning  of  what  we  are 
called  to  do.    The  economic  and  social  reconciliation  of 
the  human  community  as  set  forth  in  the  Nazareth 
Manifesto  should  become  the  lifelong  task  of  the 
church  which  lives  out  its  life  for  the  world.    When  we 
give  monies  to  the  Black  Economic  Development  Con- 
ference or  to  the  Fund  for  the  Americas,  we  can  say, 
"It  is  only  the  beginning,  but  we  have  begun."    □ 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     II 


Already  the  ninth  inning? 


The  mounting  crisis  of  environment 


"This  man  tells  some  of  the  dirtiest 
stories  of  our  time."  Thus  headlined  one 
of  the  nation's  major  papers  in  an  ad  in- 
troducing its  newest  correspondent.  What 
is  it  he  tells  about?  Filthy  air  and  be- 
fouled beaches.  Oil  spills  and  man-made 
mudslides.  Disappearing  wildlife  and  dy- 
ing lakes.  Transportation  snarls  and 
urban  sprawls.  In  sum,  dirty  stories  that 
are  disclosures  of  a  polluted  environment. 
The  ad  was  a  timely  and  impressive  an- 
nouncement except  for  one  incongruity: 
In  the  hand  of  the  reporter  was  a  cigar- 
ette. The  correspondent  himself  was  a 
contributor  to  pollution  even  though  a 
crusader  against  it. 

Threat  to  life?  Inconsistencies  are 
not  uncommon,  however,  when  it  comes 
to  treating  the  problem  of  pollution. 
Furor  arises  over  the  fumes  of  automo- 
biles, trucks,  and  buses  on  the  streets 
while  jetstreams  showering  wastes  from 
above  go  virtually  unnoticed.  Special 
boards  are  created  to  control  pollution, 
boards  made  up  of  the  very  industrialists 
whose  smokestacks  and  incinerators  clog 
the  cities  with  smoke  and  soot.  Local 
planning,  or  the  lack  of  it,  pushes  junk- 


yards and  factories  and  shopping  centers 
into  the  open  countryside,  supplanting 
meadows  with  macadam.  Pesticides  and 
herbicides  and  other  new  chemicals, 
though  chief  factors  in  increased  food 
production  and  in  eradicating  disease- 
bearing  insects,  have  been  found  to  leave 
ominous  traces  in  water,  soil,  air,  wild- 
Hfe,  and  the  fat  tissues  of  virtually  all 
living  persons. 

Little  wonder  that  ecologists  —  those 
persons  who  deal  with  the  relationships 
of  all  different  elements  in  the  environ- 
ment —  see  catastrophic  consequences 
ahead  for  the  quality  of  life  in  the  United 
States.  Particularly  if  the  population 
growth  continues  to  soar  and  air,  water, 
soil,  lakes,  and  forests  are  regarded  as 
ever  secondary  to  technology.  What  is  at 
stake,  some  scientists  warn,  is  social  sui- 
cide: a  world  too  chemically  impossible 
to  survive  in,  a  world  too  esthetically  un- 
attractive to  flourish  in. 

One  prominent  ecologist,  Paul  Ehrlich, 
a  professor  of  biology  at  Stanford  Uni- 
versity, wrote  in  Ramparts  magazine  in 
September; 

"Man  is  not  only  running  out  of  food, 
he  is  also  destroying  the  life  support  sys- 
tems of  the  Spaceship  Earth." 

If  the  present  course  of  destruction  is 
allowed  to  go  on.  Dr.  Ehrlich  contends, 
all  important  animal  life  in  the  sea  could 
be  extinct  by  1979,  with  only  the  direst 
of  consequences  thereafter  for  human 
life.  He  concluded  his  scenario  on  the 
seventies  in  these  terms: 

"It  is  the  top  of  the  ninth  inning. 
Man,  always  a  threat  at  the  plate,  has 
been  hitting  Nature  hard.  It  is  important 
to  remember,  however,  that  Nature  bats 
last." 

Life  in  the  seas  could  end  in  10  years, 
one  noted  ecologist  has  flatly  predicted 


Teach-in:  Growing  numbers  of  scien- 
tists and  social  planners  feel  that  ecology 
must  come  into  clear  focus  in  the  sev- 
enties as  an  urgent  public  and  moral 
concern.  Two  developments  scheduled  in 
the  next  few  months  will  help  boost  such 
an  awareness.  The  first  is  a  National 
Teach-in  on  the  Crisis  of  Environment  to 
occur  April  22  on  college  campuses 
across  the  country.  The  second  is  a  thrust 
by  a  national  Environmental  Stewardship 
Action  Team  to  enlist  churches,  sem- 
inaries, and  the  public  in  delving  into  the 
appropriate  question  of  the  moral  and 
ethical  aspects  of  environmental  care. 

The  April  teach-in  seeks  to  mobilize 
the  constructive  energies  of  youth  in  a 
massive  effort  to  halt  the  destruction  of 
the  nation's  resources.  Planning  is  to  be 
shaped  campus  by  campus,  with  topics  to 
be  selected  by  student  initiative  and  fo- 
cused on  concerns  critical  to  the  particu- 
lar locale  of  each  campus. 

Nonpartisan  in  intent,  the  teach-in  has 
as  national  sponsors  Sen.  Gaylord  Nel- 
son, Wisconsin  Democrat,  and  Congress- 
man Pete  McCloskey,  California  Repub- 
lican, both  outspoken  conservationists. 
The  co-chairmen  indicated  the  hope  that 
by  January  every  campus  in  the  nation 
would  have  active  planning  efforts  under 
way,  and  communities,  high  schools,  and 
grade  schools,  as  well.  Senator  Nelson 
would  welcome  the  support  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  other  church- 
es in  the  campaign,  he  told  Messenger. 

The  senator  further  stressed  the  im- 
portance of  student  initiative  to  the  suc- 
cess of  the  campus  teach-in.  "The  real 
loser  in  man's  greedy  drive  is  the  youth 
of  this  country  and  the  world,"  he  de- 
clared. "Because  of  the  stupidity  of  their 
elders,  the  children  of  today  face  an 
ugly  world  in  the  near  future,  with  dan- 
gerously   and    deadly    polluted    air    and 


water;  overcrowded  development;  fester- 
ing mounds  of  debris;  and  an  insufficient 
amount  of  open  space  to  get  away  from 
itaU. 

"Since  youth  is  again  the  great  loser, 
perhaps  the  only  hope  for  saving  the  en- 
vironment and  putting  quality  back  into 
I  life  may  well  depend  on  our  being  able 
to  tap  the  energy,  idealism,  and  drive  of 
the  oncoming  generation  that,  otherwise, 
will  inherit  the  poisonous  air  and  deadly 
waters  of  the  earth." 

The  co-chairmen  also  expressed  hope 
that  out  of  the  nationwide  emphasis 
would  come  specific  goals  for  environ- 
mental development  in  the  new  decade, 
of  the  same  priority  as  the  moon-shot  in 
the  sixties. 

"It  is  appropriate,  by  the  200th  anni- 
versary of  the  founding  of  this  nation  in 
1976,  that  we  be  well  on  our  way  to 
solving  the  problems  of  population 
growth  and  the  preservation  of  clean  air, 
water,  and  open  space,"  declared  a  state- 
ment on  the  teach-in. 

Nothing  short  of  a  positive  national 
environmental  policy  is  seen  as  offering 
a  viable  solution.  A  policing  measure 
here,  a  new  restriction  there  at  best  will 
afford  only  limited  help.  Air  control  or- 
dinances, for  instance,  are  but  a  begin- 
ning step,  so  long  as  urban  planners 
continue  to  build  expressways  to  accom- 
modate a  proliferation  of  the  internal 
combustion  engine.  Such  issues  as  an  oil 
spill  in  California  or  DDT-poisoned 
mother's  milk  in  New  England  are  in 
essence  too  sweeping,  too  universal  to  be 
fragmented  into  mere  local  concern. 

Thus  while  the  teach-ins  are  to  dwell 
on  specific,  local  aspects  of  pollution,  the 
national  sponsors  believe  that  ultimately 
the  crisis,  like  ecology  itself,  must  be  dealt 
with  from  the  broadest  base  possible,  in 
balance  and  totality. 

Action  team:  Marshalling  a  similar 
concern  for  study  and  work  from  within 
the  churches  is  the  Environmental  Stew- 
ardship Action  Team,  a  group  originating 
out  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches' 
Section  on  Stewardship  and  Benevolence. 


Polluted  air  over  Elgin,  III.  In  essence,  though,  the  crisis  nowhere  is  only  local 


For  two  years  steps  have  been  taken  by 
the  group  to  study  dimensions  of  the 
crisis  in  ecology  and  to  discern  what  ac- 
tion might  be  appropriate  by  the  church- 
es. 

As  a  next  move,  the  team  has  issued  a 
grant  to  conservationist  Richard  A.  Baer, 
chairman  of  the  religion  department  at 
Earlham  College,  Richmond,  Ind.,  to 
bring  theologians,  ethicists,  scientists,  and 
others  together  to  examine  the  problem. 
One  aspect  of  Dr.  Baer's  effort  is  to 
plan  a  major  Environmental  Stewardship 
Conference  next  fall.  Another  is  to  es- 
tablish a  center,  perhaps  at  Boston  The- 
ological Institute,  for  the  study  of  the 
environmental  crisis,  a  study  aligned  with 
a  particular  university  but  drawing  in  a 
number  of  seminaries  of  all  faiths. 

Further,  against  what  it  regards  as 
widespread  apathy  by  the  general  public 
toward  the  quality  of  environment,  the 
action  team  detailed  the  following  con- 
cerns as  incumbent  upon  the  church: 

•  to  call  into  question  those  cultural 
values,  structures,  and  operations  which 
prevent  man  from  living  in  harmony  with 
his  natural  environment; 

•  to  challenge  the  gospel  of  efficiency 
and  the  widespread  belief  that  technologi- 
cal progress  in  and  of  itself  represents 
genuine  human  progress; 

•  to    insist    that    individual    property 


rights  never  take  precedence  over  human 
rights  .  .  .  and  that  landowners  should  not 
be  permitted  to  degrade  the  environment 
for  the  sake  of  personal  profit; 

•  to  question  the  military's  imperious 
claim  to  natural  resources  and  its  willing- 
ness to  risk  massive  contamination; 

•  to  protest  tax  laws,  zoning  regula- 
tions, and  lack  of  planning  which  make 
ecologically  unsound  development;  and 

•  not  only  to  allow  the  Christian  use 
of  contraceptives,  but  to  insist  that  their 
use  is  imperative  for  those  who  would  live 
responsibly. 

Were  the  church  to  ponder  these  points 
and  to  start  weighing  the  implications, 
some  strides  indeed  would  be  begun  in 
turning  present  threatening  trends. 

The  action  team  sees  such  a  turn  as 
imperative,  soon.  It  does  not  accept  the 
view  that  the  fundamental  need  in  cor- 
recting environmental  conditions  is  for 
more  technical  knowledge. 

"It  is  increasingly  clear  that  environ- 
mental scientists  already  know  far  more 
about  how  to  achieve  a  quality  environ- 
ment than  we  are  willing  to  put  in  prac- 
tice," the  team  insists. 

In  this  light,  the  question  which  cam- 
pus and  church  and  communities  every- 
where might  well  press  in  the  new  year 
and  the  new  decade  is  this:  What  are  we 
waiting  for?  —  h.e.r. 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     13 


news 


District  developments 

Items  of  note  from  recent  district  con- 
ferences, especially  the  late  fall  round, 
include  the  following  developments: 

Realignment:  The  Brotherhood's  new- 
est and  largest  district  in  terms  of  mem- 
bership will  be  created  next  October  with 
the  merger  of  the  Eastern  Pennsylvania 
and  North  Atlantic  into  the  Atlantic 
Northeast  District.  The  new  unit  will 
encompass  63  congregations  and  19,000 
members.  Both  districts  voted  over- 
whelmingly for  the  realignment. 

Southern  Pennsylvania,  now  in  a  tri- 
district  field  program  with  the  Eastern 
Pennsylvania  and  North  Atlantic  dis- 
tricts, will  launch  its  own  full-time  field 
program  next  September. 

Southern  Indiana  delegates  strongly 
favored  the  merger  of  their  district  with 
Middle  Indiana.  The  vote  of  the  latter 
district  conference,  however,  did  not  at- 
tain the  two-thirds  margin  required.  Ef- 
forts are  toward  keeping  the  door  open 
for  continued  explorations. 

A  joint  field  service  plan  is  being  in- 
augurated by  the  Iowa,  Minnesota,  Mis- 
souri, and  Southern  Missouri  and  Arkan- 
sas districts  in  which  part-time  associates 
in  three  areas  are  assisting  the  executive 
secretary,  Lyle  C.  Albright.  The  part- 
time  workers  are:  Max  D.  Gumm,  pas- 
tor, Cando,  N.D.,  for  the  Mon-Dak  area; 
Wilbur  R.  Hoover,  pastor,  Warrensburg, 
Mo.,  for  the  Missouri  district;  Edward 
Murray,  pastor,  Springfield,  Mo.,  for  the 
Southern  Missouri  and  Arkansas  district. 

Queries:  A  query  to  Annual  Confer- 
ence passed  by  Southern  Ohio  delegates 
seeks  to  establish  and  to  clarify  policy 
and  procedures  whereby  districts  or  con- 
gregations "may  unite,  merge,  or  feder- 
ate with  other  denominational  units." 

A  query  from  the  Western  Plains  Dis- 
trict meeting  at  Estes  Park,  Colo.,  calls 
for  the  endorsement  of  Project  Equality, 
an  interreligious  antidiscrimination  ven- 
ture, by  Annual  Conference.  The  district 
as  well  as  the  Illinois-Wisconsin  District 
joined  in  support  of  the  program  this 
year. 

A  query  from  Northern  Indiana  dele- 


gates, meeting  at  Camp  Alexander  Mack, 
seeks  from  Annual  Conference  a  study  of 
the  rural  church,  comparable  to  the  re- 
cent urban  church  study.  The  query, 
originated  by  the  Middlebury  church, 
first  was  presented  in  1968,  returned, 
presented  again  this  year,  and  passed  on 
by  the  district  meeting. 

Two  queries  passed  by  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  District  conference  request 
Annual  Conference  to  study  the  possi- 
bility of  Sept.  I's  being  the  beginning 
date  of  the  church  year  and  to  encourage 
the  Brotherhood  to  provide  a  national 
program  in  the  interest  of  health  and 
welfare  concerns. 

Fund  for  the  Americas:  Mid-Atlantic 
District  delegates,  meeting  at  Baltimore, 
passed  by  a  strong  majority  a  proposal 
for  action  involving  each  congregation 
"in  studying,  identifying,  and  changing 
its  participation  in  racism  and  injustice." 
The  action  further  involves  each  congre- 
gation in  setting  a  goal  for  the  Fund  for 
the  Americas  and  in  relating  to  local 
agencies  in  the  cause  of  social  justice  and 
brotherhood. 

The  Southern  Ohio  District  conference 
at  Brookville  allocated  up  to  $15,000 
from  church  extension  funds  of  the  dis- 
trict for  use  with  a  matching  amount 
from  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  to  some 
local  project,  its  nature  yet  to  be  deter- 
mined. Local  churches  were  encouraged 
to  contribute  to  the  Fund  for  the  Amer- 
icas as  well. 

At  the  Illinois-Wisconsin  District 
meeting  at  Peoria  delegates  personally 
pledged  $1,074  to  the  Fund  for  the 
Americas  by  Dec.  31.  About  50  confer- 
encegoers  formally  pledged  "to  seek  to 
enlist  others  in  my  home  church  and 
community  to  understand  the  Fund  and 
to  support  it  according  to  their  under- 
standing and  commitment." 

Pacific  Southwest  Conference  dele- 
gates, convened  at  Bakersfield,  sought  to 
raise  $1,000  for  the  Fund  for  the  Amer- 
icas during  the  conference  sessions,  end- 
ed up  with  cash  and  pledges  twice  that 
amount. 

Southern  Virginia  delegates  asked  the 
district  board  to  launch  an  educational 


program  on  the  crisis  situation  which 
prompted  the  Annual  Conference  action 
on  the  Fund  for  the  Americas,  and  en- 
couraged individuals  and  congregations 
sympathetic  to  the  program  to  respond 
with  contributions.  The  First  Virginia 
District  board  was  scheduled  to  consider 
similar  action. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania  delegates,  meet- 
ing at  the  Little  Swatara  church  near 
Rehrersburg,  established  directives  for  an 
educational  program  to  combat  racism  in 
the  churches,  to  participate  directly  in 
work  with  minority  groups,  and  to  con- 
tribute to  the  Fund  for  the  Americas. 

Support  of  the  Fund  also  was  passed 
by  the  Middle  Pennsylvania  District  con- 
ference, with  the  district  board  asked  to 
take  next  steps  in  implementing  participa- 
tion in  the  efi'ort,  and  by  the  Western 
Pennsylvania  District  Conference. 

Homes  for  aging:  Southern  Ohio's 
Brethren  Home  at  Greenville,  already  one 
of  the  largest  retirement  centers  in  the 
Brotherhood  with  220  residents,  plans  to 
add  facilities  which  would  nearly  double 
its  capacity.  The  expansion  proposal 
passed  by  district  conference  is  estimated 
to  cost  $6,900,000. 

Middle  Pennsylvania's  Morrison's  Cove 
Home  at  Martinsburg  reported  retiring 
its  mortgage  three  times  faster  than  re- 
quired by  schedule,  leaving  a  current 
indebtedness  of  $100,000. 

Southern  Pennsylvania  delegates  grant- 
ed revision  of  an  earlier  action,  author- 
izing a  sum  of  $1,450,000  rather  than 
$1,000,000  for  construction  of  the  Breth- 
ren Home  at  New  Oxford. 

Building  expansion  programs  are  being 
projected  by  the  two  Illinois-Wisconsin 
homes,  at  Girard  and  Mount  Morris. 

Congregational  study:  In  the  Shenan- 
doah District  a  study  of  five  smaller  con- 
gregations in  Pendleton  County,  W.  Va., 
is  being  carried  on  by  a  five-member 
team  led  by  Riley  Smith.  With  12  meet- 
ing places,  the  congregations  list  637 
members,  average  319  at  worship,  have 
only  one  church  with  attendance  above 
50.  The  churches  generally  are  declining 
and  are  served  by  five  supply  ministers, 
four  of  whom  live  outside  the  county. 


14     MESSENGER     M-70 


In  looking  at  such  factors  as  the  mis- 
sion, growth  potential,  leadership,  and 
program  evaluation  of  the  five  congre- 
gations, the  study  to  date  has  resulted  in 
no  specific  recommendations.  However, 
among  options  being  pursued  are:  (1) 
Organization  of  a  larger  parish  under  a 
full-time  pastor;  (2)  consolidation;  (3) 
joining  with  other  denominations;  (4)  in- 
viting parishes  of  other  denominations, 
most  of  which  face  identical  problems,  to 
join  the  Brethren;  and  (5)  becoming  house 
churches  rather  than  congregations. 

New  Windsor  hall:  Southern  Ohio 
seeks  to  achieve  its  $7,000  commitment 
toward  Zigler  Hall  at  New  Windsor,  Md. 
Contributions  in  the  district  to  date  total 
$4,258.  Similarly,  Northern  Indiana  re- 
ported $7,025  raised  toward  a  $10,000 
goal.  The  latter  districts  urged  a  $1  per 
member  goal  among  the  churches  to 
achieve  the  balance. 

Other  developments:  Illinois-Wiscon- 
sin delegates,  meeting  just  prior  to  the 
November  Moratorium,  gave  official 
sanction  to  the  "legal  and  nonviolent  as- 
pects" of  the  observance.  Telegrams 
were  sent  to  key  government  officials. 

A  new  district  history  of  Southern 
Pennsylvania  churches  is  to  be  written 
by  Elizabethtown  College  teacher  Wayne 
J.  Eberly. 

The  Western  Plains  District  is  an  offi- 
cial constituent  body  of  the  Prairie  View 
Psychiatric  Clinic,  Newton,  Kan.  Its  rep- 
resentative to  the  project  is  Harold  Z. 
Bomberger. 

Firsts:  Illinois-Wisconsin  adds  to  its 
distinctions  of  "firsts"  in  regard  to  dis- 
trict moderators.  The  former  Northern 
Illinois- Wisconsin  district  in  1962  claimed 
one  of  the  first  lay  moderators,  F.  Willard 
Powers;  this  past  year  the  merged  district 
had  the  first  woman  moderator,  Sarah 
Clinton;  and  for  the  current  year,  the 
district  has  the  first  black  moderator, 
Tom  Wilson. 

The  distinction  of  having  been  the  first 
lay  moderator  in  the  Brotherhood  is  be- 
lieved to  belong  to  Wayne  F.  Buckle, 
Falls  Church,  Va.,  who  was  named  to 
the  office  by  the  former  Eastern  Virginia 
District  in  1959. 


Thanks  from  Vietnam 

At  Christmas  a  year  ago  the  East 
Nimishillen  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Canton,  Ohio,  responded  to  a  request 
from  one  of  its  members  to  send  clothes 
for  distribution  to  the  children  of  a  vil- 
lage in  Vietnam. 

This  Christmas  an  expression  of  grati- 
tude from  the  Christians  of  the  village 
occupies  a  central  place  in  the  East 
Nimishillen  church.  On  the  altar  are 
three  brass  candle  holders,  symbols  not 
only  of  the  Trinity  but  of  Christian 
brotherhood. 

The  gift  from  the  Roman  Catholic 
church  in  Cao  Thye  to  the  Brethren  in 
Ohio  came  about  through  S/Sgt.  Eman- 
uel F.  Speicher,  who  had  several  Cao 
Thye  village  girls  working  for  him  in  the 
mess  hall  at  Long  Binh  Post. 

After  "Spike,"  as  he  is  known  to  the 
homefolk,  wrote  for  clothing  and  re- 
ceived a  quick  response,  he  and  his  com- 
pany distributed  the  items  to  the  village 
children.  In  the  process  he  became  a 
well-known  figure  in  Cao  Thye.  When 
he  prepared  to  come  home  on  leave  in 


Gratitude  to 
an  American 
serviceman 
and  an  Ameri- 
can church: 
Emanuel 
Speicher,  Pas- 
tor Roy  L. 
Stern  with  gift 
from  Vietnam 
villagers 


the  summer,  the  village  chief  surprised 
him  with  the  gift  for  his  home  church. 
"They  had  wanted  to  send  something  of 
value  that  was  in  use  in  their  church  and 
would  continue  to  be  useful  to  an  Amer- 
ican church,"  Spike  recounted.  The 
handmade  candlesticks  were  selected  as 
that  gift. 

Pastor  Roy  L.  Stern  accepted  the  gift 
not  only  as  symbols  of  the  Trinity  and 
of  brotherhood  but  as  "a  striving  toward 
unity  and  peace  amongst  Christians  who 
have  not  seen  one  another." 

During  his  furlough  in  the  summer. 
Spike,  who  had  had  nine  years  in  the 
military,  was  wavering  whether  to  make 
a  career  of  service.  Upon  accepting  a 
volunteer  extension  and  returning  to 
Vietnam,  he  found  himself  asking  to  be 
released  from  the  assignment.  He  is 
now  home  working  in  the  Canton  area 
and  an  active  layman  in  the  East  Nim- 
ishillen church. 

He  reported  that  in  Vietnam  service- 
men of  several  other  companies  as  well 
as  his  own  helped  the  village  of  Cao 
Thye  in  constructing  a  church  and  school 
and  drilling  a  well  for  an  orphanage. 


news 


Forgiveness?  In  Belfast  a  child  crawls  through  a 
burned-out  vehicle  which  acts  as  a  barrier  between 
Irish  Protestants  and  Roman  Catholics  on  Lord  Street 


iRGiVE 

S 


Warnings:  Two  signs  in  juxtaposition  in  Portland,  Ore.,  reveal 
something  of  a  common  theme.  The  billboard  in  the  distance 
reads:    "Laura,    8/12/50  —  3/15/69.     Narcotics    took    her   life." 


SIGNS  OF  THi 


Fund  drive:  The  slo- 
gan at  left  was  the 
theme  of-  a  fund  ap- 
peal for  the  Broad- 
way United  Church  of 
Christ  in  New  York 

Peace    sign:    At    the 

draft  induction  refus- 
al by  Ted  GUck  at 
Lancaster,  Pa.,  G. 
Wayne  Glick,  in  fore- 
ground, joined  in  sup- 
port of  his  son's  stand. 
"I  must  say  .  .  . 
no  to  those  elements 
which  destroy  man 
and  yes  to  peace, 
freedom,  and  life," 
young  Glick  declared 


16     MESSENGER     1-1-70 


IMES 


Support  and  dissent:  Recent  Vietnam  demonstrations  have  involved,  upper  left, 
support  for  the  nation's  current  war  policy  and,  above  and  below,  the  largest  peace 
rally  ever  in  American  history  to  protest  national  policy.  The  latter  scenes  are 
from  the  November  march  in  Washington,  D.C.  What  some  observers  see  at  issue, 
beyond  Vietnam  itself,  are  conflicting  views  of  what  constitutes  loyalty  and  patriotism 


•>^S)LGNr'WjOR|lj)> 


■'^-■MMd.j 


JOlJi 


news 


Cotton  patch  crusader 

He  was  not  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  but  once  he  came  close 
to  being  that  in  his  spiritual  pilgrimage. 
More  significantly,  he  was  the  epitome  of 
plain  spokenness,  gentleness,  intellect, 
and  courage  which  countless  Brethren 
and  other  Christians  admire  deeply. 

Clarence  Jordan,  up  to  his  death  at  age 
57,  rode  the  Brethren  circuit  of  district, 
regional,  campus,  and  national  assem- 
blies. He  was  equally  in  demand  in  the 
ecumenical  realm.  Wherever  he  spoke, 
his  perception  of  human  relations  and 
his  translations  of  the  gospel  came 
through  with  penetrating  wit  and  witness. 

Profiile:  When  contacted  in  1962  by 
the  Brethren  news  director  for  a  personal 
profile  and  title  for  his  forthcoming  An- 
nual Conference  address,  the  scholar- 
farmer  responded,  "I've  done  a  little  writ- 
ing, a  lot  of  speaking,  and  gobs  of  loaf- 
ing." As  to  the  topic,  he  said  folks  may 
have  to  take  a  chance  on  whatever  he 
served  up.  "More  than  likely  it  will  be 
cawnbread  and  collard  greens,  but  that 
isn't  exactly  a  respectable  title." 

Years  ago,  pressed  by  a  grand  jury  for 
a  simple  yes  or  no  answer,  he  confessed 
that  he  would  "sell  a  ham"  to  a  Commu- 
nist. "I  told  them  I  would  sell  ham  to  a 
hungry  Ku  Kluxer  too,  but  that  never 
made  the  papers,"  he  said.  "I  also  tried 
to  explain  to  them  the  difference  between 
Christ  and  Marx,  but  it  soon  became 
clear  that  the  jurors  didn't  know  anything 
about  either  one  of  them." 

One  voice:  Relentlessly  he  spread  the 
message  of  a  savior  who  had  been 
lynched  by  a  mob  of  his  own  white 
Protestant  kin.  Ecumenicity  has  long 
been  a  fact,  he  declared,  at  least  among 
the  southern  churches  he  knew  best. 
"The  Baptists  and  the  Methodists  have 
spoken  with  one  voice  for  years.  If  a 
man  is  poor  and  black  he's  going  to  get 
the  same  treatment  from  both  churches." 

In  his  classic  Cotton  Patch  Version  of 
Paul's  Epistles,  he  translated  Paul's  ideas, 
if  not  his  words,  colloquially,  using  such 
pungent  imagery  as  "Sin  made  an  ass  of 
me,""  "Don't  get  drunk  on  wine.    Tank 


Jordan:  "Decency  and  wisdom  and  love" 

up  on  the  Spirit,"  and  "If  God  is  rootin' 
for  us,  who  can  win  over  us?"  Behind 
such  texts  was  an  author  who  held  a 
doctorate  in  New  Testament  Greek  as 
well  as  a  degree  in  agriculture. 

Disarming:  Intimidation  and  persecu- 
tion did  not  quell  his  endeavor  to  estab- 
lish Koinonia  Farm  near  Americus,  Ga., 
as  a  symbolic  racial  and  economic  experi- 
ment and  demonstration  of  "honest  dis- 
cipleship."  Once  he  was  met  by  a  93-car 
caravan  of  hooded  Ku  Klux  Klansmen 
who  warned  him  to  leave  at  once  or  suf- 
fer the  consequences.   Jordan  responded: 

"We  are  prepared  to  accept  the  con- 
sequences. And  let  me  assure  you  that 
we  are  not  a  violent  people.  None  of  you 
will  be  hurt." 

Two  days  before  a  heart  attack  took 
his  life  on  Oct.  29,  the  Georgia  Baptist 
preacher  issued  to  friends  a  letter  report- 
ing progress  on  a  current  enterprise.  To 
Koinonia  Partners  who  support  a  Fund 
for  Humanity  program  aimed  at  building 
low-cost  housing  for  displaced  rural  fam- 
ilies, he  said  in  part: 

"When  my  wife  and  I  were  in  South 
Africa  last  spring,  we  visited  Kruger  Na- 
tional Park,  a  vast  expanse  of  8,000 
square  miles  which  has  been  reserved  for 
elephants,  lions,  and  other  wild  animals. 
If  such  a  Garden  of  Eden  can  be  set 
aside  for  the  free  use  of  animals,  it  is 
not  unreasonable  to  make  large  tracts  of 
land  available  for  the  free  use  of  another 
of  God's  creatures  —  dispossessed  man. 


To  open  our  hands  liberally  to  the  chil- 
dren of  those  who  served  sixty  times  six 
years  is  not  reparation;  it  is  decency  and 
wisdom  and  love." 

Ungodliness:  His  activity  centered  in 
his  native  South,  for  it  was  there  that 
he  deliberately  chose  to  witness  and  to 
weather  the  assaults.  But  he  often  said 
that  the  racial  attitudes  and  restrictions 
in  the  North  were  just  as  vicious,  if  not 
more  so,  than  the  enforced  segregation  of 
his  home  region. 

"Hypocrisy  is  not  limited  to  the  First 
Methodist  Church  of  Americus,  Ga.,"  he 
concluded  in  his  final  published  letter. 
"It  is  not  limited  to  Georgia.  We  who 
abhor  the  ungodly,  especially  the  ungodly 
clothed  in  the  traditional  garb  of  righ- 
teousness, must  not  be  weary;  we  must 
not  faint.  We  must  continue  to  work  and 
witness  for  brotherhood." 

The  believers'  story 

Donald    F.    Durnbaugh's    book,    The 
Believers'    Church,    confronts    Brethren 
like  a  poem  they  once  knew  and  recited 
but   have   since   forgotten   from   lack  of 
use.    The  believers'  church,  traditionally 
called  the  free  church,  is  a  term  initiated 
by  Max  Weber  to  stand  for  a  "commu- 
nity of  personal  believers  of  the  reborn,     1 
and   only   these."    Historically  the  term     j 
has  been  associated  with  the  Waldensians,    I 
Quakers,  Brethren,  and  other  groups  rep-    I 
resentative    of    the     Reformation's    left     ! 
wing.  : 

The  key  to  understanding  the  concept  j 
of  The  Believers'  Church  lies  in  the  apos-  1 
trophe.  Durnbaugh  says,  "In  the  phrase  I 
believers'  church  the  placing  of  the  ' 
apostrophe  after  the  s  in  believers  is  ( 
done  purposely  to  emphasize  the  com- 
munal and  collective  quality  of  belief,  in 
opposition   to  the  individual   alone." 

What  has  happened  to  the  believers'     | 
church?   Durnbaugh  provides  part  of  the 
answer  himself  when  he  notes  that  "ad-     i 
vancing    secularization    has    forced    free 
church  status  on  former  establishments."      i 
But  Robert  S.  Paul  in  a  review  in  Chris-      \ 
tian  Century  replied  by  saying  that  "the 
same  process  of  secularization  sometimes     j 


18     MESSENGER    1-1-70 


causes  the  believers'  church  to  adopt 
many  of  the  worst  features  of  former 
establishments." 

The  Believers'  Church  is  divided  into 
three  parts  to  discuss  the  concept,  his- 
tory, and  character  of  believers'  churches. 
Since  its  publication  in  October  1968,  it 
has  been  well-received  as  a  book  that 
was  long  awaited  —  and  for  various  rea- 
sons. 

Christianity  Today  said,  "The  concept 
of  the  believers'  church  is  a  welcome 
antidote  to  an  unbiblical  individualism 
that  has  infested  American  evangelism." 

Clyde  L.  Manschreck  in  the  Chicago 
Theological  Seminary  Register  said  that 
draft  resisters  and  protesters  would  find 
Durnbaugh's  book  "powerfully,  relevant 
to  their  stance  against  the  Establishment." 

Several  reviewers,  including  RoUin  S. 
Armour  in  Interpretation,  found  the  book 
to  have  a  "wide  appeal."  Armour  said, 
"The  author  tells  his  story  in  an  interest- 
ing manner,  so  as  to  please  church  mem- 
ber as  well  as  student,  not  to  mention 
professor.  In  sum,  this  is  a  good  book, 
one  which  hopefully  will  be  widely  used 
in  both  classroom  and  church." 

The  question  becomes,  what  is  the  fu- 
ture of  the  believers'  church?  "This  is 
where  Brethren  should  be  especially  con- 
cerned, because  it  is  our  story  that  Durn- 
baugh  is  telling,"  commented  Office  of 
Communication  correspondent  Terry 
Pettit.  "If  we  are  to  deal  effectively 
with  the  future  as  a  'community  of  per- 
sonal believers,'  then  we  must  first  con- 
front our  past  with  its  strength  and  weak- 
nesses. Reading  The  Believers'  Church 
is  a  good  start." 

Turn  of  an  era 

A  NEW  NAME,  new  constituents,  new 
personnel,  and  a  new  climate  of  concern 
for  peace  were  factors  shaping  the  agenda 
for  the  Consultative  Council  of  the  Na- 
tional Service  Board  for  Religious  Objec- 
tors in  its  November  meeting. 

Henceforth  the  organization,  which 
since  1940  has  been  a  major  counseling 
source  for  youth  faced  with  Selective 
Service,  is  to  be  known  as  the  National 


Interreligious  Service  Board  for  Con- 
scientious Objectors.  The  two  new  words 
in  the  new  designation  are  significant. 
Interreligious  reflects  the  growth  in  sup- 
port from  what  was  largely  that  of  the 
peace  churches  —  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Mennonites,  and  Quakers  —  to  what 
now  encompasses  40  denominations,  in- 
cluding Catholic  and  Jewish  representa- 
tion. Conscientious,  supplanting  the  word 
religious,  reflects  the  board's  concern  for 
all  who  object  to  war  for  reasons  of 
conscience,  which  may  be  broader  than 
on  religious  formulations  alone. 

Personnel:  Change  in  personnel  has 
occurred  at  several  junctures.  First,  W. 
Harold  Row,  retiring  chairman  of  the 
board  of  directors,  was  honored  at  a 
luncheon  meeting. 

Simultaneously  the  guest  speaker,  Lt. 
Gen.  Lewis  B.  Hershey,  is  to  terminate 
as  head  of  the  Selective  Service  System  in 
February.  His  own  career  at  the  helm  of 
the  draft  system  goes  back  to  1941,  al- 
most coinciding  with  the  beginning  of  the 
NSBRO  program  itself. 

Relatively  new  to  the  program  is  the 
executive  director,  Warren  W.  Hoover,  a 
Church  of  the  Brethren  minister  who  has 


Retiring 
chairman  W. 
Harold  Row, 
at  luncheon  in 
his  honor,  ad- 
dresses direc- 
tors of 
NSBRO. 
Seated,  at  cen- 
ter, is  Lt.  Gen. 
Levds  B. 
Hershey,  and 
at  right,  the 
agency's  new 
chairman, 
William  T. 
Snyder.  Dr. 
Row  was  the 
board's  chair- 
man for  17 
years. 


headed  the  nine-member  staff  for  the 
past  six  months.  He  is  assisted  by  Steven 
K.  Esbensen,  a  BVSer  from  the  Imperial 
Heights  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Los 
Angeles,  Calif.,  performing  alternative 
service  civilian  work. 

A  participant  at  the  sessions,  and  the 
newly-appointed  Brethren  representative 
to  what  is  now  the  NISBCO  board,  is 
Wilbur  E.  Mullen,  serving  in  a  ministry 
to  men  facing  the  draft. 

The  new  chairman  of  the  board  is 
William  T.  Snyder,  of  the  Mennonite 
Central  Committee  and  for  many  years 
NSBRO  vice-chairman. 

Awakening:  The  staff  of  NISBCO 
looks  upon  the  current  peace  activism  in 
the  nation  as  an  awakening  of  conscience. 
With  this  thrust  have  come  ever-increas- 
ing demands  for  service  from  the  agency. 
In  one  recent  four-week  period,  for  ex- 
ample, mailings  of  literature  averaged 
400  pieces  per  day. 

To  youth  and  draft  counselors  who 
seek  assistance  in  Selective  Service  prob- 
lems, the  board  invites  inquiries  at  its 
office,  Room  550,  Washington  Building, 
15th  and  New  York  Ave.  NW,  Washing- 
ton, D.C.  20005  (Tel.  202-393- 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     19 


day  by  day 


No  PERSON  is  born  a  leader!  However,  in  the  lives  of  our 
children  we  can  begin  early  to  detect  traits  of  leadership  and 
seek  to  develop  such  qualities.  Each  child  is  different  (thank 
God  for  this!)  and  each  child  can  become  a  leader  even  at  an 
early  age  —  if  we  as  parents  permit  that  child  a  chance  to 
assume  leadership. 

One  of  the  best  settings  for  such  development  of  leadership 
is  in  the  context  of  the  family  council.  We  have  made  various 
attempts  in  creating  a  family  type  get-together  in  our  home 
since  the  children  were  small.  We  have  occasionally  called  the 
children  into  a  circle  when  a  particular  problem  arises  and  in 
an  objective  way  have  sought  to  discuss  the  implications  of  the 
problem.  At  mealtime  we  have  talked  about  the  events  of 
the  day  and  tried  to  evaluate  with  the  little  ones  the  meaning 
of  such  events.  If  the  children  are  encouraged  to  describe  the 
highlights  of  their  own  day,  it  is  a  valuable  time  to  think  with 
them  of  the  seeming  achievements  and  failures  that  might  have 
come  to  them. 

Recently,  we  discovered  a  method  of  family  council  from 
which  we  hope  will  emerge  an  increasing  kind  of  leadership 
development  on  the  part  of  the  children.  Since  our  family 
includes  a  boy  of  twelve,  three  girls  of  ten,  eight,  and  five,  a 
boy  of  almost  three,  and  a  baby  girl  of  one,  we  believe  that 
the  older  four  ought  to  be  given  an  opportunity  to  lead  a  dis- 
cussion geared  to  the  child's  ability  and  age  level. 

Here  are  some  suggestions  for  a  family  "leadership  training 
school." 

1.  Let  each  particular  child  "do  his  thing,"  in  his  own  way. 
Begin  with  the  oldest  child  and  work  in  sequence  to  the 
youngest.  Encourage  the  leader  of  the  session  to  tell  of  a 
problem,  a  challenge,  an  interesting  experience  which  he  con- 
fronted during  a  particular  day.  Then  let  the  child  ask  for 
questions  from  the  other  children  about  the  event  in  the  lead- 
er's life. 

Our  twelve-year-old  son  is  a  more  natural  leader  than  some 
children  his  age.  His  abilities  were  channeled  into  a  construc- 
tive outlay  of  talent  as  he  saw  the  other  children  in  a  different 
light  when  he  was  formally  leading  them  than  when  he  consid- 
ered them  at  other  times  his  "younger  brothers  and  sisters." 

2.  Suggest  a  topic  to  be  discussed,  but  let  the  child  make 
the  final  decision  —  a  most  important  thing  on  his  mind  when 
the  child  comes  home  from  school.  Let  him  decide  if  this 
most  important  achievement  or  conflict  of  the  day  is  the  subject 
he  wants  to  use  in  his  direction  of  the  session. 

Our  five-year-old  usually  is  very  eager  to  tell  the  whole  fam- 
ily of  her  kindergarten  day.  Her  answers  of  some  of  the  ques- 
tions from  the  rest  of  the  children  were  far  beyond  our 
expectations   of   her   ability   to   relate   her   thoughts   to   what 


happened  beyond  the  immediate  family  circle. 

3.  Be  alert  for  times  when  the  other  children  will  try  to 
take  the  leadership  role  away  from  the  child  chosen  as  the 
leader  for  the  day.  This  will  not  yet  be  a  human  relations  lab 
where  there  is  shared  leadership.  Sibling  rivalry  is  an  interest- 
ing phenomenon.  When  a  child  is  not  in  the  limehght,  he  may 
seek  to  steal  the  center  of  attention  from  the  other  children. 
This  is  very  normal.  In  the  family  council  leadership  training 
session,  parents  should  keep  quiet  as  much  as  possible  unless 
one  child  not  in  the  leadership  role  seeks  repeatedly  to  dom- 
inate the  situation.  The  parents  should  ask  questions  in  the 
same  manner  as  do  the  other  children. 

4.  Make  the  subjects  practical,  on  the  age  level  of  the 
children,  with  possibilities  for  growth  in  mental  and  social 
expansion.  The  children  themselves  will  make  the  final  decision 
as  to  the  topics  chosen  for  discussion,  not  the  parents!  Experts 
in  group  dynamics  tell  us  that  one's  relationship  to  others  and 
to  life-in-general,  which  comprises  life's  threatening  as  well  as 
security-building  situations,  all  go  together  to  form  the  total 
texture  of  the  soil  of  individual  development. 

5.  Help  the  children  to  visualize  the  larger  dimensions  of 
family  fellowship.  The  family  is  in  fact  a  unit  of  the  kingdom 
of  God  on  earth.  As  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Christian  family 
goes,  so  goes  the  larger  spiritual  development  of  the  church 
family.  We  all  know  this.  Yet  do  we  really  realize  the  present 
and  future  implications  of  such  a  fact?  Our  children  are  closely 
related  to  the  worship,  activities,  and  program  of  the  church. 
They  have  many  friends  among  the  other  children  in  the  local 
church  fellowship.  Parents,  including  a  pastor  and  his  wife, 
should  make  a  conscious  effort  to  help  their  children  visualize 
and  understand  to  some  extent  the  dynamic  relationship  which 
should  exist  between  their  family  group  and  the  greater  group 
of  the  congregation.  —  Daniel  and  Nancy  Flory 

DAILY  READING  GUIDE       January  4-17 

Sunday     Exodus    18:1-12.     A   father-in-law    and    a   son   experience   dialogue. 

Monday  Numbers  14:1-25.  To  conquer  a  land  a  national  family  had  cour- 
age. 

Tuesday    Deuteronomy   6:1-25.    One   God,   one  family,  one   purpose. 

Wednesday  1  Samuel  2:18-21,  26;  3:1-18.  A  spiritual  father  and  a  worthy 
son. 

Thursday    Ezra  3:1-9.    Families  reassemble  to  return  to  a  homeland. 

Friday    Nehemiah   10:28-39.    Families  recommit  themselves  to  the  Lord. 

Saturday    Job   1:1-22.    A  good  father  loses  a  good  family. 

Sunday  Mark  1:16-20;  29-31.  Sons  of  families  are  called  and  a  mother-in- 
law  is   healed. 

Monday    Mark   10:35-45.    Two  son-disciples  are   overambitious! 

Tuesday    Mark    12:28-34.     Love   God;    love   neighbor;    love   family. 

Wednesday     Luke   2:41-52.     Jesus   and    parents   strengthen   ties. 

Thursday    John  6:1-14.    Jesus  talks;  families  relate;  all  eat. 

Friday    John   11:1-27.    A  brother  dies;  Jesus  comes;  a  brother   lives. 

Saturday   John  15:1-15.    A  Father  loves  us;  we  love  one  another. 


20     MESSENGER    1-1-70 


A  LOOK  AT  YOUR 

CHILD'S  WORLD 


by  DONALD 

F.  HURSH 


"When  I  was  a  child  I  spoke  like  a 
child,  I  thought  like  a  child,  I  rea- 
soned like  a  child;  when  I  became  a 
man,  I  gave  up  childish  ways"  (1 
Cor.  13:11).  These  words  from  the 
apostle  Paul  remind  us  that  a  child 


perceives  his  world  in  uniquely  dif- 
ferent ways  from  adults.  There  are 
important  differences  between  an 
adult's  world  and  a  child's  world. 

Even  though  we  occupy  the  same 
planet  in  space,  each  of  us  comes  to 


hmil 


^^^^ 


YOUR  CHILD'S  WORLD  /  continued 


view  our  world  through  the  window 
of  our  past  experiences  and  present 
felt  needs.  A  child  who  has  a  con- 
stant diet  of  defeat  and  failure  will 
come  to  see  people  and  the  world 
differently  from  one  who  has  mostly 
experiences  of  success.  Out  of  vari- 
ous experiences  children  and  adults 
mold  different  self-concepts,  or  feel- 
ings about  themselves.  And  then 
from  the  inner  world  of  this  self- 
feeling,  each  relates  accordingly  to 
his  outer  world  and  the  people  who 
populate  it. 

A  child's  view  and  understanding 
are  far  from  static,  influenced  by  and 
even  changing  with  each  stage  of 
growth  and  development  and  what 
happens  or  doesn't  happen  here.  In 
other  words,  his  perspective  of  the 
world  is  constantly  being  shaped  by 
the  experiences  he  has  with  the  im- 
portant people  in  his  life. 

To  gain  understanding  of  how  a 
child  perceives  his  world  we  must 
start  with  the  very  beginning  of  life. 
A  newborn  baby  cries  when  he  is 
hungry,  when  he  is  too  warm  or  cold, 
when  his  diaper  needs  changing. 
Then  a  mothering  figure  responds  to 
his  cry  by  feeding  him,  removing  or 
adding  blankets,  diapering  him.  She 
smiles  and  talks  to  him  as  she  holds 
him  close  to  her,  until  the  baby  ex- 
periences relief  and  stimulation 
through  one  who  loves  and  cares. 
He  laughs  and  coos  to  show  his 
pleasure.  Thus  his  perception  of  the 
world  is  beginning  to  be  shaped. 

He  comes,  through  this  caring  of 
the  mother,  to  feel  that  the  world  is 
a  pretty  good  place  to  live  in;  that 
he  can  trust  people  to  help  him.  This 
early  in  life  he  builds  inner  feelings 
of  trust  or  mistrust,  depending  on  the 
care  given  to  him.  Mothers  who  fear 
they  will  spoil  their  little  one  by 
cuddling,  rocking,  and  holding  him 

22     MESSENGER     1-1-70 


close  must  realize  that  the  child 
needs  this  tactile  stimulation  for  his 
emotional  development  just  as  truly 
as  he  needs  milk  to  grow  physically. 

Early  emotional  deprivation  and 
lack  of  contact  stimulation  have 
devastating  effects.  A  mother  who 
simply  can't  enjoy  her  baby,  who  is 
angered  when  he  cries,  is  impatient 
with  him,  is  luireasonable  in  terms 
of  her  expectations  is  not  helping  the 
child  to  feel  loved  and  cared  for  in  a 
way  that  builds  within  him  a  basic 
trust  in  people  and  in  his  world. 

The  mothering  person  is  the  first 
and  most  important  in  acquainting 
her  child  with  his  world.  Her  feeling 
gets  across  to  him.  He  may  learn 
that  he  can't  trust  his  world  and  that 
he  has  to  fight  it,  or  he  may  sense  it 
is  so  threatening  that  he  has  to  stay 
more  within  himself  and  can't  dare 


reach  out  to  explore,  to  learn,  and 
to  grow. 

From  the  nurture  of  these  early 
months  the  child  then  begins  to 
reach  out  for  new  experiences.  He 
soon  discovers  his  arms  and  hands 
—  levers  with  grasping  ability  on  the 
end.  Gradually  he  learns  to  use  his 
hands  to  explore,  and  he  senses  the 
pure  joy  and  frustration  of  putting 
these  new-found  gadgets  into  opera- 
tion. At  first  his  hand  won't  do  what 
he  wants  it  to  do,  but  his  gradual 
bringing  it  under  control  enlarges  his 
world.  At  this  moment  he  actually 
perceives  his  world  as  one  to  be 
tasted;  so  into  his  mouth  everything 
goes. 

Here  his  world  then  comes  into 
conflict  with  the  world  of  others. 
Sister's  world  view  may  see  her 
book  as  something  important  for 
school,  whereas  Baby  Brother's 
world  view  sees  it  for  tasting  and 
tearing.  He  is  driven  from  within  to 
explore.  But  Mother  may  find  her- 
self constantly  taking  from  him  and 
angrily  battling  with  him.  When  he 
is  overjoyed  by  a  new  find  she  may 
be  frantically  scrambling  across  the 
room  to  snatch  it  out  of  his  hand. 
The  parent  will  communicate  his 
feeling-tone,  and  the  child  will  be 
building  trust  or  mistrust  in  relation 
to  this  feeling. 

When  a  child  learns  to  crawl,  his 
world  view  enlarges.  For  now  he 
literally  has  wheels  under  him  to  go 
places.  And  his  clutching-touching- 
tearing-tasting  activity  covers  a  wid- 
er area.  The  day  when  he  pulls 
himself  up  and  braves  it  to  take  the 
first  step  or  two  alone  is  a  great 
day.  His  world  has  now  expanded 
many,  many  times.  He  has  muscles 
to  try  out  through  running,  climbing, 
and  jumping.  His  parents'  world  and 
his  may  often  clash. 


Parents  may  find  it  hard  to  under- 
stand why  a  child  has  to  be  told 
over  and  over  again  not  to  push  the 
lamp,  touch  the  stove,  pull  over  the 
flowering  plant,  jump  on  the  sofa,  or 
climb  over  the  choir.  But  he  has  dis- 
covered a  brand-new  great  world  to 
be  explored,  whereas  parents  may 
see  their  job  as  one  of  "teaching 
him,"  meaning  imposing  limitations. 
The  two  worlds  seldom  meet  hap- 
pily and  harmoniously.  A  child  may 
be  seen  from  the  parent's  viewpoint 
as  a  little  demon. 

In  counseling  with  parents,  I  have 
heard  some  say,  "He  was  bad  right 
from  the  day  he  was  born."  And 
here  the  child  begins  to  form  some 
idea  about  himself.  The  iimer  drive 
that  prompts  him  to  explore  and  to 
test  himself  runs  up  against  a  world 
that  says  he  is  bad,  suggesting  that 
these  God-given  urges  are  bad. 

A  child  may  see  his  world  as  one 
where  he  is  driven  from  within  but 
prohibited  from  without.  If  this  pro- 
hibition is  too  great,  he  will  get  in 
the  habit  of  building  a  negative  re- 
sponse, or  he  may  fear  to  grow  up 
and  will  remain  immature  and  inse- 
cure. His  negative  response  may 
show  itself  in  a  passivity,  an  apathy. 
The  way  the  parent  hondles  his  in- 
ner drives  will  influence  the  way  he 
perceives  his  world  and  responds  to 
it. 

Parents  then  are  faced  with  toilet 
training.  Before  this  the  child  was 
rather  powerless  to  resist  authorities 
who  interfered  with  his  wants  and 
needs.  But  now  he  senses  that  he 
has  something  to  give  that  they  want 
and  are  demanding  —  namely,  that 
at  a  certain  time  and  place  he  pleas- 
es them  by  using  the  toilet.  For  the 
first  time  he  has  the  power  to  say 
"no"  and  to  withhold  what  the  par- 
ent wants.   If  the  parent  is  anxious. 


threatening,  and  angrily  punitive 
about  this,  the  child's  resistance  will 
increase.  He  will  see  his  world  as 
one  demandingly  trying  to  take 
from  him  and  therefore  make  him 
more  determined  not  to  give  of  him- 
self. The  best  emotional  results  are 
achieved  in  a  free,  relaxed  atmos- 
phere where  he  is  gradually  helped 
to  comply. 

Next  a  brother  or  sister  comes 
along  and  he  suddenly  must  com- 
pete for  the  attention  of  Mother,  even 
share  it  with  another.  He  may  again 
start  talking  like  a  baby  or  revert  to 
wetting  his  pants  as  a  part  of  his 
feelings  of  competition  and  need  for 
affection.  Before  he  got  all  the  at- 
tention; now  he  finds  most  of  Moth- 
er's time  taken  with  another,  so  he 
clings  to  her  and  angers  her  with  his 
demands  and  regression.  She  lets 
him  know  she  is  angry  and  expects 
him  not  to  bother  her  because  she  is 
busy.  He  sees  that  she  treats  the 
baby  differently  —  with  love  and 
care;  this  substantiates  his  fear  of 
losing  the  affection  that  he  needs. 
And  at  least  secretly,  if  not  openly, 
he  hates  the  one  who  has  dethroned 
and  robbed  him  of  his  prize  posses- 
sion. 

If  the  same  child,  however,  is  giv- 
en much  separate  attention,  if  his 
feelings  ore  gracefully  accepted  and 
understood,  he  then  comes  to  gain  a 
more  healthy  world  perspective  and 
acceptance  of  others.  He  comes  to 
view  his  world  according  to  the 
threat  he  feels.  The  way  the  threat 
is  understood  and  handled  by  his 
parents  enforces  his  fear  or  helps 
him  cope  with  it,  reinforcing  the  feel- 
ing that  this  is  a  good  world  where 
people  do  care,  which  then  frees  him 
to  care  for  others. 

The  child  in  the  preschool  years 
has   a  need   to   try   himself  out  in 


many  ways.  He  needs  to  have  the 
satisfaction  and  praise  for  achieving 
and  doing  things  for  himself  and  of 
holding  his  own  with  others  his  age. 
He  needs  to  feel  secure  enough  to 
reach  out  and  to  try  out.  If  mother 
is  overanxious  about  his  getting  hurt, 
she  will  prohibit  him  from  going 
places  and  doing  things.  She  will 
overprotect  him,  do  too  much  for 
him,  and  convey  her  fears  to  him  as 
well  as  the  feeling  that  he  can't  do 
things  for  himself.  Instead  of  build- 
ing confidence  to  meet  life,  he  will 
shrink  from  it,  fearing  it  and  cling- 
ing to  her  for  security.  He  will  come 
to  see  the  world  as  a  threatening, 
unsafe  place  and  himself  as  an  in- 
adequate person. 

But  the  child  who  is  supported  in 
his  adventures  will  gain  confidence 
in  meeting  and  mastering  life  and 
see  the  world  as  a  good  place  to  live. 

School  years  are  years  when  peer 
relationships  become  more  and  more 
important.  A  child  needs  friends; 
play  with  them  is  the  important  work 
of  childhood.  From  his  friends  a 
child  finds  an  important  part  of  his 
worth  and  value  because  they  are 
his  equal  and  size;  they  have  inter- 
ests and  needs  as  he  does.  We  can 
better  appreciate  their  importance  to 
him  by  imagining  ourselves  having 
only  children  and  no  adults  to  relate 
to.  They  perceive  themselves  in  a 
world  their  size  —  the  size  they  can 
handle  and  enjoy  —  when  they  have 
friends. 

A  child  perceives  his  world  out  of 
the  experiences  and  relationships 
that  he  has  with  the  important  peo- 
ple in  his  world.  An  adult's  respon- 
sibility is  to  relate  to  the  child  in 
such  a  way  that  he  will  experience 
this  as  a  good  world,  presenting  a 
challenge  and  opportunity  of  fulfill- 
ment for  him.    D 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     23 


ii^  speak  up 


Is  Pastoral 
Calling  a 
Vanishing  Art? 


On  almost  every  hand,  I  hear  younger 
ministers  saying  two  things.  One  is  that 
we  must  be  involved  in  the  world  and  in 
the  needs  of  persons.  We  must  get  out 
of  the  "four  walls  of  the  church"  and 
immerse  ourselves  into  the  sweat  and 
toil  and  pain  of  living. 

The  other  thing  I  hear  is  that  "I'm 
just  not  going  to  spend  a  lot  of  my  time 
pastoral  calling.   I  have  more  important 
things  to  do  than  hold  people's  hands  and 
listen  to  their  little  petty  complaints." 

The  first  thesis,  that  we  need  to  be 
involved  in  the  world,  is  one  to  which  I 
subscribe  enthusiastically.   However,  the 
second,  that  pastoral  calling  is  largely 
insignificant,  is  one  with  which  I  totally 
and  completely  disagree  in  my  own  heart 
and  personality. 

Pastoral  calling  is  fast  becoming  "the 
vanishing  art"  that  is  so  important  to  the 
spiritual  life  of  countless  persons,  in  dire 
need  of  the  relationship  pastoral  calling 
provides.  No  one  seems  to  quarrel  with 
the  idea  that  this  is  a  tough,  cold,  and 
crushing  world  in  which  we  live.  People 
live,  work,  survive,  or  capitulate  accord- 
ing to  their  ability  to  face  the  competi- 
tion and  fast  moving  labor  changes  in 
our  technological  age.   Great  pressures 
are  upon  the  individual,  not  only  in  his 
job  security,  but  also  in  his  social,  moral, 
and  emotional  relationships.  Concern  for 
the  underprivileged,  the  ghetto  trapped, 
and  the  social  misfits  is  certainly  a  target 
of  tremendous  challenge. 

However,  I  submit  that  the  warm- 
hearted, open-minded,  understanding 


pastor  in  any  given  parish  —  I  bar  none 
anywhere  —  has  just  as  challenging,  im- 
portant, and  rewarding  an  opportunity 
to  minister  in  crucial  need  through  pas- 
toral calling  as  anyone  dedicated  to  some 
of  these  other  more  seemingly  glamorous 
opportunities.  Pastoral  calling  is  difficult, 
exhausting,  and  sometimes  frustrating, 
but  it  has  its  dynamic  joys  and  rewarding 
aspects. 

One  must  admit  that  any  given  parish- 
ioner at  times  in  his  life  is  perplexed  and 
has  personal  feelings  he  needs  to  share 
with  someone.  If  a  pastor  does  pastoral 
calling,  he  often  becomes  the  one  who 
shares  in  these  perplexities  and  helps 
think  through  with  the  parishioner  to  a 
solution  for  his  personal  needs.  But  one 
might  say,  "Let  the  parishioner  make  an 
appointment  and  in  a  businesslike  man- 
ner handle  the  problem."  The  fact  re- 
mains that  about  ninety-five  percent  of 
these  problems  would  not  come  to  the 
pastor's  attention  at  all  in  this  way.  But 
if  the  pastor  calls  in  the  home  of  a  pa- 
rishioner who  trusts  and  respects  him,  he 


may  be  able  to  act  as  a  counselor  for  the 
troubled  parishioner.  Then  the  door  is 
open  to  all  sorts  of  possibilities. 

In  this  day  and  age  of  family  tension 
many  are  the  times  that  an  individual  or 
family  needs  direction  from  the  pastor. 
If  the  pastor  has  established  a  regular 
routine  of  calling,  or  is  sensitive  to  fam- 
ily tensions,  he  can  make  a  timely  call 
that  often  gives  opportunity  for  sharing 
that  may  alleviate  a  tense  situation. 

Being  involved  in  the  world  means 
being  deeply  involved  with  people, 
wherever  they  are.  Our  parishioners, 
and  those  on  our  responsibility  list,  are 
people  who  deal  daily  with  the  world  and 
its  crushing  inconsistencies  as  well  as  its 
benefits.  This  being  so,  the  pastor  who 
calls  will  share  in  a  vital  way  in  the  lives 
of  a  very  important  and  crucial  segment 
of  society. 

This  is  not  a  plea  for  the  return  to 
"the  vanishing  art"  of  pastoral  calling  for 
the  purpose  of  maintaining  the  institu- 
tion, but  for  a  ministry  to  a  needy 
segment  of  persons.  —  Ralph  Skaggs 


We  Need  Courage  to  Fulfill 
Our  Calling 


It  is  possible  that  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  suffering  from  a  failure  of 
nerve  at  a  time  when  faithfulness  de- 
mands high  courage  and  running  the  risk 
of  failure. 

To  understand  this  we  need  to  have  a 
sense  of  history.  Since  the  Civil  War  the 
life  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
been  dominated  by  the  making  and  ful- 
filling of  a  decision  —  the  decision  to 
move  away  from  being  a  cult  or  a  sect  or 
an  ethnic-kinship  group  toward  being  a 


church  and  responsibly  taking  our  place 
among  other  churches.  Bit  by  bit,  across 
a  century,  we  made  this  decision  and 
played  out  its  implications.  Brethren  be- 
came a  denomination  and  created  the 
institutions  that  were  needed  to  function       j 
eff'ectively  as  a  denomination.  1 

This  did  not  happen  without  tension.  ' 

There  was  a  spin-off  of  individuals  both 
to  the  right  and  left  into  other  denomina- 
tions. And  there  remains  within  the  ; 
Church  of  the  Brethren  a  wide  range  of        1 


24     MESSENGER    1-1-70 


views  on  the  decision  to  be  a  responsible 
church,  views  that  surface  as  new  impli- 
cations of  that  decision  appear. 

In  our  day  such  new  implications  are 
appearing.  These  new  implications,  as- 
suming crisis  proportions,  center  about 
the  discovery,  in  the  face  of  the  demands 
of  an  urban-technological  culture,  that 
we  do  not  have  a  viable  denomination. 
The  stresses  are  showing  in  a  number  of 
ways. 

Our  lack  of  viability  is  shown  in  the 
declining  number  of  members.  Nation- 
ally, in  1967  there  were  10,000  fewer 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
than  in  1960,  with  most  of  those  losses 
coming  in  the  last  four  years.  In  broader 
terms,  we  have  shown  little  growth  since 
World  War  II.  The  basic  cause  of  this  is 
the  breakdown  of  our  pattern  of  kinship 
evangelism  in  the  face  of  increased  ur- 
banization. 

Another  sign  of  stress  in  the  face  of 
urbanization  is  the  declining  number  of 
congregations,  the  rising  number  of 
yoked  parishes,  and  the  larger  number  of 
congregations  with  nonsalaried  pastors  — 
or  no  pastor.  Although  we  sometimes 
like  to  assume  otherwise,  congregations 
are  subject  to  sociological  and  economic 
forces;  and  these  forces  are  dealing  us 
some  hard  blows.  The  shift  from  rural 
life  to  urban  life  has  wiped  out  many 
congregations,  particularly  in  the  rural 
Midwest.  Another  body  of  congregations 
(approximately  speaking,  those  under 
200  members)  are  being  slowly  pressed 
to  the  wall  by  rising  costs  of  buildings, 
professional  leadership,  and  program. 

A  further  sign  of  stress  is  the  loss  of 
morale  by  both  the  clergy  and  the  laity. 
In  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  are  many 
ministers  who  are  underemployed  and 
underpaid  as  they  minister  to  100  or  200 
members.  They  are  embarrassed  that 
their  wives  have  to  earn  part  of  the  liv- 
ing. They  lack  a  sense  of  fulfillment. 
The  possibilities  of  professional  growth 


are  limited  and  the  prospect  of  profes- 
sional advancemnt  is  dim. 

In  a  denomination  of  1 ,000  congrega- 
tions, with  300  or  fewer  of  those  large 
enough  to  represent  challenging  and  en- 
larging opportunities,  many  of  our  pas- 
tors are  on  dead-end  streets  as  far  as 
their  professional  careers  are  concerned. 
It  should  not  surprise  us  that  the  parish 
ministry  is  not  attracting  seminary  stu- 
dents today  as  it  once  did;  and  if  there  are 
no  changes  in  this  general  situation,  we 
can  expect  the  level  of  competence  to 
fall.  The  loss  of  morale  extends  to  the 
laity  in  our  many  small  churches  that  are 
struggling  for  survival.  They  experience 
few  triumphs  and  little  joy  as  they  labor 
to  keep  the  congregation  going.  They  are 
sometimes  criticized  for  lack  of  commit- 
ment when  actually  the  expectations  are 
unreasonable. 

Another  place  where  the  lack  of  viabil- 
ity shows  very  clearly  is  in  the  inability 
of  any  one  denomination,  and  particular- 
ly one  as  small  as  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  to  cope  with  the  strategic  de- 
mands presented  by  the  city.  There  is 
much  talk  about  "urban  strategy,"  but 
the  word  that  best  describes  the  Protes- 
tant situation  is  chaos.   In  the  political 
field,  we  have  come  to  recognize  that  the 
city  has  become  ungovernable  because  of 
the  multiplicity  of  government  units 
which,  in  some  fragmented  way,  try  to 
serve  the  total  urban  community.  How 
much  more  this  applies  to  a  multiplicity 
of  denominations,  each  of  which  tries  to 
develop  a  coherent  plan  for  the  de- 
ployment of  resources  and  personnel  to 
serve  the  city!  Duplication,  competition, 
and  ineffectiveness  are  rampant.  Small 
congregations  oriented  toward  limited 
neighborhoods  are  often  trapped  with 
mortgaged  buildings  and  dispersing  mem- 
bership as  neighborhoods  change,  a  phe- 
nomenon that  can  occur  rather  quickly 
in  the  city. 

The  efforts  of  denominations  to  form 


coalitions  to  meet  some  particular  urban 
needs  are  stop-gap  measures  at  best. 
Much  energy  is  absorbed  in  forming  the 
coalition.  The  coalition  is  addressed  to 
some  particular,  usually  dramatic,  usual- 
ly crisis-oriented  program  and  deals  with 
it  in  isolation  from  total  strategic  consid- 
erations and  often  apart  from  either  the 
needs  or  the  strengths  of  the  local  con- 
gregation. Since  each  denomination  in- 
sists upon  autonomy  in  deciding  the  use 
of  their  funds  and  personnel,  the  pro- 
grams must  rely  upon  maintaining  a  con- 
sensus among  equal  and  independent 
powers,  which  means  that  the  most  need- 
ful things,  which  are  often  the  most  con- 
troversial, are  not  done.  This  same 
frailty  is  even  more  pronounced  in  coun- 
cils of  churches,  and  thus  they  have 
fallen  upon  evil  days.  No  single  denomi- 
nation can  cope  with  the  urban  needs, 
and  it  is  doubtful  if  coalitions  can  be 
formed  quickly  enough  and  be  stable 
enough  to  have  more  than  limited  suc- 
cess. 

Thus,  in  our  denominational  life  we 
come  to  a  time  of  decision  and  the  possi- 
bility of  a  calamitous  failure  of  nerve. 
What  the  situation  demands  is  a  major 
realignment  of  American  Protestantism, 
which  is  the  issue  being  confronted  in 
the  Consultation  on  Church  Union. 
Here  ten  denominations,  with  others 
sitting  in  as  observers,  are  wrestling  with 
the  problems  and  procedures  of  forming 
one  denomination,  thus  creating  new  in- 
stitutional possibilities  for  dealing  with 
the  urban  community,  an  area  where  the 
Brethren  are  feeling  much  stress. 

But  at  this  important  juncture  we  are 
exhibiting  a  timidity  and  defensiveness 
that  does  not  serve  the  cause  of  faithful- 
ness. Our  timidity  is  demonstrated  by 
the  refusal  of  the  Annual  Conference  on 
two  occasions  to  vote  approval  of  our 
becoming  full  participants  in  the  Con- 
sultation, although  such  participation 
would  not  commit  us  to  becoming  part 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     25 


of  any  union.  It  would  commit  us  to 
serious  confrontation  with  the  issues  and 
to  a  wiUingness  to  share  our  experience 
and  insights  with  others  toward  creating 
the  institutions  that  would  permit  us  to 
be  faithful  to  the  gospel  and  good  stew- 
ards of  God's  varied  gifts. 

Our  defensiveness  is  demonstrated  by 
efforts  to  bolster  the  Brethren  image  by 
references  to  our  good  works.  How 
many  times  have  we  been  reminded  of 
the  Brethren  origins  of  the  Heifer  Project 
and  the  prototype  which  Brethren  Vol- 
unteer Service  provided  for  the  Peace 
Corps?  The  rather  dangerous  assumption 
is  that  these  efforts  would  not  have  come 
into  being  except  for  the  separate  ex- 


PEOPLE  WHO 


think  and  are  concerned  will  want 
to  read  and  study  Prayers  for  Re- 
conciliation, compiled  and  edited 
by  Fred  Cloud.  In  the  midst  of 
troubled  times,  both  national  and 
personal,  the  thoughts,  prayers  and 
meditations  in  this  book  will  help 
guide  you.  $1.25  each,  ten  or  more 
$1.00  each.  Order  from 

1908  Grand  Ave.,  Nashville,  Tenn.  37203 


istence  of  a  small  denomination  known 
as  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  At  the 
same  time  we  seem  to  be  quite  blind  to 
the  creative  efforts  of  other  denomina- 
tions. 

Our  defensiveness  is  also  demonstrated 
by  the  rather  frequent  allusions  to  our 
piety,  such  as  being  a  "peace  church." 
If  one  went  beyond  Annual  Conference 
resolutions  to  the  actual  behavior  of 
Brethren  when  confronted  with  the  draft, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  prove  that  we  are 
a  "peace  church."  Our  peace  stance  is 
more  an  historic  than  a  present  reality. 
In  truth,  we  could  say  that,  due  to  tradi- 
tion and  to  the  orientation  of  our  leader- 
ship, we  have  a  high  tolerance  level  for 
conscientious  objectors  and  an  openness 
toward  peace  efforts,  but  that  is  about  as 
far  as  the  facts  would  bear  us  out.  Con- 
sidering our  denomination  as  a  whole,  we 
would  have  to  yield  the  torch  to  a  num- 
ber of  secular  groups  for  active  resistance 
to  the  war  system. 

Our  defensiveness  is  also  revealed  by 
our  efforts  to  find  a  Brethren  mystique,  a 
uniqueness  in  view  or  practice  which  re- 
quires that  we  maintain  a  separate  de- 
nomination. When  we  get  beyond  trivia, 
the  values  which  we  wish  to  preserve  or 
promote  through  separateness  prove  not 
to  be  "Brethren"  but  "Christian,"  part  of 
the  total  heritage  of  the  gospel,  and  are 
values  which  have  their  defenders  in 
every  denomination.   In  fact,  our  differ- 
ences with  other  mainline  Protestant  de- 
nominations are  no  greater  than  the  dif- 
ferences which  we  accept  among  our- 
selves. 

The  whole  denominational  system 
stands  in  need  of  reformation  in  the 
direction  of  church  union.  Our  now 
scattered  forces  need  to  be  brought  to- 
gether into  a  church  that  is  "truly  cath- 
olic, truly  reformed,  and  truly  evangeli- 
cal." At  this  point  the  Brethren  nerve 
seems  to  be  weak.  We  seem  to  have  a 
strange  ambivalence  toward  church  un- 


ion. Officially  we  urge  our  local  congre- 
gations to  consider  various  forms  of  un- 
ion with  other  congregations.  Brethren 
or  non-Brethren,  as  a  solution  to  their 
problems.  We  bless  yoked  parishes,  even 
yoked  parishes  with  other  denominations. 
We  suggest  that  local  congregations  in 
some  instances  might  seriously  consider 
full  union  with  congregations  of  other 
denominations  as  an  acceptable  step 
toward  faithfulness.  We  maintain  an 
interchurch  relations  committee  which 
probes  for  possibilities  of  union.  We 
accept,  even  with  some  show  of  pride, 
the  fact  that  Brethren  churches  overseas 
are  moving  toward  union  with  other 
denominations,  as  in  the  effort  to  form  a 
Church  of  North  India  and  Pakistan. 
Why  is  it  that  we  are  so  hesitant  about 
confronting  the  issue  of  church  union 
here  at  home?  It  is  an  issue  that  must  be 
faced  at  the  national  level  because 
church  union  at  the  national  level  is  the 
practical  prerequisite  for  union  at  the 
local  level. 

Let  those  who  love  the  church  and 
who  hold  a  deep  affection  for  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  pray  for  the  courage  to 
face  the  realities  which  confront  the 
whole  church  and  the  realities  of  our 
own  denominational  situation  and  ac- 
knowledge the  degree  to  which  our 
divisions  prevent  us  from  being  faithful. 
If  the  Consultation  on  Church  Union 
fails  to  produce  the  needed  union,  the 
realities  of  our  weakness  in  the  face  of 
the  urban-technological  revolution  re- 
main and  we  will  simply  have  to  try 
again. 

But  for  now,  what  is  needful  is  for  us 
Brethren  to  recover  our  nerve,  to  over- 
come our  timidity  and  our  defensiveness, 
and  to  join  with  fellow  Christians  in  a 
search  for  viable  institutional  forms  to 
do  the  work  of  Christ  in  our  day.  We 
need  to  stop  observing  and  start  partici- 
pating in  the  Consultation  on  Church 
Union.  —  Ralph  Turnidge 


26     MESSENGER     1-1-70 


/  hear  a  different  Drummer. 

He  beats  a  rhythm  measured  in  RPMs. 

How  many  revolutions  will  there  be  this 

minute? 

Perpetual  emotion. 
Self-perpetuation  passion. 

Last  year,  in  a  little  village  in  Vietnam, 
I  saw  a  man  lay  the  head  of  his  wife  above 
the  bloody  trunk  of  her  multilated  body 
and  look  around  to  fmd  her  arms. 


o 

0) 

I 


The  beat  grows  wild,  it  throbs  and  swells 
and  rages  in  my  brain. 

I  cry  for  the  Drummer  to  "STOP!" 

But  the  Drummer  beats  out   truth,   and 

death,  and  life,  and  now. 

I  remember  a  woman  screaming  and 
thrashing  around  on  the  floor  because  her 
three  sons  had  been  blown  to  bits  in 
their  sleep. 

She  wouldn't  have  understood  that 
"sometimes  you  have  to  destroy  in  order 
to  save." 


^ 


u 


Kill  the  Drummer! 
Beat  the  beat! 
Stop! 

But  it  doesn't  stop. 

It  swirls,  and  crashes,  and  is. 

I  heard  Dan  Berrigan  in  Baltimore. 
He  said  that  he  and  brother  Philip  had  sat 
"musing  over  the  prison  poems  of  Paul 
and  the  sayings  of  Chairman  Jesus," 
before  "burning  paper  instead  of 
children." 

The  beat  is  now  — 
irreconcilable, 
inescapable, 
immutable. 

The  Drummer  beats  out  a  celebration  — 
the  passionate  celebration  of  life. 
And  life  goes  on  now. 


Z 
III 
ft 
U 
IL 
IL 


< 
Ul 

X 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     27 


REVIEWS  /  BOOKS 


The  Church  of  the  Wider  Community 


CHRISTIAN  COMMUNITY  AND  AMERICAN  SOCI- 
ETY, by  Waldo  Beach.  Westminster,  1969.  190 
pages,    $6 

THE  SCHIZOPHRENIC  CHURCH:  CONFLICT  OVER 
COMMUNITY  ORGANIZATION,  by  Robert  Lee 
ard  Russell  Galloway.  Westminster,  1969.  192 
pages,    $2.65 

THE  IMPACT  OF  THE  FUTURE,  by  Lyie  E.  Schaller. 
Abingdon,    1969.     256    pages,    $4.75 


The  above  three  works  share  a  com- 
mon concern  with  the  problem  of  how 
the  church  can  and  should  relate  itself 
to  the  wider  community  of  which  it  is  a 
part.  This  reviewer  read  the  books  in 
the  order  listed.  By  so  doing  one  moves 
from  the  theological  and  sociological 
analyses  of  the  church  and  the  commu- 
nity to  some  practical  problems  and  case 
studies. 

In  Christian  Community  and  Ameri- 
can Society  Waldo  Beach,  who  is  pro- 
fessor of  Christian  ethics  and  director  of 
graduate  studies  in  religion  at  Duke  Uni- 
versity, attemps  to  relate  Christian  the- 
ology and  contemporary  sociology  insofar 
as  their  respective  approaches  to  Ameri- 
can society  are  concerned.  The  dialogue 
between  theology  and  sociology  is  pos- 
sible and  meaningful  because  the  domi- 
nant trend  in  current  sociological  theory 
is  away  from  mere  organized  statistics 
and  empirical  data  to  a  concern  with 
values  and  "faith." 

The  author  explodes  the  myth  of  ob- 
jectivity. The  sociologist,  as  the  theo- 
logian, approaches  his  tasks  from  a  faith 
standpoint.  The  dialogue  between  theo- 
logian and  sociologist  is  not  faith  against 
fact,  but  faith  against  faith.  Beach  finds 
a  suggestive  possibility  for  dialogue  be- 
tween the  two  disciplines  in  the  term 
anomie,  first  used  by  the  sociologist 
Emile  Durkheim.  Anomie  connotes  norm- 
lessness  and  presumes  some  normal  order 
lost.  Another  term  which  appears  in 
many  sociological  analyses  of  the  spirit- 
ual predicament  of  man  in  contemporary 
society  is  alienation.  Alienation  points 
to  some  original  relationship  that  has 
been  broken.  Such  other  categories  used 
by   sociologists  as   anonymity,   conform- 


ity, status  are  likewise  pregnant  with 
theological  meaning. 

Basically  Beach  has  written  a  book 
on  social  ethics  in  which  he  is  inquiring 
into  the  possibility  and  meaning  and 
nature  of  human  community.  The  one 
bond  that  makes  community  possible  is 
love.  He  analyzes  the  implications  of 
love  for  personal  and  social  existence. 
Love  (agape)  is  the  one  quality  that  can 
overcome  anomie  and  create  community. 

The  last  three  chapters  explore  the 
relationship  between  Christian  commu- 
nity and  three  relevant  areas:  American 
democracy,  racial  strife,  the  American 
university.  The  chapter  on  "Christian 
Community  and  Racial  Strife"  is  one  of 
the  most  lucid  descriptions  of  the  his- 
torical and  contemporary  aspects  of  the 
racial  crisis  that  this  reviewer  has  read. 

For  a  readable  and  meaningful  attempt 
to  engage  in  dialogue  two  disciplines 
which  often  have  not  been  on  speaking 


terms,    the    Beach    volume    is    heartily 
recommended. 

The  Schizophrenic  Church  is  a  case 
study  of  six  Presbyterian  churches  in  the 
San  Francisco  Bay  Area  and  their  re- 
spective responses  and  reactions  to  the 
prospective  coming  of  the  "famous  or 
infamous"  Saul  Alinsky.  The  book  de- 
tails the  story  of  the  crisis  produced  in 
the  San  Francisco  presbytery  when  it 
was  confronted  with  providing  funds  to 
support  Saul  Alinsky  for  a  community 
organization  program.  The  story  cap- 
tures one's  attention  and  is  packed  with 


suspense  and  drama.  The  sensitive  read-  I 
er  cannot  help  but  see  himself  and  his! 
congregation  in  the  account,  and  thus ' 
he  is  compelled  to  reexamine  his  own 
attitudes,  fears,  prejudices.  ! 

The  authors  have  a  threefold  purpose  | 
in  this  volume.  First,  they  want  to  pre-] 
serve  the  history  of  this  church  conflict.  I 
Second,  they  seek  to  examine  and  inter- 1 
pret  the  impact  of  the  dispute  at  the  local  1 
congregational  level.  Third,  they  seek  to , 
gain  a  better  understanding  of  the  nature  i 
of  conflict  and  what  it  portends  for  thet 
future  of  the  church  and  society.  The ' 
insights  this  work  gives  into  the  nature ; 
of  the  decision  making  process  and  of' 
conflict  are  particularly  astute  and  useful: 
for  every  churchman,  be  he  clergyman^ 
or   layman. 

Four  of  the  six  churches  are  analyzed , 
at  considerable  length  and  depth.  Their! 
respective  responses  to  the  "Alinsky  con-j 
troversy"  run  the  gamut  from  liberal  toi 
conservative,  from  pro-Alinsky  to  anti-| 
Alinsky.  The  study  highlights  the  peren-j 
nial  clash  between  two  views  of  thei 
church:  Is  the  church  to  comfort  or  toi 
challenge,  to  be  an  agent  of  the  statusj 
quo  or  of  change?  The  authors  charac- 
terize these  two  views  as  "worldly  Chris- f 
tianity"  and  "churchly  Christianity." 
These  two  views  of  the  church  are  in^ 
tension  and  even  open  conflict  in  prac-j 
tically  every  church  today.  This  is  true! 
of  the  Presbyterian  church  but  also  of'^ 
the  Roman  Catholic  and  Southern  Bap-j 
tist.  And  as  we  are  acutely  aware,  the : 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  no  exception. 
Moreover,  these  tensions  and  conflicts 
will  not  go  away,  but  they  will  become' 
more  pronounced  in  the  days  ahead.       ' 

The  authors  of  The  Schizophrenic. 
Church  maintain,  and  rightly  so,  thata 
there  is  truth  in  both  worldly  and  church-l 
ly  Christianity.  How  we  can  hold  these^ 
two  views  in  a  meaningful  and  creative: 
tension  without  destroying  the  body  isi 
a  problem  that  will  be  with  us  as  fan 
into  the  future  as  we  can  see.  One  value : 
of  the  Lee-Galloway  volume  is  that  it,( 
gives  us  a  firsthand  account  of  some< 
methods  that  shoiild  and  should  not  be: 
employed  in  confronting  controversy  and 


28     MESSENGER     1-1-70 


conflict  in  the  church  and  the  commu- 
nity. 

The  "coming  of  Alinsky"  brought 
forth  the  well-known  demons  which  lurk 
just  below  the  surface  of  most  white 
middle-class  communities.  Thus  one  en- 
counters the  charges  of  communism,  the 
double  talk,  and  all  the  other  hypocritical 
paraphernalia  which  can  be  employed  by 
"good"  people  to  resist  change  and  to 
defend  the  status  quo.  The  prospect  of 
a  schizophrenic  church  facing  a  future 
destined  to  be  filled  with  conflict  is  any- 
thing but  a  hopeful  sign.  As  for  Alinsky, 
though,  he  was  "invited"  to  San  Fran- 
cisco in  1966;  as  of  now  he  has  still 
not  arrived.  Read  the  book  to  find  out 
why. 

The  third  volume,  The  Impact  of  the 
Future,  was  written  by  Lyle  E.  Schaller 


who  is  director  of  the  planning  and  re- 
search center  for  parish  development 
at  Evangelical  Theological  Seminary, 
Naperville,  Illinois.  Mr.  Schaller  has 
worked  with  our  Brotherhood  staff  in 
some  special  programs  devoted  to  church 
renewal. 

As  the  title  indicates,  this  book  de- 
scribes trends  that  will  affect  the  church 
of  tomorrow.  Among  the  areas  discussed 
are  demographic  and  housing  trends, 
economic  and  social  changes,  shifts  in 
the  source  and  distribution  of  power, 
church  and  state,  sects  and  denomina- 
tions outside  the  mainstream  of  coopera- 
tive Protestantism,  ecumenicity. 

Each  chapter  is  divided  into  two  parts: 
"Basic  Trend"  and  "Implications."  The 
book  contains  ample  statistical  material 
but  is  short  of  theological  analysis  —  a 


fact  the  author  acknowledges  in  the  in- 
troduction. 

Schaller's  work  undercuts  a  number  of 
stereotyped  notions  about  the  future  in- 
sofar as  such  areas  of  urbanization, 
leisure,  the  family,  the  generation  gap 
are  concerned.  For  contemporary  Chris- 
tians who  are  seemingly  more  and  more 
future-oriented  than  past-oriented.  The 
Impact  of  the  Future  is  a  book  to  ponder 
and  perhaps  brood  over,  especially  if 
change  is  the  only  changeless  entity  we 
know.  —  Warren  S.  Kissinger 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 

WANTED:  Reliable  person  to  live  in  home  as  part 
of  Brethren  family  and  care  for  two  lively  chil- 
dren, ages  1  and  2V2.  Room,  board,  salary.  Sub- 
urban Pittsburgh.  Good  schools  in  area.  Write 
Box  3,   1451    Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,   III.  60120. 


Faith  Looks  Up 

If  the  church  is  in  crisis  — 

What  did  we  do  wrong? 
A  better  question  would  be  — 

What  ought  we  to  do  now? 

It  was  a  commendable  move  to  ask  the  delegates  at 
Louisville  to  engage  in  serious  discussion  of  Goals 
for  the  70s. 

In  the  first  four  decades  of  this  century  we  heard 
and  read  much  about  the  development  of  the  whole- 
some personality.  Codes  of  morals  were  considered 
important,  and  a  prize  was  awarded  for  the  best  code  of 
morals  for  children.  The  term  character  education 
meant  not  so  much  the  setting  up  of  codes  of  morals 
as  the  creation  of  the  good  life  —  a  synthesis. 

I  read  the  Sheldon  novel,  In  His  Steps,  when  I 
was  eighteen.  John  R.  Mott  had  a  tremendous  influ- 
ence on  the  student  life  of  the  nation  as  he  wrote  and 
lectured  on  the  imperative  of  the  Christian  life.  Be- 
cause the  creation  of  a  good  life  is  so  important,  there 
is  nothing  more  exciting  than  to  analyze  the  traits 
which  are  a  part  of  the  Christian  personality  or  the 
planning  of  the  procedures  which  must  go  into  such 
a  task.  Ernest  M.  Ligon  did  this  very  effectively  in 
his  1935  book,  The  Psychology  of  Christian  Person- 
ality. 


The  perfect  ideal  for  the  wholesome  personality  is 
the  Christ,  and  the  text  is  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount. 
In  writing  our  Goals  for  the  70s,  I  would  advocate 
greater  emphasis  in  preaching  and  in  program  on  the 
development  of  the  wholesome  personality. 

But  there  is  an  important  element  in  the  picture 
which  must  be  faced.  Conformity  to  Christ  as  a  moral 
ideal  is  not  enough.  This  could  be  good  humanism.  I 
am  not  to  say  to  my  neighbor,  "This  is  the  Christ;  try 
to  be  like  him."  Rather,  I  am  to  say,  "This  is  God 
incarnate.  Have  faith  and  believe  in  him  and  in  his 
promises.  Let  him  become  the  master  of  your  life  and 
try  to  match  his  perfection.  Where  you  fail,  he  will 
forgive  you."  This  is  Christian  evangelism. 

What  ought  we  to  do  now?  Evangelize! 


WILBUR  S.  BARNHART  lived  for 
many  years  in  Indianapolis,  where  he 
served  as  public  school  teacher  and  ad- 
ministrator. Upon  retirement  he  moved 
to  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  serving  for 
six  years  as  assistant  business  manager  of 
Manchester  College.  His  wife,  the  former 
Mabel  E.  Stutsman,  died  in  1966.  He  has 
three  sons  and  five  grandchildren  active 
in  local  and  district  church  work.  He 
has  also  served  on  the  boards  of  city  and 
state  councils  of  churches. 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     29 


Uriel 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Fresno,  Calif.,  pastor  Paul  E.  Miller 

last  month  assumed  the  presidency  of  the 
Fresno  Ministers'  Conference.  . . .  Three 
adult  volunteers  at  New  Windsor,  Md., 
ended  their  terms  of  service  late  in  1969: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ira  Good,  Orrville,  Ohio, 
and  Thelma  Cunningham,  Uniontown, 
Pa.,  who  served  thirteen  months. 

Estella  Horning,  whose  report  on  the 
Center  of  Theological  Studies  in  Ecuador 
appears  in  the  Dec.  4  Messenger,  brings 
us  up-to-date  on  her  activities  in  Quito. 
Currently  she  works  full  time  in  the 
Center,  writing  course  materials  and 
teaching,  along  with  developing  the 
Center's  library. 

Pastor  Charles  Zunkel  reports  that  the 
Robert  Parker  family,  who  returned  re- 
cently from  India  (Dec.  4)  are  members 
not  of  his  Crest  Manor  congregation  at 
South  Bend,  Ind.,  but  of  Chicago's  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  .  .  .  More  recent 
information  from  Glen  Weimer  indi- 
cates that  he  continues  residency  in  Ur- 
bana,  Ohio,  rather  than  at  Clovis,  N. 
Mex.,  as  was  announced  in  an  earlier 
Messenger.  .  .  .  After  serving  as  interim 
pastor  at  the  South  Bend  City  church, 
Allen  Weldy  accepted  a  part-time  pas- 
torate at  the  Mount  Pleasant  congrega- 
tion in  Northern  Indiana.  Our  apologies 
to  these  persons  for  misreporting  their 
locations. 

Two  career  educators  and  ordained 
ministers  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
died  recently.  Harold  S.  Chambers, 
who  had  been  acting  pastor  of  the 
Grand  Rapids,  Mich.,  church  for  the 
past  year,  died  Nov.  6,  1969.  He  was 
71.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was 
serving  the  district  as  moderator-elect 
and  as  chairman  of  both  the  Christian 
education  commission  and  the  confer- 
ence locating  committee.   He  had  been 
an  administrator  in  Michigan  public 
schools.  .  .  .  For  thirty  years  an  edu- 
cator in  California  schools,  Vernon  L. 
Heckman  died  of  cancer  Dec.  1,  1969. 
He  had  been  serving  as  director  of  spe- 


cial education  in  Fresno  at  the  time  of 
his  death.  His  church  activities  included 
teaching  in  the  church  school  and  serv- 
ing as  moderator  of  the  Fresno  congre- 
gation. Before  his  death  a  Fresno  school 
was  named  for  him. 


Our  congratulations  go  to  couples  ob- 
serving golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
the  Elmer  Kellenbergers,  Monticello, 
Ind.;  the  Walter  Replogles,  Fruitdale, 
Ala.;  the  Miles  Buchers,  Lebanon,  Pa.; 
the  Herschel  Metzgers,  Delphi,  Ind.;  and 
the  Raymond  C.  Bennetches,  Annville, 
Pa. 

Other  couples  marking  anniversaries 
include  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Earl  Brubaker  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elmer  Hersch,  all  of  La 
Verne,  Calif.  Each  couple  celebrated 
fifty-two  years  of  marriage  —  on  the 
same  day.  .  .  .  The  Galen  Walkers,  also 
of  La  Verne,  marked  their  fifty-eighth; 
the  Ben  Shanks,  Payette,  Idaho,  their 
sixtieth;  the  Claude  Cripes,  Pyrmont, 
Ind.,  sixtieth;  and  the  Roy  Trimmers, 
Long  Beach  , Calif.,  sixtieth. 

Four  couples  have  been  married  for 
more  than  sixty  years:  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Charles  C.  Herring,  Nokesville,  Va., 
sixty-one;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  D.  Miller, 
East  Freedom,  Pa.,  sixty-five;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  B.  C.  Witham,  Minot,  N.D.,  sixty- 
five:  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moses  Kreider, 
Lebanon,  Pa.,  sixty-eight. 


9EIiSir>;Gli 


Jan.  6     Epiphany 
Jan.   18-25     Week  of  Prayer  for  Christian  Unity 
Jan.   18-25      Church    and    Economic    Life   Wee1< 

Jan.  25     World  Day  for  Leprosy  Sufferers 
Jan.  25-30      Youth    Seminar,    Washington,    D.C., 
and  New  Yorl< 
Feb.  8     Race  Relations  Sunday 
Feb.  8     Boy  Scout  Sunday 
Feb.   11      Ash   Wednesday 
Feb.   15      First  Sunday  in  Lent 
Feb.  22-27      Adult    Seminar,    Washington,    D.C., 
and   New  York 
Feb.   22  —  March   1      Brotherhood  Week 
March   6     World   Day  of  Prayer 
March   8      One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing 
March    15      Passion   Sunday 
March  17-20     General   Board,   Elgin,   Illinois 


POTPOURRI 

Entanglements,  conflicts,  and  inter- 
personal relationships  will  be  studied  at 
the  75th  Spiritual  Life  institute,  Feb. 
3-5,  at  the  Bridgewater  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

The  college-sponsored  occasion,  with 
a  theme  'The  Search  for  Maturity,"  will 
feature  guest  speakers  Paul  M.  Robinson, 
president  of  Bethany  Theological  Sem- 
inary at  Oak  Brook,  111.,  and  William  B. 
Oglesby  Jr.,  professor  of  pastoral  coun- 
seling at  Union  Theological  Seminary, 
Richmond,  Va.  Reservations  may  be 
made  by  contacting  Samuel  A.  Harley, 
Institute  Director,  Bridgewater  College, 
Bridgewater,  Va.  22812. 

A  paperback  Bible  containing  the  Old 
and  New  testaments  in  the  King  James 
Version  and  selling  for  sixty  cents  has 
been  published  by  the  American  Bible 
Society.  Entitled  The  Way  of  Life,  the 
1,122-page  volume  is  designed  especially 
for  persons  in  prisons,  hospitals,  youth 
camps,  and  other  institutions. 

Church  World  Service  announces  the 
election  of  Alan  Brash  as  divisional  di- 
rector of  the  Division  of  Interchurch 
Aid,  Refugee  and  World  Service,  World 
Council  of  Churches.  He  assumes  his 
new  responsibilities  in  the  spring.  .  .  . 
To  engage  in  operating  Vietnam  Chris- 
tian Service  will  be  CWS  personnel, 
replacing  the  Mennonite  Central  Com- 
mittee, which  has  directed  VCS  since 
1965  on  a  partnership  basis  with  CWS 
and  a  Lutheran  group.  The  new  ar- 
rangement began  Jan.  1,  1970.  .  .  .  East 
Jerusalem's  YMCA  and  YWCA  are  ben- 
efactors of  Church  World  Service  aid. 
The  two  modern  buildings,  planned  to 
supplement  inadequate  hotel  space  for 
Christian  Holy  Land  tour  groups,  have 
been  unable  to  meet  ongoing  budget  re- 
quirements due  to  difficult  conditions  in 
the  area. 

Manchester  Church  of  the  Brethren 
youth  participated  recently  in  ground- 
breaking ceremonies  to  mark  the  begin- 
ning of  a  youth  center  which  will  ac- 


( 


30     MESSENGER    1-1-70 


commodate  through-the-week  activities, 
Sunday  church  school,  and  recreational 
facilities.  ...  A  completed  building 
project,  at  Sebring  Manor  in  Florida, 
was  dedicated  Dec.  14,  1969.  Already 
filled  to  capacity,  the  remodeled  portion 
is  a  new  second  floor  for  the  nursing 
home. 

Other  dedications  include  two  in  the 
Pacific  Northwest  Conference,  one  cele- 
brated by  the  Weiser  congregation  on 
Nov.  2,  1969,  the  other  by  the  Ellisforde 
congregation,  dedicating  a  new  par- 
sonage Nov.  16,  1969. .  .  .  The  congre- 
gation at  Wenatchee,  Wash.,  marked 
the  fortieth  anniversary  of  its  church 
building  Dec.  7,  1969,  noting  that  the 
newly  remodeled  building  is  to  be  used 
more  widely  than  ever  before,  with  the 
promotion  of  community  action  and  par- 
ticipation projects. ...  A  week-long 
celebration  in  October  signaled  the  dedi- 
cation of  the  new  West  York  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  Southern  Pennsylvania. 
...  A  homecoming  celebration  engaged 
the  Sangerville  church  in  the  Shenan- 
doah District  Sept.  21. 

The  Morning  Star  congregation  at 
Pompano  Beach,  Fla.,  invites  vacationers 
and  prospective  Florida  residents  to  at- 
tend services  there,  promising  hearty 
hospitality  to  all  visitors.  Pastor  is 
Charles  Martindale. 

THE  MEDIA 

Local  educational  planners  may  want 
to  begin  soon  to  consider  ways  of  draw- 
ing on  a  forthcoming  television  series  on 
the  Sermon  on  the  Mount.  To  be  pre- 
sented Feb.  8,  15,  22,  and  March  1,  the 
series  will  be  a  part  of  NBC's  "Frontiers 
of  Faith."  The  first  two  shows  will  deal 
with  the  setting  and  context  of  the  ser- 
mon; the  third  and  fourth,  with  the 
sermon  in  the  context  of  today;  and  the 
fifth,  wdth  the  sermon's  relationship  to 
contemporary  Christian  life  and  to  the 
challenge  of  reconciliation.  The  series 
will  likely  be  released  later  on  16mm  film 
as  a  resource  for  local  church  use. 

Two  periodicals  available  by  direct 


subscription  are  keeping  pace  with  what 
is  happening  on  the  wider  religious  front. 
The  Religious  Newsweekly,  a  National 
Council  of  Churches  compilation  of  sig- 
nificant events  in  the  cooperative  church 
movement,  is  available  for  $4.  . .  .  New 
Approach,  a  newspaper  highlighting  cut- 
ting edges  in  church  life,  is  now  being 
published  as  an  independent,  ecumenical 
weekly.  The  subscription  rate  is  $6.75  a 
year. 

•J-      4"      ^      •!•      •!• 

Candid  insight  into  black  development, 
especially  as  it  relates  to  the  Black  Mani- 
festo demands  and  the  local  church,  is 
set  forth  by  a  United  Methodist-produced 
film,  A  Hammer  for  a  House.  A  pene- 
trating dialogue  occurs  between  the  pas- 
tor of  a  suburban  church  and  black 
spokesman  Cain  Felder.  The  twenty- 
minute  color  film  may  be  rented  at  a  cost 
of  $20  from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Film  Library,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin, 
111.  60120. 

Personal,  in-depth  study  of  Messenger 
describes  a  teach-in  currently  being  of- 
fered by  the  Parish  Ministries  Commis- 
sion staff.  Western  Plains  District  hosted 
the  first  of  the  teach-ins.  A  flexible  cur- 
riculum guides  the  sessions,  seen  as 
efforts  to  interpret  the  kinds  of  ministries 
which  congregations  might  derive  from 
the  denominational  publication.  The 
teach-in  may  be  used  in  district,  area,  or 
local  church  situations  and  may  be 
planned  by  request  of  any  of  the  three. 

AGORA 

David  Bachman,  70  Middagh  St., 
Brooklyn,  N.Y.  11201,  is  compiling  a 
genealogy  of  the  Hostetter  family  from 
the  Dauphin-Lebanon  county  area  in 
Pennsylvania.  He  is  eager  to  correspond, 
at  the  above  address,  with  Ginder  and 
Dohner  relations  of  Kansas  and  the 
Midwest. 

The  thirty-member  Dooms  Commu- 
nity Youth  Choir  offers  a  recording  with 
two  selections,  "Happy  Time,  Happy 
Home"  and  "The  Ten  Commandments." 
Comprised  of  young  persons  ten  to 
eighteen  who  live  in  the  area  surround- 


ing the  Blue  Ridge  Chapel  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  the  choir  has  sung  at  revivals, 
music  festivals,  and  hospitals.  Overside 
are  two  selections  by  the  neighboring 
Mount  Lebanon  Baptist  Church  choir. 
Records  may  be  ordered  for  $1  each 
from  Mrs.  John  H.  Major,  Dooms  Com- 
munity Youth  Center,  P.O.  Box  2072, 
Waynesboro,  Va.  22980. 

Elsie  S.  Wolf,  1318  Dakota  Ave., 
Modesto,  CaHf.  95351,  is  searching  for 
a  copy  of  Ethel  Hershberger  Weddle's 
book  Pleasant  Hill.  She  would  discuss 
terms  of  purchase  with  anyone  who  has 
a  copy  he  wishes  to  sell. 

Wishing  to  purchase  a  used  copy  of 
Brother  Bonsack,  by  H.  Spenser  Min- 
nich,  now  out  of  print,  is  Mrs.  Lera  B. 
Jarrels,  who  may  be  contacted  at  Port 
Republic,  Va.  24471. 

Seeking  information  about  members 
of  the  December  1955  training  unit  of 

Brethren  Volunteer  Service  is  Paul 
Myers,  pastor  of  the  Piney  Creek  church, 
who  plans  a  newsletter.  He  requests  unit 
members  to  send  to  him  their  own  and 
others'  addresses  and  news  of  marital 
status,  family,  and  occupation.  He  may 
be  reached  at  Route  1,  Box  258A, 
Taneytown,  Md.  21787. 

DEATHS 

Huntsman,  Clara  Tetwiler,  Hesston,  Pa.,  on  Oct. 

17,  1969,  aged  76 
Kinsey,   Vesta   Imler,   Martinsburg,   Pa.,   on   Oct. 

31,  1969,  aged  55 
Lexley,  Elizabeth,   Greenville,   Ohio,   on   Nov.   6, 

1969,  aged  84 
McDonald,  Roy  L.,  Cumberland,  Md.,  on  May  7, 

1969,  aged  22 
Nicholson,  Ruth  Mae,  Norbome,  Mo.,  on  Nov.  7, 

1969,  aged  71 
Oliver,  Mamie  G.,  South  English,  Iowa,  on  Oct. 

16,  1969,  aged  67 
Saville,    Beulah,    Cumberland,    Md.,    on    Oct.    11, 

1969,  aged  69 
Shook,    Casper,    Cumberland,    Md.,    on    May    20, 

1969,  aged  62 
Speck,  Howard  W.,  Ashland,  Ohio,  on  Oct.    10, 

1969,  aged  86 
Stone,    Daniel,    Huntingdon,    Pa.,    on    Oct.    31, 

1969,  aged  96 
Wineland,    Josephine    Hershberger,    Martinsburg, 

Pa.,  on  July  22,  1969,  aged  83 
Wyles,     Olive,     Martinsburg,     Pa.,    on    July     17, 

1969,  aged  77 
Ziegler,  Rudolph,   Bethel,   Pa.,  on  Oct.   24,   1969, 

aged   68 


1-1-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


Moral  Breakdown-Is  This  the  Price  of  War? 


"I  note  an  appalling,  indeed  frightening,  deterioration  in 
our  national  standards  of  morality  and  law." 

The  words  are  those  of  Arthur  Goldberg,  a  former  as- 
sociate justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  and  onetime  ambas- 
sador to  the  United  Nations.  He  was  talking  about  an  inci- 
dent last  summer  when  a  Vietnamese  was  executed  without 
trial  by  a  Green  Beret  unit  because  they  suspected  him 
of  being  a  double  agent.   Mr.  Goldberg  was  disturbed  not 
only  by  the  execution  itself  but  even  more  by  the  public 
demand  for  the  dropping  of  charges  against  those  involved. 
He  wrote,  "The  situation  in  Vietnam  cannot  justify  us  as 
a  nation  now,  for  the  first  time  in  our  history,  to  tolerate  — 
more,  to  legitimate  —  the  cold-blooded  murder  of  indi- 
viduals wholly  under  the  control  of  our  troops.  ...  If  the 
price  of  the  war  in  Vietnam  includes  our  coming  to  tolerate 
or  applaud  this  sort  of  moral  breakdown,  it  is  one  I  am 
not  willing  to  pay." 

In  the  weeks  since  the  former  ambassador  wrote  these 
words,  our  nation  has  been  forced  to  ask  itself  just  how 
much  more  it  must  tolerate  as  "the  price  of  war  in  Viet- 
nam."  For  we  have  heard  about  a  Vietnamese  village 
referred  to  as  Pinkville,  and  we  have  listened  to  reports 
from  soldiers  who  told  how  they  "went  in  shooting"  and 
how  others  machine-gunned  women  and  children  who  were 
running  down  a  trail.    Pictures  taken  in  the  village  reveal 
the  seriousness  of  the  slaughter. 

Just  as  Mr.  Goldberg  was  disturbed  by  public  attitudes 
as  much  as  by  actual  incidents  of  wrongdoing,  we  are  also 
alarmed  by  several  aspects  of  the  Pinkville  case  and  by  the 
likelihood  that  there  may  be  similar  situations  not  nearly 
as  well  reported.  Consider  the  predicament  of  one  former 
soldier  who  had  to  choose  between  participating  in  the 
slaughter  of  civilians  and  disobeying  orders.    When  the 
same  young  man  later  came  home  to  the  United  States  after 
his  tour  of  duty,  he  was  bothered  by  his  own  conscience. 
When  he  told  older  people  about  the  atrocities  he  had  wit- 
nessed and  asked  them  for  advice  as  to  whether  he  should 
report  them,  most  of  them  simply  told  him  to  forget  the 
whole  thing. 

Consider  also  the  racist  attitudes  revealed  in  some  of 


the  stories  relating  to  Pinkville.   Many  of  the  persons  in- 
volved were  accustomed  to  speak  of  the  Vietnamese  as 
"gooks"  and  "dinks,"  not  to  mention  other,  unprintable 
terms.   It  was  evident  that  for  some  soldiers  the  people  of 
Vietnam  were  less  than  human.    (Yet  it  should  also  be 
emphasized  that  many  of  the  men  in  uniform  were  espe- 
cially sensitive  to  the  fact  that  innocent  women  and  children 
were  murdered.) 

As  further  investigation  is  pursued  it  will  be  tempting 
for  Americans  to  look  for  someone  to  blame  among  the 
officers  or  men  involved  and  to  overlook  the  fact  that  many 
of  them  were  caught  in  the  pressures  of  a  system  that  de- 
rives its  character  from  the  nature  of  war  itself  and  that 
finds  sanction  for  savagery  in  the  excuses  that  an  enemy 
must  be  destroyed.   Yet  the  methods  of  war,  even  for  the 
best  causes,  are  always  dehumanizing,  and  they  tend  to  de- 
stroy not  only  the  official  enemy  or  innocent  civilians  but 
even  the  soul  of  the  warmaker. 

Despite  the  hard  questions  raised  by  Pinkville  —  and 
dozens  of  other  incidents  of  wholesale  slaughter  —  many 
American  church  members  prefer  to  look  the  other  way. 
We  need  to  be  reminded  how  Germans  in  the  time  of 
Hitler  (the  silent  majority?)  pretended  they  didn't  notice 
when  first  communists,  and  then  Jews,  and  then  finally 
some  of  their  own  pastors  were  denied  their  rights  and  put 
away  or  destroyed.   It  is  amazing  how  we  can  gradually 
come  to  accept  and  even  to  excuse  an  action  that  first  strikes 
us  as  an  obvious  evil.   Surely  the  time  is  here  —  it  is,  in- 
deed, long  overdue  —  for  some  honest  facing  of  the  facts 
as  to  what  Americans  have  allowed  to  happen  in  Vietnam. 

Let  the  church,  then,  take  a  more  forthright  stand  for  all 
that  sustains  life  and  against  those  movements  that  deliver 
death  and  destruction.   Only  in  such  a  manner  can  it  help 
to  halt  what  Mr.  Goldberg  calls  a  "frightening  deteriora- 
tion" in  national  morality.   And  in  taking  just  such  a  stand 
for  life,  the  church  would  not  only  be  true  to  its  Lord;  it 
might  also  discover  that  it  could  now  speak  the  one  word 
that  so  many  disillusioned  and  disheartened  people  around 
the  world  are  waiting  to  hear.  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    1-1-70 


First  in  the  new  year! 

a  Brethren  Press  paperback 
for  class  study 

or  for  private  reading 


"If 


(mM%®    (300(3  [P[r®DDQD§© 
Perspectives  on  the  Church  ol  the  Brethren 

fe^  [iDuQOijQQirO  ^o  ©DCODDD^©^ 

Heritage  and  Promise  offers  a  contemporary  look  at  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  the  light  of  its  history.  The  origins  and  growth  of 
the  denomination  are  clearly  outlined  in  the  context  of  church  history 
and  in  the  setting  of  a  changing  society.  Basic  beliefs  and  styles  of 
life  among  Brethren  receive  equal  prominence  with  institutional  devel- 
opments. 

Ctiapters:  From  Rome  to  Schwarzenau  .  .  .  Founding  and  Growth  in 
Europe  .  .  .  Establishment  and  Growth  in  America  .  .  .  Brethren  Beliefs 
.  .  .  The  Life-style  of  the  Brethren  .  .  .  The  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Today's  World.   160  pages. 

Ttie  writer:  Emmert  F.  Bittinger  is  associate  professor  of  sociology  at 
Bridgewater  College.  A  former  pastor,  he  joined  the  Bridgewater 
faculty  in  1963.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Bridgewater  (B.A.),  Bethany  Theo- 
logical Seminary  (B.D.),  and  the  University  of  Maryland  (M.A.  and 
Ph.D.).  His  private  collection  of  Brethren  books  and  periodicals  re^ 
fleets  his  enthusiasm  for  the  church's  literary  and  spiritual  heritage. 


Church   of  the  Brethren   General  Offices 
1451    Dundee  Ave.,   Elgin,   Illinois  60120 

Please  send  me copies  of  Heritage  and  Promise  at  $1.95  each. 

(Add  30c  for  handling.)  n  Bill  me  D  Cash  included 

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messenge 


A  new  decade  begins  on 
the  publication  date  of  this  issue.  Here,  in  capsule  jorm,  are  some  educated 
guesses  as  to  what  it  may  bring,  including  new  challenges  and  new  oppor- 
tunities for  the  church,   by  William  Kuhns.  page  2 


An  annual  festival  and 
parade  bring  out  the  local  population  and  attract  visitors  to  the  German 
village.  But  Brethren  from  the  States  have  additional  reasons  for  a  pilgrim- 
age, by  Nelson  M.  Seese.  page  6 


When  black  militants  present  de- 
mands for  reparations,  they  receive  mixed  reactions  from  Christian  groups. 
But  how  many  respond  in  the  spirit  of  the  "Nazareth  Manifesto"?  by  Robert 
Neff.  page  9 


Pollution  of  air  and  water  is  a 
"dirty  story"  that  concerns  every  person.  It  also  raises  questions  for  Christians 
who  see  themselves  as  stewards  of  God's  gifts  to  men.  by  Howard  E.  Royer. 
page  12 


A  child's  perspective  on  the  world  he 
knows  is  constantly  being  shaped  by  the  relationships  he  has  with  parents 
and  other  important  persons  in  his  life,  by  Donald  F.  Hursh.  page  21 


Other  features  include  a  round-up  of  reports  from  district  conferences  (page  14); 
pictiu-es  revealing  "Signs  of  the  Times"  (page  16);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Daniel  and 
Nancy  Flory  (page  20);  "Is  Pastoral  Calling  a  Lost  Art?"  by  Ralph  Skaggs  (page  24); 
"We  Need  Courage  to  Fulfill  Our  Calling,"  by  Ralph  Turnidge  (page  24);  "I  Hear 
a  Different  Drummer,"  by  Bill  Herod  (page  27);  a  review  of  books  discussing  "The 
Church  of  the  Wider  Commimity,"  by  Warren  S.  Kissinger  (page  28);  "Faith  Looks 
Up,"  by  Wilbur  Bamhart  (page  29);  and  an  editorial  (page  32). 


Delegates  attending  the  U.S.  Congress  on  Evangelism,  held  in  September  in  Minne- 
apolis, were  impressed  by  a  timely  address  by  Leighton  Ford  on  "Evangelism  in  a 
Day  of  Revolution,"  a  portion  of  which  appears  in  the  Jan.  15  issue.  .  .  .  Former  mis- 
sionary Wendell  Flory  several  years  ago  had  some  direct  encounter  with  revolutionists, 
as  he  recalls  in  a  reminiscent  article  describing  "A  Trip  Through  Red  China."  .  .  . 
La  Vernae  J.  Dick  looks  at  human  nature  and  personal  relationships  and  concludes 
that  "Everyone  Needs  to  Be  Stroked."  .  .  .  Linda  Beher  surveys  the  coffeehouse 
movement  which  in  recent  years  has  become  one  center  of  the  modem  church's  min- 
istry to  young  persons. 


VOL.   119  NO.   1 


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'  N     1      f"-^'  '   I     ,  'I, 


'/'  v<.s  ^^^;Sr5 


DO  NOT  DISCARD   BUT  HEIP 

I  read  with  great  interest  the  article 
"Must  the  Professional  Pastoral  Ministry  Be 
Discarded?"  (Oct.  23).  As  a  member  of  a 
"free  ministry"  church  in  Pennsylvania,  re- 
ferred to  by  Art  Gish,  I  would  like  to 
comment. 

The  four  gentlemen  who  comment  on  the 
issue  seem  to  be  in  accord  on  one  thing, 
although  they  say  it  in  different  ways:  that 
is,  the  need  for  better  utilization  of  existing 
talent  and  the  development  of  better  trained 
leaders.  Therefore,  the  issue  seems  to  re- 
volve around  the  methods  to  get  better  use 
of  our  ministers  and  not  the  discarding  of 
the  professional  pastoral  ministry.  What 
they  say  supports  this  viewpoint.  The  two 
gentlemen  who  are  in  favor  of  retaining  the 
professional  pastoral  ministry  seem  to  have 
been  successful  in  utilizing  the  talent  of  the 
church  in  helping  to  meet  the  needs  of  the 
church  and  the  community.  The  two  who 
are  in  favor  of  discarding  the  professional 
pastoral  ministry  seem  to  have  been  un- 
successful  in  this  attempt. 

Mr.  Gish  says  that  "some  congregations 
could  have  someone  to  be,  not  the  pastor, 
but  a  teacher."  Who  could  best  do  this  but 
a  well-trained  minister?  Mr.  Gardner  states 
that  "clusters  of  churches  would  support  a 
professionally  trained  person."  Again,  who 
would  be  best  qualified  for  this  but  a  well- 
trained  minister?  The  very  arguments  they 
use  against  the  issue  points  to  the  need  for 
a  minister.  .  .  . 

The  "free  ministry"  has  served  our  con- 
gregation very  well.  We  have  our  problems, 
but  who  doesn't.  We  have  not  grown  like 
our  neighbors  who  have  pastors.  In  fact  we 
have  lost  many  of  our  members  to  these 
neighbors,  partly  because  of  inadequately 
trained  leaders.  Visitation  and  visiting  the 
sick  are  rarely  done  because  our  "free  min- 
isters"  are   busy   making  a  living   in   other 


readers  write 


professions.  .  .  .  Over  a  period  of  twenty- 
five  years  we  have  added  to  our  congrega- 
tion only  three  new  families.  Most  of  our 
problems  point  to  the  need  for  a  "well- 
trained  and  experienced  Christian  leader," 
willing  to  give  of  himself  to  serve  a  church 
and  a  community. 

The  issue  is  not  should  we  discard  the 
professional  pastoral  ministry  or  should  we 
go  to  a  "free  ministry"  (each  system  has  its 
advantages  and  its  usefulness)  but,  how  do 
we  help  the  minister  do  some  of  the  work 
in  the  church  which  should  not  be  his  in  the 
first  place. 

Walt  Markey  Jr. 
York,  Pa. 

WE  ALL  NEED   EACH   OTHER 

There  are  enough  people  fighting  in  the 
peace  movement  —  too  many  for  whom  the 
desire  for  complete  brotherhood  is  super- 
ceded by  a  mourning  of  their  own  distaste 
for  war  and  violence. 

Sure,  the  taking  of  life  is  inhuman.  The 
physical  cage  into  which  our  minds  and 
souls  are  sealed  has  suddenly  become  sacred. 
But  what  of  the  inner  essence  of  man?  We 
inter  minds  every  day  —  in  the  supercilious, 
super-clean,  white  suburban  ghettos,  in  the 
subhuman,  subcity  racial  ghettos,  in  the 
country's  school  systems  where  racism  and 
colonialism  are  perpetrated.  Who  is  there 
to  fight  this  battle? 

We  have  been  so  out  of  tune  with  per- 
sons and  so  in  tune  with  things  that  we  have 
no  idea  what  it  means  to  be  a  part  of  the 
brotherhood  of  man,  all  needing  each  other 
—  not  everyone  needing  us  middle-class 
Americans. 

The  Vietnamese  peasant  doesn't  need  us; 
we  need  their  natural  resources  and  their 
inner  struggles  to  keep  our  defense  plants 
in  business.  The  people  of  Germany  don't 
need   us;    we    "need"    military   bases   there. 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover,  6,  9  Phil  Anderson  at  The  Zodiac:  2-3  Edward  Wallowitch  and  Ed 
Eckstein;  13.  15  Religious  News  Service;  17  Gitchell's  Studio  and  Camera  Shop,  Harrisonburg. 
Virginia;  19  artwork  by  Tom  Goddard;  20-21.  22,  23  Edward  Wallowitch;  28  "PVayer,"  sculpture 
by  Elimo  Njau 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17.  1917.  Filing  date.  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Re\'ised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  tor  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
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If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address,  .\llow  at  | 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111!  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    Jan.   15,   1970.  |, 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119   No.  2 


Castro  doesn't  need  us,  we  need  Cuba's 
sugarcane.  The  list  increases  as  we  like  to 
feel  we've  got  something  everyone  else 
wants.  We  want  them  to  desire  what  we've 
got,  yet  we  don't  give  it  to  them. 

The  very  people  who  are  shouting  the 
Pauline  standard  of  "by  faith  are  you  saved, 
not  by  works"  are  the  first  people  to  chant, 
"Let  them  work  for  it,  they  don't  deserve 
it."  All  of  this  to  the  blacks  and  browns 
who  have  been  asking  to  be  treated  as  hu- 
man beings  created  by  God,  not  by  America. 
Somehow  some  of  us  must  live  and  preach 
the  brotherhood  of  man  so  that  the  I-am- 
better-than-you-my-way-is-best  attitude  of 
U.S.  wars  and  racism  is  eliminated.  I 

Dorothy  H.  Hess      i 
Lancaster,  Pa.  I 

i 
GET  OFF  THE   PEWS  -  AND   GO 

After    reading    about    the    question    of   a  ' 
professional   pastoral   ministry   (Oct.   23),  II 
could  not  help  but  feel  that  the  four  men  s 
who  wrote  all  expressed  deep  concern  abouCI 
the  mechanical  organization  of  the  churchfi 
needing  to  be  changed  more  than  the  typeii 
of  ministry  we  have.    I  think  all  the  writers 
would    agree    that    the    church    needs    some 
form  of  trained  leadership  for  local  mem- 
bers, but  they  all  had  varying  ideas  on  what 
the  program  of  the  congregation  should  be. 

If  the  church  is  to  survive  the  tumultuous 
times  in  which  we  live,  members  must  not 
only  take  vows  and  be  on  mailing  lists;  they 
must  get  off  the  pews,  out  away  from  the|: 
stained-glass   windows,    paneled   walls,   gold' I 
crosses,   and  magnificent  organs  and  go  to  i 
the  neighbors  in  their  own  community,  ex- 
tending  a   hand  of   love.     This   is   not   just 
to  the  poor  and  downtrodden   but   also  to 
those  of  suburbia  and  middle-class  society, 
for  often  they,  too,  need  to  know  that  some- 
one cares  about  them  in  this  world  of  whin- 
ing iTiachinery  and  rigid  appointment  sched- 
ules. 

It  almost  makes  me  sad  to  hear  of  another 
church  being  built  or  remodeled,  for  I  won 
der  if  the  hearts  of  those  who  worship  there 
will  be  any  more  filled  with  God's  love  than 
if  they  worshiped  in  a  tent,  gymnasium, 
skating  rink,  or  any  other  building  large 
enough  to  hold  the  worshipers.  .  .  . 

I  thoroughly  agree  that  every  baptized  be- 
liever is  already  a  minister,  but  too  many  of  1 
them  are  not  serving  the  church  which  they 
attend.  A  congregation  is  made  up  of  lay- 
men, and  these  should  be  the  workers  who 
keep  the  church  alive,   not  always  waiting 


Page  One... 


on  the  titled  minister  to  initiate  every  good 
and  worthwhile  project.  As  church  members 
and  as  citizens  we  are  the  same:  too  com- 
placent, accepting  the  status  quo.  Rise  up, 
O  men  of  God! 

Mrs.  Kenneth  Shank 
Abilene,  Kansas 


FROM  NORTH   OF  THE  BORDER 

I  must  reply  to  a  letter  which  appeared 
in  the  October  9  issue  under  the  heading 
"Obey  Christ  Rather  Than  Caesar?" 

We  Canadians  observe  our  friends  to  the 
south  with  a  great  deal  of  wonder  and  we 
always  live  in  fear  that  some  of  that  "Amer- 
ican Way"  might  seep  past  your  northern 
border  into  our  lovely  country.  I  was  raised 
in  the  Brethren  church  here  in  Canada  and 
well  I  remember  the  stand  our  church  took 
during  World  War  II.  It  took  real  courage 
to  say  that  war  was  wrong  and  that  a  man 
like  Mr.  Murray  L.  Wagner  was  to  be 
pitied. 

Mr.  Editor,  I  would  like  to  invite  Mr. 
Wagner  (with  the  definite  understanding 
that  he  would  not  stay)  to  visit  our  "slave" 
nation.  A  nation  with  no  draft,  a  nation  of 
clean  streams  and  blue  skies,  a  nation  whose 
economy  is  geared  to  peace  and  construc- 
tive aid. 

Ivor  Oberholtzer 
Arrowwood,  Alberta,  Canada 


WAR   IS  EVIL 

I  wish  to  respond  to  the  youth  delegate 
and  others  who  have  written  to  Messenger 
their  disapproval  of  draft  card  burning  at 
Conference  and  of  civil  disobedience  or  the 
breaking  of  a  federal  law.  I  think  most 
Christians  (if  not  all)  consider  war  evil.  .  .  . 

Christ  tells  us:  "Blessed  are  the  peace- 
makers for  they  shall  be  called  the  children 
of  God."  He  also  tells  us:  "Have  salt  in 
yourselves,  and  have  peace  with  one  an- 
other" (Mark  9:50b).  If  we.  are  to  be  the 
salt  of  the  earth,  do  we  season  or  preserve 
it  if  we  fail  to  witness?  "And  the  fruit  of 
righteousness  is  sown  in  peace  of  them  that 
make  peace." 

Concerning  civil  disobedience,  did  not 
Christ  break  the  law  when  he  healed  on  the 
Sabbath  or  when  he  and  his  disciples  plucked 
grain  to  eat  as  they  went  through  the  fields 
on  the  Sabbath? 

We  see  war  as  evil.  Did  not  Christ  say, 
"They  that  take  to  the  sword  shall  perish 

m  More  on  page  29 


Our  man  in  Minneapolis,  representing  the  national  staff  at  the  U.S.  Congress 
on  Evangelism  and  also  serving  as  a  reporter  for  Messenger  (Nov.  6,  page 
22)  was  Clyde  E.  Weaver.  He  returned  from  that  September  conclave  of 
evangelicals  with  enthusiastic  reports  about  a  major  address  by  Leighton 
Ford  and  with  a  copy  of  Ford's  position  paper  on  "The  Church  and  Evan- 
gelism in  a  Day  of  Revolution."  Messenger  joins  with  several  other  denom- 
inational and  independent  publications  in  sharing  major  portions  of  that 
address.  We  hope  this  will  be  the  first  of  several  significant  discussions  of 
evangelism  and  its  role  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

There  is  a  possibility  that  some  Brethren  audiences  may  see  and  hear 
more  of  Leighton  Ford  this  year.  The  Canadian-born  evangelist  is  a  brother- 
in-law  of  Billy  Graham  and  one  of  Graham's  associates.  His  home  is  in 
Charlotte,  North  Carolina.  An  article  by  Ford  entitled  "Should  Christians 
Engage  in  Controversy?"  appeared  in  the  July  20,  1967,  Messenger. 

Our  man  in  Detroit,  for  a  conference  equally  significant  but  in  a  quite 
different  way,  was  Howard  E.  Royer.  As  director  of  communication,  How- 
ard carries  responsibility  for  the  news  pages  of  Messenger.  Even  before  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  met  in 
December,  some  friends  of  the  Council,  as  well  as  some  of  its  persistent 
critics,  were  predicting  its  demise.  Before  announcing  its  burial,  however, 
readers  would  do  well  to  look  at  this  issue's  special  report  on  the  Detroit 
Assembly.  Another  view  of  the  NCCC  meeting,  from  the  perspective  of  the 
Brethren  delegates  who  attended,  is  scheduled  for  our  next  issue. 

As  coffeehouses  continue  to  spring  up  in  one  community  after  another, 
they  are  viewed  sometimes  with  anxiety,  sometimes  with  expectation  — 
and  frequently  they  are  controversial.  Those  who  regard  a  coffeehouse  with 
apprehension  may  see  it  as  a  locale  for  revolution,  only  a  block  or  two  from 
Main  Street.  Others  perceive  a  coffeehouse  as  an  opportunity  for  ministry, 
even  for  evangelism.  Linda  (Mrs.  Walter)  Beher  has  been  one  of  the 
volunteers  at  an  Elgin  coffeehouse,  has  visited  several  others  in  the  Chicago 
area,  and  has  interviewed  several  sponsors,  managers,  directors,  and  patrons 
of  coffeehouses.  A  member  of  Messenger's  editorial  staff,  Linda  became  an 
editorial  assistant  in  1967  after  graduation  from  McPherson  College. 

Other  contributors  to  this  issue  include  Wendell  Flory,  a  missionary  to 
China  and  India  for  eleven  years.  He  serves  now  as  pastor  of  the  Waynes- 
boro Church  of  the  Brethren  in  'Virginia. 

To  be  graduated  from  Oregon  College  of  Education  this  spring  is  La 
Vernae  J.  Dick,  who  anticipates  writing  textbooks  for  grade  school  and 
junior  high  school  social  studies  students.  She  lives  at  Dallas,  Oregon,  with 
her  husband  and  their  three  children. 

Poets  contributing  to  "If  Someone  Is  Listening"  are  Jo  Thebaud,  who 
lives  at  Baring,  Maine,  and  whose  work  has  appeared  in  other  issues;  Bill 
Herod,  a  former  BVSer  now  in  Vietnam  with  'Vietnam  Christian  Service; 
Edith  Ogutsch  of  Los  Angeles,  California,  who  writes  that  "next  to  poetry, 
my  greatest  love  is  classical  music.  ...  I  enjoy  going  to  concerts  .  .  .  and 
haunt  the  art  galleries";  Patricia  Kennedy  (Mrs.  A.  Blair)  Helman,  North 
Manchester,  Indiana,  who  has  reviewed  books  and  written  poetry  for 
Messenger;  Judy  Simpson,  a  college  student  in  Virginia;  and  Lena  Miller, 
wife  of  the  Dixon,  Illinois,  church  pastor. 

Serving  as  pastor  of  the  Eastwood  congregation  in  Akron,  Ohio,  is 
Byron  Miller. 

Pictures  used  to  illustrate  the  cover  story  were  shot  by  free-lance 
photographer  Phil  Anderson  of  Elgin.  "This  is  the  kind  of  assignment  we 
like,"  Phil  says  of  the  evening  he  and  his  wife  spent  at  the  Zodiac,  a  coffee- 
house described  in  the  article. 

The  Editors 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     1 


ft 


by  Leighton 
Ford 


In  London's  Highgate  Cemetery  a  huge 
granite  pillar  stands  atop  the  grave  of 
Karl  Marx.  On  it  is  a  bust  of  Marx,  his 
cheeks  puffed  out  like  Kris  Kringle's,  his 
eyes  set  deep  and  resolute.  Chiseled  on 
the  granite  is  this  dictum  of  the  father 
of  communism:  "The  philosophers  have 
only  interpreted  the  world.  The  point  is 
to  change  it." 

I  agree  with  Karl  Marx  —  the  world 
needs  to  be  changed.  But  how?  That  is 
the  point. 

Today  the  Christian  church  is  being 
called  to  evangelize  people  caught  up  in 
cataclysmic  change.  This  truth  was 
smashed  into  my  heart  nearly  a  decade 
ago  as  a  friend  and  I  were  flying  in 
Africa.  Africa  was  throbbing  with  the 
great  drive  for  freedom;  the  thunder  of 
change  was  in  the  air.   My  friend  handed 
his  Bible  to  me,  pointing  to  this  passage 
from  Jeremiah:  "The  Word  of  the  Lord 
came  to  me  .  .  .  saying,  'What  do  you 
see?'  And  Jeremiah  said,  T  see  a  boiling 
pot,  a  seething  cauldron.  .  .  .'  " 

"A  seething  cauldron."  That  is  a 
perfect  image  to  describe  our  world  — 
an  age  shaken  and  convulsed  by  the 
greatest  revolutions  of  all  time.  When 


the  mobs  stormed  the  Bastille  in  1789  to 
start  the  French  Revolution,  King  Louis 
is  said  to  have  remarked,  "This  is  a 
revolt."  Someone  replied,  "No,  sir,  this 
is  a  revolution."  And  that  is  the  mark  of 
our  age  —  not  isolated  revolt  but  total 
revolution. 

Revolution  is  change  —  total,  constant, 
irresistible,  rapid,  pervasive  change  that 
affects  every  part  of  our  lives.  In  Amer- 
ica there  is  a  demographic  revolution  as 
great  groups  of  people  move  about  in 
gigantic  population  shifts.  By  1980  the 
Christian  church  will  find  its  evangelistic 
mission  focused  on  the  ninety  percent  of 
all  Americans  who  will  live  in  great  strip 
cities,  already  dubbed  with  such  peculiar 
names  as  Boswash,  Chipitt,  and  Sansan. 
We  live,  too,  in  a  blindingly  fast  tech- 
nological revolution.  From  the  time 
telegraph  was  discovered  until  it  was 
commercially  applied  took  112  years;  for 
transistors  that  application  gap  shrank  to 
five  years.  Our  exploding  technology  is 
like  all  the  rockets  at  Cape  Kennedy 
going  off  at  once  in  some  Fourth  of  July 
spectacular. 

The  strange  plight  of  modern  man  is 
that  w'hile  his  knowledge  is  exploding,  the 
whole  idea  of  "true  truth,"  truth  that  is 
the  opposite  of  falsehood,  is  disappearing. 
In  art,  philosophy,  theology,  and  the  total 
pattern  of  his  thinking,  twentieth-century 
man  seeks  to  escape  from  reason.  Every- 


thing is  considered  relevant.  This  has 
led  inevitably  to  a  moral  revolution,  the 
shift  from  an  absolute  ethic  to  a  situation 
ethic,  from  a  morality  based  on  God's 
eternal  law  to  one  based  on  man's  person- 
al likes.  There  have  always  been  those 
who  have  violated  society's  moral  codes, 
but  has  there  ever  been  a  generation  that 
repudiated  the  very  idea  of  any  binding 
standard? 

All  these  changes  are  compounded  by  * 
the  communications  revolution,  which 
has  shrunk  this  planet  into  one  world  and 
extended  our  eyes  to  the  moon.  The 
immediacy  of  the  mass  media,  especially 
TV,  has  placed  us  all  in  what  Marshall 
McLuhan  calls  a  "global  village."  To- 
day's news  today  is  not  just  what's  hap- 
pened; it's  what's  happening. 


Th, 


Lhe  children  of  the  electronic  age  are 
the  first  generation  ever  to  know  more 
than  their  parents.  When  young  people 
say  that  those  over  thirty  don't  under- 
stand, they  may  be  arrogant,  but  they  are 
also  partly  right.   Most  of  the  changes 
we've  mentioned  have  taken  place  in  the 
last  thirty  years.  Those  of  us  bom  before 
1939  are  like  immigrants,  feeling  our 
way  around  a  new  land.  Only  the  young 
know  this  world  as  natives  know  their 
own  country.  And  to  under-thirty  Chris- 
tians I  say:  We  need  to  hear  you.  In  two 


2     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


^^V        V         ;  'iHiaM^f^^^K^ 

■5«^-;S'^i?^ 

rndf^  i^^R 

^m 

ifi'-M 

H 

^T(iFT3      B-iBti^ 

M'^^i 

ifel 


Of- 


years  the  average  age  in  America  will  be 
twenty-four.  The  task  of  confronting  this 
changing  age  with  a  changeless  Christ 
belongs  largely  to  you.  Yours  is  the 
vocal  generation,  so  don't  be  silent  here! 
Listen  and  learn.  But  si>eak.  Tell  it  like 
it  is.  Plead.  Provoke.  Make  us  mad  if 
you  have  to.  Do  it  with  love  and  humil- 
ity. But  do  it! 

This  is  also  a  day  of  great  political 
change.  When  the  radicals  in  our  society 
call  for  revolution,  what  they  have  in 
mind  is  not  another  struggle  like  the 
American  Revolution,  with  its  limited 
goals,  but  something  much  closer  to  the 
French  and  communist  revolutions, 
which  totally  rejected  the  old  regimes. 
Radicals  in  contemporary  America  have 
made  their  goal  clear :  They  are  convinced 
that  American  society  is  so  corrupt  and 
unworkable  that  the  system  cannot  be 
changed  but  must  be  destroyed.  When 
asked  what  they  have  to  replace  it,  many 
of  them  answer  that  this  is  not  their  con- 
cern. It  should  be  ours,  for  they  are  out 
to  create  a  vacuum  that  would  quickly 
be  filled  by  totalitarianism  of  the  left  or 
the  right. 

Yet  we  dare  not  be  blind  to  the  lesson 
all  modem  revolutions  have  taught: 
When  men  of  privilege  abuse  their  power 
and  refuse  justice,  sooner  or  later  upheav- 
al will  come.  President  Kennedy  put  it 
memorably:  "He  who  makes  peaceful 


revolution  impossible  makes  violent 
revolution  inevitable." 

Today  revolution  is  fueled  by  the 
freedom  drive  that  is  surging  through  the 
entire  world  of  men  —  the  struggle  for 
identity,  dignity,  security,  and  equality. 
In  America  the  flash  points  of  the  free- 
dom revolution  are  poverty  and  racism. 

The  poor  we  have  always  had  with  us, 
but  the  gap  yawns  wider  every  year.  The 
new  factor  is  that  poor  people  are  learn- 
ing that  not  everyone  is  poor  and  that 
change  is  possible.  Put  TV  in  a  ghetto 
home,  let  a  slum  mother  see  ads  for 
low-calorie  dog  foods  and  electric  tooth- 
brushes when  her  baby  has  had  his  ears 
chewed  by  a  rat,  and  you've  got  a 
revolution. 

Racism  is  not  just  a  problem  of  the 
South,  or  of  America,  or  of  the  white 
man.  It  is  a  worldwide  symptom  of  sin. 
But  God  has  told  us  to  confess  our  own 
sins,  not  those  of  the  rest  of  the  world. 
I  hold  no  brief  for  James  Forman's 
"Black  Manifesto."  Yet  if  our  reaction 
is  simply  to  lash  back  at  Forman,  and  if 
we  do  not  seek  to  heal  the  gaping,  aching, 
rubbed-raw  wounds  of  racial  strife,  then 
we  shall  deserve  "the  fire  next  time." 

It  is  to  the  shame  of  the  Christian 
church  that  we  have  been  so  slow  to  face 
the  demands  of  the  gospel  in  the  racial 
revolution  of  our  time.  With  some 
notable  exceptions,  we  have  moved  only 


when  we  have  been  run  over  from  be- 
hind. We  have  enjoyed,  many  of  us,  our 
privileged  position  at  the  "white  hand  of 
God." 

What,  you  may  ask,  does  this  have  to 
do  with  evangelism?  Well,  let  me  ask 
what  kind  of  gospel  we  are  preaching 
when  a  church  sends  missionaries  to 
convert  Africans  but  suggests  to  the  black 
American  that  he  go  to  his  own  church 
with  his  own  kind.  Why  should  the  black 
man  listen  to  us  talk  about  a  home  in 
heaven,  when  we  refuse  to  make  him  at 
home  in  our  neighborhood  and  our 
schools?  What,  I  ask  you,  does  this  not 
have  to  do  with  evangelism? 

The  right  of  men  to  freedom,  dignity, 
and  respect  comes  directly  from  the 
Bible,  from  the  story  that  God  made 
man,  that  God  loves  man,  and  that  the 
Son  of  God  laid  down  his  life  for  man. 
This  is  the  ultimate  source  of  human 
worth.  The  whole  idea  that  the  course  of 
history  can  be  altered,  that  man  is  not 
the  slave  of  fate,  arises  from  the  Chris- 
tian view  that  history  moves  toward  a 
climax  in  the  return  of  Christ. 

What  then  should  be  the  stance  of  the 
Christian  church  in  an  age  of  revolution? 

Some  call  for  the  blind  rejection  of  all 
revolution;  others  demand  a  naive  ac- 
ceptance of  all  revolution.  Some  would 
like  to  ignore  change;  others  would  like 
to  baptize  change  as  the  new  messiah. 

1-15-70    MESSENGER     3 


EVANGELISM  /  continued 


As  responsible  Christians  we  must  reject 
both  extremes. 

We  cannot  be  worthy  of  our  high 
calHng  if  we  try  to  keep  God  in  some 
private,  undisturbed  corner  of  our  lives 
and  ignore  the  driving  winds  of  change. 
While  revolution  was  raging  in  Petrograd 
in  1917,  the  Russian  Orthodox  Church 
was  in  session  a  few  blocks  away  having 
a  hot  debate  —  about  what  color  vest- 
ments their  priests  should  wear!   God 
help  us  if  we  strain  at  gnats  while  the 
camels  of  revolution  are  marching. 

Some  change  should  be  opposed.  We 
Christians  have  a  stake  in  preserving  the 
historic  truth  of  the  gospel  and  the 
worthy  values  of  the  past.  Like  Jeremiah 
we  say,  "Ask  for  the  ancient  paths,  where 
the  good  way  is."  But  we  also  know  that 
sin  infects  every  man  and  every  human 
institution.  So  we  need  a  holy  discontent 
with  the  status  quo.  The  gospel  calls  for 
constant  change.  Conversion  is  a  change 
of  direction.   Repentance  is  a  change  of 
mind.  The  Christian  life  is  a  continual 
change  from  glory  to  glory.  God  is  not 
tied  to  seventeenth-century  English, 
eighteenth-century  hymns,  nineteenth- 
century  architecture,  and  twentieth- 
century  cliches.   God  is  constantly 
prodding  us  as  he  did  the  people  of 
Israel  and  saying,  "Strike  your  tents  and 
move  on!" 


T., 


Lhe  naive  approval  of  revolution  is  an 
equally  foolish  mistake.  There  are  those 
who  would  recast  Jesus  as  the  patron 
saint  of  guerrilla  fighters  and  see  the 
church's  task  as  being  "the  handmaiden 
or  water  boy  of  world  revolution."  One 
theologian  lists  the  various  changes  going 
on  in  the  world  and  concludes,  "God  is 
in  all  these  revolutions."  I  think  it's  fair 
to  reply:  How  do  you  know?  How  does 
one  know  whether  it  is  God  or  the  devil 
at  work  in  revolution?  Jesus  told  of  a 
house  where  one  demon  was  cast  out  and 
seven  more  came  in.  A  revolution  that 


takes  place  in  a  spiritual  vacuum  will 
open  the  door  wide  for  the  invasion  of 
the  demons. 

Communism  is  a  prime  example.  We 
should  repudiate  the  efforts  to  couple 
evangelism  with  a  crude,  sword-rattling 
anticommunism.  Yet  we  carmot  blind 
ourselves  to  the  brutalities  that  have 
marked  the  communist  movement.  This 
ruthlessness  is  more  than  the  excess  of  a 
young  revolution.   It  is  the  direct  out- 
growth of  an  atheistic  doctrine  that 
defies  the  system  and  dehumanizes  man. 

A  close  link  has  been  forged  between 
sexual  rebellion  and  political  subversion. 
There  is  something  demonic  about  the 
obsession  with  the  obscene.  The  sex  of 
the  sixties  is  sick.   It's  a  symptom  of 
spiritual  rebellion,  of  man's  attempt  to 
tear  down  his  relationship  with  his  Mak- 
er.  Time  magazine  recently  noted  that 
four-letter  words  have  become  a  tool  of 
protest  against  the  establishment.  The 
"Playboy"  philosophy  of  sex  as  recreation 
is  almost  outdated;  it  is  now  sex  as 
revolution.  If  we  ignore  this  connection 
between  sexual  and  political  anarchy,  and 
go  around  patting  all  the  radical  revolu- 
tionaries on  the  head  as  God's  secret 
agents,  then  we  are  spiritually  blind, 
theologically  naive,  and  politically  stupid. 

Faced  with  these  realities,  the  Christian 
cannot  blindly  approve  all  revolution. 
There  is  really  only  one  course  open  to 
us:  to  be  neither  total  resisters  nor  total 
rebels,  but  revolutionaries  —  Christian 
style. 

History's  greatest  revolution  began  not 
under  a  red  star  in  Petrograd  in  1917  but 
under  the  star  of  Bethlehem  two  thou- 
sand years  ago  in  the  cradle  where  God 
invaded  history.  In  Jesus  Christ,  God 
began  the  great  reversal.   Human  cate- 
gories were  turned  upside  down  and  the 
proud  and  humble,  the  mighty  and  the 
weak,  the  rich  and  the  poor  changed 
places. 

The  early  Christians  were  a  band  of 
revolutionaries.  Christian  style.  The 


book  of  Acts  gives  us  a  series  of  glimpses 
of  them  scattered  in  the  cities  of  the 
Roman  Empire.  At  Jersualem  we  can  see 
an  economic  revolution.  "All  who  be- 
lieved were  together  and  had  all  things  in 
common"  (Acts  2:44).  In  Antioch  we  see 
a  social  revolution.  "In  the  church  at 
Antioch  there  were  prophets  and  teach- 
ers, Barnabas,  Symeon  who  was  called 
Niger,  Lucius  of  Cyrene,  Manaen  a 
member  of  the  Court  of  Herod  the 
tetrarch,  and  Saul"  (Acts  13:1)  — two 
Jews,  two  Africans,  and  a  Roman  aristo- 
crat. All  races  and  classes  had  become 
beautiful  in  Christ.  In  Corinth  we  see 
a  moral  revolution.  Corinth  was  a  cess- 
pool of  evil  and  perversion.  Yet  Paul, 
writing  to  the  Christians  in  that  city, 
catalogs  the  vices  of  Corinth  and  then 
exclaims:  "And  such  were  some  of  you. 
But  you  were  washed,  you  were  sanc- 
tified, you  were  justified  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  in  the  Spirit  of 
our  God"  ( 1  Cor.  6:11).  At  the  end  of 
Acts  we  see  Paul  in  Rome,  a  spiritual 
revolutionary  at  work.  "He  lived  there 
two  whole  years  at  his  own  expense,  and 
welcomed  all  who  came  to  him,  preach- 
ing the  kingdom  of  God  and  teaching 
about  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  (Acts 
28 :  30,  3 1 ) .  When  these  Christians 
showed  up  in  Thessalonica,  their  enemies 
paid  them  a  backhanded  compliment, 
saying,  "These  men  who  have  turned  the 
world  upside  down  have  come  here  also." 

One  of  our  main  failures  in  evangelism 
has  been  "undersell."  We  have  made  the 
gospel  seem  cheap,  tame,  and  dull.  We 
ought  to  be  saying  to  the  students  and 
the  people  of  the  world,  "We  too  are 
revolutionaries!  We  too  want  to  see 
things  changed.  But  we  believe  only  one 
revolution  is  big  enough,  and  deep 
enough,  and  powerful  enough  to  change 
the  world.   It  will  take  everything  you've 
got  —  but  come  join  Christ's  revolution!" 

Ponder  those  pictures  of  the  early 
Christians.  What  impression  do  you  get? 
Here  was  a  revolutionary  God,  releasing 


4     MESSENGER     1-15-70 


Only  one  revolution  is  big  enough 

and  deep  enough,  and  powerful  enough 
to  change  the  world 


revolutionary  power  through  a  revolution- 
ary community,  in  revolutionary  action. 
These  are  still  the  essential  ingredients  in 
the  Christian  recipe  for  revolution. 

When  those  early  Christians  were 
arrested  for  disturbing  the  peace,  they 
lifted  their  voices  in  prayer  and  quoted 
I  their  Bible:  "Sovereign  Lord,  who  didst 
)  make  the  heaven  and  the  earth,  and  the 
sea  and  everything  in  them,  who  by  the 
mouth  of  David  .  .  .  didst  say  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  'Why  do  the  Gentiles  rage?'  " 
According  to  the  Psalm  from  which  they 
quoted,  when  men  rebel  against  God's 
I  authority,  "he  who  sits  in  the  heaven 
laughs;  the  Lord  has  them  in  derision." 


T. 


.hese  early  Christian  revolutionaries 
had  implicit  confidence  that  their  God 
was  at  the  master  controls  of  history. 
Rebellion  against  his  rule  was  bound  to 
fail.  He  laughed  from  heaven  at  the 
empty  posturings  and  vain  plans  of  those 
who  set  themselves  to  topple  him  from 
his  throne.  The  rushes  and  changes  of 
history  were  under  his  supervision.  When 
Jeremiah  saw  the  vision  of  the  seething 
cauldron,  the  Lord  said,  "Look,  I  am 
calling  .  .  .  the  kingdoms  of  the  north 
.  .  .  and  they  shall  come."  Heathen 
nations  and  kings  were  his  personnel. 

When  the  first  Christians  prayed  to 
this  God,  the  place  in  which  they  were 
gathered  together  was  shaken  (Acts 
4 :  29-3 1 )  —  shaken  by  the  Lord  of  hosts, 
who  said  through  Haggai,  "Once  again, 
in  a  little  while,  I  will  shake  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  and  the  sea  and  the  dry 
land;  and  I  will  shake  all  nations,  so  that 
the  treasures  of  all  nations  shall  come  in, 
and  I  will  fill  this  house  with  splendor" 
(Hag.  2:6).  We  gladly  confess,  "I  believe 
in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  maker  of 
heaven  and  earth."  But  do  we  also  be- 
lieve in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  shaker 
of  heaven  and  earth?  Or  have  we  lost 
our  poise  because  somehow  we  feel  that 
our  world  has  gotten  beyond  God's 


control? 

The  church  stands  with  all  mankind  at 
a  crossroad,  sharing  a  common  concern: 
Which  way  do  we  go  to  make  a  new 
world?  There  are  some  who  say, 
"Learn";  education  is  the  way.  Some 
say,  "Earn";  economic  development  will 
solve  our  problems.   Some  voices  are 
crying,  "Burn";  society  is  so  corrupt  we 
must  destroy  it.  There  is  truth  in  all  of 
this.  But  Jesus  Christ  says,  "Turn.  Be 
converted.  Put  your  trust  in  God.  Seek 
first  his  will.  Then  you  can  be  part  of  the 
new  world  God  is  making." 

Most  revolutions  fail  because  they  are 
not  revolutionary  enough.  They  fail  to 
grasp  the  fundamental  problem,  the 
problem  of  the  human  heart.  I  believe  it 
was  Churchill  who  once  said  that  the  root 
error  of  communism  and  all  utopianism 
was  an  overoptimistic  view  of  human 
nature.  Every  revolutionary  movement 
must  come  to  grips  with  the  fact  of  sin. 

Christians  are  often  accused  of  undue 
pessimism  in  always  harping  on  sin.  Yet 
only  when  sin  is  faced  as  a  moral  reaUty 
is  there  hope.  If  the  predicament  rises 
from  a  wrong  combination  of  chemicals 
or  from  psychological  factors  beyond 
man's  control,  then  man  is  just  pro- 
grammed wrong  and  we  should  abandon 
ourselves  to  evil.  But  if  the  cause  of  our 
problem  is  rebellion  against  God,  then 
there  can  be  an  answer  from  God's  side. 

Our  gospel  claims  that  almighty  God 
came  into  human  history  to  liberate  hu- 
man nature.  He  came  to  do  for  us  what 
we  could  never  do  for  ourselves.  By  the 
supernatural  birth  of  Jesus  Christ,  God 
has  begun  a  new  humanity  into  which  we 
may  enter  by  a  new  birth.  By  the  death 
of  Jesus  Christ  for  our  sins,  God  has 
made  it  possible  to  wipe  the  slate  clean, 
freeing  those  who  believe  from  the  crip- 
pling effects  of  guilt.  By  the  risen  life 
of  Jesus  Christ,  shared  with  us  through 
the  Holy  Spirit,  God  enables  us  to  shake 
off  our  moral  failure.  And  in  the  com- 
munity of  forgiven  and  redeemed  men, 


God  gives  us  a  place  where  we  can 
foretaste  the  new  wine  of  his  new  world. 

The  reason  why  this  Christian  con- 
version is  so  revolutionary  is  that  it  is  so 
complete.  When  a  man  meets  Jesus 
Christ,  God  begins  to  heal  all  his  broken 
relationships,  to  put  him  right  with  God, 
with  himself,  and  with  his  fellowmen. 
Today,  when  our  churches  are  being  torn 
apart  between  so-called  soul  savers  at  one 
pole  and  the  so-called  social  reformers  at 
the  other,  it  is  imperative  that  we  keep 
in  view  the  completeness  of  the  gospel 
and  resist  the  temptation  of  both 
extremes. 

Our  evangelism  must  insist  that  con- 
version is  a  beginning,  not  an  end.  Too 
often  converts  keep  looking  back  to  what 
happened  when  they  were  converted, 
instead  of  what  happened  next.  We  have 
sometimes  said  too  blithely,  "The  best 
way  to  change  the  world  is  to  get  men 
converted."  That  statement  has  an  im- 
portant kernel  of  truth,  but  it  can  be  mis- 
leading. The  new  birth  gives  the  poten- 
tial for  personality  change,  but  the  change 
does  not  take  place  automatically. 

We  must  be  realistic  in  the  expecta- 
tions we  have  for  social  change  as  a 
result  of  personal  conversion.  Let's  be 
very  wary  of  saying  that  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  will  solve  all  of  society's 
ills.   In  the  first  place,  there  is  no  biblical 
warrant  for  believing  that  will  happen. 
And  in  the  second  place,  we  know  that 
there  are  "Bible  belts"  where  the  gospel 
is  preached  and  people  are  converted  but 
where  built-in  structures  and  attitudes 
of  prejudice  change  very  slowly. 

Meanwhile,  we  can  give  ourselves  in 
joyful  abandon  to  the  task  of  making 
Christ  known,  because  the  gospel  of 
Christ  is  God's  revolutionary  power! 
What  a  revolution  is  taking  place  in  our 
world  today  as  Christ  invades  human 
personalities!  Is  there  any  other  system 
in  the  world  that  can  match  transformed 
lives  against  those  whom  Christ  has 
touched?   D 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     5 


Communication  ■ 

Over  a  CoflFee  Cup 

by  Linda  Beher 

Coffeehouses  offer  a  place  for  kids  to  unfold  — 

and  adults  to  unbend.  What  place  do  they  have 
in  the  church's  ministry  to  youth  —  and  to  adults? 


Kou 


jugh,  unstained  wood  sets  a  neutral 
background  for  the  variegated  color  in  a 
small,  table-filled  room.  On  one  wall  a 
floor-to-ceiling  display  space  shows  off  a 
collection  of  original  sketches,  paintings, 
and  posters.  A  folding  screen,  de- 
coupaged  with  psychedelic  patterns, 
diffuses  light  from  a  small  kitchen. 
Flickering  candles  paint  strange  shadows 
on  the  faces  of  the  young  people 
gathered  there,  listening  to  a  young  man 
strum  his  guitar  while  a  girl  reads  her 
own  poetry. 

New  customers  come  in  and,  handing 
their  quarters  to  the  cashier,  search  for 
seats,  either  at  a  not-too-crowded  table 
or  on  the  floor.  Teen-agers  and  adults 
alike,  acting  as  waiters  and  waitresses, 
move  quietly  among  the  tables,  filling 
orders  for  coffee  Romano,  espresso,  hot 
apple  cider,  Borgia,  American  coffee, 
soft  drinks,  pastries,  cheese  and 
crackers. 

The  room  is  The  Colloquy,  an  Elgin, 
Illinois,  coffeehouse  —  one  of  more  than 
1 ,200  such  places  in  the  United  States 
and  Canada  where  young  people  gather 
to  talk,  to  eat,  to  entertain  and  be  enter- 
tained, and  to  meet  other  youth.  Found 
in  every  section  of  the  country,  two 
thirds  of  the  coffeehouses  are  under  the 
auspices  of  major  denominations  — 
among  them  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
—  either  singly  or  ecumenically  (or,  like 
Colloquy,  in  cooperation  with  community 
agencies).  The  other  one  third  have 
varying  sponsorship  —  social  agencies 
like  the  YMCA,  service  organizations 
like  Kiwanis,  youth-oriented  groups  like 


Boy  Scouts,  and  even  individual  families. 

Some  are  upstairs  in  an  old  house, 
some  down.  Some  serve  only  coffee, 
others  full  meals.  Some  are  located  on 
college  or  university  campuses,  some  in 
church  basements  or  social  halls.  Some 
charge  fifteen  to  fifty  cents  for  light  re- 
freshments, while  for  others  a  cover 
charge  includes  the  cost  of  food.  Some 
represent  several  thousand  dollars'  invest- 
ment, while  others  begin  with  a  used  hot 
plate  and  a  jar  of  instant  coffee. 

What  is  it  about  coffeehouses  that 
accounts  for  their  burgeoning  growth  in 
the  past  five  years?  What  is  their  wide- 
spread appeal?  Who  visits  them  regularly 
—  and  why?  What  is  it  that  coffeehouse 
people  are  trying  to  accomplish? 

The  coffeehouse  phenomenon  had  its 
origins  in  the  great  cities  of  the  Middle 
East,  notably  Mecca  and  Constantinople, 
as  early  as  1450.  Soon  recognized  as 
centers  of  free  discussion  and  political 
controversy,  coffeehouses  spread  to 
Europe  and  to  the  American  colonies  in 
the  1 600s,  and  by  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century  London  alone  con- 
tained more  than  2,000.  Popularity 
slackened  with  the  intervention  of  legal 
authorities,  however,  who  regarded  the 
meeting  places  as  dangerous  sources  of 
social  protest. 

But  in  1965  coffeehouses  began  ap- 
pearing once  more  —  this  time  operated 
by  church  groups  for  young  people.  The 
majority  of  the  clientele  is  still  young  — 
teen-agers  through  college-age  students  — 
but  age  doesn't  seem  to  make  a  difference 
in  the  rapport  of  the  patrons.  Coffee- 

1-15-70    MESSENGER     7 


COMMUNICATION  /  continued 


houses  seem  to  be  one  place  where  sus- 
picions on  both  sides  of  the  generation 
gap  give  way  to  communication. 

"The  kids  unfold  in  this  setting,"  ex- 
plains one  coffeehouse  director,  a  Salva- 
tion Army  captain.   "You  really  get  to 
know  them.  Just  having  somebody  to 
listen  means  a  lot  to  them." 

Communication  between  the  genera- 
tions isn't  all  that  happens  at  church- 
related  coffeehouses.  Churches  have 
entered  the  movement  due  to  a  wide- 
spread feeling  that  the  forms  and  shapes 
of  the  traditional  church  have  not  been 
reaching  today's  youth. 

"Young  adults  can't  see  that  the 
church  is  relevant  to  modem  society," 
says  the  manager  of  a  Chicago  coffee- 
house. "They've  had  bad  experiences  with 
ministers  in  towns  they  grew  up  in"  or 
with  hypocritical  churchgoers  or  with 
Sunday  school  rhetoric  that  simply  does 
not  grapple  with  life  as  young  people  see 
it. 

According  to  Mrs.  Lewis  A.  McDon- 
ald, a  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  homemaker 
who  originated  and  planned  The  Exit,  a 
now  church-related  coffeehouse  in  her 
city,  "On  the  one  hand  are  students, 
artists,  drifters,  the  cautious  and  the 
curious,  who  are  largely  uncommitted  to 
the  church. 

"On  the  other  hand  are  church  people 
who  have  glimpsed  some  of  the  joy  of 
life  under  God's  love,  and  they  want  to 
communicate  the  gospel  in  meaningful 
new  symbols." 

The  Exit,  she  continues,  is  a  place 
where  these  divergent  and  often  polarized 
groups  can  meet  and  discuss  their  differ- 
ences over  coffee-stained  tables. 

Not  all  coffeehouses  view  themselves 
as  merely  places  for  persons  to  gather 
and  to  talk,  however.  The  Lost  and 
Found,  sponsored  by  a  Southern  Baptist 
church  in  Worcester,  Massachusetts,  has 
a  program  which  mixes  religion  and  en- 
tertainment —  Bible  studies  and  short 
religious  plays  along  with  folk  music. 

8     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


"The  coffeehouse  is  a  place  for  kids 
to  go,"  says  the  pastor,  "but  the  .  .  .  aim 
of  our  house  is  to  bring  people  into  a 
life-changing  experience  with  Christ." 

Some  coffeehouses,  while  refusing  to 
push  salvation  onto  their  clientele,  hope 
to  become  informal  counseling  centers, 
where  volunteer  "staff"  —  waiters,  wait- 
resses, cashier,  kitchen  crews  —  are  avail- 
able to  talk  about  personal  problems: 
the  draft,  drugs,  school,  parents.  Staffers 
in  coffeehouses  like  these  can  refer  seri- 
ous problems  to  agencies  in  the  commu- 
nity if  a  person  wants  to  follow  up,  on 
his  own  volition,  a  conversation  at  the 
coffeehouse.   "Food  is  not  our  most  im- 
portant commodity,"  stresses  Mrs.  Rob- 
ert Goodsell  of  Colloquy  at  a  staff  train- 
ing session.  "We're  here  to  help  kids." 


kjhe  might  also  have  said,  "We're  here 
as  staff  to  help  one  another  —  because 
the  concern  and  love  each  volunteer 
brings  with  him  to  give  likely  will  flood 
back  into  him,  a  gift  from  a  customer  or 
another  volunteer. 

"I  am  exhausted  at  the  end  of  the  six 
or  seven  hours,"  confessed  one  young 
volunteer.  "But  still  it  takes  hours  for 
me  to  unwind  after  such  an  intense 
sharing  of  myself  with  others  —  and 
often  elation  of  receiving  honest  concern 
from  the  very  ones  I  thought  I  could 
help.   Instead,  they  are  helping  me!" 

Not  surprisingly,  then,  some  patrons 
do  show  visible  changes  after  experienc- 
ing the  subtlety  of  the  coffeehouse  min- 
istry. According  to  BVSer  David  Martin, 
manager  of  Colloquy  for  nine  months, 
young  people  who  have  come  to  the 
coffeehouse  have  found  persons  who  are 
committed  and  interested  in  them  —  and 
willing  to  listen  and  to  help.   Marv  dis- 
covered such  persons  when  he  began 
joining  the  Friday  and  Saturday  night 
crowds  at  one  coffeehouse.  He  alienated 
many  patrons  with  his  antisocial  be- 
havior and  ugly  disposition.  He  became 


known  as  a  "speed  freak"  —  uptight, 
nervous,  suspicious.  He  had  been  ar- 
rested at  age  eighteen  for  pushing  acid  — 
LSD  —  and  could  still  get  quantities  of 
the  drug  from  his  source. 

But  as  Marv  began  to  mix  with  other 
young  persons,  "through  exposure  to  peo- 
ple —  friendly  people  —  he  began  to 
come  out  of  his  hostility,"  says  a  volun- 
teer who  knew  Marv.  The  speed  freak 
mannerisms  which  characterized  him  in 
the  beginning  of  his  association  with  the 
coffeehouse  have  diminished,  and  he  is 
gaining  a  reputation  for  his  folk-singing 
and  poetic  abilities. 

John,  on  the  other  hand,  was  shy, 
painfully  shy.  He  would  dart  to  a  corner 
table  at  the  coffeehouse  in  his  hometown, 
speak  to  no  one  during  his  hours  there, 
act  tense  and  fearful.  Volunteers  began 
trying  to  draw  him  out,  gently.  John 
responded.  He  opened  up.  He  even  grew 
gregarious.   Eventually  he  had  overcome 
his  shyness  enough  to  join  freely  in  dis- 
cussions, moving  from  table  to  table, 
meeting  new  people. 

"But  the  good  has  got  to  happen,  al- 
most by  itself,"  muses  one  volunteer.  "It 
can't  be  forced."  Because  of  this,  and 
because  changes  in  persons  are  not  al- 
ways so  obvious,  it  is  inaccurate  as  well 
as  foolish  to  boast  that  the  coffeehouse 
setting  can  spark  miracles  in  persons  or 
to  judge  the  success  of  the  coffeehouse 
ministry  in  terms  of  its  effect  on  the 
lives  of  the  people  it  serves. 
This  seeming  lack  of  drama  —  this 
subtlety  —  is  the  first  target  of  detrac- 
tors. 

Why  should  a  church  commit  support 
in  terms  of  money  and  personnel  when 
the  coffeehouse  does  not  remotely  re- 
semble the  parish  church,  when  it  is 
difficult  to  know  if  evangelism  really 
takes  place,  and  when  many  of  the  pa- 
trons, much  to  the  dismay  of  Sunday- 
morning  Christians,  scorn  the  institution- 
al church?  And  when  congregations  hear 
reports  that  some  of  the  kids  have  prob- 


ems  with  drugs,  dropping  out  of  school, 
)r  copping  out  of  society  in  general, 
;oncemed  parents  begin  to  fear  that 
'bad"  kids  wiJl  influence  their  "good" 
cids  in  unhealthy  ways. 

The  comments  of  a  Minneapolis 
;offeehouse  director  seem  to  answer,  at 
east  partially,  the  criticism  leveled  at 
;he  coffeehouse  ministry:  "Our  goal  was 
—  and  is  —  to  provide  a  place  for  peo- 
Dle  to  talk  with  each  other  about  mutual 
;oncems,  the  assumption  being  that  when 
;wo  or  three  are  gathered  together  at  the 
)oint  of  their  concern  God  is  at  work." 

Wendell  Belew,  secretary  of  the  de- 
jartment  of  pioneer  missions  for  the 
Jouthern  Baptist  Home  Mission  Board, 
x)ncurs.  "If  you're  going  to  demand  that 
I  person  meet  you  on  the  level  at  which 
lOVL  are  comfortable,  you're  going  to  lose 
lim.  The  people  who  come  to  the  coffee- 
louse  are  usually  unchristian  but  not 
mtichristian.  When  you  are  there,  you 
?eel  the  presence  of  Christ  in  an  uncom- 
"ortable  way.  There  is  a  sense  of 
:xpectancy." 

Supportive  words  come  from  Matthew 
Vleyer  of  the  Brotherhood  staff.  As 
Dastor  of  the  Glendale,  California,  con- 
gregation, he  was  a  major  figure  in  the 
irst  Church  of  the  Brethren  experiment 
vith  the  coffeehouse  ministry.  "Coffee- 
louses  are  here  to  stay,"  he  says  enthusi- 
istically.  "There  are  so  many  different 
cinds  of  coffeehouses  —  teen-sponsored, 
;ommercial,  profit-making  ones,  campus- 
centered,  local  church-  or  community- 
supported  —  that  they  can  minister  to 
ill  different  kinds  of  persons.  The  whole 
/enture  is  worthwhile,"  he  continues, 
'whether  a  coffeehouse's  reasons  for 
jpening  is  to  provide  entertainment,  dia- 
ogue,  good  food,  a  place  to  go  —  or  all 
four  —  if  it  meets  the  needs  of  the 
community  in  which  it  is  located." 

Since  the  Glendale  experiment,  other 
Church  of  the  Brethren  congregations 
lave  become  involved  in  the  coffeehouse 
ninistry,  notably  in  Pennsylvania,  Mary- 


land, California,  Illinois,  Virginia.  Many 
of  these  coffeehouses  have  been  one- 
nighters,  planned  only  as  a  high  school 
youth  activity.  Some  coffeehouse  activ- 
ities like  this  have  been  "partly  success- 
ful" in  the  Shenandoah  District,  accord- 
ing to  one  youth. 

Unfortunately,  points  out  James 
Weaver,  YWCA  youth  worker  who  with 
fellow  Brethren  John  Lengle  began  The 
Zodiac  in  St.  Charles,  Illinois,  "the  word 
coffeehouse  still  has  negative  connota- 
tions." The  Zodiac,  though  funded  by 
nine  churches  and  the  Tri-City  Youth 
Project  serving  St.  Charles  and  two 
neighboring  communities,  experiences 
little  strong  backing  from  any  of  the 
churches  as  a  whole  but  receives  en- 
thusiastic support  from  a  few  individuals 
in  each  congregation  whose  image  of  a 
coffeehouse  does  not  assume  pot-smoking 
radicals  populating  the  scene. 

"We  have  a  very  structured  program," 
Jim  continued,  "with  something  each  of 
the  three  nights  a  week  we're  open." 
Folk  singing,  a  panel  discussion  between 
antiwar  protestors  and  servicemen,  a 
current  film  on  Vietnam,  a  presentation 
by  the  John  Birch  society  —  all  programs 
which  have  been  featured  fare  at  The 
Zodiac  since  it  opened  in  July  1969  — 
speak  for  the  efforts  made  to  achieve 
diversity. 

"If  a  coffeehouse  is  to  survive  —  if  it 
is  to  avoid  the  danger  of  being  taken 
over  by  one  in-group  or  another  who 
then  unconsciously  or  consciously  make 
others  feel  unwelcome  —  it  needs  a  well- 
planned  program,"  Jim  explains. 

Well-planned  is  the  byword  at  The 
Edge,  an  ecumenical  coffeehouse  in  Villa 
Park,  Illinois;  for  every  six  weeks  marks 
another  in  the  series  of  dramatic  produc- 
tions staged  by  patrons  there.  Housed  in 
a  one-time  rectory,  the  theater  upstairs, 
with  its  coffeehouse  downstairs,  grew  out 
of  the  thespian  interests  of  many  of  the 
first  patrons.  Now  though,  "the  theater 
sustains  the  coffeehouse,"  reports  William 


J.  Hughes,  Lutheran  pastor  whose  congre- 
gation lends  the  facilities  for  The  Edge. 
Such  contemporary  plays  as  Edward 
Albee's  The  American  Dream  have 
drawn  full  houses.   After  each  per- 
formance, actors,  director,  and  audience 
go  downstairs  to  discuss  the  play  over 
coffee. 

Diversity  for  survival  now;  but  what 
of  the  future  of  the  coffeehouse?  Warns 
Malcolm  Boyd;  "We  must  make  sharp 
demands  on  coffeehouses.   It  is  impera- 
tive that  they  not  grow  soft  in  fashion  or 
fall  easy  prey  to  the  decadence  of 
celebrity.  We  must  endeavor  to  cultivate 

—  or  not  get  in  the  way  of  —  authentic 
community  affirming  itself  in  coffee- 
houses." Dialogue,  confrontation,  dis- 
covery, creativity,  community,  over 
exotic  coffee  Romano  or  simple  espresso 

—  all  are  facets  of  the  subtle  coffeehouse 
ministry,  an  engrossing,  highly  significant 
movement  within  and  without  the  mod- 
ern church.    D 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     9 


A  Trip 
Through  Red  China 


Former  missionary  Wendell  Flory  describes  a  three-week  trip  through  Red\ 
China  in  1946,  when  he  and  Ernest  W ampler  visited  Christian  centers,  talked  /o/| 
hours  with  communist  officials,  and  observed  what  communism  does  to  personsh 


Ha 


Lalt!   Your  passes  please!" 

Three  men  in  faded  blue  army  uni- 
forms appeared  out  of  the  shadows  of  an 
old  building  near  the  road,  with  their 
rifles  at  the  alert.  We  looked  carefully. 
Yes,  the  insignia  was  a  bit  different  from 
that  worn  by  Nationalist  Chinese  troops, 
although  the  rising  sun  emblem  on  their 
caps  was  the  same.  Were  we  indeed  in 
territory  controlled  by  Red  army 
guerillas?  We  cautiously  handed  over  our 
passes  and  awaited  results. 

It  was  May  1946.  I  had  been  back  in 
China  about  two  months,  as  a  missionary 
in  my  own  right.  The  city  we  had  left 
that  morning.  Ping  Ting,  was  my  birth- 
place.  My  missionary  parents  had  given 
fifteen  years'  service  to  these  people.   I 
had  spent  my  boyhood  here,  hiking  all 
over  these  hills  with  youthful  friends. 
Memories  went  deep.   My  missionary 
colleague,  Ernest  Wampler,  was  back  in 
the  area  where  he  had  lived  and  served 
for  over  thirty  years. 

We  were  home,  hopeful  now  to  use 
our  Christian  faith  and  Christian  fellow- 
ship to  help  heal  the  war  wounds  of  these 
people.  The  people  were  weary  and 
suspicious  after  ten  long  years  of  fight- 
ing. We  were  eager  to  visit  our  Christian 
groups  on  both  sides  of  the  Communist- 
Nationalist  strife,  to  try  to  say  a  word  of 
love  and  peace. 

As  the  U.S. -sponsored  truce  settled 
uneasily  over  the  land  that  spring, 


Ernest  and  I  seized  the  opportunity  to  go 
to  truce  headquarters  in  Peking  and 
secure  military  passes  from  both  sides, 
giving  us  permission  to  travel  as  we 
wished  throughout  our  former  mission 
area.   But  having  a  pass  is  one  thing, 
using  it  another.   It  was  evident  that  we 
would  need  to  use  extreme  care  to  show 
the  right  pass  to  the  right  sentries.  There 
was  close  similarity  of  uniform  and 
insignia.    A  mistake  could  be  serious. 

We  watched  those  three  men.  There 
was  finally  a  smile.  Yes,  we  had  appar- 
ently crossed  the  ten-mile  no-man's  land 
safely  and  were  in  contact  with  the  Reds. 
We  relaxed. 

One  of  the  men  spoke.   "Welcome  to 
People's  China.  We  were  expecting  you. 
Truce  headquarters  told  us  you  were 
coming.  Come  in!  Have  tea." 


Xypical  Chinese  hospitality!  We  were 
among  friends.  Our  early  morning  walk, 
with  our  bedrolls  on  an  old  donkey,  was 
over.  The  communists  were  human,  too. 
We  were  eager  to  get  on. 

It  was  the  beginning  of  an  amazing 
three  weeks.  We  visited  four  county 
headquarters.  We  walked  150  miles. 
We  were  able  to  visit  a  number  of  Chris- 
tians.  Several  times  we  were  near  mili- 
tary skirmishes,  but  experienced  no  real 
danger.  Perhaps  the  Reds  were  non- 
plussed as  to  what  to  do  with  us.  While 


< 


they  were  deciding,  we  completed  our 
tour.  Later  we  discovered  that  they 
intensively  questioned  some  of  those  we 
visited,  to  find  the  purpose  of  our  trip. 
After  years  of  warfare,  perhaps  simple 
Christian  fellowship  and  love  were  | 

difficult  to  comprehend.  j 

We  went  where  we  wished.  We  talked  ,1 
with  whom  we  pleased.  It  was  four  days  ij 
before  we  could  spend  any  money,  so  ,| 
much  were  we  hosted  and  dined.  We  -t^ 
were  constantly  telling  the  Red  Army  ;1| 
officials  that  we  felt  safer  without  their  V 
ever-present  escort  of  bodyguards  than  i* 
we  felt  with  them.  Finally  they  stopped  ,\ 
sending  them  with  us.  Undoubtedly  their  1 
purpose  was  to  keep  an  eye  on  us.  But  !! 
if  we  had  met  an  army  unit  from  the  i 

other  side,  the  bullets  would  surely  have  "'j 
been  flying.  We  traveled  each  day  by  j 

hiring  a  farmer  and  his  donkey  from  the  ! 
roadside  to  take  us  on  the  next  day's  trip,  ■  J 
whence  he  could  return  home  and  we  '  | 
could  secure  another  farmer  for  the  | 

following  day's  travels.   Perhaps  the  Reds  I 
just  concluded,  after  several  days,  that 
we  were  harmless  anyway. 

Memories  of  those  days  still  flood  the 
mind: 

The  first  evening  on  reaching  the  near- 
by Red  county  seat  we  were  deluged  by 
their  political  commissar  with  innumer- 
able written  reports  on  how  bad  the 
Nationalists  were :  in  terms  of  how  many 
bushels  of  millet,  wheat,  how  many  pigs. 


10     MESSENGER     1-15-70 


chickens,  houses,  people  they  had  de- 
1  stroyed  or  stolen.  In  the  meantime,  we 
i  learned  that  our  host  had  sent  word  out 
i  to  an  old  missionary  cook  to  come  and 
j  prepare  our  American  supper  for  us.  At 
I  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening  he  proudly 
j  served  us  — a.  huge  platter  of  pancakes. 
The  second  evening,  as  we  neared  a 
second  county  headquarters  town,  it  ap- 
peared the  entire  population  was  out  to 
greet  us.  And  it  was,  by  order.   All  the 
school  children  had  been  kept  together 
I  for  this  purpose.  Now  they  were  lined 
]  up  on  both  sides  of  the  road,  a  solid  line 
[  of  people  for  more  than  a  half  mile  be- 
j  fore  we  entered  the  city  gate.  Down 
1  between  the  rows  we  marched,  like  con- 
1  quering  heroes,  amid  the  rhythmic 

chanting  of  slogans  at  which  use  the 
j  Communists  are  so  adept.  Over  and  over 
I  we  heard,  "China-America!    10,000 
I  years'  friendship,"  or  "Down  with  Japan 
'  and  Chiang  Kai-shek!"  We  had  to  ap- 
pear that  we  liked  it  and  yelled  right 
along  with  them. 

Another  time  we  were  entertained  at 
a  delicious  twenty-four  course  Chinese 
feast  by  the  top  party  representative  of 
the  area.  I  remember  the  feast  chiefly, 
however,  because  of  the  mob  of  curious 
children  who  gathered  outside  the  home 
where  we  were  eating  and  talking.  They 
literally  tore  the  doors  and  windows  off 
the  house  to  get  a  look  at  us.  The  owner, 
however,  never  gave  an  indication  that 
anything  was  wrong  and  continued  calm- 
ly in  his  role  as  a  gracious  host  to  us.  I 
suppose  white  Americans  were  not  com- 
mon occurrences  in  those  parts  at  that 
time. 

We  met  two  old  Christian  friends  on 
the  road  one  day.  As  they  came  around 
a  sharp  bend,  encountering  us  unex- 
pectedly, they  fell  off  their  donkeys  back- 
wards in  their  astonishment  at  finding  us 
there.  Rich  fellowship  followed. 

In  the  former  main  mission  station  of 
Liao  Chou,  Wampler  had  buried  three 
hundred  silver  dollars  in  1940,  in  the 


process  of  being  forced  out  by  the  Japa- 
nese. We  dug  up  two  hundred  of  them, 
one  hundred  in  the  basement  of  a 
bombed  out  missionary  residence,  the 
other  hundred  from  under  the  floor  of 
an  old  chicken  house.  The  five  hundred 
people  watching  us  work  had  only  one 
comment  for  their  wasted  six  years:  "If 
I  had  only  known."  Afraid  to  carry  that 
much  money  around,  we  organized  a 
relief  committee  in  the  town  and  gave 
it  to  the  poor  on  the  spot. 

One  night  we  were  sleeping  in  a  cave 
near  a  roadside  village.  We  were  awak- 
ened at  three  o'clock  with  the  warning 
that  Nationalist  army  troops  were  in  the 
area.  We  hastily  arose  and  went  up  on 
the  nearby  hill,  standing  in  a  wheat  field 
where  we  could  hide  if  necessary.  We 
certainly  did  not  want  to  be  central  spec- 
tators in  a  guerrilla  battle.  We  neither 
saw  nor  heard  the  Nationalists,  but  in  the 
dim  moonlight  we  did  see  a  youth  run- 
ning for  cover  up  the  hill  and  carrying 
what  must  have  been  his  family's  heir- 
loom, a  huge  old  grandfather's  clock. 

J-here  was  also  a  Christian  evangelist's 
home  where  we  stayed  several  days, 
holding  prayer  and  Bible  meetings  for  the 
local  Christian  group.  The  owner  had 
been  our  longtime  colleague  in  Christian 
labor.  When  asked  how  things  were  for 
Christian  work,  he  went  outside,  walked 
all  the  wa>  around  the  house  looking  for 
eavesdroppers,  and,  when  he  returned, 
insisted  on  whispering  to  us  of  the 
difficulties  and  persecutions  he  had  suf- 
fered. To  this  day  my  prayer  is  that  our 
visit  with  him  did  not  increase  his 
burdens. 

But  trips  come  to  an  end.  After  150 
miles  on  foot  and  donkeyback,  with  or 
without  military  escort,  meeting,  talking, 
eating,  and  discussing  with  all  manner  of 
people  the  issues  of  the  day,  time  came 
to  go  back  over  no-man's-land  again. 
The  Communist  officials  tried  to  warn  us 


not  to  go,  as  we  had  been  warned  from 
the  other  side.  "Why  not  just  stay  with 
us?"  we  were  asked.   It  was  an  idea. 

On  the  appointed  day,  however,  a 
farmer  delivered  us  to  the  side  of  a 
river,  across  which  was  the  Nationalist- 
controlled  city  of  Tsin  Chou.  We 
waded  across,  identified  ourselves,  and 
presented  our  proper  pass.  Helpers  im- 
mediately went  back  across  for  the  bag- 
gage we  couldn't  carry.  We  were  warmly 
welcomed  by  government  officials  and 
friends  alike.  It  seemed  as  if  we  had 
come  home. 

Why  did  we  go?  To  make  a  gesture  of 
friendship  to  all  men,  of  whatever  politi- 
cal persuasion.  To  tell  communists,  as 
well  as  Christians,  that  God  is  the  Father 
of  all.  To  speak  of  God's  universal  love 
for  all  men.  These  deep  beliefs  we  did 
share  with  all  we  met. 

What  did  we  learn?  We  learned  that 
there  is  more  hardship  and  suffering  in 
a  Communist  area  where  a  man  is  told 
he  can  believe  in  Christ  if  he  wants,  but 
cannot  tell  anybody  about  it,  which  is  an 
impossibility  for  a  devout  Christian. 

We  also  learned  to  take  the  commu- 
nists seriously.  They  are  not  hypocrites. 
They  deeply  believe  what  they  try  to 
teach,  although  it  so  often  comes  out  in 
so  inhuman  a  fashion  from  following 
their  doctrine.  Disaster  and  human  suf- 
fering always  follow  such  ignoring  of 
God's  laws. 

Would  we  go  again?  Yes,  certainly, 
with  even  a  similar  remote  chance  to 
make  the  same  witness  again.  For  men 
are  brothers  under  God.   Chances  must 
be  taken  in  years  to  come  to  make  our 
world  a  brotherly  place  in  which  to  live. 
We  must  take  the  risks  whether  the  other 
side  does  or  not.  For  I  still  remember  the 
words  of  the  old  Chinese  brother  whom 
we  met  on  the  road  and  who  in  his 
astonishment  said,  "Nobody  but  a  Chris- 
tian and  a  fool  for  God  would  go  to  these 
lengths  to  tell  us  that  they  still  loved 
us."    D 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     11 


The  NCCC  General  Assembly 


Detroit:  The  turn  of  an  era 


The  close  of  a  decade,  perhaps  the 
exodus  of  an  era,  and  possibly  the  com- 
ing of  a  new  one  for  ecumenical  Chris- 
tianity in  the  United  States  characterized 
the  eighth  General  Assembly  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  held  in  De- 
cember in  Detroit.  Ten  oflficial  delegates 
and  some  15  other  Brethren  participated. 
Here  and  on  the  next  several  pages  Of- 
fice of  Communications  director  Howard 
E.  Royer,  who  was  among  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  delegates,  recounts  some 
of  the  assembly  highlights. 

In  the  next  issue  of  Messenger,  the 
other  Brethren  delegates  —  S.  Loren 
Bowman,  Earle  W.  Fike  Jr.,  Prudence 
Engle,  Norman  L.  Harsh,  David  Miller, 
Jesse  D.  Reber,  Clyde  E.  Weaver  (part 
time)  E.  Paul  Weaver,  William  G. 
Willoughby,  and  C.  Wayne  Zunkel  — 
will  assess  the  meaning  of  the  issues  and 
events  which  transpired  in  the  sessions. 

A  woman  at  the  helm 

A  LONGTIME  CHAMPION  of  lay  leadership 
in  the  church,  and  an  advocate  of  open- 
ness and  change,  is  Mrs.  Theodore  O. 
Wedel,  61,  the  new  president  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches.  The  nomi- 
nating committee's  choice,  she  was  elect- 
ed by  delegates  in  a  vote  of  387  to  93 
over  Albert  B.  Cleague,  a  Detroit  pastor 
and  black  candidate  put  up  by  the  Na- 
tional Committee  of  Black  Churchmen. 
Mrs.  Wedel  (pronounced  Wi-DELL) 
acknowledged  at  her  installation  for  the 
three-year  term  that  this  is  the  time  that 
the  National  Council  of  Churches  should 
have  had  a  black  president.  But  she  felt 
in  fairness  to  the  nominating  process,  to 
the  rival  candidate,  and  to  the  cause  of 
women's  liberation  in  the  church  that 
she  should  not  "unilaterally  withdraw." 
She  added  further,  "I  hope  and  pray  that 

12     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


my  black  brothers  and  sisters  here,  who 
may  feel  I  have  done  wrong,  will  under- 
stand and  stand  by." 

Dual  tasks:  Member  of  the  Episcopal 
Church,  Mrs.  Wedel  is  an  executive  for 
the  Center  for  Voluntarism  of  the  Insti- 
tute for  Applied  Behavioral  Science  in 
Washington,  D.C.  The  agency's  parent 
body  is  the  National  Training  Labora- 
tory, which  has  pioneered  in  sensitivity 
training.  A  second  position  she  holds  is 
one  in  which  she  has  succeeded  Church 
of  the  Brethren  member  J.  Quinter  Miller 
as  the  head,  directing  the  Church  Execu- 
tive Development  Board. 

Born  in  Michigan  and  reared  in  Illi- 
nois, Mrs.  Wedel  in  1935  married  a 
widower  19  years  her  senior.  Until  his 
recent  retirement  Theodore  Wedel, 
reared  a  Mennonite,  was  former  canon 
of  the  College  of  Preachers  at  the  Wash- 
ington Cathedral,  one  of  the  country's 
innovative  efforts  in  continuing  educa- 
tion for  clergymen. 

The  former  Cynthia  Clark,  the  new 
NCCC  president  has  made  a  virtual 
career  of  church  and  voluntary  service. 
Her  assignments  have  included  being  a 
local  director  of  Christian  education, 
youth  director  for  the  Episcopal  Church, 
and  a  former  staff  member  of  the  Nation- 
al Council  itself.  She  holds  a  doctorate 
in  psychology. 

Living  in  an  Episcopalian  retirement 
community  at  Alexandria,  Va.,  the 
Wedels  are  regarded  as  gracious  hosts. 
A  sister  described  Cynthia  as  a  woman 
who  "can  be  in  a  meeting  until  5  o'clock 
and  still  handle  20  people  for  dinner." 

Low-key:  Her  style  of  leadership  is 
low-keyed,  aimed  at  drawing  from  the 
group  basic  points  of  consensus.  This  is 
a  skill  which  she  will  need  in  the  work 
ahead,  relating  to  constituents  as  diverse 
as  those  which  comprise  the  NCCC. 


But  in  assessing  the  General  Assembly 
which  convened  early  last  month  in  De- 
troit, Mrs.  Wedel  is  optimistic.  "There 
were  signs  of  life  there  that  I  haven't 
seen  in  the  church  in  a  long  time,"  she 
remarked.  "The  enthusiasm  of  the  wom- 
en, youth,  the  blacks,  and  others  —  their 
desire  to  have  their  own  caucuses  and  to 
impress  the  church  —  I  think  it's  an  ex- 
tremely good  thing.  The  worst  thing  in 
the  world  is  apathy  and  atrophy  which 
seemed  to  characterize  the  church  a  few 
years  ago." 

Looking  ahead,  the  new  council  offi- 
cial talks  openly  of  the  need  to  change, 
to  "smash  some  old  structures  and  some 
of  the  rigidities,"  and  to  find  a  greater 
place  "for  the  young  and  the  black  and 
the  conservatives  and  the  Roman  Cath- 
olics and  others  in  the  council  program." 

"One  thing  is  certain,"  she  commented 
on  the  Detroit  meeting.  "After  this  ex- 
citing, disruptive,  wonderful  assembly, 
nobody  will  be  able  to  go  back  to  busi 
ness  as  usual." 


Widening  the  thrust 

A  FAR-REACHING  BID  for  a  radically  new 
clustering  of  Christians  in  the  U.S.A. 
was  offered  at  the  outset  of  the  eighth 
NCCC  General  Assembly.  While  not 
pursued  at  length  in  the  proceedings  in 
Detroit,  the  surprise  proposal  does  sug- 
gest a  possible  direction  for  reshaping 
ecumenical  work  down  the  road. 

Originated  by  R.  H.  Edwin  Espy, 
NCCC  general  secretary,  the  plan  com- 
prised the  final  quarter  of  Dr.  Espy's 
Assembly  address  on  "Christian  Obedi- 
ence and  the  NCCC:  Our  Ministry 
Among  the  American  People  in  the 
Decade  Ahead." 

Basic  to  the  proposal  is  the  creation  of 
a  "general  ecumenical  council"  inclusive 
of  evangelicals,  conservatives,  Pente- 
costals,  Roman  Catholics,  and  other  com- 
munions and  movements  well  beyond  the 
present  33  Protestant  and  Orthodox  con- 
stituent bodies  in  the  NCCC. 

Flexibility:  Perhaps   as  significant   or 


I 


more  so  than  the  move  toward  inclusive- 
i  ness  is  another  value  Dr.  Espy  lifted  out 
i  in  a  briefing  to  the  press.    This  he  de- 
{  scribed  as  a   more   flexible  structure,    a 
structure   that  enables   specialized   agen- 
cies to  engage    in   experimentation   and 
demonstration   while    at   the    same    time 
upholding  commitment  to  church  renew- 
I  al  and  joint  action  in  mission. 

Dr.  Espy  said  he  was  opposed  to  mak- 
ing the  ecumenical  structure  merely  a 
forum  for  religious  bodies  to  exchange 
views.  Rather,  he  hoped  that  while  the 
forum  or  "brokerage''  role  could  be  re- 
I  tained  and  expanded,  at  the  same  time 
the  new  pluriform  council  would  allow 
denominations,  agencies,  and  para-eccle- 
siastical groups  to  undertake  very  specific 
tasks  in  education,  social  action,  theolo- 
gy, liturgy,  or  communication  though 
largely  autonomous  units. 

Denigration:  He  said  it  would  be  a 
denigration  of  role  for  an  overall  ecu- 
menical agency  to  become  solely  a  social 
action  voice  or  to  serve  any  other  singular 
aspect,  when  its  primary  aim  should  be 
to  represent  the  whole  church  to  the 
whole  society. 

The  "general  ecurrienical  council" 
would  have  no  authority  to  enforce  pri- 
orities except  in  broad  policy  terms,  ac- 
cording to  the  Espy  blueprint.  An  annual 
legislative  assembly  would  make  only 
those  decisions  which  reflect  the  agree- 
ment of  constituents. 

Terming  the  concept  a  "radical  con- 
ciliar  theory,"  the  general  secretary  said 
the  new  framework  was  needed  to  reflect 
adequately  the  line  of  power  in  America's 
present  religious  life.  That  line  increas- 
ingly must  encompass  not  only  the  hier- 
archy of  denominations,  he  said,  but  the 
people  and  the  vital  streams  of  life  they 
express  in  ways  sometimes  quite  apart 
from  the  denominations. 

Home:  "The  decade  ahead  demands  of 
American  Christians  not  a  diminished 
interdenominational  agency  or  one  more 
private  fellowship  of  the  specially  con- 
cerned," Dr.  Espy  declared.  "In  the 
next  ten  years  the  National  Council  of 


Churches  of  Christ  should  reorganize  its 
life  and  labor  in  such  manner  as  to  offer 
all  the  Christian  churches  in  this  country 
a  common  home  for  the  sharing  of  re- 
flections and  concerns,  and  all  the  vital 
forces  among  the  people  of  Christ  the 
specialized  channels  they  need  to  carry 
forward  together  their  diverse  ministries 
to  humanity." 

Conscience  and  the  law 

With  troubled  conscience,  a  21 -year- 
old  youth  from  the  Reformed  Church  of 
America  sought  the  counsel  of  fellow 
delegates  to  the  NCCC  General  Assem- 
bly. What,  he  asked,  in  light  of  biblical 
commandments  and  the  churches'  teach- 
ings did  the  churchmen  there  have  to  say 
to  him  as  he  sought  to  take  his  stand 
against  militarism  and  the  draft? 

Specifically  James  D.  Rubins  offered 
to  the  delegates  his  draft  card  to  be  "held 
in  trust."  In  adherence  to  Assembly 
policy,  the  overture  was  accompanied  by 
a  resolution  signed  by  12  delegates.  What 
was  sought  in  return,  according  to  the 
resolution,  were  support,  identity,  a  sense 
of  community,  a  sharing  of  risk,  and 
overt  acceptance. 

After  being  duly  channeled  through 
the  Assembly's  reference  and  counsel 
committee,  the  resolution  initiated  by  the 
Hope  College  student  came  to  the  floor 
for  delegate  response.  The  committee, 
acting  upon  legal  counsel,  suggested  the 
draft  card  be  forwarded  immediately  to 
Selective  Service  in  Washington,  D.C. 

Debate:  What  followed  were  four 
hours  of  intensive  exploration  and  ago- 
nizing, at  a  level  of  seriousness  which 
doubtless  would  have  surprised  much  of 
the  country  inside  the  churches  and  out. 
Many  who  spoke  wanted  to  remove  — 
and  did  momentarily  —  the  reference  to 
forwarding  the  card  to  Selective  Service, 
letting  the  NCCC  itself  and  the  delegates 
personally  hold  the  card  and  thereby 
stand  the  risk  of  Selective  Service  viola- 
tion and  charge  of  conspiracy.  Two  votes 
were  taken,  both  recording  a  fair  major- 


C.  Wedel  .  .  .  signs  of  life 


Ed  Espy 


a  new  home  for  all  Christians 


J.  Rubins  . .  .  "God  help  us" 

J.  Sittler  .  .  .  and  banners  proclaiming  life 


Iff 

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-     "'^ 

ity  in  support  of  the  resolution.  Upon 
the  realization  that  a  two-thirds  vote  was 
needed,  however,  and  after  further  in- 
terpretation of  the  probable  illegality  of 
the  step,  the  final  vote  was  reduced  to 
176  yes  and  200  no. 

Moved  as  all  the  delegates  were  on  an 
issue  about  which  feelings  run  deep,  after 
the  final  vote  James  Rubins,  who  himself 
did  not  participate  in  the  debate,  moved 
to  the  microphone.  He  said  while  he  was 
not  in  agreement  with  the  decision  of  the 
delegates,  he  would  respect  it  and  deeply 
appreciated  the  expression  of  conscience 
from  those  who  spoke  on  both  sides  of 
the  issue. 

"This  shows  there  is  life  in  the  church," 
he  said.  "If  the  type  of  discussion  which 
went  on  here  today,  and  in  the  reference 
and  counsel  committee,  can  be  continued, 
the  church  will  be  God's  instrument.  I 
believe  in  the  church  and  I  take  my  stand 
with  the  church.    May  God  help  us  all." 

Quite  in  contrast,  however,  the  pastor 
of  the  Free  Church  in  Berkeley,  Calif., 
Richard  York,  took  the  podium  and 
shouted,  "This  is  despicable."  Admon- 
ishing the  delegates  to  "wash  off  the 
blood  of  your  brothers  (in  Vietnam),"  he 
splattered  red  paint  across  the  worktable 
of  presiding  officers.  Later  he  apologized 
to  NCCC  president  Arthur  Flemming. 

Irony:  Among  the  follow-up  remarks 
were  those  of  the  general  secretary  of 
Mr.    Rubins'    denomination,    Marion   de 


Velder  of  the  Reformed  Church  of  Amer- 
ica, a  recording  secretary  for  the  NCCC. 
He  offered  as  background  that  at  the 
denomination's  convention  last  June  five 
young  men  like  Jim  Rubins  offered  their 
draft  cards  to  the  General  Synod  for 
holding,  later  to  be  refused.  As  a  result, 
he  added,  an  ad  hoc  committee  of  25 
men  in  the  denomination  now  are  hold- 
ing the  cards  in  trust,  and  to  date  no 
legal  action  has  been  entered  against 
them. 

"It  seems  very  ironical  to  me  that  we 
can  be  so  eloquent  in  telling  an  individual 
that  he  must  follow  his  individual  con- 
science and  therefore  is  to  commit  civil 
disobedience,  but  as  a  General  Synod  of 
the  Reformed  Church  of  America  or  as 
a  National  Council  of  Churches,  we  can- 
not bring  ourselves  to  act  in  a  corporate 
way  to  any  act  of  civil  disobedience," 
Dr.  de  Velder  stated.  "In  the  committee 
the  other  day  I  said  that  if  legal  counsel 
is  sought,  I  know  what  that  counsel  will 
be.  It  will  be  'don't  commit  this  felony 
or  this  criminal  act.' 

"I  submit  to  you  sooner  or  later  a  cor- 
porate body  of  Christians  will  have  to 
decide  whether  there  are  instances  where 
they  must  take  such  an  action.  ..." 

"I  have  the  feeling  that  if  we  do  noth- 
ing more  we  are  not  keeping  faith  with 
these  young  people.  And  I  for  one  would 
like  to  say  right  here  that  in  the  last  five 
years  that  I  have  moved  to  a  position 


"There  has  arisen  in  our  midst  a  cry. . ." 

"We  enter  the  1970s  burdened  with  a  hellish  legacy: 
assassinations,  wars,  riots,  alienation,  racism,  poverty;  and 
with  them  a  dreadful  burden  of  guilt  and  discouragement, 
amounting  for  some  even  to  despair.  No  wonder  that  rea- 
son has  come  to  be  considered  unreasonable,  that  it  is  all 
the  rage  to  rage  .  .  .  that  instead  of  consultation,  confronta- 
tion seems  to  be  the  order  of  the  day. 

"Yet  I  say  to  you  that  these  are  thrilling  times  for  the 
children  of  God.  For  precisely  because  of  the  senseless  violence,  the  discrim- 
ination, the  intransigence,  the  chaos,  and  the  unreason,  there  has  arisen  in  our 
midst  a  cry  of  outraged  conscience  that  will  not  die  down  until  it  has  burst  the 
defeatest  eardrum,  shaken  the  mightiest  throne,  and  reshaped  the  direction  and 
destiny  of  mankind."  —  'William  P.  Thompson,  in  a  report  to  the  General 
Assembly  on  mission  in  the  seventies 

14     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


where  I  cannot  in  any  shape,  form,  or 
manner  support  this  war.  ...  I  don't 
understand  how  we  can  make  our  young 
people  believe  and  understand  our  integ- 
rity if  we  always  say  'legal  counsel  ad- 
vises us  not  to  do  this,'  and  'under  no 
circumstances  is  a  Christian  body  of 
people  ever  supposed  to  engage  in  civil 
disobedience'  as  we  advise  individuals  to 
do  if  their  consciences  so  dictate." 

Volunteers:  Later,  Episcopal  clergy- 
man Arthur  Walmsley  of  Boston  indi- 
cated that  for  individuals  who  wish 
voluntarily  to  declare  their  willingness  to 
hold  Rubins'  draft  card  in  trust,  oppor- 
tunity would  be  extended  to  them.  The 
following  day  125  delegates,  among  them 
the  entire  10-member  delegation  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  some  90 
other  Assembly  participants  responded. 
A  service  of  commitment  and  commu- 
nity followed.  Acknowledging  the  emo- 
tion of  the  moment,  Rubins  decided  to 
delay  actually  turning  his  card  over  to 
the  group,  pending  further  reflection. 

Looking  on  at  the  service  were  repre- 
sentatives of  the  American  Council  of 
Christian  Churches,  who  earlier  in  the 
day  had  wired  Attorney  General  John 
Mitchell  in  Washington,  D.C.,  asking,  on 
the  part  of  "a  large  body  of  Bible-believ- 
ing Christians,"  for  an  investigation  of 
the  "criminal  act"  undertaken  by  the 
delegates  in  Detroit  and  earlier  by  the  25 
members  of  the   Reformed  Church. 

A  ministry  to  exiles 

Meeting  along  the  banks  of  the  De- 
troit River,  within  sight  of  the  country  to 
which  thousands  of  young  Americans 
have  gone  in  voluntary  exile  rather  than 
serve  in  a  war  they  deem  immoral.  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
delegates  last  month  endorsed  a  pastoral 
ministry  to  U.S.  draft  emigrants  in 
Canada. 

The  nearly  unanimous  endorsement  by 
General  Assembly  delegates  followed  a 
proposal  drawn  hours  before  in  Windsor, 
Ontario.  Involved  in  the  Windsor  con- 
sultation were  the  leaders  of  a  dozen 
U.S.  denominations,  among  them  S.  Lor- 
en    Bowman,    general    secretary    of   the 


Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  representa- 
tives of  the  Canadian  Council  of  Church- 
es and  of  the  draft  resisters  themselves. 
Numbers:  The  church  has  long  had  a 
ministry  to  persons  in  trouble  with  the 
law,  said  the  chairman  of  the  delegation, 
United  Methodist  Dow  Kirkpatrick  of 
Evanston,  111.  He  added  that  with  an 
estimated  60,000  draft-age  Americans 
now  in  Canada,  a  number  increasing  at 
the  rate  of  20,000  a  year,  there  was 
widespread  need  for  response  by  the  re- 
ligious communities  in  both  countries. 
The  consultation  reported  that  both 
Canadian  and  American  churchmen 
were  impressed  by  the  mutual  aid  pro- 
grams and  self-help  endeavors  of  the 
refugees.  Though  often  faced  with  finan- 
cial needs  and  family  alienation,  the 
resisters  were  found  often  to  be  less 
concerned  with  their  own  needs  than 
with  those  of  Americans  still  struggling 
with  conscience  and  the  draft. 

In  line  with  the  position  adopted,  a 
coordinating  body  under  the  Canadian 
Council  of  Churches  is  to  evaluate  the 
kind  of  pastoral  services  to  be  rendered 
the  American  refugees  in  Canada,  weigh 
project  proposals,  and  disburse  funds. 
U.S.  church  bodies  are  urged  to  support 
such  services  and  to  avail  pastoral  care 
to  the  families  of  the  refugees. 

The  assembly  statement  further  sug- 
gested military  chaplains  be  urged  to 
assist  men  in  service  who  struggle  with 
problems  of  conscience  arising  from  the 
war.  One  recent  report  indicated  that 
two  thirds  of  the  45  American  men  who 
]  enter  Toronto  on  an  average  day  are 
'  deserters  from  within  the  military. 

Responsibility:  "As  churchmen  who 
I  have  helped  raise  up  many  of  these  men 
whose  conscience  now  rejects  participa- 
tion in  war,  violations  of  due  process,  and 
I  brutalization  in  military  life,  we  must 
I  not  abandon  them  in  their  hour  of  crit- 
1  leal  need,"  the  Windsor  delegation  de- 
I  clared. 

t  "As  citizens  of  two  countries  which 
have  proud  traditions  of  welcome  to  im- 
migrants escaping  oppressive  military 
service  in  their  homeland,  we  should 
continue  to  honor  that  traditional  liberty 
of  conscience." 


A  sharing  of  power 

Midway  in  a  worship  service  at  the 
NCCC  General  Assembly,  an  Episcopal 
bishop  stalked  out.  Right  on  his  heels 
was  a  20-year-old  fellow  delegate,  Dave 
Miller,  Manchester  College  junior.  Upon 
seeing  the  older  churchman  take  leave,  it 
was  Dave's  impulse  to  talk  with  him,  to 
hear  what  offended  him,  to  invite  his 
staying  by.  To  the  credit  of  Dave  and 
the  bishop,  both  returned  for  the  close 
of  the  service. 

The  incident  was  illustrative  of  at  least 
two  moods  which  prevailed  at  Detroit. 
One  was  a  confrontation  of  those  whose 
outlooks  of  values  were  at  variance.  The 
second  was  the  involvement  of  minorities 
in  stepped-up  levels  of  participation. 

To  hear  out  minority  voices  and  to 
make  room  for  their  continuing  place 
within  the  structure  call  for  nothing  short 
of  restyling  today's  institutions.  It  calls 
for  awareness  that  the  less  experienced, 
the  less  trained,  the  less  recognized  are 
vital  parts  of  the  church  and  that  they 
have  contributions  to  offer,  contributions 
which  are  sorely  needed.  Who  in  the 
Detroit  assembly  could  challenge  more 
than  a  20-year-old  with  the  right  sensitiv- 
ities the  closed-mindedness  of  a  bishop? 

Youth:  It  was  in  recognition  that  the 
voice  of  youth  was  largely  absent  from 
the  Nominating  Committee's  slate  that 
Brethren  delegates  earlier  in  the  week 
had  placed  on  the  ballot  Dave  Miller's 
name  as  a  vice-president  at  large.  He 
was  paired  against  an  "establishment" 
layman,  one  well-qualified  for  the  task. 
While  Miller  failed  to  win,  he  polled 
more  votes  (205  to  the  opponent's  254) 
than  any  other  candidate  named  from 
the  floor.  Two  other  youth  —  none  as 
young  as  Dave  —  were  elected  through 
the  process  of  increasing  the  number  of 
vice-presidents  at  large. 

While  proceeding  gingerly  in  actually 
sharing  power  with  those  who  too  long 
have  been  on  the  fringes  of  the  church's 
life,  the  Detroit  assembly  did  adhere  to 
an  avowed  policy  of  openness  and  lis- 
tened to  groups  and  individuals  at  length. 
A  succession  of  speakers  championed  the 
rights  of  Indians,  blacks,  the  poor,  Arabs, 


Indian  spokesman  . . .  challenge  of  minorities 


A.  F lemming  .  .  .  open  assembly 


Jonathan's  Wake  .  .  .  plea  for  new  priorities 


A .  Cleague . . .  black  nominee 

Catholic  youth  .  .  .  among  official  observers 


Hispanic-Americans,  Alaskan  natives,  dis- 
sident whites,  and  women. 

Indignation:  On  the  latter,  Peggy 
Billings  of  the  United  Methodist  Church 
and  the  Women's  Caucus  of  Church 
Women  United  read  a  "liberation  state- 
ment" as  100  women  throughout  the  as- 
sembly stood  to  demonstrate  indignation 
at  what  they  termed  discrimination  at 
the  hands  of  a  church  dominated  by 
"male,  white-skiimed  clergy  over  40." 

Metz  Rollins,  executive  director  of  the 
National  Committee  of  Black  Church- 
men, dispelled  myths  about  the  intent  of 
the  black  organization  he  leads.  He 
stressed  that  it  does  not  seek  to  supplant 
the  NCCC  or  to  form  a  new  black  church 
or  to  attain  its  goals  through  violence. 
But,  he  added,  "You  will  not  be  free 
until  we  are  free.  We  are  not  a  foreign 
element  —  we  are  part  and  parcel  of  this 
organization,  until  you  decide  there's  no 
place  for  us." 

Black  Manifesto  author  James  Forman 
accused  the  Council  of  attempting  to  di- 
vide black  communities  and  demanded 
distribution  of  the  agency's  assets  as 
reparations  to  Negroes.  The  chairman 
of  the  Black  Economic  Development 
Conference,  Calvin  Marshall,  alluded  to 
Forman  as  "the  selfless  black  prophet  of 
the  20th  century,"  urged  withdrawal  of 
missionaries  from  overseas  and  their  re- 
assignment to  work  against  white  racism 
in  the  United  States. 

Further  appeals:  Three  representatives 
of  the  American  Indian  Movement  ap- 
pealed for  aid  to  the  Indian  but  also  for 
an  "Indian  Board"  with  resources  to  meet 
the  crucial  needs  of  their  people.  The 
board  is  to  be  formed  within  the  NCCC 
to  help  American  Indians  and  Alaskan 
natives  enforce  their  rights  and  correct 
grievances. 

Another  speaker  was  Hulbert  James, 
associate  director  of  the  National  Welfare 
Rights  Organization,  who  declared  the 
present  welfare  system  is  not  working 
and  that  present  anti-inflation  measures 
will  result  in  one  million  fewer  jobs. 

A  small  cadre  of  dissident  whites, 
known  as  Jonathan's  Wake,  called  atten- 
tion to  such  issues  as  the  draft,  the 
Vietnam   war,    environmental    pollution. 


and  other  concerns,  providing  a  distinct 
change  of  style  from  Robert's  Rules  of 
Order. 

Life:  "Rather  than  assuming  a  defen- 
sive role  about  those  who  berated  the 
Council  and  the  churches  generally,  the 
assembly  reacted  to  the  attackers  with  a 
sense  of  confidence  and  a  feeling  that  if 
the  Council  is  to  live  at  all,  this  would 
be  its  life,"  reflected  one  NCCC  spokes- 
man. 

At  least  the  listening  began.  What  re- 
sponses will  follow  and  how  power  will 
be  shared  are  now  questions  very  much 
on  the  agenda. 

War,  peace,  and  risk 

Vietnam,  still  central  to  the  political  and 
the  personal  lives  of  Americans,  also  was 
at  center  stage  in  the  deliberations  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  of  Christ 
General  Assembly  in  Detroit. 

In  an  address  to  the  assembly,  Edwin 
O.  Reischauer,  former  ambassador  to 
Japan,  said  the  realization  that  the  war 
was  a  grave  mistake  has  "sunk  home" 
only  in  the  last  two  years.  He  said  per- 
haps such  an  error  was  needed  in  order 
that  the  nation  can  determine  a  new 
Asian  policy. 

Dr.  Reischauer  further  outlined  the 
delicate  course  the  Nixon  Administration 
must  pursue  in  Vietnam  in  order  to  avert 
two  disasters:  a  blow-up  of  American 
society  if  withdrawal  from  Vietnam 
comes  too  slowly,  and  a  spirit  of  "hu- 
miliating defeat"  among  Americans  if 
withdrawal  comes  too  quickly,  evoking 
another   "Joe   McCarthy"  era  at  home. 

A  resolution  on  the  war,  debated,  re- 
ferred to  committee  for  more  work,  and 
eventually  amended  and  adopted,  noted 
the  history  of  church  concern  with  the 
human  and  the  spiritual  dimensions  of 
the  war  and  spoke  out  on  disengagement, 
the  U.S.  and  the  Saigon  governments, 
negotiations,  and  dissent. 

Risks:  "The  United  States  can  neither 
stay  in  Vietnam  nor  withdraw  from  Viet- 
nam, without  incurring  serious  risks," 
the  statement  concluded.  "Any  plan  for 
the  extrication  of  the  United  States  from 
Vietnam,  whether  rapid  or  slow,  runs  the 


risk  that  there  will  be  loss  of  confidence 
in  the  United  States  on  the  part  of  some 
other  countries.  On  the  other  hand,  any 
prolonged  United  States'  presence  in  Viet- 
nam, we  believe,  carries  a  far  higher  risk 
of  loss  of  confidence  abroad  and  dissen- 
sion at  home.  If  it  be  feared  that  peace 
will  involve  confusion  and  turmoil  in 
South  Vietnam,  we  believe  that  the  pres- 
ent fighting  causes  worse  confusion  and 
turmoil.  Peace  entails  risks;  war  entails 
risks  that  are  greater." 

On  alleged  massacres  of  civilians  in 
Vietnam,  the  assembly  voted  for  an  in- 
quiry under  the  aegis  of  an  impartial 
agency  such  as  the  United  Nations.  Dr. 
Reischauer  in  his  address  termed  the 
massacres  as  shockingly  racist,  pointing 
out  that  Americans  were  involved  in  no 
such  incidents  in  the  European  war. 

The  Assembly  commended  peaceful 
dissent  in  protest  to  the  war,  citing  par- 
ticularly the  participation  of  churchmen 
in  the  October  and  November  peace  ac- 
tivities throughout  the  nation  and  in 
Washington,  D.C. 

Commendation:  On  a  related  arms 
issue,  support  for  the  Administration's 
initiative  in  taking  a  major  step  to  end 
use  or  production  of  chemical  and  bio-  j 
logical  war  weapons  was  voted  unani- 
mously. The  original  draft  of  the  resolu- 
tion was  prepared  and  submitted  by 
Church  of  the  Brethren  delegate  E.  Paul 
Weaver,  North  Manchester,  Ind. 

The  resolution  went  on  "to  urge  prompt 
ratification  by  the  U.S.  Senate  of  the 
Geneva  Protocol  of  1925,  without  crip- 
pling reservations  or  interpretations  such 
as  those  which  would  permit  continued 
use  of  chemical  defoliants  and  of  tear  j 
gas  as  an  accessory  to  lethal  weapons." " 

The  unfinished  tasks 

While  strong  in  its  forum  role  of  lis- 
tening and  sharing,  and  vocal  in  the 
realm  of  social  pronouncements,  the 
Detroit  General  Assembly  fell  far  short 
of  two  objectives:  to  review  and  evaluate 
the  work  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  of  Christ  over  the  past  three 
years  and  to  establish  goals  for  the  com- 
ing three  years  and  for  the  decade. 


16     MESSENGER     1-15-70 


Survey 


Periscoping 
the  Brethren 
college  campuses 


The  mass  of  presentations,  encounters, 
and  new  resolutions  left  time  for  con- 
vening delegates  in  only  one  of  the  four 
rounds  of  small-group  work  sessions  as 
originally  planned.  In  acknowledging  the 
situation,  the  goals  committee  responded: 
"Committees  propose,  but  assemblies  dis- 
pose." The  task  of  assessing  the  mood 
of  the  assembly,  implementing  actions, 
integrating  new  concerns,  and  completing 
unfinished  work  on  goals  was  passed  to 
the  Assembly's  interim  governing  body, 
the  General  Board.  In  this  effort  the 
board  was  instructed  to  confer  with  a 
continuing  panel  of  "crisis  consultants," 
representative  of  minorities,  youth,  and 
church  renewal  viewpoints. 

Beyond  those  actions  cited  elsewhere 
in  this  report,  the  assembly  .  .  . 

•  received  the  report  of  General  Sec- 
retary R.  H.  Edwin  Espy  on  the  possible 
formation  of  a  wider  and  more  inclusive 
fellowship  by  encouraging  explorations, 
favoring  a  national  consultation,  and 
opening  the  way  for  the  General  Board 
to  recommend  to  the  1972  Assembly  con- 
stitutional changes  in  line  with  the  new 
thrust. 

•  amended  the  constitution  to  allow 
for  a  broader  representation  of  youth, 
women,    and    lay   people   in   subsequent 

I  NCCC  proceedings.  (The  delegate  body 
,  at  Detroit,  it  was  noted,  was  87  percent 
white,  74  percent  male,  66  percent  over 
I  50  years  of  age,  6  percent  under  30,  and 
I  58  percent  ordained.) 

•  called  on  the  Nixon  administration 
I  and  the  Congress  to  establish  a  major 
I  agency  on  population  which  would  seek 

to  halt  excessive  population  growth. 

•  urged  investigation  of  alleged  abuses 
by  state  and  federal  agencies  and  insur- 
ance companies  in  the  follow-up  to  Hur- 
ricane Camille  in  Mississippi. 

Reflecting  on  the  assembly  and  the 
work  ahead,  the  newly-reelected  general 
secretary  said  of  Detroit,  "There  was  a 
refreshing  spirit  of  concern,  opeimess, 
and  rededication.  The  abundant  life  re- 
vealed through  our  Lord  and  Savior  Jesus 
Christ  has  been  opened  anew  before  us. 
The  new  triennium  will  be  a  time  of 
challenge  that  demands  courage  and  de- 
termination." 


Special  studies:  At  least  two  Breth- 
ren colleges  this  month  are  inaugurat- 
ing a  special  January  term  in  which 
students  concentrate  on  a  single  course 
of  their  own  choosing. 

At  Manchester  College  in  Indiana, 
students  on  campus  will  have  maximum 
contact  with  visiting  artists,  professors, 
and  resource  persons.  Those  who  leave 
campus  may  be  involved  in  seminars  in 
Washington,  D.C.,  and  New  York  City, 
an  urban  education  project  in  Chicago 
ghettos,  a  study  of  pre-Columbian 
civilization  in  Mexico  and  Central 
America,  and  research  on  marine  life 
at  Key  West,  Fla. 

La  Verne  College  in  California  also 
will  afford  students  the  opportunity  of 
specialized  study.  One  such  interterm 
program  is  a  geography  field  seminar 
which  will  center  on  industrial  develop- 
ment in  the  Southwest,  taking  students 
to  a  Navajo  reservation,  the  Great 
Western  Stock  Show  in  Denver,  and  ski 
facilities  at  Salt  Lake  City. 

90th  year:  Among  highlights  of 
Bridgewater  College's  90th  year  have 
been  the  completion  of  a  $1.6  million 
Campus  Center-Cole  Hall  project  and  a 
tour  of  historical  sites  related  to  the 
founding  of  the  college. 

The  new  campus  center  is  part  of  a 
development  program  which  this  school 
year  has  also  seen:  Moomaw  Hall,  a 
home  economics  building,  and  renova- 
tions to  other  facilities  completed. 

The  visit  to  the  college's  original  site. 


Below,  Byron  M.  Flory,  at  left, 
and  Bridgewater  College  Pres- 
ident Wayne  F.  Geisert  with 
painting  of  schoors  first  facility. 
At  right  is  one  of  its  newest, 
the  Campus  Center  beside 
the    newly-fronted     Cole     Hall 


at  Spring  Creek  where  it  was  known  as 
the  Normal  School  and  Collegiate  In- 
stitute for  Males  and  Females,  included 
in  the  entourage  Byron  M.,  Sammuel  I., 
and  Earl  D.  Flory,  sons  of  Bridgewater's 
founder  and  first  principal,  Daniel 
Christian  Flory. 

Open  meetings:  The  board  of  trus- 
tees of  Elizabethtown  College  in  Penn- 
sylvania has  voted  to  permit  six  faculty 
and  student  observers  to  attend  all  its 
meetings.  The  Eastern  and  Southern 
Pennsylvania  church  districts,  in  addi- 
tion to  electing  trustees,  also  are  invited 
to  have  representatives  present  at  ses- 
sions, according  to  the  new  board 
ruling. 

Search  for  uniqueness:  Featured  in 
College  Management,  a  national  mag- 
azine, last  September  was  a  10-page 
interview  with  Leland  B.  Newcomer, 
president  of  La  Verne  College,  whom 
the  editors  described  as  an  "inspired" 
leader  determined  "to  lift  La  Verne  up 
to  a  place  of  prominence  among  Amer- 
ican colleges." 

In  dealing  with  the  need  of  the  small 
liberal  arts  college  to  search  out  a  new 
role,  the  interview  quoted  Dr.  New- 
comer as  saying: 

"I  would  rather  preside  over  the 
death  of  a  college  than  just  keep  its 
nose  above  water  as  a  mediocre  institu- 
tion. If  the  small  liberal  arts  college 
can't  do  something  worthwhile,  some- 
thing unique,  it  is  an  anachronism  and 
should  not  exist." 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     17 


One  parish's  response 

One  of  the  first  Brethren  congrega- 
tions to  mount  its  own  substantial  Fund 
for  the  Americas  program  for  minority 
development  is  the  University  Park 
church,  Hyattsville,  Md.  The  impetus 
and  model  for  the  congregation's  ven- 
ture took  shape  with  the  proposal  intro- 
duced  at  Annual  Conference  last  June. 

Following  Annual  Conference  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation's  Social  Educa- 
tion and  Action  Commission  struggled 
with  the  idea  of  a  local  response.  In 
weighing  possible  directions,  the  com- 
mission members  (James  Brumbaugh, 
chairman;  John  Earl  Hutchison,  dele- 
gate to  the  Louisville  Annual  Confer- 
ence; Millie  Vaniman;  Bruce  Boyd;  and 
Richard  Pogue,  1969-70  church  board 
chairman)  came  to  envision  a  fund  to 
which  the  entire  parish  might  contribute. 
A  proposal  for  a  $15,000  fund  was  ad- 
vanced, financed  (1)  by  transferring 
$7,500  from  a  bequest  given  to  the 
church  for  "community  action";  (2)  by 
a  monthly  contribution  to  the  fund  from 
the  ongoing  church  budget;  and  (3)  by 
special  contributions  of  interested  donors, 
over  and  above  regular  commitments. 

Expertise:  The  commission  invited  its 
incoming  chairman,  Donald  Lefever,  to 
share  in  the  planning  and  to  help  shape 


Planners  of  University  Park  Fund,  1.  to 
r.:  J.  Brumbaugh,  R.  Pogue,  J.  Hutchison 


proposals  for  investing  the  fund.  Mr. 
Lefever,  a  grocery  merchandiser,  special- 
ist on  consumer  packaging,  and  director 
for  an  Office  of  Economic  Opportunity 
project,  is  long  experienced  in  coopera- 
tives and  inner-city  enterprises.  The 
OEO  project  he  directs  specifically  com- 
bines the  two  interests,  offering  technical 
assistance  and  training  to  co-ops  and 
buying  clubs  in  the  low-income  sections 
of  cities  along  the  mid-Atlantic  seaboard. 

With  Mr.  Lefever's  aid,  the  commis- 
sion explored  proposals  to  make  funds 
available  to  cooperative  food  markets  in 
ghetto  areas.  A  specific  proposal  was  to 
lend  $5,000,  interest  free,  for  two  years 
to  such  a  group  in  the  Cardoza  commu- 
nity of  Washington,  D.C.  In  addition, 
the  commission  proposed  that  the  Uni- 
versity Park  church  cosign  a  note  for  an 
additional  $5,000  for  the  group.  The 
only  "strings"  to  be  attached  required 
the  recipient  group  to  accept  the  tech- 
nical advice  and  training  of  a  business 
consultant  firm  employed  by  OEO. 

Support:  The  proposal  for  the  fund 
and  its  specific  use  were  outlined  by 
Commission  Chairman  Brumbaugh  at  a 
retreat  of  the  church  board  in  September, 
and  some  nine  days  later  to  the  church 
council.  Both  adopted  the  program,  with 
minor  amendments  and  with  a  high  level 
of  support.  To  assure  broader  under- 
standing within  the  parish,  an  open  forum 
on  the  plan  preceded  the  council  vote. 

Recorded  in  the  council  minutes  as  the 
intent  of  the  local  fund  was  the  state- 
ment; "...  for  the  purpose  of  carrying 
Christ's  message  of  love,  reconciliation, 
and  healing  into  our  community,  state, 
nation,  and  world  through  involvement 
in  and  support  for  worthy  activities  that 
offer  potential  for  accomplishing  these 
ends." 

The  council  voted  to  deposit  $100 
monthly  the  first  year,  and  $150  month- 
ly the  second  and  third  years,  into  the 
fund  from  the  ongoing  budget. 

Consonant:  The  University  Park  effort 
is  in  harmony  with  the  program  of  the 
Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the  United 
States  as  conceived  by  the  General 
Board,  for  part  of  the  intent  of  the  na- 


tional venture  is  to  encourage,  firsthand, 
local  involvement  of  congregations  in 
development  causes  of  minorities. 

In  addition  to  channeling  funds,  the 
"Americas"  program  seeks  to  make  the 
expertise  of  laity  available  to  minority 
groups  and  to  build  ongoing  relationships 
between  minorities  and  the  church  com- 
munity. 

A  real  FISH  story 

From  Virginia  Beach,  Va.,  to  Klamath 
Falls,  Ore.,  Brethren  congregations  are 
joining  with  other  Christians  in  witness- 
ing the  commandment  —  love  your  neigh- 
bor as  yourself.  They  are  forming  local 
FISH  organizations  ready  to  help  neigh- 
bors with  babysitting,  transportation, 
preparing  a  meal,  reading,  referral  for 
professional  help,  and  other  emergency 
services. 

A  basically  local  program  with  min- 
imal central  direction,  FISH  goes  into 
action  whenever  anyone  dials  the  FISH 
number  that  has  been  published  in  circu- 
lars, in  newspapers,  and  on  radio  stations. 
An  answering  service  receives  the  call 
and  relays  the  message  to  a  FISH  volun- 
teer or  contact  person  who  is  on  24-hour 
duty.  The  contact  person  then  calls  the 
person  in  need  of  help.  Sometimes  the 
caller  wants  only  to  share  his  burden  by 
talking.  At  other  times  the  caller  is  in 
need  of  something  with  which  the  FISH 
volunteer  is  not  qualified  to  deal,  in 
which  case  the  contact  person  refers  the 
caller  to  an  agency  that  can  offer  profes- 
sional help. 

More  often  than  not  FISH  can  do 
something.  Howard  Miller,  pastor  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Dixon,  111., 
related  several  stories  of  FISH's  meeting 
the  needs  of  persons  in  the  community. 
An  older  woman  was  hospitalized  for 
three  weeks.  During  that  time  her  semi- 
invalid  husband  was  contacted  twice 
daily  by  a  FISH  worker.  When  the 
woman  returned  home  she  asked  if  FISH 
could  find  someone  to  stay  in  her  home 
for  a  week  and  help  with  housework. 
The  woman,  hired  at  a  nominal  fee,  was 
a  person  for  whom  FISH  had  been  seek- 


18     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


ing  part-time  work. 

Sometimes  the  recipients  of  FISH 
goodwill  become  good  neighbors  them- 
iselves.  One  evening  a  lady  who  was 
having  an  asthma  attack  called  FISH 
asking  for  a  taxi  to  take  her  to  the 
hospital  and  a  babysitter  to  care  for  her 
children  until  her  husband  came  home 
from  work.  This  lady  and  her  husband 
have  since  volunteered  to  be  contact  per- 
sons for  the  FISH  program. 

One  outgrowth  of  the  Dixon  FISH 
iprogram  is  FISHLINE,  a  telephone  net- 
work of  five  or  six  people  who  call  each 
(Other  every  day.  FISHLINE  is  designed 
!to  help  shut-ins  or  older  people  who  have 
little  contact  throughout  the  week,  but 
{anyone  may  join. 

I  Blair  Myers  of  the  Virginia  Beach  con- 
gregation described  the  satisfaction  that 
many  FISH  volunteers  feel.  "Volunteers 
from  all  the  churches  are  working  to- 
gether and  meeting  a  real  need,"  he  said. 
"These  people  are  finding  out  that  some- 
body cares  enough  to  do  something  about 
|their  condition.  There  is  real  satisfaction 
iin  knowing  you  have  been  able  to  help." 
i  FISH  was  first  organized  at  St.  An- 
'drew's  Anglican  parish  in  Oxford,  En- 
gland, where  cards  with  a  fish  on  them 
are  placed  in  the  window  whenever  help 
;is  needed.  A  visiting  American  clergy- 
iman  was  so  impressed  with  the  idea  that 
;when  he  returned  to  the  United  States 
he  brought  FISH  with  him. 

The  Messenger  of  the  La  Verne,  Calif., 
jChurch  of  the  Brethren  best  summarized 
jthe  possibilities  for  FISH  and  concerned 
I  Christians  when  it  said: 

"The  opportunities  and  avenues  for  a 
concerned  Christian  to  be  of  constructive 
service  to  his  community  and  fellowman 
are  limitless." 

Celebration  of  unity 

i  We  begin  to  celebrate  .  .  .  What? 
I     Ourselves?  Others?  Things?  Objects? 
Success?  Money? 
NO: 

The  Word  Made  Flesh! 
Is  that  Word  here  today?  Where? 
Can  we  see  him?  Hear  him?  Speak  about 
him? 


How  can  Celebration  help  us  find  him? 

Because   Celebration   is  a  SIGN  .   .   . 
Yet  in  his  Signs  he  is  real  .  .  . 
His  presence  is  HERE! 
Then  let  us  seek  him  in  prayer 

in  the  Word 

in  our  response 

in  our  mission. 
COME,  Lord  JESUS. 

We  believe.    Help  our  unbelief! 

Through  prayers,  litanies,  and  hymns 
Christians  across  the  world  will  join  in 
commemoration  of  the  Week  of  Prayer 
for  Christian  Unity,  Jan.  18-25.  The 
theme  is  the  1  Cor.  3:9  text:  "We  are 
fellow  workers  for  God."  Increasingly 
the  encounter  encompasses  Catholic  as 
well  as  Protestant  and  Orthodox  wor- 
shipers. 

In  many  locale<<,  beyond  a  single  com- 
mon worship  service  or  a  rotating  series 
of  services  in  various  churches,  Bible 
study,  faith  discussion  groups,  or  a  uni- 
fied project  for  peace  or  social  justice  will 
be  undertaken. 

Internationally  the  emphasis  is  spon- 
sored by  the  World  Council  of  Churches 
in  cooperation  with  representatives  of  the 
Vatican.  In  the  United  States,  the  spon- 
sor is  the  Department  of  Faith  and  Order 
of  the  National  Council  of  Churches  of 
Christ,  with  support  from  the  Roman 
Catholic  Bishops'  Committee  for  Ecu- 
menical and  Interreligious  Affairs  and 
the  Graymoor  Ecumenical  Institute. 

The  observance  of  the  Week  of  Prayer 
was  begun  by  Roman  Catholics  in  1908 
and  by  Protestants  in  1920.  More  his- 
toric still,  however,  is  the  Universal  Week 
of  Prayer  inaugurated  by  the  National 
Association  of  Evangelicals  in  1846  and 
traditionally  observed  the  first  full  week 
of  January.  In  some  countries  and  local 
communities,  a  common  date  for  the  ob- 
servance is  set  to  facilitate  mutual  par- 
ticipation by  evangelicals  and  other 
Christians. 


Sunday  specials  slated 

Four  one-hour  specials  on  contempo- 
rary society  and  religion  will  be  broad- 
cast on  television  during  the  next  three 
months.  Diflfering  in  content  and  format, 
each  program  in  the  series  is  being  pre- 
pared by  a  particular  faith  group  and  is 
scheduled  on  Sunday  afternoon,  4  to  5 
P.M.  (EST)  as  a  public  affairs  presenta- 
tion of  NBC  News. 

The  special  produced  in  conjunction 
with  the  National  Council  of  Churches 
is  slated  March  8.  With  the  theme  of 
"Once  Upon  a  World,"  the  program  is 
about  change  —  how  it  happened  before 
and  how  it  happens  still,  —  why  it  hap- 
pens and  where  it  is  needed.  Asserts  a 
promo  sheet: 

"Once  —  there  were  Socrates,  Christ, 
Joan  of  Arc,  Martin  Luther,  Galileo, 
Cezanne.  The  world  and  the  lives  of 
people  changed  because  of  them  and 
others.  The  world  is  still  changing. 
'Once  Upon  a  World,'  using  dramatic 
vignettes,  contemporary  film,  music, 
rhyme  —  and  an  hour's  time  —  weaves 
a  TV  mosaic  of  society's  changing  char- 
acter and  enduring  values." 

Working  with  NBC  on  the  production 
is  Dr.  Williams  McClurken,  director  of 
broadcast  operations  for  the  NCCC's 
Broadcasting  and  Film  Commission. 

On  Feb.  1,  the  initial  program  in  the 
series  will  be  presented  in  cooperation 
with  the  Southern  Baptist  Convention's 
Radio-TV  Commission.  With  the  theme 
"Tell  It  Like  It  Is,"  the  program  will  be 
a  contemporary  folk  musical  attempting 
to  bridge  the  generation  gap. 

On  March  29  a  one-hour  drama  will 
be  produced  in  association  with  the  Jew- 
ish Theological  Seminary  of  America. 

On  April  12  the  series  will  close  with 
an  "omnibus"  type  program  prepared  in 
conjunction  with  the  National  Catholic 
Office  for  Radio  and  Television.  The 
theme  is  to  emphasize  that,  in  spite  of 
the  many  problems,  man  should  not  lose 
sight  of  the  good  around  him  and  should 
discern  hope  for  the  future. 

All  four  programs  in  the  series  will  be 
telecast  in  color. 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     19 


Everyone  Needs 
to  Be  Stroked 


by  La  Vernae  J.  Dick 


X  had  no  idea  that  Esther  was  so  lonely 
until  I  sat  with  her  at  luncheon  the  other 
day,"  I  commented. 

"I've  made  sure  that  she's  never  had  a 
chance  to  tell  me,"  Iris  replied. 

"Oh?" 

"I  just  don't  want  to  get  involved,"  she 
said.  "I've  got  plenty  of  problems  myself 
without  hearing  about  hers." 

The  problem  of  not  wanting  to  become 
involved  with  the  problems  of  other  peo- 
ple becomes  greater  as  the  population 
expands  and  more  people  move  to  an 
urban  society.  Here  one  often  does  not 
even  know  the  new  neighbors  next  door. 

Loneliness  is  a  problem  which  has  not 
passed  by  the  church  —  the  concerned 
people  of  God.  Sometimes  church  people 
do  not  find  it  easy  to  be  compassionate  to 
those  within  their  own  church  circles. 


since  admitted  loneliness  is  supposedly  a 
mark  of  an  inadequate  Christian  life. 
Church  people  in  particular  seem  to  feel 
threatened  by  such  problems  which  do 
not  easily  find  answers. 

But  an  even  greater  problem  for  some 
Christians  is  to  involve  themselves  with 
those  who  are  outside  the  church.  One 
woman  I  know  said  that  she  found  a 
strange  quality  of  acceptance  among 
friends  who  rarely  went  to  church,  an 
acceptance  she  had  never  experienced  in 
her  friendships  within  the  church.  They 
could  not  accept  her  as  a  total  person  nor 
let  her  use  her  abilities. 

Creating  friendships 

If  it  is  true  that  the  essence  of  Chris- 
tian life  is  to  share  the  loads  of  other 
people,  then  the  concerned  people  of  God 


4 


need  to  do  something  about  this  quality 
of  nonacceptance  that  they  are  accused 
of  by  both  people  inside  the  church  and 
those  without.  But  how  can  the  average 
person  begin  to  develop  an  attitude  of 
acceptance,  love,  and  tolerance  which 
will  create  friendships  with  meaning? 
Remembering  that  we  are  what  our  rela- 
tionships to  other  human  beings  make  us, 
here  are  five  suggestions  to  guide  you. 

1 .  Be  sensitive  to  the  needs  of  other 
people.   Every  person  is  sometimes  lone- 
ly. He  feels  at  times  that  he  is  misunder-    i 
stood  and  unwanted,  especially  when  he 
is  unable  to  communicate  on  a  deep  level 
with  others.   These  experiences  should 
make  us  aware  that  there  are  many  differ- 
ent ways  to  say,  "I'm  not  programmed  for 
you  today  • —  go  on  your  way." 

The  Ray  Preys  are  new  in  our  commu- 


20     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


nity.  One  day  Mrs.  Frey  expressed  this 
wish:  "I  would  like  to  be  plain  Louetta. 
When  other  people  are  always  called  by 
their  first  name  and  I  am  Mrs.  Frey,  I 
idon't  feel  like  I  fit  into  the  community  or 
church.  Neither  do  I  want  to  be  asked 
every  time  I  attend  a  meeting  what  my 
name  is.  After  all,  they  only  have  one 
new  name  to  remember  and  I  have  several 
dozen  to  learn." 

Many  times  we  are  sensitive  to  the 
needs  of  others  when  we  realize  that  other 
people  are  more  like  us  than  they  are 
different.  Realizing  this,  one  family  re- 
sponded in  a  particularly  beneficial  way 
to  the  needs  of  John  Franz,  a  retired  min- 
ister whose  wife  died  recently  after  they 
were  married  nearly  sixty  years.  This 
family  made  an  effort  to  see  that  he  never 
had  to  sit  alone  during  the  morning  wor- 


ship service.  One  day,  he  said  to  the 
father,  "I  appreciate  it  so  much  that  you 
come  and  sit  with  me.  You  must  know 
how  lonely  I  feel." 

2.  Accept  the  feelings,  limitations,  and 
abilties  of  others.  Everyone  is  limited  in 
what  he  is  able  to  accomplish,  but  we 
need  to  recognize  that  each  person  has 
something  to  contribute  to  others  which 
will  make  life  more  worthwhile.  Perhaps 
it  is  because  of  the  teaching  of  the  total 
depravity  of  man  that  the  concerned 
people  of  God  feel  that  people,  particu- 
larly those  outside  the  church,  have  noth- 
ing of  value  to  offer. 

Several  years  ago  a  local  Christian 
Writers'  group  asked  a  university  profes- 
sor to  speak  to  them.  Because  the  hian 
smoked  and  used  strong  and  colorful  lan- 
guage many  of  the  writers  felt  his  talk 


had  no  value  even  though  he  had  told 
them  that  a  good  writer  does  not  write 
something  he  does  not  believe  in  his 
heart,  a  fundamental  of  writing  which 
this  group  also  stressed.  The  habits  of 
this  man  threatened  the  group. 

Some  may  be  threatened  by  the  fact 
that  often  the  non-Christian  practices  the 
teachings  of  Christian  faith  better  than 
those  who  claim  to  have  the  love  of  God 
in  their  hearts. 

It  is  when  a  person  can  accept  another 
person  as  he  is,  remembering  that  he, 
himself,  is  sometimes  angry,  petty,  and 
lazy,  but  also  at  other  times  is  kindly, 
generous,  and  creative,  that  a  basis  for  a 
solid  friendship  can  be  established. 

3.  Put  aside  your  own  problems  and 
accept  those  of  another  when  you  are  in 
his  company.  Several  months  ago,  the 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     21 


EVERYONE  NEEDS  TO  BE  STROKED  /  continued 


factory  where  my  husband  works  went 
on  strike.  I  was  quite  concerned  how  we 
would  make  ends  meet  financially.  Over 
coffee,  I  mentioned  this  to  a  friend.  She 
responded,  "Well,  Bernard  was  off  work 
for  three  months  last  year.  Four  or  five 
weeks  is  not  very  much  next  to  that." 

"But,  Peggy,"  I  protested.  "Bernard 
had  unemployment  insurance  during  that 
time,  so  you  at  least  had  fifty  dollars  a 
week  coming  in.  When  you  are  on  strike 
you  have  nothing." 

"Well,"  she  insisted,  "it  couldn't  be  as 
bad  for  you  as  it  was  for  us." 

Later  I  wondered  why  I  had  even  tried 
to  share  my  problem  with  her.   She  had 
not  understood  at  all.   All  I  really  needed 
was  some  assurance  that  my  husband  and 
I  were  capable  of  finding  a  solution  to 
our  problem.   All  she  saw  in  that  conver- 
sation was  that  her  life  was  more  difficult 
than  mine  could  ever  be.   It  would  have 
helped  me  considerably  had  my  friend 


been  able  to  say,  "Yes,  I  know  that  you 
are  going  through  difficult  times.  What 
will  you  be  able  to  do  about  it?" 

This  would  have  given  me  confidence 
that  my  husband  and  I  were  capable  of 
solving  our  own  problems.   I  was  left 
feeling  that  no  one  understood  because 
she  was  unable  to  put  aside  her  problems 
long  enough  to  listen  to  what  I  said. 

4.  Don't  be  afraid  to  disagree.  If  it  is 
true  that  a  person  understands  himself 
only  through  his  relationships  with  other 
people,  then  it  is  impossible  for  him  to 
be  a  complete  person  if  no  one  ever 
disagrees  with  him.  He  is  not  always 
capable  of  putting  his  problems  in  proper 
perspective  and  sometimes  needs  another 
person  to  help  him  do  this. 

Sam  had  decided  that  his  boss  was 
picking  on  him  and  he  was  going  to  give 
up  his  job  even  though  he  was  top  sales- 
man in  the  state  for  his  firm.   He  was 
telling  Bill  about  it. 

"Has  your  boss  been  complaining 
about  the  quality  or  quantity  of  your 
work?"  Bill  asked. 

Sam  thought  about  it  a  minute.  "No, 
but  he  doesn't  like  me.  That's  for  sure." 

"How  do  you  know?" 

"He  is  abrupt  and  brisk,"  Sam  replied. 

"Is  he  that  way  with  just  you  or  is  he 
the  same  with  everyone?"  Bill  asked. 

Again  there  was  a  pause  in  the  con- 
versation. Finally  Sam  said,  "That  is  his 
way  with  everyone." 

Later  when  Sam  was  ready  to  leave,  he 
said,  "Bill,  I  guess  I  knew  if  I  talked  to 
you,  I  would  change  my  mind." 

A  tactful   approach 

Bill  had  been  able  to  help  his  friend 
because  he  was  not  afraid  to  disagree.  It 
is  easy  to  think  that  if  a  person  disagrees 
with  his  friends  that  he  will  not  be  liked. 
However,  the  person  who  will  not  dis- 
agree amiably  is  often  thought  of  as  hav- 
ing no  opinion  of  his  own  and  is  often 
labeled  as  being  phony  and  insincere. 

A  person  who  disagrees  needs  to  be 


tactful.  It  is  usually  better  not  to  come 
right  out  and  say  he  disagrees  in  the 
beginning  of  the  conversation.  Instead, 
the  other  person  should  be  led  by  ques- 
tions to  the  place  where  he  will  begin 
to  censure  his  own  thoughts  and  begin 
to  see  the  other  side  of  the  problem. 

5.  Give  compliments.  It  has  been  said  I 
that  it  is  easier  to  enter  into  the  sorrow  k 
of  another  person  than  it  is  to  rejoice  I 
with  him  over  his  success.  The  concerned  i 
people  of  God  are  often  lax  about  com- 
plimenting people.  Perhaps  this  is  so  L 
because  they  feel  that  complimenting  a  f 
person  will  make  him  proud.  However, 
God,  who  created  men  in  his  image,  asks  i 
men  to  praise  him.  Man  also  needs  some  ' 
praise. 

Erna  Ryan  was  invited  to  give  several  •< 
of  her  original  humorous  readings  at  a  f 
banquet  in  our  church,  recently.  Later  ^ 
she  told  me,  "I  just  love  your  people.  So  f 
many  of  them  came  to  tell  me  how  much  i 
they  appreciated  my  readings.  You 
know,  my  own  people  never  say  this.  If  « 
some  remark  is  made  it  is  to  say  how  1 
I  could  have  done  better  or  should  have  li 
chosen  different  material." 

Dr.  Eric  Berne,  in  his  book  Games 
People  Play,  brings  out  the  fact  that  every  ( 
person  needs  to  be  complimented  or 
stroked,  as  he  terms  it,  in  order  to  be 
successful  in  life. 

For  it  is  man's  greatest  problem  to 
understand  what  he  is  all  about.   He 
begins  to  understand  it  in  how  he  relates 
to  other  people;  he  cannot  get  along 
without  the  experience  of  ideal  compan- 
ionship and  comradeship. 

A  sculpture  at  the  entrance  of  Boys 
Town,  Nebraska,  depicts  a  young  boy 
carrying  his  brother.  Underneath  are 
these  words,  "He's  not  heavy;  he's  my 
brother."  If  we  believe  in  brotherhood, 
then  we  will  help  bear  the  burdens  of 
other  people  and  they  will  not  be  heavy 
because  they  are  our  brothers.    Q 


Reprinted    by 
August  1969. 


permission    of    Christian    Living, 


22     MESSENGER     1-15-70 


day  Dy  day 


"I'm  tired  of  watching  TV;  there's  nothing  good  on  any- 
more." 

"Another  day  of  being  penned  in  the  house  by  this  weath- 
er, and  I'll  be  climbing  the  walls." 

"School  is  so  boring,  I'd  even  welcome  a  fire  drill  to  break 
the  monotony." 

"Hey,  Mom,  what  can  we  do  now?" 

Comments  like  these  call  for  therapy.  With  the  holidays 
behind  us,  we  enter  a  relatively  quiet  season  of  the  year. 
Christmas  festivities  have  faded  into  memories.  NASA  hasn't 
another  moon  spectacular  planned  for  a  few  months.  School 
vacations  of  any  size  are  over  until  the  Easter  recess.  In  some 
areas  weather  conditions  will  limit  activities.  What  can  we 
do  to  make  these  winter  weeks  meaningful? 

The  new  year  should  offer  us  the  incentive  for  some  self- 
renewal.  We  might  look  at  the  "ruts"  that  bind  us  and  take 
steps  to  branch  out  in  some  new  directions. 

Experiment  with  the  creativeness  inside  you  —  there  really 
is  some,  you  know  —  and  discover  what  your  family  can  do 
to  erase  the  winter  doldrums.  The  few  ideas  which  follow  are 
only  starters.  Your  own  will  be  better  for  your  family.  We 
predict  that  the  ideas  which  involve  other  people  will  be  the 
most  rewarding. 

Suggested  activities 

1 .  Remember  the  good  times  your  family  had  getting  ready 
for  Christmas?  Seasons  hold  no  limit  on  family  fun.  How 
about  preparing  some  homemade  vegetable  soup,  sharing  a 
jar  and  visiting  with  a  shut-in  or  a  lonely  couple  in  your 
community? 

2.  Duplicate  the  menu  of  an  especially  enjoyable  picnic 
or  vacation  meal  last  summer.  While  eating  it,  recall  some  of 
the  memories  of  the  day  or  trip.  Conclude  the  evening  by 
looking  at  vacation  slides  or  pictures. 

3.  Revive  the  spirit  of  Christmas  by  "adopting"  a  lonely 
child,  an  elderly  lady,  a  seldom-visited  guest  in  a  home"  for  the 
elderly,  or  an  overburdened  young  mother,  and  think  of  some 
ways  you  can  interrupt  their  boredom.  (It  may  do  some  amaz- 
ing things  for  your  own.) 

4.  Put  mottoes,  with  a  punch,  in  obvious  places.  Change 
them  often.  Try  these  for  starters:  "Wise  up,  O  men  of  God, 
to  do  a  common  thing,  uncommonly."  "It's  not  so  important 
where  we  stand  as  in  what  direction  we  are  moving." 

5.  Get  a  new  slant  on  New  Testament  scriptures  by  read- 
ing from  the  "Good  News  for  Modern  Man"  translation. 
Don't  overlook  the  sketches. 

6.  Use  the  hymn,  "Great  Master,  Touch  Us"  (No.  401, 
The  Brethren  Hymnal)  as  a  prayer  several  times  in  these  two 
weeks.    Discuss  what  the  phrases  "Do  with  us  what  Thou 


wilt"  and  "Complete  Thy  purpose"  may  mean  for  each  family 
member. 

7.  Other  hymns  to  use,  all  in  The  Brethren  Hymnal,  might 
include  "We  Would  Be  Building"  (No.  384),  "O  Brother  Man" 
(No.  378),  and  "Rise  Up,  O  Men  of  God"  (No.  329).  —Ray 
and  Elaine  Sollenberger 


DAILY  READING  GUIDE       January    18-31 

Sunday    Psalm  51:10.    Put  a   new  and   right  spirit  within   me. 

Monday    Psalm  33:3.    Sing  a  new  song. 

Tuesday    Ephesians  4:22-24.    Get   rid   of  your   old   self. 

Wednesday    Lamentations  3:22,  23.    God's  mercies  are  new  every   morning. 

Thursday    John   13:34,  35.    A  new  commandment  to  follow. 

Friday    Romans  12:2.    A  complete  change  of  mind  is  sometimes  good. 

Saturday    2   Corinthians   4:16.     Participate   in   day-by-day   renewal. 

Sunday    Colossians  3:10.    Renewal   is  constant. 

Monday    Isaiah  40:30,  31.    God  offers  renewal. 

Tuesday    1    Corinthians   16:13.    Do  all  you  do  in   love. 

Wednesday    2  Corinthians  2:14-17.    God   uses  us. 

Thursday    2  Corinthians  9:9-12.    You  will   be  enriched  for  great  generosity. 

Friday    Romans   12:11-13.     Do   not  be   lazy. 

Saturday    Proverbs  14:21.    Happy  is  he  who  is  kind  to  the  poor. 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     23 


A  selection  of  poems 


If  Someone  Is  Listening... 


J3 

0) 


Never? 

Is  there  to  be  no  graduation? 


by  Edith  Ogutsch 


What  refinements  of  knowledge 

Did  I  fail  to  grasp 

During  all  those  other  terms  —  those  grades 

Of  pain?  Of  grief? 

Of  humiliation  — 

Which  I  attended 

So  compulsively? 

What  terrible  lesson 

Did  I  terribly  fail  to  understand?  Those  other  years  — 

Those   unending   semesters —   the    lessons   growing 

harder   and    harder 
As  I  grew  older —  and  each  year  thinking 
This  course  will  be  the  last.  Will  do  it. 

So  I  thought. 

And  even —  later — thought  I  had  graduated. 

With  passing  grades. 

Perhaps  this  is  the  post-graduate  course? 

But  so  totally  unexpected. 

And  given  in  a  foreign  language 

I  cannot  seem  to  grasp. 

Honestly,  I  do  not  know  why 

I  am  in  this  room,  or  what  I  am  supposed  to  be 

Learning  here. 

It  appears  to  be  a  refresher  course.  I  think. 

But  I  had  thought  I  was  so  well-versed   in  all  the 

aspects  .  .  . 
Able  to  do  an  honest  day's  work. 
Trustworthy.  Conscientious 
About  it  all.  Uncomplaining. 


What  unknown  test 

Did  I  unwittingly  fail 

That  I  am  back  in  this  classroom? 

This  well-appointed  torture  annex? 

Who  will  be  better 

Because  my  longing,  my  hurt, 

My  rejection,  my  heartbeat 

Are  returned  to  me 

In  a  language 

I  cannot  understand? 


by   Bill   Herod 

the  world  turns  — 

history  moves  on  — 

Christ  hangs, 

bleeding, 

from  a  million  crosses 

of  our  own  building  — 

recrucified, 

rejected, 

waiting. 


11 


Hear  me,  someone, 

I  need  your  help! 

Come  to  my  rescue,  if  you  can. 

I  am  not  drowning, 

I  am  not  dying, 

But  something  inside  me 

Never  stops  crying  — 

An  unborn  thought 

That  wants  to  take  form. 

An  act  of  courage 

To  be  acted  upon. 

Whatever  it  is, 

I  wish  it  would  cease. 

It  clamors  and  rages 

In  the  cell  of  my  skull 

And  gives  me  no  peace. 

Soon  it  will  shrivel. 

Weaken,  disintegrate. 

If  someone  is  listening. 

Hurry,  communicate! 

Acknowledge  my  signals. 

Take  hold  of  my  hand. 

I  am  lost  and  alone  i 

In  a  hostile  land.  | 

I  am  blind,  I  am  bleeding. 

My  wounds  are  not  healing. 

Not  hate,  but  indifference 

Carved  these  scars. 

Somebody  — 

Lead  me  back  to  the  world 

And  the  light  of  the  stars. 

Does  anyone  hear  me? 

The  wind  feels  so  cold. 

It  is  late  . . .  late  ... 

And  I  grow  old. 


the  Word  made  flesh, 
and  the  flesh  burned  away 
by  the  clinging,  searing  jelly 
of  our  mass-produced, 
saran-wrapped, 
synthetic  souls. 


MESSENGER    1-15-70 


Mmmmi. 


by  Patricia   Kennedy  Helman 


God,  bless  all  the  haunted  ones, 
Who  never  look  upon  food 
Without  uneasiness, 
Knowing  that  somewhere 
Mortals  are  craving 
One  bite  of  bread. 


THREADS 


3y  Bill   Herod 


ind-bending  threads 
dangling  loosely, 
frazzled  ends  — 

torn  fibers 
to  be  rewoven 
for  new  fabrics: 


God,  bless  all  the  haunted  ones, 

Who  never  feel  the  warmth  of  clothes 
Without  a  twinge  of  conscience. 
Knowing  that  somewhere 
People  are  cold,  ill-clad, 
Wrapped  in  rags. 

God,  bless  all  the  haunted  ones, 

Who  never  look  upon  a  healthy  child 
Without  an  aching  heart. 
Knowing  that  somewhere 
Hollow-eyed  mothers  try  to  sooth  children 
Who  must  cry  their  way  to  death. 

God,  bless  these  haunted  ones! 
Give  them  peace  of  mind 
And  let  their  love  of  mankind 
Be  a  pattern  for  those  who 
Know  not  how  to  suffer 
With  their  fellowmen. 

Bless  the  haunted  ones!  Amen. 


bandages  for  the  bleeding  wounds, 

pads  for  the  battered  armor, 

lace  for  my  lover's  collar  and  cuffs, 

strings  for  packages  wrapped  in  brown  ■ 

unopened. 


Lonely  ...  by  Judy  Simpson 

Not  alone, 
but  lonely. 
Wondering  . . . 

About  those  I  love  — 

If  they're  warm  and  happy. 

If  perhaps  they're  thinking  of  me. 

Staring  . . . 

Into  the  gray  sky  — 

But  there's  no  answer  there. 
At  the  naked  trees  — 

They're  cold,  too,  in  the  autumn  wind. 
Into  the  faces  of  people  — 

Grave,  gray,  empty. . . . 


Listening  .  . . 

To  the  million  muddled  voices 
that  say  nothing. 

To  the  wailing  of  Wind, 
who  sees  the  world  and  cries. 
To  the  silence 
that  speaks  above  it  all  . . . 

Waiting  . . . 

Yearning  . . . 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     25 


If  Someone  Is  Listening... 


by  Lena  Miller 


We've  been  here  —  you  and  I. 
The  world  seems  dark, 

black, 

grim. 
The  feeling  is  loneliness, 

not  caring, 

anger. 
The  feeling  is  restlessness, 

boredom, 

escape. 
The  feeling  is  worthlessness, 

not  giving, 

not  accepting. 
It  is  safer  to  withdraw  and  hide  within  ourselves. 
Not  one  really  learns  to  know  us 
when  we  can  run  and  hide. 

The  pressures   of   life  help   drown    us   in   our   own 

self-pity 
our  own  stubbornness, 
our  own  unforgivenness. 

The  daily  chores  seem  to  say  you're  stupid, 

you're  worthless, 
you're  a  "nobody." 

And  so,  we  crawl  deeper  into  our  little  world  — 
inside  our  shell  —  alone, 

sad, 

blue. . . 
And  refuse  to  reach  out 

long  enough  to  be  understood, 
long  enough  to  communicate, 
long  enough  to  understand. 

We  cease  to  be  a  person  and  crush  those  we  love 

most, 
destroy  those  who  extend  a  hand, 
make  life  miserable. 

And  then,  then  we  find  someone  who  really  cares, 
really  understands, 
really  seeks  to  know  us. 
Someone  who 

reaches  out  and  takes  our  hand. 
Someone  who 

does  not  reject  us. 
Someone  who 

accepts  us  the  way  we  are. 


We  know  they  care  by  the  sparkle  in  their  eyes, 
the  touch  of  a  warm  hand, 
the  beauty  of  a  smile, 
the  feeling  of  understanding. 

We  begin  to  build  trust  and  slowly,  O  so  slowly, 

we  begin  to  open  our  shell  and  peep  out  into  a 
brighter  world. 

Somewhere  along  this  slow  path  of  returning  to  reality 
we  begin  to  grasp  self-confidence, 
self-awareness, 
self-understanding. 

And  we  begin  to  reach  out  to  others  in  love, 

understanding, 
concern. 

As  we  reach  and  give  ourselves  we  begin  to 

feel  the  hurt  inside  the  other, 
to  sense  the  gnawing  loneliness, 
to  feel  the  anger  within  them. 

We    reach    and    reach    and    reach    and    sometimes, 

sometimes 
we   are    overwhelmed   with    the    idea,    "Why   try 

anymore?" 
And  we  have  the  urge  to  withdraw  into  our  own  shell 

again. 

And  yet,  feeling  the  need  to  see  "whole  persons" 
unfold  into  a  beautiful  creation, 

we  continue  to  give  of  ourselves, 

to  accept  without  asking  anything  in  return, 

to  love  without  demanding. 

Rejection  and  barriers  must  not  stop  us. 
In  order  to  exist  we  must  communicate, 
understand  and 

be  understood  ...  or  else, 
there  will  be  loneliness, 

insecurity, 

rejection. 
So  come  out  of  your  shell,  my  friend, 
you  are  too  beautiful  to  hide. 
Come   out   and    we   will    reach    and    reach    and 

reach  .... 


26     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


The  Meaning  of  Prayer 


fEALlTY  AND  PRAYER,  by  John  B.  Magee. 
Abingdon,    1969.     239   pages,   $1.95 

RAYER  AND  THE  LIVING  CHRIST,  by  Flora 
Slosson  Wuellner.  Abingdon,  1969.  144  pages, 
$3 

"HE  CHURCH  of  today  must  perform  the 
riple  role  of  conserving  the  past,  being 
irophetic  in  the  present,  and  fulfilling  a 
linistry  of  reconciliation.  To  do  this 
Christians  must  be  religiously  oriented, 
lelieving  that  God  will  work  through  his 
iraying  church  to  heal  and  restore  all 
ife. 

There   are  some  problems   in  prayer; 

as  science  made  prayer  absurd  and  un- 
lecessary?  In  Reality  and  Prayer  John 
.  Magee  suggests  that  the  scientific  en- 
ironment  is  purposive  and  congenial  to 
rayer  and  that  when  we  respond  to  the 
piritual  order,  it  overrules  the  laws  of 
lature. 

What  about  unanswered  prayer?  God 
s  not  accountable  to  us;  he  may  release 
)ower  which  is  greater  than  what  we 
isk;  the  results  are  God's,  not  ours. 

Magee  describes  the  spectrum  of 
jrayer  as  consisting  of  many  moods  and 
ypes:  adoration,  confession,  petition,  in- 
ercession,  thanksgiving,  meditation,  and 
;ommitment;  and  he  elaborates  on  the 
:ontribution  of  each  facet  to  a  total  dis- 
:iplined  prayer  Ufe. 

The  starting  point  is  God's  seeking  us. 
iVhen  we  adore  and  revere  him,  we 
ichieve  not  a  "chumminess"  with  God, 
5ut  a  depth  to  all  moods  of  prayer. 
Magee  conducts  a  lengthy  discussion  on 
:onfession  in  prayer  in  those  areas 
where  we  most  resist  God:  pride  in  the 
;go  image,  anxiety,  inner  power  dom- 
inance, addiction  to  lust,  passive  content- 
ment. 

Magee  defines  his  terms  articulately. 
Confession  means  self-honesty  before 
God,  taking  the  forgiveness  offered,  and 
learning  to  love  and  to  accept  what  God 
wills  for  us  at  the  moment  as  a  means  of 
spiritual  maturation.  Petition  is  a  form 
of  participation  or  identification  with 
God  in  loving  creativity,  reverent  par- 
ticipation in  his  everlasting  work.  Inter- 
cession is  the  highest  form  of  I-other- 


God  relationship.  It  requires  love,  faith, 
and  persistent  meditating  on  God's  will 
for  persons  and  causes.  Thanksgiving  is 
an  aflSrmation  of  the  present  goodness 
and  power  of  God.  Meditation  is  that 
practical  mysticism  that  goes  beyond 
reasoning  and  conscious  imagining  to 
illumination.   It  requires  much  discipline. 

Author  Magee  believes  that  all  true 
prayer  eventually  verges  toward  com- 
munion —  the  simple  immediacy  of  God 
in  the  soul  —  or,  as  Jesus  stated  it,  "the 
kingdom  of  God  within  you."  God  is 
reached  by  love,  not  by  intellect,  reason- 
ing, or  feelings. 

There  will  be  "dry  periods"  in  our 
prayer  quest,  stagnation,  imbalance.  But 
prayer  should  be  continued,  however 
distasteful.  Prayer  is  growing  in  the 
mind  of  God  • —  incarnation. 

This  book  is  different.  The  author 
shows  broad  intellectual  thought  and 
research  in  the  humanities  and  natural 
sciences  yet  keeps  an  intelligent  balance 
of  these  with  the  psychological  and  spir- 


itual. The  chapters  on  "Science,  Law, 
and  Prayer"  and  "Application  of  Con- 
fession" I  found  to  be  especially  stimu- 
lating and  rewarding. 

Flora  Slosson  Wuellner,  in  Prayer  and 
the  Living  Christ,  develops  the  thesis 
that  Jesus  Christ  exists  in  his  own  inde- 
pendent reality,  regardless  of  what  we 
do  or  do  not  think  about  him.  Prayer  with 
this  living  Christ  does  not  necessarily 
mean  ecstacy  or  mysticism  for  us  all, 
where  we  press  to  feel  emotionally  close 
to  him.  Neither  is  prayer  a  kind  of  self- 
hypnosis,  or  a  pushing  ourselves  hard,  to 
love  and  be  effective.  Not  a  retreat  from 
work  or  a  substitution  for  it,  prayer  is 
rather  an  advance,  an  effective  action 
into  the  very  heart  of  the  Power  which 
controls  all  power. 

Prayer  is  actual  communication  with 
a  living  Christ,  whose  energies  we  ap- 
propriate as  our  main  source  of  strength 
and  action. 

As  we  work  at  growth  through  prayer, 
definite  things  happen  to  us. 


FOURTEEN 
DAYS 
IN 


^^^^ 


Ecuadd 


...  a  fascinating  tour 
with  mission  emphasi 


'dcfion  of  Ecuadorian 
geography,  and  scenery.   Accompanied  by  mission  personnel, 
you'll  visit  mission  programs  and  churches,  see  people  /,  ^ 

and  places  you  never  knew  existed,  and  collect  mem  '   "'-  ~ 

ories  that  w'??  teoij  you  company  lor  ih^  '•'»«♦  '*'* 
your  lite 

JULY  1-14,  1970 
All  expenses  including  round-trip  air  tare  ire 
Miami,  $450.   For  additional  iniormaiion 
and  applicfx^oB  blank  write: 

FniAnnp  Toise 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     27 


Our  ability  to  be  channels  of  love  is 
increased.  We  are  guided  by  Christ  him- 
self and  not  by  our  own  prejudices  and 
interpretations.  We  share  with  God  in 
his  many  acts  of  creation.  We  grow  in 
the  assurance  of  God  as  dependable 
goodness.  We  assume  a  greater  con- 
sciousness of  self-awareness,  a  self-hon- 
esty about  our  genuine  feelings.  We 
grow  from  thinking  of  prayer  as  a  sub- 
jective state  of  mind  to  seeing  prayer  as 
actual  union  with  Christ.  Intercessory 
prayer  and  petition  are  taken  seriously 
with  helpful  answers. 

Prayer  becomes  not  a  "cautious  ration- 
ality" but  joy,  mirth,  and  beauty.  Life 
is  filled  with  unsuspected  surprises:  Oth- 
er people  and  the  material  world  about 
us  become  more  interesting,  instant 
strength  comes  to  meet  our  needs.  Our 
faults  seem  to  grow  worse,  simply  be- 
cause we're  more  awakened  to  poten- 
tialities of  pain  because  we're  learning  to 
love.  The  quiet  decision  to  let  the  life 
of  God  flow  into  our  ordinary  life  is 
eternal  life  here  and  now.  (The  author's 
thought  of  "communion  of  saints,"  in 
which  the  dead  pray  for  us  and  we  join 
in  praying  for  them  for  a  mutual  deeper 

REVIEWS  /  MOVIES 


Trilogy 


This  would  seem  to  be  the  year  that  the 
craftsmanlike  creativity  of  Frank  and 
Eleanor  Perry  finds  its  audience.  Already 
Last  Summer,  one  of  1969's  best  films, 
is  achieving  box  office  success.  Now  the 
Perrys  have  joined  forces  with  Truman 
Capote  to  film  three  of  his  short  stories. 
Each  of  the  component  parts  of  Trilogy 
was  filmed  originally  for  television,  but 
their  comingling  makes  tor  a  composi- 
tion of  particular  clarity  and  crescendo- 
ing  effect. 

Blending  the  visions  of  the  Perrys  and 


strength  and  awareness,  is  somewhat  for- 
eign to  Brethren  thought.) 

There  is  greater  power  in  the  church 
as  we  depend  on  the  God  of  our  prayer, 
not  on  prayer  itself. 

The  chapter  on  "Prayer  and  the 
Cross"  is  especially  meaningful.  The 
cross  is  not  some  illness,  or  accident  — 
something  we're  forced  to  undertake  — 
but  rather  it  is  the  free  choice  of  ours 
to  be  the  concerned  sharer  and  bearer 
of  another's  burden  and  being.  Learning 
to  love  from  Christ,  we  ask,  "How  can  I 
help  others?"  Then  Christ  loves  others 
through  us. 

This  book  is  very  readable,  devoid  of 
big  words,  easily  understood,  and  will 
encourage  any  reader  to  surrender  him- 
self to  the  onrush  of  Christ's  matchless 
energy.  —  Byron  Miller 


Mr.  Capote  proves  in  Trilogy  to  have 
been  a  happy  thought.  If  there  is  one 
theme  that  runs  through  the  Perrys' 
work,  it  is  the  meanings  of  loneliness  — 
from  reaching  out  to  overcome  it  (David 
and  Lisa)  to  the  tragic  results  of  inade- 
quately dealing  with  it  (Last  Summer). 
Mr.  Capote,  too,  is  concerned  with  lone- 
liness —  a  loneliness  which  stems  from 
our  knowledge  of  mortality.  In  Trilogy 
the  crescendo  takes  us  from  disintegra- 
tion of  personality  as  loneliness  over- 
comes sanity  ("Miriam")   through  deal- 


ing with  loneliness  realistically  and  hon- 
estly ("Among  the  Paths  to  Eden")  to 
a  nostalgic  evocation  of  a  time  that  might 
have  been  lonely  except  for  the  strength 
of  an  accepting  person  ("A  Christmas 
Memory"). 

These  artists  are  aided  immensely  by 
four  truly  professional  • —  though  non? 
"star"  status  —  actors,  whose  work  here 
is  a  joy  to  watch:  Mildred  Natwicla 
Maureen  Stapleton,  Martin  Balsam,  an^ 
most  especially,  Geraldine  Page.  Mr,! 
Perry's  directorial  handling  of  these  ar- 
tisans is  as  fine  as  his  directing  of  neo- 
phyte actors  in  earlier  movies. 

"Miriam"  —  the  least  effective  of  th^ 
three  stories  —  depicts  a  retired  nannyi 
(Miss  Natwick),  whose  ego-involvement 
with  "her"  children  causes  her  to  lie  to 
herself  about  her  effect  upon  them.  Out- 
wardly serene,  her  inner  dissolution  gives 
birth  to  a  dybbuk  in  child's  form  — 
Miriam  (Susan  Dunfee)  — an  alter  egq 
for  her  own  childhood.  Miriam's  truth- 
fulness and  insensitivity  reveal  the  malev-' 
olence  beneath  the  surface  of  Miss 
Miller's  self-esteem.  Unfortunately,  thir 
segment  does  not  quite  come  off,  largely 
because  Miss  Dunfee 's  woodenness  makes 
it  hard  for  us  to  believe  in  the  malevo* 
lence  of  the  child. 

In  "Among  the  Paths  to  Eden"  a  wi^ 
dower  (Mr.  Balsam)  is  encountered  al 
his  wife's  grave  by  a  spinster  (Miss  Sta^ 
pleton)  who  has  come  to  the  cemeteryi 
looking  for  a  potential  mate.  Their  talhi 
is  warm,  real,  and  eventually  honesty 
Mr.  Belli  finally  affirming  his  independ<^ 
ence,  and  Miss  O'Meaghan  continuinji 
her  resolve.  In  a  half  hour  we  come  tc 
know  and  be  engrossed  by  these  two  uni 
commonly  warm  human  beings.  j 

Mr.  Perry's  direction  is  at  its  best  ii| 
this  segment,  using  contrasts  (the  vitalitji 
of  the  New  York  skyline  and  the  stark  | 
ness  of  the  cemetery)  and  a  creative  ust* 
of  close-ups.  In  fact,  throughout  thiij 
movie  the  camera  stays  primarily  on  thtl 
faces  of  the  people.  We  come  to  be  com 
cerned  about  them  rather  than  abstraa 
ideas.  s 

These  first  two  briefer  stories  warn 


28     MESSENGER     1-15-70 


i  up  for  the  tour  de  force:  the  hour-long 
\  Christmas  Memory."  Mr.  Capote 
irrates  this  autobiographical  paean  to 
time  in  his  boyhood  when  a  childlike 
)inster  cousin  (Miss  Page)  shares  with 
m  the  bittersweet  joy  of  growing  and 
sing  and  yet  recalling.  Through  the 
iking  of  fruit  cakes  for  their  friends 
id  the  equality  of  giving  and  flying  kites 
uddy  (Donnie  Melvin)  and  his  cousin 
scover  the  warmth  of  a  human  com- 
inionship  that  transcends  loneliness.  In 
r  final  lines,  as  their  kites  reach  toward 
le  heavens,  Miss  Page  offers  Mr.  Ca- 
rte's and  —  presumably  —  the  Perrys' 
stimony  to  the  meaning  of  this  warmth : 
[  have  been  so  wrong.  I  thought  I  could 
ily  see  God  when  I  was  sick  and  on 
y  deathbed.  Oh,  Buddy,  I  could  leave 
le  world  with  today  in  my  eyes." 
A  sense  of  death  pervades  these  stories 
-  but  not  as  morbidity  or  finality.  Rath- 
r,  lines  like  "That's  how  you  know 
)mething's  real  because  real  things  die" 
id  "What  makes  things  precious  is  when 
3U  know  they  have  to  pass  on"  help  us 
)  know  that  life  has  value  as  a  result 
f  our  consciousness  of  death.  If,  as  we 
now  to  be  so,  loneliness  is  a  form  of 
eath-in-life,  then  the  Perrys  throughout 
leir  films  have  been  looking  for  anti- 
otes  to  death  based  upon  the  life-sus- 
lining  gifts  that  are  given  through  hu- 
lan  relationships.  Trilogy  helps  them  — 
ad   us  —  in   this   quest.  —  Dave   Pom- 

ROY 


readers  write 


ith  the  sword"?  Also  that  we  are  to  love 
ur  enemies?  How  can  we  kill  someone  we 
)ve? 

Is  not  the  draft  to  supply  men  to  train 
)r  war?  Those  who  go  into  alternative 
srvice  are  cooperating  with  the  draft;  they 
re  concerned  only  about  themselves  and 
ot  about  protesting  for  their  fellowmen 
'ho  must  go  out  and  fight  against  their 
3nscience.  .  .  . 


Can  we  even  begin  to  imagine  Christ's 
carrying  a  draft  card?  I  wonder  if  he  would 
not  be  burning  his  draft  card,  too.  I  believe 
he  would  be  protesting  against  any  evil 
he  was  confronted  with,  yes,  even  a  federal 
law.  We  are  told  to  fight  for  God  and  our 
country.  Is  not  Vietnam  God's  country  just 
as  much  as  ours? 

Paul  A.  Gish 
Mount  Joy,  Pa. 

DEMONSTRATES  WHAT? 

Demonstrate.  Even  if  this  causes  half  a 
million  people  to  be  liquidated,  bring  the 
boys  home  now. 

Let's  get  on  with  the  show.  America  has 
over  forty  other  Vietnams  all  signed,  sealed, 
and  ready  to  be  delivered.  The  next  one  may 
be  even  better. 

Meanwhile,  how  many  demonstrators  de- 
manded that  nations  settle  their  conflicts  in 
court?  How  many  demanded  that  we  repeal 
the  Connally  Amendment  which  says  we'll 
settle  conflicts  in  the  world  court  rather  than 
in  a  killing  contest,  if  we  want  to,  and  when- 
ever we  please? 

The  cost  of  repeal?  Well,  ten  percent  of 
the  so-called  Christians  would  have  to  sac- 
rifice an  hour  in  time  and  six  cents  in  cash, 
writing  a  letter  to  our  president  and  to  their 
representatives. 

Will  they  do  this?  Will  you?  Don't  tell 
me.    Let  me  guess. 

Roy  White 
Citronelle,  Ala. 

FRIENDS  OF 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  R.  Replogle 

ARE  INVITED  TO  A 

FIFTIETH  WEDDING 

ANNIVERSARY  RECEPTION 

AT 

The  Seeking  Manor  Lobby 

Sebring,  Florida 

Sunday,  January  25,  1970        3  to  5  P.M. 

Hostess:  Mrs.  C.  F.  Speir 

2118  Orange  Blvd. 

Kissimmee,  Fla. 


ClASSIFtED  ADS 

CHURCH  PEWS  —  Fourteen  11 -ft.  viralnut  pews 
and  sixteen  9-ft.  oak  pews.  Faith  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  611  N.  Van  Buren,  Batavia,  111.  60510. 
312-879-2161. 


People  Make 

WORD TOURS 

Oifferent. 


CARIBBEAN  CRUISE 

INCLUDING  ST.  THOMAS  AND  HAITI 

JUNE  13-20,  1970 

ENJOY  A  FULL  WEEK  OF  SUN,  FUN, 
STUDY,  AND  RECREATION  WITH 
THESE  CHRISTIAN  LEADERS: 

KEITH  MILLER 

KEN  CHAFIN 

BRUCE  LARSON 

BEN  C.  JOHNSON 

LOUIS  EVANS,  JR. 

JARRELL  Mccracken 

Or  choose  one  of 
these  exciting 
WORD  TOURS: 


Around-the-world  „„^.....„ 

ROSALIND 

comparative  religion         — ■■■■i--, 

study  RINKER 

July  4  to  August  7. 


The  Reformation 
Tour  of  Europe. 
July  7  to  28. 


GANNON 

LOREN 

UOUIIG 


jri:r::,'a.  archbishop 

Canterbury. 
July  1  to  31. 


GANTERBURH 


Student  Dialogue  nrn'miiw 

Tour.  Russia  and  OOLPHIN 

Western  Europe.  bill 

August  1  to  22.  SCOTT 


From  ttie  Far  East  jack 

to  Europe  ROBINSON 

July  6  to  August  8. 


For  complete  information  write: 
Bill  Scott,  Director, 

l/l/oaa  Tours 

Dept.  7,  Box  1790,  Waco,  Texas  76703. 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Named  to  two-year  assignments  as  di- 
rectors of  Brethren  Colleges  Abroad 
units  in  Europe,  beginning  next  July,  are 
Professor  and  Mrs.  George  T.  Dolni- 
kowski  of  Juniata  College,  who  will  serve 
at  Marburg,  Germany,  and  Professor 
and  Mrs.  Herbert  M.  Ingraham  of  Man- 
chester College,  who  will  serve  at  the 
University  of  Strasbourg  in  France.  .  .  . 
Doctors  David  and  Irene  and  Raymond 
Stayer,  frequent  volunteers  in  the  Ni- 
geria medical  ministry,  are  spending  Jan- 
uary and  February  in  service  at  Nigeria's 
Ahmadu  Bello  University. 

Immediate  past  moderator  Morley  G. 
Mays,  president  of  Elizabethtown  Col- 
lege, underwent  surgery  at  Lancaster,  Pa., 
Dec.  5.  . .  .  Harry  A.  Brandt,  retired 
General  Offices  editor,  and  Lucile  Long 
Strayer,  retired  college  teacher  and  mis- 
sionary, were  married  in  November  in 
Ohio  and  are  residing  at  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Launching  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
rebuilding  program  for  Hurricane  Ca- 
mille  victims  at  Gulfport,  Miss.,  late  in 
December  were  BVSers  John  Thompson, 
Auburn,  Wash.,  team  leader;  Tom  Lavy, 
Uniontown,  Ohio;  Dale  Seese,  Delphi, 
Ind.;  and  Marcus  Hofer,  Farmington,  Pa. 

•J*  "T*  1*  *I*  *»* 

Two  men  were  licensed  recently  to  the 
ministry:  Claron  Brown,  Emporia,  Kan- 
sas, now  serving  as  part-time  pastor  at 
the  Verdigris  church  in  the  Western 
Plains  District;  and  Craig  Young,  a  stu- 
dent at  Wesleyan  College  in  Oklahoma 
who  is  serving  the  Bartlesville  First  con- 
gregation. 

Hospitalized  at  Reading,  Pa.,  is  Teri 
Kreps,  10,  daughter  of  Ecuador  field  sec- 
retary George  Kreps,  after  an  attack 
which  left  her  paralyzed  in  her  arms  and 
legs.  The  disease  has  been  diagnosed  as 
similar  to  polio  but  not  infectious.  She 
is  receiving  therapeutic  treatment  and 
anticipates  recovery  of  ninety  percent  of 
the  use  of  her  limbs.  She  will  be  in  the 
hospital  several  months. 

MarHn  R.  Rock,  a  former  BVSer  and 
until  recently  with  the  Mennonite  Central 

30     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


Committee  at  its  Akron,  Pa.,  head- 
quarters, left  for  Vietnam  in  December 
to  become  administrative  assistant  to  the 
executive  director  of  MCC  operations  in 
Saigon.  His  new  address  is  Vietnam 
Christian  Service,  CORDS/ REF 
AP096243,  San  Francisco,  Calif. 

Two  long-time  workers  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  died  recently.   Louis 
Holderreed,  who  organized  the  congre- 
gation at  Bartlesville,  Okla.,  died  Nov. 
20,  1969,  at  Twin  Falls,  Idaho,  where  he 
and  his  family  had  lived  for  over  twenty 
years.  He  was  94.  He  served  as  elder 
in  five  congregations  in  Oklahoma, 
Idaho,  and  Washington.  ...  A  missionary 
to  India  from  1920  until  1959,  Chalmer 
Shull  died  Dec.  7,  1969,  after  a  long  ill- 
ness. At  77,  Mr.  Shull  could  look  back 
on  forty  years  of  evangelistic,  education- 
al, and  lay-medical  work  in  India,  as  well 
as  a  term  as  president  of  the  Bombay 
Regional  Christian  Council.  He  had 
resided  since  1967  at  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Our  congratulations  to  two  couples 
who  celebrated  golden  wedding  anniver- 
saries near  Christmastime:  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rudy  Royer,  Dallas  Center,  Iowa;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Walter  Kern,  Ashley,  Ind. 
.  .  .  Others  marking  anniversaries  include 
the  Harvey  Hoovers,  Lebanon,  Pa.,  fifty- 
one;  the  Fred  Nelsons,  Medford,  Oregon, 


SoiidiSEiia 


Jan.   18-25  Week  of  Prayer  for  Christian  Unity 

Jan.   18-25  Church    and    Economic    Life   Week 

Jan.  25  World  Day  for  Leprosy  SufFerers 

Jan.   25-30  Youth    Seminar,    Washington,    D.C., 
and  New  York 

Feb.  8  Race  Relations  Sunday 

Feb.  8  Boy  Scout  Sunday 

Feb.   11  Ash   Wednesday 

Feb.   15  First  Sunday  in  lent 

Feb.  22-27  Adult    Seminar,    Washington,    D.C., 
and   New  York 
Feb.   22-  Brotherhood   Week 

March  6  World   Day   of  Prayer 

March  8  One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing 

March   15  Passion   Sunday 

March  17-20  General   Board,  Elgin,   Illinois 


fifty-two;  the  John  Brightbills,  Lebanon, , 
Pa.,  fifty-four;  the  Leo  Millers,  South 
Whitley,  Ind.,  fifty-eight;  the  Ward 
Nances,  Verdigris,  Kansas,  sixty;  and  th 
C.  Ray  Weiiners,  Wentachee,  Wash., 
sixty-three. 

Three  couples  are  observing  fifty-third[( 
anniversaries:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wright 
Dean,  Wenatchee,  Wash;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Ainmon  J.  Hostetler,  Orrville,  Ohio;  and  i 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Milton  Lohr,  Stoystown, 
Pa. 

BVS  ASSIGNMENTS 

Persons  in  the  October  1969  BVS 
unit  have  been  given  their  assignments. 
They  include: 

Theodore  A.  Barkley,  National  Insti- 
tutes of  Health  (NIH),  Bethesda,  Md.;  i 
Rebecca  Beynon,  Florida  Brethren 
Homes,  Sebring,  Fla.;  Heinrich  BIschofF,  I, 
Fahrney-Keedy  Memorial  Home,  Boons-  'i 
boro,  Md.;  W.  Franklin  Bohn,  Berlin,  j 
Germany; 

Susan  Cracraft,  Lend-a-Hand  Center, 
Walker,  Ky.;  Lowell  Dell,  West  Central  I 
West  Virginia  Community  Action  Asso- 
ciation, Parkersburg,  W.  Va.;  Keith 
Detwiler,  Lend-a-Hand  Center;  Carol 
Eller,  Brook  Lane  Psychiatric  Center, 
Hagerstown,  Md.; 

Howard  Freund,  Tri-City  Youth 
Project,  St.  Charles,  111.;  Friedrich 
Gocht,  NIH;  Robert  Gross,  Joseph 
House,  Baltimore,  Md.;  Don  Harman, 
NIH;  John  Hartsough,  Morocco;  Paul 
Hendricks,  Material  Aid,  New  Windsor, 
Md.;  Debra  Herchelroath,  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Harrisburg,  Pa.;  Harold 
Hochstetler,  First  church,  Virginia 
Beach,  Va.;  Marcus  Hofer,  disaster 
team.  Pass  Christian,  Miss.; 

J.  Ronald  and  Patricia  Hostetter, 
Broadway  Christian  Parish,  South  Bend, 
Ind.;  Rita  Jackson,  Harrisburg  church; 
Thomas  Lavy,  disaster  team;  Connie 
Lehman,  Lend-a-Hand  Center;  Thomas 
Leming,  Cochabamba,  Bolivia;  Steven 
Mann,  Church  of  the  Brethren,  La 
Verne,  Calif.; 

Sheri-Lyn  Miesback,  Cross  Keys 


Brethren  Home,  New  Oxford,  Pa.; 
Charlotte  Montel,  Colonias  Del  Valle, 
san  Juan,  Texas;  Linda  Myer,  Mother 
joose  Child  Development  Center,  Elgin, 
[11.;  Rodney  Nippert,  NIH;  Julie 
'hillips,  Europe;  Debra  Riffle,  Bethany 
Brethren  Hospital,  Chicago,  111.;  Linda 
iobinson.  Mother  Goose  Child  Develop- 
nent  Center;  Roth  Rowland,  Tri-City 
ifouth  Project;  Christa  Schapitz,  Beth- 
iny  Brethren  Hospital;  Wayne  Senger, 
"^IH;  Harold  Snyder,  Brethren  Home, 
A^indber,  Pa.; 

Thomas  Tawney,  Youth  Center, 
jaitherburg,  Md.;  Beverly  Thomas, 
Brethren  Home,  Neffsville,  Pa.;  James 
West,  SERVAS,  New  York,  N.Y.;  and 
.ois  Wine,  Bolivia. 

Assignments  are  still  pending  for 
Clifford  Kindy,  Rodney  Ott,  and  Mary 
ind  Frederick  Schmidt. 

OTPOURRI 

'    With  a  goal  to  assist  theological  sem- 
inaries in  their  response  to  the  black  ex- 
perience and  challenge,  a  conference 
^eb.  20-22,  1970,  wiU  be  held  at  Howard 
University,  Washington,  D.C.,  hosted  by 
:he  American  Association  of  Theologi- 
cal Schools.  Among  leaders  of  confer- 
ence sessions  will  be  Charles  Shelby 
Rooks,  executive  director,  The  Fund  for 
Theological  Education;  Charles  Copher, 
professor.  Interdenominational  Theologi- 
cal Center,  Atlanta,  Ga.;  Jefferson  P. 
Rogers,  minister.  Church  of  the  Redeem- 
er, Washington,  D.C.,  who  will  conduct 
an  evening  session  on  contemporary  ex- 
periments in  worship  by  black  people; 
and,  as  a  workshop  leader,  Archie  Har- 
graves,  who  Spoke  to  an  Annual  Confer- 
ence audience  at  Louisville  last  summer. 

I    In  Northern  Michigan  a  Church  of  the 
JBrethren  pastor  and  a  Roman  Catholic 
priest  "exchanged  more  than  pulpits" 

when  they  participated  in  a  pulpit  ex- 
change which  began  with  the  priest's 
speaking  to  the  Onekama  congregation. 
lAfterward  he  invited  them  to  be  guests 
lof  his  parish  at  Manistee,  Mich.,  for 
celebration  of  the  Mass  and  a  fellowship 


dinner.  Onekama  pastor  Richard  D. 
Ward  spoke  during  the  Mass. 

A  two-hundred-bed  convalescent  cen- 
ter and  fifty  new  apartments  are  in  de- 
velopment stages  for  Friendship  Manor 
at  Roanoke,  Va.  The  apartments  will  be 
ready  for  occupancy  this  spring.  .  .  .  The 
Easton,  Md.,  congregation  dedicated  re- 
modeled facilities  Nov.  23,  a  culmination 
of  two  years'  work  which  included  re- 
designing the  chancel,  replacing  the  ceil- 
ing, and  painting  and  carpeting  the 
sanctuary. 

THE  CAMPUS  SCENE 

Elizabethtown  College  otticials  have 
come  up  with  a  program  that  could  re- 
duce the  cost  of  going  to  college  as  much 
as  $6,300  over  a  four-year  period.  Here 
is  the  plan,  to  be  used  experimentally  at 
the  Pennsylvania  college: 

The  student  would  go  to  school  for 
three  academic  years  and  three  summer 
sessions,  instead  of  four  academic  years 
with  summers  off. 

He  would  receive  a  summer  session 
grant  based  on  his  academic  average  for 
each  of  the  three  summer  sessions  and, 
at  the  same  time,  take  advantage  of  low- 
er summer  school  tuition  rates. 

Upon  graduation  in  three  years,  he 
would  earn  a  professional  salary  in  the 
fourth  year. 

The  lower  per  semester  hour  costs  of 
summer  school,  the  summer  session 
grants,  and  a  professional  salary  together 
add  up  to  a  substantial  reduction  in  the 
overall  cost  of  a  four-year  degree  pro- 
gram. 

At  Juniata  College,  Huntingdon,  Pa., 
President  John  Stauffer  announced  the 
successful  completion  of  the  $2.8-million 
first  phase  of  the  college's  "Margin  of 
Difference"  capital  campaign.  The  goal 
was  reached  nearly  one  year  ahead  of 
schedule. 

A  $10,000  grant  from  the  National 
Science  Foundation  went  to  Manchester 
College,  North  Manchester,  Ind.  The 
funds  will  be  used  to  purchase  equipment 
and  supplies,  books  and  periodicals,  and 


for  other  projects  which  will  strengthen 
scientific  research  and  education  in  the 
sciences  at  the  college. 

DEATHS 

Beard,   Doris   LaVal,    Westminster,   Md.,   on   Nov. 

13,  1969,  aged  48 
Becker.  Henry,  Mount  Joy,  Pa.,  on  Dec.  3,   1969, 

aged  66 
Beckner,    Elias,     Glendale,    Ariz.,    on    April     12, 

1969,  aged  67 
Bergman,    Lawrence.    Beaverton,    Mich.,    on    July 

31,  1969.  aged  80 
Bingham,    Ada    E.,    Martinsburg,    Pa.,    on    Nov. 

18,  1969,  aged  87 
Black,    Mae   S.,    McAlisterville,    Pa.,    on   Sept.    30. 

1969 
Bloyer,   Catherine.  Lanark,   111.,  on  Dec.    1,    1969, 

aged  72 
Brubaker,     Enos,     Lebanon,     Pa.,     on     Nov.     22, 

1969,  aged  68 
Brubaker,    Lola,    Virden,    111.,    on    Nov.    1,    1969, 

aged  75 
Cooney,  Vivienffie,  Santa  Ana,  Calif.,  on  Oct.   27, 

1969,  aged  68 
Daigle,   Carolyn,   Santa   Ana,   Calif.,   on   Sept.    10. 

1969,  aged  23 
Dressier.    Viola    P.,    McAlisterviUe,    Pa.,    on    Nov. 

3,  1969 

Eikenberry,  Luella  Mae,  Modesto,  Calif.,  on  Oct. 

29,  1969,  aged  71 

Ennis,  Mary  Baker,  Nokesville,  Va.,  on  Sept.    18, 

1969,  aged  70 
Fasnacht,     Dale,    Greenville,    Ohio,    on     Dec.     3, 

1969,  aged  50 
Fishbum,     George     A.,     Overbrook,     Kansas,     on 

Sept.  4,  1969,  aged  106 
Fleagle.     Belle,     Sherwood,     Ohio,     on     Dec.     9, 

1969,  aged  96 
Foley,  .\nna,  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  on  Nov.  12,  1969 
Frantz,   EUas   M.,   Bethel.   Pa.,   on   Sept.    9,    1969, 

aged  86 
Frederick,   Irma   C,   Souderton,    Pa.,  on   Oct.    26, 

1969,  aged  84 
Freed,  Paul  D.,  McVeytown,  Pa.,  on  Dec.  5,  1969, 

aged  56 
Gall,   Harley,   Nappanee,   Ind.,   on   Jan.   28,    1969 
Harclerode,     Martha    Drake,    Williamsburg,    Pa., 

on  Sept.   6,   1969,   aged   27 
Hawthorne,   EUzabeth   S..   Elizabethtown,    Pa.,   on 

Nov.   19,  1969,  aged  71 
Kriner,  Jacob,  Greencastle,  Pa.,  on  Oct.  22,   1969, 

aged  91 
Kurtz,    Addie    Gillett,    Glendale,    Ariz.,    on    Oct. 

30,  1969.  aged  71 

Lowdermilk,    Orie   A.,    Brownsville,    Pa.,    on    Oct. 

4,  1969,  aged  72 

Massey,    Robert,   Winter   Park,   Fla.,   on   Oct.    11, 

1969,  aged  62 
Miller,   Alma,    North    Manchester,    Ind.,   on   Nov. 

17,  1969,  aged  78 
Miller,    C.    William,    Lanark,    111.,    on    Nov.     12, 

1969,  aged  85 
Miller,    Jessie,     Bridgewater,    Va.,    on    Nov.     21, 

1969,  aged  7! 
Miller,    Myrtle,    Beaverton,    Mich.,    on    Oct.     18, 

1969,  aged  61 
Myer,  Jessie  Musselman,   Camden,   Ind.,  on  Nov. 

30,  1969 
Rohm,  Cora,  Bedford,  Pa.,  on  Nov.  2,  1969,  aged 


1-15-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


Bom  to  Be  Bom  Again  and  Again 


T. 


he  idea  is  not  original.  In  a  way  it  was  suggested  by  an 
Annual  Conference  message  we  later  published  in 
Messenger,  on  the  idea  of  change  "From  a  Caterpillar  to 
a  Butterfly,"  by  Guy  Wampler  Jr.  Some  months  later,  in 
a  worship  service  at  the  General  Offices,  a  new  member  of 
the  General  Board,  Gladys  Weaver,  lifted  up  a  banner  on 
which  board  members,  staff  members,  and  office  and 
plant  workers  could  see  a  caterpillar  and  a  butterfly,  but  it 
was  the  caterpillar  that  was  reflecting,  "Who?  Me  change?" 

At  the  suggestion  of  the  worship  leader  we  wrote 
down  the  thoughts  that  were  prompted  by  the  banner. 
Almost  everyone  was  impressed  with  the  fact  that  change 
is  inevitable,  whether  it  comes  from  outside  or  within 
oneself.  Yet  many  added  that  perhaps  men  as  well  as 
caterpillars  are  created  to  be  changed,  that  change  is 
absolute,  not  optional,  that  change  is  inherent  in  nature 
of  things  and  in  the  nature  of  man.  Some  indicated 
reluctance  to  change  personally,  but  at  the  same  time 
they  recognized  that  to  back  off  from  change  is  to  back 
off  from  life. 

If  you  look  at  a  caterpillar  and  see  nothing  more 
than  a  worm,  if  you  ignore  the  potential  the  caterpillar 
has  for  changing  and  becoming  a  new  creature,  you  do 
not  really  see  the  insect  that  God  created.  It  may  require 
a  climactic  experience,  a  passing  through  death  into  life, 
before  a  butterfly  emerges  from  its  cocoon  and  tries  its 
lovely  wings.  But  once  you  have  seen  it  and  remember 
from  whence  it  came,  you  know  that  God  never  intended 
that  particular  crawling  caterpillar,  however  dexterous  it 
might  prove  with  its  many  legs,  to  remain  a  caterpillar.  God 
was  at  work  in  its  basic  design  looking  toward  a  moment 
when  it  would  take  wings  and  fly.  And  God  was  at  work 
at  every  stage  of  its  development  to  release  its  potential, 
to  set  it  free,  to  enable  its  unique  beauty  to  be  joyously 
shared. 


To  be  a  new  creation  in  Christ,  to  be  born  anew  — 
that  is  the  purpose  for  which  we  were  bom  in  the  first 
place.  But  there  is  risk  in  seeking  a  new  life.  A  worm 
stays  close  to  the  ground  where  he  may  be  warm  and 
comfortable.  He  doesn't  mind  drabness  so  long  as  he  is 
unaware  of  beauty.  His  world  is  limited,  two-dimensional, 
fairly  safe,  and  if  he  has  enough  legs  to  crawl  from  place 
to  place,  who  needs  to  fly?  Why  should  he  anticipate  so 
risky  an  adventure  as  to  die  in  order  to  know  a  different 
life?  "Who?  Me  change?" 

But  we  were  born  to  be  born  again,  and  again,  and 
again.  Man  has  a  spiritual  potential  that  is  waiting  to  be 
set  free  to  grow,  to  flower,  to  spring  up  from  the  ground 
—  even  to  fly.  God  wanted  it  to  be  that  way.  He  doesn't 
ask  us  to  risk  the  transformation  in  our  own  strength  or 
by  ourselves.  He  puts  his  own  life  on  the  line  with  ours. 
There  is  a  cross  and  a  tomb  in  his  own  history.  But  there 
is  also  a  glorious  resurrection.  As  one  thoughtful  person 
observed,  "Even  in  a  butterfly  you  see  the  clear  imprint  of 
a  cross."  But  the  imprint  has  also  taken  the  form  of 
wings.  And  the  God  who  is  still  at  work  is  the  God 
who  makes  all  things  new. 


L 


yet's  stop  harping  on  the  merits  of  change  for  the 
sake  of  change  and  begin  to  look  for  the  potential  in 
every  man  that  is  waiting  to  be  realized  as  God  intended. 
Let's  stop  resisting  change  because  it  is  change  and  begin 
to  join  God  in  fiis  intentional  work  of  transforming  cater- 
pillars into  butterflies.  Let's  put  our  actions  where  our 
prayers  ought  to  be,  on  behalf  of  the  brothers  God  has 
given  us  in  his  family,  so  that  they  can  be  reborn  and 
renewed  as  he  intended  and  so  that  they  cease  to  crawl 
when  they  should  be  able  to  walk,  if  not  as  yet  to  fly.  — 

K.M. 


32     MESSENGER    1-15-70 


uiient  search  today 


MEET  ME  AT  THE  DOOR 

By  the  author  of  Through  the  Valley  of  the  Kwai 

ERNEST  GORDON 

The  author,  who  is  Dean  of  the  Chapel  at  Princeton  University,  finds 
that  in  the  midst  of  the  tensions  of  academic  life  many  students 
are  searching  for  an  authentic  philosophy,  one  that  cuts  beneath 
the  superficiality  of  a  consumer  society.    Dean  Gordon  tells  concrete 
stories  of  encounters  with  students.    He  finds  that  in  a  time  of 
personal  crisis  many  come  to  see  God's  grace  at  work  in  their  lives. 
Ernest  Gordon,  who  discovered  a  robust  masculine  Christianity  as  a 
prisoner  of  war,  relates  how  that  faith  speaks  as  eloquently  to  the 
students  of  today  as  it  did  to  despairing  prisoners  in  the  jungle 
of  Thailand  in  World  War  II. 
$4.95 

ROCK  2000 
HILEY  H.  WARD 

A  graphic  presentation  of  scattered  impressions  reflecting  the 
bewilderment    and    rebellion    of    today's    youth    and    providing    a 
glimpse  at  their  hopes  and  fears  for  tomorrow.    The  author  says: 
"There  is  much  in  this  book  not  on  the  surface.    It  invites  pausing 
over  a  page,  reflecting  on  it  and  opening  many  vistas  and  much 
discussion  .  .  .  this  book  is  ...  an  honest  attempt  of  a  newsman 
in  touch  with  all  generations  ...  to  see  where  we  are,  what  youth 
are  thinking,  what  youth  can  do,  in  thought  and  action,  in  shaping 
the  future."   From  the  book:  "If  I  had  no  friends,  I'd  be  a  friend." 
"If  I  were  God,  I'd  quit  .  .  ."    "If  I  were  a  soldier,  I  would  learn  to 
shoot  without  killing,"  etc. 
Paper,  $2.75 

CAMPUS  APOCALYPSE 
DONALD  L.   ROGAN 

Looking  behind  the  chaotic,  rebellious  facade  of  student  behavior 
today,  an  experienced  college  counselor  finds  a  constant  search  for 
salvation.   College  students,  he  insists,  "want  to  be  saved,"  although 
they  might  not  admit  it  and  would  never  accept  this  terminology. 
Donald  Rogan,  a  close  observer  of  campus  life  for  almost  two 
decades,  analyzes  six  specific  areas  of  behavior:  the  use  of  drugs, 
the  lively  interest  in  sensitivity  training,  the  study  of  Eastern 
religions,  the  insistence  on  relevance,  the  mood  of  activism,  and  the 
call  for  revolution.    He  finds  that  the  search  for  salvation  through 
sex  "is  passing."  The  author  is  chaplain  and  Associate  Professor  of 
Religion  at  Kenyon  College. 
$4.95 


CHURCH     OF     THE     BRETHREN     GENERAL     OFFICES     •     ELGIN,     ILLINOIS     60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Evangelism  in  a  Day  of  Revolution.  Neither  a  blind  rejection  of  all 
revolution  nor  a  naive  acceptance  of  it,  hut  a  recognition  that  the  gospel 
calls  for  constant  change  —  this  is  the  position  taken  by  a  prominent  evan- 
gelist,   by  Leighton  Ford,    page  2 

Communication  Over  a  Coffee  Cup.  Dialogue,  confrontation,  discovery, 
creativity  —  all  are  key  words  in  understanding  the  coffeehouse  ministry,  by 
Linda  Beher.    page  6. 


A  Trip  Through  Red  China.  Two  China  missionaries  made  a  three-week 
journey  through  communist-held  sections  of  China  in  1946.  They  talked  with 
Christian  leaders  and  communist  officials,  witnessing  to  God's  tmiversal  love 
for  all  men.    by  Wendell  Flory.    page  10 

Detroit:  The  Turn  of  an  Era.  A  series  of  seven  brief  news  stories  reflect 
some  of  the  facets  of  a  significant,  sometimes  turbident,  National  Council  of 
Churches  General  Assembly,   a  special  report  by  Howard  E.  Royer.   page  12 

One  Parish's  Response.  The  University  Park  Church  in  Maryland  has  al- 
ready launched  its  oivti  "Fund  for  the  Americas"  and  is  currently  exploring 
specific  uses  of  the  fund  to  aid  minority  development,   page  18 

Everyone  Needs  to  Be  Stroked.  Many  persons  are  lonely  and  in  need 
of  understanding  and  acceptance.  Christians  may  be  imaware  of  the  burdens 
they  can  easily  share,  if  they  are  alert  and  responsive.  The  author  has  specific 
suggestions  to  guide  those  who  care,   by  La  Vernae  J.  Dick,   page  20 

If  Someone  Is  Listening.  .  .  .  Words  and  phrases,  even  if  they  seldom 
appear  to  be  formal  poems,  give  voice  to  personal  feelings,  insights,  prayers, 
and  benedictions,   a  selection  of  verse,   page  24 


Other  featubes  include  "A  Real  FISH  Story,"  news  of  Brethren  voluntai-y  aid  pro- 
grams (page  18);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Ray  and  Elaine  Sollenberger  (page  23);  a  review 
of  two  books  on  "The  Meaning  of  Prayer,"  by  Byron  Miller  (page  27);  and  a  review  of 
a  recent  film,  "Trilogy,"  by  Dave  Pomeroy  (page  28). 


COMING  NEXT' 


What  does  the  New  Testament  have  to  say  about  the  controversial  .subject  of  obedience 
and  civil  disobedience?  Graijdon  Snyder  examines  a  familiar  passage  from  Romans  13 
in  the  light  of  its  setting  and  with  a  view  to  its  meaning  for  current  questions.  .  .  . 
Inez  Long  sees  how  tempting  it  is  for  pastors  to  move  "up  the  ladder"  into  administra- 
tive, teaching,  or  community  positions.  In  support  of  the  pastoral  role  she  offers  "A  View 
From  the  Bottom  Rung." 


VOL.   119  NO. 


nessenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  ^i^  1/29/70 


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readers  write 


A  PETITION   IN   DRAMATIC   FORM 

Among  the  thousands  who  participated  in 
the  March  on  Death  in  Washington,  D.C., 
were  twenty  of  us  who  are  in  training  at 
the  Missionary  Orientation  Center,  Stony 
Point,  N.Y.  Others,  who  were  sympathetic 
with  the  eflfort.  shared  by  caring  for  the 
children  of  those  participating. 

It  seemed  important  to  us  both  to  partici- 
pate and  to  express  to  our  government  why 
we  were  doing  so.  We  sent  the  following 
telegram  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States:  "We  will  be  supporting  the  March 
on  Death  as  part  of  our  continuing  non- 
violent petition  to  our  government  to  with- 
draw from  Vietnam  and  to  grant  increased 
nonmilitary  aid  to  underdeveloped  coun- 
tries." 

The  right  to  petition  the  government  is  a 
basic  ingredient  in  our  form  of  government. 
The  March  on  Death  was  simply  that  —  a 
petition  delivered  in  dramatic   form. 

For  some  of  us,  the  Moratorium  also  pro- 
vided a  way  of  demonstrating  that  our  gov- 
ernment and  its  policies  are  capable  of 
change.  We  do  not  feel  that  the  system 
is  hopeless  or  that  it  must  be  overthrown. 

But  our  government  is  a  human  institu- 
tion. It  can  err.  And  with  regard  to  our 
presence  in  Vietnam,  it  has  erred,  and  erred 
badly.  Therefore,  we  joined  with  thousands 
of  others  in  urging  our  government  to  ac- 
knowledge that  error  and  to  reverse  its  di- 
rection in  order  not  further  to  compound 
that  tragedy. 

Don  Fancher 
Stony  Point,   N.Y. 

WAR  OBJECTORS   IN   HISTORY 

While  I  do  not  know  of  any  Church  of 
the  Brethren  library  refusing  a  gift  of  my 
book  Christianily  vs.  War,  I  am  sure  many 
of  your   readers   who   write   would   greatly 


improve  their  letters  on  war  objectors  if 
they  knew  facts  of  Brethren  history.  Forty- 
one  Brethren  war  objectors  in  Maryland 
during  the  Revolutionary  War  are  named 
with  the  penalty  they  paid.  Two  hundred 
forty-five  similar  objectors  to  World  War  I 
came  to  Camp  Meade  from  Maryland  and 
Pennsylvania  expressing  "Faith  like  Dunk- 
ers."  .  .  . 

As  a  result  of  an  editorial  in  the  Carroll 
County  Times,  "Chiisliaiuty  vs.  War  has 
been  placed  in  the  libraries  of  our  high 
schools.  .  .  ."  Recently,  a  Methodist  pas- 
tor's wife  called  me  after  reading  the  much 
handled  book  from  our  county  library  and 
secured  her  own  copy.  Her  one  son  already 
returned  from  Vietnam  is  about  to  become 
a  Buddhist.  Her  other  three  sons  will  likely 
be  COs. 

John  D.  Roop 
Linwood,  Md. 

FULL  GOSPEL 

I  am  commenting  on  an  article  in  a  very 
recent  Messenger  which  I  lost  and  cannot 
refer  to.  It  concerned  views  about  the  fu- 
ture of  the  church  and  asked  for  replies  to 
specific  questions  that  I  can't  remember 
fully.  However,  this  is  the  reply  that  repre- 
sents about  a  dozen  of  us  members  at  Olym- 
pic View  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Seattle. 

We  ascribe  to  the  Apostle's  Creed  fully. 
We,  however,  would  term  "catholic"  to 
mean  "ecumenical"  or  "universal."  We  be- 
lieve in  the  "full  gospel  fellowship,"  also 
called  the  "charismatic  renewal"  in  all  its 
biblical  implications.  We  are  not  "liberals, 
modernists,  fundamentalists,  pentecostals," 
but  follow  the  "full  gospel  fellowship,"  and 
ascribe  to  "all  the  gifts"  including  the  bap- 
tism of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  speaking  in 
tongues.  We  also  ascribe  to  demonstrating 
the  Christian  attitudes  and  walks  of  life  in 


the  fruits  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  are  also 
involved  with  hippies  and  other  fringe  ele-l 
ments. 

We  also  occasionally  meet  in  homes  fori 
praise  and  prayer  since  it  is  excluded  fromi 
the  church.  We  believe  in  the  rapture  whichi 
says  that  "behold  I  come  quickly  and  myi 
reward  is  with  me."  We  believe  in  the  setx 
ond  coming  of  Christ,  the  generation  thatj 
will  not  pass  away  since  the  return  of  Israeli 
to  the  Holy  Land,  so  are  not  worried  about 
the  church  in  2000  a.d.  We  believe  thatt 
charismatic  renewal  is  the  true  ecumenical 
movement  on  the  spiritual  level  and  entirely, 
guided  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  We  believe  in  hisi 
power  to  heal,  cast  out  devilish  entities,  andi 
lead  dedicated  lives  as  he  consecrates  us  tc 
our  "agency"  in  his  enterprises.  Some  of  usi 
visit  three  full  gospel  churches,  one  Romani 
Catholic,  one  Episcopal,  and  one  reallyl 
Pentecostal.  We  believe  that  we  share  a  life 
together  that  is  quite  impossible  in  any  oth-li 
er  persuasion,  and  in  so  doing,  that  we  are 
obedient  to  the  great  commission  of  otui 
Lord  and  Savior,  Jesus. 

Harold  A.  Lawrence 
Seattle,  Wash. 


♦ 


TWO   PARTS   OF  THE  BROTHERHOOD 

Among  many  things  for  which  to  bel 
thankful,  one  of  the  foremost  thoughts  on 
my  mind  at  the  moment  is  your  excellenli 
story  "The  Actionists  and  the  Revivalists'li 
(Nov.  20). 

I  feel  these  are  two  very  outstanding  parts' 
of  our  Brotherhood  today  and  I  appreciate! 
their  humility  and  love  for  each  other  eve« 
though  having  differing  opinions  as  they< 
speak  possibly  for  every  congregation  in  ouii 
Brotherhood. 

Ivan  R.  Lutz 
Lititz,  Pa. 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover.  16-17  Brennon  Jones;  3  Ronald  Orr;  5  artwork  by  Ja 
15.   20.   21    Religious  News   Service;    25   BishofE's   Studio.    Petersburg.   W.    Va. 


Woodend;    12.   13 


Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor:  Howard  E.  Royer.  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  ."Vug.  20.  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17.  1917.  FiUng  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  54.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3.60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;    $3.00   per   year   for   every    home   plan;    life   subscription    $60;    husband    and    wife.    $75.  . 

If    you    move    clip    old    address    from    Messenger    and    send    with    new    address.     Allow    at    /\ 

least    fifteen    days    for    address    change.      Messenger    is    owned    and    published    every    other  r^ 

week  by   the  Church   of   the   Brethren   General   Board,    1451    Dundee   Ave.,   Elgin.    Ill,    60120.  Js, 

Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  III.    Jan.  29.  1970.  P 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119   No.  3 


IT  HAPPENED   IN  MINNEAPOLIS 

Kindly  allow  me  to  recall  another  hapi| 
pening  at  Minneapolis  (Nov.  6).  A  Harvard 
professor  came  to  town  with  his  Bible  lec^' 
tures.  I  was  there.  I  saw.  I  heard,  and  I 
pondered. 

Now  it  came  to  pass  that  the  city  wasi 
the  seat  of  a  well-organized  arch-conserva-; 
live  group.  Emissaries  were  sent  to  heckle 
and  confuse  the  speaker.  This  was  hardly 
unlike  the  Pharisees  who  sought  to  confuse: 
and  bedevil  our  Lord.  I  was  there,  and  1 
continued  to  ponder  this  occasion  as  it  was 
developing  before  my  very  eyes. 


Page  one... 


j  And  now  it  came  to  pass  that  on  the  front 
^ge  of  the  morning  paper  there  appeared  in 

ig,  bold  letters:   How  Professor  

we  the  Bible  to  pieces. 
I  And  now  a  crusading  revivalist  and  self- 
ailed  "Bible  Believer"  set  himself  to  make 
liiblic  answer.  I  was  there  and  so  were 
jiany  others.  The  speaker  started  off  with  a 
(ang.  By  way  of  introduction  he  exclaimed, 
i  have  been  in  conference  with  forty  other 
(Teachers  and  I  was  the  only  one  that  be- 
jeves  in  the  Bible!" 

j  Now,  he  said,  we  are  closing  our  crusade 
gainst  the  professor  with  a  banquet  and 
ou  are  invited  to  be  present  "if  you  believe 
s  we  do."  I  was  there  and  I  continue  to 
pnder.  This  occurred  at  Minneapolis  many 
«ars  ago. 

David  F.  Warner 
/oodland,  Mich. 

:  YOU  TOOK   tT  STRAIGHT 

I  Among  other  reasons  for  its  infamy,  Chi- 
■ago  is  a  journalistic  wasteland.  One  of  this 
ity's  very  few  observers  of  the  times  worth 
oting  is  Mike  Royko.  One  gets  accustomed 
3  the  powerful  way  in  which  his  sense  and 
anity  get  communicated  through  his  daily 
atire  appearing  in  the  Chicago  Daily  News. 
'ersuaded  by  the  effectiveness  of  the  style, 
wrote  such  a  letter  to  the  Messenger.  It 
ppeared  under  Readers  Write  (Oct.  9).  To 
hose  who  do  not  understand  satire,  please 
ie  assured  that  I  meant  exactly  the  reverse 
)f  what  I  wrote.  If  you  took  it  straight  and 
greed  with  the  letter,  please  know  that  you 
jnd  I  are  poles  apart.  If  you  took  it  straight 
nd  opposed  what  I  said,  then  we  should 
hare  some  of  the  same  convictions.  Final- 
y,  be  most  assured  that  I  will  never  write  a 
atirical  letter  to  the  Messenger  again. 

Murray  L.  Wagner 
Chicago,  111. 

^  FIELD  OF  WONDERS 

Regarding  the  letter  of  Amos  Bontrager 
Sept.  25),  I  liked  what  he  wrote  which  was 
n  short  this  for  me:  Miracles  and  spiritual 
30wer  went  "hand  in  hand"  in  Bible  times, 
and  should  be    (if  not   are)    so   related  in 

odern  times.  .  .   . 

For  forty  years,  as  a  Brethren  for  whom 
natural  science  has  been  emphasized,  I  was 
hearing  the  miracles  of  the  Bible  "explained 
away."  Yet  I  was  being  bothered  severely: 
How  could  I  believe  the  Bible  promises, 
especially  those  of  Jesus  about  eternal  life, 
More  on  page  24 


January  doesn't  happen  to  be  our  favorite  month,  but  it  offers  a  convenient 
time  to  survey  the  past  year  and  to  anticipate  the  new  one.  Maybe  that  is 
why  the  Romans  named  it  for  their  two-faced  God,  Janus,  who  looked  both 
directions  at  once.   Some  ancients  regarded  him  as  a  god  of  all  beginnings; 
others  put  him  in  charge  of  doorways  and  archways.  Since  this  particular 
January  ended  one  decade,  the  sixties,  and  inaugurated  another,  don't  be 
surprised  if  practically  every  newspaper  and  magazine  —  including  Messenger 
■ —  has  a  two-faced  look  about  it. 

Looking,  back  over  the  sixties,  a  special  report  from  Religious  News 
Service  provides  an  overview  of  that  decade,  focusing  on  religious  issues  and 
the  trends  they  have  taken.   But  Christians  must  always  look  ahead.  Their 
concern  for  Vietnam,  for  example,  is  not  only  to  end  the  fighting  but  to  begin 
now  to  plan  for  the  kind  of  constructive  aid  that  can  best  assist  that  troubled 
land.  Toward  this  end  we  welcome  the  direction  that  H.  Lamar  Gibble,  a 
fairly  recent  newcomer  to  the  General  Staff,  can  offer.   His  pastorate  at 
Kensington,  Maryland,  a  Washington,  D.C.,  suburb,  exposed  him  to  national 
and  international  politics.   An  avid  interest  in  social  issues  led  to  a  master's 
degree  in  international  relations  (American  University),  two  lengthy  papers  on 
the  church's  role  in  shaping  theories  of  international  relations,  and  attendance 
at  conferences  and  seminars  on  such  subjects  as  China  and  world  peace. 

Imagine  our  surprise  a  few  weeks  ago  when  we  picked  up  a  copy  of 
Christian  Advocate,  a  United  Methodist  magazine  for  pastors  and  church 
leaders,  and  saw  on  the  cover  a  picture  of  Graydon 
Snyder  energetically  talking  to  a  small  group  in 
someone's  living  room.  It  turned  out  that  a  Methodist 
pastor  had  written  an  article  describing  an  arrangement 
by  which  Grady  worked  last  year  with  a  Presbyterian 
church  as  its  "theologian-in-residence."  Grady  tells  us 
^^  '^JHL^       that  the  experience  is  worthy  of  a  report  in  Messenger 
^^K  ^^^J^^B     or  perhaps  a  longer  analysis  for  Brethren  Life  and 
^^A    M     ■!■      Thought.  While  we  wait  for  that,  we  can  sample  some  of 
SNYDER  Grady's  theologizing  in  his  perceptive  study  of  Romans 

13.  As  professor  of  New  Testament  at  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary,  Grady  has  been  serving  as  theologian-in-residence 
for  several  years  now,  at  the  Oak  Brook  campus  and  otherwise  for  the 
benefit  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Turning  to  other  contributors,  we  salute  Rosella  Flory  (Mrs.  Earl),  a 
homemaker  who  lives  on  a  farm  near  Nampa,  Idaho. 

Public  schoolteacher  Inez  Long  (Mrs.  John),  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  has 
served  with  the  General  Board,  has  contributed  other  thought-provoking 
articles  on  the  role  of  the  church. 

Plattsburg,  Missouri,  is  the  home  of  Bernice  Hoover  Cook,  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  that  town. 

"I  have  felt  led  to  write  and  share  this,"  reflects  M.  Corinne  Hoff  Simmons 
about  her  essay.  Recently  widowed,  Mrs.  Simmons  lives  at  Harrisonburg, 
Virginia. 

A  member  of  the  York  Center  congregation,  Carrie  Stern  lives  at  Villa 
Park,  Illinois. 

Fred  W.  Swartz  serves  the  Summerdean  church  at  Roanoke,  Virginia,  as 
pastor,  while  book  reviewer  Paul  L.  Groff  holds  the  pastorate  at  Akron's 
Springfield  church  in  Northern  Ohio.  The  Editors 


lii 


I 


She  Takes  the  Books 

to  Where  the  Children  Are 


^'H 


elen  Watts  wants  a  bus  to  use  as  a 
bookmobile."  Knowing  Helen,  we  were 
not  surprised  when  our  Church  of  the 
Brethren  pastor  went  on  to  say,  "It's  just 
a  matter  of  time  until  she  gets  one." 

A  trait  which  Helen  Watts  refers  to  as 
"just  plain  stubbornness"  enabled  her  to 
make  a  reality  of  her  dream.  Her  book- 
mobile provided  the  means  of  distributing 
3,945  books  at  eight  migrant-labor  camps 
and  neighborhoods  in  the  Nampa,  Idaho, 
area.  The  story  of  the  bookmobile, 
though,  cannot  be  separated  from  the 
person  who  realized  this  expanding 
dream  of  "books  for  migrants."  If  stub- 
bornness means  being  unwilling  to  quit 
or  to  give  up  in  the  face  of  obstacles,  then 
Helen  Watts  is  certainly  stubborn.  Add 
to  this  a  warm,  vivacious,  outgoing  tem- 
perament, and  we  have  a  more  complete 


by  Rosella  Flory 


picture  of  her. 

After  a  year  at  McPherson  College, 
McPherson,  Kansas,  Helen  married  Otha 
Watts  and  used  her  enthusiasm  to  become 
a  homemaker  and  helper  on  the  farm. 
With  four  children  and  church  and  com- 
munity activities,  Helen  has  a  busy  sched- 
ule —  but  not  too  busy  to  respond  to  the 
needs  of  others,  such  as  caring  for  several 
Indian  children  while  their  mother  served 
a  jail  sentence. 

Because  of  this  demonstrated  concern, 
the  sheriff  called  Helen  when  Frank,  a 
fourteen-year-old  Mexican,  needed  a 
home.  The  six  months  he  lived  with  the 
Watts  family  were  full  of  problems.  It 
was  hard  to  understand,  for  example, 
why  Frank  wanted  to  keep  Helen  from 
disciplining  her  own  children  until  it  was 
discovered  that  he  had  unfortunate 


memories  of  beatings  when  very  young. 
But  Helen  and  Otha  found  out  what  their 
home  had  meant  to  Frank  when  he 
returned  from  Vietnam  for  a  visit  with 
Mom  and  Dad  Watts  before  going  on  to 
New  York,  where  he  is  now  making  his 
own  home. 

It  followed  naturally  that  when 
younger  members  of  Frank's  family  were 
without  a  home,  Helen  was  called  again, 
and  she  eventually  asked  for  their 
temporary  custody.  She  describes  that 
summer  as  almost  "funny."  "There  were 
my  brother  Bob  and  two  nephews  with 
us,  our  four  children  and  four  new  ones, 
and  a  farm  helper  now  and  then.  Beds 
were  everyplace,  and  the  house  running 
over  with  children."  But  as  she  set  her- 
self the  task  of  finding  just  the  right 
permanent  homes  for  the  Mexican  chil- 


The  school  bus  was  no  longer  safe  for  people,  but  Helel 


2     MESSENGER    1-29-70 


Left:  Helen  Watts,  powerhouse  behind  the  wheel  of  the 
bookmobile  for  migrants;  (above)  Mrs.  David 
Travernicht  checks  out  books  for  girls  from  nearby 
labor  camps 


dren,  she  found  it  to  be  a  tremendous 
responsibility  which  took  heavily  of  her 
time  and  spirit.  After  many  interviews 
and  trial  visits,  along  with  much  patience 
and  prayer,  families  and  children  were 
matched,  Mary  and  Toni  staying  together, 
Angelita  becoming  an  only  child,  and 
Danny  fitting  into  the  Watts  family.  All 
have  been  given  the  love  and  care,  train- 
ing and  discipline  typical  of  any  good 
home. 

This  close  contact  with  Spanish- 
speaking  people  was  Helen's  inspiration 
and  preparation  for  work  with  migrants. 
Sponsored  by  the  Migrant  Ministry  and 
Church  Women  United,  young  people's 
groups  made  weekly  visits  to  several 
camps,  directing  recreation  with  games, 
crafts,  and  slides.  Helen  and  members  of 
her  family  went  often  with  the  groups  to 


help  and  to  get  acquainted  with  the 
migrants. 

She  recalls  that  she  began  to  realize 
that  there  were  other  basic  needs  such  as 
a  better  understanding  of  the  English 
language  and  introduction  to  the  joy  of 
reading  and  wholesome  leisure  activity 
through  the  week.  To  try  to  meet  these 
needs,  she  and  other  volunteers  gathered 
books  from  their  own  and  neighbors' 
homes  and  took  them,  packed  in  card- 
board boxes,  one  night  a  week  to  the 
camps.  Almost  before  they  were  ar- 
ranged on  card  tables,  eager  children 
crowded  around  to  choose  their  favorites 
for  the  week. 

As  the  migrant  library  idea  became 
known,  books  from  various  sources  began 
to  come  in.   A  vacation  Bible  school  gave 
books  and  money;  public  schoolteachers 


brought  discarded  schoolbooks  to  be 
sorted;  Church  Women  United  gathered 
books  and  voted  funds  for  necessary 
library  supplies.  But  always  there  was  a 
need  for  a  better  quality  and  a  greater 
variety  of  books  of  interest  to  teen-agers 
and  adults  as  well  as  to  children.  So, 
Helen  talked  "Books  for  Migrants"  to 
everyone. 

"I  think  people  crossed  the  street  to 
escape  me,"  she  says.  But  if  they  did, 
they  also  invited  her  to  speak  at  clubs 
and  group  meetings.  Her  enthusiasm  was 
infectious,  and  many  groups  responded 
with  volunteer  help  and  funds.  However, 
the  Watts  family  continued  to  take 
responsibility  for  sorting,  indexing,  and 
making  library  cards  as  well  as  mend- 
ing —  an  unending  task  since  most  of  the 
books  were  well-used  before  being 


Watts  could  put  it  to  use  -as  a  bookmobile  for  migrants 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     3 


SHE  TAKES  THE  BOOKS  /  continued 


donated. 

Even  with  added  help,  because  lugging 
the  books  from  home  to  camp  and 
shuffling  them  between  camps  for  better 
variety  was  a  haphazard  system  at  best, 
Helen's  idea  of  a  bookmobile  was  bom. 
When  she  presented  it  to  the  Idaho 
Council  of  Churches,  they  responded 
favorably  and  decided  to  hire  a  driver 
and  try  to  find  a  vehicle.   Fortunately  for 
this  project,  the  old  school  bus  which  had 
served  for  church-camp  transportation 
was  being  discarded  as  no  longer  safe  for 
people.  But  for  books  and  short  trips,  it 
was  a  real  find!  The  dream  began  to  take 
shape  as  shelves  and  tables  replaced  the 
worn  seats  —  to  the  box  and  card  table 
crews  it  looked  like  a  real  library  with 
check-in  and  check-out  counters  at  front 
and  back  doors. 

At  first  different  drivers  took  the  book- 
mobile to  the  several  camps;  one,  the 
pastor  of  the  local  Spanish  church,  helped 
the  language  situation  considerably. 
However,  this  left  the  books  without 
regular  library  care,  so  it  soon  became 
evident  that  there  should  be  a  driver- 
librarian  to  take  complete  responsibility 
for  bus  and  books. 

"I'm  not  a  good  driver,"  confessed 
Helen  when  the  Council  asked  her  to  take 
charge.  "But  I  never  back  up,"  she  went 
on  to  explain.  "It  is  a  rule  for  buses.  We 
must  be  careful  as  there  are  always 
children  around." 

Last  summer  she  kept  a  regular  sched- 
ule of  two  hour-long  visits  each  evening, 
four  nights  a  week.  She  hopes  to  make 
ten  visits  a  week  next  year.  At  each  place 
two  or  more  adults  from  the  church  or 
community  are  scheduled  to  be  there  to 
help  check  out  books.  There  was  one 
exception  when  four  girls  came  to  help 
and  set  a  record  by  checking  out  105 
books  in  an  hour! 

Over  and  over  Helen  emphasizes  that 
many  individuals  have  helped.  She  says 
they  have  four  common  characteristics: 


They  are  busy;  they  love  children;  they 
love  books:  they  are  eager  to  give  time 
to  something  worthwhile.  In  her  words, 
"John  was  wonderful.  And  don't  forget 
to  mention  LaWayne;  he  was  so  faithful 
and  capable  directing  recreation  on 
library  nights.  Then  Mrs.  D.  is  always 
looking  for  Spanish  books.  This  year  fifty 
dollars  has  been  given  for  her  to  spend 
for  books  in  Mexico  when  she  and  her 
husband  make  their  annual  visit  there." 
The  list  is  long  and  ends  with,  "I  could 
never  have  done  it  without  the  patience 
and  cooperation  of  my  wonderful  hus- 
band and  family.  But,"  she  adds  quickly, 
"their  benefits  far  outweigh  their 
sacrifices." 

She  noted,  too,  that  this  seemed  to  be 
the  kind  of  project  that  catches  the 
imagination  of  many  different  groups,  a 
wonderful  example  of  people  of  goodwill 
working  together  when  they  see  a  need. 

The  use  of  Spanish  books  is  an  interest- 
ing aspect.  Since  English  is  used  in  the 
public  schools,  the  English  library  books 
are  invaluable  for  improving  reading 
skills  and  for  enjoyment.  But  an  ample 
selection  of  Spanish  books  and  magazines 
recognize  the  dignity  and  worth  of  their 
own  language  and  culture.  The  Little 
Golden  Books  in  Spanish  have  been 
especially  popular.  With  these,  the  non- 
English  reading  parents  can  comply  with 
the  familiar  "read  me  a  story"  plea  and 
avoid  a  bit  of  Spanish  generation  gap. 


w. 


rhat  sparked  Helen's  deep  concern 
and  interest  in  migrant  farm  workers? 
She  is  sure  that  her  experiences  with 
Frank,  Danny,  and  their  sisters  made  a 
difference.  Thinking  farther  back,  she 
said,  "This  work  satisfied  something  that 
goes  back  to  the  time  I  attended  the 
Wenatchee  Annual  Conference  the  year 
before  I  was  married.   It  was  the  year  the 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  program  was 


started.  I  remember  feeling  excited  and 
thinking  I  would  try  to  use  my  talent  and 
energy  in  Brethren  service  in  my  home 
community.  This  has  been  my  op- 
portunity." 

This  dedication  led  quite  naturally  to 
a  desire  for  more  education  and  training. 
During  these  busy  years,  which  now 
include  enjoying  a  bouncy  grandson, 
Helen  has  been  adding  up  credits  by 
attending  night  and  summer  school  — 
enough  now  for  a  library  science  minor. 
Her  ambition  is  to  earn  a  degree  in 
elementary  education.  Just  where  that 
will  lead  is  uncertain,  but  "books  for 
migrants"  is  sure  to  be  a  continuing 
interest. 

One  September  Sunday  morning  I 
missed  Helen  in  church.  Otha's  eyes 
shone  as  he  explained,  "Oh,  she's  at  that 
institute  in  Seattle  this  week.   It's  a  long 
name:  'Institute  for  Advanced  Studies  — 
Libraries  and  the  Disadvantaged.'  I 
didn't  use  it  all  when  I  wrote  to  her. 
It  is  really  quite  an  honor  for  her  to  get 
to  go."  She  had  applied,  been  accepted, 
and  awarded  a  stipend  to  attend  the 
goverrmient-sponsored  institute.  Nearly 
all  persons  attending  had  major  library 
responsibilities  or  administrative  posi- 
tions, and  many  races  and  creeds  were 
represented.  The  bookmobile  idea 
seemed  to  be  unique,  since  none  other  of 
its  kind  was  reported.   It  was  a  thrilling 
experience,  both  educational  and  inspira- 
tional —  a  well-deserved  recognition  of 
hours  and  days  of  hard  work,  thought, 
and  planning. 

What  is  the  future  of  the  bookmobile? 
The  old  bus  is  hardly  worth  the  cost  of 
the  complete  engine  overhaul  it  needs, 
but  it  may  have  to  serve  beyond  the 
reasonable  expectations  for  a  bus  its  age. 
However,  there  must  be  a  better  one 
somewhere,  waiting  to  fit  into  the  bigger 
and  better  plans  for  the  migrant  library. 
And,  since  Helen  wants  a  bus  again,  it 
is  just  a  matter  of  time! 


4     MESSENGER    1-29-70 


A  VIEW 
FROM  THE 

BOTTOM  RUNG 


V 

loung  men  in  seminary  report  that 
among  seminarians  in  tlie  powerful 
eastern  sector  of  the  country,  students 
planning  to  enter  the  pastoral  ministry' 
are  on  the  bottom  rung  of  the  ministerial 
ladder.   Ministries  in  sociology,  psy- 
chology, chaplaincy,  inner-city  mission, 
coffeehouses,  labor  and  industry, 
councils  of  churches,  and  education 
enjoy  higher  prestige.  This  report  is 
verified  by  popular  public  opinion  in 
communities  outside  the  ivy  walls. 

In  common  parlance,  to  be  a  pastor 
is  to  be  less  than  a  person.  Even  more 


bluntly,  to  be  a  pastor  is  to  be  the 
object  of  the  action  rather  than  the 
energizer  of  the  action.  So  in  a  day 
when  frequent  and  sensational  exposure 
seems  to  be  the  vehicle  by  which  makers 
of  destiny  achieve  their  own  as  leaders, 
any  competent  person  who  is  "with  it" 
does  not  voluntarily  choose  to  remain 
an  anonymous  laborer  if  he  can  be 
publicized  initiator.  It  is  that  simple. 
Voluntarily  handing  the  interview  back 
to  the  master  of  ceremonies  when  one 
has  the  competence  to  hold  the  spot- 
light himself  is  a  fatal  maneuver 
smacking  of  self-intimidation  for  any- 
one who  knows  how  the  leadership 
game  is  played.  So  the  reasons  run. 
So  the  pastor  sees  himself  —  down  at 
the  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder. 

So  the  bottom  rung  isn't  crowded. 
No  one  likes  to  keep  the  territory  open 
simply  for  trespassers  on  their  way  to 
higher  ground.  No  one  likes  to  have 
his  shoulders  as  a  hoist  for  publicity 
seekers.  No  one  likes  to  have  a  ladder 
propped  from  his  back  by  which  others 


Inez  Long 


BOTTOM  RUNG  /  continued 


reach  heights  to  appeal  to  the  fans.  No 
one  likes  to  provide  an  arena.  Every- 
one, by  nature,  Hkes  the  spothght.  To 
be  at  the  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder  is 
to  feel  second-rate.  It  is  to  feel  that 
one  is  cleverly  being  used  by  others, 
that  one  is  stuck  in  an  outmoded  place, 
that  one  is  snagged  at  the  crossroads  of 
a  traffic  jam  of  Christians  pursuing 
Utopias  in  the  seventies. 

Yet,  in  spite  of  these  feelings,  many 
pastors  continue  to  elevate  the  intellec- 
tual elite  who  are  still  amazingly  pro- 
lific and  confident  in  their  explosion  of 
knowledge.  Pastors  continue  to  try  to 
enlist  the  urbane  cosmopolitan  who  uses 
the  latest  slick  jargon.   And  from  the 
bottom  of  the  ladder,  pastors  strain  to 
see  the  high-blown  blueprints  of  ideal- 
istic planners  which  the  sixties  produced 
in  endless  Xeroxed  copies.   All  of  these 
men  are  needed.  They  are  so  needed, 
so  advertised,  and  so  popular  that  any 
young,  red-blooded  man  who  wants  to 
use  his  energy  productively  questions  if 
he  could  ever  feel  truly  alive  as  a  pastor 
at  the  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder. 

Added  to  this  are  feelings  of  nagging 


doubt  about  the  church  as  an  institution 
whose  veins,  reportedly,  are  near  col- 
lapse at  a  time  when  heart  transplants 
have  not  proved  especially  successful. 
Pastors  feel  the  waning  pulse  of  the 
church  as  strong  men  continue  to 
graduate  themselves  from  the  church  — 
strong  men  who,  like  alumni,  pronounce 
the  completion  of  their  own  course  of 
study,  or  who,  like  men  in  the  draft, 
defect  because  they  hate  the  system 
only  to  be  lock-stepped  into  another. 
The  feelings  of  doubt  while  in  a  second- 
rate  position  are  real,  man-sized  feelings 
for  those  at  the  bottom  rung  of  the 
ladder. 


w. 


rhy,  then,  do  men  stay  in  the 
pastoral  ministry?  Some  stay  by  de- 
fault, because  they  have  nowhere  else 
to  go  or  can't  do  anything  else.   Many 
don't  stay.  Some  leave,  try  something 
else,  and  then  return.  Often  they  re- 
turn for  precisely  the  same  reasons  that 
they  left:  to  find  a  place  of  power  and 
relevance  in  the  world  of  today.  The 
test  of  experience  has  provided  them 


INCREDIBLE! 

by  Martha   N.  Parker 

man   himself  yet  not  matured 

enough  to  guide 

the  human   race. 

Great  plans  were  made. 

the  tower  was  going   up; 

Plans   intricately  woven 

then   came  trouble. 

With  "Telstar"  and  "hot  lines" 

men  spoke  in  tongues, 

lack  interpersonal   relations; 

confusion   reigned.   Babel 

the  gap 

ended   in   rubble. 

in  our  communication 

widens  —  stretching  tensile 

Technologically  we   move 

strength,  threatens 

farther  and  faster 

to  snap, 

into  space; 

ending   human   habitation. 

with  a  basis  of  comparison  on  how  to 
be  most  productive  in  a  changing  society. 
Personal  experience  is  more  real  than 
headlines  or  sensational  projects  re- 
putedly "somewhere  else  where  the 
action  is."  Most  pastors  choose  the 
field  at  the  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder 
because  they  have  seen  the  power  at 
work  there,  steady  power  day  after  day, 
century  after  century. 

First,  they  see  the  power  inherent  in 
the  opportunity  to  express,  fifty  times 
out  of  the  year  to  a  volunteer  audience 
of  all  ages,  these  hard-won  concepts 
which  have  the  authenticity  of  a  life 
proved  trustworthy  in  the  company  of 
those  who,  also,  have  felt  the  fire  and 
seen  the  sparks.  These  concepts  are 
relevant  and  hard-won  because  of  the 
daily  scuffle,  the  guerrilla  warfare  of 
everyday  shocks  and  tactics.  They  are 
hard-won  and  memorable  because  they 
are  not  plucked  from  the  linear  order  of 
a  textbook  but  hammered  from  the  cru- 
cible of  open  warfare  with  sin. 

Second,  they  stay  or  they  return 
because  of  the  opportunity  to  join  the 
struggle  of  souls  in  the  crucial  stages 
of  life.  They  see  the  power,  stronger 
than  physical  force,  of  symbols  and 
ideas  in  which  the  life  of  the  church 
expresses  itself.  They  see  the  power 
of  the  church  as  a  center  for  action 
because  the  power  is  born  of  commu- 
nity, insisting  on  structure  where  love 
can  do  its  work  and  justice  can  open 
its  doors.  They  see  the  church  as  an 
institution  which  is  skilled  in  building 
community  in  a  world  computerized  for 
fracture.  They  observe  at  church  con- 
ferences and  church  gatherings  how 
persons  who  have  been  total  strangers 
go  briskly  about  the  business  of  build- 
ing immediate  community.  On  the 
deepest  levels  —  of  morality,  mutual 
respect,  and  personal  freedom  —  church 
members  have  the  feel  and  the  know- 
how  for  community  and  the  practical 


6     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


r 

.?  frames  of  reference  to  build  it. 

Third,  from  the  bottom  rung  of  the 
ladder,  a  pastor  hears  the  basic  ques- 
tions asked  every  day,  and  he  stays 
around  long  enough  to  see  people 
answer  them.  What  is  real?  What  is 
good  and  right?  How  can  I  be  a  ful- 
filled person?  These  are  questions 
which  every  human  being  incorporates, 
like  the  air  he  breathes. 

In  answering  them,  every  man  spends 
time  at  the  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder. 
That's  where  the  pastor  is.  He's  not  up 
in  the  crow's  nest  hunting  ultimates  like 
Moby  Dick,  though  he  and  the  crew 
know  that  they  are  living  within  ul- 
timates. He  is  not  spying  out  the  enemy, 
though  he  and  his  flock  are  alert  to 
foxes  everywhere  and  wolves  in  sheep's 
clothing.  He  is  not  garbed  in  the 
grotesque  to  pronounce  doom  on  the 
earth,  though  he  knows  full  well  the 
nature  of  reality,  the  invisible  line  be- 
tween the  temporal  and  the  eternal. 
The  pastor  is  in  the  mud  and  the  mire, 
in  the  garbage  heaps  of  men's  lives, 
and  the  stench  of  these  left  behind  at 
the  bottom.  He  is  also  at  the  bottom 
where  those  who,  kneeling  at  the  altar, 
catch  stars  in  their  eyes  and  begin  as 
reborn  men  and  women  on  the  narrow 
path  of  being  Christian  in  a  secular 
world. 

Fourth,  and  most  important,  the 
pastor  keeps  the  place  at  the  bottom  of 
the  ladder  for  freedom  and  diversity. 
He  doesn't  get  stuck  on  any  one  rung. 
He  doesn't  fulfill  any  stereotyped  role. 
He  doesn't  fortify  any  one  position.  He 
insists  on  freedom  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder  so  that  every  member  of  the 
church  may  be  free.  He  knows  that  man 
may  not  have  a  choice  about  the  set  of 
circumstances  in  which  he  finds  himself, 
but  man  does  have  a  choice  about  his 
attitude  toward  those  circumstances. 
And  while  the  prophets  who  hang  limbo 
on  the  top  rung,  and  the  radical  dis- 


ciples who  hold  forth  on  self-appointed 
or  God-ordained  rungs,  criticize  him 
for  not  taking  a  position,  for  not  ex- 
posing his  beliefs,  and  for  not  putting 
his  body  on  the  line,  the  pastor  remains 
where  he  is:  at  the  bottom  rung  of  the 
ladder  in  the  mish-mash  of  individuals 
working  their  way  through  freedom  in 
the  church. 

The  pastor  knows  from  the  bottom 
rung  of  the  ladder  that  in  a  free  society 
we  have  no  official  ethics  any  more 
than  we  have  an  official  faith  or  a  po- 
litical philosophy.  We  can  have  the  his- 
toric faith  of  men  in  Jesus  Christ.  We 
can  have  a  moral  consensus.  We  can 
have  principles  but  not  rules.  The 
morality  of  a  situation  will  be  worked 
out  in  the  inner  citadel  of  a  man's  heart 
and  soul.  The  principles  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith  will  find  their  rule  in  the 
processes  by  which  a  man  comes  to 
terms  with  God.  The  pastor  is  at  the 
bottom  rung  of  the  ladder  because  he 
is  protecting  the  due  processes  by  which 
reason  may  be  employed,  without 
harrassment,  by  every  man  at  his  own 
pace,  and  the  openness  for  mystery  by 
which  the  Spirit  may  break  through  as 
it  wills. 


I  he 


I  he  troubled  pastors  are  those  whose 
congregations  have  not  yet  decided 
whether  to  set  hidebound  rules  for  the 
thin-skinned  and  the  flabby,  or  to  keep 
the  ground  open,  even  the  mud  and  the 
mire,  so  that  people  can  take  their  own 
steps.  For  freedom's  sake  • —  the  free- 
dom which  is  every  man's  through  Christ 
Jesus  —  the  true  pastor  knows  his  place 
is  at  the  bottom  of  the  ladder  where  the 
mud  and  debris  from  rebellious  lives 
and  revolutionary  groups  dirty  up  the 
temple  and  his  own  image.  Still  he 
stands,  protecting  the  right  of  people 
to  diversity,  so  that  each  man's  ears 
may  hear  the  beat  of  a  distant  drummer 


for  that  walk,  or  dance,  or  march,  or 
swagger  which  every  man  chooses  to 
make  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave. 

The  bottom  rung  of  the  ladder  is  the 
place  where  the  greatest  issue  of  our 
time  is  undergoing  a  flagrant  test  in 
churches  large  and  small:  Is  it  possible 
to  develop  a  climate  which  strengthens 
the  individual  person  while  simultaneous- 
ly strengthening  community?  Often  the 
two  have  been  mutually  exclusive: 
Strengthen  the  individual  only,  and  he 
becomes  a  powerful  end  in  himself, 
sometimes  benevolent,  sometimes  tyran- 
nical. The  same  is  true  of  community 
only.  History  is  against  pure  individual- 
ism, which  grows  rampant,  and  against 
pure  community,  which  grows  into 
uniformity.  Judaism  asks  two  rhetorical 
questions  in  this  regard:  If  I  am  not 
for  myself,  who  is  for  me?  This  speaks 
to  the  uniqueness  of  each  person.  But 
if  I  am  for  myself  alone,  what  kind  of 
person  is  that?  This  speaks  to  the  struc- 
ture of  community  which  is  more  than 
an  agglomeration  of  individuals. 

For  the  two  thousand  years  of  her 
history,  the  church  has  worked  through 
those  periods  of  recurring  renaissance 
—  periods  much  like  our  own  —  in 
which  individual  human  worth  has 
been  emphasized.  Meanwhile,  the 
church  kept  the  continuity  of  com- 
munity so  that  it  outlasted  all  secular 
systems.  This  is  because  the  church 
has  purpose,  united  with  a  power  of 
being,  which  is  her  Lord,  and  uniting 
men  with  a  power  of  love,  which  is 
shared  by  those  who  have  been  re- 
deemed by  God's  love. 

In  addition,  the  church  has  the  sym- 
bols and  rituals,  universal  and  timeless, 
for  remembering  and  celebrating  that 
which  holds  community  together.  It  is 
no  wonder,  then,  that  in  spite  of  the 
traffic  jam  to  the  top  of  the  ladder,  the 
pastor  stays  at  the  bottom  rung  through 
thick  and  thin,  n 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     7 


Obedience 
or 

Disobedience? 

understanding 
of  ^ 

Romans  13 

GR^YDON  F.  SNYDER 


Paul's  admonition  to  the  Romans  re- 
garding obedience  to  the  state  seems 
clear  and  forthright:  "Let  every  person 
be  subject  to  the  authoritative  powers. 
For  there  is  no  power  except  from  God 
and  the  ones  that  do  exist  have  been  so 
ordered  by  God.  And  the  ones  who  resist 
will  bring  judgment  on  themselves.   For 
the  rulers  are  not  a  terror  for  good  con- 
duct but  for  evil."  Paul  goes  on  to  say 
that  Christians  should  support  the  rulers 
and  pay  taxes,  as  would  any  good  citizen. 

The  apparent  clarity  of  this  passage, 
lodged  as  it  is  in  the  great  and  basic 
letter  to  the  Romans,  has  been  a  tool, 
even  a  bludgeon,  in  the  hands  of  the 
state,  ever  since  the  time  when  Chris- 
tianity was  accepted  as  the  public  reli- 
gion under  Constantine.  Bishop  Ambrose 
of  Milan  (374-397)  invoked  it  to  call 
for  obedience  to  the  state,  while  Pope 
Gelasius  I  (492-496)  used  it  to  claim 
the  divine  right  of  kings. 

I  n  these  days  of  civil  disobedience, 
demonstrations,  renewed  peace  activity, 
and  noncooperation  with  the  state,  some 
persons  question  such  actions  in  terms 
of  the  admonition  by  Paul  in  Romans 
13.  On  the  other  hand,  those  engaged 
in  such  actions  avoid  the  passage.  In 
our  own  church  the  Brethren  Revival 
Fellowship  couched  its  criticism  of  civil 
disobedience  in  a  thorough  study  of 
Romans  13.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
Annual  Conference  report  cited  a  num- 


ber of  instances  where  Jesus  appeared 
to  disobey  law  but  failed  to  deal  with 
his  faith  in  the  law  (Matthew  5: 17-20) 
or  with  the  early  Christian  teaching  re- 
garding obedience  to  the  state  ( Romans 
13:1-7;   1   Peter  2:13-17). 

What  shall  we  say  about  the  New 
Testament  at  this  point?  Is  it  a  case,  as 
with  the  writings  of  Lenin  and  Mao, 
where  you  can  find  any  opinion  you 
want  on  the  subject?  Can  the  critical 
attitude  toward  the  state  in  the  New 
Testament,  including  the  constant  threat 
of  persecution,  be  squared  with  these 
passages  which  clearly  call  for  obedi- 
ence? 

This  question,  often  asked  in  such 
trying  circumstances  as  the  times  under 
Hitler,  has  made  Christians  question 
whether  we  have  rightly  understood 
such  passages  as  Romans  13.  After 
careful  consideration  it  is  the  opinion 
of  many  that  we  have  not  fully  under- 
stood the  intent  of  these  "obedience" 
passages. 

While  many  things  could  be  said  re- 
garding the  reassessment  of  these 
passages,  two  crucial  points  will  suffice 
to  show  what  Paul  likely  intended  to 
say  in  Romans  13.  These  two  questions 
involve  the  context  of  the  passage  and 
the  meaning  of  the  word  we  translated 
power. 

Normally  one  interprets  a  passage  in 
the  Bible  in  relation  to  its  context.  To 
do  otherwise  would  be  to  invite  funda- 
mentalist prooftexting  or  liberal 
spiritualizing.  Nevertheless  there  are 
some  passages,  such  as  the  "woman 
taken  in  adultery,"  where  the  present 
context  obviously  was  not  the  original 
context.  Some  scholars  claim  Romans 
13:1-7  is  such  a  passage. 


Those  who  defend  the  passage  as 

Paul's  teaching  of  a  blind  obedience  to 

the  state  recognize  that  the  context  has       | 

nothing  to  do  with  such  a  teaching. 

Chapter  12  reads  almost  like  the  Sermon 

on  the  Mount,  in  which  Christians  are 

1 
advised  to  love  their  enemies.  The  i 

passage  from  13:8  reads  the  same  way.      ! 
In  fact,  one  could  delete  Romans  13:1-7 
from  the  book  and  never  notice  it  was        \ 
missing!  That  is,  1 3 : 8  seems  to  follow 
12:21  without  any  difficulty.  Likewise       | 
those  who  are  embarrassed  by  Romans      I 
1 3  tend  to  say  it  is  a  section  of  early 
Christian  teaching  or  catechetical  ma- 
terial which  has  been  inserted  without  any 
real  relationship  to  Paul's  theology. 

I  believe  the  passage  belongs  in  the 
context  in  which  it  is  found.  Paul  has 
finished  his  great  descriptions  of  the  ] 

reconciliation  God  has  done  in  Jesus  i 

Christ  (Chapter  8).  After  pondering  the  i 
meaning  of  this  for  Israel  (chapters  i 

9  —  11)  he  turns  now  to  the  implications  j 
of  this  reconciliation  to  social  life.  Just 
as  man  now,  as  a  Christian,  can  love  and  , 
obey  God  the  Father  (8:12-17),  so  can 
he  also  love  his  neighbor  and  obey  the 
institutions  which  have  had  power  over 
him  (chapters  12  and  13). 

I  realize  this  understanding  of  Paul 
must  be  confusing  to  most  modem  read- 
ers. Most  of  us  think  of  freedom  as  the 
getting  out  from  underneath  oppressive 
authority.  The  New  Testament  does  not 
see  it  that  way  at  all.   For  Paul,  espe- 
cially, freedom  is  to  be  restored  to 
authority  so  that  one  is  no  longer  forced 
to  react  to  it.  Man's  necessity  to  react  to 
authority  is  what  is  called  "demonic 
power." 

Here  is  an  illustration.  On  a  Sunday 


8     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


afternoon  in  the  fall  many  of  us  husbands 
and  fathers  are  likely  to  be  found  sitting 
in  front  of  the  TV  watching  a  profession- 
al football  game.   If  a  wife  comes  and 
reminds  us  this  is  the  day  to  play  with 
the  children,  we  are  caught  in  a  problem. 
We  may  recognize  that,  indeed,  this  is 
the  day  to  play  with  the  children,  and  in 
fact  we  may  have  been  thinking  about 
it,  but  now  that  she  has  mentioned  it  we 
find  it  nearly  impossible  to  do.   In  Paul's 
terms  that  is  sin.  Sin  is  when  you  cannot 
do  what  is  good  and  right  because  of 
reaction  to  authority. 

But  there  is  even  a  worse  condition. 
If  I  am  watching  a  game  between  the 
Chicago  Bears  and  the  Green  Bay  Pack- 
ers, I  could  argue  the  game  legitimately 
kept  me  from  playing  with  the  children. 
But  if  I  watch  Pittsburgh  play  Philadel- 
phia (a  game  of  little  consequence  for 
Chicago  fans)  simply  because  I  know  my 
family  does  not  want  me  to  watch,  then 
Paul  would  call  that  "death."  "Death"  is 
the  condition  of  doing  what  you  do  not 
want  to  do  because  you  must  react  to 
authority.  The  demonic  or  satanic  in 
our  world  is  precisely  that;  Man  is  forced 
by  his  reaction  even  to  God,  the  good, 
to  do  what  is  destructive  or  evil  (Romans 
7:21-25). 

The  good  news,  then,  is  not  that  we 
are  free  from  authority,  but  that  we  are 
free  from  our  hangup  —  our  reaction  to 
authority.  The  man  in  Christ  can  re- 
spond in  love  to  his  family  and  his  neigh- 
bors because  he  does  not  need  to  react. 
He  can  carry  luggage  from  a  Roman 
soldier  a  second  mile  because  he  is  free 
from  the  necessity  to  react.  This  freedom 
from  the  demon  of  reaction  concerns  not 
only  our  personal  relationships,  but  also 
our  institutional.  For  that  reason  I  be- 


lieve Paul's  discussion  of  the  state  proper- 
ly belongs  where  it  is.  The  Christian  no 
longer  need  fear  those  who  may  have 
some  power  over  him.  He  does  not  need 
to  react  when  persecuted  or  return  hate 
for  hate.  In  fact  the  spread  of  God's 
reconciling  act  depends  on  the  Christian 
loving  when  hated.  Only  in  that  way 
could  new  life  appear. 

This  is  true  of  the  state  as  well  as 
neighbor.  The  Christian  is  free  to  obey 
the  state  because  he  does  not  need  to 
react  or  rebel.  The  non-Christian  cannot 
obey  the  state  because  his  "sin"  prevents 
free  obedience. 


B 


ut  what  does  the  state  have  to  do 
with  the  power  of  God?  That  is  the 
second  major  question.  The  word  we 
have  translated  above  as  "power"  can 
mean  authority  in  the  institutional  sense 
of  it  or  "powers"  in  the  sense  of  God's 
delegated  or  ordained  administration. 

Some  say  the  word  should  mean  only 
the  actual  governmental  officials.  Noth- 
ing more.  Those  who  take  this  position 


"No,  the  Christian  does  not  destroy  systems, 
does  not  commit  civil  disobedience, 
does  not  cop  out  from  institutions. 

But  if  Christians  did  obey  the  state, 
they  would  turn  the  world  upside  down. .  f 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     9 


Obedience 

or 

Disobedience? 

understanding 
of 
Romans  13 

are  then  forced  to  say  that  the  state  was 
given  us  by  God  to  protect  us  in  our 
common  life  alien  from  God.  Presum- 
ably if  the  world  were  reconciled  to  God, 
there  would  be  no  need  of  the  state. 
Such  thinking  almost  invariably  forces 
the  reader  to  distinguish  between  the  pur- 
pose of  God  and  the  purpose  of  the  state. 
God  wills  love,  but  the  state  wills  justice. 
God  calls  for  the  church  to  live  in  peace, 
but  the  state  must  protect  by  the  sword. 
In  this  position  the  Christian  must  choose 
whether  he  will  obey  the  state  or  obey 
God,  for  while  the  state  was  ordained  by 
God,  it  does  not  always  do  what  God 
wills.  We  call  this  two-kingdom  ethics. 

Much  of  our  debate  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  is  couched  in  this  kind  of 
language.  Both  the  Brethren  Revival 
Fellowship  and  the  civil  disobedience 
paper  at  Annual  Conference  use  language 
which  stresses  obedience  to  God  and  state 
except  where  there  is  a  conflict.  That  is 
two-kingdom  language.  The  very  phrase 
"civil  disobedience"  is  a  two-kingdom 
phrase.  It  supposes  that  the  Christian 
must  disobey  the  state  in  the  favor  of 
God  or  conscience.  Such  thinking  would 
be  foreign  to  Paul. 

No,  the  will  and  purpose  of  God  are 
the  same  as  the  will  and  purpose  of  the 
state.  There  is  no  power  on  earth  except 
God's  (John  19:11).  The  institutions  of 
man  are  representations  of  God  among 
men.  They  are  the  functions  of  God 
among  us,  his  power(s).  Therefore, 
"power"  in  Romans  1 3  refers  to  God's 
power  expressed  in  the  state.  In 
Deuteronomy  32:8  God  created  states 
according  to  the  number  of  these  powers, 
called  Sons  of  God.  Institutions  which 
are  evil  and  demonic  do  not  possess 
another  power  over  against  God;  they 


simply  have  thwarted,  frustrated,  or 
seduced  the  power  of  God  (Genesis 
6:1-3). 

Man's  problem  is  not  to  choose  be- 
tween two  warring  powers  or  authorities 
but  to  be  released  from  the  reacting  sin 
in  him  which  makes  obedience  to  God 
impossible.  Once  released  he  is  free  to 
speak  of  God  as  Father  and  to  obey  his 
authority,  that  is,  the  state,  in  this  world. 
In  other  words,  the  Christian  is  free  to 
obey  the  state  in  accord  with  God's  will 
and  purpose.  The  Christian  is  free  to 
support  the  state,  even  to  go  a  second 
mile  or  to  turn  the  other  cheek  or  to  bless 
when  persecuted. 

Disobedience  to  the  state  is  not  a  theo- 
logical possibility.  Obedience  to  God 
automatically  brings  obedience  to  the 
functional  power  of  God  in  the  state.  If 
the  state  or  some  citizens  wish  to  call 
such  obedience  civil  disobedience,  that  is 
their  point  of  view,  not  the  Christian's. 

The  meaning  of  Romans  13  to  me  is 
that  in  Christ  the  necessity  to  react  to 
authority  has  been  destroyed  and  we 
Christians  are  free  now  to  obey  the  state 
as  God  intended.  Practically,  this  means 
we  are  free  to  support  the  state  in  its 
doing  good.  We  are  not  bound  to  react 
against  the  state  simply  because  its  prior 
decisions  were  demonic. 

The  Christian  is  not  anti-institutional. 
To  be  otherwise  would  be  reactionary  and 
therefore  demonic.  The  Christian  can 
support  the  Nixon  move  to  integrate  the 
schools  of  Chicago  even  when  he  knows 
such  pressure  has  political  overtones 
against  Mayor  Daley  and  possibly  even 
against  black  power.  He  can  support  on 
the  basis  of  God's  will  rather  than  react- 
ing to  political  maneuvering. 

At  the  same  time  this  means  the 


Christian  actively  pursues  the  will  of 
God  for  the  state.  He  does  not  cop  out 
when  the  state  demands  evil  of  him.  He 
goes  the  second  mile  because  he  believes 
the  state  is  ordained  of  God  and  will 
respond  as  such.  Therefore  he  responds 
to  a  case  of  conflict  by  acting  in  accord 
with  the  will  of  God  as  he  sees  it.  Called 
to  go  to  Vietnam  he  does  go,  but  as  a 
volunteer  reconciler,  not  as  a  paid  killer. 
Called  to  quell  a  riot  in  the  city  he  re- 
sponds by  working  for  the  free  movement 
of  all  citizens  and  the  abolition  of  ghettos. 
If  the  state  cannot  accept  his  obedience 
as  obedience,  then  that  is  a  condemnation 
of  the  state,  not  of  the  Christian. 

No,  the  Christian  does  not  destroy 
systems,  does  not  commit  civil  disobedi- 
ence, does  not  cop  out  from  institutions. 
But  if  Christians  did  obey  the  state,  they 
would  turn  the  world  upside  down. 

It  seems  to  me  such  an  understanding 
cuts  through  much  of  our  current  discus- 
sion. It  is  not  at  all  anarchist,  because  it 
believes  in  the  role  of  state.  At  the  same 
time  it  agrees  with  the  anarchist  that  the 
real  man  is  free  from  the  demonic  power 
of  state.  It  is  not  liberal  because  it  does 
not  believe  we  can  devise  another  system 
or  place  another  set  of  people  in  office 
and  thereby  save  the  state.  But  it  agrees 
with  the  liberal  that  the  state  should 
always  be  called  to  its  ultimate  purpose. 
It  is  not  conservative  because  it  in  no 
way  regards  the  opinion  of  the  state  as 
the  determinative  factor  in  which  citizen- 
ship is.  The  Christian  acts  for  peaceful 
reconciliation  and  for  just  rights  regard- 
less of  whether  the  state  can  call  that 
patriotic  or  not.  At  the  same  time,  with 
the  conservative,  Paul's  position  does  not 
call  for  the  deliberate  destruction  of  state,- 
for  the  state  is  ordained  by  God.   n 


10     MESSENGER    1-29-70 


had  me  a  chat  the  other  day 
With  a  chap  who  happened  to  pass  my  way. 
He,  with  his  family,  had  come  to  town 
To  find  a  spot  to  settle  down. 
He  told  me  his  name  was  Brotherhood; 
And  you've  got  to  admit  that  sounded  good. 
The  name  of  his  wife  was  Harmony, 
And  her  father's  name  —  Democracy. 
I  could  tell  by  the  look  their  children  wore 
That  Grandpa  had  died  not  long  before. 
One  child  was  Reason,  another  Love; 
The  one  called  Peace  had  eyes  like  a  dove. 
With  a  ready  smile  and  extended  hand 
I  tried  to  welcome  this  family  man. 
He  took  my  hand,  but  shook  his  head. 
And,  turning  away,  he  softly  said, 
"Your  town;  I  know  that  you're  proud  of  it. 
But  we  have  discovered  we  just  don't  fit. 
We'll  just  have  to  reconsult  our  maps 
And  look  for  another:  Detroit,  perhaps." 


met  me  another  chap,  meanwhile, 
Who's  been  in  our  town  for  quite  awhile. 
I've  no  idea  just  when  he  came. 
But  I  had  to  admit  I  knew  his  name. 
He  said  that  his  name  was  Prejudice, 
And  the  name  of  his  wife  was  Avarice. 
His  children  were  EvU,  Hatred,  Spite; 
Quite  fair  of  skin  and  dressed  just  right. 
He  told  me  he  worked  in  the  heart  of  our  town. 
And  very  few  people  had  turned  him  down. 
I  told  him  I  couldn't  quite  detect 
Just  how  he  commanded  so  much  respect. 
"The  secret  to  that,"  my  friend  replied, 
"Is  getting  the  right  folks  on  your  side. 
You  start  by  teaching  the  younger  folks 
That  those  who  are  different  are  evU  blokes. 
You  teach  them  respect  for  Authority; 
And  Authority,  'round  here,  is  me! 
If  you  label  it  right  with  a  fancy  cloak. 
People  will  pay  for  a  pig  in  a  poke!" 
Each  man  who  saw  us  tipped  his  hat; 
You've  got  to  respect  success  like  that! 


hat  other  fellow  .  .  .  Brotherhood.  .  . 
I'll  bet  he  was  up  to  nothing  good. 
There  must  have  been  lots  of  evil  there  .  , 
I  could  tell  by  the  way  he  wore  his  hair! 


by  John  M.  Storer 


1-29-70    /MESSENGER     11 


Religion  in  retrospect  (below) 


Religion  on  the  current  scene,  p.  14 


Where  we  have  been 


Overview  of  a  decade: 
Trends  and  transition 


Religion  in  the  60s:  How  will  it  be 
remembered  in  the  annals  of  history?  As 
a  time  of  church  renewal  .  .  .  revolution 
.  .  .  frustration? 

Regardless  of  the  labels  historians  ulti- 
mately choose  to  apply  to  the  decade, 
surely  no  assessment,  at  least  in  the  West- 
ern world,  will  separate  religion  from  the 
social  and  political  ferment  of  the  day. 

Four  interwoven  religious  thrusts  of 
the  period  will  probably  catch  the  his- 
torian's eye: 

•  Unprecedented  stress  on  ecumenism 
and  interreligious  relations 

•  Theological  transition  tempered  by 
social  conditions 

•  Challenges  to  established  ecclesiasti- 
cal structures 

•  Intensified  church  initiatives  for  jus- 
tice,  peace,   and   development. 

Vatican  II:  Ecumenism,  especially 
among  Protestants  and  some  Orthodox, 
was  already  established  when  the  60s 
opened.  But  nothing  of  the  century  so 
fostered  and  improved  interconfessional 
relations  as  did  the  Second  Vatican 
Council,  summoned  by  Pope  John  XXIII 
in  1959  and  convened  in  1962. 

As  a  result  of  the  Council,  formal  and 
mutual  condemnations  between  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church  and  Eastern  Or- 
thodoxy were  removed,  Protestants  and 
Catholics  were  provided  an  opportunity 
to  study  and  discuss  amicably  the  differ- 
ences that  had  divided  them  since  the 
Reformation,  and  never-before-available 
channels  of  communication  among  the 
three  dominant  branches  of  Christianity 
were  established. 

The  greater  impact  of  the  Second 
Vatican  Council  was,  of  course,  within 
Catholicism  itself.  Vernacular  and  experi- 


mental liturgies,  reform  in  religious  or- 
ders, greater  degrees  of  decentralization 
through  national  conferences  of  bishops 
and  broader-based  theological  probing 
have  become  global.  Pressing  challenges 
to  church  authority  —  on  birth  control 
or  a  married  clergy  —  come  from  those 
who  would  carry  further  the  liberalizing 
influence  of  the  Council. 

Pope  Paul  VI  underscored  the  ecumen- 
ical thrusts  of  the  Council  with  visits  to 
Orthodox  Ecumenical  Patriarch  Athenag- 
oras  and  to  the  headquarters  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches  in  Geneva. 

Strain:  Yet  the  changes  in  Catholicism 
and  the  expansion  of  interchurch  ties  in 
the  1960s  did  not  sail  unclouded  into 
the  end  of  the  decade.  Christian-Jewish 
relations  were  strained  by  the  fact  and 
aftermath  of  the  June  1967  war  between 
Israel  and  its  Arab  neighbors.  While 
many  Jewish  scholars  found  religious 
meaning  in  the  return  of  Jerusalem  to 
Jewish  control,  some  Christian  counter- 
parts were  unconvinced  that  Judaism 
needed  what  they  saw  as  a  political 
framework. 

A  hopeful  sign  that  progress  on  Chris- 
tian-Jewish understanding  had  not  been 
severely  hampered,  however,  came  in 
December  1969  when  a  Vatican  docu- 
ment asked  Catholic  respect  for  the  link 
between  Judaism  and  modern  Israel  and 
recognition  of  the  Jewish  faith  as  more 
than  a  stepping-stone  to  Christianity. 

Remaining  still  was  the  problem  of 
Palestinian  Arabs  made  homeless  by  the 
Middle  East  situation.  Refugees  were  a 
dominant  religious  concern  in  the  1960s 
as  their  number  increased  in  Asia,  Latin 
America,  Africa,  and  the  Middle  East. 
It   was    toward    refugees,    including    the 


feeding  of  the  starving  in  the  Nigeria 
civil  conflict,  that  some  of  the  most  con- 
crete ecumenical  work  was  directed. 

Cooperation:  At  decade's  end  there 
was  no  clear  indication  that  Protestant- 
Catholic-Orthodox  ecumenism  would 
move  rapidly  toward  organic  unity  as 
was  hoped  at  times  in  the  60s,  but  in  the 
U.S.  a  proposal  from  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  projected  a  "general 
ecumenical  council"  of  all  churches. 
There  was  general  agreement  that  the 
historic  communions  are  mutually  inter- 
dependent, and  grass  roots  interchurch 
cooperation  was  probably  more  common 
than  official  records  indicated. 

Protestant-Orthodox  cooperation  grew 
with  the  entry  of  all  major  Eastern  Or- 
thodox churches  into  the  World  Council 
of  Churches.  In  the  U.S.,  nine  denomina- 
tions joined  in  a  Consultation  on  Church 
Union  (COCU),  launched  in  1960.  The 
explorations  toward  unification  led  to  a 
draft  union  plan,  expected  to  be  released 
early  this  year.  Of  the  larger  denomina- 
tions, only  the  general  Baptist  Conven- 
tions and  the  three  Lutheran  bodies  were 
outside  COCU  and  its  planning  toward 
creation  of  a  new  Protestant  church. 

Theology:  The  year  1960  found  Prot- 
estant theology  in  the  final  stage  of  an 
evaluation  of  so-called  "neoorthodoxy," 
a  basically  Calvinistic  position  linked  to 
Swiss  theologian  Karl  Barth,  who  died  in 
1968.  The  neoorthodox  view  departed 
from  both  the  fundamentalist-conserva- 
tive wing  of  American  Protestantism  and 
from  the  liberal-social  gospel  outlook 
which  battled  with  conservatism  in  the 
early  20th  century. 

Neoorthodoxy  judged  liberalism  too 
self-confident  about  human  ability  and 
reasserted  the  sovereignty  of  the  divine. 
This  theology  waned  in  the  early  years 
of  the  decade,  making  room  for  the 
"radicals"  who  worked  toward  a  "secular 
theology  or  toward  a  religionless  Christi- 
anity" suggested  by  the  German  martyr 
Dietrich  Bonhoeffer. 

A  spectacular  theological  development 


12     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


you  can  help 
spread 

the 
word: 


Vietnam:  Where  from  here,  p.  16 


Meanwhile  back  home,  p.  18 


Lovescapes  and  commercials,  p.  20 


came  at  mid-decade  with  the  "God-is- 
dead"  school.  For  a  variety  of  reasons, 
it  proved  of  passing  importance  to  the 
public  at  large.  Many  theologians,  how- 
ever, were  not  willing  to  see  the  work  of 
Thomas  Altizer,  William  Hamilton,  and 
others  as  a  mere  fad  to  be  erased  from 
memory.  They  saw  the  "God-is-dead" 
postulation  reopening  the  issue  of  tran- 
scendent power  in  man's  world. 

Mission:  Theology  —  across  the  board 
—  is  in  a  state  of  transition.  The  mission 
of  the  church  was  a  key  topic  of  delibera- 
tion among  both  conservatives  and 
liberals. 

Closely  allied  were  moral  and  social 
questions,  such  as  peace,  justice,  and  eco- 
nomic development.  Pope  John  in  his 
encyclical  "Peace  on  Earth"  and  Pope 
Paul  in  his  historic  visit  to  the  United 
Nations  dramatically  championed  inter- 
national peace. 

The  World  Council  of  Churches,  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  in  the 
U.S.,  Patriarch  Athenagoras  and  Protes- 
tant denominations  put  their  influence  on 
the  side  of  peace  to  an  unprecedented 
degree.  Such  dialogues  as  those  between 
the  Brethren  and  the  Russian  Orthodox 
and  between  Christians  and  Marxists  and 
such  push  as  churchmen  gave  to  the  anti- 
Vietnam    war    movement    were    specific 


expressions  of  a  desire  to  establish  inter- 
national harmony  and  end  military 
conflict. 

In  part  the  question  of  church  mission 
hinged  on  church  authority,  putting  un- 
der fire  not  only  the  total  primacy  of  the 
Pope  for  Catholics  but  the  relevancy  of 
denominational  and  mterdenominational 
structures  for  Protestants.  Particularly 
critical  were  minority  groups  and  youth. 

The  1960s  was  the  era  in  which  estab- 
lished religions  of  the  West  became  aware 
of  the  causes  of  minorities  and  of  the 
Third  World  peoples.  Indigenization  of 
missionary-maintained  churches  was  a 
sign  of  the  decade,  as  for  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  Ecuador  and  India.  So 
too  was  economic  development  of  former 
colonial  territories,  launched  as  a  chief 
goal  of  joint  Vatican-World  Council 
cooperation. 

Race:  Appeals  to  the  churches  to  com- 
bat racism  grew  from  modest  requests  to 
thundering  demands  in  the  60s.  In  the 
U.S.,  the  civil  rights  movement  was  still 
a  fledgling  drive  when  the  decade  opened. 
Sit-ins  in  the  South  had  just  begun.  Dr. 
Martin  Luther  King  Jr.,  assassinated  in 
1968,  was  fighting  segregation  in  South- 
ern schools  and  public  facilities. 

Sit-ins  were  followed  by  freedom  rides, 
summer  work  projects  in  the  South, 
marches  on  Washington,  and  the  Selma- 
to-Montgomery  pilgrimage  in  1965. 
Churchmen  of  all  traditions  rallied  to 
push  for  federal  civil  rights  legislation, 
and  won,  only  to  confirm  that  racism 
and  prejudice  was  a  national  malady  of 
deep-set  proportions. 

Black  militancy  increased  as  promises 
went  unfilled  and  church  deliberations 
on  how  to  eradicate  racism  and  establish 
justice  expanded.  To  some  blacks,  the 
churches  failed  in  the  1960s  to  put  action 
or  resources  behind  freedom-supporting 
rhetoric.  Thus  came  the  Black  Manifesto 


Pope  John,  a  moving  spirit  whose  impact 
from  the  early  60s  remains  strong  today 


and  its  demands  for  reparations  for 
church  complicity  in  past  injustices. 

Though  the  Manifesto  was  basically 
rejected,  signs  pointed  to  a  church  more 
intent  in  listening  to  minorities  in  the 
70s  and  to  new  religious  strides  toward 
social  justice. 

Reassessment:  The  surge  for  libera- 
tion symbolized  by  the  black  movement 
cannot  be  separated  from  the  negative 
reactions  of  a  substantial  number  of 
young  people  to  inherited  structures,  in- 
cluding the  churches.  The  1960s  was  a 
time  of  institutional  reassessment,  result- 
ting  on  occasion  in  rejection  of  estab- 
lished forms. 

Interest  in  religion  grew  on  college 
campuses  while  youth  participation  in 
the  churches  declined.  Eastern  mysticism 
and,  among  some,  drug  hallucination, 
spread.  The  underground  church  —  now 
termed  "free  church"  —  developed  ecu- 
menical ideologies  and  liturgies.  Priests 
and  ministers  quit  by  the  hundreds. 

Enrollment  in  theological  seminaries 
generally  grew  from  1964  on,  but  a  de- 
creasing percentage  of  graduates  sought 
local  pastorates. 

The  established  churches  enter  1970 
with  probably  less  enthusiastic  support 
than  they  enjoyed  in  1960.  They  are  de- 
cidedly less  sure  of  the  value  of  inher- 
ited structures  and  more  eager  to  review 
priorities.  But  the  religious  scene  was 
far  from  cloaked  in  pessimism  as  the 
decade  drew  to  a  close. 

Forecast?  Church  struggles,  theolo- 
gians' voices,  outcomes  of  authority  chal- 
lenges, and  probes  into  the  religious 
dimensions  of  existence  —  these  are  more 
closely  watched  and  heard  than  they  were 
10  years  ago. 

A  comment  from  a  prominent  literary 
critic  offers  a  succinct  summary  of  the 
direction  religion  took  in  the  decade  and, 
perhaps,  a  preview  of  the  future:  "Every- 
one I  see  ends  up  talking  about  the  same 
things  —  meaning  in  life,  peace,  what  is 
ultimate  —  and  all  these  are  religious 
subjects." RNS,  H.E.R. 

1-29-70    MESSENGER     13 


news 


At  the  turn  of  the  decade 


Reflections  from  one  solemn  assembly 


What  took  place  at  the  recent  General 
Assembly  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  of  Christ  was,  in  a  sense, 
unique  to  that  situation.  Yet,  in  another 
sense,  the  developments  in  Detroit  went 
far  beyond  a  particular  happening  or 
structure  or  set  of  circumstances.  The 
meaning  of  the  week  carried  implications 
for  the  religious  life  of  individuals  and 
institutions  far  and  wide. 

Consider,  for  example,  the  following 
reflections  by  the  official  delegates  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Their  observa- 
tions hark  back  to  the  occurrences  of  the 
General  Assembly,  but  they  reveal  further 
something  of  the  status  of  religious  affairs 
at  the  turn  of  the  decade.  And  far  from 
centering  on  the  NCCC  alone,  their 
impressions  offer  a  commentary  that 
touches  on  issues  central  to  parish  and 
denominational  and  perhaps  personal 
struggle. 

On  the  status  of  the  NCCC:  "Fre- 
quently it  was  alleged  that  the  NCCC  is 
dead  or  dying.  Yet,  for  the  first  time  in 
history,  the  Council  was  regarded  of  such 
significance  as  to  warrant  a  contest  in 
the  election  of  its  officers  and  leaders." 
—  Norman  L.  Harsh 

"To  those  delegates  more  familiar  than 
I  with  the  NCCC  and  past  assemblies, 
this  one  seemed  different.  I  sensed  it  as 
a  limbering-up  exercise  for  the  Council, 
with  the  accompanying  strain  and  tension 
of  putting  some  long-neglected  muscles 
into  use  and  the  cracking  of  a  few  old 
bones."  —  Prudence  Engle 

"If  everyone  would  study  the  30-page 
Report  on  Mission  in  the  Seventies  the 
NCCC  prepared  for  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  Detroit,  no  one  could  fail  to  see 
that  the  Council  is  seeking  to  know  God's 
will  and  proceeding  from  deep  Christian 
convictions.  As  I  studied  it  carefully,  I 
wished  that  all  detractors  would  take  care 
to  study  this  message.  They  might  come 
to  know  Christ  in  such  a  way  that  they 


would  no  longer  seek  to  divide  those  who 
follow  him."  —  E.  Paul  Weaver 

On  the  proceedings:  "The  age  of  or- 
ganized, well-planned,  and  predictable 
conferences  is  at  an  end.  The  conference 
chairman  shares  a  new  role  with  the  col- 
lege president  of  our  time  —  presiding 
over  dedicated  confusion.  Somehow, 
Robert's  Rules  of  Order  seem  to  impede 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  70s.  A  contempo- 
rary parliamentarian  saint  is  needed."  — 
Clyde  E.  Weaver 

"Though  often  personally  frustrated  by 
administrative  mechanics  and  tangles  of 
parliamentary  procedure,  I  was  impressed 
(and  somewhat  reassured)  by  the  elastic- 
ity of  the  structure  as  the  agendas  were 
radically  altered  or  extended.  I  was  also 
greatly  impressed  by  the  openness,  adapt- 
ability, and  miraculous  'cool'  of  President 
Arthur  Flemming,  even  in  the  midst  of 
raucous  Yippie  demonstrators  and  clam- 
oring delegates."  —  Prue  Engle 

"Parliamentary  rules  and  procedures 
were  frequently  lambasted  for  their  re- 
strictiveness  in  the  exercise  of  freedom. 
But  it  would  be  tragic  if  we  were  allowed 
to  forget  that  the  privilege  of  parlia- 
mentary rule  was  won  by  sacrifices  at 
least  equal  to  (if  not  greater  than)  the 
sacrifices  and  sufferings  of  today's  mili- 
tants. Parliamentary  procedure,  at  its 
best,  is  designed  to  protect  minorities 
from  the  majority."- — Norman  Harsh 

"I  would  like  to  state  clearly  my  rea- 
soning for  standing  in  favor  of  the  sus- 
piension  of  rules  when  Mr.  Forman  and 
Company  requested  the  vote  to  deal  with 
the  proposal  to  prohibit  churches  from 
calling  civil  authorities  in  cases  of  non- 
violent demonstrations.  I  stood  in  favor 
of  the  suspension  of  rules  when  it  was 
officially  requested  to  affirm  that  institu- 
tions can  never  be  put  above  man.  Struc- 
ture is  for  man,  not  before  him.  I  grant 
that  there  were  other  issues  involved,  but 
this  was  the  issue  of  highest  priority  in 


my  thinking."  —  David  W.  Miller 

"A  large  organization  can  be  slow  and 
cumbersome  when  its  major  assembly 
meets  only  once  every  three  years.  Con- 
cerns for  reform  in  procedure,  and 
facility  for  responding  immediately  to 
pressing  current  issues,  seem  always  to  be 
referred  to  a  procedure  which  would  take 
three  years  to  finalize  through  the  next 
General  Assembly.  In  the  kind  of  rapid, 
changing  world  in  which  we  live  it  gave 
me  the  feeling  of  being  behind  the  times. 
It  also  made  me  grateful  for  an  Annual 
Conference  in  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. While  we  feel  this  sometimes  is 
slow  and  cumbersome,  meeting  every 
year  is  a  great  advantage."  —  Earle  W . 
Fike 

On  peace  concerns:  "For  me,  the 
most  relevant  and  revealing  experience 
of  the  week  was  the  sincere  seeking  by 
delegates  to  respond  to  the  request  of 
James  Rubins  that  the  NCCC  'accept  and 
hold  in  trust'  his  draft  card.  With  many 
delegates  sincerely  seeking  a  way  to  make 
this  General  Assembly  meaningful  and 
responsive  to  the  times,  I  considered  this 
the  test  of  the  assembly's  mood  and 
readiness.  I  see  the  support  by  so  many, 
even  though  not  a  two-thirds  majority,  a 
very  hopeful  sign  within  the  church 
which  too  often  is  one  of  the  last  institu- 
tions to  accept  risk  in  uncertain  times. 
The  integrity  displayed  through  the  shar- 
ing of  personal  convictions  concerning 
the  draft  and  Christian  fellowship  by 
both  delegates  and  officers  was,  to  me, 
an  example  of  profound  Christian  wit- 
ness."—  Prue  Engle 

"The  assembly  voted  to  encourage  the 
American  churches  to  give  pastoral  sup- 
port and  aid  to  the  some  60,000  draft 
age  refugees  in  Canada.  Most  of  us  in 
the  United  States  tend  to  think  of  these 
young  men  as  'draft  dodgers'  or  'cow- 
ards.' But  the  truth  is  that  most  of  them 
appear  to  be  sincerely  troubled  in  their 


14     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


conscience  about  the  immorality  of  the 
Vietnam  war.  Yet  no  provision  in  law 
is  made  for  'selective  conscientious  objec- 
tion.' "  —  William  G.  Willoughby 

"When  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  first 
joined  in  the  Federal  Council  of  Church- 
es, the  hope  was  expressed  that  we  could 
help   all   Christians   to   work   for  peace. 

"In  1952  when  I  visited  the  General 
Board  of  the  National  Council  in  Atlanta, 
it  was  difficult  then  to  get  the  board  to 
take  a  stand  even  against  military  con- 
scription. In  1954  at  the  General  Assem- 
bly in  Boston,  I  was  saddened  that  so 
many  still  had  not  come  to  understand 
the  utter  sinfulness  of  war. 

"The  1969  General  Assembly  amazed 
me,  in  terms  of  the  change  of  attitude 
in  these  years.  We  formerly  thought  that 
Brethren,  Friends,  and  Mennonites  are 
the  only  'peace'  churches.  We  shall  sure- 
ly need  to  move  to  hold  our  own  as  a 
peace  church."  —  E.  Paul  Weaver 

On  the  representation:  "It  was  evi- 
dent the  assembly  wanted  to  hear  every- 
body. I  was  glad  we  were  not  so  bound 
to  preplanning  as  to  rule  out  those  who 
wanted  to  speak.  All  this  was  healthy 
and  encouraging.  Yet  I  wonder  if  we 
heard  from  the  man  who  sits  in  the  pew? 

"Throughout  the  assembly  not  much 
was  said  about  how  we  can  help  the 
churches  face  the  social  issues  of  the  day. 


Unless  the  conciliar  movement  helps 
denominations  and  congregations  face  the 
issues  we  struggled  with  at  Detroit,  the 
ecumenical  movement  is  dead.  If  the 
assembly  showed  anything,  it  was  that 
we  did  not  hear  from  the  man  in  the 
pew."  —  Jesse  D.  Reber 

"The  failure  of  the  nominating  com- 
mittee for  the  Detroit  assembly  to  hear 
and  respond  to  the  encouragement  of 
many  to  provide  a  ballot  which  would  be 
representative  of  minority  concerns 
stands  as  a  major  faux  pas  in  the  life  of 
the  NCCC.  The  signs  were  there,  but 
the  stubbornness  of  the  committee  in  pre- 
paring such  a  ballot  reflects  the  inflex- 
ibility and  defensiveness  of  an  establish- 
ment. Much  of  the  time  which  was  spent 
in  the  nominating  process  could  have 
been  saved  had  a  realistic  ballot  been 
provided  by  the  nominating  committee." 
—  Earle  Fike 

On  the  role  of  youth:  "Of  the  400- 
plus  delegates,  only  about  20  were  youth. 
The  influence  of  this  group,  however, 
was  in  inverse  proportion  to  its  numbers. 
The  youth  delegates  were  alert,  aware  of 
issues,  participated  with  understanding 
and  with  responsibility,  and  helped  make 
the  assembly  alive  and  exciting."  —  Wil- 
liam G.  Willoughby 

"I  felt  very  positive  about  the  contri- 
bution of  the  younger  members  of  the 


On  Detroit  one 
Brethren  dele- 
gate observed: 
"We  did  well 
in  providing  a 
platform  for 
many  voices; 
we  did  rather 
poorly  in  chal- 
lenging these 
voices  as  to 
the  solidarity 
and  interde- 
pendence of 
the  human 
family" 


delegation  to  the  General  Assembly,  and 
in  particular  the  contribution  of  the  two 
Brethren  young  people,  Prue  Engle  and 
David  Miller. 

"David's  nomination  as  a  vice-presi- 
dent at  large,  and  the  fact  that  he 
received  more  votes  than  any  other  candi- 
date nominated  from  the  floor,  speaks 
well  for  him  and  his  appearance  before 
groups  in  the  campaigning  process.  The 
witness  which  David  performed  as  he 
worked  an  act  of  reconciliation  with  an 
Episcopal  bishop  who  left  the  hall  to 
protest  the  interruption  of  a  worship 
service  stands  in  the  tradition  of  Brethren 
ministry. 

"The  pain  of  the  youth  ministry  came 
in  what  I  felt  was  the  immobility  of  the 
General  Assembly  to  hear  their  prophetic 
voice  and  to  respond.  The  fact  that  the 
young  people  pointed  to  the  hypocrisy 
and  inconsistency  in  the  institution,  the 
fact  that  they  based  their  prophetic  voice 
soundly  on  radical  obedience  to  the  New 
Testament  and  the  way  of  Christ,  for  me 
added  considerable  pain  to  the  response 
which  often  came  to  their  voice  —  either 
a  silent  write  off,  or  a  downright  rejection 
of  their  position  as  being  'young  and  un- 
realistic' "  —  Earle  Fike 

On  the  critics:  "I  came  away  with  a 
high  personal  regard  for  Edwin  Espy,  the 
general  secretary,  and  the  Council  officers 
and  top  staff.  Throughout  they  were 
gracious,  patient,  and  more  than  fair  as 
shrill  voices  were  heard  on  every  side. 
I  happened  to  be  in  the  washroom  after 
paint  had  been  poured  the  length  of  the 
officers'  table.  Ed  Espy,  who  was  there 
trying  to  get  some  of  the  paint  off,  did 
not  seem  the  least  bit  upset.  He  ex- 
pressed his  personal  agreement  with  the 
concerns  which  led  the  young  man  to 
pour  the  paint.  He  too  had  hoped  the 
Council  would  have  acted  more  boldly 
on  some  of  the  pressing  issues.  As  a 
result  of  some  of  the  'confrontations' 
I  came  away  less  impressed  with  Stephen 
Rose  and  Malcolm  Boyd  and  others  who 
write  so  well  but  whose  mode  of  opera- 
tion sometimes  left  something  to  be  de- 

Continued  on  page  21 

1-29-70    MESSENGER     15 


news 


Where  do  we  go  from  here? 


Christian  concerns 

in 

tomorrow's  Vietnam 


The  era  is  past  when  we  (white,  Christian, 
Westerners)  determine  and  they  (nonwhite,  non-Chris- 
tian, non-Western)  comply  to  programs  of  relief 


"Stop  the  killing!  Quit  raping  our  fer- 
tile country  and  its  people!"  These  cries 
of  anguish  from  the  Vietnamese  people 
must  be  of  primary  concern  as  Christians 
search  out  their  responsibility  for  the  hell 
on  earth  that  is  the  war  in  Vietnam. 
Even  while  rays  of  hope  begin  to  brighten 
for  American  military  deescalation  and 
disengagement  the  urgency  of  peace  is 
still  the  primary  priority! 

Christians,  grieved  by  the  inhumanity 
of  war,  are  concerned  not  only  about  the 
cessation  of  hostilities  but  are  looking 
toward  their  responsibility  in  the  "peace" 
that  must  come.  Because  of  genuine 
compassion  or  out  of  a  sense  of  guilt, 
large  sums  of  money  are  already  being 
designated  for  work  in  this  war-ravaged 
land.  Hence  these  questions  press  upon 
us:  How  can  the  churches  most  re- 
sponsibly prepare  to  channel  and  use 
these  funds?  How  can  the  churches  avoid 
the  errors  of  past  relief  and  rehabilitation 
operations?  How  will  the  churches  relate 
to  and  work  with  a  largely  non-Christian 


culture  and  with  the  Christian  minority 
(largely  conservative  evangelicals  and  Ro- 
man Catholics)? 

Assumptions:  Faced  with  the  above 
concerns  and  an  inescapable  responsibil- 
ity to  do  more  than  "bind  up  a  nation's 
wounds,"  the  Christian  community  must 
weigh  directions  and  chart  strategies. 
Looking  ahead,  certain  assumptions 
emerge  which  do  not  necessarily  follow 
traditional  planning  for  missions  or  relief 
operations.  These  assumptions  can  be 
summarized  as  follows: 

1.  Cease  fire  or  armistice  agreements 
and  the  political  complexion  of  postwar 
Vietnam  will,  to  a  large  degree,  determine 
the  extent  to  which  Western  Christian 
churches  and  related  agencies  will  be  al- 
lowed witness  and  involvement.  The 
sensitivity  with  which  Christians  have 
conducted  their  service  efforts  in  the 
present  conflict  may  also  be  critical  in 
determining  the  degree  to  which  permis- 
sion will  be  granted  for  a  continuing  pres- 
ence.  Vietnam  Christian  Service  has  been 


a  serious  effort  at  such  a  sensitive  minis- 
try to  human  need  (the  needs  of  the 
whole  man). 

2.  The  era  is  past  in  which  we  (white, 
Christian,  Westerners)  determine  and 
they  (nonwhite,  non-Christian,  non- West- 
erners) accept  or  comply  without  question 
to  our  programs  of  relief  and  rehabilita- 
tion. This  stance  is  no  longer  acceptable 
nor  do  we  desire  such  an  unequal  rela- 
tionship. It  is  imperative,  therefore,  to 
listen  to  Vietnamese  voices  as  needs  and 
priorities  are  articulated  for  tomorrow's 
Vietnam.  Most  likely,  assistance  by 
churches  (as  well  as  that  from  govern- 
mental and  nongovernmental  agencies) 
will  need  to  be  under  Vietnamese  leader- 
ship and  in  line  with  Vietnamese 
priorities. 

3.  Sharp  distinctions  in  planning  and 
in  actual  programming  must  be  made  be- 
tween immediate,  short-term  relief  needs 
and  long-range  development  and  commu- 
nity needs. 

4.  While  some   form  of  cooperation 


16     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


Vietnam  Christian  Service  worker  Bill  Rose,  refugee  in  Dak  To 
examine  fabric  for  use  in  Montagnard  Handicraft  Program 


might  be  anticipated  with  the  Evangelical 
Church  and  Roman  Catholic  Church  in 
Vietnam,  their  generally  conservative, 
pro-Saigon  stance  might  tend  to  be  a  lim- 
iting factor  in  postwar  organization  for 
rebuilding  and  development.  Therefore, 
cooperative  arrangements  should  also  be 
explored  with  other  indigenous  religions 
and  organizations. 

5.  While  it  is  hoped  that  a  vital  Viet- 
namese church  might  emerge  in  tomor- 
row's Vietnam  through  the  working  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  it  is  assumed  that  it  will 
not  be  a  carbon  copy  of  the  Western 
American  church. 

Considerations:  Postwar  Vietnam  ob- 
viously is  not  postwar  Europe  or  postwar 
Korea.  The  assumptions  outlined  above 
begin  to  indicate  some  of  these  differ- 
ences but  not  all  of  them. 

Some  sensitive  and  knowledgeable  ob- 
servers of  the  Vietnam  conflict  suggest 
that  this  nonindustrialized,  highly  agrar- 
ian, richly  recreative  and  verdant  land 
does  not  show  the  scars  of  war  in  the 


same  manner  as  did  Europe,  Japan,  and 
even  Korea,  nor  will  its  people  require 
the  same  types  of  immediate  and  long- 
range  assistance.  Therefore,  since  Viet- 
nam presents  a  unique  set  of  problems 
and  challenges,  making  previous  models 
for  service  and  mission  largely  obsoles- 
cent, it  seems  advisable  that  we  begin 
now  as  Brethren  to  ask  ourselves: 

Will  assistance  by  churches  (largely 
from  Europe  and  America)  be  useful? 
The  question  of  assistance  should  not 
merely  revolve  around  the  question  of 
whether  it  will  be  welcome.  If  the  Viet- 
namese determine  that  assistance  would 
be  useful,  then  how  flexible  will  we  be 
concerning  the  provision  and  use  of 
funds  and  materials  if  Westerners  or  all 
foreigners  are  excluded  from  their 
administration? 

If  church  assistance  is  needed  and  wel- 
come, what  broad  areas  of  need  are  like- 
ly to  be  most  prominent?  If  the 
Vietnamese  determine  that  long-range  de- 
velopment needs  are  of  higher  priority 


than  immediate  relief  needs,  will  we  be 
willing  to  commit  ourselves  to  long-term 
programs  exclusively  or  largely  under 
Vietnamese  direction? 

If  strong  antiforeign,  anti-Western  and 
anti-American  attitudes  are  widespread 
in  postwar  Vietnam  (as  they  likely  will 
be)  presenting  serious  obstacles  to  post- 
war assistance  from  the  West,  would  it 
be  better  for  U.S.  church  agencies  such 
as  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to  stay 
out?  If  not,  what  policies  and  attitudes 
should  characterize  assistance  in  postwar 
development? 

Outsiders:  The  impact  of  the  Amer- 
ican presence,  the  effect  of  the  war,  the 
forced  injection  of  technology,  and  the 
fact  that  Vietnam  has  been  the  focus  of 
blazing  international  attention  has  had 
a  destructive  influence  upon  Vietnamese 
society.  Will  it  be  possible  then  in  this 
context  for  Christian  outsiders  to  make 
a  contribution  to  the  growth  of  Viet- 
namese spiritual  life  and  if  so,  under 
what  conditions  and  with  what  methods? 

The  people,  culture,  and  institutions  of 
Vietnam  have  been  fashioned  and 
formed  by  social,  religious,  and  historical 
forces  for  which  most  of  us  have  very 
little  understanding  or  appreciation.  That 
which  is  uniquely  Vietnamese  is  in  many 
respects  foreign  to  our  Western  values, 
feelings,  and  thought  patterns.  It  is  even 
more  important,  then,  that  we  look 
ahead,  ask  the  hard  questions,  and  plan 
for  a  ministry  that  will  be  truly  human 
and  truly  Christian  and  geared  primarily 
to  the  real  needs  of  the  Vietnamese  peo- 
ple rather  than  determined  so  much  by 
an  effort  to  find  an  outlet  for  the  heavy 
guilt  that  is  now  pressing  upon  our  con- 
sciences. While  solution  is  not  to  be 
found  by  ignoring  the  problem  and  our 
responsibility,  neither  is  it  to  be  found 
in  a  smothering  paternalism,  be  it  theo- 
logically, psychologically,  or  ideological- 
ly oriented. 

Between  these  two  extremes  we  seek  to 
find  a  responsible  Christian  ministry  for 
tomorrow's  Vietnam  that  will  not  only 
serve  our  brother's  need  but  will  also 
value  his  human  worth  and  dignity  in 
the  sight  of  God.  —  H.  Lamar  Gibble 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     17 


flews 


Meanwhile  back  home 


The  plea  of  the  migrant 


Engraved  on  the  front  of  the  old  Union 
Station  in  Washington,  D.C.,  are  the 
words: 

The  Farm  —  Best  Home  of  the  Family 
Main  Source  of  National  Wealth 
Foundation  of  Civilized  Society 
The  Natural  Providence. 
The  farmworkers  and  their  families  who 
live  in  Texas'  Lower  Rio  Grande  Valley 
by  hoeing  vegetables  and  cotton,  harvest- 
ing cantaloupes,  or  picking  grapefruit, 
mostly  for  less  than  one  dollar  an  hour, 
disprove  the  myth  that  a  man  willing  to 
work  can  earn  a  "good  living."  Few  peo- 
ple work  harder  than  these  Mexican- 
American  citizens,  whose  desire  for  work 
often  takes  them  several  hundred  miles  in 
search  of  a  job.  For  this  they  are  re- 
warded with  an  average  family  income 
of  less  than  $3,000  a  year,  underemploy- 
ment, and  a  life  expectancy  of  less  than 
50  years. 

Exclusion:  "Migrant  farmworkers  typ- 
ify the  severity  of  poverty  in  rural  areas 
more  than  any  other  group,"  stated  Sen. 
Harrison  A.  Williams  in  the  1969  report 
of  the  Subcommittee  on  Migratory  La- 
bor. "Children  of  migratory  farmwork- 
ers have  fewer  educational  opportunities 
and  a  lower  educational  attainment  than 
any  other  group  of  American  children. 
.  .  .  Most  important  is  that  migrants  have 
either  been  expressly  excluded,  or  written 
out  in  actual  practice,  from  almost  all 
conventional  citizen  and  worker  benefits 
enacted  by  federal  and  state  law,  includ- 
ing unemployment  insurance,  social  se- 
curity, workmen's  compensation,  wage 
payment  and  collection  laws,  and  others." 
The  56,000  farmworkers  in  the  Rio 
Grande  Valley  are  painfully  aware  of 
these  exclusions  as  they  try  to  squeeze 
out  a  living  by  bending  their  backs.  One 
Mexican-American  summed  up  the  frus- 
tration in  the  Farmworker  Newsletter  by 
saying,  "Lm  not  going  to  sit  at  your  table 
and  watch  you  eat,  with  nothing  on  my 
plate,  and  call  myself  a  diner.  Being  here 


in  America  doesn't  make  you  an  Ameri- 
can." 

Green  carders:  Besides  the  low  wages, 
poor  housing,  and  nonexistent  benefits 
that  migrant  farmworkers  have  to  con- 
tend with,  the  Mexican-Americans  living 
near  the  southern  border  face  still  anoth- 
er problem  with  green  card  workers. 
"Green  carders"  are  Mexican  National- 
ists who  migrate  across  the  border  to 
work  in  the  fields  for  50  cents  to  60  cents 
an  hour.  The  law  requires  that  the  work- 
ers establish  residence  in  the  United 
States  while  working  here,  but  very  few 
of  them  do. 

Duane  Gibson  was  one  of  three  Breth- 
ren Volunteer  Service  workers  assigned 
to  the  Texas  Conference  of  Churches 
and  worked  with  many  farmworkers  in 
the  Valley.  Gibson  recalled  last  spring 
when  he  and  Sen.  Walter  F.  Mondale, 
chairman  of  the  Committee  on  Migratory 
Labor,  watched  7,000  green  card  workers 
come  across  the  border  to  work  for  the 
day.  Gibson  said  that  the  senator  was 
astonished  when  most  of  the  workers 
were  not  even  forced  to  show  their  cards. 
"They  just  walked  on  through  and  that 
evening  when  we  saw  them  return  we 
realized  that  the  law  was  not  being 
enforced." 

On  the  surface  it  appears  as  if  the 
green  card  worker  is  the  U.S.  farmwork- 
er's major  problem.  But  he  is  only  the 
means,  a  man  trying  to  earn  enough 
money  to  feed  his  family  like  the  Mex- 
ican-American farmworker.  Susan  Law, 
another  BVSer  working  in  the  Valley, 
explained,  "When  one  sees  the  extreme 
conditions  of  poverty  in  Mexico,  it  is 
difficult  to  condemn  these  people  for  try- 
ing to  better  their  desperate  situation." 
The  United  Farmworkers  Organizing 
Committee  emphasizes  that  their  union  is 
open  to  everyone,  including  green  card 
workers. 

Gibson  sees  the  farmworkers'  problem 
as  a  "lack  of  power  to  decide  the  activ- 


farmworker 


ities,  living  conditions,  and  basic  deci- 
sions in  one's  life."  This  lack  of  power 
is  brought  about  by  the  farmworkers'  ex- 
clusion from  the  National  Labor  Rela- 
tions Act,  by  giant  "agribusinesses"  that 
seem  interested  only  in  the  largest  profit, 
and  by  stereotypes  that  eventually  kill 
initiative  and  motivation. 

The  colonias:  Ironically  one  solution 
to  the  complex  situation  may  lie  in  the 
geographic  closeness  of  the  farmworkers' 
poverty.  Most  Mexican-Americans  live 
in  colonias,  small  rural  communities  of 
400-500  people.  Physically  the  homes  are 
shacks  stapled  onto  the  landscape  without 
running  water,  barely  sheltering  malnutri- 
tioned  bodies.  In  September  1967  Hurri- 
cane Beulah  shredded  many  of  the  over 
200  colonias  in  Cameron,  Hidalgo,  Starr, 
and  Wilacy  counties.  To  meet  the  threat 
of  starvation  the  colonias  organized  the 
Colonias  del  Valle  and  survived  the  disas- 
ter by  helping  each  other.  The  organiza- 
tion has  adopted  a  set  of  by-laws  Erimed 
at  working  for  social,  economic,  and  po- 
litical justice  for  Mexican-Americans. 

One  direct  result  of  the  organization 
is  a  battered  yellow  bus  called  "La 
Tienda  Campesino"  —  the  farmworkers' 
store  —  which  bounces  along  the  back 
roads  of  Hidalgo  County  stacked  with 
canned  goods  that  are  sold  at  cost  to 
residents  of  the  colonias.  In  the  future 
it  is  hoped  that  cooperative  food  stores 
will  replace  the  bus  with  one  located  near 
each  of  the  major  colonias.  Other  co- 
operative ventures,  including  a  canning 
factory  and  some  light  industry,  are  being 
planned  by  the  Colonias  del  valle  to 
help  the  poor  hepl  themselves. 

Growers'  stance:  The  growers  seem 
indifferent  to  the  demands  of  the 
Colonias  del  Valle  and  the  United  Farm- 
workers. Many  growers  complain  that 
they  cannot  afford  to  pay  the  farmwork- 
ers any  more  than  they  already  do.  AI 
Ramirez,  Edinburg's  first  Mexican-Amer- 
ican mayor  before  retiring,  stated  in  the 


Houston  Chronicle  that  the  small  farmer 
has  just  as  big  a  gripe  as  the  worker. 
"What's  happening  to  him  has  already 
happened  to  the  comer  grocer.  He  is 
being  run  out  or  bought  out  of  business 
by  the  big  combines,  by  the  5,000-acre 
boys,  many  of  whom  have  their  own 
packing  sheds."  The  same  article  in  the 
Chronicle  went  on  to  point  out  that  most 
of  the  farming  in  the  Valley  was  being 
done  by  large  agricultural  corporations 
which  had  received  over  30  million  dol- 
lars from  the  federal  government  for 
keeping  certain  land  idle.  Gibson  added 
that  these  same  growers  refuse  to  pay 
the  farmworkers  a  decent  wage  and  that 
they  are  against  any  organization  to  help 
the  poor. 

The  future?  This  past  November 
hearings  were  held  in  Edinburg,  the 
county  seat  of  Hidalgo  County,  by  the 
Subcommittee  on  Migratory  Health. 
Senator  Ralph  Yarborough  and  Sen. 
Walter  Mondale  were  present  at  the  hear- 
ings, which  included  a  tour  of  the 
colonias  as  well  as  several  hours  of  testi- 
mony. BVSer  Law  expressed  the  frustra- 
tion of  the  hearings  when  she  said,  "Why 
is  it  necessary  to  hold  hearings  to  prove 
the  need  for  more  funds  for  health  care 
for  migrant  farm  workers?  The  need  is 
more  than  obvious." 

Some  farmworkers  feel  any  real  hope 
for  justice  may  lie  with  the  union's  being 
organized  by  the  United  Farmworkers  or 
the  beginning  of  an  independent  Spanish- 


BVSer  Duane 
Gibson  beside 
the  farm- 
workers' 
store  —  a 
battered  bus 
stocked  with 
food  for  sale 
at  cost  to 
residents  of 
the  colonias 


American  newspaper,  Ya  Mero!  (Soon). 
Duane  Gibson  agrees:  "The  Mexican- 
Americans  have  more  potential  than  any 
outside  organization  would  hope  to  have. 
They  know  the  problems  .  .  .  they've 
lived  with  them  from  childhood  up." 

But  knowing  the  problems  and  organ- 
izing unions  to  deal  with  them  isn't 
enough.  Something  must  be  done  to  in- 
sure the  farmworker  the  same  rights  as 
any  other  American  citizen.  Toward  this 
end  one  religious  group,  the  National 
Catholic  Conference  of  Bishops,  some  15 
months  ago  issued  a  Statement  on  Farm 
Labor  which  encouraged  Congress  to 
enact  legislation: 

•  To  include  farmworkers  under  the 
National  Labor  Relations  Act, 

•  To  include  farmworkers  more  effec- 
tively under  a  national  minimum  wage 
which  will  ensure  them  a  decent  standard 
of  living,  and 

•  To  include  farmworkers  under  the 
national  unemployment  insurance  pro- 
gram. 

The  farmworkers  have  learned  not  to 
expect  too  much  from  the  gringo  (Anglo- 
American)  and  his  government.  An- 
tionio  Orendain,  Secretary  of  the 
UFWCC,  said  it  best:  "What  we  are 
seeking  is  not  education  (without  power 
or  the  right  to  use  it),  nor  favors,  nor 
laws  (since  laws  are  usually  not  en- 
forced), but  only  the  right  to  set  a  price 
on  the  sweat  of  our  brow."  —  Terry 
Pettit 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     19 


news 


Spreading  the  Word 

"You  HAVE  24  HOURS  TO  LIVE.  Today, 
that  is.  So  what  are  you  doing  with  your 
time?  ..." 

"You'd  think  by  now  God  would  say 
'Phooey!'  ..." 

"Hate  Blacks!  Hate  Whites!  Hate 
Jews!  Hate  Gentiles!  .  .  .  What  sane 
person  needs  any  of  that  noise?  So  how 
do  you  turn  it  off?  With  love.  And  all 
the  caring,  kindness,  and  consideration 
that  love  means.    Start  today,  lover." 

If  you  have  wondered  if  you  under- 
stand correctly  when  such  spiels  as  this 
burst  forth  from  the  crass  world  of  print 
advertising  and  broadcast  commercials, 
question  no  more.  Right  you  were.  For 
a  very  deliberate  effort  is  now  under  way 
in  the  mass  media  to  elicit  response  to 
three  little  words: 

Love  your  neighbor. 

The  theme  is  the  nub  of  the  current 
campaign  of  Religion  in  American  Life 
(RIAL),  an  agency  that  formerly  cen- 
tered on  church  attendance  but  appeals 
today  for  the  spirit  of  brotherhood.    On 


RIAL:  Communicating 
what  the  world  needs  now 


posters,  billboards,  television  spots,  and 
newspaper  and  magazine  advertisements 
Americans  are  urged  to  avail  themselves 
of  the  resources  of  religious  faith  and  to 
put  these  values  to  work  daily. 

The  advertising  campaign  is  the  22nd 
mounted  by  RIAL,  a  program  which  in- 
volves more  than  30  national  religious 
groups  including  Protestant,  Catholic, 
Orthodox,  and  Jewish  bodies.  The 
Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 
contributes  a  yearly  token  of  $125  to  the 
RIAL  work. 

The  impact  of  the  modestly  staffed 
agency  is  magnified  by  the  millions  of 
dollars  worth  of  mass  media  time  do- 
nated through  the  advertising  council  by 
media  personnel.  The  campaign  mate- 
rials are  designed  by  RIAL'S  volunteer 
advertising  agency,  the  J.  Walter  Thomp- 
son Company. 

Graphic  artist  Ronald  Chereskin  cre- 
ated the  visual  interpretation  for  the 
theme  poster  (below).  A  psychedelic 
mod  style  is  given  to  the  "lovescape"  in 
which  the  theme  word  floats  against  a 
background  of  trees,  fanciful,  multi- 
colored clouds  with  pastel  faces  emerging 
from  them,  and  a  huge  pink  heart. 


The  quality  of  many  of  the  messages 
beamed  to  mass  audience  is  reflected  in 
the  following  60-second  television  com- 
mercial. Each  successive  frame  is  illus- 
trated either  by  a  child's  drawing  or  a 
close-up  of  a  boy.    The  text  states: 

Some  people  believe  that  after  God 
created  the  sun  .   .   .   the  earth  .   .   . 

the  moon  .  .  .  and  all  the  stars  .  .  .  he 
just  stood  back  to  see  what  would  happen 
next. 

But  if  God  is  here  and  now,  as  we 
believe  —  then  his  creation  is  here  and 
now,  too  .  .  . 

always    changing,    always    continuing. 

And  everyone  of  us  is  part  of  that 
creation. 

We're  God's  hands  here  on  this  earth. 

So  God's  work  is  our  work. 

Next  time  you  shake  your  head  over 
violence  .  .  .  or  war,  or  poverty  .  .  . 

the  problems  of  our  cities,  or  even  a 
storm  in  your  own  soul,  remember:  God 
put  you  here  to  change  things.  For  the 
better. 

One  person  can  do  a  lot,  you  know. 

And  it  all  starts 

when  you  show  God's  love  in  the 
world. 


20     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


.  .  .  SOLEMN  ASSEMBLY 

(Continued  from  page  15) 

sired.  As  someone  put  it,  'My  mind  said 
yes  but  my  stomach  said  no.' "  —  C. 
Wayne  Zunkel 

"Carl  Mclntire,  whose  life  has  been 
invested  very  largely  in  fighting  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  and 
its  predecessor  organization,  came  into 
the  hall  occasionally.  I  almost  pitied  him. 
If  he  had  been  a  little  green  man  drop- 
ping in  from  Mars,  he  would  not  have 
understood  less  the  spirit  that  is  moving 
in  the  churches."  —  E.  Paul  Weaver 

"NCCC  leaders  and  representatives  of 
the  church  "establishment'  were  generous- 
ly accused  of  mouthing  rhetorical  gener- 
alities. The  critics  themselves  appeared 
to  be  past  masters  of  the  art,  too."  — 
Norman  Harsh 

On  challenge  and  response:  "At  De- 
troit, the  realities  of  racism,  war,  and 
poverty  were  never  far  away.  One  won- 
ders: Why  all  the  confrontation  that  was 
taking  place  at  this  meeting  of  representa- 
tives of  denominations?  Is  it  because  'the 
world'  knows  that  'the  church'  cares? 
Perhaps  the  Brethren  should  feel  indicted 
if  the  victims  of  racism,  poverty,  and  war 
do  not  regard  'our'  solemn  assembly  at 
Annual  Conference  significant  enough  to 
raise  a  fuss."  —  Norman  Harsh 

"Repeatedly,  in  taking  a  position,  in- 
dividuals or  groups  declared  that  'we  on- 
ly' (our  group)  can  provide  the  ministry 
needed  for  this  day.  Declaring  ourselves 
as  'the  chosen'  runs  in  the  religious  and 
racial  traditions  of  the  world  and  has 
been  a  part  of  our  Judeo-Christian  her- 
itage since  the  days  of  Abraham. 

"This  concept  is  one  with  which  we 
must  deal  creatively  and  honestly  in  these 
days  of  struggle  between  sectarianism  and 
ecumenism,  personalism  and  pluralism, 
uniformity  and  diversity.  At  Detroit,  we 
did  rather  well  in  providing  a  platform 
for  many  voices.  We  did  rather  poorly 
in  challenging  these  voices  by  the  concept 
of  our  solidarity  as  an  interdependent 
family  of  human  beings."  —  S.  Loren 
Bowman 

"Because  so  much  time  was  spent  in 


listening,  the  time  left  for  reacting  to 
and  acting  upon  items  before  us  was 
greatly  limited.  We  seemed  to  be  be- 
tween the  'devil  and  the  deep  blue  sea'  — 
if  we  were  to  listen  we  couldn't  act,  but 
to  act  wisely,  we  needed  to  listen."  — 
Prue  Engle 

"The  blacks,  the  reds,  the  browns,  the 
laity,  the  women,  the  youth  will  no  longer 
accept  our  ministering.  They  rightly  de- 
mand to  share  in,  priestly  power  and 
function.  The  'priesthood  of  all  believers' 
must  now  take  on  an  organizational  and 
structural  identity.  Traditional  'ecclesi- 
astical lend-lease'  must  share  the  power 
as  well  as  the  words  (ideas).  If  the 
NCCC  has  listened  carefully  and  if  the 
'voices'  stay  close  enough  to  become  in- 
volved, we  have  a  great  future.  The 
agenda  is  changed.  Can  we  follow  it?" 
—  Clyde  Weaver 

"In  terms  of  the  General  Assembly's 
ability  to  have  an  organizational  facility 
for  managing  impromptu  requests  and 
deal  with  them  in  ways  which  involve  the 
groups  that  made  the  requests,  one  could 
conclude  the  General  Assembly  is  out  of 
style.  In  terms  of  an  orderly  progression 
through  well-defined  business  moving 
toward  a  successful  culmination,  one 
could  judge  that  the  General  Assembly  is 
dead.  On  the  other  hand,  perhaps  the 
mark  of  the  present  church  is  its  willing- 
ness and  ability  to  be  a  hearing  ground 
for  the  polarity  and  ferment  which  is  in 
the  life  of  the  church.  If  that  be  true 
then  the  General  Assembly  performed  a 
very  meaningful  function."  —  Earle  Fike 

On  the  Council's  future:  "I  came 
away  feeling  that  the  NCCC  is  a 
middle-class,  middle-of-the-road,  typically 
respectable  Protestant  organization,  dif- 
ferent from  most  mainstream  American 
Protestants  only  in  its  willingness  to  hear 
out  the  divergent  voices.  But  when  the 
time  for  action  comes,  the  NCCC  is  gen- 
erally restrained,  proper,  and  usually 
slightly  to  the  conservative  side.  I  don't 
agree  with  everything  it  does.  But  then 
neither  do  I  agree  with  all.  of  the  de- 
cisions of  my  denomination,  my  congre- 
gation, or  my  own  home.  We  need  to 
be  there,  sharing  and  receiving,  and  help- 


"Perhaps  the  mark  of  the  church  is  its 
willingness  and  ability  to  listen  to 
the    polarity    and    ferment    in    its    life" 


ing  to  make  it  the  kind  of  creative,  re- 
sponsive, bold,  and  increasingly  more 
inclusive  organization  it  must  become  if 
Christians  are  to  make  an  adequate  wit- 
ness in  our  changing  world."  —  Wayne 
Zunkel 

"The  Christian  Church  needs  a  more 
viable  ecumenical  instrument  as  it  looks 
to  the  future.  The  NCCC  has  served 
helpfully  during  the  past  two  decades,  but 
as  we  move  into  the  'global  village'  that 
may  be  the  mark  of  the  21st  century,  a 
more  inclusive,  flexible,  and  experimental 
ecumenical  instrument  needs  to  be  cre- 
ated. A  new  style  of  operation  will  be 
required  depending  more  upon  partner- 
ship, openness,  and  cooperative  develop- 
ment of  programs  and  less  upon  social 
pronouncements,  political  arrangements, 
and  competitive  services."  —  Loren  Bow- 
man 

"The  assembly  decided  to  study  the 
possibilities  of  a  wider  and  more  inclu- 
sive Christian  fellowship.  I  hope  that  if 
such  an  organization  ever  comes  into  be- 
ing, it  will  be  big  enough  and  loving 
enough  to  include  the  Assemblies  of  God, 
the  Baptists,  the  Roman  Catholics,  and 
many  other  groups.  I  also  hope  that  such 
an  organization  will  be  big  enough  and 
loving  enough  to  encourage  a  prophetic 
voice  that  will  be  clearly  heard  in  the 
land." — William  Willoughby 

In  sum:  "One  could  hope  that  the  De- 
troit experience,  taken  as  a  whole,  was 
the  means  of  freeing  us  to  be  brothers 
instead  of  rivals  as  we  learn  to  walk 
humbly  with  our  God."  —  Norman 
Harsh 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     21 


Wa  speak 


A  Subtle 

Persecution 
Is  Coming 


I  have  been  listening  to  speeches  against 
dissent,  for  "unity"  behind  the  govern- 
ment, and  I  am  scared  and  nervous. 

I  see  a  subtle,  creeping  rehgious  per- 
secution coming  upon  us.   I  see  fascist 
thought  permeating  many  people.  Just 
listen  to  nighttime  radio  and  you  can 
hear  it. 

Peacemakers  are  being  belittled  with 
words  that  cut  and  shock.   I  have  re- 
ceived letters  from  a  great  farm  organiza- 
tion president  asking  that  I  help  keep  the 
clergy  silent  until  they  get  certain  legisla- 
tion through  Congress. 

I  remember  well,  years  ago,  when 
Time  magazine  printed  a  warning  to 
America  from  a  German  Catholic  priest. 
He  recalled  the  time  when  Germany  was 
the  center  of  learning;  when  a  minister 
who  wanted  to  reach  the  top  had  only  to 
attend  a  great  German  theological 
school.   But  they  kept  their  theology 
within  walls,  in  formal  churches.  Never, 
in  their  wildest  predictions,  did  they 
dream  they  could  become  brutalized  as 
they  did  finally  in  1914  and  again  in 
1940.  They  simply  did  not  have  Chris- 
tian activists:  As  Dr.  Niemoller  said, 
they  and  he  laughed  at  the  Sermon  on 
the  Mount.  He  writes  of  being  on  a  ship 
on  Christmas  day,  reading  his  Bible,  and 
watching  a  shipload  of  American  men  go 
down  —  his  ship  had  sent  out  the  tor- 
pedo —  and  with  no  emotion  at  all. 

This  priest  was  warning  America  that 
if  we  are  not  careful,  we  can  become 
brutal  also.  What  about  Vietnam?  I 
heard  a  woman  on  the  radio  the  other 
night  screaming  for  bombing  Vietnam 
off  the  face  of  the  earth.  Likely, 


though,  she  is  a  gentle  woman  who  could 
not  kill  a  chicken,  and  if  there  were  a 
burned  baby  in  the  neighborhood,  she 
would  be  among  the  first  to  raise  funds 
to  care  for  it.  Are  we  becoming  brutal? 

I  have  been  haunted  by  a  speech  of 
Hitler's  I  heard  in  1933.   It  came  by 
radio  and  was  translated  sentence  by 
sentence,  quite  something  in  those  days. 

Hitler  was  calling  for  unity  of  his 
people  behind  him,  and  then  they  would 
solve  their  problems  and  have  a  good 
economy.  Then,  he  defended  his  cur- 
tailment of  the  church  by  recalling  (to 
my  dismay)  the  persecution  of  the 
Mormons  in  Missouri  in  the  early  days. 
I  suppose  that  is  why  I  recall  that  speech. 

I  often  turn  the  radio  dial  in  the  night, 
not  listening  much,  but  listening  enough 
to  be  aware  that  there  are  many  pro- 
grams, hundreds  of  them,  from  the  Far 
Right,  attacking  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  Jews,  Catholics,  Methodists, 
peacemakers,  educated  men  in  govern- 
ment. They  keep  it  up  night  after  night, 
and  year  after  year. 

Fear  of  communism  is  their  big  line. 
I  hear  that  some  of  these  programs  are 
paid  for  by  very  wealthy  men  who  have 
much  to  keep,  pay  little  taxes,  and  want 
to  propagandize  the  American  people.  I 
think  they  are  succeeding.  It  is  showing 
up  of  late. 

And  when  the  Christians  take  to  the 
radio  to  respond,  if  they  do,  they  are  so 
much  less  eloquent,  so  much  less  dynam- 
ic, so  much  less  assured.  What  is  hap- 
pening to  us?  I  am  grateful  for  the  vital- 
ity of  the  youth,  from  whom  we  are 
receiving  letters.   Perhaps  they  hold  the 
renewal  of  the  church  in  their  hands. 

My  Methodist  husband  and  I  enjoyed 
the  Louisville  Conference,  by  far  the  best 
I  ever  attended.  Never  before,  and  per- 
haps never  again,  were  so  many  subjects 
that  are  close  to  us  discussed  freely 


and  frankly,  without  restraint,  with  feel- 
ing but,  as  far  as  I  could  tell,  little  show 
of  temper. 

We  were  both  thrilled,  excited,  elated 
by  all  these  opinions  coming  from  a  cross 
section  of  the  country.  Do  you  suppose 
it  will  ever  happen  again?  —  Bernice 
Hoover  Cook 


/  Was 
Ministered  Unto 

During  my  twelve  years  as  a  minister's 
wife  I  failed  miserably  in  Christian  serv- 
ice to  the  bereaved.  Not  knowing  what 
to  say,  I  said  nothing.  Not  knowing 
what  to  do,  I  did  nothing.  Now,  after 
several  months  of  being  a  widow,  I  have 
been  the  recipient  of  so  much  kindness 
and  love;  I  felt  the  loving  arms  of  our 
Lord  and  Master  Jesus  Christ;  and  I 
want  to  share  what  I  have  experienced 
and  learned  about  bereavement. 

Our  service  to  the  bereaved  does  not 
cease  with  the  funeral  service.  For  the 
widowed  this  is  only  the  beginning.   Dur- 
ing the  early  weeks  there  is  much  to  help 
fill  the  hours  and  the  mind :  doctor  bills 
to  pay,  insurance  to  collect,  social  secur- 
ity to  file,  acknowledgments  to  write, 
and,  of  course,  the  visits  and  cards  which 
all  too  soon  cease. 

Do  not  assume  that  because  the  widow 
is  again  smiling  and  fulfilling  her  re- 
sponsibilities that  all  is  well.  Behind  this 
facade  is  a  heart  laden  with  sorrow  and 
a  vast  loneliness  and  emptiness. 


22     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


I,  as  a  widow,  crave  contact  with  per- 
sons and  the  opportunity  to  talk  and  to 
cry.  Tears  seem  to  cleanse  and  to  heal. 
No  matter  how  awkward  you  may  feel  at 
first,  your  arms  around  me  help  tre- 
mendously. Your  encouragements  to  "cry 
it  all  out"  are  what  I  have  waited  to 
hear.  To  be  strong  and  courageous  and 
say  the  right  words  has  a  place,  but  it  is 
meaningful  to  me  for  you  to  share  your 
tears.  I  am  thrilled  to  know  that  you 
too  care  for  my  beloved. 

I  have  a  great  need  to  talk  about  my 
husband  and  I  want  to  hear  you  talk 
about  him  and  what  he  meant  to  you 
personally.  If  something  you  say  should 
bring  tears  to  my  eyes,  you  have  not 
erred.  You  have  merely  aided  me  in  my 
catharsis. 

For  those  who  live  afar,  I  welcome 
your  letters  and  cards.  I  appreciate  your 
recollections  of  my  husband.  I  treasure 
your  correspondence  and  enjoy  the  op- 
portunity to  reply  and  pour  out  my  heart 
on  paper.  Your  phone  calls  are  also  wel- 
come, and  many  times  the  sound  of  your 
voice  has  given  me  a  lift. 

These  days  everything  I  do  requires 
gi'eat  effort.  I  am  concentrating  so  much 
energy  on  holding  myself  together  that  I 
am  in  a  chronic  state  of  exhaustion.  I 
move  as  though  in  a  dream.  Preparing  a 
meal  without  my  husband  to  enjoy  it  is 
a  chore,  despite  the  fact  that  I  still  have 
an  appetite. 

I  am  always  so  happy  to  have  a  man 
offer  his  services.  All  the  mechanical 
and  financial  areas  were  my  husband's 
domain,  and  when  the  lawn  mower  won't 
start,  the  automobile  makes  odd  sounds, 
and  merchandise  I've  paid  for  never  ar- 
rives, I'm  at  a  loss  as  to  how  to  cope  with 
the  situations. 

I  neglect  my  three  sons  who  now  need 
me  more  than  ever.  They  crave  male 
companionship  and  fun.   I  just  want  to 


sit  around  and  think.  Those  who  have 
played  with  my  children  and  forced  me 
to  participate  in  softball,  swimming,  and 
other  forms  of  physical  activity  have 
little  idea  how  much  tension  I  have  re- 
leased in  the  activity. 

To  those  who  have  taken  my  children 
for  a  few  hours  I  am  grateful,  too.  I 
need  some  soul-time.  The  peace  and 
quiet  permit  me  to  read,  meditate,  and 
chart  the  future. 

Brothers  and  sisters  in  Christ  can  lift 
one  another  up  through  prayer.  You  pray 
in  private  or  come  and  pray  with  me. 
Your  hand  on  my  head  or  in  mine  and 
our  sharing  our  Christian  faith  in  prayer 
is  an  unforgettable  experience.  —  M. 

CORINNE  HOFF  SiMMONS 


Crowing  Up 

and  Growing  Old 

I  didn't  have  much  time  to  dream  about 
growing  up  when  I  was  a  little  girl.  Yes, 
I  did  dream  some.  I  remember  wanting 
to  have  a  beautiful  yard  and  lots  and  lots 
of  flowers  like  my  grandmother  had. 
Later  I  dreamed  of  being  beautiful  and 
wearing  nice  clothes. 

But  almost  from  the  time  I  can  re- 
member, I  tended  babies  —  my  own 
brothers  and  sisters.   I  watched  them 
when  Mother  was  out  of  the  house  at  her 
work.  I  held  their  bottles  and  rocked  the 
cradle.  I  sang  songs  to  them  from  The 
Brethren  Hymnal.  I  played  with  them 
when  they  were  unhappy. 


When  they  were  older  I  rescued  them 
from  falling  out  of  windows,  falling  head 
first  into  the  calves'  drinking  tub,  from 
falling  into  the  creek  and  from  trees. 

When  there  was  sickness  I  was  at  my 
mother's  side  even  in  the  middle  of  the 
night  (one  brother  was  subject  to  croup) , 
and  we  had  some  scarey  times.  Then 
there  was  the  measles,  that  awful  kind, 
first  for  my  father,  then  for  me.  I  had 
taken  his  food  to  him,  as  he  lay  sick  in 
bed  and  delirious  part  of  the  time.  Then 
there  were  five  others  all  shut  up  in  one 
room  with  red  faces  looking  out  the 
windows.   Much  later  there  was  malaria, 
Mother  and  Dad  first  and  for  months, 
then  a  younger  brother.  I  was  their 
nurse. 

The  doctor  said,  "You  should  train  for 
a  nurse."  That  sounded  great.  Being  a 
nurse  meant  being  somebody  important. 
I  could  do  so  much  good.  I  was  a  teen- 
ager then.  But  people  said,  "That's  hard 
work;  you  would  never  stand  it." 

With  all  of  this  we  had  time  for  play 
and  fun  together.  There  were  the  boy 
friends  too,  some  wanting  to  marry  me. 
Marriage  was  a  serious  thing  to  me.   I 
wasn't  ready  for  that.  Later  I  learned  to 
be  a  practical  nurse.  I  studied  hard,  took 
care  of  sick  people.  It  was  thrilling. 
They  got  well. 

Later  there  was  the  question  of  mar- 
riage again.  I  did  marry  (the  best  man 
in  the  world) .  I  was  happy  and  busy. 
After  a  few  years  I,  too,  was  going  to 
have  a  baby.  A  great  joy  filled  my 
soul  —  a  baby  all  my  own,  to  love,  to 
enjoy,  to  watch  grow  in  health  and  in- 
tellect. This  happened  to  me  again,  and 
I  felt  my  life  was  full  to  overflowing.  In 
all  of  this  the  love  of  God  and  his 
guidance  gave  me  courage.  I  never  really 
felt  afraid. 

I  never  thought  much  about  growing 
old  or  feared  the  future.  But  now  I  must 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     23 


SPEAK  UP  /  continued 


be  growing  old.  Some  people  who  know 
my  age  think  I  am  old.   I  don't  have 
much  time  to  meditate  on  the  past.   I  go 
on  finding  much  interest  in  life  and  liv- 
ing, in  anticipation.  I  take  trips  some- 
times to  old  familiar  places  and  faces.   It 
is  mentally  stimulating. 

If  I  am  old  at  seventy-three,  I  don't 
know  it.  My  body  hurts  sometimes, 
badly.  With  a  little  medication  and  a 
heating  pad  I  sleep  and  rest.  Then  there 
is  that  new  day  again. 

I  love  the  out-of-doors;  my  garden, 
flowers,  and  yard  are  a  great  joy  to  me. 
My  home  is  my  little  heaven  on  earth.   I 
do  my  shopping  and  other  chores  on  my 
three-wheeled  bike.  That's  a  thrill. 
There  have  been  tragedies,  heartbreak, 
sadness,  and  grief,  and  I  am  lonesome 
sometimes.   Many  loved  ones  and  friends 
have  gone  to  a  better  life.  There  will  be 
a  great  reunion  some  day. 

I  may  be  growing  old  but  I  am  so  busy 


and  content  that  I  don't  know  it.  — 
Carrie  Stern 


Who'They'Are 

"They:  pronoun  plural;  poss.  their  or 
theirs,  oh'],  them.    1.  Nominative  plural 
of  he,  she,  and  it.  2.  People  in  general. 
3.   Nonstandard.    (Used  with  an  in- 
definite singular  antecedent  in  place  of 
the  definite  masculine  "he"  or  the 
definite  feminine  "she")  ex.,  'Whoever  is 
a  Christian,  whether  they  agree  with  the 
church  or  not,  should  be  agreeable 
church  members.'  " 

They:  objective,  others,  enemies,  ego- 
threats,  the  committee  I'm  not  on, 
cliques,  pastor,  government,  choir, 
church  board. 

They:  excuse,  insult,  hurt,  frustration, 
selfishness,  loneliness,  neurosis,  senility, 


childishness,  generation  gap,  Father-Son- 
Holy  Spirit. 

They:  protesters,  reformers,  change, 
strangers,  radicals,  poor,  prostitutes, 
hippies,  prophets,  crusaders. 

They:  Catholics,  Jews,  North  Vietna- 
mese, black  neighbors,  dirty  neighbors, 
daring  preachers,  adventuresome  church- 
men, "living"  churches. 

They:  IRS,  NAACP,  NCC,  AFL-CIO, 
the  denomination,  the  district,  the  "au- 
thorities," the  church  office,  the  majority. 

They:  A  word  frequently  used  to 
identify  (or  identify  with)  a  nebulous, 
nonidentifiable  person  or  group  of  per- 
sons.  Frequently  used  in  defense  or 
frustration.   Probably  one  of  the  most 
unfortunate  and  well-connotated  four- 
letter  words  of  our  language;  yet  heard 
used  often  in  church  and  by  churchmen 
and  churchwomen.  Definitely  the  op- 
posite of  we,  or  charity.  —  Fred  W. 

SWARTZ 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued  from  cover  two 


and  not  believe  the  miracles  written  about 
by  the  same  author?  They  seemed  contrary 
to  natural  law.  At  the  age  of  fifty  I  began 
a  serious  study;  and  then  a  field  of  wonders, 
seldom  discussed  by  most  church  leaders, 
opened  up.  My  faith  was  strengthened  as 
was  Thomas',  when  Jesus  said,  "Thrust  your 
hand  in  my  side,"  as  I  learned  of  the  many 
modern  day  miracles.  .  .  . 

Alan  Walker  [a  minister]  of  Sydney, 
Australia,  said  at  Bethany  Seminary  just 
recently:  "The  Pentecostal  churches  (so 
much  like  the  original  church  born  at  the 
Pentecost  of  Acts  2)  are  doubling  in  num- 
bers every  ten  years."  Another  evangelist 
present  told  of  the  changed  morals  of  the 
illiterate  people  in  South  America  where 
their  work  is  extensive.  And  I  recall  reading 
of  modern  day  miracles  of  healing  among 
them  elsewhere.  Perhaps  many  of  us  are 
not  seeing  what  is  going  on  today,  as  Kirby 
Page  said  about  the  historians  of  the  first 
three  centuries  a.d.  He  said,  "Not  one  of 
them  ever   mentioned  the   Christian   move- 


ment  which   was   coming   to   be   the    great 
former  of  the  future." 

Worthy  of  mention  here  is  the  "Spiritual 
Frontiers  Fellowship,  Inc.,"  whose  head- 
quarters are  at  800  Custer  Avenue,  Suite 
#1,  Evanston,  111.  60202.  Let  us  "exhort  one 
another  to  good  works." 

Ota  E.  Gibson 
Westmont,  111. 

STAND   AGAINST  ATROCIOUS   EVILS 

I  recently  read  in  our  local  paper  about 
the  massacre  of  300-700  Vietnamese  by  U.S. 
troops  over  a  year  ago.  It's  just  now  coming 
to  light  because  the  commander  ordered  the 
men  to  say  nothing  to  their  congressmen. 
As  David  Dellinger  recently  said,  "'Violence 
breeds  insensitivity.  It  makes  people  com- 
mit atrocious  evil  without  even  realizing  it." 

This  insensitivity  is  a  part  of  war  and 
the  military.  So  how  can  we  be  a  "peace 
church"  without  taking  some  dynamic  stand 
against  these  atrocious  evils? 

To  Mrs.  June  Nedrow  (Oct.  9)  I  wish  to 


say  that  if  you  sincerely  felt  shame  at  being 
a  Brethren  —  a  church  that  in  its  foundation 
believes  in  peace  and  love  of  mankind  — 
perhaps  you  would  feel  more  satisfied  out- 
side this  church.  I  am  personally  glad  to 
see  young  people  of  conscience  saying,  "Not 
all  laws  are  right."  Forcing  people  to  kill 
is  wrong;  killing  people  is  wrong  —  accord- 
ing to  Christ.  I  also  wish  to  say  to  Murray 
Wagner,  "Hurrah!"  —  and  well-said  indeed. 
We  must,  each  of  us,  attempt  to  better 
the  world,  broaden  ourselves,  learn  to  love 
—  really  love  —  mankind,  accept  change, 
and  work  together  —  "For  the  times  they 
are  a-changin'l"  I  am  proud  of  our  youth 
today.  They  won't  settle  for  money,  cars, 
prestige.  Their  world  could  be  destroyed 
tomorrow  literally,  and  they  want  reality 
and  relevance.  I  don't  agree  with  all  the 
methods,  but  they  are  searching  for  answers. 
Let's  not  be  too  "old"  to  keep  searching 
too  —  and  changing  and  growing. 

Joyce  Minnix  Beskar 
Villa  Rodriguez,  Uruguay 


24     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


REVIEWS  I  RECORDS 


Songs  and  a  Portrait 


A  LINCOLN  PORTRAIT:  Copland 
(London)  casts  Gregory  Peck  as  the 
reader  of  Lincoln  texts  in  this  American 
classic,  which  receives  a  bright,  keen  per- 
formance by  Zubin  Mehta  and  the  Los 
Angeles  Philharmonic.  Paired  with  it  are 
two  works  by  William  Kraft,  one  of 
which  is  titled  "Contextures:  Riots  — 
Decade  '60."  Premiered  on  the  day  of 
Martin  Luther  King's  assassination, 
"Contextures"  was  subsequently  revised 
to  memorialize  the  sainted  black  leader. 
Skilled  musicianship  is  more  in  evidence 
than  feeling,  however.  At  any  rate,  I've 
listened  repeatedly  and  it  has  yet  to 
make  an  impression  on  me. 

CREATION  MASS:  Haydn  (Argo)  might 
better  be  called  "Enlightenment,"  for  it 
quotes  a  sprightly  tune  from  Haydn's  or- 
atorio. The  Creation,  as  a  musical  com- 
ment on  peccata  inundi,  suggesting  that 
the  sins  of  the  world  are  mostly  not  very 
serious.    The  mass  as  a  whole,  Haydn's 


eleventh,  abounds  with  both  vigor  and 
delicacy,  and  it  receives  a  sensitive  per- 
formance by  the  choir  of  St.  John's  Col- 
lege, Cambridge,  and  the  Academy  of 
that  remarkable  London  church,  St. 
Martin  in  the  Fields,  conducted  by 
George  Guest. 


FIVE  MYSTICAL  SONGS:  Vaughan 
Williams  (Angel)  are  settings  of  poerns 
by  George  Herbert,  sung  here  with  quiet 
strength  and  finesse  by  baritone  John 
Shirley-Quirk.    A  most  welcome  addition 


to  any  church  library.  Overside  is 
Vaughan  Williams'  more  familiar  Mass 
in  G,  in  what  is  probably  the  finest  cur- 
rently available  recordings,  with  the  re- 
doubtable David  Willcocks  conducting 
the  choir  of  King's  College,  Cambridge. 
As  if  these  were  not  enough,  there  is 
also  a  short  motet,  "O  Clap  Your 
Hands." 

CANTATAS  No.  32  and  No.  57:  Bach 
(Musical  Heritage  Society)  is  a  beautiful 
reminder  that  some  of  the  very  best  Bach 
cantata  recordings  are  not  available  from 
your  record  dealer.  This  is  one  of  the 
latest  and  one  of  my  favorites  (especially 
the  delightful  "Liebster  Jesu,  mein  Ver- 
langen,"  No.  32).  Highly  authentic,  it 
features  the  Heinrich  Schiitz  Choir  of 
Heilbronn  and  the  Pforzheim  Chamber 
Orchestra  under  Fritz  Werner.  Fine  qual- 
ity at  a  bargain  price.  Write  to  MHS, 
1991  Broadway,  New  York,  N.Y.  10023. 
—  William  Robert  Miller 


Faith  Looks  Up 


Nearly  sixty  years  ago  I  was  called  to  the  ministry  by  the 
Greenland  congregation  of  West  Virginia.  I  had  reasons  to 
believe  that  it  was  a  call  from  God.  At  the  time  I  was  a 
public  schoolteacher,  and  I  enjoyed  teaching;  however,  I  did 
not  wish  to  make  teaching  my  life  work.  I  wanted  to  secure 
an  education,  so  I  entered  Bridgewater  College  in  the  fall  of 
1912,  and  Crozer  Seminary  in  1917.  My  first  full-time  pas- 
torate began  in  September  1920  after  my  marriage  to  Myrtle 
L.  Idleman  in  August. 

A  pastor,  if  he  is  to  be  effective,  must  be  a  student  of  the 
Bible,  a  reader  of  books  v^Titten  by  great  thinkers,  and  ac- 
quainted with  some  of  the  great  preachers  of  his  time.  He 
must  spend  regular  hours  in  sermon  preparation  and  study 
for  his  pulpit  work.  He  needs  to  keep  abreast  with  the  current 
issues  of  the  Christian  movement. 

Someone  has  said  that  the  world  is  tired  of  words  —  it 
wants  a  faith  to  live  by.  This  sentiment  is  certainly  true 
of  the  church.  Zwdngli  is  reported  to  have  said  at  the  time 
of  the  Reformation,  "A  Christian  man's  task  is  not  to  talk 


grandly  of  doctrines  but  always  to  be  doing  great  and  hard 
things  for  God." 

My  love  and  devotion  to  the  church  has  been  real,  and 
a  pastor  must  be  a  man  of  great  faith.  Being  a  pastor  in  the 
church  these  many  years  has  been  a  satisfying  experience. 
To  be  sure,  there  have  been  heartaches  and  disappointments. 
But  it  has  been  a  most  rewarding  experience.  The  joy  of 
knowing  intimately  so  many  good  people  cannot  be  told  in 
words.    I  would  choose  the  ministry  again. 


CLARENCE  G.  HESSE,  now  retired  and 
living  in  Petersburg,  West  Virginia,  has  served 
as  pastor  of  the  Somerset,  Pennsylvania, 
church;  First  church,  Roanoke,  Virginia; 
Bridgewater,  Virginia;  Greenville,  Oliio;  and 
Hartville,  Ohio,  churches,  as  well  as  interim 
pastor  at  Petersburg.   On  four  occasions  he 
represented  his  district  on  the  Annual 
Conference  Standing  Committee.    He  has  also 
been  moderator  of  his  local  church  and  a 
member  of  his  district's  ministry  commission. 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     25 


AMERICAN  INDIAN 
PUZZLE 


by  Carol  and  John  Conner 


ACROSS 

1     On  the  sea 

5     Tennessee  Valley  Authority 

(abbr.) 
8     Makers  of  fine  pottery  and  ka- 

china  dolls 

12  Mouthful 

13  Sky 

14  On 

15  Where  Osage  Indians  were  sent 

1 7  Forbearing 

18  Romaine  lettuce 

19  Puts  grains  of  maize  in  ground 
21     See  at  a  distance 

24  What  irrigation  supplements 

25  Ripped 

26  Part  of  bride's  name  in  poem 

Hiawatha 

27  Plant  juice 

30  Reverence 

31  Enjoy  the  taste  of 

32  Color 

33  Uncooked  berries 

34  American  Indians  in  Central 

Canada 

35  Scarce 

36  Let  use  and  give  back 

37  Ancient,  highly  civilized  Indian 

38  Apache  weapons 

41  Early  Southwestern  Indian 

storage  place 

42  Poverty  and  hunger 

43  Kind  of  Indian  who  guided 

Lewis  and  Clark 

48  Chant 

49  Part  of  corn  plant 

50  Always 

51  Sum  of  money  paid 

52  Color  wool  for  weaving 

53  Price 

DOWN 

1  Past 

2  Korean  grain  measure 

3  Building  extension 

4  Jicarilla  or  Mescalero 

5  Multistoried  New  Mexico 

pueblo 


1 

2 

3       ^ 

1 

S 

6 

7 

8 

9 

lO 

11 

)2 

13 

J4 

IS 

lb 

(7 

W^^M 

18 

■ 

19 

20 

ii 

2i 

23 

■ 

24 

2.5- 

■ 

26 

1 

27 

28 

29 

30 

1 

31 

32 

33 

34 

I 

35" 

Pl^^l 

36 

■ 

37 

38 

39 

40 

P 

4^ 

^^^1 

42 

1 

43 

44 

4£- 

4fc 

47 

48 

49 

1 

50 

ri 

52. 

53 

6  Energy 

7  High  plains  Indian 

8  Belonging  to  mankind 

9  Letting  in  air 

10  One  who  expresses  beauty 

1 1  Writing  materials 

16  Temperature  of  desert 

20  Prevaricator 

21  Outstanding  performer 

22  Sioux  tribe 

23  Matured 

24  Northwest  Coast  Indian  clan 

name 

26  Troubled 

27  Two-wheeled  carriage 

28  Emanation 

29  End  of  hammer  head 
31  Flat-bottomed  boat 

35  More  willingly 

36  Mandan  Indian  house 


37  Wrong  (prefix) 

38  Handle 

39  Horse's  bridle  strap 

40  Pay  to  live  in 

41  Gaze  steadily 

44  Grass  cut  for  horses 

45  Eggs 

46  Fish  catcher 

47  Before 


gisQs  mam  amaBl 

ESDE]    BQBEIElQl 

II21QE9QIS]    CIQEIB 
IggjQgl   EMWB   fSSMl 

mwa  EMtasm  Bissau 

IEIEIS    QBIiaG]    SISSL 
GSUQg]    DQe]|IS| 
ISQISIEIBE]    BBS 
IQEIEICI    BCaBliaQHBE 
VBMBm    EHIQ   BBIBL. 


26     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


Honest  Prayers  From  Parish  and  City 


LOOK  AT  US,  LORD,  by  Robert  Marshall  Haven. 
Photography  by  James  R.  Finney.  Abingdon 
Press,  1969.    92  pages,  $4.95 

PRAYERS     FROM     THE     BURNED-OUT     CITY,     by 

Robert   W.    Castle   Jr.   Sheed    and   Ward,    1968. 
126  pages,  $3.95 

BLESS   THIS   MESS   AND   OTHER   PRAYERS,   by   Jo 

Carr    and    Imogene    Sorley.     Abingdon    Press, 
1969.     112   pages,   $2.50 

"There's  a  kind  of  Easter,  Lord,  in  this 
alcoholic.  Today,  he  tells  me,  is  his 
sixth  anniversary.  It  has  been  six  years 
since  his  last  drink.  Life  out  of  death 
in  six  years.  His  concern  for  others  is 
genuine.  He  really  wants  to  help  other 
drunks.  No  pietism.  No  sentimentality. 
No  do-goodism.  No  self-righteousness. 
There's  nothing  phony  about  him.  He's 
an  Easter  figure.  He's  what  it's  all 
about." 

With  this  kind  of  insight  and  frank- 
ness, Robert  Marshall  Haven  takes  the 
reader  on  a  guided  tour  through  all  the 
life  experiences  of  the  parish  and  the 
minister.  These  happenings  in  this  first 
book  of  prayers  include  the  thalidomide 
baby,  a  birthday  party,  the  summer  heat 
in  the  city,  the  unwed  mother,  the 
prisoner,  the  war  in  Vietnam,  the  lonely 
woman,  a  happy  marriage,  weekend  af- 
fairs, the  empty  church,  empty  liturgy, 
the  aged,  the  blind,  the  simple  and  the 
wise,  the  genuine  and  the  phony,  the 
successful  and  the  defeated. 

The  language  of  the  poem-prayers  is 
refreshing  in  its  honesty  and  simplicity. 
Father  Haven,  in  the  foreword,  writes: 
"The  parish  church  when  it  functions 
properly  is  irrevocably  tied  to  these  ex- 
periences, and  any  man  who  has  ever 
served  as  a  parish  clergyman  knows  the 
deep  sense  of  meaning  which  comes  from 
being  with  his  people  at  these  times. 
That  is  why  I  believe  in  the  parish.  The 
parish  clergy  through  the  liturgy  and  the 
pastoral  ministry  of  the  church  are  where 
the  action  is  in  the  lives  of  their  people." 

Each  poem-prayer  is  made  more  pow- 
erful by  the  excellent  photography  found 
on  each  page.  The  prayers  and  pictures 
are  beautifully  designed  by  Nancy  R. 
Bozeman,  making  Look  at  Us,  Lord  an 


excellent  gift  idea. 

The  second  book.  Prayers  From  a 
Burned-Out  City,  is  authored  by  Robert 
W.  Castle  Jr.,  who  like  Father  Haven 
is  an  Episcopalian  minister.  A  rector 
until  1968,  Father  Castle  now  serves  as 
a  machinist  and  salesman  and  supply 
priest  in  Newark,  New  Jersey. 

This  book  of  prayers  is  an  angry  book! 
The  frustration,  anger,  bitterness,  and 
despair  of  the  people  of  the  ghettos  of 
the  city  everywhere  are  powerfully  con- 
veyed in  this  volume.  Father  Castle  not 
only  lived  among  these  people  but  shared 
their  lives.  It  is  from  the  "tattered  fab- 
ric" of  their  lives  that  he  has  woven 
these  prayers.  They  are  indeed  angry 
and  anguished  declarations  and  petitions 
but  somehow  always  alive  with  trust. 

A  short  story  is  included  with  the 
prayers  that  is  very  well  done.  It  is 
the  story  of  a  black  teen-ager  who  tells 
candidly  the  story  of  his  life,  the  night 
of  his  death,  and  the  following  events 
so  filled  with  the  irony  of  our  day:  "You 
know,  man,  this  is  my  story.  It's  about 
the  night  I  died  and  how  they  laid  me 
here  in  the  ground.  It  isn't  a  long  story, 
but  it's  my  story.  I'm  cold  bones  in 
the  ground  now,  man,  but  it's  my  story. 
The  story  lasted  for  sixteen  years,  but 
it  all  got  squeezed  into  a  couple  of  days 
in  the  end.  I  died  early.  But  nobody 
told  me  I  was  dead.  .  .  .  Running,  I 
was  running,  man,  since  I  was  a  baby. 
We  were  all  running.  We  learned  to  run 
from  the  Man.  To  run  from  job  to  job, 
from  tenement  to  tenement,  from  rats 
to  rats,  four-legged  and  two-legged.  We 
ran  from  the  enemy:  white,  soft,  com- 
fortable, big,  powerful.  ...  I  was  run- 
ning again  and  I  was  scared.  They 
caught  me  at  the  cut.  I  fell.  I  was 
scared.  Then  I  got  it  .  .  .  the  blade 
shot  through  my  chest,  went  to  my  heart 
and  through  it,  till  it  came  out  the  other 
side.  I  felt  no  pain.  No  more,  no  less, 
than  all  the  pain  those  years.  You  see, 
it  couldn't  hurt  me  anymore;  the  school, 
no  jobs,  the  cops,  the  landlords,  the 
crooks  at  City  Hall,  the  garbage,  the 
church,  all  the  good  people  in  the  city. 


had  killed  me  long  ago  and  I  didn't  know 
it!  Now  all  the  death  of  sixteen  years 
went  through  my  head  and  started  to 
come  out  of  my  heart.  I  didn't  have  to 
run  anymore.  .  .  .  You  know,  man,  when 
they  carried  me  out  of  the  church  for 
this  last  ride,  some  old  white  lady  on 
the  corner,  looking  at  all  the  cops  and 
all  the  people,  said,  you  know  what  she 
said,  she  said,  "Somebody  very  im- 
portant must  have  died." 

The  third  book.  Bless  This  Mess  and 
Other  Prayers,  written  by  two  homemak- 
ers,  belongs  with  the  first  two  on  the 
basis  of  the  honesty  of  the  petitions,  the 
covering  of  all  areas  of  life,  and  the 
humor  and  sage  that  run  through  the 
entire  volume.  This  all  adds  up  to  a 
delightful  sharing  that  leads  the  unsus- 
pecting reader  to  profound  truths. 

The  authors  are  completely  free  in 
their  writing.  The  following  expressions 
are  quotations  from  the  various  prayers 
and  form  the  basis  for  these  prayers: 
"Lord,  I  wish  I  could  yodel!";  "My 
richly  embroidered  daydreams  do  not 
alter  things";  "Good  grief,  I'm  getting 
swamped  again";  "I  need  a  blanket  like 
Linus,  I'm  insecure";  "Dear  Lord,  de- 
liver us  from  fuss  on  Sunday  morning"; 
"Lord,  I  got  out  of  the  same  side  of 
the  bed  that  I  always  get  out  of  ...  so 
what  went  wrong?";  "Lord,  bless  this 
mess!" 

The  uses  for  all  three  books  are  limit- 
less. They  all  give  guidance  in  areas 
of  life  that  literally  fill  our  schedules. 
The  attempt  of  all  these  prayers  is  best 
summed  up  by  words  in  the  foreword 
of  the  third  book:  "Sharpen  my  sword. 
Lord.  I've  got  some  everyday-type 
dragons  to  slay."  —  Paul  L.  Groff 

CLASSIFIED  ADS 

BRETHREN  TRAVEL  — Plan  now  to  leave  New 
York  on  June  15  for  a  magnificent  three  weeks 
in  Scandinavia,  including  Lapland,  the  Land  of 
the  Midnight  Sun.  Three-week  tour  of  Western 
Europe,  including  1970  Oberammergau  Passion 
Play  in  the  Bavarian  Alps,  leaves  New  York 
July  5.  It  is  possible  to  participate  in  either 
or  both  tours.  Write  J.  Kenneth  Kreider,  Route 
3,   Elizabethtown,   Pa.   17022. 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     27 


dairbirday 


A  GAME  NIGHT  at  home  once  a  week  is  a  must  in  our  family. 
Our  children  demand  it  for  several  reasons.  They  have  a  real 
desire  to  relate  to  their  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters  in  more 
than  the  matter-of-fact  contacts  of  family  life.  They  crave  a 
meaningful  fun-time  when  everybody  can  "let  down  his  hair" 
and  have  a  good  time  together.  A  family  which  endeavors  to 
experience  Christ  as  Savior  knows  that  there  are  times  when 
it  needs  divine  assistance  in  providing  a  "saving"  moment  to 
heal  hurts,  reestablish  brokenness,  and  to  make  love  available 
as  a  bond  of  moving  affection. 

Thus,  we  have  established  a  game  night  at  our  house,  a  time 
when  different  games  are  played.  Peter  Marshall  as  a  father 
and  husband  was  known  as  the  "GGP"  —  the  Great  Game 
Player.  As  members  of  a  family,  we  don't  have  to  excel  at 
every  game  each  of  us  plays,  but  we  learn  that  by  playing  a 
wide  variety  of  family  games,  we  all  may  come  to  improve  our 
abilities  to  play  such  games.  We  also  discover  that  competition 
has  direct  bearing  on  our  sharpening  our  ability  to  play  more 
effectively  the  "game  of  life"  in  relationship. 

Games  may  be  one  of  God's  ways  of  bringing  us  together 
as  families.  Besides  mealtimes,  modern  families  find  few 
moments  when  they  can  be  together.  Often  only  the  evening 
meal  provides  a  time  when  the  entire  family  can  look  itself 
in  the  face  and  talk  of  common  interests.  Games  at  this  point 
can  be  blessings  in  disguise.  A  game  can  be  a  means  to  an 
end,  a  method  of  implementing  the  faith,  hope,  and  love  we 
profess  to  have  as  followers  of  our  Lord.  A  good  game  well- 
played  can  increase  a  family's  faith  in  each  other  (trust) ;  can 
enlarge  a  family's  hope  in  the  fulfillment  of  lives  (perspective); 
and  can  strengthen  a  family's  love  for  each  other  (acceptance, 
understanding).  More  than^once,  through  a  game  we  have 
played  together,  our  family  has  been  brought  closer  in  depth 
and  in  feeling  toward  each  of  its  members. 

Games  can  become  avenues  of  healthy  competition  between 
all  ages  in  the  family.  What  are  some  games  which  can  provide 
for  an  intimacy  of  togetherness  for  a  family  needing  something 
to  do  as  a  unit?  Here  are  a  few:  "Monopoly,"  to  enhance  the 
ability  of  children  to  use  money;  "Scrabble,"  to  enable  everyone 
to  work  with  words  and  thoughts;  "Three-Dimensional-Tic-Tac- 
Toe,"  to  give  persons  a  larger  look  at  the  possibilities  of  physi- 
cal arrangements  and  thus  be  able  to  perceive  the  size  of  life's 
many  problems  and  facets,  life  just  as  it  is. 

We  believe  that  games  portray  a  life-in-miniature  pattern- 
form.  Games  serve  as  instruments  of  discovering  "who  we  are" 
in  relation  to  others.  Eric  Berne,  in  Games  People  Play,  tells 
us  that  as  parents,  adults,  and  children  we  should  fully  live  on 
the  level  of  the  parent,  adult,  or  child  in  the  proper  dimension 
of  maturity  of  that  role.   He  points  out  that  we  should  be  care- 

28     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


ful  not  to  slip  out  of  our  proper  role  of  relationship  and  being 
into  another  role.  He  states;  "Pastimes  and  games  are  substi- 
tutes for  the  real  living  of  real  intimacy  .  .  .  are  preliminary 
engagements  rather  than  unions.  .  .  ."  We  as  a  family  feel 
that  "games"  which  make  for  face-to-face  struggles  in  the 
desire  to  win  and  the  ability  to  lose  with  right  attitude  are  very 
necessary  in  breaking  ground  for  the  "real  living  of  real  in- 
timacy" of  which  Berne  speaks.  The  game  of  avoiding  another 
in  the  family  for  any  reason  can  possible  be  avoided  when  we 
play  a  game  around  a  table  in  direct  contact  with  the  person. 

Games  may  well  be  a  channel  through  which  the  Holy 
Spirit  can  work  to  unite  a  Christian  family  in  immediate  and 
larger  purpose.  It  is  our  belief,  if  there  is  a  "generation  gap" 
between  different  ages  in  our  society  and  world,  that  someone 
greater  than  ourselves  can  help  us  to  bridge  that  gap.  God, 
working  through  personal  relationships,  can  be  in  the  genera- 
tion gap.  Parents  and  children  will  never  see  eye-to-eye  on 
everything,  because  they  view  the  world  at  large  from  the 
stance  of  their  particular  "worlds."  If  we  give  the  heavenly 
Father  a  chance,  he  can  lead  us  together  toward  the  goal  of  I 
Christian-social  living  to  achieve  the  ends  of  personal  develop- 
ment and  rewarding  Christian-human  relationships. 

The  "games  families  play"  may  be  our  way  of  reaching  out 
toward  one  another  and,  at  meaningful  times,  of  joining  hands 
literally  and  symbolically.  Dare  we  do  any  less  than  attempt 
this  in  today's  world?  —  Daniel  and  Nancy  Flory 


DAILY  READING  GUIDE  -  February    1-14 

Sunday     Ruth    1.  A  mother,    two    daughters-in-law    demonstrate    love. 

Monday     Ruth    2.  A  man    and    a    woman    meet;    a    romance    develops. 

Tuesday     Ruth   3.  A  woman    courts   a    man;   what   next? 

Wednesday     Ruth  4,  A   man   wins   a   woman;   a   family   is   established. 

Thursday     Acts    1:6-14.     The    family    of    disciples    come    together    in    com- 
munion. I 

Friday     Acts   3:1-16.     Physical    healing    restores    one    man's   faith    in    others. 

Saturday    Acts  5:1-16.    A   husband   and   wife    learn   a    lesson   of   life,   death. 

Sunday     Acts   8:9-24.     God's   gifts    can    be   obtained    by    means   other   than 
money. 

Monday     Acts   9:1-31.     Christ   confronts   Saul;    a    home    is    opened    to   Paul. 

Tuesday     Acts    12:1-23.     Peter    and    the    angel;    from    prison    to    home. 

Wednesday    Acts   14:8-23.    Of  'gods'  and  men;  a  church  family  is  strength- 
ened. 


Thursday 

Acts 

16:11-15. 

Lyd 

a    is 

baptized    w 

ith 

he 

r    "h 

ousehold" 

-all 

of  them. 

1 

Friday     Acts    16:16-18.     A 

slave 

girl 

is    set   free 

to 

become 

herself. 

Saturday 

Acts 

18:1-11. 

Paul 

stays 

in    two    h 

omes; 

the 

church     c 

rows. 

booking 
Easter 


EASTER:   A 

PICTORIAL  PILGRIMAGE 

Pierre  Benoit,  Elhanan  Hagohni,  and 
Konrad  Leube.  An  invitation  to  make 
a  modem-day  pilgrim's  journey  to 
the  Holy  Land  through  fascinating 
photographs  and  invaluable  commen- 
tary. The  commentary  adds  dimension 
and  depth  to  over  100  photographs 
in  full  color  and  black  and  white. 
$7.95 

IF  MAN  IS  TO  LIVE 

Beverly  Madison  Currin.  This  firm 
restatement  of  the  Christian  faith 
opens  the  way  to  a  new  perspective 
on  the  meaning  of  Jesus'  death  for 
man  today.  $3.50 

HE  BECAME  LIKE  US 

Carlyle  Mamey.  The  seven  last  words 
of  Christ  provide  the  frame  for  this 
forceful  and  gripping  exposition  of  the 
Easter  theme.  $2.25 

THE  SEVEN  WORDS 

Clovis  G.  Chappell  vividly  portrays 
the  radiant  love  and  strength  of  the 
Saviour  against  the  dark  background 
of  human  weakness  and  sin.  $2 

THEY  MET  AT  CALVARY 

W.  E.  Sangster.  The  author's  vivid 
words  help  the  reader  see  the 
cross  through  the  eyes  of  individuals 
and  groups  who  witnessed  the  Cruci- 
fixion. $2 

WHY  HE  CAME 

Kenneth  O.  Eaton.  Seven  clear  and 
incisive  meditations  show  how  the 
invitation  comes  to  allow  Christ  to 
accomplish  his  work  in  and  through 
us.  $2.75 


AND  I  LOOK 

FOR  THE  RESURRECTION 

Kay  M.  Baxter.  This  strong  and  mov- 
ing drama  speaks  of  modem  man's 
attempt  to  say  again  the  words 
that  were  said  on  a  cross  almost 
2,000  years  ago.  $2.25 

WINDOWS 

ON  THE  PASSION 

Charles  C.  Wise,  Jr.  Six  poetic  medi- 
tations on  incidents  leading  to  and 
continuing  through  Passion  week  reflect 
the  excitement,  confusion,  doubts 
and  personal  viewpoints  of  those 
who  were  there.  $2.75 

MY  GOD,  WHY? 

Wallace  T.  Viets.  Tliese  eight  Lenten- 
Easter  messages  speak  out  relevantly 
on  the  great  questions  of  the 
Passion  story.  $2.25 

THE  CRUCIBLE 
OF  REDEMPTION 

Carlyle  Mamey.  Eight  Holy  Week 
messages  take  Easter  out  of  its  tra- 
ditional garb  and  help  restore  its 
vitality  as  the  essential  affirmation  of 
a  valid  Chri.stian  faith.  $2.25 

THE  EASTER  STORY 
FOR  CHILDREN 

Ralph  W.  Sockman.  A  unique  story 
of  Jesus'  life,  crucifixion,  and  resurrec- 
tion. Gives  special  attention  to  the 
thought  that  Jesus'  victory  over  death 
is  God's  proof  of  his  total  love.  $2.25 


AT  YOUR  LOCAL  BOOKSTORE 

abingdon  press 


1-29-70    MESSENGER     29 


in  Uriel 


Six  members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  received  service  awards  at  the 
recent  CROP  field  staff  conference;  John 
Metzler  Jr.,  associate  director;  Elvin  D. 
Frantz,  special  projects  director;  Isobel 
Yoder,  office  staffer;  R.  Dale  Ferris, 
West  Coast  director;  John  E.  Thomas 
Sr.,  Iowa  director;  and  Wesley  P.  Albin, 
at  the  presentation  assistant  to  Mr. 
Thomas.  .  .  .  Another  Church  of  the 
Brethren  layman,  Russell  M.  Hartzler, 
received  CROP  honors  for  his  twenty 
years'  service  with  the  Michigan  office. 

Thirty  years  ago  his  name  was  used  to 
scare  children  in  Portage  County,  Ohio. 
But  recently  Elmer  I.  Brumbaugh  re- 
ceived the  community  service  award  pre- 
sented annually  by  the  Ohio  Association 
of  Juvenile  Court  Judges.   A  former  pro- 
bation officer,  the  Kent,  Ohio,  resident 
and  ordained  Church  of  the  Brethren 
minister  currently  serves  as  president  of 
the  Portage  County  Board  of  Mental 
Retardation. 

The  Cajon  Valley,  Calif.,  congregation 
in  November  honored  its  pastor,  Glenn 
J.  Fruth,  for  his  thirty-five  years  in  the 
pastoral  ministry.  .  .  .  Westminster,  Md., 
pastor  Roy  Johnson  taped  a  series  of  six 
television  panel  discussions  on  racial 
issues  confronting  Carroll  County,  Md. 
The  programs  were  aired  during  De- 
cember. 

A  graduate  of  Manchester  College  and 
pioneer  Church  of  the  Brethren  mission- 
ary to  Nigeria,  Albert  D.  Helser  died 
Dec.  20,  1969,  at  Wheaton,  111.   He  was 
72.  At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  gen- 
eral director  emeritus  of  the  Sudan  In- 
terior Mission,  of  which  he  had  been 
active  director  before  his  retirement  in 
1962. 

Licensed  recently  to  the  ministry  was 
John  Eichelberger  of  the  Leamersville, 
Pa.,  church. 

A  salute  to  celebrants  of  golden  wed- 
ding anniversaries;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sam 
Etsinger,  members  of  the  Union  Center 
church  in  Northern  Indiana;  and  Mr. 


and  Mrs.  Giirnie  Ziiver  of  Campbell- 
town,  Pa.  .  .  .  Other  couples  observing 
anniversaries  include  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harvey  McMHlen.  Warrensburg,  Mo., 
sixty;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Miller, 
members  of  the  Claysburg,  Pa.,  congre- 
gation, sixty-five. 


Middle  Pennsylvania's  Lewistown 
church  is  providing  transportation  for 
residents  of  nearby  Mifflin  County  Home 
who  wish  to  attend  Sunday  morning  serv- 
ices. .  .  .  Thirty  young  persons  from  an- 
other Middle  Pennsylvania  congregation. 
State  College,  spent  the  Thanksgiving 
weekend  at  the  East  Harlem  Protestant 
Parish  in  New  York  City,  where  they 
learned  ways  in  which  the  church  seeks 
to  minister  to  the  needs  of  the  city. 

December  war  Moratorium  partici- 
pants included  Dean  Kagarise,  pastor  of 
the  Pipe  Creek  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
New  Windsor,  Md.   He  addressed  a 
high  school  student  body,  outlining 
political  reasons  for  his  opposition  of 
the  Vietnam  War. 


Shelby  County  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren near  Leonard,  Mo.,  is  the  only 
Brethren  congregation  in  Missouri  to 
qualify  as  a  "challenge  church"  in  the 
Church  World  Service  program  in  that 
state.  The  fifty-two-member  group 


y^m 


Feb.   8 

Relations  Sunday 

Feb.  8 

Scout   Sunday 

Feb.   11 

Asii   Wednesday 

Feb.   15 

First  Sunday  In  Lent 

Feb.   22-27 

••j!»    Seminar,    Washington,    D 

New  York 

Feb.   22 -M 

irch    1      Brotherhood  Week 

March  6 

id   Day   of  Prayer 

March   8 

Great  Hour  of  Sharing 

March    15 

sion   Sunday 

March  17-20 

General    Board,   Elgin,    Illinois 

March   22 

Palm   Sunday 

March  22 

Camp   Fire  Girls  Sunday 

March   26 

Maundy  Thursday 

March   27 

Good   Friday 

March  29 

Easter 

April   12 

National    Christian    College    Day 

contributed  more  than  200  blankets  in 
1969,  over  half  homemade  comforts. 

Elizabethtown  College  is  developing 
a  supervisors'  course  that  emphasizes 
management  of  the  socially  disad- 
vantaged employee.  Business  and  in- 
dustry personnel  will  attend  the  four- 
teen-week course. 

Goshen,  Ind.,  pastor  Nevin  H.  Zuck 
and  St.  Petersburg,  Fla.,  professor  Paul 
Halladay  will  lead  a  preaching  and 
praise  mission,  co-hosted  by  the  Winter 
Park  and  Orlando,  Fla.,  congregations. 
Meetings  will  begin  Monday  evening, 
Feb.  16  at  the  Winter  Park  church  and 
continue  through  Feb.  22.  with  location 
alternating  between  Winter  Park  and 
Orlando. 

Observing  its  ninety-first  anniversary 
in  November  was  the  McCune-Osage 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Kansas, 
with  dedication  ceremonies  for  a  new 
educational  wing.  ...  At  the  December 
celebration  of  Wenatchee  Valley 
church's  fortieth  anniversary,  the  choir 
sang  an  anthem  written  especially  for 
the  occasion  by  Clarence  Schopp,  based 
on  Psalm  118....  "Saved  to  serve"  has 
been  the  motto  of  the  Alexander  Mack 
Men's  Bible  Class,  Elizabethtown,  Pa., 
since  its  inception  in  1927.  The  class 
recently  celebrated  its  more  than  forty 
years  of  service  to  the  congregation. 

Two  tour  groups  led  by  Pennsylvania 
pastors  will  depart  July  29,  1970.   Earl 
K.  Ziegler  will  host  an  around-the-world 
jaunt  July  29  —  Aug.  30,  to  include  the 
Netherlands,  Germany,  Turkey,  Middle 
Eastern  countries,  and  the  Far  East.  A 
highlight  will  be  the  Oberammergau  Pas- 
sion Play.  Tour-minded  persons  may  con- 
tact Pastor  Ziegler  at  Brodbecks,  Pa. 
17308.  .  .  .  Hosting  a  Europe  and  Bible 
lands  tour,  also  including  the  Passion 
Play,  is  Glenn  Kinsel,  165  N.  Clay  St., 
Manheim,  Pa.  17545.   From  July  29  — 
Aug.  19  the  group  will  visit  Egypt,  Italy, 
Greece,  and  the  Netherlands,  as  well  as 
Germany  and  the  Holy  Land. 

Fred  M.  Bowman,  pastor  of  the 


30     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


Calvary  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Win- 
chester, Va.,  reports  that  morning  wor- 
ship services  will  be  broadcast  from  that 
church  on  each  of  the  Sundays  in  Feb- 
ruary. 


In  a  day  when  the  film  media  are  a 
major  influence  upon  society,  there  is 
need  for  becoming  cinemate  as  well  as 
literate.  To  offer  churches  and  individu- 
als an  appraisal  of  current  films,  a  new 
review  service,  Film  Information,  will  be 
issued  early  next  year  by  the  Broadcast- 
ing and  Film  Commission,  National 
Council  of  Churches.  Available  for  a 
yearly  $4  subscription  fee,  the  monthly 
service  will  review  all  commercial  pic- 
tures issued  annually  in  the  United  States 
—  about  300  total  —  plus  selected  for- 
eign releases.  James  M.  Wall,  editor  of 
United  Methodism's  Christian  Advocate, 
will  be  coordinator  of  the  service.  For  a 
sample  copy  of  the  pilot  issue  when  it  is 
available,  write  the  Office  of  Communica- 
tion, 1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111. 
60120. 

Newly  published  is  a  biography  of 
Orie  O.  Miller,  a  founder  of  the  Men- 
nonite  Central  Committee,  the  relief  and 
service  agency  of  the  Mennonite  church. 
Entitled  Orie  O.  Miller:  The  Story  of  a 
Man  and  an  Era,  by  Paul  Erb,  the  book 
will  sell  for  $7.95. 

National  Educational  Television  will 
present  a  five-part  series  in  March  de- 
signed to  help  people  understand  the 
psychological  and  physical  aspects  of  the 
smoking  habit. 

The  five  half-hour  color  programs,  col- 
lectively titled  Why  You  Smoke  —  A 
Self-Test,  will  be  telecast  on  the  consecu- 
tive nights  of  Monday  through  Friday, 
March  2  through  6.  An  important  fea- 
ture of  the  series  will  be  a  test  to  be  taken 
by  home  viewers  while  the  programs  are 
on  the  air. 

The  series  is  about  three  people  who 
decide  they  would  like  to  do  something 
about  their  heavy  smoking.  Uncertain 


whether  it  is  possible  for  them  to  quit  or 
even  to  lessen  their  smoking,  they  begin 
a  four-part  test  developed  by  the  director 
of  the  National  Clearinghouse  for  Smok- 
ing and  Health,  Dr.  Daniel  Horn.  View- 
ers at  home  will  take  the  same  test,  each 
part  on  a  different  night. 


Cans.    Frances    Zoe,   Strathmore,   Calif.,    on    .April 

23.  1969.  aged  55 
Gillett,  Ola  E.,  Glendale,  .\riz.,  on  Dec.  27,  1968, 

aged  83 
Gross,   Harvey.   Sipesville,    Pa.,   on   Oct.    29,    1969. 

aged  86 


Fletcher,    Wayne,    Glendale,    Ariz.,    on    Feb.    4, 

1969,  aged  60 
Rogers.   Mrs.   William.   Liberty,   Ind..  on   Nov.    7, 

1969,  aged  67 
Shong,     Mandas,    Defiance.    Ohio,    on    Nov.     25, 

1969,  aged  66 
Shriver,   Roy   R.,    Martinsburg,    Pa.,   on    Nov.    21, 

1969,  aged  71 
Spiglemoyer,    Homer    A.,    Springfield,    Ohio,    on 

Nov.  15,  1969,  aged  82 
Stahl,   Lorraine   K.,   Davidsville,   Pa.,   on    Nov.    4, 

1969,  aged  50 
Strawser,  Edward  E.,  McAlisterville.  Pa.,  on  Nov. 

6,   1969 
Studebaker,    Nellie    T.,    New    Carlisle,    Ohio,    on 

Dec.  6,  1969,  aged  79 
Werstler,    Maggie,    Hartville,    Ohio,    on    Sept.    11, 

1969,  aged  85 


REQUEST  FOR  NOMINATIONS 

The  Nominating  Committee  of  the  Annual  Conference  Standing  Committee  is  pro- 
viding this  opportunity  for  any  interested  person  or  congregation  in  the  Brotherhood 
to  submit  nominations  for  the  various  offices  to  be  filled  by  election  by  Annual 
Conference. 

It  is  important  that  any  person  whose  name  is  submitted  be  contacted  regarding  his 
willingness  to  have  his  name  considered.  This  is  the  responsibility  of  the  person  or 
congregation  submitting  the  name.  Obviously  there  will  likely  be  many  more  names 
submitted  than  will  appear  on  the  ballot,  so  permission  must  be  granted  within  this 
framework.   This  will  probably  be  the  only  time  possible  candidates  will  be  contacted. 

Nominations  are  to  be  listed  on  the  form  below  and  sent  to  the  Annual  Conference 
Office,   1451   Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120,  by  March  15,   1970. 


Offices  Open   1970 
1.    Moderator-Elect.    One  person. 


2.  General  Board  Members.  Five  members,  elected  representing  districts,  3-year 
term;  three  members,  elected  at  large,  3-year  term;  one  person,  to  fill  the  unexpired 
term  (to  1971)  of  Harold  Z.  Bomberger,  who  leaves  the  board  to  assume  the  office 
of  moderator.    This  is  a  district  representative. 


3.    Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations.    One  person,  3-year  term. 


4.    Elector  of  Bethany  Theological  Seminary.    One   person,   representing  the   laity. 
One  person,  representing  ministry,  5-year  term. 


5.    Aimual   Conference   Central   Committee.     One   person,    3-year   term. 


(Person  or  congregation  submitting  nominations) 

1-29-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


A  Plea  for  Risk  Evangelism 


Yo 


ou  might  call  it  risk  evangelism.  What  we  have  in  mind 
is  a  significant  element  in  the  way  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ 
is  communicated  to  people  today.  But  in  many  discussions 
about  evangelism  and  the  responsibility  of  Christians  to 
share  the  good  news  of  the  love  of  God,  this  aspect  is 
ignored. 

And  yet  there  it  is,  right  smack  in  the  middle  of  almost 
every  text  that  affirms  what  the  gospel  is  all  about.  "God 
loved  the  world  so  much  that  he  gave  his  only  Son,  that 
everyone  who  has  faith  in  him  may  not  die  but  have  eternal 
life."  The  incarnation  was  risky  from  the  start.  There 
was  little  assurance  that  after  rejecting  earlier  messengers 
from  God  (Jesus  said,  "They  took  his  servants  and  thrashed 
one,  murdered  another,  and  stoned  a  third" ) ,  the  people 
among  whom  the  word  became  flesh  would  really  "respect 
my  son."  No,  the  whole  career  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was 
hazardous  from  the  time  when  Herod  slaughtered  the  inno- 
cents until  Jesus  was  put  to  death  on  a  cross.  You  can't 
talk  about  the  good  news  of  Jesus  without  realizing  God 
knew  all  along  that  someone  was  going  to  get  hurt.  And 
Jesus  knew  it  too.  "Blessed  are  the  persecuted  .  .  .  calculate 
the  cost ...  I  am  sending  you  like  lambs  among  wolves 
.  .  .  Take  up  your  cross  and  follow  my  footsteps."  (Scrip- 
ture references  are  from  The  New  English  Bible. ) 

But  most  discussions  of  evangelism  and  most  methods 
of  evangelism  say  little  about  following  in  the  particular 
footsteps  of  an  unpopular,  discredited,  scorned,  and  rejected 
prophet  who  put  his  life  on  the  line.  Instead  we  like  to 
dream  of  gigantic  campaigns,  well-publicized  mass  meetings, 
professionally  directed  telecasts,  systematic  visits  to  names 
on  a  prospect  list,  persuasive  arguments,  invitations  for 
commitment,  and  a  stepped-up  program  of  church  activi- 
ties designed  to  get  those  lonely  and  lost  people  to  join 
up  with  us  lovely  people  who  have  already  arrived.  We  do 
these  things  under  the  banner  of  the  cross,  but  the  color  of 
real  blood  seems  to  have  been  washed  out.  Seldom,  so 
seldom,  are  we  really  willing  to  risk  something  for  the  sake 
of  the  persons  we  seek. 

There  are  exceptions  to  such  a  generalization.  Con- 
sider the  farm  wife  who  risked  danger  to  herself  and  her 
daughters  —  not  to  mention  her  reputation  —  when  she 
opened  her  home  to  transient  workers.  She  accepted  them 
for  the  persons  they  were  and  the  new  persons  they  might 
become,  risking  the  rejection  of  some,  the  failure  of  others, 
but  growing  always  in  her  love  and  compassion  for  people, 
and  living  to  see  her  faith  justified  in  many  of  them. 

Consider  the  young  man  who,  after  serving  long  hours 


on  the  staff  of  a  coffeehouse,  spent  additional  hours  listening 
to  young  fellows  and  girls  in  trouble  with  parents,  teachers, 
and  the  law,  counseling  as  he  was  able,  often  realizing 
that  his  were  the  only  ears  available  for  listening. 

Or  consider  the  homes  where  the  long-haired  rebels, 
the  unconventionally  dressed,  or  those  temporarily  alien- 
ated from  their  parents  are  treated  with  respect  and  a 
measure  of  understanding  —  in  other  words  with  the  very 
qualities  they  should  expect  to  find  in  a  church  fellowship 
but  which  are  so  often  lacking. 

There  is  risk  here  that  is  more  than  inconvenience  — 
risk  of  neighborhood  disdain,  risk  of  disappointment  when 
irresponsible  behavior  must  be  faced,  risk  of  some  damage 
to  property,  risk  that  bail  money  advanced  may  not  be 
returned.  Yet  every  person  who  has  been  that  much  con- 
cerned for  other  people  would  gladly  run  the  risk,  even  at 
great  personal  cost,  just  in  order  to  see  someone  come  alive 
with  faith  and  hope  and  a  new  purpose  for  living.  And 
isn't  this  what  evangelism  is  all  about? 

Thank  God,  there  are  also  churches  willing  to  risk 
their  reputations  and  their  budgets  on  behalf  of  people. 
Some  churches,  offering  sanctuary  to  draft  resisters,  have 
lost  their  fire  insurance.  A  few  city  churches  actively  in- 
volved in  a  ministry  to  youth  gangs  have  suffered  property 
loss,  the  opposition  of  city  agencies,  and  lack  of  financial 
support  from  some  members.  We  still  recall  the  number  of 
churches  burned  or  destroyed  a  few  years  ago  because  they 
defied  segregation  patterns  in  order  to  minister  to  the  needy. 
A  news  report  says  that  "activist  church  groups  have  be- 
come high-risk  hazards." 


A 


high-risk  hazard  indeed!  If  a  church  goes  to  bat 
for  people  —  not  only  its  members  or  its  immediate  com- 
munity but  people  everywhere  —  then  the  gospel  words  it 
utters  in  sermons  and  affirmations,  in  counseling  and  in  con- 
versation really  have  something  to  communicate.  They 
carry  an  evangel  of  hope,  a  message  of  life,  because  they 
reflect  an  activist  commitment  already  on  behalf  of  people, 
not  as  prospects,  not  as  customers,  not  as  potential  contrib- 
utors, but  as  persons  whom  God  already  loves  and  whom 
he  has  already  accepted  in  Christ  to  be  children  of  his. 
You  might  call  it  risk  evangelism,  or  involvement 
evangelism,  or  service  evangelism.  From  our  standpoint, 
it's  the  New  Testament  brand,  the  genuine  article,  and  it's 
worth  cultivating  and  worth  celebrating.  With  or  without  a 
label.  —  K.M. 


32     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


Sew  hooks 

by  I  ELTON  TRUEBLOOD 
GEORGIA  HARKNESS 
ALAN  WALKER 


THE  NEW  MAN  FOR  OUR  TIME 

Elton  Trueblood 

A  creative  union  of  the  spiritual  life  —  the  roots  of  faith  —  and  service  to  the 
world's  needs  —  its  fruits  —  is  the  mark  of  the  nev\/  man  for  our  time,  says  Mr. 
Trueblood.   It  is  this  combination  which  is  sorely  needed  in  an  age  of  revolu- 
tionary change.   The  author  notes  the  damaging  division  between  pietists 
and  activists  in  nearly  every  Christian  community.    He  shows  that  the  Christian 
community  can  be  redemptive  only  when  the  concerns  of  both  are  brought 
together.  The  purpose  of  this  book  is  1o  produce  a  creative  union  of  the  inner 
and  outer  dimensions  in  the  life  of  every  Christian.  $2.95 


BREAKTHROUGH: 

Alan  Walker 


REDISCOVERY  OF  THE  HOLY  SPIRIT 


"Millions  of  people  are  being  crushed  by  the  pressures  of  life  .  .  .  The 
world  is  restless,  tantalized  by  the  vision  of  what  may  be,  but  cannot 
find  the  power  to  turn  dreams  into  reality  ..."  What  is  this  malady 
that  weakens  mankind  and  renders  the  church  impotent?   In  this  power- 
ful book,  Alan  Walker  relates  it  directly  to  the  loss  of  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  in  our  churches  and  in  our  personal  lives.  Chapters  are: 
Re-Discovering  the  Holy  Spirit;  The  Holy  Spirit:  Agent  in  Conversion; 
Growth  in  the  Spirit;  The  Special  Baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit;  The  Spirit 
Renews  the  Church;  The  Holy  Spirit  and  World  Revolution;  Holy  Spirit 
and  World  Mission.  $2.75 

GRACE  ABOUNDING 

Georgia   Harkness 

These  fifty  devotions  take  the  reader  on  an  inspirational  journey  into 
Dr.  Harkness'  own  background  and  life.  She  uses  Scripture,  original 
poetry,  prayer,  and  meditations  to  share  her  personal  expjeriences,  as 
a  witness  to  the  encompassing  and  abounding  grace  of  God. 

$3.75 


e^Sngs^ 


CHURCH  of  the   BRETHREN   GENERAL   OFFICES,   Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


She  Takes  the  Books  to  Where  the  Children  Are.  Helen  Watts  re- 
members  when  Annual  Conference  first  authorized  a  program  of  Brethren 
Volunteer  Service.  She  stayed  in  her  home  community  where  she  saw  a  need 
and  persisted  until  she  found  a  practical  way  to  put  her  faith  to  work,  by 
Rosella  Flory.    page  2 

A  View  From  the  Bottom  Rung.  There  may  he  a  traffic  jam  as  some 
church  leaders  seek  the  top  of  the  ladder,  hut  many  a  faithful  pastor  finds 
the  greatest  need  for  his  ministry  at  the  bottom  rung,  by  Inez  Long,   page  5 

Obedience  or   Disobedience?    An    Understanding    of    Romans    13. 

Christians  should  be  free  to  obey  the  state  as  God  intended,  to  support  it  in 
doing  good,  but  always  to  act  according  to  the  will  of  God  as  they  see  it. 
bv  Graydon  Snyder,    page  8 

Overview  of  a  Decade:  Trends  and  Transition.  Before  launching  into 
new  orbits  in  the  seventies,  churches  and  churchmen  wotdd  do  well  to  recall 
the  significant  changes  that  took  place  in  the  church  itself  during  the  sixties. 
a  summary  report  of  news  and  pictures,   page  12 


Christian  Concerns  in  Tomorrow's  Vietnam.  It  is  not  enough  to  "stop 
the  killing."  American  Christians  feel  a  responsibility  to  help  restore  a  war- 
ravaged  land.  But  they  must  learn  how  to  serve  a  brother's  need  while  main- 
taining his  dignity  in  the  sight  of  God.   by  H.  Lamar  Gibble.   page  16 


Other  features  include  poems  by  Martha  N.  Parker  (page  6),  and  John  M.  Storer 
(page  11);  reflections  from  delegates  to  the  National  Coxxncil  of  Churches  of  Christ 
Assembly  (page  14);  "The  Plea  of  the  Migrant  Farmworker,"  by  Teiry  Pettit  (page 
18);  "Speak  Up"  contributions  from  Bernice  Hoover  Cook  (page  22),  Corinne  Hoff 
Simmons  (page  22),  Carrie  Stern  (page  23),  and  Fred  W.  Swartz  (page  24);  "Faith 
Looks  Up,"  by  Clarence  G.  Hesse  (page  25);  an  "American  Indian  Puzzle,"  by  John  and 
Carol  Connor  (page  26);  a  book  review  article,  "Honest  Prayers  From  Parish  and  City," 
by  Paul  L.  Groff  (page  27);  and  "Day  by  Day"  by  Daniel  and  Nancy  Flory  (page  28). 


COMING  NEXT, 


Many  church  members  find  it  difficult  to  know  how  to  handle  some  of  the  propaganda 
charges  and  countercharges  that  come  from  extremist  groups  of  both  the  left  and  right. 
Maijna'd  Shelly,  an  editor  with  sensitivity  to  the  pressiires  ordinary  Christians  feel,  re- 
flects on  the  predicament  of  those  who  are  caught  "Between  Left  and  Right."  .  .  .  One 
result  of  the  same  predicament  is  a  mood  of  discontent  that  pervades  so  much  of  modern 
life.  Glenn  R.  Bucher,  university  professor  and  minister,  observes  some  patterns  of  action 
on  the  part  of  "The  God  of  Discontent."  .  .  .  The  personal  response  of  two  quite  diverse 
individuals  is  reflected  in  stories  about  a  man  with  a  mission  to  encourage  a  "Two-Child 
Family  Movement"  and  about  a  young  theological  student,  a  black  poet,  who  sees  how 
"A  Dream  Can  Burn."  VOL    119    NO. 


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A  DREAM  CAN  BURN 
DISCOVERING  LATIN  AMERICA 
THE  TWO-CHILD  FAMILY 
BETWEEN  LEFT  AND  RIGHT 
TURNS  IN  THE  ROAD 


THE  WORK  THAT  MUST  BE  DONE  FOR  PEACE 

I  feel  called  upon  to  reply  to  Charles 
Wampler's  assertions  (Dec.  4)  that  (1)  a 
draft  card  is  not  a  killer  card  and  (2)  get- 
ting up  before  a  crowd  and  burning  a  draft 
card  and  making  speeches  about  it  is  not 
being  peaceable  or  making  for  peace. 

First,  carrying  a  draft  card  is  carrying 
a  killer  card,  no  matter  what  classification 
that  card  carries.  This  is  so  for  two  reasons: 
The  system  of  conscription,  the  system  that 
allows  the  government  to  force  men  into 
the  armed  forces  against  their  will,  is  one  of 
the  main  reasons  the  Vietnam  War  was  es- 
calated as  it  was.  That  ready  pool  of  man- 
power gives  the  Chief  Executive  and  the 
Pentagon  power  over  determining  when  and 
how  extensively  war  is  carried  on. 

Second,  acceptance  of  a  CO  classification 
is  accepting  the  aspect  of  the  S.S.S.  known 
as  "channeling."  The  CO's  opposition  to 
war  is  being  channeled  away  into  two  years 
of  work  which  in  no  way  challenges  the 
system  of  conscription  or  the  war  machine. 
In  like  manner,  deferments  are  given  to 
channel  young  men  into  occupations  deter- 
mined by  the  National  Security  Council  as 
being  "in  the  national  interest."  It  is  fairly 
clear  that  the  "national  interest"  is  not  the 
interest  of  God. 

Lastly,  I  agree  that  burning  a  draft  card 
is  not  going  to  bring  peace.  It  is  going  to 
take  a  deep  commitment  and  much  work 
and  struggle  to  bring  peace.  I  wish  that 
others  would  realize  that  and  get  down  to 
doing  the  work  that  must  be  done,  and  done 
immediately. 

Ted  Click 
Lancaster,  Pa. 

A  STATEMENT  ON   THE   BLACK  MANIFESTO 

We  believe  that  the  church,   founded  by 


readers  write 


Jesus  Christ,  is  based  upon  his  teachings 
which  emphasize  goodwill,  understanding, 
sharing,  service,  and  Christlike  love.  While 
the  church  so  established  and  perpetuated 
for  almost  2,000  years  does  not  claim  per- 
fection in  the  practice  of  these  ideals,  it 
does  claim  that  good,  both  to  the  spirit  [and 
to]  the  social  and  economic  life  of  people, 
has  resulted  from  church-directed  efforts. 
Hospitals  and  schools,  as  well  as  churches, 
have  been  generated  and  brought  into  being 
by  Christian  followers  of  Christ.  We  are 
reminded  that  "there  is  no  other  name,  save 
Jesus'  "  and  only  the  church  is  dedicated  to 
the  proclaiming  of  that  name. 

Certainly  churches  so  conceived,  founded, 
and  perpetuated  cannot  ally  themselves  with 
any  group  or  organization  which  demands 
the  overthrow  of  such  churches,  as  well  as 
our  government  and  any  government  which 
provides  freedom  to  worship  God  as  the 
individual  conscience  may  direct. 

We,  therefore,  as  individuals  and  as  an 
organized  church,  believing  in  Jesus  Christ 
as  Lord  and  Savior,  and  [in]  his  teachings, 
deplore  the  language  of  the  black  manifesto 
as  presented  to  our  Annual  Conference  at 
Louisville,  Ky.,  during  the  week  of  June 
24-29,  1969.  Further  we  do  not  as  individ- 
uals or  as  an  organized  church  accept  the 
accusation  of  guilt  as  set  forth  therein. 

In  the  action  of  the  Annual  Conference 
creating  a  "Fund  for  the  Americas  [in  the 
United  States],"  we  commend  this  addition- 
al call  to  serve  as  Christians.  We  do  object 
to  the  granting  of  church-dedicated  funds 
on  an  "unrestricted"  basis  and  to  any  pro- 
posed further  use  of  such  dedicated  funds 
to  finance  questionable  enterprises.  We  are 
to  be  good  stewards  of  both  life  and  materi- 
al possessions  and  should  not  use  either  in 
the  furthering  of  any  cause  which  does  not 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover,  14  artwork  by  ^Vilbur  E.  Brumbaugh:  5  A.  Devaney,  Inc.:  8  H.  Armstrong 
Roberts;  9  Rohn  Engh:  13  Religious  News  Service;  17  Harvard  University  News  Office:  20  Ron  Keener; 
21  courtesy  of  Lancaster.  Pa..  Daily  Intelligencer 

Kenneth  1.  Morse,  editor:  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  .^ug.  20.  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  FiUng  date,  Oct.  1.  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan:  S3. 00  per  year  for  e\ery  home  plan:  life  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife.  ?75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other  I 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin.  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111.    Jan.  29.  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119   No.  3 


add  to  the  stature  of  Jesus  Christ  as  Savior. 

We  believe  that  black,  yellow,  brown,  red, 
or  white  racism  is  wrong  when  it  seeks  only 
the  well-being  of  a  particular  race.  The 
need  of  any  person,  regardless  of  race, 
should  determine  our  response. 

We  suggest  that  in  responding  to  the  call 
for  funds  to  the  "Fund  for  the  Americas 
[in  the  United  States]"  the  individual  exer- 
cise his  privilege  of  indicating  his  preference 
as  to  the  use  of  his  contribution. 

We  commend  to  the  members  of  the 
church  the  appeal  of  Jesus  Christ  to  be  his 
followers  in  all  the  world.  "If  any  man  have 
need?  .  .  .  Forasmuch  as  you  did  it  unto 
one  of  the  least  of  these,  you  did  it  unto 
me." 

Anderson,  Ind.,  Church 
OF  THE  Brethren 
Anderson,  Ind. 

A  MORATORIUM  ON   MERGER  QUESTIONS 

In  response  to  Ralph  Turnidge  in  "Speak- 
ing Up"  (Jan.  1),  I  find  that  what  might  be 
another  logical  possibility  of  his  arguments 
on  direction  for  the  Brethren  is  lacking  in 
his  article.  Maybe  a  sect  was  never  meant 
to  be  a  denominational  church  with  all  the 
created  institutions.  Would  not  joining 
COCU  only  propagate  what  already  might 
be  a  bad  marriage  for  the  Brethren?  If 
there  is  one  lesson  that  the  60s  have  taught 
us,  it  is  that  institutions  need  to  be  func- 
tional and  dynamic.  Is  the  name  of  the 
game  for  the  church  changing  from  one  in- 
stitutional form  to  another? 

Possibly  the  reason  for  the  noninvolve- 
ment  of  the  Brethren  of  which  Ralph 
Turnidge  speaks  is  due  to  its  dealing  with 
other  questions  —  like  whether  or  not  to 
join  COCU  —  which  might  be  a  Brethren 
way  of  copping  out.  Maybe  the  reason  there 
are  the  more  active  secular  groups  working 
for  peace  during  what  might  be  called  the 
turbulent  60's  is  that  the  Brethren  were 
meantime  in  the  most  important  decade 
caught  up  in  asking  the  question  of  whether 
or  not  to  merge. 

A  more  unified  church  won't  make  us 
face  issues  of  personal  discipleship  more  ef- 
fectively. In  fact  we  seem  to  skirt  the  need 
to  get  out  and  do  something  about  our  faith 
by  even  considering  such  questions.  We 
don't  have  time  to  be  concerned  about  what 
more  viable  institutional  forms  there  are  for 
the  church.  We  have  enough  tools.  If  pos- 
sible I  would  like  to  call  a  moratorium  on 
the  merger  question  for  the  Brethren  and  at 


Page  one... 


the  same  time  to  encourage  us  to  open  a 
question:  How  can  we  serve  in  tlie  70s  as 
Christians  given  hmited  tools  and  the  grace 
of  God? 

David  S.  Young 
Oak  Brook,  111. 

THE  NEED   FOR  NERVE 

Ralph  Turnidge  (Jan.  1)  has  at  last  said 
what  many  believe  but  have  been  unable  to 
express.  He  has  said  it  firmly  but  gently. 
He  has  been  guided  by  reason  in  areas  where 
many  rely  upon  emotion. 

We  have  long  criticized  the  toast  "My 
country  .  .  .  may  she  always  be  right  but 
my  country  —  right  or  wrong."  Some  have 
believed  Decatur  was  drunk  when  he  said 
that.  But  those  were  sober  people  in  the 
long  line  to  the  microphone  at  the  former 
Louisville  Conference  who  opposed  partici- 
pation in  the  Consultation  on  Church  Union. 
In  essence  they  said  "My  church,  may  she 
always  be  right  but  ...."' 

And  need  more  be  said  about  our  posi- 
tion on  peace?  In  1943  a  pastor  wrote, 
"Twenty-nine  young  men  out  of  my  church 
have  been  drafted;  every  one  is  in  combatant 
service.  How  can  I  say  that  my  congrega- 
tion is  a  peace  congregation?"  That  was  too 
typical. 

Mr.  Turnidge  urges  the  need  for  nerve. 
He  does  not  indicate  whether  he  thinks  it 
will  be  forthcoming.  .  .  .  There  is  no  great 
basis  for  assuming  that  Annual  Conference 
will  be  characterized  by  nerve.  It  is  more 
cautious  than  courageous.  Nerve  is  more 
likely  to  become  evident  in  local  churches 
and  districts.  This  is  not  without  historical 
precedence. 

Chauncey  Shamberger 
Weiser,  Idaho 

FACTORS  OUTWEIGH   OBJECTIONS 

Your  January  editorial  on  Vietnam,  while 
making  a  number  of  quite  valid  points,  still 
fails  mightily  to  come  to  grips  with  factors 
which  far  outweigh  the  objections  to  the  war. 
Without  our  presence,  the  whole  of  Vietnam 
would  quickly  be  swallowed  up  by  the  North 
Vietnamese  National  Liberation  Front. 

Life,  as  you  state,  is  sacred;  the  freedom 
to  seek  noncommunist,  revolutionary,  and 
nationalistic  solutions  to  the  unhappy  status 
quo  in  South  Vietnam  is  equally  so.  Com- 
munism may  not  be  the  only  option  open 
for  profound  change. 

As  to  the  question  of  atrocities,  why  is  so 

Continued  on  page  29 


On  a  recent  Saturday  one  of  our  editors,  due  to  his  wife's  having  been 
hospitahzed  recently,  found  it  necessary  to  spend  most  of  the  day  running 
errands.  He  soon  discovered  that  everywhere  he  went  he  had  to  stand  in  line 
for  service.  All  eight  of  the  check-out  lines  at  the  supermarket  were  backed 
up,  as  bargain-conscious  customers  pushed  their  loaded  carts  toward  the  cash 
registers.  The  car  wash  required  only  two  minutes  —  but  each  driver  waited 
forty  before  his  turn  came.  The  local  bank  was  crowded  with  persons 
depositing  or  withdrawing  funds,  purchasing  state  vehicle  tags,  negotiating 
loans,  or  paying  taxes.  The  post  offfice  was  in  the  same  predicament,  and  in 
the  city  parking  lots  a  driver  had  to  cruise  around  an  extra  ten  minutes  before 
he  could  find  a  parking  slot. 

Waiting  his  turn  (six  persons  were  ahead  of  him)  in  the  barber  shop, 
this  editor  contemplated  the  feature  in  Life  magazine  with  which  that  journal 
began  its  survey  of  the  seventies.  It  was  a  pictorial  review  of  a  crowded 
society.  Do  we  already  have  too  many  people?  Even  though  this  editor,  as  the 
father  of  five,  has  never  been  an  advocate  of  small  families,  he  was  forced  to 
ask  himself  if  there  might  not  be  some  merit  to  some  of  the  recent  proposals  for 
limiting  the  size  of  families  —  voluntarily.  Which  leads  us  to  say  that  this  is 
exactly  what  a  contributor,  Ben  Hansen,  does  in  a  feature  in  this  issue.  Ben, 
as  you  will  discover,  is  a  man  with  a  mission.  He  thinks  his  plan  will  not  only 
help  to  control  population.  It  may  also,  he  says,  contribute  to  world  peace. 
But  peace  is  a  long  time  coming.  Even  if  the  Vietnam  conflict  ends  as 
suddenly  as  the  Nigerian  civil  strife,  there  are  serious  divisions  among 
Americans  that  remain.  There  are  hurts  that  are  not  easily  healed.  There  are 
injustices  that  won't  soon  be  set  right.   Much  of  the  polarization  today  sets 
American  against  American,  throwing  one  either  to  the  left  or  the  right.  This 
situation  prompted  Maynard  Shelly,  an  experienced  Mennonite  editor  and 
reporter,  to  write  about  extremism,  the  reasons  for  it,  and  to  observe  how  it 
thrives  on  fear  or  force,  when  what  we  need  today  is  instead  a  firmer  faith  in 
God.   Maynard  took  his  seminary  training  back  in  the  days  when  Mennonites 
and  Brethren  shared  facilities  and  teachers  at  the  familiar  Bethany  location  on 
the  West  Side  of  Chicago. 

What  it  is  like  to  grow  up  today  in  an  urban  ghetto  such  as  one  finds  in 
much  of  Chicago's  West  Side,  is  reflected  in  poems  by  a 
black  student  now  attending  Bethany  at  its  Oak  Brook 
campus.  He  is  Robert  Allen,  and  his  poems  were  selected 
and  in  a  sense  interpreted  in  this  issue  by  a  fellow  seminary 
student,  Terry  Pettit. 

Saluting  other  contributors,  we  note  that  two  of  them 
are  pastors.  Norman  Long,  of  Golden  Valley,  Minnesota, 
and  his  wife  Kay  serve  their  community's  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  while  book  reviewer  James  Tomlonson  is  assistant 
pastor  of  the  McPherson  church  in  Kansas. 

As  /.  Roy  Valencoiirt  relates  in  his  account  of  mission- 
ary training,  he  and  his  family  have  begun  their  work  in  Ecuador.  Before  their 
assigimient  there,  Roy  edited  church  school  material  for  the  Brotherhood  staff 

Elizabethtown  College  alumnus  Glenn  R.  Biicher,  a  member  of  the 
Washington,  D.C.,  City  congregation,  teaches  at  Howard  University's  School  of 
Religion.  His  article  grew  out  of  a  sermon  he  preached  at  the  Arlington, 
Virginia,  church. 

The  Cover:  Skyscrapers  at  night?  Stained-glass  windows?  Key-punch  cards 
in  color?  More  evidence  of  overcrowding?  What  do  you  see? 

The  Editors 


2-12-70    MESSENGER 


"^UDT^TFIV  IH^ 


^U' 


.^^• 


#*^ 


E 


by  Maynard 
Shelly 


rna  asked  questions  faster  than  I 
could  answer  them.  So  I  didn't  try. 

Were  there  evil  forces  at  work  trying 
to  destroy  the  church?  Weren't  some  of 
these  the  people  in  our  denomination? 
Why  didn't  the  church  do  something  to 
stop  them? 

This  young  grandmother  loved  her 
church  and  had  always  been  a  faithful 
member.  Erna  faithfully  brought  her 
children  to  church  school  during  their 
growing  years,  eager  that  they  have  a 
good  religious  training.  Now  she  won- 
dered. Had  she  done  the  wrong  thing? 

Last  winter  she  went  to  hear  a  visit- 
ing minister  in  a  neighborhood  church. 
From  him  Erna  heard  about  commu- 
nism which  was  conspiring  in  the 
church  and  in  the  nation  to  destroy  all 
that  its  good  people  loved.  She  heard 
about  a  plot  to  destroy  the  morals  of 
the  nation  through  programs  of  sex 
education  in  the  public  school.  The 


ecumenical  movement  was  robbing  the 
church  of  its  old-time  religion. 
Schemes  to  fluoridate  the  public  water 
supply  were  a  threat  to  the  communi- 
ty's health.  Psychoanalysis  and  mental 
health  programs  weakened  the  resist- 
ance of  the  people  even  more. 

After  listening  to  the  visiting  minis- 
ter, Erna  ordered  some  of  the  books  he 
had  suggested.  Now  that  her  children 
had  left  home  to  raise  their  own  fami- 
lies, Erna  had  much  more  time  to  read. 
And  her  reading  confirmed  the  fears 
that  had  been  raised  as  did  some  radio 
programs  that  she  discovered  and 
started  listening  to. 

She  read  that  Robert  Welch,  founder 
of  the  John  Birch  Society,  had  once 
said,  "Communist  influences  are  now 
in  almost  complete  control  of  our  fed- 
eral government." 

Erna  met  Billy  James  Hargis,  who 
says  much  the  same  thing  but  in  reli- 


gious language  that  proclaims  God's 
war  against  communists  and  other  ene- 
mies. "Only  the  Christian  world  pos- 
sesses a  Savior  who  has  one  day  prom- 
ised to  return  and  completely  destroy 
the  enemy,"  he  says.  "Only  the  Chris- 
tian world  has  a  Savior  and  Destroyer." 

Hargis  through  his  Christian  Cru- 
sade preaches  no  gentle  Christ.  "A 
communist  America:  must  it  be?"  he 
asks.  "Only  you  can  answer  that  ques- 
tion by  your  selection  or  rejection  of 
Christ,  the  great  Destroyer." 

Welch  and  Hargis,  along  with  Carl 
Mclntire  and  his  Twentieth  Century 
Reformation  Hour,  are  the  best  known 
names  of  the  Far  Right,  a  movement 
that  has  a  multitude  of  apostles  in  two 
thousand  other  organizations.  These 
groups,  many  of  them  with  a  religious 
orientation  and  a  patriotic  appeal,  are 
prolific  writers  and  broadcasters,  with 
7,000  radio  and  television  programs 


2     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


each  week,  thousands  of  books  and 
pamphlets,  and  periodicals  that  have 
circulations  in  the  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands. The  combined  income  of  these 
groups  exceeds  14  million  dollars  per 
year. 

Yes,  there  is  also  a  group  in  our 
country  that  might  be  called  the  Far 
Left.  It  is  small  and  less  visible,  and 
people  like  Erna  get  more  information 
about  it  through  the  right  wing  which 
claims  to  oppose  it  than  from  the  left 
wing  directly.  The  best  known  groups 
are  the  Communist  Party,  with  a  small 
membership  of  12,000,  along  with 
some  radical  groups  consisting  of  stu- 
dents. The  chief  left-wing  campus 
group  is  the  Students  for  a  Democratic 
Society,  which  at  the  moment  is  badly 
split,  heavily  infiltrated  with  govern- 
ment spies,  virtually  immobilized. 

Compared  to  the  right  wing,  the  left- 
wing  extremists  are  a  ragtag  army  so 
poorly  organized  that  they  often  do  not 
have  access  to  a  duplicating  machine  to 
print  a  newsletter  and  with  so  little 
money  that  they  can  buy  no  radio  or 
television  time. 

Yet,  in  their  appeal  to  violence  and 
their  open  intent  to  destroy  society 
(whether  always  serious  or  not),  the 
left-wing  groups  are  a  threat  and  the 
number  of  their  converts  is  beginning 
to  grow.  The  violence  of  the  Weather- 
man faction  of  the  SDS  this  past  Oc- 
tober in  Chicago  is  a  tragic  demon- 
stration of  anarchism.  They  deserve 
resistance  and  they  deserve  watching. 
But  they  cannot  be  met  by  the  tactics 
suggested  by  the  right-wing  groups. 

While  she  talked  to  me,  Erna  held  a 
large  brown  envelope  on  her  lap,  some- 
times fingering  it  nervously.  I  knew  it 
contained  some  of  the  many  pamphlets 
and  magazines  from  right-wing  groups 
which  she  had  been  reading.  Had  I 
challenged  any  of  the  accusations  she 
had  made  about  communism  in  church, 


school,  and  nation,  she  would  have 
spread  her  material  out  before  me  and 
dared  me  to  refute  it. 

Having  read  the  material  of  ex- 
tremists, both  left  and  right,  for  over 
twenty  years  and  having  a  large  col- 
lection of  it  in  my  files  and  great  stacks 
in  my  study,  I  knew  that  I  could  spend 
hours  trying  to  convince  her  that  most 
of  what  she  was  reading  were  half- 
truths  and  distorted  facts. 

But  as  Erna  turned  over  her  package 
of  pamphlets,  perhaps  hoping  that  I 
would  ask  her  about  it,  I  decided  that 
it  was  more  important  to  talk  to 
Erna  than  to  her  pamphlets. 

So  we  talked  about  life  in  her  con- 
gregation. Much  is  wrong,  she  feels. 
Asked  to  be  specific,  she  lists  the  usual 
aches  and  pains  that  congregations 
face.  Disagreements  over  building  pro- 
grams and  struggles  for  leadership 
leave  hurts  that  fester  during  the  years, 
producing  bitterness  and  feelings  of 
guilt.  Erna  had  been  disowned  by  her 
conservative  congregation  in  her  youth 
because  of  her  marriage  to  a  man  from 
a  less  conservative  congregation. 


Ea 


.  ear  and  frustration  mark  the  person 
drawn  to  the  doctrine  of  the  extremists. 
Living  under  the  threat  of  nuclear  war 
for  twenty-five  years  has  understand- 
ably taken  its  toll.  And  recent  develop- 
ments in  our  world  have  been  frighten- 
ing to  people  in  America  living  in  the 
midst  of  prosperity.  God  seems  to  be 
blessing  the  nation,  but  the  nation, 
which  traditionally  has  had  a  sense  of 
divine  destiny,  is  unable  to  lead  the 
world.  In  recent  years,  it  has  not  been 
able  to  win  wars  as  in  Korea  and  Viet- 
nam. It  is  losing  friends  all  over  the 
world.  China  has  been  lost  and  turned 
into  an  enemy. 

At  home,  other  changes  are  taking 
place.  Racial  agitation  and  unrest  is 


disturbing  because  it  shows  up  the  ugly 
side  of  American  life,  a  condition  that 
adds  to  our  feelings  of  guilt  and  dis- 
tress. The  leadership  of  the  country's 
statesmen  is  called  into  question  some- 
times with  violent  protest  as  the  na- 
tion's involvement  in  Vietnam  is  chal- 
lenged in  a  way  that  a  war  has  rarely 
been  opposed  by  a  country's  citizens. 
And  the  moral  and  social  values  of 
the  older  generation  are  being  called 
into  question  by  the  young. 

How  does  the  extremist  explain  this? 
He  sees  a  conspiracy  supported  by  a 
worldwide  network  of  powers  plotting 
to  destroy  us.  These  plotters  are  usual- 
ly identified  as  communists  or  commu- 
nist sympathizers.  It  becomes  an  easy 
game  to  play  —  anyone  or  anything 
that  is  strange  or  threatening  is  a  com- 
munist or  the  plot  of  a  communist  — 
beards,  pornography,  fluoridation  of 
water,  sex  education,  church  unity,  so- 
cial justice. 

This  was  the  world  as  Erna  saw  it, 
and  as  I  asked  her  if  she  wanted  me  to 
respond  to  what  she  told  me,  she 
brightened,  and  said,  "I  wish  you 
would." 

I  prayed  for  the  only  Spirit  that 
could  drive  out  the  evil  spirit  of  fear, 
and  I  started  to  give  Erna  my  testimony 
of  my  faith  in  God,  looking  for  words 
that  she  might  understand. 

I  told  her  that  I  could  only  agree 
that  the  world  was  a  fearful  place,  not 
only  because  of  the  things  out  there  in 
the  world,  but  because  of  the  fears  that 
roam  around  inside  us  stirring  up  all 
the  feelings  of  guilt  that  have  accumu- 
lated across  the  years.  No  one  can 
carry  these  burdens  unaided. 

Yet,  we  believe  that  our  God  is  able 
to  carry  us  through  the  darkest  of  days. 
He  has  brought  us  through  difficult 
times  in  the  past  and  we  have  an  assur- 
ance in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
that  God's  power  can  take  the  darkness 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     3 


^ 


Between 

Left 
and  Right 


and  turn  it  into  light.  He  will  lift  the 
load  of  guilt  and  fear  from  our  shoul- 
ders. If  we  cannot  answer  all  the  ques- 
tions of  why  things  happen  as  they  do, 
we  know  that  God's  will  is  the  thing 
that  will  be  done.  God,  I  assured  Erna, 
desires  to  bring  mankind  to  a  better 
and  brighter  world  and  in  the  darkest 
of  times  he  is  leading  us  and  caring  for 
us. 

The  time  for  our  visit  had  run  out. 
I  admitted  that  I  had  really  not  an- 
swered the  specific  questions  she  had 
come  to  ask,  but  perhaps  we  had  dealt 
with  the  problems  behind  the  questions. 
But  if  she  would  like  to  talk  about 
these  things  further,  she  should  feel 
free  to  come  back  another  time. 

She  brightened  and  smiled.  "Yes, 
I'd  like  to  do  that." 

Erna  was  an  extremist,  albeit  a  gen- 
tle one,  and  as  she  left,  I  hope  less  of 
one.  She  had  accepted  the  philosophy 
of  extremism  because  it  gave  her  an 
explanation  of  what  she  saw  happening 
about  her. 

Yet  not  all  encounters  with  extrem- 
ists end  so  happily,  even  for  me.  Con- 
gregations have  been  split  and  their 
witness  destroyed  because  a  small 
group  has  accepted  the  extremist  views 
and  practices.  Ministers  have  been  de- 
famed and  removed  from  oifice  as  a 
result  of  slander  and  suspicion  raised 
on  little  or  no  evidence. 


n 


"uring  the  past  year,  the  almost  200 
magazines  and  newspapers  belonging 
to  the  Associated  Church  Press  lost  a 
million  and  one  half  in  circulation  after 
steadily  increasing  combined  circula- 
tions for  many  years.  This  loss,  of 
course,  stems  from  no  single  cause, 
but  we  know  that  right-wing  sympa- 
thizers have  attacked  the  church  and 
its  publications  as  the  church  has  taken 
a  more  courageous  stand  for  social 


justice,  a  cause  that  has  drawn  con- 
siderable fire.  A  picture  of  Martin  Lu- 
ther King  Jr.  has  meant  losses  of  tens 
of  thousands  in  circulation  for  even 
moderate  publications. 

Perhaps  the  worst  danger  of  the  ex- 
tremists is  not  what  they  themselves  do 
but  what  the  rest  of  us  do  in  order  not 
to  offend  them  or  to  avoid  an  encounter 
with  them. 

Therefore,  a  congregation  postpones 
doing  anything  for  racial  justice  to  es- 
cape the  label  of  communist  sympa- 
thizers (because  it  wanted  to  be,  more 
accurately,  a  Christ  sympathizer). 
Nothing  is  said  about  selfish  national- 
ism that  decreases  foreign  aid  in  favor 
of  building  supersonic  aircraft  for  the 
rich  lest  the  church  be  accused  of  being 
unpatriotic. 

No  leader  in  the  church  can  escape 
the  pressures  of  the  extremists.  As  an 
editor  of  a  church  paper,  I  have  always 
felt  these  pressures,  but  perhaps  I  never 
knew  how  strong  they  were  until  last 
winter  when  during  the  week  that  our 
board  was  meeting,  the  executive  of 
the  board  responsible  for  publishing 
our  paper  took  me  aside  and  told  me 
that  the  board  was  going  to  consider  a 
recommendation  to  put  me  on  proba- 
tion for  a  year  after  a  number  of  years 
of  enjoying  indefinite  tenure. 

"I  sure  hate  to  tell  you  anything  that 
will  spoil  your  day  —  or  even  your 
year,"  was  the  sober  introduction  that 
I  got  from  my  boss  as  he  explained  the 
situation  to  me. 

And  the  point  is  not  that  any  mem- 
bers of  my  board  are  extremists.  They 
are  the  most  moderate  of  people.  Yet 
they  have  to  respond  to  the  direction 
of  the  congregations  of  our  denomina- 
tion and  if  these  congregations  express 
concern,  attention  must  be  given  to 
their  concerns.  And  not  even  the  lead- 
ers of  our  congregations  are  rightists  or 
right-wing  sympathizers,  but  they  must 


give  attention  to  the  feelings  of  vocal 
people  in  their  congregations  who  like 
Erna  are  alarmed  and  do  want  satis- 
faction. 

So,  for  a  traumatic  two  hours,  the 
board  discussed  the  recommendation 
on  my  tenure.  At  first,  they  adopted 
the  recommendation  with  all  the  im- 
plications of  censure  that  it  carried. 
But  they  recalled  the  motion  to  take 
an  action  that  allowed  me  to  continue 
to  serve  with  honor  and  with  the  sup- 
port of  the  board.  It  was  a  courageous 
action,  I  felt,  not  because  the  board 
had  supported  me,  but  because  the 
board  decided  to  put  its  faith  in  God 
above  the  fears  of  the  people  they 
wanted  to  serve. 

How  long  has  the  war  in  Vietnam 
been  drawn  out  because  withdrawal 
was  impossible  for  legislators  who  can- 
not be  elected  and  defend  themselves 
against  the  charge  of  appearing  soft  on 
communism  at  the  same  time?  Regard- 
less of  one's  position  on  the  Vietnam 
war,  it  must  be  seen  as  the  responsi- 
bility not  of  the  extremists  who  preach 
an  irrational  fear  of  communism,  but 
of  the  rest  of  us  in  the  middle  who  react 
to  their  fears  instead  of  acting  on  our 
faith  in  God. 

To  the  left  stand  people  who  have 
lost  hope  and  mean  to  destroy  our  so- 
ciety. To  the  right  are  those  who  fear 
change  and  combat  it  with  character 
assassination  and  disruptive  opposition. 

Both  left  and  right  extremists  have 
lost  faith  in  God  and  in  the  power  of 
Jesus  Christ  to  change  men  and  to 
change  the  world.  Their  loss  of  nerve 
must  be  met  with  a  witness  of  faith  in 
God  from  those  in  the  center. 

Will  we  hold  our  ground  and  be 
Christ's  men  and  women  in  an  age  that 
needs  this  testimony  now  more  than 
ever  before? 

I  intend  to  be  one  who  will  do  just 
that.    D 


4     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


I 

The  Two-Child  Family  Movement 


If  all  men  are  brothers,  then 
children  are  the  concern   of 
all  men.    As  one  answer 
to   overpopulation,  Ben 
Hansen  proposes  limiting 
families  voluntarily 


In  the  December  issue  of  the  Reader's 
Digest  Congressman  Morris  K.  Udall 
of  Arizona  suggested  a  plan  that  he  felt 
would  offer  a  sensible  program  to  solve 
some  of  the  problems  caused  by  over- 
population. His  proposal  is  simple: 

"Every  family  with  two  or  more 
children  would  make  a  personal,  vol- 
untary decision  to  have  no  more.  Every 
couple  with  one  child  or  more  would 
agree  to  stop  with  the  second." 

Such  a  "two-child  famUy  movement" 
is  precisely  what  Ben  Hansen,  a  friend 
of  the  Trinity  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Baltunore,  Maryland,  has  been  advo- 
cating in  recent  years,  because  he  too 
believes  that  an  overpopulated  world 
cannot  become  a  peaceful  world.  To 
understand  Ben's  intensity  of  convic- 
tion on  this  issue,  you  need  to  know 
something  about  Ben  as  a  person  and 
the  reasons  for  his  current  campaign. 

Although  registering  as  a  conscien- 
tious objector  at  the  beginning  of 
World  War  II,  Ben  served  aboard 
merchant  ships  carrying  materials  of 
war  to  the  various  theaters  of  war. 
During  the  Korean  conflict,  he  donated 
five  pints  of  blood  to  wounded  service- 
men, and  during  the  Vietnam  war  he 
served  a  year  aboard  a  U.S.  naval 
vessel. 

"I  have  always  been  torn  between 


TWO-CHILD  FAMILY  /  continued 

the  professed  ideals  of  my  country  and 
those  of  my  Brethren  background,"  he 
says.  "It's  hke  loving  both  your  moth- 
er and  wife  and  having  to  choose  sides 
between  them  during  an  argument." 

But  his  dedication  to  peace  was 
manifested  when  he  joined  the  Breth- 
ren Service  unit  which  was  sent  to 
China  after  World  War  II  to  plow  and 
plant  the  reclaimed  valleys  of  the  Yel- 
low River. 

"We  were  the  first  'Peace  Corps,'  " 
he  recalls  proudly.  "Our  experiences 
were  studied  and  used  by  the  organ- 
izers in  setting  up  the  national  Peace 
Corps  program." 


Re 


LCturning  home  after  two  years  in 
China,  he  held  various  jobs,  including 
a  position  as  technical  adviser  to  a 
state  housing  authority  and  a  flight 
engineer  with  a  major  airline  ("They 
washed  me  out  when  they  discovered 
I  had  a  terrible  fear  of  heights,"  he 
laughs).  Returning  to  Carroll  County, 
Maryland,  Ben  Hansen  joined  the 
teaching  staff  of  a  junior  high  school 
as  a  science  instructor  during  the  severe 
teacher  shortage  in  the  late  fifties. 

"One  of  the  nice  things  about  teach- 
ing is  that  you  learn  as  well  as  teach. 
During  my  eight  years  as  science 
teacher,  certain  basic  biological  and 
physical  laws  were  impressed  upon  my 
mind.  It  was  not  long  before  I  con- 
cluded that  these  laws  and  principles 
were  very  relevant  to  man's  quest  for 


world  peace,  and  perhaps  why  peace 
has  eluded  us  so  often,"  he  says.  "To 
attempt  to  set  up  a  peaceful  world 
community  without  knowledge  of 
these  laws  and  principles  is  like  trying 
to  play  baseball  before  learning  the 
skills  and  rules  required  for  the  game. 

"One  of  these  basic  concepts  I 
learned  was  the  balance  of  numbers, 
the  phenomenon  that  explains  why  the 
numbers  of  the  various  species  remain 
fairly  constant  year  after  year.  With- 
out stable  populations  in  the  plant  and 
animal  kingdoms,  the  grand  regulating 
system  we  call  nature  would  become 
inoperative  and  no  longer  self-sus- 
taining. 

"It  was  not  difficult  to  see  that  not 
only  had  mankind  escaped  from  the 
confines  of  the  balance  of  numbers, 
but  through  the  multiplication  of  the 
human  race  beyond  all  reasonable 
numbers,  had  grossly  violated  this  basic 
law." 

Ben  feels  that  his  aversion  to  over- 
population first  came  during  his  stay 
in  China.  "On  my  way  to  work  in  the 
morning,  I  stepped  over  the  bodies  of 
unwanted  children  who  had  died  of 
starvation  during  the  night.  It  helped 
make  the  population  problem  real  to 
me." 

Tragedy  struck  Ben  Hansen's  life 
when  his  wife,  Irene  Beard  Hansen, 
was  killed  while  riding  in  a  friend's 
automobile  during  a  brief  trip  to  Ten- 
nessee. He  left  teaching  and  took  a  job 
as  power  plant  superintendent  on  the 


NASA  satellite  tracking  station  at  Ta- 
nanarive, Madagascar. 

Returning  home  to  the  United  States, 
he  drifted  to  Towson,  Maryland,  where 
he  met  and  married  Jean  Bodine,  the 
widow  of  a  Navy  serviceman.  "She 
had  three  children  by  her  previous 
marriage  and  I  had  one  child,  my 
daughter  Clara,"  Ben  explains,  "so 
more  offspring  might  have  been  finan- 
cially disastrous  to  the  marriage.  I  de- 
cided to  be  made  sterile  not  only  for 
personal  reasons,  but  because  of  my 
interest  and  concern  about  the  over- 
population of  the  world.  I  wanted  it  to 
be,  'Do  as  I  do'  and  not  merely  'Do  as 
I  say.' 

"I  thought  I  would  be  rational  and 
objective  about  the  operation  and  the 
sterility  that  would  follow.  But  prior 
to  the  operation  I  almost  panicked, 
imagining  that  some  vital  life  force  was  ll 
to  be  taken  from  me,  and  I  suddenly       I 
longed  for  a  son  who  would  carry  my 
own  genes  and  name." 

Ben  goes  on  to  say,  "Of  course,  I 
survived  the  minor  incisions  and  the 
brief  psychological  trauma,  but  the 
whole  experience  gave  me  an  insight 
into  the  emotional  and  sociological  fac- 
tors that  hinder  population  control.  I 
concluded  that  there  must  be  some  pri- 
mary group  to  encourage  couples  in 
their  decision  to  limit  severely  their 
family  size  so  that  any  real  or  imagined 
sacrifice  would  seem  justified  and 
worthwhile." 

It  was  while  rereading  the  volume  on 


6     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


evolution  in  the  Time-Life  series  of 
nature  books  that  Ben  Hansen  thought 
he  discovered  a  key  cause  of  aggression 
and  violence  in  the  world.  Charles 
Darwin's  search  for  the  cause  of  na- 
tural selection  led  him  (and  Ben,  in 
his  reading)  to  Malthus'  thesis:  The 
struggle  taking  place  in  nature  is 
caused  by  more  organisms'  being  born 
or  produced  than  there  is  food  to  pro- 
vide for  them.  It  was  not  difficult  for 
Ben  to  extend  this  theory  into  human 
society.  What  with  the  world's  human 
population  now  doubling  every  thirty- 
seven  years  and  will  be  doubling  again 
in  twenty  years,  the  chance  of  the  vast 
nimiber  of  people  having  their  physical 
and  social  needs  met  from  existing  re- 
sources is  quite  remote.  For  example, 
the  United  States,  which  presently  uses 
fifty  percent  of  all  the  raw  materials  in 
the  world,  will,  with  its  larger  popula- 
tion, be  expected  to  consume  close  to 
eighty  percent  of  the  total  world  output 
twenty  years  from  now  if  present  trends 
continue. 


w, 


that  are  the  possibilities  of  a 
stable  world  order  and  a  lasting 
peace  under  the  conditions  of  a  run- 
away population  growth?  The  facts  of 
the  population  explosion  are  well- 
known  —  or  should  be.  One  is  a  pro- 
jected human  population  of  six  billion 
by  the  year  2000.  Young  people  under 
the  age  of,  fifteen  who  comprise  forty 
percent  of  the  current  population  of 


underdeveloped  countries  will  set  off 
the  coming  population  spiral  when  they 
reach  maturity  unless  effective  control 
measures  are  instituted  and  steps  taken 
to  change  the  cultural  values  that  en- 
courage large  families.  Mass  famines 
are  predicted  for  the  seventies  and 
eighties  with  five  million  children  in 
India  already  dying  each  year  from 
malnutrition.  And  in  some  of  the  un- 
derdeveloped countries,  strife  and  civil 
war  are  virtually  insured  by  the  fact 
that  the  population  is  doubling  in  less 
than  twenty-five  years'  time.  These 
countries  —  among  them  Kenya,  Ni- 
geria, Turkey,  the  Philippines,  Brazil, 
Costa  Rica,  and  El  Salvador  —  at  pres- 
ent lack  sufficient  food,  housing,  health 
facilities,  and  employment  for  their 
citizens.  Yet  in  a  quarter  century  they 
will  be  required  to  provide  for  twice  the 
number  of  inhabitants,  besides  raising 
the  standard  of  living  for  everyone. 

Thus,  from  his  interest  in  biological 
science  Ben  Hansen  has  attempted  to 
find  a  solution  to  the  population  ex- 
plosion through  what  he  calls  the  two- 
child  family  movement.  It  would  be  a 
mass  movement  with  all  the  trappings 
—  slogans,  demonstrations,  promotion- 
al schemes,  and  even  advertising;  but 
it  also  would  have  a  cohesive  organiza- 
tion to  personalize  and  assist  its  mem- 
bers in  family-size  lunitation  as  well  as 
in  such  areas  as  financial  planning, 
consumer  and  group-buying  services, 
and  scholarships  for  trade  school  and 
college  education. 


At  first,  he  had  thought  of  calling  his 
group  the  "small-family  movement" 
and  having  a  plan  where  a  quota  sys- 
tem would  be  set  up  among  the  partici- 
pant families  to  provide  for  a  replace- 
ment level  of  population,  but  decided 
against  it  because  of  the  crisis  nature 
of  the  world  population  problem. 

"Whatever  we  do  must  be  dramatic 
so  as  to  capture  the  imagination  of  peo- 
ple everywhere  and  make  them  see  the 
possibility  of  the  beautiful  world  we 
could  have  if  a  zero-growth  or  stable 
population  were  achieved.  Secondly,  it 
must  be  a  grass  roots  movement,  find- 
ing its  greatest  impetus  among  the  com- 
mon people  of  the  world  whose  motto 
would  be  'Two  children  are  enough 
until  everyone  catches  up.'  " 

Ben  goes  on  to  say,  "I  know  you 
are  going  to  ask  me  how  the  Viet- 
namese farmer  who  must  bring  five 
children  into  the  world  for  two  to  sur- 
vive to  adulthood  is  going  to  participate 
in  my  plan.  He  can't,  but  the  law  of 
the  balance  of  numbers  tends  to  keep 
the  rural  population  of  the  underde- 
veloped countries  in  check. 

"However,  when  he  or  his  offspring 
move  to  the  cities  where  public  sanita- 
tion and  modern  medical  facilities  are 
available  —  that  is,  where  death  con- 
trol has  been  instituted  —  they,  too, 
must  limit  their  families  to  replacement 
levels.  The  price  the  urban  dweller  will 
have  to  pay  for  his  relatively  healthier 
environment  will  be  severe  limitation  of 
family  size.  The  greatest  migration  of 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     7 


TWO-CHILD  FAMILY  /  continued 


If  the  world  population  is  doubled  in  20  years  will  there  be  resources  for  everyone? 


all  times  is  taking  place  now  —  the 
movement  from  countryside  to  city  — 
and  with  it  must  come  this  important 
cultural  change:  the  acceptance  of  a 
small  family." 

The  two-child  family  movement 
would  not  be  the  first  cultural  change 
of  such  magnitude,  Ben  points  out, 
citing  the  comparatively  recent  accep- 
tance by  human  society  of  monogamy 
—  the  taking  of  only  one  wife.  "This 
custom  has  swept  the  world  because  it 
meant  better  lives  for  a  sizable  pro- 
portion of  the  human  race.  In  fact,  it 
has  been  legalized  in  most  countries  of 
the  world,  and  few  men  are  willing  to 
challenge  the  law  and  social  convention 
to  marry  more  than  one  woman." 

Similarly,  once  the  cultural  pattern 
of  a  small  family  is  established,  not 
many  families  would  risk  the  chance  of 
social  ostracism  by  having  four,  five,  or 
more  children.  They  would  be  looked 
upon  as  bigamists,  drunken  drivers, 


and  scofflaws  are  viewed  today  —  peo- 
ple outside  respectability  as  well  as  the 
law  itself.  Law  follows  custom  and 
only  seldom  the  other  way  around  — 
so  that  once  the  concept  of  a  small 
family  was  accepted  by  society,  legal- 
ized population  control  would  not  be 
far  off. 

Quite  often,  Ben  Hansen  ponders  the 
role  of  the  Christian  church  in  his 
movement.  "The  church  tells  us  that 
we  are  all  brothers  and  sisters.  Then, 
by  extension,  aren't  all  children  our 
children  and  the  human  race  one  big 
family?  Blood  ties  and  scads  of  grand- 
children shouldn't  be  important,  at 
least  not  to  a  Christian." 

"Perhaps  the  two-child  family  move- 
ment," he  goes  on  to  say,  "can  be  pro- 
moted by  churchmen  as  the  civil  rights 
movement  was  and  then  be  taken  out 
into  the  community  at  large."  As  a 
moral  obligation,  should  Christians 
limit  their  families  to  two  offspring?  To 


that  question,  Ben  replies,  "Yes,  espe- 
cially the  Brethren  and  members  of 
other  peace  churches  if  they  can  be 
shown  that  a  human  population  grow- 
ing faster  than  the  replacement  rate  is 
one  that  generates  pollution,  crime, 
urban  congestion,  and  causes  econom- 
ic, racial,  and  international  conflict  and 
aggression." 

Wouldn't  the  church  soon  become 
nonexistent  if  its  members  followed 
such  a  severe  population  restriction? 
To  this,  Ben  answers,  "It  might  be  a 
good  thing  for  the  church.  The  church 
would  have  to  become  evangelistic 
again.  This  would  require  that  we 
search  out  the  philosophical  kernel,  the 
heart  of  Jesus'  life  and  teachings,  and 
present  these  to  modern  man." 

When  Ben  talks  about  his  two-child 
family  movement,  he  waxes  enthu- 
siastic. "Don't  you  see,"  he  pleads, 
"that  with  a  stable  world  population  all 
increase  in  goods  and  services  due  to 
an  advancing  technology  would  go  to 
raise  the  living  standard  of  the  world's 
people,  instead  of  merely  adding  to  the 
number  of  humans  on  this  planet." 

"Shortly  after  World  War  II,  Irene, 
my  first  wife,  took  a  course  from  a  Dr. 
Kerlin,  then  teaching  at  Western  Mary- 
land College.  He  was  morally  dis- 
turbed by  the  injustice  of  the  segrega- 
tion at  the  movie  theaters  in  Westmin- 
ster, and  so  painted  himself  a  sign  and 
picketed  the  movies  to  protest  their 
racial  policies.  Later,  Irene  showed  me 
photographs  of  Dr.  Kerlin  standing  all 
alone  on  the  sidewalk  in  front  of  the 
theaters  carrying  his  sign. 

"Yes,  he  was  alone  at  the  time,  but 
he  was  right  and  that  was  what 
counted.  What  he  believed  in  became 
a  reality  because  he  was  willing  to  take 
a  stand  on  his  convictions.  We  can 
only  pray  that  enough  people  will  feel 
strongly  about  the  population  ex- 
plosion."  n 


8     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


day  by  day 


Though  many  of  us  cannot  imagine  a  Christ  who  would 
bless  any  nation's  mihtary  efforts,  let  us  not  overlook  the  vast 
storehouse  of  imagery  in  the  New  Testament  concerning  our 
Christian  warfare.  If  we  are  honest  and  observant,  we  will 
soon  see  that  the  Christian  life  is  not  always  easy;  it  is  some- 
times a  hard  struggle,  a  fight  —  not  physical  but  spiritual 
warfare. 

Much  as  one  might  appreciate  the  "power  of  positive 
thinking"  approach  to  Christian  discipleship,  one  which  em- 
phasizes a  Christian's  victory  over  and  through  life's  circum- 
stances in  Christ,  the  fact  remains  that  not  always  do  we  ex- 
perience this  victory;  many  times  we  are  defeated  and  fail 
miserably.   In  what  kind  of  stead  does  our  faith  stand  us  then? 

Nor  does  this  victory  always  come  easily;  often  discipline 
and  struggle  and  self-denial  are  involved.  Does  our  faith  fit 
us  for  this  kind  of  warfare?  It  ought  to,  and  it  can.  Any  family 
who  has  tried  seriously  to  live  the  Christian  life  for  more  than 
a  few  days  at  a  time  will  readily  recognize  the  need  to  face  this 
part  of  Christian  discipleship  openly,  honestly,  and  squarely. 

In  a  basic  study  of  the  scriptures  on  this  theme,  one  of 
the  first  things  that  becomes  clear  is  that  our  Christian 
warfare  is  not  physical,  but  spiritual.  It  is  against  forces  of 
evil,  basically  spiritual  in  origin,  which  are  at  work  in  our 
world  today.  The  Bible  indicates  that  the  primary  realities 
with  which  we  deal  are  spiritual:  good  vs.  evil,  light  vs.  dark- 
ness, spirit  vs.  flesh. 

A  second  scriptural  truth  that  stands  out  clearly  is  that 
it  is  not  our  fight  alone.  Those  who  know  Jesus  Christ  as 
Savior  and  Lord  also  know  him  as  the  one  who  dwells  within 
him  and  fights  through  his  Spirit  on  his  behalf. 

A  third  biblical  truth  is  that,  though  our  warfare  continues 
throughout  life,  the  ultimate  victory  has  been  won  through 
Christ's  death  on  the  cross.  Just  as  in  actual  war  where  the 
decisive  battle  may  already  have  been  fought  but  skirmishes 
continue  for  some  time,  so  too  in  a  Christian's  warfare  Christ 
has  won  the  decisive  battle  against  the  enemy,  but  skirmishes 
continue  throughout  the  days  of  our  lives  because  a  good  deal 
of  territory  is  still  in  enemy  hands.  But  we  can  wage  the  war- 
fare confidently,  knowing  that  in  Christ  we  will  eventually 
triumph. 

How  do  we  experience  this  warfare?  Some  possibilities  you 
might  discuss  are  these:  when  we're  tempted  to  do  wrong; 
when  we  know  what  we  ought  to  do,  but  we  just  can't  seem 
to  do  it;  when  the  right  thing  is  a  minority  position  at  work, 
at  school,  or  in  the  neighborhood;  when  tempers  flare;  when 
an  argument  develops  with  a  neighbor  or  friend;  when  one  finds 
the  spirit  convicting  him  of  a  lack  of  Bible  study,  prayer,  and 
meditation. 


Suggested   activities 

1.  Let  each  family  member  name  one  point  of  warfare  in 
his  own  life  that  he  would  especially  like  the  Lord  to  con- 
quer. 

2.  Let  each  family  member  take  turns  leading  in  prayer, 
thanking  the  Lord  for  some  struggle  which  the  Lord  has  al- 
ready resolved  in  his  own  life  or  in  the  corporate  life  of  the 
family. 

3.  Tell  a  story  which  would  dramatize  the  Christian  war- 
fare. 

4.  Do  some  role-playing.  Whenever  the  family  is  together, 
let  various  members  of  the  family  act  out  situations,  either 
hypothetical  ones  or  something  that  actually  happened  to  one 
member  of  the  family,  to  see  if  there  might  have  been  a  better 
way  to  handle  it.  Act  out  a  story  from  the  Bible,  such  as 
Jesus  and  the  disciples  in  their  warfare  in  the  Garden  of 
Gethsemane. 

5.  Look  at  the  "whole  armor  of  God"  passage  in  Ephesians 
6.   Talk  about  what  each  piece  of  armor  stands  for. 

In  these  various  kinds  of  activities  and  discussions  your 
family  will  not  only  become  more  aware  of  our  Christian  war- 
fare but  hopefully  will  be  better  equipped  to  face  it.  —  Nor- 
man AND  Kay  Long 


DAILY   READING  GUIDE        February    15-28 

Sunday    2  Corinthians  10:1-6.    Not  worldly,  but  spiritual,  warfare  engages  us. 

Monday     Ephesians   6:10-13.     Our   warfare    is    not   against   flesh    and    blood. 

Tuesday     Ephesians   6:14-20.     We    can    have   the    whole    armor    of   God. 

Wednesday    2   Peter  2:11-17.    Who  wages   the  war   against  your   soul? 

Thursday     Matthew   4:1-11.     Jesus   struggles   at   his   temptation. 

Friday    Matthew   26:36-46.    Jesus   struggles   in   the   garden    of   Gethsemane. 

Saturday    John    18:33-38.     "My    kingship    is    not   of   this   world." 

Sunday     Romans   7:13-20.     Paul   describes   his  warfare. 

Monday    Romans   7:21—8:1.     He   also   glories   in    his   deliverance. 

Tuesday    1    Timothy    1:18-20.    Wage   the   good   warfare. 

Wednesday    2   Timothy  4:1-8.    "Fight  the  good   fight  of  the  faith." 

Thursday    James   4:1-10.     Resist   the   devil. 

Friday    1   Corinthians  10:6-13.    Paul  gives  spiritual  resources  for  temptations. 

Saturday     Revelation    17:7-14.    John   envisions   the   Lord's   eventual   triumph. 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     9 


A  Dream  Can  Burn 

by  Terry  Pettit 


E> 


Jvery  poet  has  his  own  special  word;  a  word  that  is  so 
characteristic  of  his  poetry  that,  whenever  he  uses  that  word,  it 
is  almost  a  poem  by  itself. 

For  Gwendolyn  Brooks,  the  black  Pulitzer  Prize  winning 
poet  from  Chicago,  that  word  is  raw.  Whether  describing  a 
broken  window,  the  Blackstone  Rangers,  or  Medgar  Evers' 
death,  the  word  appears  and  is  appropriate.   Gwendolyn 
Brooks's  poetry  is  strong,  is  compassionate,  is  raw. 

William  Stafford's  word  is  Kansas.   Even  when  he  doesn't 
say  Kansas  specifically  but  mentions  "plain  black  hats"  or 
"buffalo  grass,"  it's  as  if  all  Kansas  spreads  across  the  page  with 
room  for  wheat  fields  between  the  letters. 

When  Robert  Allen,  a  young  black  student  attending 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  is  bent  over  his  desk,  reshaping 
his  poems  like  a  mantis  on  a  leaf,  that  word  is  dream: 

Then  dream  each  dream;  dream  each  in  turn. 

Remember  that  a  dream  can  burn 

Unfillables  within  a  heart 

When  recollections  of  dreams  start. 

Step  forward  always  with  new  dreams. 

And  dream  each  dream  each  dream  each  dream. 

The  word  dream  as  it  appears  in  Robert  Allen's  poetry  is 
not  unlike  the  dates  that  mark  significant  events  on  the  top  of  a 
history  time-line.  The  growth  of  his  poetry  can  be  traced 
through  the  chronological  changes  in  his  use  of  dream  imagery. 

In  his  earliest  poems  a  dream  was  a  "mental  expansion"  or 
a  "firefly  reflected  in  a  pond."  Dream  imagery  often  hinted  of 
fantasy,  daydreams,  and  "The  American  Dream."  In  poems  that 
followed,  his  attitude  toward  certain  dreams  was  changing  as 
reflected  in  the  poem  The  Weekend  Hippy,  where  the  speaker 
is  skeptical  of  "the  scratch  my  back  and  /  you  can  be  in  my 
dream  philosophies."  In  another  poem  entitled  The  Cost  of 
Life's  Dreams,  the  speaker  says,  "I  dream  not  like  the  child 
before."  When  a  dream  begins  to  shatter,  it  is  painful,  and  not 
only  to  poets.  But  when  a  dream  breaks  because  a  person  is 
growing,  there  is  necessarily  honesty  —  and  that  is  where  good 
poetry  begins. 

The  tension  that  lies  between  one  dream  and  the  real  world 
can  be  found  in  Allen's  poem,  Lament  of  an  Alumnus,  which  is 
published  in  this  issue.  The  speaker  in  the  poem  has  stepped 
"from  a  woven  dream":  the  dream  of  his  childhood  and  the 
same  dream  offered  him  by  his  college  and  in  a  greater  sense 
America  and  the  world.  These  were  dreams  "laid  before  the 
midnight  gods";  false  dreams  that  were  not  only  unattainable 
but  also  not  worth  attaining.  And  so  the  speaker  weeps,  but 
with  his  weeping  comes  awareness,  "Where  each  man,  in  his 


turn,  steps  /  Inevitably  out  and  through." 

With  this  issue  of  Messenger  seven  of  Robert  Allen's 
poems  are  published  for  the  first  time.  He  is  a  graduate  of 
Manchester  College  where  he  majored  in  physics  and  was 
editor  of  Spectrum,  the  campus  literary  magazine.    Born 
September  19,  1946,  he  spent  his  boyhood  on  Chicago's  west 
side,  where  "a  dream  precedes  any  action." 

The  publication  of  any  new  poet  or  any  new  poem  re- 
defines our  poetic  values.  In  a  sense  every  new  poem  is  an 
Apologie  for  Poetrie.  Some  of  the  things  that  happen  in 
Robert  Allen's  poems  exemplify  what  is  so  exciting  about 
good  poetry. 

I'm  sure  that  reading  Allen's  poem  To  Dead  Black  Souls 
has  some  historical  value  even  if  we  might  not  care  to  be 
reminded  of  it.  And  all  of  his  poems  give  us  some  insight 
as  to  what  one  black  man  feels  about  certain  things.  But  if 
that's  all  they  do,  then  we'd  be  better  off  reading  a  history 
book  or  subscribing  to  Ebony  magazine.   Poetry  is  not  in- 
tended to  be  history  or  sociology  —  it  is  true  that  it  often 
has  insights  into  both,  but  what  makes  poetry  worth  spending 
time  with  is  something  else. 

Take  for  example  Allen's  poem  The  Blacker  Boys.  In  the 
first  few  lines  of  the  poem  he  describes  the  young  blacks 
who  stand  on  street  corners  in  Gary,  Indiana  —  blacks  who 
don't  wear  Afro  haircuts  or  read  Eldridge  Cleaver.  These 
blacks  wear  "sox  as  thin  as  tissue  paper,  /  stepping  in  green, 
red,  orange,  and  /  purple."  In  the  beginning  of  the  poem 
the  reader  doesn't  quite  know  how  he  should  feel  about 
the  "Blacker  Boys."  And  I'd  be  willing  to  bet  that  in  those 
first  few  lines  Allen  himself  was  a  little  confused  as  to  how 
he,  a  well-educated,  supposedly  "with  it"  black  was  supposed 
to  feel  —  and  that  honesty  is  what  makes  this  a  good  poem, 
because  not  only  the  reader  but  the  poet  too  is  surprised 
by  the  transition  that  takes  place  in  the  poem  which  ends 
with  the  affirmation,  "Now  ain't  that  beautiful?" 


A 


good  poem  is  honest,  is  not  always  pretty:  "Remember 
that  a  dream  can  burn.  ..."  A  good  poem  involves  so 
much  more  than  just  the  poet;  it  invites,  is  raw,  is  a  three- 
way  dance  involving  the  poet,  the  poem,  and  the  reader. 
We  should  take  our  time  with  Robert  Allen's  poems.  They 
are  not  billboards;  each  one  is  a  story  or  more.  But  they 
do  not  become  poems  until  we  read  them  out  loud  — 
interacting  with  the  harsh  street  sounds,  the  ideas,  and  the 
metaphors.    □ 


10     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


To  Dead  Black  Souls 


Lament  of  an  Alumnus 


To  you  dead  friends,  black  souls  a-many 
I  have  never  known  these  many  years: 
I  pity  and  I  worship  you  in  tears. 

I  have  wept  at  your  remainings: 

blood-brown  earth  made  rich 
the  deep  black  soil; 
sweat  that  watered  fields, 
the  sweat  that  kills  you 
in  your  toil; 
body  excrements 
from  too  little  food 
that  makes  sacred  the  land 
you  squat  and  stood. 

The  sweat,  the  blood,  the  body,  all 
were  given  to  the  land,  and  then, 
as  if  it  were  some  vitamin, 
the  land  demanded  even  of  your  soul. 

For  this,  I  weep  for  you.  I  also  see 

That  maybe,  soul  secure,  you  weep  for  me. 


And  I  too,  a  blender  in 
Your  melting-potpourri  of  backgrounds, 
Stepped  warmly  from  a  woven  dream 
To  the  cooler  encompassing  nightmare. 

For  it  was  what  this  life  could  be 
That  you  wished  me  to  live  and  believe. 

Though  true  your  motives  wrought  my  mental 

moves. 
It  was  I  in  myself  who  searched  to  see 
The  similarities  between  my  childhood 

dream 
And  the  dream  you  offered  me. 

Now  I  witness  (like  others  outside  your 

world)  and  weep. 
Not  just  over  your  discovered  facade. 
But  also  from  loss  of  my  own: 
Dreams  laid  before  the  midnight  gods. 
Where  each  man,  in  his  turn,  steps 
Inevitably  out  and  through. 


How  Whites  Should  Read  the 
Black  Manifesto  So  as  to  Gain 
Pride  While  Losing  Money 

(after  redefining  words;  say,  black) 

The  price  is  Pride;  the  pride  is  Black. 

That  the  world  should  emerge  this  last  time 

and  not  see  prices  printed  on  pertinence 

of  Pride  and  Black, 

this  is  to  stimulate  disasters. 

They  are  the  currencies  of  the  time. 

What  is  meant  is  no  coined  slogans: 

Black,  be  not  too  proud  (over) 

Pride,  be  not  too  black. 


We  do  not  separate  the  worlds  that  are  One. 
We  have  redefined  words  to  our  need. 
We  need  not  fear  their  meanings 
as  once  was  feared  their  lack. 
Buy  the  coin,  the  syllogism: 

Black,  be  proud  (over) 

Pride,  be  black. 


2-12-70    MESSENGER      11 


Robert  M.  Allen  Jr. 


As  If. 

As  Is  Now 


The  Blacker  Boys 


Black  as  is  now, 

and  just  as  loud, 

i  speak  no  ephemeral  words. 

words  that  drop  in  stink 

from  comtemplating  distances  of 

my  tongue  to  your  ear. 

no  mention  of  rapport, 
(as  if  there  were  alternatives  to  comprehension.) 

There  are  no  choices  for  the  muted; 
he  must  seek  that  reality  through 
as  many  hearts  as  he  might  touch 
(and  even  those,  half  felt, 
must  be  half  heard) . 

I  have  had  no  choice. 

i  have  heard  you  fully, 

seen  your  blindness,  and, 

in  reflex,  sung  the  words  that  singed, 

burning 

out  the  troubled  spots  of  your  mind, 

in  all  that  is  good, 

that  is  black. 

Loud  blackness, 

blackness  as  is  now, 

whispered  in  dreams,  then, 

sung  soloed,  chorused,  shouted 

'through  every  Middlesex  village  and  farm' 

and  city  and  suburb 

without  exception. 

Black  words  must  be  spoken. 

good  words  that  stink, 

must  find  revision 

in  receptive  nostrils. 

there  are  no  choices. 

either-or  is  for  sure. 

(as  if  there  were  alternatives  to  comprehension.) 


Shoes  a-spic-span-sparkling, 

silk  SOX  as  thin  as  tissue  paper, 
stepping  in  green,  red,  orange,  and 

purple 
suits,  suited  for  the  black  night, 
the  Blacker  Boys  engage  the  sight. 

No  pause  to  pin  the  scene,  no  need; 

the  scene  follows  patent  leather  shoes, 
crowds  had  waited  hours,  the  party 

days; 
it  now  begins,  the  Blacker  Boys  arrive. 

Some  untrained  fool  lobs  the  question: 
blacker  than  is  what? 
each  in  his  turn  turns. 
(Here  is  an  idiot  in  the  night, 
here  without  facades  of  light. ) 
each  in  his  speech  speaks: 

Blacker  than  is  what? 

why,  blacker  than  is  beautiful 
blacker  than  is  white 
blacker  than  is;  proud  to  be 
blacker  than  is  night. 

How  black? 

how  beautiful? 
how  proud? 

Why,  black  enough  to  strut  in-through 
a  coalmine  and  leave  wide 
trailing  black  paths  of  pride 

Now,  ain't  that  beautiful? 


12     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


Deaf  Lover, 
Mute  Lover 


Though  Blackness 
Speaks  a  Blue 


Some  speak  in  vocabularies  of  time, 
these  times,  they  are  unhke  ourselves, 
friendless  foreign  times,  allied  in  wholesale 
euphuism;  artifacts  are  these  times. 

Some  whisper  times  in  tongues, 

shared  across  living  room  couches, 

in  bedroom  and  broom  closets, 

in  bathrooms  equipped  with  blowers. 

Some  silence  these  insignificances, 
these  times,  they  cannot  be  all  bad, 
for  we  have  dreamed  better  times, 
and  one,  of  course,  speaks  fluently  in  dreams. 

Then  we  will  dream  your  speech.  I  dream: 
a  monstrosity  climbs  your  cochlea  walls  and 
speaks  categorically  of  good  times. 
I  await  this  time,  your  voiceless  rhymes. 

You  dream  the  euphonized  scream. 
It  crawls  into  my  ear,  out  my  eye. 
In  our  time,  I  allow  that  tear 
that  your  muteness  might  take  for  music. 


Though  blackness  speaks  a  blue  heritage  of  late. 
Earlier,  the  flare  of  nostrils  spoke  also  of 
Eventful  histories:  conquerors  and  kings. 
Thick  lips  spoke  thicker  words  of  rule. 

Today,  we  take  account  of  bluer  histories. 
We  grasp  gray  reparative  hands,  while  knowing 
There  can  be  no  forgetting  or  complete  repairs. 
We  know  tomorrows  demand  there  be  no  kings. 

But  being  where  we  are,  we  half  agree. 
Thick  lips  form  "Yes";  simultaneously, 
Our  nostrils  spread  and  flatten  at  this  thing. 
And  royal  minds  scent  what  black  futures  bring. 


On  sharing  the  cup 

The  Brethren  Service  need  of  the 
hour,  in  terms  of  the  national  scene,  is 
a  response  to  the  crisis  of  a  racially  di- 
vided America.  "We  have  given  the  cup 
in  Christ's  name  in  Germany,  Sardinia, 
Nigeria:  many  places.  We  need  now  to 
give  it  here  in  a  broken  United  States." 

This  is  the  appeal  set  forth  for  the 
special  offering  of  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren congregations  on  either  of  two  Sun- 
days, Feb.  22,  at  the  outset  of  Brother- 
hood Week,  or  March  22,  Palm  Sunday. 
The  contributions  are  for  the  Fund  for 
the  Americas  in  the  United  States,  of 
which  half  the  money  is  to  be  earmarked 
for  assistance  to  black  and  minority 
groups  for  community  organization  and 
economic  development,  and  half  for 
education  in  race  relations. 

$100,000  goal:  The  Fund,  for  which 
the  General  Board  in  November  targeted 
$100,000  during  the  1969-70  church 
year,  is  over  and  apart  from  the  ongoing 
Brotherhood  Fund  budget  and  Self- 
Allocation  commitments  of  congrega- 
tions. The  source  of  the  $100,000  is  to 
be  twofold:  voluntary,  designated  contri- 
butions of  donors,  including  receipts 
from  the  special  offering,  and  undesignat- 
ed reserves  of  the  General  Board. 

The  initial  offering  for  the  Fund  for 
the  Americas  in  the  United  States  was 
received  at  the  1969  Annual  Conference, 
where  the  proposal  had  its  origin.  While 
delegates  at  Louisville  referred  for  study 
the  paper  on  "Resolution  for  Action," 
they  gave  interim  instructions  to  the 
General  Board  to  raise,  receive,  and  ad- 
minister monies  for  the  special  fund. 

From  June  tUl  mid-January,  the  re- 
ceipts for  the  Fund  totaled  $20,000.  A 
pledge  of  $5,000  during  the  current  year 
has  been  made  to  the  Fund  by  the  mem- 
bers and  staff  of  the  General  Board. 

Disbursements:  In  determining  the 
projects    to    be    assisted,    guidelines    of 


"fVe  have  given  the  cup  in  Christ's 
name     in     many     places.      We     need 
now   to  give  it  here  in  a  broken   U.i 

14     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


"must"  criteria  and  "want"  criteria  have 
been  drawn  up  by  the  General  Board. 
For  example,  for  minority  groups  seeking 
funds  the  objectives  must  be  stated  and 
budget  proposals  outlined,  control  must 
be  by  persons  for  whom  the  services  are 
designed  or  grants  be  administered  by 
mutual  agreement  with  the  General 
Board,  and  the  recipient  body  must  be 
committed  to  promoting  "no  physical 
injury  to  persons  nor  destruction  of 
property." 

Disadvantaged  minority  groups  which 
have  received  grants  from  the  Fund  to 
date  are  the  Northwest  Tenants  Associa- 
tion in  the  Germantown  area  of  Phila- 
delphia, American  Indians  United,  an 
Indian  Task  Force,  and  the  Bethany 
Community  Health  Center,  Chicago. 
Under  consideration  are  requests  from 
black  groups  in  Washington,  D.C.,  New 
York  City,  Decatur,  111.,  Chicago,  and 
the  deep  South,  and  a  Mexican- American 
group  in  Texas. 

Similar  guidelines  govern  the  financing 
of  ventures  in  education  on  racism.  Al- 
ready funded  was  a  training  event  for 
the  General  Board  and  staff.  A  series  of 
similar  undertakings  at  district  levels  are 
to  occur  between  now  and  June. 

Also  in  the  area  of  training  for  racial 
understanding,  the  Germantown  Ministry 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Phila- 


delphia has  inaugurated  a  program  of 
weekend  encounters  termed  "Confronta- 
tion in  Black  and  White,"  open  to  groups 
and  individuals. 

"New  opportunity":  Among  resources 
for  use  by  congregations  in  interpreting 
the  special  offering  are  a  background 
pamphlet  on  the  Fund  for  the  Americas, 
available  in  quantity  for  general  distribu- 
tion, and  a  six-minute  recording  on  the 
same  subject,  one  to  a  church. 

In  both  the  pamphlet  and  record  the 
Fund  for  the  Americas  is  described  as  "a 
new  opportunity  for  Brethren  Service." 
The  point  is  made  that  Brethren,  in  times 
of  crisis  and  human  need,  "have  lived 
their  deepest  Christian  convictions  in  acts 
of  love  and  compassion."  Historically, 
on  such  issues  as  slavery,  the  relocation 
of  Japanese  Americans,  and  the  1963 
pronouncement  on  the  racial  crisis,  the 
statement  asserts,  "Brethren  conscience 
on  race  has  struggled  to  come  alive." 

"The  need  is  to  douse  that  conscience 
with  a  heavy  splash  of  footwashing;  to 
wash  our  brother's  sore  feet  with  the 
abundance  and  power  of  our  lives  .  .  . 
to  share  together  in  a  feast  of  love;  love 
which  is  more  than  justice,  yet  never 
devoid  of  justice. 

"The  need  is  to  allow  that  conscience 
to  come  alive  in  living  acts  with  others 
which  encourage  self-determination,  pro- 
mote economic  development,  provide 
training  for  responsible  management,  en- 
courage human  relationships  established 
on  a  more  equitable  basis,  offer  shared 
power,  (and)  support  equal  opportunity." 

Seed  money:  In  defining  the  import  of 
Brethren  response,  the  appeal  adds: 

"The  Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the 
United  States: 

"is  not  a  direct  response  to  demands 
in  the  Black  Manifesto; 

"it  is  a  response  to  issues  pointed  to 
by  the  manifesto; 

"is  not  insurance  payments  against 
future  catastrophe; 

"it  is  a  witness  that,  today,  I  am  my 
brother's  brother; 

"is  not  blood  money  for  past  days; 

"it  is  seed  money  for  a  new  day." 


BVS  branches  out 

In  the  placement  of  Brethren  Volun- 
teer Service  workers,  the  World  Min- 
istries Commission  has  in  recent  weeks 
assigned  volunteers  to  10  new  projects. 
The  staffing  of  several  of  the  new  pro- 
gram areas,  according  to  BVS  director 
Charles  Boyer,  grows  out  of  the  com- 
mission's desire  to  orient  BVS  increas- 
ingly to  social  action  type  ministries  and 
to  lessen  the  engagement  in  programs  of 
social  welfare. 

The  newly-added  projects  are: 

Pass  Christian,  Miss.  Here  the  task  is 
to  reconstruct  homes  for  the  aged  and 
poor  in  the  wake  of  Hurricane  Camille. 
There  is  hope  also  of  establishing  hous- 
ing cooperatives  among  the  poor.  Father 
Philip  McLoone,  a  Catholic  priest,  and 
BVSer  John  Thompson  are  team  leaders, 
with  volunteers  Tom  Lavy,  Dale  Seese, 
Marcus  Hofer,  and  Rodney  Ott  initially 
rounding  out  the  team.  The  project,  ex- 
pected to  cost  $36,000,  is  supported 
through  the  Brotherhood's  Emergency 
Disaster  Fund. 

New  York  City.  An  international  co- 
operative system  of  voluntary  hosts  has 
been  developed  by  a  movement  known  as 
SERVAS  (from  the  Esperanto  word 
meaning  "to  serve").  As  they  travel,  for- 
eign visitors  are  invited  to  share  life  in 
the  homes  and  communities  of  members. 
The  organization  is  nonprofit,  nonpoliti- 
cal,  interracial,  and  interfaith.  BVSer 
James  West  is  an  administrative  assistant 
for  the  national  office  in  New  York. 

Baltimore,  Md.  Joseph  House,  a  com- 
munity center  in  the  inner  city,  is  op- 
erated by  volunteer  professionals.  The 
founder  and  supervisor  is  a  former  Cath- 
olic sister.  Emergency  help,  financial 
counseling,  family  education,  skill  train- 
ing, and  guided  recreation  are  all  part  of 
the  program.  BVSer  Robert  Gross  is 
assigned  there  as  a  community  worker. 

Gaithersburg,  Md.  The  Mill  Creek 
Community  Ministry  represents  collab- 
oration between  the  Flower  Hill  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  the  Mill  Creek 
Methodist  Church  in  ministering  to  the 


rapidly  growing  community  of  Mill 
Creek  Towne.  One  expression  of  this 
ministry  is  the  formation  of  a  teen  cen- 
ter, "Creque  Alley."  BVSer  Tom  Tawne 
is  working  out  of  the  center,  focusing 
especially  on  counseling  with  teens. 

St.  Charles-Batavia-Geneva,  III.  In  this 
Tri-City  Youth  Project,  administered  by 
the  YMCA  of  Elgin,  three  full-time 
professionals  work  to  discover  and  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  high  school  com- 
munity. The  program  entails  counseling 
with  parents  and  teen-agers,  staffing  a 
teen  drop-in  center,  job  placement,  and 
relating  responsible  high  school  youth  to 
grade  school  children  having  academic 
difficulty.  BVSers  Ruth  Ann  Rowland 
and  Howard  Freund  are  working  initially 
with  the  drop-in  center. 

Elgin,  111.  A  newly  established  day 
care  program,  the  Mother  Goose  Child 
Development  Center,  has  as  a  major 
goal  allowing  mothers  supported  with 
Aid  to  Dependent  Children  funds  to  find 
employment.  The  Center  is  governed 
by  a  15-member  board  of  directors, 
eight  of  whom  are  ADC  mothers. 
Brethren  and  other  churchmen  have  as- 
sisted with  the  project.  Volunteers  Linda 
Myer  and  Linda  Robinson  provide  child 
care    during   the    working   hours. 

Virginia  Beach,  Va.  STOP,  a  child 
development  center,  is  provided  by  the 
First  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  the 
First  United  Church  of  Christ  in  Vir- 
ginia Beach,  offering  preschool  training 
to  economically  deprived  children. 
Funds  from  the  Office  of  Economic  Op- 
portunity were  available  last  year  but 
were  cut  so  drastically  that  no  full-time 
teacher  could  be  employed  for  the  1969- 
70  school  year.  BVSer  Harold  Hochstet- 
ter  is  head  teacher  for  the  center. 

Parkersburg,  W.  Va.  The  West  Cen- 
tral West  Virginia  Community  Action 
Association,  under  sponsorship  of  the 
Office  of  Economic  Opportunity,  has 
various  program  facets.  The  needs  of 
senior  citizens  and  youth  are  considered 
as  prime  concerns.  BVSer  Lowell  Dell 
is  working  in  a  club  program  with  Ap- 
palachian youth,    in   such   areas    of   in- 


Ainong  volunteers  from  Germany  in  the 
fall  BVS  unit  were  Frederich  Gocht,  I., 
and  Heinrich  Bischoff.  A  German  agen- 
cy. Action  Reconciliation,  currently  is 
providing  three  or  more  volunteers  per 
BVS  unit.  The  first  Brethren  worker  was 
just   assigned    to   its   program    in   Berlin 

struction  as  sports,  mechanics,  and 
agriculture. 

Berlin.  Germany.  Begun  in  1959  by 
the  Synod  of  the  German  Lutheran 
Church,  Aktion  Suhnezeichen  (Action 
Reconciliation)  has  as  its  goal  the  pro- 
motion of  international  understanding, 
peace,  and  ecumenical  cooperation. 
More  than  3,000  volunteers  have  spent 
a  minimum  of  six  months  in  projects 
under  the  agency.  Major  emphasis  has 
been  given  to  work  in  countries  which 
suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  Nazis  dur- 
ing World  War  11.  Action  Reconcilia- 
tion has  become  the  agency  which  cur- 
rently is  providing  three  or  four  Ger- 
man youth  for  each  BVS  training  unit 
and  for  twelve-  to  eighteen-month  as- 
signments in  the  United  States.  Frank- 
lin Bohn,  the  first  BVSer  assigned  to 
the  agency,  is  to  work  out  of  the  head- 
quarters office  in  Berlin,  coordinating  its 
work  with  other  volunteer  agencies  in 
Europe  and  the   United  States. 

South  Bend,  Ind.  While  in  one  sense 
this  is  no  "new"  project,  it  is  new  in 
that  for  the  first  time  Brethren  and 
Methodist  volunteers  are  working  in  the 
same    project,    under    direction    of    the 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     15 


Broadway  Christian  Parish.  The  Method- 
ist volunteer  program  is  not  yet  three 
years  old.  BVSers  Ron  and  Pat  Hostet- 
ter.  known  to  many  Annual  Conference- 
goers  for  their  bicycling  from  Lancaster, 
Pa.,  to  Louisville,  Ky.,  last  June,  are  in- 
volved in  various  aspects  of  the  parish 
community  program. 

In  the  selection  of  such  programs  as 
the  ten  new  additions  for  placing  BVSers, 
Mr.  Boyer  said  high  priority  will  con- 
tinue to  be  put  upon  meeting  specific 
needs  in  Church  of  the  Brethren-related 
ministries. 

He  indicated  further  that  with  the 
April  training  unit,  an  innovation  in  re- 
cruitment and  placement  is  to  be  at- 
tempted. Volunteers  are  to  be  given 
project  assignments  before  coming  to 
the  New  Windsor,  Md.,  training  center. 

"By  the  volunteer's  knowing  from  the 
outset  what  his  assignment  will  be,  he 
may  find  the  training  period  to  be  far 
more  meaningful,"  Mr.  Boyer  stated. 
He  also  noted-  that  it  is  hoped  this  new 
procedure  would  assist  in  the  matter  of 
recruitment  for  the  program. 

He  explained  that  an  interview  with 
each  volunteer,  in  addition  to  the  usual 
application  forms  and  references,  will 
precede  the  volunteer's  acceptance  into 
the  program  and  placement. 

Currently  new  BVS  training  units  are 
begun  in  January,  April,  July,  and 
October.  The  present  unit,  the  86th, 
includes  39  trainees. 

Selective  CO  upheld 

If  allowed  to  stand,  a  recent  ruling  by 
a  federal  judge  enables  a  young  man  to 
be  a  conscientious  objector  although  his 
denomination  does  not  disapprove  of  all 
wars.  It  also  renders  as  valid  the  posi- 
tion of  selective  conscientious  objection. 
The  ruling,  by  U.S.  District  Court 
Judge  Stanley  A.  Weigel  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, overturns  the  provision  in  the  Se- 
lective Service  Act  which  limits  the 
CO  classification  to  those  "who  by  rea- 
son of  religious  training  and  belief  are 
conscientiously  opposed  to  participation 
in  war  in  any  form." 


Favoritism:  This  regulation,  said  Judge 
Weigel,  favors  those  whose  religious 
groups  are  historically  against  war  — 
Quakers,  Jehovah's  Witnesses,  Brethren 
—  and  does  not  exempt  others,  such 
as  Catholics. 

The  case  in  which  the  ruling  came  in- 
volved a  Roman  Catholic,  24-year-oId 
Lester  Charles  Bowen,  a  college  student 
from  Grand  Rapids,  Mich.  He  had  re- 
fused induction  at  Oakland,  Calif.,  in 
June  1968.  He  and  a  second  youth, 
James  McFadden,  were  denied  CO  status 
by  the  local  draft  board. 

Both  the  young  men  were  supported  by 
the  National  Council  of  Churches  and, 
in  a  separate  action,  by  six  Protestant 
denominations.  Eleven  San  Francisco 
area  priests  joined  with  Bowen  in  his 
challenge  of  the  draft  law. 

Bowen's  refusal  was  based  on  his  un- 
derstanding of  Roman  Catholic  belief  in 
its  differentiating  between  just  and  unjust 
wars.  The  youth  contended  that  the  Viet- 
nam war  is  unjust. 

Breach:  Judge  Weigel  said:  "In  deny- 
ing conscientious  objector  status  to 
Bowen  based  upon  his  religious  opposi- 
tion to  the  Vietnam  War  but  permitting 
it  to  one  whose  religious  opposition  is  to 
all  wars,  the  effect  of  Section  6-J  (the 
regulation  involved)  is  to  breach  the 
neutrality  between  state  and  religion  re- 
quired by  the  mandate  of  the  First 
Amendment." 

The  judge  also  struck  the  section  down 
on  Fifth  Amendment  grounds  —  a  "seri- 
ous and  unjustifiable  discrimination"  in 
violation  of  due  process. 

U.S.  Attorney  Cecil  Poole  said  Judge 
Weigel's  decision  may  be  appealed  to  the 
U.S.  Supreme  Court.  If  not  overruled, 
the  decision  would  permit  an  individual 
to  decide  in  which  war  he  will  take  part. 

Brethren  stance:  The  ruling  moves  in 
the  direction  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren policy  statement  on  war,  revised  by 
Annual  Conference  in  1968  to  support 
"conscientious  objection  to  all  wars  de- 
clared or  undeclared;  to  particular  wars; 
to  particular  forms  of  warfare;  and  to 
conscientious  objection  on  grounds  more 
inclusive  than  institutional  religion." 


The  risk  of  offense 

Darrell  Dewease,  who  finds  himself 
standing  as  "probably  the  most  radical 
Brethren  since  Alexander  Mack,"  is 
deeply  entrenched  in  war  resistance. 
Largely  because  of  Vietnam,  it  is  the  20- 
year-old's  firm  conviction  that  the  peace 
church  today  needs  to  take  "a  very  posi- 
tive stand  against  the  murder  and  depri- 
vation which  our  nation  perpetrates." 

Last  May  the  member  of  the  Browns- 
ville, Md.,  Church  of  the  Brethren  was 
arrested  as  a  part  of  a  Quaker  vigil  on 
the  steps  of  the  Capitol  in  Washington, 
D.C.  Later  the  charges  were  dismissed. 
Subsequently  he  refused  induction;  the 
federal  attorney  has  not  prosecuted  the 
case.  More  recently  he  identified  himself 
as  one  of  the  Boston  Eight  responsible  for 
the  destruction  of  draft  files  at  six  local 
boards  in  Boston  and  in  Washington, 
D.C. 

Affirmation:  In  a  signed  statement, 
Dewease  and  the  other  Boston  seven  ex- 
pressed the  feeling  that  they  had  "ex- 
hausted legitimate  dissent"  and  that  they 
opposed  militarism  in  any  form.  They 
further  contended  that,  any  longer, 
marching  and  demonstrating  are  unpro- 
ductive and  that  the  route  to  peace  and 
social  justice  is  through  "responsible 
action." 

For  the  band  of  resisters,  that  action 
means  willingness  to  risk  "offense  to  good 
taste  and  to  law  and  order"  as  a  means 
of  affirming  responsibility  "for  our  lives 
and  for  the  lives  of  our  brothers." 

In  a  corporate  statement  the  eight  de- 
clared : 

"We  have  fashioned  hope  with  our 
bodies,  as  free  people  must  do.  We  op- 
pose with  our  lives  genocide  in  Vietnam 
and  the  arms  race,  exploitative  investment 
abroad,  rape  of  foreign  manpower  and 
resources,  domestic  racism,  environ- 
mental ruin,  and  militarism  in  any  form 
—  Selective  Service,  lottery,  or  volunteer 
army. 

"We  attack  Selective  Service  because 
it  illustrates  the  powerlessness  of  all 
Americans,  as  well  as  the  arrogance  of 
power.  .  .  . 


16     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


"To  us,  such  action  (nonviolent  civil 
disobedience)  is  a  profound  moral  and 
political  duty,  necessary  to  exalt  life  and 
secure  peace.  To  these  ends  we  deplore 
terroristic  attacks  which  endanger  life 
and  engender  fear." 

Support:  Set  on  the  course  he  is, 
Darrell  Dewease  is  desirous  of  explaining 
his  stance  to  others,  especially  to  Breth- 
ren. "I  need  the  support  of  my  church!" 
he  recently  told  Messenger.  One  of  his 
hopes  is  to  speak  in  local  churches. 

He  may  be  addressed  at  4006  Ludlow 
Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  19104. 

Peace  parley  delayed 

Widespread  student  demonstrations 
anticipated  in  Japan  during  Expo  '70 
have  prompted  a  delay  in  the  scheduling 
of  the  World  Conference  on  Religion  and 
Peace. 

According  to  Rabbi  Maurice  N.  Eisen- 
drath,  vice-chairman  of  the  conference's 
preparatory  committee,  the  peace  confer- 
ence will  now  be  held  Oct.  16-21  at 
Kyoto.  It  was  originally  set  for  Septem- 
ber, coinciding  with  the  closing  of  Expo 
'70,  the  international  fair  which  opens 
March  15  at  Osaka. 

Following  a  series  of  preparatory  meet- 
ings in  Kyoto  late  last  year,  Rabbi  Eisen- 
drath  said  that  the  change  in  dates  was 
made  on  the  advice  of  Japanese  author- 
ities. It  was  necessary  as  a  preventative 
measure  against  possible  disruptive  dem- 
onstrations by  young  activists  who  are 
protesting  Expo  '70  as  an  "exploitative" 
trade  fair  catering  to  "international  im- 
perialistic interests." 

The  peace  conference  is  expected  to 
draw  some  300  delegates  from  all  parts 
of  the  world,  representing  Catholic,  Prot- 
estant, Jewish,  Unitarian,  Buddhist,  Hin- 
du, Russian  Orthodox,  Moslem,  Shintoist, 
and  Sikh  groups. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren,  through 
the  involvement  of  D.  W.  Bittinger  and 
W.  Harold  Row  in  initial  planning  ses- 
sions and  through  the  $15,000  Norman 
J.  Baugher  Memorial  Fund,  is  one  of  the 
communions  actively  supporting  the 
unique  assembly  on  reUgion  and  peace. 


A  program  for  life 

If  any  one  scientist  is  in  tune  with 
today's  college  set,  it  is  Harvard  Uni- 
versity's George  Wald.  A  Nobel  Prize 
winner  for  his  research  on  the  chemical 
processes  of  the  human  eye.  Dr.  Wald  is 
widely  sought  for  campus  lectures,  due 
in  no  small  measure  to  his  outspokenness 
on  the  war  in  Vietnam,  on  chemical  and 
biological  warfare,  on  the  draft,  and  on 
the  misuse  of  expanding  knowledge  and 
technology. 

In  addressing  academicians  at  a  Sym- 
posium on  Science  and  Social  Imperatives 
at  Southern  Colorado  State  College,  there 
were  some  new  appeals  in  the  message 
of  the  crack  biologist.  And  the  audience 
applauded  his  words  warmly. 

Return:  "The  only  way  the  world  is 
going  to  stop  short  of  the  brink  of  nucle- 
ar holocaust  is  a  return  to  God  and  the 
principles  of  the  Bible  —  and  this  is  what 
the  young  people,  even  the  militants,  are 
trying  to  tell  us. 

"Nuclear  holocaust,"  Dr.  Wald  de- 
clared, "can  be  averted  only  by  faith, 
love,  and  hope,  and  the  precious  prin- 
ciples of  the  Bible.  I  know  that  this  is 
the  sheerest  nonacademic  sentimentality, 
but  I'm  convinced  that  this  is  the  only 
way  we  are  going  to  prevent  the  total 
chaos  that  we  are  headed  for  —  and 
probably  within  the  next  10  years." 

Faced  with  a  choice  between  com- 
munism and  democracy,  he  said  he  would 
prefer  a  form  of  restrained  capitalism 
that  keeps  a  wary  eye  on  growing 
bureaucracy. 

"Hope  for  the  world  is  offered  by  the 
young,  by  even  the  militants,  because 
they  are  the  only  ones  trying  to  recapture 
the  aura  of  honesty  this  country  once 
knew.  The  older  generation,  the  ones 
over  30,  have  become  used  to  living  with- 
out honesty  in  the  dog-eat-dog  world 
that  we  have  today. 

"The  politicians  in  Washington,  the 
ones  you  and  I  have  elected,  could  aid 
the  cause  of  the  young,"  he  added.  "But 
the  politicians  aren't  doing  a  very  good 
job.  They  are  more  interested  in  tech- 
nological   advances,    getting    us    to    the 


Wald:     One    alternative    to    total    chaos  i\ 

moon,  than  they  are  about  the  ecology, 
the  environment  of  the  people." 

Do's  and  don'ts:  Dr.  Wald  was  at  one 
time  engaged  in  a  strong  debate  with  the 
U.S.  Army  over  the  use  of  chemical  war- 
fare agents.  He  reiterated  his  stand 
against  napalm,  tear  gas,  and  crop-de- 
stroying agents.  "I  have  a  program  that 
I  have  been  thinking  about  for  years,  one 
that  would  form  a  spiritual  missing  link 
that  would  reunite  us  to  the  principles 
this  country  once  stood  for.  There  are 
some  do's  and  some  don'ts. 

"We  should  get  out  of  Vietnam,  and 
right  now.  .  .  .  We  should  immediately 
stop  that  abomination  called  the  military 
draft. 

"Only  since  the  industrial  revolution 
has  man  been  producing  devastation,  and 
it's  getting  out  of  control.  Because  of 
this,  is  there  any  reason  not  to  under- 
stand that  young  people  have  a  feeling 
of  hopelessness?  Kids  have  a  trauma  that 
their  parents  can't  help.  Militants  call 
for  revolution.  People  are  scared.  Peo- 
ple fear  a  revolution  from  left-wing  radi- 
cals. 

"A  revolution  won't  come  from  them," 
he  asserted.  "It  will  come  from  the  wide- 
eyed  rightists.  And  it's  possible  that  de- 
mocracy might  be  lost  to  something 
called  law  and  order  from  the  right,  the 
bureaucracy." 

Crux:  Dr.  Wald  offered  a  "program 
for  life."  He  said  people  should  ask 
themselves  one  question  and  act  accord- 
ingly: "Is  it  good  for  children?" 

"All  the  answers  come  out  right  when 
you  confront  issues  that  way." 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     17 


■ens 


UPON  DISCOVERING  LATIN 


As  missionaries  newly  appointed  to 
work  with  Ecuador's  Center  for  Theologi- 
cal Studies,  the  Roy  Valencourt  family 
began  its  term  of  service  with  a  unique 
training  venture.  Members  of  the  family 
enrolled  in  an  orientation  center  in  Mexi- 
co, a  center  which  in  the  last  year  or  two 
has  moved  into  the  international  lime- 
light for  its  pioneering  approach  to  edu- 
cation and  intercuhural  understanding. 

The  V alencourts  were  preceded  at  the 
center  by  one  other  Brethren  appointee, 
William  Brownsberger,  a  volunteer  from 
California  also  assigned  to  Ecuador.  The 
training  in  both  instances  was  provided 
by  the  World  Ministries  Commission. 

Upon  the  request  of  Messenger,  Dr. 
Valencourt  has  prepared  the  following  ac- 
count of  the  family's  experience  at  the 
orientation  center. 


With  the  laying  on  of  hands  at  Annual 
Conference  last  June,  our  family  was  set 
aside  as  missionaries  to  serve  Jesus  Christ 
in  Ecuador.  Immediately  upon  departure 
from  Louisville  we  began  our  southward 
trek.  En  route,  however,  we  were  to  be 
engaged  three  months  in  orientation  and 
training  in  Mexico.  It  was  an  unforget- 
table and  eye-opening  encounter  with 
Latin  American  life. 

The  locale  for  our  studies  in  Mexico 
was  Cuernavaca,  a  charming  city  situated 
among  towering  peaks  and  narrow  val- 
leys. Cuernavaca  looks  upward  toward 
Mexico  City  from  its  seat  in  a  mile-high 
valley,  about  40  miles  to  the  south.  The 
area  has  become  a  tourist  attraction  and 
a  retirement  haven  for  many  folk  from 
the  United  States. 

Fame:  But  it  is  not  the  geography  nor 
the  beauty  that  has  brought  Cuernavaca 


into  worldwide  focus.  Rather  it  is,  per- 
haps surprisingly,  two  religious  institu- 
tions and,  of  course,  the  people  behind 
them.  Both  institutions  are,  or  have  been, 
aligned  with  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

First  at  Cuernavaca  is  the  cathedral 
and  its  reforming  Bishop  Arceo.  The 
bishop  has  inaugurated  in  his  parish, 
among  other  things,  an  exciting  Latin 
American  folk  mass,  played  and  sung 
weekly  by  a  cantor  accompanied  by  an 
ensemble  of  strings,  percussion,  and 
brass.  This  liturgy  in  folk  music  inspires 
almost  unheard  of,  massive  congregation- 
al participation.  Great  numbers  of  Prot- 
estant visitors  join  the  regular  worshipers 
weekly.  The  bishop  also  has  removed  the 
images  from  the  cathedral  and  in  so  doing 
has  aroused  a  violent  storm  of  protest. 

CIDOC:  The  second  institution  of 
Cuernavaca  is  the  one  to  which  we  were 
related,  CIDOC  —  the  Center  for  Inter- 
cultural  Documentation.  In  simpler  terms 
it  is  seen  by  many  as  the  controversial 
center  for  Latin  American  studies.  It  is 
indeed  a  new  type  of  school  of  mission. 
It  is  also  a  very  special  kind  of  university, 
dedicated  to  the  advancement  of  Latin 
America  through  research  into  the  total- 
ity of  the  region's  life  and  character.  A 
diverse  assembly  of  specialists  and  stu- 
dents from  North  America  and  South 
America  is  drawn  to  it. 

The  leaders  of  the  study  center  feel 
keenly  that,  if  there  is  to  be  a  more  fully 
Christian  and  helpful  effort  made  by 
those  who  seek  to  enrich  or  to  elevate 
life  in  the  region,  there  must  first  be 
fuller  understanding  of  Latin  American 
ways  and  values.  To  impart  such  under- 
standing the  center  has  sometimes  ex- 
pounded a  revolutionary  philosophy  of 
learning.  And  while  lecture  and  indoc- 
trination have  their  place,  the  major  im- 
pact comes  from  personal  encounter  with 


and  the  drive  of  the  leaders,  a  drive  to 
persevere  in  the  costly  investment  of  life. 

The  moving  spirit  in  the  total  enter- 
prise is  Ivan  Illich,  a  Catholic  priest 
turned  layman  and  very  much  a  world 
citizen.  Upon  the  launching  of  the  center 
in  1961  primarily  to  orient  Latin  Ameri- 
can missionaries.  Dr.  Illich  was  aghast 
at  the  atrocious  misconceptions  of  Chris- 
tian mission,  and  of  Latin  America,  that 
were  brought  to  the  continent  by  expatri- 
ot  missionaries.  He  determined  to  im- 
prove the  situation. 

Language:  At  the  beginning,  just  as 
today,  emphasis  was  placed  upon  the 
skillful  teaching  of  the  Spanish  language 
to  those  for  whom  its  masterful  command 
was  vital.  The  language  program  in  the 
summer  months  we  were  there  enrolled 
600,  half  of  whom  entered  at  the  time 
we  did.  A  certain  number  of  these  per- 
sons in  four  to  eight  weeks  achieved  con- 
siderable fluency  in  Spanish.  But  a  good 
many  were  professional  language  instruc- 
tors and  graduate  research  students. 
There  were  also  nuns  from  schools  in 
Chicago,  ministers  from  the  inner  city 
in  New  York,  and  social  workers  from 
Arizona,  California,  Illinois,  and  Penn- 
sylvania. We  missionaries,  while  in  a  mi- 
nority, were  well  represented,  especially 
by  workers  bound  for  Venezuela  and  Bo- 
livia. It  was  an  altogether  fascinating  and 
dedicated  company  of  language  students. 

The  approach  to  language  instruction 
brought  four  students  and  a  Mexican 
teacher  together  as  a  learning  group. 
Most  of  the  teachers  spoke  little  or  no 
English.  These  learning  groups  met  daily 
for  three  hours,  with  stress  upon  oral 
communication.  We  also  spent  an  hour 
each  day  in  the  language  laboratory,  lis- 
tening individually  to  recorded  material, 
often  from  the  day's  session.  A  half  hour 
was  devoted  each  day  in  larger  groups 


18     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


AMERICA 


Cuernavaca  is  not  a  typical  missionary  train- 
ing center.    It  does  not  provide  students  with 
evangelism  techniques  or  jungle  survival  skills 


to  drill  on  fundamental  points  pertaining 
to  grammar,  pronunciation,  and  vocabu- 
lary. When  one  had  progressed  to  a  cer- 
tain point  he  was  assigned  to  a  group 
for  a  period  of  practice  in  conversation. 

Such  a  concentration  on  language  we 
found  to  be  demanding  and  extremely 
taxing.  My  wife  Carol,  our  16-year-old 
Rene,  and  I  were  enrolled  in  such  study 
for  10  weeks.  That  is  about  as  long  as 
one  can  endure  without  a  break  for  re- 
laxation and  recuperation! 

Institute:  Central  as  the  language  pro- 
gram is,  it  is  only  one  of  three  adjuncts 
of  the  CIDOC  operation.  A  second  ma- 
jor division  is  the  Institute  for  Contem- 
porary Latin  American  Studies  (ICLAS). 
This  school  offers  a  vast  range  of  courses 
on  Latin  American  cultures  and  peoples. 

The  educational  procedure  in  ICLAS  is 
for  the  faculty,  most  of  whom  are  guest 
lecturers  or  specialists  from  either  North 
or  Latin  America,  to  lecture  at  designated 
hours,  then  during  informal  "social" 
hours  to  engage  in  more  searching  dia- 
logue with  those  students  who  have  a 
penetrating  interest  in  the  issues  con- 
cerned. 

The  courses  vary  from  three  or  four 
weeks  up  to  ten  or  twelve  weeks.  They 
are  offered  in  English,  Spanish,  and  oc- 
casionally French  and  Portugese. 

A  course  titled  Orientation  to  Latin 
America  is  one  in  which  many  language 
students,  among  them  Carol,  Rene,  and 
I,  enrolled.  The  daily  lectures  cover  mul- 
titudinous subjects,  from  education  under 
Castro  in  Cuba  to  Che  Guevarra's  at- 
tempt at  revolution  in  Bolivia  to  Cortez' 
conquest  of  Mexico.  For  us,  in  terms  of 
understanding  Hispanic-American  cul- 
ture, history,  religion,  and  political  and 
social  structures,  the  class  was  a  helpful 
prelude  to  our  work  with  the  people  of 
Ecuador. 


A  third  function  of  the  center  at 
Cuernavaca  is  publishing,  using  the 
unique  resources  gathered  there  for  the 
turning  out  of  creative  and  challenging 
research  and  study  materials. 

Theology:  As  perhaps  may  already  be 
clear,  CIDOC  is  not  a  typical  missionary 
training  center.  It  does  not  provide  stu- 
dents with  evangelism  techniques  or  jun- 
gle survival  skills.  There  is  no  systematic 
indoctrination  in  a  specific  theology  of 
mission  nor  in  a  favored  interpretation  of 
the  gospel.  Many  different  views  on  faith 
and  life  are  held  by  its  leaders  and  stu- 
dents. Encouragement  is  given  for  per- 
sons to  reach  their  own  conclusions  about 
their  life  mission. 

Yet  stern  challenge  is  directed  to  those 
persons  who  unconsciously  have  accepted 
or  clung  to  traditional  views  of  mission. 
We  found  ourselves  always  under  gentle 
pressure  to  examine  our  verbalized  state- 
ments of  purpose  in  mission  service,  to 
probe  our  deep  motives  for  working 
abroad,  and  to  evaluate  our  personal  ex- 
pectations from  it. 

Feelings:  In  the  language  study  we 
acquired  an  enormous  amount  of  Spanish 
in  those  ten  weeks.  For  Rene,  with  his 
strong  background  in  French,  it  was  suf- 
ficient for  him  now  to  converse  easily  in 
the  language.  For  Carol  and  me  the 
period  was  too  short.  We  did  not  learn 
as  rapidly  as  he  did.  Our  next  two  sons, 
Joel  and  Keith,  had  more  limited  oppor- 
tunities to  learn  the  language,  but  they 
used  their  opportunities  well  and  upon 
our  arrival  in  Quito  could  understand  a 
great  deal. 

Perhaps  of  greater  importance  even 
than  the  language  skills  that  we  all  gained 
was  the  perspective  we  received  of  a 
strange  culture.  Mexico  presented  to  us 
what  loosely  might  be  called  an  inter- 
mediate type  of  culture  between  life  in 


the  United  States  and  life  in  Ecuador. 
Even  so,  it  is  a  Latin  American  country, 
and  it  contained  enormous  cultural  dif- 
ferences for  "gringos"  from  the  States. 
We  all  underwent  cultural  shock. 

The  multitudes  of  beggars  everywhere 
were  threatening  to  our  sense  of  eco- 
nomic and  theological  well-being.  We 
were  continually  forced  to  examine  our- 
selves and  our  faith  in  relationship  to 
them  and  their  needs.  The  swarms  of 
street  vendors  selling  every  product  under 
the  sun  at  times  annoyed  me.  The  smells 
in  the  giant  market  almost  nauseated  us 
at  first.  The  casual  attitudes  of  the  na- 
tionals toward  garbage  and  human  ex- 
crement in  the  streets  and  in  the  riv- 
ulets of  Cuernavaca  occasionally  aroused 
our  ire.  There  was  a  constant  temptation, 
at  the  level  of  feelings  especially,  to  judge 
the  different  ways  of  conduct  and  the 
strange  ways  of  making  things  and  of 
handling  problems  as  connoting  ethnic 
inferiority. 

Impact:  It  is  certainly  not  accurate  to 
state  after  nearly  three  months  in  Cuerna- 
vaca that  we  had  adapted  to  Latin  Ameri- 
can life.  Of  course  some  members  of  the 
family  adjusted  to  a  greater  degree  than 
others.  We  all  made  strides  in  the  direc- 
tion of  accepting  persons  from  a  culture 
alien  to  us  on  their  own  terms  and  as 
persons  of  dignity  in  their  own  right.  We 
were  much  better  able  on  our  departure 
from  Mexico  to  appreciate  the  language, 
the  culture,  the  land,  the  people. 

Above  all,  our  family  gained  in  Mexico 
a  great  cloud  of  friends  who  have  en- 
riched our  lives  and  will  continue  end- 
lessly to  contribute  to  our  becoming  more 
fully  human,  that  is,  more  fully  Chris- 
tian. It  is  my  prayer  that,  in  so  doing, 
they  are  aiding  us  in  becoming  useful 
servants  of  God  in  the  beautiful  land  of 
Ecuador.  —  J.  Roy  Valencourt 


2-12-70    MESSENGER      19 


news 


A  generation  bridge 

Four  years  ago  a  high  school  student, 
Betty  Plaugher  of  Spring  Creek,  Va.,  en- 
rolled as  the  first  student  nurse  trainee 
at  the  Bridgewater  Home  for  the  Aging. 
The  assignment  came  under  her  high 
school's  Industrial  Cooperative  Training 
program. 

At  the  time  Betty  was  a  senior,  and  her 
work  at  the  home  came  on  evenings  and 
weekends.  She  earlier  had  some  interest 
in  nursing,  and  even  a  bit  of  preparation 
in  caring  at  times  for  a  great-grandmoth- 
er. But  it  was  through  the  opportunities 
and  training  afforded  her  at  the  home  that 
she  came  to  see  nursing  as  her  occupa- 
tional choice. 

Today,  as  Betty  Plaugher  Miller,  she 
continues  at  the  Bridgewater  Home,  now 
as  a  full-time  nurses'  aide.  It  is  an  as- 
signment she  has  chosen  to  pursue  even 
after  marriage. 

first:  It  is  the  judgment  of  C.  Dick 
Stevens  that  Mrs.  Miller  could  get  a  job 
in  any  hospital  as  a  nurses'  aide.  In  fact, 
since  she  was  the  first  nursing  trainee 
from  her  school  in  1965,  and  the  first 
placed  at  the  Bridgewater  Home,  nearly 
20  local  students  have  followed  her 
course,  nearly  all  of  whom  have  gone  on 
to  nursing  careers  or  have  undertaken 
such  allied  positions  as  laboratory  tech- 
nicians or  physical  therapists.  Four  of 
the  12  girls  working  this  year  as  student 
nurse  trainees  have  been  accepted  for 
study  at  nearby  Harrisonburg  and  Staun- 
ton nursing  schools. 

The  development  is  part  of  the  state 
supervised  Industrial  Cooperative  Train- 
ing program  in  Virginia,  a  program  which 
expands  high  school  juniors'  and  seniors' 
occupational  interests  through  on-the-job 
training  in  area  businesses  and  institu- 
tions. Mr.  Stevens  lauds  the  program 
for  its  giving  young  people  "an  idea  of 
what  their  chosen  life's  work  will  be  like." 

Values:  In  the  health  care  field,  he 
noted,  the  trainees  are  given  a  chance  to 
develop  their  aptitudes  and  abilities  and 
to  adapt  to  the  necessary  supervision  and 
working  conditions  of  nursing.  They  also 
help  fill  a  shortage  of  personnel  and  pro- 


mote better  understanding  between  the 
school  and  community. 

The  trainees  in  the  Bridgewater  Home 
observe  working  procedures  and  assist  in 
the  infirmary  under  supervision  of  the 
charge  nurse.  Starting  this  year,  one 
evening  a  week  is  devoted  to  classroom 
instruction  by  the  director  of  nurses, 
Mrs.  Catherine  Koiner.  The  students  re- 
ceive two  credits  toward  high  school 
graduation  in  the  program,  and  are  paid 
85  percent  of  minimum  wage.  They  are 
allowed  between  15  and  25  hours  a 
week  during  the  school  year. 

Gap:  Geriatrics  is  the  "real  generation 
gap,"  as  Administrator  Stevens  sees  it. 
He  sees  a  great  deal  of  value  in  the 
trainee  program's  involving  youth  in  the 
problems  and  ills  of  the  aged  —  a  road 
they  themselves  one  day  will  travel. 

"Geriatrics  is  something  today's  youth 
and  even  older  people  shun  because  ev- 
eryone likes  to  see  someone  get  well  and 
go  home.  In  geriatrics,  it  doesn't  happen 
that  way,"  Mr.  Stevens  said.  "The  more 
young  people  we  can  get  involved  in  the 
program,  the  more  understanding  we  are 


Trailblazer  in  Bridgewater  Home's  pro- 
gram for  high  school  trainees:  Aide 
Betty  Miller  with  resident  Mary  O.  MiUer 


going  to  have  in  later  years." 

What  is  gratifying  about  the  trainee 
program,  he  summed  up,  is  that  the 
young  people  do  choose  the  nursing  field 
after  it  is  over.  "And  we're  pleased  in 
having  helped  give  them  a  nudge  to  keep 
going  in  that  direction." 

Within  the  family 

Celebration  of  life:  A  new  kind  of 
demonstration  occurred  at  the  Panorama 
City,  Calif.,  Church  of  the  Brethren  un- 
der auspices  of  the  youth.  It  was  a  cele- 
bration of  life  which  began  and  ended  on 
the  front  lawn  of  the  church. 

After  convening  on  the  lawn  for  the 
Sunday  morning  service,  the  worshipers 
processed  together  into  the  sanctuary. 
There  the  youth  deliberately  steered  clear 
of  a  "polished  program,"  seeking  to  share 
informally  through  personal  presence, 
color,  sound,  banners,  words,  and  ac- 
tions a  positive  communication. 

A  recessional  returned  the  congrega- 
tion to  the  lawn  where  coffee  and  punch 
were  served  and  a  time  of  fellowship  fol- 
lowed. 

Cries  at  communion:  An  11  p.m. 
Christmas  Eve  communion  service  in  the 
Nappanee,  Ind.,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
centered  on  a  meditation,  "Cries  for 
Help,"  written  by  Nancy  Curtis,  a  local 
parishioner. 

Heard  were  the  cries  of  a  teen-age  girl, 
a  young  black  man,  a  frustrated  mother, 
a  frightened  young  man  in  Vietnam,  an 
elderly  woman,  an  emotionally  disturbed 
man,  and  a  woman  dying  of  cancer.  The 
voice  parts  were  read  by  members  of  the 
parish. 

Following  the  meditation  worshipers 
were  invited  to  come  to  the  altar  in  small 
groups  to  receive  the  bread  and  the  cup. 

The  service  was  open  to  all  Christians 
of  the  community. 

Expanding  encounter:  On  May  13, 
1966,  nine  youth  and  two  aduks  of  the 
Locust  Grove  Church  of  the  Brethren 
hopped  in  a  Chevy  Sport  Van  and  headed 
for  a  weekend  work  camp  at  the  Brother- 
hood Pilot  House  in  Baltimore.  Many  of 
the  young  people  and  both  of  the  adults 


20     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


had  some  doubts  as  to  how  they  would 
feel  about  working  and  living  with  Ne- 
groes for  a  weekend. 

Mrs.  Harry  Deffenbaugh  accompanied 
her  husband  on  that  initial  trip  and  re- 
calls that  as  they  neared  the  city  a 
"creeping  fear"  of  the  slum  area  and  its 
residents  was  within  her  —  she  became 
aware  of  her  prejudices.  The  weekend 
was  so  successful  that  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Deffenbaugh  volunteered  to  share  their 
home  with  a  young  Negro  boy  in  the 
Fresh  Air  Program  the  next  summer. 

Since  that  first  trip  to  the  Pilot  House 
the  Locust  Grove  youth  have  participated 
in  three  work  camps  with  members  of 
the  New  Shiloh  Baptist  Church  in  Balti- 
more, including  one  work  camp  hosted 
at  the  Locust  Grove  church.  Brethren 
from  the  Tire  Hill,  Maple  Grove,  and 
Pittsburgh  congregations  joined  in  the 
latter  experience. 

At  first,  some  of  the  Locust  Grove 
leaders  recall,  there  were  some  discour- 
aging remarks  from  elders  about  such  a 
venture.  But  as  more  programs  took 
place  fellowship  replaced  skepticism. 
One  indication  of  the  growth  that  has 
taken  place  within  the  congregation  is 
its  plans  to  begin  a  working  relationship 
with  black  persons  in  "our  own  com- 
munity." 

All-night  vigil:  For  twelve  hours  on 
Christmas  Eve,  from  6  p.m.  to  6  a.m.,  the 
sanctuary  of  the  Glendale,  Calif.,  Church 
of  the  Brethren  was  open  for  prayer  and 
reflfection  on  peace. 

Scheduled  throughout  the  night  for  15 
minutes  at  each  hour  on  the  hour  were 
the  presentations  of  individuals  and  en- 
sembles from  the  community.  The  pre- 
sentations included  folk  numbers  by  a 
number  of  area  singers,  including  profes- 
sional Mary  McCaslin  of  Pasadena's  Ice- 
House;  a  meditation  on  the  peace  motif 
in  Hanukkah,  led  by  a  Jewish  layman; 
a  new  peace  song  by  Glendale  youth  min- 
ister Al  Hutton;  original  poems  on  peace 
by  others;  a  midnight  candlelighting  cere- 
mony conducted  by  a  Methodist  youth; 
and  the  closing  prayer  Christmas  morn- 
ing led  by  Pastor  Garnett  Phibbs. 


Brethren  support  of  Heifer  Project  continues  steadily.  Among  contributions  have 
been  eight  head  of  cattle  from  the  East  Fairview  and  White  Oak  churches,  Manheim, 
Pa.,  sent  to  the  Dominican  Republic.  With  the  herd  are  from  the  left,  Glenn  E. 
Kinsel,  Ernest  Weaver,  and  Clarence  Keener,  who  accompanied  the  herd  in  transit 


At  other  periods  throughout  the  night 
a  wide  variety  of  music  was  offered,  from 
classical  to  contemporary.  Hosts  greeted 
worshipers  upon  their  arrival;  coffee  and 
doughnuts  were  served  in  the  social  hall. 

The  film,  "The  Magician,"  shown  ev- 
ery hour  on  the  half  hour,  was  followed 
by  a  dialogue  or  "rap"  session  in  the  Fire- 
side Room  on  the  meaning  of  the  Prince 
of  Peace  for  world  peace. 

Church  pantry:  Dedicated  by  the 
Fraternity  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Win- 
ston-Salem, N.C.,  was  a  "church  pantry" 
stocked  with  groceries  for  needy  families 
of  the  church  and  community. 

At  the  time  of  dedication  the  pantry 
included  200  food  items.  Members  are 
invited  to  add  to  the  provisions  each  week 
as  they  shop  for  food. 

Members  also  were  urged  to  keep  their 
eyes  open  for  need  within  the  community. 

Hunger  walk:  Eight  young  persons  of 
the  Long  Beach,  Calif.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  walked  205  miles  in  the  Ken- 
nedy Memorial  Walk  Against  Hunger. 
Three  of  the  youth  walked  the  entire  34- 
mile  route.  Earned  by  the  eight  were 
proceeds  totaling  $280.50. 

Who's  first?  Who  in  the  Brotherhood 
holds  the  distinction  of  being  the  first 
layman  elected   district   moderator? 

Some  weeks  ago  the  Office  of  Com- 
munication passed  along  an  item  which 
credited  the  honor  to  F.  Willard  Power, 
Mount  Morris,  111.,  who  in  1962  headed 
the  then  Northern  Illinois  District.  The 
report  was  shared  with  the  prospect  in 
mind  that  full  information  may  not  have 


been  in. 

Shortly  thereafter  the  Office  reported 
that  the  distinction  "is  believed  to  be- 
long" to  layman  Wayne  F.  Buckle,  in 
1959  named  moderator  of  the  former 
Eastern  Virginia  District.  This  item  ap- 
peared in  the  Jan.  1  Messenger. 

More  recent  information  reveals  that 
in  1955  North  and  South  Carolina  elected 
as  district  moderator  Bert  G.  Richardson, 
then  a  layman.  Mr.  Richardson  shortly 
thereafter  became  a  pastor,  was  later  dis- 
trict executive  secretary  in  North  and 
South  Carolina  and  Tennessee  and  Ala- 
bama, and  now  is  pastor  of  the  Kingsport 
and  Liberty  churches  in  Tennessee. 

The  honor  thus  rests  with  Mr.  Rich- 
ardson and  the  Carolinas. 

Acknowledging,  however,  that  that  still 
may  be  a  tentative  word. 

View  from  the  pew:  The  Pine  Glen 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Middle  Penn- 
sylvania scheduled  Mennonite  minister 
George  R.  Brunk  of  Eastern  Mennonite 
College  to  conduct  its  fall  revival  meet- 
ing. The  meeting  was  planned  in  coop- 
eration with  the  Mattawana  Mennonite 
Church.  As  a  sidelight  on  the  then  forth- 
coming event,  the  Pine  Glen  church 
newsletter  reported  remarks  overheard  at 
the  church  board  meeting. 

"If  we  get  that  Mennonite  preacher  for 
a  meeting,  all  those  Mennonites  will  come 
in  here  and  take  our  seats  and  we  won't 
have  any  place  to  sit." 

"You  don't  need  to  worry  about  that," 
came  the  retort;  "those  Mennonites  all 
sit  up  front." 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     21 


Turns  in  the  Road 

by  Harold  Garnet  Black 


u 


Ipon  how  slender  a  thread  has  hung 
the  destiny  of  many  a  man!  A.  J. 
Cronin,  the  well-known  novelist,  tells 
us  that  he  gave  up  a  promising  medi- 
cal practice  and  became  a  writer  be- 
cause of  having  developed  a  gastric 
ulcer.  Roger  W.  Babson's  discovery 
at  twenty-seven  that  he  was  the  victim 
of  pulmonary  tuberculosis  changed  him 
from  a  bank  clerk  to  perhaps  the  great- 
est business  statistician  of  all  time. 

The  late  Sir  Winston  Churchill,  in- 
domitable Olympian,  would  never  have 
become  internationally  famous  had  he 
not  succeeded,  almost  by  miracle,  in 
escaping  from  a  prison  in  Ladysmith 
during  the  Boer  War,  an  escape  which 
he  himself  doubtless  would  describe  as 
one  of  the  "hinges  of  fate." 

Often  there  may  be  found  more  than 
one  turning  point  in  a  man's  life,  more 
than  one  hinge  on  which  the  door  of 
opportunity  swings  open.  An  excellent 
example  is  that  of  Harry  Emerson  Fos- 
dick,  distinguished  preacher,  theolo- 
gian, college  professor,  and  author  of 
over  thirty  volumes. 

Though  brought  up  in  a  Christian 
home  and  accepting  the  theological 
doctrines  learned  as  a  youth.  Dr.  Fos- 
dick  nevertheless,  in  the  middle  of  his 
college  course,  felt  compelled  to  do 
his  own  thinking  on  such  matters.  The 
immediate  result  was  that  he  cleared 
God  right  out  of  the  universe  and  "be- 
gan from  scratch"  to  see  what  he  could 
find.  He  had  turned  his  first  major 
comer. 

Thus  it  was,  he  says,  that  he  passed 
to  atheism  or  at  least  to  agnosticism. 
What  came  increasingly  to  impress 
him,  however,  was  the  fact  that  at 
Colgate  his  teachers  in  mathematics, 
geology,  public  speaking,  Greek,  Latin, 
and  English  literature  were  men  of 
Christian  faith.  These  professors  were 
all  intellectually  respectable,  some 
eminent.  It  was  a  course  in  meta- 


physics during  his  senior  year  that 
brought  a  return  of  his  lost  religious 
faith.  That  was  a  second  corner. 

A  third  was  turned  when,  after  a 
breakdown  from  over-study  in  his  post- 
graduate year,  he  was  forced  to  spend 
a  year  of  idleness  and  deep  mental  de- 
pression, four  months  of  it  in  a  sana- 
torium. Those  months,  he  confessed, 
were  "the  most  agonizing  period"  of  his 
whole  life. 

But  during  that  time  he  learned 
more  about  human  nature  and  its 
deep  needs,  he  declared,  than  any 
seminary  class  could  teach  him.  For  it 
was  then  that  he  made  his  great  per- 
sonal discovery  of  the  efficiency  of 
prayer.  His  slender  volume  called  The 
Meaning  of  Prayer  would  never  have 
been  written  "had  not  that  year  put 
into  prayer  a  significance  one  does  not 
learn  from  books."  It  was  published  in 
1915.  Two  years  later  appeared  T/ie 
Meaning  of  Faith,  likewise  autobio- 
graphical. 

Looked  at  in  perspective.  Dr.  Fos- 
dick's  refusal  to  accept  the  pastorate 
of  the  Park  Avenue  Baptist  Church  in 
New  York,  after  having  resigned  from 
a  fundamentalist  Presbyterian  church, 
is  highly  significant,  a  fourth  impor- 
tant turn  in  the  road,  if  you  please,  for 
it  set  him  out  on  a  quite  different 
career. 


We 


len  John  D.  Rockefeller  Jr.  in- 
quired during  a  luncheon  hour  why  he 
had  refused  such  an  attractive  offer. 
Dr.  Fosdick  explained  he  disliked  the 
requirement  of  baptism  by  immersion 
for  full  membership  —  there  being 
only  an  associate  membership  for  un- 
immersed  Christians  —  and,  further- 
more, that  he  would  be  justifiably  ac- 
cused of  becoming  the  private  chaplain 
of  a  small  group  of  wealthy  people. 
In  addition,  to  accept  a  pastorate  in  the 


Park  Avenue  Church,  though  located 
in  the  swankiest  part  of  New  York, 
would  provide  him  with  too  small  an 
auditorium  —  it  seated  only  800  — 
and  hence  would  greatly  limit  his 
sphere  of  usefulness  as  a  Christian 
minister. 

Mr.  Rockefeller  then  asked  him  if  he 
would  take  the  pastorate  if  they  moved 
to  another  part  of  the  city,  built  a 
much  larger  church,  and  adapted  it  for 
a  metropolitan  community.  Dr.  Fos- 
dick stUl  demurred.  Again  asked  the 
reason,  he  frankly  told  Mr.  Rockefeller 
that  he  did  not  wish  to  be  known  as  the 
pastor  of  the  richest  man  in  the  coun- 
try. Surprisingly  enough,  the  great 
philanthropist  did  not  resent  such 
frankness. 

To  Dr.  Fosdick's  utter  amazement 
the  Park  Avenue  congregation,  after 
giving  the  matter  full  consideration, 
actually  agreed  to  meet  the  member- 
ship requirements  he  had  laid  down, 
and  at  once  began  planning  for  the 
erection  of  a  huge  building.  Thus  was 
launched  the  great  interdenominational 
church  now  known  everywhere  as  the 
Riverside  Church,  amply  equipped  for 
widespread  community  service  and  lo- 
cated just  across  from  International 
House,  in  the  close  neighborhood 
where  lived  persons  of  almost  all  races 
and  nationalities.  The  new  church  re- 
moved all  restrictions  on  membership, 
opened  its  doors  to  aU  Christians  on 
terms  of  equality,  and  was  formally 
dedicated  February  8,  1931. 

For  its  dedication  Dr.  Fosdick  wrote 
a  notable  hymn  beginning  "God  of 
grace  and  God  of  glory,"  which  has 
since  been  printed  in  many  church 
hymnals  and  has  been  used  extensively. 
"I  suspect,"  he  once  wrote  me,  "that 
I  shall  be  remembered  longer  for  that 
hymn  than  for  any  of  the  books  I  have 
written." 

There  at  Riverside  Church,  until  his 


I 


22     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


retirement  in  1946,  Harry  Emerson 
Fosdick  preached  sermons  that  struck 
a  nonsectarian  and  universal  note  and 
dealt  with  universal  human  problems. 
Part  of  his  time  for  two  decades  was 
devoted  to  "National  Vespers,"  radio 
addresses  broadcast  all  over  the  world 
—  in  New  Zealand,  Central  Africa, 
Persia,  China,  Alaska,  Great  Britain, 
Canada,  and  continental  United  States. 

The  impact  of  Dr.  Fosdick's  in- 
fluence through  these  weekly  radio 
broadcasts  is  well-illustrated  by  the 
following  story.    A  young  minister 
in  one  of  the  southeastern  states 
became  so  mentally  distracted  and  so 
spiritually  upset  by  the  sudden  death  of 
his  wife  that  he  felt  he  couldn't  "take 
it"  any  longer  but  must  leave  the  min- 
istry when,  quite  by  chance,  he  turned 
on  his  car  radio,  only  to  discover  that 


Dr.  Fosdick  was  on  the  air.  So  im- 
pressed was  he  by  the  vitality  and 
earnestness  of  the  speaker's  message 
that  he  determined  at  once  to  make 
the  300-mile  trip  to  New  York  in  order 
to  counsel  with  him.  It  was  his  belief 
that  here  was  a  man  who  could  help 
him  if  anybody  could. 

After  a  hastily  arranged  two-hour 
conference  the  young  minister  emerged 
from  it,  saying,  "God,  what  a  man! 
When  I  went  in  to  see  him,  I  thought 
all  the  stars  had  fallen  out  of  my  sky. 
But  one  by  one  he  put  them  all  back 
again!"  How  many  stars  he  has  put 
back  into  other  men's  lives  through 
the  years  of  his  long  and  effective  min- 
istry, God  alone  knows. 

Harry  Emerson  Fosdick,  now  pastor 
emeritus  of  Riverside  Church,  has  al- 
ways insisted  that  this  broadcast  minis- 


try was  really  a  two-way  affair:  He  was 
always  glad  to  help  other  people;  but, 
as  he  has  carefully  explained,  many 
of  his  listeners,  by  their  kind  letters 
and  cheering  messages,  did  much  for 
him,  too.  Thus,  through  his  long  pulpit 
ministry,  his  numerous  books,  and  his 
many  years  as  a  professor  of  theology, 
nonagenarian  Dr.  Fosdick  has  achieved 
the  ambition  of  his  early  manhood  — 
to  make  a  worthwhile  spiritual  con- 
tribution to  his  own  generation. 

All  of  which  well  illustrates  the 
truth  that  one  can  never  know  just 
what  turns  in  the  road  lie  ahead,  which 
ones  are  really  important,  nor  whither 
any  of  them  may  lead.  Fortunate 
indeed  is  the  man  who,  when  the  doors 
of  opportunity  swing  open,  is  wise  and 
bold  enough  to  enter  with  both  faith  in 
himself  and  trust  in  God.    D 


FAITH  LOOKS  UP 


Sometime  I  want  to  find  how  many  instances  the 
scriptures  record  Christ's  slipping  away  into  the 
wilderness  for  needed  recuperation.  To  me  the  outdoors 
has  offered  great  spiritual  and  mental  health  since 
grade-school  days. 

In  1962  our  family  spent  three  superb  weeks  in  the 
Colorado  Rockies,  and  to  this  day  I  revel  in  memories 
of  the  picturesque  vastness  of  Denver  and  beyond.  God 
surely  expressed  strength  in  these  peaks  and  valleys. 

As  a  kid  at  Camp  Mack  for  ten  summers  I  drank  in 
the  evening  vespers  and  morning  watches  beside  Lake 
Wabee.  Our  family  hikes  and  cookouts  since  in  several 
Midwest  parks,  both  in  spring  bloom  and  fall  splendor, 
have  only  confirmed  to  me  that  the  great  outdoors  has 
much  to  offer  to  us  city  folks. 

"I  wiU  look  up  into  the  hUls  from  whence  cometh 
my  strength"  is  as  apt  today  as  in  Jesus'  time.  When 
I  have  tramped  with  our  boys  all  day,  I  return  home  ex- 
hilarated by  the  growing  things,  the  distances,  the  quiet, 
the  orderliness  of  God's  handiwork.  No  fuss,  disorder, 
hiirry,  frantic  pace. 

It  is  good  to  slip  away  from  crowds  and  classrooms 


and  let  my  mind  wander  over  both  God's  patterns  in 
the  outdoors  and  also  to  review  my  concerns  against 
this  quiet,  rural  peace.  Things  fall  into  place.  God 
seems  to  give  hunches  and  hints  on  once  knotty  ques- 
tions. 

I've  noted  in  my  history  reading  that  many  leaders 
of  note  were  "walkers"  who  retired  to  the  acres  for 
reflection  and  thought.  Jesus  indeed  knew  his  Father's 
receipe  for  renewal  of  spirit  and  body  —  long  walks, 
sometimes  lasting  days,  in  the  wilderness. 

For  me  a  quiet  faith  can  be  taught  by  the  out- 
doors, with  all  that  God  symbolized  there  and  with  all 
those  virtues  and  strengths  one  can  absorb. 


HOWARD  J.  BURNETT  lives  in  Ander- 
son, Indiana,  where  he  teaches  American 
history  at  the  local  high  school  and  at 
Indiana  University.  He  is  also  a  publicity 
assistant  for  city  schools.  A  graduate  of 
Manchester  College  and  Ball  State  and 
Indiana  universities,  he  has  been  active  for 
thirty  years  in  district  and  regional  men's 
work.   The  Burnetts  have  six  children,  two 
of  them  married,  and  like  outdoor  activ- 
ities. 


The  God 

of 
Discontent 


by 

Glenn 

R.Bucher 


xt  is  both  threatening  and  revealing  to 
discover  that  what  one  thought  was  at 
least  an  adequate  formal  education 
was,  in  fact,  quite  "disadvantaged." 
White  folk  don't  know  very  much 
about  black  culture,  unfortunately. 
Too  many  of  us  are  both  uninformed 
and,  worse  yet,  disinterested.  Names 
like  Frederick  Douglass,  Harriet  Tub- 
man, and  W.E.B.  DuBois  leave  us  cold. 
Even  the  heat  of  burning  cities  can't 
thaw  us  out. 

Frederick  Douglass  —  a  slave,  a 
fugitive  from  slavery,  a  black  abolition- 
ist, the  Lincoln-appointed  ambassador 
to  Haiti  —  was  a  black  leader  whose 
writings  demand  attention.  Too  many 
years  of  slavery  made  him  a  radical 
discontent  —  what  white  folk  today 
would  categorize  erroneously  as  "a 
black  militant."  In  reflecting  on  the 
problem  —  so-called  —  of  discontent, 
I  choose  to  begin  with  a  quotation  from 
Frederick  Douglass.  The  following 
statement  is  both  insightful  and  pro- 
phetic: 

Let  me  give  you  a  word  of  the  phi- 
losophy of  reforms.  The  whole  history 
of  the  progress  of  human  liberty  shows 
that  all  concessions  (regarding  the  ab- 
olition of  slavery) .  .  .  have  been  born 
of  earnest  struggle.  .  .  .  If  there  is  no 
struggle,  there  is  no  progress.  Those 
who  profess  to  favor  freedom,  and  yet 
depricate  agitation,  are  men  who  want 
crops  without  plowing  up  the  ground. 
They  want  rain  without  thunder  and 
lightning.   They  want  the  ocean  with- 
out the  awful  roar  of  its  many  waters. 
This  struggle  may  be  a  moral  one;  or 
it  may  be  a  physical  one;  or  it  may  be 


both  moral  and  physical;  but  it  must  be 
a  struggle.  Power  concedes  nothing 
without  a  demand. 

These  words  were  written  in  the 
nineteenth  century  by  a  slave  who 
prayed  on  his  heels,  not  on  his  knees. 
He  ran  away.  For  Douglass,  discon- 
tent, struggle,  and  lightning  were  in- 
gredients necessary  for  true  progress. 
These  words  are  also  prophetically 
contemporary.  They  sound  familiar  to 
anyone  paying  attention  to  the  numer- 
ous protests  of  these  days. 

Many  people  —  an  increasingly 
greater  number  —  are  discontented 
with  things  as  they  are,  about  business 
as  usual,  about  the  status  quo:  the 
young  blacks  over  white  intransigence 
and  tokenism  in  dealing  with  explosive 
racial  problems;  the  young  white  uni- 
versity students  over  Vietnam  (hardly 
America's  finest  hour)  and  over  ridicu- 
lous university  administrative  proce- 
dures; the  young  and  not-so-young 
Czech  citizens  over  an  unimaginative 
and  repressive  Communist  ideology; 
and  the  colonized  of  the  world  —  citi- 
zens of  the  District  of  Colombia  and 
the  African  nations  — ;  over  their  non- 
control  of  their  lives,  both  personal  and 
community.  Anyone  who  doesn't  be- 
lieve that  discontent  is  widespread  must 
be  convinced  when  even  members  of 
the  American  Medical  Association  dis- 
rupt an  annual  meeting.  When  such 
professionals  become  discontented, 
then  there  must  be  something  to  it. 

People  who  respond  negatively  to 
discontentment,  disruption,  and  strug- 
gle have  interesting  —  though  I  hardly 
think  adequate  —  explanations  for  it. 
Our  tidy,  secure  world  is  threatened, 
and  we  have  to  explain  why.  Behind 
the  discontent  of  blacks  is  obviously 
a  conspiracy,  we  say.  It  is  plotted 
either  in  Havana,  Peking,  or  in  El- 
dridge  Cleaver's  mind.  Many  are 
quick  to  assert  that  behind  the  protests 


of  white  university  students  is  either 
too  much  sex,  too  much  pot,  the  Com- 
munists, or  too  much  influence  from 
Dr.  Spock's  baby  book. 

When  things  are  in  turmoil,  when 
they  get  too  close  to  home,  then  we  are 
tempted  to  flee  to  simple,  easy  expla- 
nations. And  the  easiest  is  to  call  it  a 
conspiracy.  That's  the  easiest,  though 
in  my  view,  a  quite  inadequate  analy- 
sis of  history  and  its  causes. 

How  then  can  we  speak  about  dis- 
content? What  are  its  causes?  What 
does  it  mean?  Where  wiU  it  lead?  I  do 
not  propose  to  substitute  for  one  simple 
explanation,  another.  But  I  am  pre- 
pared to  contend  that  the  Christian 
faith  has  as  its  central  thrust  a  message 
that  relates  directly  to  discontent. 


E, 


Jarlier  I  referred  to  a  discontented 
black  man,  namely,  Frederick  Doug- 
lass. I  now  want  to  mention  the  name 
of  a  discontented  white  man,  A.  J. 
Muste.  A  pacifist,  a  Christian,  an 
agitator  in  the  struggle  for  workers' 
rights,  and  an  unceasing  critic  of  war, 
A.  J.  Muste  recently  died  after  a  full 
life  of  struggle  in  behalf  of  human 
rights  —  a  struggle  characterized  by 
discontent.  In  1905  Muste  was  gradu- 
ated from  college.  He  delivered  the 
commencement  address,  which  he  en- 
titled "The  Problem  of  Discontent." 
However  dated  some  of  Muste's  as- 
sumptions may  be,  he  said  much  about 
which  we  can  think  long  and  hard. 
Think  with  me  on  the  implications  of 
four  of  Muste's  commencement  re- 
marks. 

In  the  address,  Muste  asks:  Why 
this  eternal  restlessness?  And  he  re- 
sponds: The  deep  unrest  of  man's  soul 
is  a  divine  call  to  battle.  It  seems  to 
me  that  the  central  motif  of  the  Chris- 
tian faith  is,  in  fact,  that  true  discontent 
is  eternal  restlessness.  It  is  a  divine 


24     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


call  to  battle.  For  too  long,  we  have 
identified  the  divine  will  with  stability. 
Perhaps  it  is  more  closely  related  to 
disruption. 

God,  working  with  chaos,  creates 
new  orders.  The  nations  are  scattered 
at  Babel.  He  calls  Abraham  to  seek 
new  lands.  According  to  Jeremiah, 
God  is  tearing  down  in  order  to  build 
up.  The  Christian  Messiah  exalts  the 
lowly  and  puts  down  the  proud.  What- 
ever else  it  means,  the  death  and  resur- 
rection of  Jesus  of  Nazareth  symbolize 
destruction  and  restoration.  In  these 
events,  there  is  a  new  meaning.  God 
has  created  another  breath  of  fresh  air 
for  man. 

One  who  takes  the  gospel  seriously 
must  take  seriously  God's  history  which 
is  powerfully  disruptive.  It  produces 
discontent,  because  it  is  moving  toward 
a  goal.  God  is  acting  in  the  new  things 
and  the  storms  in  order  to  make  human 
life  more  human.  And  because  this  is 
happening,  there  is  great  discontent, 
especially  among  those  who  see  and 
feel  that  life  is  not  yet  fully  human. 
For  the  Christian,  change  must  be  seen 
as  the  inauguration  to  a  more  perfect 
stability. 

To  be  sure,  there  is  discontent,  and 
then  there  is  discontent.  About  those 
disturbed  over  trivial  matters  I  am  not 
speaking.  Nor  am  I  speaking  about 
discontented  demagogues  who  think 
that  they  are  God.  Rather,  I  am  speak- 
ing of  discontentment  which  is  founded 
upon  human  concern  for  man  and  his 
self-realization.  For  this  discontent- 
ment, the  Christian  must  blame  God. 


M 


Luste  says :  Human  unrest  is  not 
some  unrequited  pain  whose  stifled  cry 
goes  up  into  the  void  and  is  unheard 
forever.  Rather  it  is  the  vital  principle 
of  progress  planted  deep  in  the  soil  of 
our  common  humanity.  In  a  world  of 


sin  it  could  not  be  otherwise.  There 
must  be  unrest  before  there  can  be 
progress. 

The  Christian  church  has  paid  much 
attention  to  Jesus'  teaching  about  God 
and  Caesar.  To  whom  does  the  coin 
belong?  Within  the  history  of  Anabap- 
tism  this  distinction  between  secular 
powers  and  divine  will  rests  at  the  heart 
of  the  tradition.  But  if  one  quickly  re- 
views the  history  of  Christianity  and 
the  shorter  history  of  Anabaptists,  he  is 
forced  to  conclude  that  Christians  have 
continued  to  acknowledge  Caesar's 
limited  claims. 

We  have  erred  too  much,  in  my  view, 
in  identifying  God's  will  with  the  status 
quo,  with  the  givens,  with  the  prevail- 
ing institutions.  The  gospel  says  to  me 
that  God  can  be  identified  only  with 
those  institutions  and  structures  which 
serve  human  life  —  which  make  life 
human.  When  they  fail  to  do  so,  then 
God  disrupts  them  and  moves  on. 
When  disruption  begins  to  happen, 
then  redemption  is  drawing  near,  ac- 
cording to  the  writer  of  Luke.  And  the 
Christian  is  called  to  be  on  the  move 
with  God  —  to  act  specifically  where 
God  is  disrupting  old  structures  and 
creating  new  ones  that  serve  all  human 
life  more  fully. 

Turning  again  to  Muste,  we  read : 
The  world's  silent  appeal  is  for  an  act, 
not  a  philosophy .  But  not  only  will  the 
life  of  action  and  of  usefulness  furnish 
a  natural  outlet  for  man's  restlessness: 
it  will  furnish  also  the  surest  means  to 
solve  those  vexing  problems  of  morality 
and  religion  which  most  deeply  stir  the 
faith  and  calm  of  the  educated  mind. 
Character  is  built  by  action  rather  than 
by  thought.  Contemplation  does  not 
beget  virtues. 

The  Christian  gospel  includes  an  im- 
perative: to  go  and  do  likewise  — •  to 
act.  Why  act?  Not  in  order  to  bring 
Jesus  Christ  or  religion  to  persons  or 


events.  Let's  bury  that  myth  once'  and 
for  all.  Jesus  Christ  is  already  there, 
long  before  we  arrive.  He's  been  there 
for  quite  some  time.  Our  problem  is  to 
find  where  God's  action  is,  to  identify 
it  as  such,  to  proclaim  the  fact  that  he's 
there,  and  to  get  with  it.  Christ  has 
freed  us  to  act  for  man. 


We 


mere  human  life  is  being  made 
more  human  —  hardly  "sheer"  human- 
ism, as  some  would  contend  —  is 
where  God  is  acting.  And  if  we  take 
the  gospel  seriously,  we  are  compelled 
to  get  with  the  action.  In  the  Chris- 
tian's active  response,  despite  the  risks, 
he  finds  out  who  God  is,  who  he  is,  and 
what  divine  activity  is  really  like.  Our 
role  as  Christians  is  not  to  stand  by, 
watch  the  activity,  and  comment 
among  ourselves  concerning  the  mis- 
takes that  are  being  made.  The  only 
place  to  correct  such  mistakes  is  in  the 
midst  of  the  battle. 

Finally,  Muste  says :  Out  of  the  ele- 
ments of  the  daily  struggle  we  mold  at 
last  conceptions  of  justice,  parity  and 
truth  and  build  that  temple  of  morality 
which  is  the  chosen  seat  of  true  reli- 
gion. Finally,  it  is  only  through  the 
conflict  into  which  his  unrest  urges  him 
that  man  at  last  flnds  God. 

I  have  been  trying  to  say  that  the 
Christian  must  view  history  in  terms  of 
God's  action.  God's  history  in  this 
world  is  moving  toward  his  goal.  He  is 
giving  power  to  the  faint  and  strength 
to  the  weak.  This  is  divine  disruption. 
But  it  is  also  purposeful,  as  the  New 
Testament  indicates:  "Then  he  who  sat 
on  the  throne  said,  'Behold!  I  am  mak- 
ing all  things  new!'  And  he  said  to  me, 
'Write  this  down;  for  these  words  are 
trustworthy  and  true.'  'Indeed,'  he  said, 
'they  are  already  fulfilled.  For  I  am  the 
Alpha  and  the  Omega,  the  beginning 
and  the  end'  "  (Rev.  21 :5-6).    D 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     25 


Winter  Puzzle 


by  Carol  and  John  Conner 


1 

2 

3      p||4 

s 

(> 

7  'H 

8 

9 

10 

// 

DOWN 
1  Scottish  cap 

■ 

■ 

2  Girl's  name 

)2. 

)3 

14 

3  And  not 

^^H 

4  Go  downhill  on  sled 

IS 

Ik 

■■ 

17 

18 

5  Baseball  team 

Bii 

6  Upon 

20Bi 

01 

7  Skin  joining  duck's  toes 

■r 

8  Skating,  skiing,  hockey 

9  Aim 

10  The  whole  of 

XI 

23 

24 

F 

2h 

^7 

23 

11  Case  in  law 

29 

^SF 

31 

16  Front  ends  of  skis 

^^B 

^^B 

18  Remains  of  ancient  city 

32. 

■  |35 

H|34 

20  Contrary  to 

_■ 

_■ 

22  Slight 

35 

^■36 

■^ 

23  Sway 

24  Rock  containing  metal 

^^^^H 

26  Fluff 

27  Make  joyful 

38 

39 

f/po 

28  Speedy  skater 
30  Rake 

41 

42 

43 

^^^^H 

^ 

33  Where  Hollanders  ice  skate 

44 

45 

4h    ^■47 

48 

49 

50 

34  Scatter  seed 

36  Game  played  on  ice 

SI 

■ 

52 

53 

■ 

54 

37  Christmas  carol 

39  Potato  pulverizer 

40  Stretched  tight 

ss 

^^^^M  1 

M" 

H^ 

43  Reddish  brown 

^" 

.      _. 

44  ChUd 

45  Past 

46  Soft  leather 

ACROSS                                                       33  Pieces  of  money                                     48  Football  player 

1  Skier's  complexion                                 34  Pouch                                                        49  Title  of  respect 

4  Winter  grovmd  cover                             35  North  Carolina  (abbr.)                          50  Be  on  the  lookout 

8  Dispute                                                     36  Visit  often                                                53  Sloth 

12  Difficulty                                                   37  Short  letter 

13  Row  of  people                                        38  Kings'  chairs 

14  Ski  aid                                                     40  Rise  high                                                  ^^Hg|BE2     BQEB     BME 

15  Purple  bird                                              41  River  in  Peru                                           ^^HBiffl    BBBB     BBBL 
17  Cooks  near  flame                                  42  Pine  or  cedar                                          '^^^■^^^ESSn     SSS 

19  Thought                                                    44  Football  player                                       ^^^^^^HBBBBB     BBBBBBB 
21  Vessel                                                       47  If  not                                                         ^^HbBBB    BBBBB    BB 
21  Place  to  ski                                             51  S-shaped  curve                                       ^^^HBBB     BBBBB     BBB 
25  Sparkle  like  ice                                      52  Girl                                                            ^^^■SSnSSSS'nSSSS 

29  Mongrels                                                  54  Be  sharp  and  biting                               ^^■^^^BB     SbHB^^ 

30  Pours                                                         55  Conservative  person                              ^^^^■BBBBBB    BBBBBB 

31  Sixth  musical  tone                                 56  Hawk                                                        ^^^HbBBB     BBBB     BBB 

32  Unit  of  measure                                     57  Powdery                                                    "^^BBBB     BBBB     BBF 

26 

MESSEN 

GER    2- 

2-70 

'^^^^^^^H^^ 

[MMDiaiMS]®®® 


HO  [DsiS  ff/kffflooo  [w/«?@fflf 


Summer  1963 

Brethren  at  Annual  Conference  in  Champaign, 
Illinois,  said,  "THE  TIME  IS  NOW  to  heal  our 
racial  brokenness." 

Summer  1964 

We  reaffirmed  "the  purposes  of  our  action  in 
1963." 

Summer  1965 

Brethren,  in  appropriate  paragraphs,  said  that 
the  time  is  stiil  now! 

Spring  1966 

Brethren  read  and  saw  WATTS,  riots  in  our 
major  cities,  violence  .  .  .  and  made  new  re- 
solves at  Annual  Conference  —  this  time  on 
housing. 

Summer  1967 

Conference  was  queried  to  consider  $2,000  for 
the  Southern  Christian  Leadership  Conference. 

Summer  1968 

Martin  Luther  King  Jr.  had  been  killed,  and  An- 
nual Conference  delegates  named  racism  as 
part  of  "America's  Triple  Crisis,"  along  with 
war  and  poverty. 

June  1969 

While  the  Kerner  Commission  report  on  vio- 
lence suggested  that  the  right  time  really  tiad 
been  THEN,  and  noted  that 

"our  nation  is  moving  toward  two  societies, 
one  black,  one  white  —  separate  and  unequal," 


the  Brethren  at  Annual  Conference  in  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  resolved  again  — 
this  time  a  plan  of  action; 

the  FUND  FOR  THE  AMERICAS  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES  to  assist  both  the  white 
and  black  Americas  build  a  new  America 

February  22  or  March  22,  1970 

Give  or  pledge  in  the  special  offenng  tc  oe 
held  one  of  these  two  Sundays  in  your  con 
gregation  or  contribute  directly. 


FUND  FOR  THE  AMERICAS  IN  THE 
UNITED  STATES 

As  an  expression  of  my  /  our  involvement  in  this 
ministry,  the  following  commitment  to  the  Fund 
for  the  Americas  in  the  United  States  is  made: 


Total  pledged  $- 
Amount  enclosed  $_ 
Balance  $- 


monthly/bimonthly/quarterly) 


Congregation 
District    


(Please  send  this  form  with  your  gift  to  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave., 
Elgin,  111.  60120) 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     27 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


Understanding  the  Now/New  Generation 


YOUNG    PEOPLE    AND   THEIR   CULTURE,    by    Ross 
Snyder.    Abingdon,   1969.    221   pages,  $4.50 

THE    NOW   GENERATION,    by    Dennis   C.    Benson. 
John  Knox  Press,   1969.    136  pages,  $2.45 

THE    CHURCH    AND   THE    NEW   GENERATION,    by 

Charles     E.     Mowry.      Abingdon,      1969.       171 
pages,   $2.45 

THE    YOUNG    ADULT   GENERATION,    by    Allen    J. 
Moore.    Abingdon,   1969.     165  pages,  $3.75 

Anyone  can  write  about  modern  youth 
culture.  A  writer  takes  a  certain  risk  to 
express  his  thoughts  on  paper,  for  as  soon 
as  he  has,  the  situation  may  well  have 
changed.  The  above  books  are  no  ex- 
ception. They  must  be  read  with  this 
understanding. 

Ross  Snyder's  book  is  by  far  the  best 
of  this  series.  He  has  a  good  awareness 
of  the  modern  youth  culture  and  some 
of  its  implications  for  our  present  life. 
He  gives  a  sharp  definition  and  ideas  of 
youth  culture  from  the  standpoint  of 
what  is  really  happening  in  the  minds 
and  lives  of  the  youth  today.  He  uses 
these  terms  in  talking  about  the  youth 
culture:  break  out  and  celebration,  cor- 
porate humanness,  lived  moments,  inter- 
personal, lived  participation,  and  celebra- 
tion. To  illustrate  most  effectively  the 
intent  of  Snyder's  book,  here  are  his  own 
words:  "Always  in  every  civilization 
there  are  persons  who  live  out  of  values 
they  have  felt,  thought  about,  originated. 
.  .  .  They  have  some  integrity  about  their 
life-style.    They  can  be  encountered." 

Dennis  Benson's  book  is  extremely 
helpful  in  understanding  the  relationship 
of  the  modern  youth  culture  to  the  music 
scene.  He  has  a  good  understanding 
about  this  relationship  and  gives  the  read- 
er clues  to  ways  he  may  appropriate  what 
he  sees  in  youth  culture.  This  would 
make  a  good  study  for  adults  and  youth 
in  their  attempts  to  understand  the  whole 
youth  culture.  A  study  guide  by  the  same 
author  may  be  ordered  from  the  pub- 
lisher.) 

It  must  be  mentioned  that  the  book 
addresses  itself  only  to  one  segment  of 
the  youth  culture.  It  does  not  apply  to 
every  youth  and  the  reader  should  not 
attempt    to    seek    universal    application. 


Those  who  are  in  touch  with  youth  will 
know  what  the  author  is  talking  about, 
and  can  use  this  in  their  understanding. 
For  those  who  do  not  run  in  these  cir- 
cles, it  will  be  a  first  introduction  into 
this  phase  of  our  youth  culture. 

The  first  part  of  Charles  Mowry's  book 
is  a  helpful  background  of  post-high  and 
the  young  adult  generation.  It  is  a  good 
analysis  but  must  be  understood  as  being 
only  that.  For  those  of  us  who  want  to 
understand  the  young  adult,  this  book 
will  provide  good  stimulus. 

The  best  part  of  the  book,  in  my  opin- 
ion, comes  in  the  last  fifty  pages.  For 
here  he  talks  about  mission  and  the 
church's  responsibility.  He  gives  helpful 
examples  of  differing  ways  churches  have 
struggled  in  their  ministries  to  young 
adults.  He  comes  out  with  a  very  posi- 
tive note  about  the  church's  role  with 
young  adults  in  the  university  or  college 
setting.  The  book  is  also  helpful  for  per- 
sons in  communities  where  clusters  of 
young    adults   live    in    downtown    areas. 

REVIEWS  I  MOVIES 


Some  would  find  this  book  very  helpful 
and  others  would  soon  learn  that  it  may 
not  apply  to  their  situation.  But  to  pick 
it  up  and  read  it  would  help  provide  a 
perspective. 

Allen  Moore  makes  these  assumptions: 
one,  that  young  adults  in  this  generation 
are  growing  in  large  numbers  and  it  is 
imperative  that  we  understand  their  per- 
spective; and,  two,  that  the  young  adults 
who  have  grown  up  in  our  country  since 
1960  are  entirely  a  new  breed  of  person. 
It  is  because  of  these  two  facts  that  any- 
one interested  in  the  young  adult  world 
should  take  a  look  at  Moore's  book.  His 
analysis  and  work  are  tremendously  help- 
ful for  those  of  us  who  share  a  common 
concern  for  young  people.  Here  is  an 
analysis  of  the  generation  gap  that  relates 
to  issues  other  than  the  age  question.  He 
deals  with  the  larger  issue  of  what  it 
means  to  live  in  our  modern  society  and 
times.  We  must  come  to  grips  with  these 
issues,  and  Moore  helps  us  to  work  at 
this.  —  James  Tomlonson 


They  Shoot  Horses,  Don't  They? 


Movie  critic  Vincent  Canby  of  The 
New  York  Times,  speaking  in  a  symposi- 
um on  "Arts  in  the  60s,"  said  that  "one 
of  the  most  interesting  things  in  films  is 
that  in  the  fifties  and  sixties  most  of 
what  we  took  to  be  important  films  were 
very,  very  personal  films.  They  were 
getting  rather  abstract  and  esoteric  .  .  . 
films  which  are  very  much,  too  much, 
concerned  with  their  own  relationship  to 
God.  And  the  new  young  filmmakers 
are  going  back  to  the  point  of  view  of 
the  thirties." 

This  statement  took  on  flesh  and  bones 
for  me  as  I  watched  one  of  the  most 
haunting  and  harrowing  movies  I  have 
seen   in   a   long   time:    Sydney   Pollack's 


They  Shoot  Horses,  Don't  They?  Pollack 
actually  takes  us  into  the  30s,  deriving 
therefrom  not  only  a  point  of  view  but 
a  whole  life-style  in  which  the  past  is  no 
longer  prologue.  In  this  vision  the  past 
is  inextricably  bound  up  with  the  present, 
or  —  even  more  frightening  —  what  Pol- 
lack is  offering  us  is  the  past  as  epilogue. 
Horace  McCoy's  novel,  written  in 
1935,  on  which  Horses  is  based,  takes 
that  peculiar  institution  of  the  depres- 
sion, the  dance  marathon,  as  a  paradigm 
for  life.  Amazingly,  in  Pollack's  hands 
this  conceit  works.  The  dance  marathon 
encompasses  a  worldview  based  on  a 
crisis  in  belief  (personal,  economic,  and 
spiritual),   in  which   over  forty   days  of 


28     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


continuous  motion  substitutes  for  that 
conviction  in  oneself  or  in  something  ex- 
ternal which  might  result  in  constructive 
action. 

Here  is  the  Mephistophelean  master  of 
ceremonies  (Gig  Young),  the  manipulator 
of  lives,  whose  stock-in-trade  is  hypoc- 
risy. Here  are  the  spectators:  parasitical 
observers  who  wallow  in  the  bathos  of 
others'  lives  and  place  their  bets  in  order 
more  fully  to  enjoy  their  vicarious  misery. 
Here  are  the  contestants:  losers  who  are 
searching  for  that  one  last  filament  of 
hope  in  a  $750  first  prize:  a  seven-month 
pregnant  girl  and  her  hillbilly  husband  — 
oblivious  to  everything  but  their  desper- 
ate need  for  money;  an  over-age  sailor 
(Red  Buttons)  whose  blithe  spirit  has  all 
but  deserted  him;  a  would-be  Jean 
Harlow-type  actress  (Susannah  York) 
who  stumbles  over  the  edge  of  her 
crumbling  sanity. 

The  lead  couple,  though,  are  Gloria 
(Jane  Fonda)  —  cynical,  world-weary, 
who  even  so  can  react  to  betrayal.  Her 
partner,  Robert  (Michael  Sarrazin)  is  the 
innocent  (more  realistically  so  than  Peter 
Fonda's  Captain  America  in  Easy  Rider), 
whose  final  action  —  shooting  Gloria  be- 
cause she  asks  him  to  —  he  deems  an  act 
of  mercy,  because,  after  all,  "they  shoot 
horses,  don't  they?" 

It  is  this  final  scene  and  the  "flash- 
forwards"  which  Pollack  inserts  through- 
out the  film  of  Robert  in  jail  and  before 
the  judge  that  are  most  difficult  to  un- 
derstand, for  they  are  heavily  stylized, 
whereas  the  rest  of  the  movie  has  been 
intensely  realistic.  Perhaps  in  this  time 
of  belief-crisis,  death  becomes  less  real, 
and  the  promises  of  Mephistopheles  are 
more  reacjily  accepted  ("Prosperity  is 
just  around  the  corner,"  the  master  of 
ceremonies  glibly  asserts  in  1932;  the 
dance  continues,  disregarding  the  death 
that  has  occurred  outside  its  door).  And 
yet  the  shooting  itself  is  depicted  as  ter- 
ribly real  —  the  most  real  filmed  mo- 
ment of  this  kind  I  have  ever  seen, 
though,  curiously,  it  is  antiviolent.  Un- 
fortunately, Pollack  mars  the  moment  by 
his  one  superfluous  scene:  Gloria's  body 
falling  into  a  meadow  as  an  alter-image 


of  the  horse  Robert  had  seen  break  his 
leg  when  he  was  a  boy. 

A  major  part  of  Horses'  effectiveness 
is  due  to  the  work  of  Miss  Fonda  and 
Mr.  Young.  Surely,  these  are  the  best 
roles  they  have  ever  received,  and  both 
play  them  with  a  hardness,  insight,  and 
cynicism  that  have  not  been  topped  by 
any  other  actors  this  year. 

Pollack  is  not  completely  original,  and 
several  scenes  are  reminiscent  of  other 
films:  the  opening  slow-motion  footage 
of  Robert  and  the  horse  recalls  the  open- 
ing scenes  of  The  Pawnbroker;  the  loser- 
winner  theme  was  used  in  The  Hustler; 
the  gradual  degradation  of  the  couple  in 
their  symbiotic  relationship  resembles 
Joe  Buck  and  Ratso  Rizzo  in  Midnight 
Cowboy.  However,  for  most  of  the  film 
Pollack's  direction  is  clear  and  inventive; 
he  effectively  builds  the  mood  of  depres- 
sion both  within  cast  and  audience. 

To  the  extent  that  Horses  gives  us  the 
past  as  epilogue,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
important  films  of  the  early  70s.  What 
it  teaches  us  must  be  learned  if  we  are 
to  meet  some  of  the  crises  in  belief  and 
human  fulfillment  that  are  upon  us.  — 
Dave  Pomeroy 


READERS  WRITE  /  Continued 

from  page  1 
little  attention  focused  by  the  liberal  media 
on  the  coldly  deliberate  official  policy  of 
terrorism  by  the  Viet  Cong?  U.S.  war 
crimes  get  center  stage.  Dr.  Tom  Dooley, 
physician  and  humanitarian,  in  Deliver  Us 
From  Evil  describes  the  disembowelment  of 
1,000  Vietnamese  women  by  Ho  Chi  Minh. 
Pulitzer  Prize  winning  reporter  Marguerite 
Higgins  tells  of  at  least  fifty  thousand  North 
Vietnamese  peasants  annihilated  by  Ho's 
"liberators"!  And,  of  course,  there  was 
Hue.  .  .  . 

Many  of  your  readers  enjoy  and  practice 
the  right  of  dissent  from  the  government's 
policies.  The  right  of  protest  is  basic  to 
democracy  and  it  should  be  exercised.  But 
would  they  have  this  opportunity  in  Hanoi? 

We  must  not  condone  the  corruption  of 
the  Saigon  ruling  clique;  yet  even  they  per- 


mit a  relative  liberty  to  work  for  a  better 
system.    Does  Hanoi? 

Carl  Rapkins 
Toronto,  Canada 

A  SIN   TO   REBEL 

Having  attended  the  Annual  Conference 
at  Louisville,  Ky.,  in  1969,  I  was  appalled 
and  astonished  that  the  program  committee 
had  given  time  for  some  young  man  to 
burn  his  draft  card  during  services.  Accord- 
ing to  the  books  I  read  (Good  News  for 
Modern  Man.  The  Amplified  New  Testa- 
ment, and  the  King  James  Version),  it  is 
sin  for  a  Christian  to  rebel  against  the  ruhng 
government  (Rom.  13:1-5.  1  Peter  2:13-17) 
and  punishable  by  God  (Rom.  13:2).  I  hope 
these  young  men  don't  think  that  they  have 
received  the  death  sentence  when  they  get 
their  draft  cards.  There  are  many  jobs  in 
the  armed  forces  that  are  noncombatant. 
There  is  also  what  is  known  as  1-W  through 
volunteer   service. 

Vernon  J.  Metzler 
South  Bend,  Ind. 


Xhoir 

'Cy  Pulpit 
Robes 


IN   KEEPING  WITH   EASTER 

A  complete  selection  of  styles  and 
modern  fabrics.  Write  today  for 
FREE  catalog  C-18  (Choir  Robes); 
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pit Robes). 


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BRETHREN  TRAVEL— Plan  now  to  leave  New 
York  on  June  15  for  a  magnificent  three  weeks 
in  Scandinavia,  including  Lapland,  the  Land  of 
the  Midnight  Sun.  Three-week  tour  of  Western 
Europe,  including  1970  Oberammergau  Passion 
Play  in  the  Bavarian  Alps,  leaves  New  York 
July  5.  It  is  possible  to  participate  in  either 
or  both  tours.  Write  J.  Kenneth  Kreider,  Route 
3,   Elizabethtown,   Pa.    17022. 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

A  Brownsville,  Md.,  church  member, 
Florence  Kaetzel,  has  accepted  a  post 
with  the  Fahrney-Keedy  Home  as  direc- 
tor of  activities.  A  participant  in  church 
and  civic  activities,  Mrs.  Kaetzel  has 
mothered  twenty-seven  foster  children  in 
the  past  seventeen  years. 

Announcing  retirement  plans  is 
Russell  M.  Hartzler,  cited  recently  by 
the  Michigan  CROP  office  for  his  twenty- 
one  years'  service  as  director. 

A  second  member  of  the  three-man 
office  of  stewardship  enlistment  team  has 
been  named.   Donald  L.  Stern  will  come 
to  the  Elgin  staff  next  summer  from 
Mubi,  Nigeria,  where  he  is  serving  with 
the  World  Ministries  Commission. 

Two  ministers  have  taken  pastorates 
recently.   Ralph  W.  Hoffman  came  out 
of  retirement  for  the  second  time  to 
accept  a  call  from  the  Andrews  congre- 
gation in  Middle  Indiana.  .  .  .  Installed 
last  month  as  pastor  of  the  First  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  Baltimore,  Md.,  was 
John  L.  Huffaker. 

Andrew  W.  Cordier,  president  of  Co- 
lumbia University,  was  reelected  presi- 
dent of  the  Japan  International  Christian 
University  Foundation. 

Our  best  wishes  go  to  couples  who 
have  recently  observed  golden  wedding 
anniversaries:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ross  G. 
Snyder,  Woodbury,  Pa.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  W. 
Raymond  Johnson,  Mount  Sidney,  Va.; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chester  Beal,  Owl  Creek 
congregation,  Northern  Ohio  District; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Over,  Woodbury, 
Pa.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Hurt,  Alum 
Ridge,  Va.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Wingerd, 
Clarence,  Iowa;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur 
Bailey,  Roanoke,  Va.;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Fred  Hollenberg,  Lorida,  Fla. 

Other  couples  celebrating  anniversaries 
include  three  from  Lima,  Ohio:  the  Ray 
E.  Augsburgers,  fifty-three;  the  Minor 
Kiracofes,  fifty-five;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  P.  Adams,  fifty-five.  .  .  .  The  John 
R.  Corles,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.,  marked 
their  sixtieth  anniversary,  and  Mr.  and 


Mrs.  Charles  Jordan,  Flora,  Ind.,  their 
sixtieth.  .  .  .  Observing  sixty-one  years  of 
marriage  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herbert  E. 
Shaffer,  Hooversville,  Pa. 

POTPOURRI 

Sebring,  Fla.,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
youth  initiated  Operation:  Knock,  Knock 

last  summer  to  send  to  the  Elgin  offices 
$250  for  relief  work  in  Nigeria.  By 
washing  windows,  cleaning  up  construc- 
tion areas,  and  chopping  down  trees,  the 
high  schoolers  netted  $135,  to  which  they 
added  from  their  fellowship  treasury  an 
amount  to  raise  the  fund  to  $250. 

The  La  Verne,  Calif.,  church  last  De- 
cember took  more  than  casual  note  of  the 
founding  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
mission  in  India  seventy-five  years  ago. 
Thirteen  members  of  the  congregation 
have  seen  service  in  India,  and  an  addi- 
tional thirteen  India  missionaries  were 
recognized  as  former  members  of  the 
La  Verne  congregation. 

The  year  1970  has  been  proclaimed  a 
year  of  celebration  by  Middle  Indiana's 
Salamonie  congregation,  which  will 
mark  its  125th  anniversary  with  twelve 
months  of  special  observances. .  .  .  An- 
other Church  of  the  Brethren  congrega- 
tion, Peters  Creek  in  Roanoke,  Va.,  will 
also  mark  a  125th  anniversary  this  year. 

Lebanon  Church  of  the  Brethren  near 
Mount  Sidney,  Va.,  held  a  "note  burning" 
service  last  month  to  celebrate  the  retire- 


Feb.   15  First  Sunday  in  lent 

Feb.  22-27  Adult    Seminar,    Washington,    D.C., 
and   New  York 
Feb.   22  — March    1      Brotherhood   Week 

March  6  World   Day   of  Prayer 

March   8  One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing 

March    15  Passion  Sunday 

March  17-20  General   Board,  Elgin,   Illinois 

March   22  Palm   Sunday 

March   22  Camp   Fire  Girls  Sunday 

March   26  Maundy  Thursday 

March   27  Good   Friday 

March   29  Easter 

April   12  National    Christian    College    Day 


ment  a  year  early  of  the  debt  for  the  new 
worship  and  education  facilities.  .  .  . 
April  groundbreaking  ceremonies  will  in- 
augurate a  new  building  program  for  the 
Calvary  church  in  the  Shenandoah  Dis- 
trict. 

AGORA 

Another  query  for  the  book  Pleasant 
Hill,  by  Ethel  Harshbarger  Weddle, 
comes  from  Mrs.  J.  S.  Woodward,  701  N. 
Woodward  Dr.,  Wenatchee,  Wash. 
98801.  Anyone  with  an  extra  copy  of  the 
out-of-print  book  may  contact  Mrs. 
Woodward  about  terms  of  purchase. 

Inviting  news  items,  queries,  and  short 
articles  for  inclusion  in  the  spring  issue 
of  the  Newsletter  of  the  Fellowship  of 
Brethren  Genealogists  is  its  editor 
Harvey  L.  Long,  103  Willow  Rd.,  Elm- 
hurst,  111.  60126.  The  group  will  next 
meet  during  Annual  Conference  at  Lin- 
coln, Neb.  . . .  Esperanto  Friendship 
Club  of  Chicago  seeks  new  members  in- 
terested in  making  friends,  promoting 
peace,  and  enjoying  an  international  cul- 
ture. Persons  may  contact  George  J. 
Wuest,  Director,  6525  N.  Sheridan  Rd., 
Building  7,  Chicago,  111.  60626. 

THE  CAMPUS  SCENE 

More  than  200  special  guests  partici- 
pated in  the  Jan.  7,  1970,  dedication  of 
Elizabethtown  College's  $1.3  million 
Alumni  Physical  Education  Center,  in- 
cluding prominent  alumni,  leaders  of  the 
Pennsylvania  community  where  the  col- 
lege is  located,  and  area  sportswriters.  . .  . 
Two  La  Verne  College  sociology  students 
spent  the  month  of  January  in  Phoenix, 
Ariz.,  working  with  the  First  Church  of 
the  Brethren  to  expand  that  church's 
community.   Randolph  Altermatt  and 
Bruce  Gans  designed  their  own  educa- 
tional experience  as  part  of  a  newly  insti- 
tuted program  at  the  college. 

Professor  of  New  Testament  Graydon 
Snyder  and  E.  Floyd  McDowell,  director 
of  development  at  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary,  represented  their  Oak  Brook 
campus  at  a  gathering  of  personnel  from 
twelve  seminaries  hosted  Feb.  4-5  by  the 


30     MESSENGER    2-12-70 


United  Ministries  in  Higher  Education  at 
Michigan  State  University.  The  invita- 
tion came  to  Bethany  as  "one  of  the  lead- 
ing seminaries  in  America,"  according  to 
Keith  Pohl,  chaplain  director  at  Michigan 
State,  and  the  visit  marked  the  first  major 
recruitment  effort  by  Bethany  on  a  state 
university  campus.  .  .  .  Fifty  to  eighty 
college  juniors  and  seniors  are  expected 
to  participate  in  the  annual  Church  Voca- 
tional Conference  sponsored  by  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary  Feb.  27-28.  Billed 
as  a  "Festival  of  Ministry,"  the  weekend 
event  will  involve  explorations  of  the  di- 
mensions of  ministry,  the  nature  of 
theological  education,  and  the  Chicago 
area  as  a  laboratory  of  contemporary 
life.  Housing,  meals,  and  program  are 
provided  without  cost  to  conferees.  In- 
formation may  be  obtained  from  Paul  M. 
Robinson,  President,  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary,  Butterfield  and  Meyers  Roads, 
Oak  Brook,  111.  60521. 


Help... 
when 
ou  neec 
itmos: 


THE  MEDIA 

Dramatic  vignettes,  contemporary  film, 
music,  and  rhyme  characterize  NBC's 
color  special  Once  Upon  a  World,  to  be 
aired  Sunday,  March  8.  The  hour-long 
program  weaves  a  mosaic  of  society's 
changing  character  and  enduring  values. 
Produced  in  cooperation  with  the  Nation- 
al Council  of  Churches,  the  special  is  one 
of  four,  each  under  auspices  of  a  different 
faith  group.  The  other  three,  one  a  new 
folk  musical  about  God,  will  appear  on 
Feb.  1,  March  29,  and  April  12.  Viewers 
may  check  local  television  logs  to  confirm 
day  and  time. 

A  film  highlighting  slain  civil  rights 
worker  Martin  Luther  King's  life  and 
times,  originally  scheduled  for  premiere 
showings  last  month,  has  been  postponed 
until  March  24.   (See  Messenger's  re- 
port, Dec.  18,  1969.)  Entitled-KIng:  A 
Filmed  Record  .  . .  Montgomery  to 
Memphis,  the  film  will  be  shown  simul- 
taneously in  1 ,000  theaters  across  the 
country.  Procedes  from  the  evening  will 
go  to  the  Southern  Christian  Leadership 
Conference,  of  which  Dr.  King  was  the 
founder. 


Loneliness.  FEAR.  Tension.  You're  with  a  crowd 
but  alone  .  .  .  you  feel  no  fulfillment. 
You  feel  an  emptiness. 

We  are  all  like  this  at  some  time.  Something  is 
missing. 

The  Upper  Room  can  help.  This  devotional  guide 
can  bring  more  meaning  into  your  life.  Each  daily 
page  points  to  a  Bible  reading,  shares  a  medita- 
tion, and  suggests  a  prayer. 
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1908  GRAND  AVENUE,  NASHVILLE,  TENNESSEE  37203 


2-12-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


A  Dream  or  a  Nightmare? 


L 


ast  month  when  millions  of  Americans  joined  in  com- 
memorating the  anniversary  of  the  birth  of  Martin  Luther 
King  Jr.,  many  speakers  recalled  his  famous  address  during 
the  1963  March  on  Washington.  At  that  time  the  civil 
rights  leader  reiterated  the  hopes  and  aspirations  of  most 
Christians  for  their  nation  when  he  said,  "I  have  a  dream." 

He  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  America's  prom- 
ised equality  would  be  a  reality  for  every  child,  black  and 
white.  He  envisioned  a  day  when  there  would  no  longer  be 
divisions  that  separated  the  races  or  a  system  that  offered 
opportunities  to  people  of  one  color  and  denied  the  same 
opportunities  to  those  of  another  color. 

That  dream  is  still  far  from  being  realized.  Despite 
Martin  Luther  King's  consistent  devotion  to  nonviolence  in 
the  measures  he  sponsored  and  the  activities  he  led,  even 
before  his  death  there  was  evidence  that  black  militants 
were  impatient  with  his  tactics  and  were  advocating  at  least 
some  reliance  on  violence.  But  it  has  been  just  as  evident, 
especially  since  King's  martyrdom,  that  a  society  largely 
dominated  by  white  leadership  is  not  likely  to  do  much  to 
assure  justice  for  all  unless  forced  to  do  so.  So  the  dream  of 
freedom  and  equality  to  be  achieved  by  cooperation  and 
without  resorting  to  violent  conflict  seems  more  remote  now 
than  in  1963. 

For  this  reason  Rabbi  Maurice  Eisendeath,  president  of 
the  Union  of  American  Hebrew  Congregations,  last  month 
expressed  his  fear  that  Martin  Luther  King's  dream  might 
be  supplanted  by  "a  nightmare  of  an  America  whose  areas 
of  division  are  not  designated  by  nature's  majestic  moun- 
tains and  coursing  rivers,  but  by  the  inhumanity  of  man  that 
separates  white  from  black,  affluent  from  the  poor,  old  from 
the  young.  ..." 

Will  the  dream  become  a  nightmare?  Many  of  us  still 
hope  and  pray  that  the  basic  Christian  concern  for  all  of 
God's  children  —  wherever  they  live,  whatever  labels  they 
carry,  under  whatever  banners  they  march  —  will  spur  us 
on  to  new  efforts  to  provide  freedom  and  justice  for  all. 
But  we  are  threatened  by  extremist  developments  both  to 
the  left  and  the  right  of  us  (see  the  article  in  this  issue).  We 
wonder  how  it  may  be  possible  to  bring  together  those  who 
are  so  resistant  to  change  that  they  reject  even  leaders  like 
Martin  Luther  King  because  he  called  for  needed  changes, 
and  those  who  so  desperately  want  a  new  order  that  they 
will  risk  wrecking  the  present  system  in  order  to  get  it.  Be- 
tween those  who  will  not  budge  and  those  who  would  over- 


throw —  will  we  lose  our  way  and  permit  the  dream  to 
turn  into  a  nightmare? 

In  one  sense  this  was  an  important  element  in  the  issue 
with  which  delegates  struggled  at  the  Louisville  Conference 
last  June.  Faced  with  the  kind  of  militancy  that  was  then  so 
vividly  expressed  by  James  Forman  in  his  Black  Manifesto, 
delegates  debated  as  to  how  they  and  their  church  should 
respond  —  not  to  the  manifesto,  which  did  not  confront 
them  directly  —  but  to  the  situation  in  our  nation  that 
prompted  such  militant  proposals. 

Amid  some  confusion  —  itself  a  symptom  of  the  seri- 
ousness of  the  issue  —  delegates  considered  a  Resolution 
for  Action,  requested  further  study  of  some  of  the  implica- 
tions, but  also  gave  interim  instructions  to  the  General 
Board  to  "act  immediately  in  raising  and  receiving  moneys 
for  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the  United  States  and  ad- 
minister them  according  to  its  best  judgment,"  to  define 
and  broaden  the  purposes  of  the  program,  and  to  consult 
the  Brotherhood  at  large  as  to  ways  by  which  further  study 
and  action  could  be  taken. 

The  General  Board  has  taken  its  assignment  seriously. 
Districts  were  asked  to  discuss  the  issue  and  to  propose 
ways  that  churches  might  cooperate.  The  board  developed 
criteria  by  which  funds  should  be  granted  to  agencies  and 
by  which  priorities  could  be  determined. 


We 


re  commend  to  all  our  readers  the  careful  study  of  a 
new  brochure,  simply  written  and  compactly  designed, 
which  sets  forth  the  motivation  for  Conference  action  (in- 
cluding its  New  Testament  authority),  outlines  the  purposes 
of  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the  United  States,  provides 
information  as  to  board  and  district  actions  thus  far,  and 
invites  participation  on  the  part  of  every  member. 

Further,  we  urge  our  readers  to  make  a  substantial  con- 
tribution to  special  offerings  for  the  Fund  (which  must  be 
designated  for  that  purpose)  scheduled  to  be  received  either 
on  February  22,  the  beginning  of  Brotherhood  Week,  or  on 
March  22,  the  beginning  of  Holy  Week. 

This  could  be  a  significant  way  in  which  you  help  to 
realize  not  just  one  black  man's  dream  but  surely  the  dream 
of  every  Christian  for  his  nation  and  the  entire  world.  It  is 
your  dream  too.  Let's  be  careful  lest,  by  default,  we  permit 
that  dream  to  dissolve  into  a  nightmare.  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER     1-29-70 


FROM 

INFANCY 
TO 
"EEN  -AGE 


YOUR 
CHILD 
and 
YOU 


HANDBOOKS 
for  parents 


TALKING  TO  CHILDREN  ABOUT  SEX 

EDNA  LEHMAN  This  book  demonstrates  how  to  handle  sex  education  at  each  growing  age  level 
beginning  with  infancy.  Each  chapter  is  filled  with  practical  suggestions  on  what  to  tell  the  child 
and  when,  what  language  to  use,  and  appropriate  teaching  methods  for  the  group  in  the  classroom 
and  for  the  individual  child  at  home.  Throughout  the  book  sample  dialogues  indicate  what  questions 
children  are  apt  to  ask,  and  how  they  should  be  answered.  Mrs.  Lehman  stresses  that  sex  education 
should  be  placed  in  the  context  of  the  child's  attitude  toward  the  whole  of  life.  She  is  a  schoolteacher, 
wife,  and  mother  who  initiated  a  program  of  sex  education  in  the  Evanston  school  district  of  Illinois 
which  attracted  nationwide  attention,  and  was  hailed  as  a  model  upon  which  to  build  similar  programs 
throughout  the  country.  $4.95 

HELPING  CHILDREN  WITH  THE  MYSTERY  OF  DEATH 

ELIZABETH  L.  REED  Here  is  a  book  addressed  to  all  those  who  face  the  problems  of  telling  children 
about  death.  It  offers  a  practical  and  spiritual  approach  toward  a  difficult  subject.  In  discussing 
the  child's  unavoidable  encounters  with  death,  the  author  stresses  the  importance  of  honesty  in 
dealing  with  the  subject  and  of  preparing  the  child  beforehand  to  understand  the  actual  experience 
of  death.  A  substantial  amount  of  the  book  is  made  up  of  practical  resource  materials.  Poems,  short 
stories,  and  prayers  are  included  for  use  with  children,  while  adults  are  ofFered  poetry,  scripture, 
and  prose  aimed  at  helping  them  clarify  their  ideas  about  death.  Elizabeth  Reed  has  worked  with 
many  youth  groups  and  has  served  in  various  capacities  in  the  field  of  religious  education.  $3.50 

YOUR  CHILD  AND  YOU 

CAROLINE  CLARK  MYERS  and  GARRY  CLEVELAND  MYERS  The  authors  (a  noted  counseling  team  and 
founders  of  HIGHLIGHTS  FOR  CHILDREN  magazine)  say  that  the  happy  child  is  one  who  knows  there 
are  boundaries,  clearly  set  by  consistent,  loving  parents.  The  happy  child  is  one  whose  parents  have 
learned  how  to  give  abundant  praise,  when  such  praise  is  honestly  due  for  real  successes,  good 
behavior,  and  creative  achievement.  The  Myerses  spell  out  all  the  specific  applications  of  their 
principles  and  help  parents  to  see  what's  happening  to  their  child,  why  it's  happening,  and  what 
to   do   with    it.  $4.95 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Between  Left  and  Right.  Both  right-wing  extremists,  who  appeal  to  fear 
and  prejudice,  and  left-wing  extremists,  who  advocate  violent  means  of 
changing  society,  have  a  folloiving  within  the  church.  Will  such  extremism 
divide  the  church  and  diminish  its  witness?  by  Maynard  Shelly,  page  2 

The  Two-Child  Family  Movement.  Concerned  about  the  prospect  of 
overcrowding  on  the  planet  Earth,  Ben  Hansen  is  advocating  the  voluntary 
limitation  of  family  size  as  one  means  of  population  control,   page  5 

A  Dream  Can  Burn.  How  a  young  black  seminary  student  views  his  world 
is  demonstrated  in  a  series  of  original  poems,  seven  poems  by  Robert  Allen  Jr. 
and  a  commentary  by  Terry  Pettit.    page  10 

Upon  Discovering  Latin  America.  A  recently,  appointed  missionary  fam- 
ily learns  to  appreciate  the  orientation  steps  that  introduce  them  to  the 
challenge  of  living  and  serving  in  Ecuador,  by  J.  Roy  Valencourt.   page  18 

Turns  in  the  Road.  No  one  can  know  what  lies  ahead  for  him,  but  doors  of 
opportunity  do  open  wide.  A  man  needs  to  be  wise  enough  and  bold  enough 
to  enter  with  faith  in  himself  and  trust  in  God.  by  Harold  Garnet  Black, 
page  22 

The  God  of  Discontent.  If  you  view  history  in  terms  of  God's  action,  some 
current  evidences  of  struggle  and  conflict,  instead  of  being  threatening,  may 
really  be  openings  for  God's  purposeful  activity,  by  Gleim  R.  Bucher.  page  24 


Other  featubes  include  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Norman  and  Kay  Long  (page  9);  "BVS 
Branches  Out"  (page  15);  "A  Generation  Bridge,"  a  story  of  ti-aining  opportunities  at 
the  Bridgewater,  Va.,  Home  for  the  Aging  (page  20);  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Howard 
Burnett  (page  23);  "Winter  Puzzle,"  by  Carol  and  John  Connor  (page  26);  "Understand- 
ing the  Now/New  Generation,"  a  review  of  recent  books,  by  James  Tomlonson  (page  28); 
and  a  review  of  the  fibn,  "They  Shoot  Horses,  Don't  They?"  by  Dave  Pomeroy  (page  28). 


COMING  NEXT 


Most  Americans  are  well-fed.  But  there  are  some,  particularly  in  Appalachia,  who  can 
tell  us  quite  graphically  what  "Hunger  Is."  This  spokesman  is  Ernest  Walker,  an  edu- 
cational specialist  with  the  Council  of  Southern  Mountains.  .  .  .  Edward  Ziegler  has^ 
some  affirmative  things  to  say  about  the  pastoral  ministry,  reflecting  on  his  forty  years' 
experience  as  a  pa-^tor.  He  desires  no  other  vocation  —  and  would  choose  the  ministry 
again.  .  .  .  Examining  the  popularity  of  posters,  a  phenomenon  of  recent  years,  Jeanne 
Donovan  notes  how  often  they  are  useful  as  a  means  of  celebrating  important  values^ 
and  goals  in  life.    The  church  lias  not  been  indifferent  to  these  "Signs  of  the  Times."  VOL.    119    NO. 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     *^    2/26/70 


^^HIMHypi      Wmmm 


readers  write 


ON   RELIGIOUS   CAREERS 

Messnoer  of  Nov.  20,  1969,  carried  a 
news  item  about  a  joint  Protestant-Catholic- 
Jewish  effort  to  encourage  young  people  to 
consider  a  religious  career.  However,  mis- 
sion boards,  pastoral  placement  officers  of 
all  denominations,  and  college  teaching 
placement  agencies  all  claim  that  the  supply 
far  exceeds  the  demand  in  these  fields.  It 
does  not  seem  correct,  therefore,  to  encour- 
age young  people  to  enter  these  areas  of 
study. 

A.    VAN    DEN    DOEL 

Aruba,  Netherlands  Antilles 


FOLLOW  CHRIST'S   EXAMPLE 

I  feel  all  followers  of  Jesus,  whether  red, 
yellow,  black,  brown,  or  white,  should  be 
willing  to  wash  one  another's  feet,  give  the 
fellowship  kiss  with  love,  then  follow  it  with 
the  actions  for  which  these  symbols  stand. 
It  isn't  color  that  separates  but  lack  of 
Christianity,  and  we  do  not  need  to  spend 
a  lot  of  money  to  educate  us  in  this,  just 
more  Holy  Spirit. 

When  it  comes  to  helping  those  in  need, 
Christ's  way  was  always  the  direct  way.  The 
New  Testament  teaches  we  are  to  follow  his 
example.  Marches  and  protest  demonstra- 
tions, though  peaceful  in  the  planning,  quite 
often  lead  to  others  that  are  not  so  peace- 
ful, with  riots,  lootings,  and  death  or  vio- 
lence. 

As  to  Forman's  Manifesto,  according  to 
his  wording,  it  appears  to  be  a  direct  invita- 
tion to  help  finance  a  civil  war,  which  would 
be  disastrous  to  both  black  and  white,  and 
all  others.  We  should  talk  to  Christian  black 
people  as  to  how  we  can  help. 


I  notice  there  has  been  a  lot  of  contro- 
versy in  Readers  Write  concerning  the  burn- 
ing of  a  draft  card  at  Conference.  Why  do 
we  not  hear  more  criticism  about  those  who 
go  directly  into  military  service?  One  burns 
an  unfeeling  piece  of  cardboard;  the  other 
trains  for  and  does  burn  homes  and  prop- 
erty, makes  terrible  cripples  both  in  body 
and  mind,  causes  starvation  and  makes 
orphans,  destroys  moralities,  kills  people, 
causing  some  to  enter  the  judgment  pre- 
maturely. Is  it  because  we  are  used  to  war, 
and  have  closed  our  minds,  that  we  do  not 
speak  more  against  it? 

Christ  does  not  teach  that,  because  we 
are  used  to  something,  it  makes  it  less  sin- 
ful. We  need  to  be  speaking  out  against  all 
war,  not  just  the  Vietnam  War.  I  favor  the 
1-W  stand  of  giving  two  years  to  construc- 
tive work,  under  the  church.  But  I  also 
sympathize  with  those  who  will  not  take 
part  in  the  draft  system,  as  it  is  an  evil 
and  horrible  form  of  slavery.  As  the  Breth- 
ren have  always  been  against  slavery,  I  do 
not  feel  we  need  to  make  reparation  (if  it 
were  possible),  but  I  do  feel  we  should  be 
writing  our  congressmen  to  end  the   draft. 

The  church  doesn't  seem  to  say  much 
against  immodest  dress;  in  fact,  to  some  ex- 
tent, it  seems  to  embrace  it.  But  law  officers 
say  immodest  dress  may  be  at  least  partly 
to  blame  for  the  increase  in  rapings  and 
indecent  exposures.  Is  it  too  much  to  ask 
of  our  women  that  they  dress  modestly,  for 
the  good  of  others?  Some  places  women 
even  have  to  stand  persecutions  for  Christ. 

As  to  the  new  morality,  which  says  that 
in  some  instances  sex  is  all  right  outside 
of  marriage,  Christ  teaches,  "They  two  shall 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  "Bread,"  by  Kathe  Kollwitz,  courtesy  of  Three  Lions;  2-3  Ed  Eckstein; 
4,  5,  6  Edward  Wallowitch;  7  Don  Honick;  19  (left)  World  Neighbors  Photo;  (right)  from  "Crusade 
Against  Hunger,"  courtesy  of  Agricultural  Missions;  20  Susan  Hoke;  21  John  Taylor  tor  the  World 
Council  of  Churches;  22,  29  Religious  News  Service;  23  courtesy  of  Juniata  College;  25  (third  row 
center)   Bruce  E.   Bennett;    (lower  right)    Mrs.   Norman   Taylor 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17.  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  ?3.60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  ?3.00  per  year  tor  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife,  $75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    Feb.  26,  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119   No.  5 


be   one   flesh"   and  speaks  against   adultery 
and   fornication.    .   .    . 

Florence  Oliver 

Mondovi,  Wis. 


DEVELOP  SPIRITUALLY  SENSITIVE   PEOPLE 

From  the  Readers  Write  columns  one 
gathers  that  there  is  division  within  the 
ranks  of  what  we  label  as  "THE  BROTH- 
ERHOOD." It  is  my  opinion  that  this  di- 
vision results  from  minor  concerns  with 
spiritual  matters,  with  evangelism  leading  to 
the  saving  and  nourishing  of  souls,  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Bible,  and  growth  in  grace.  (Now 
I  know  that  these  are  cliches  that  for  the 
most  part  are  rejected.  However,  they  are 
rooted  in  the  printed  text  of  the  Bible,  and 
the  rejection  of  them  has  produced  and  is 
producing  division.) 

It  is  my  conviction  that  social,  economic, 
and  political  issues  should  be  left  to  individ- 
uals, acting  singly  or  in  secular  organizations 
which  these  have  created  or  will  create  for 
the  purpose.  When  the  church,  as  an  organi- 
zation, seeks  to  promote  policy  in  this  area, 
it  spearheads  division.  This  division  within 
the  organization  works  harmfully  to  its  pro- 
fessed and  committed  task. 

It  is  my  conviction  that  it  is  the  business 
of  the  church  to  work  at  developing  spiri- 
tually sensitive  people  who  will  in  turn 
address  themselves  to  working  out  pro- 
cedures and  techniques  for  people  better- 
ment. Equally  devoted  Christians  will  differ 
and  do  differ  as  to  the  best  way  of  accomp- 
lishing desired  ends.  The  Readers  Write 
columns  prove  this  point.  So  the  church 
should  not,  or  cannot,  take  a  hard-line  posi- 
tion in  such  matters.  Obviously,  when  it 
does,  it  promotes  division.  This  has  already 
happened  and  with  the  result  that  the  church 
is  not  producing  and  developing  spiritually 
sensitive    persons. 

Some  time  ago  I  listened  in  on  an  incident  1 
involving  a  young  college  girl,  who,  as  she 
stated,  "had  come  into  a  new  blessing  and 
with  it  new  freedom  through  a  cell  group." 
Especially  did  she  find  emancipation  from 
a  lot  of  handed-down  "don'ts"  through  the 
study  of  a  certain  popular  writer's  books 
with  the  cell  group.  Since  there  was  no  one 
in  the  group  with  enough  spiritual  maturity 
to  sort  out  the  sense  from  the  nonsense,  it 
was  apparent  that  the  "newfound  freedom" 
was,  in  fact,  license  to  do  what  comes 
naturally    without    restraint.     So    we    have 


Page  one... 


division  within  our  ranks  when  we  need  to 
have  unity. 

Stephen  G.  Margush 
Tyrone,  Pa. 

THE  SOCIAL  ENGINEER? 

The  article  "James  Forman  and  the 
Jubilee  Year"  (Jan.  1)  is  one  more  dreary 
example  of  the  attempt  to  make  Jesus  con- 
form to  some  pet  thesis.  "The  vision  of  the 
just  social  order  became  the  platform  of  the 
one  who  declared  the  coming  of  the  new 
age." 

The  author  cuts  bits  and  pieces  out  of  the 
scriptures,  pastes  them  on  his  picture  of 
Jesus,  and  says  in  effect,  "Behold  the  social 
engineer."  For  instance,  he  takes  out  of 
context  the  words  of  Jesus  to  the  rich  young 
ruler,  "Sell  what  you  have  and  give  to  the 
poor,"  and  treats  them  as  the  focus  of  the 
incident,  which  they  are  not. 

When  this  man  asked  what  he  must  do  to 
inherit  eternal  life,  Jesus  said,  "If  you  would 
enter  into  life,  keep  the  commandments,"  he 
cited  six  (according  to  Matthew;  five,  ac- 
cording to  Mark  and  Luke),  none  of  which 
was  the  Law  of  the  Jubilee.  Being  assured 
that  the  commandments  had  been  kept,  Jesus 
replied,  "If  you  would  be  perfect,  go,  sell 
what  you  possess  and  give  to  the  poor,  and 
you  will  have  treasure  in  heaven;  and  come, 
follow  me."  Jesus  was  not  enunciating  a 
social  doctrine;  he  was  extending  to  this 
man  a  personal  invitation  to  become  his 
disciple. 

To  follow  Jesus  means  that  I  must  allow 
this  corrupt  ego  to  be  crucified,  trusting  God 
to  raise  me  from  the  dead  a  new  man  al- 
together. What  I  need  is  not  an  old  law  but 
a  new  heart.  Only  then  can  I  love  God 
with  my  whole  being.  Only  then  can  I  love 
my  neighbor  as  myself.  Only  then  can  I 
renounce  my  false  securities  and  share  freely 
with  others  the  good  things  of  this  life, 
knowing  that  the  best  is  yet  to  come,  after 
death. 

This  "best  that  is  yet  to  come"  is  prom- 
ised only  to  those  who  trust  in  God.  When 
we  put  our  trust  in  the  money  we  hope  to 
get,  we  are  as  far  from  the  kingdom  of  God 
as  are  those  who  put  their  trust  in  the 
money  that  they  have.  The  call  to  repent- 
ance is  addressed  to  the  poor  and  to  the 
rich  alike. 

When  will  we  stop  trying  to  cure  heart 
trouble  with  superficial,  pagan  remedies? 
Christian  Bashore 
Gettysburg,  Ohio 


"This  morning  a  cereal  box  gave  me  an  idea  for  a  poster."  Wilbur  Brumbaugh's 
announcement  doesn't  surprise  us.  We're  accustomed  to  our  managing  editor's 
talent  for  discovering  ideas  in  unusual  places.  Why  not  a  cereal  box?  His 
hands  move  in  the  air,  sketching  the  idea  for  us,  and  his  eyes  snap  enthus- 
iastically as  he  talks. 

At  the  General  Offices  Wilbur  designs  the  layout  for  each  issue  of  Mes- 
senger. At  home  he  uses  his  skills  in  design  to  create  serigraphs.  "Silkscreen- 
ing  is  basically  a  stencil  process,"  explains  Wilbur,  "with  the  stencils  adhering 
to  silk  stretched  on  a  frame." 

In  the  preposter  era  his  serigraphs  ranged  from  Christmas  cards  to  note 
paper  to  placemats.  But  when  Ken  Morse,  another  Messenger  staff  member, 
wrote  a  short  poem  which  seemed  appropriate  for  the  poster  medium,  Wilbur 
accepted  the  design  challenge  —  and  hasn't  stopped  since.  That  first  poster 
appeared  on  the  cover  of  the  January  16,  1969,  issue  of  Messenger.  Since 
then,  he  has  created  others  for  the  center  fold  of  the  magazine,  for  friends, 
and  for  poster  purchasers  at  the  Louisville  Annual  Conference. 

Where  do  the  ideas  come  from?  Sometimes  from  cereal  boxes.  Wilbur 
cites  other  sources,  though:  Experimentation  with  different  techniques  on  the 
silkscreen,  for  example,  can  lead  to  a  unique  poster.  Topical  subjects  seem 
inexhaustable  —  air  pollution,  peace,  human  relations.  Contemporary  poetry 
continues  to  stimulate  new  posters.   Even  a  popular  song  can  inspire  a  poster  — 
"Thank  God  I'm  Feeling"  (see  page  15)  was  born  out  of  a  song  current  a 
few  months  ago. 

Wilbur  concurs  with  editorial  assistant  Jeanne  Donovan,  who  wrote  this 
issue's  feature  on  the  poster  phenomenon,  that  posters  "celebrate  hfe."  Jeanne 
joined  the  editorial  staff  in  April  1969,  when  she  came  to  Elgin  from  Akron, 
Ohio.  Her  poetry  has  appeared  in  issues  of  Messenger  and  Leader. 

One  current  issue  with  which  some  posters  have  dealt  is  hunger.  Ernest  H. 
Walker's  treatment  of  this  "companion  of  war  and  fact  of  history"  ■ —  and 
killing  need  in  this  country  —  comes  from  his  own  twenty  years'  experience  in 
antipoverty  efforts,  both  with  the  United  Nations  Relief  and  Rehabilitation 
Administration  and  currently  with  the  Council  of  Southern  Mountains  as  that 
group's  educational  specialist. 

Like  Ernest  Walker,  Nita  Griggs  lives  in  Berea,  Kentucky. 

"Bread,"  by  German  printmaker  and  sculptress  Kdthe  KoUwitz,  appears  on 
this  issue's  cover.  An  eloquent  spokesman  during  her  lifetime  for  the  victims 
of  social  injustice,  war,  and  inhumanity,  Mrs.  KoUwitz  died  in  1945  after  being 
forbidden  to  exhibit  because  of  her  outspoken  resistance  to  the  Adolf  Hitler 
regime. 

Four  pastors  are  numbered  among  other  contributors  in  this  issue.  Edward 
K.  Ziegler  serves  the  Bakersfield,  California,  church;  Charles  E.  Zitnkel,  the 
South  Bend  City  church  in  Northern  Indiana;  Olden  D.  Mitchell,  the  Lincoln- 
shire congregation  in  Fort  Wayne,  Indiana.  Don  and  Shirley  Fike  live  in 
Castaner,  Puerto  Rico,  where  Don  serves  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  congrega- 
tion and  Shirley  is  a  registered  nurse. 

Winsome  Mimro,  who  keys  her  guest  editorial  to  the  1970  observance  of 
World  Day  of  Prayer,  is  an  associate  editor  for  Church  Women  United. 

The  Editors 


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Hunger 
Is... 


by  Ernest 
H.walker 


May  of  1947  was  a  hot  month  in 
south-central  China.  After  a  decade 
and  a  half  of  war,  weary  people  trav- 
eled on  foot  along  the  battle-scarred 
highway  and  camped  at  the  river 
crossings,  hoping  to  find  a  way  to  get 
across. 

A  then-current  issue  of  Lije  printed 
a  full-page  picture  of  a  hillside  cov- 
ered with  skulls  at  Henyang.  It  was 
my  experience  to  be  unloaded  at  a 
river  crossing  just  ninety  miles  down- 
stream, with  one  hundred  cattle,  when 
the  Dutch  captain  of  the  landing  ship 
tank  we  were  aboard  found  that  the 
draft  was  such  that  he  would  run 


aground  if  we  went  farther.  The 
cattle  were  herded  into  a  walled-in 
area,  where  the  road  had  once  come 
down  to  the  water.  The  bales  of  hay 
and  bags  of  dairy  feed  were  stacked 
up  in  the  middle,  and  my  bags  placed 
on  top. 

All  this  was  a  curiosity  to  the 
people,  who  stood  around  day  and 
night.  Apparently  a  man  with  a  white 
face  was  unusual  to  them,  and  the 
Jersey,  Holstein,  and  long-homed 
Ayrshire  cattle  most  certainly  were. 

I  was  apprehensive,  because  there 
was  no  way  to  contact  the  convoy  of 
trucks  which  we  were  to  meet  at 


2     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


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Henyang.  It  was  a  famine  area,  my 
arm  was  infected,  and  I  was  being 
exposed  to  trachoma  and  malaria. 
The  cattle  were  exhausted  from  the 
ordeal  of  trans-Pacific  shipment,  and 
some  were  dying.  As  an  UNRRA 
official,  the  only  American  there,  I 
had  the  responsibility  of  moving  them 
through. 

As  I  looked  around,  a  small  boy 
came  up  to  me  and  held  out  his  hand. 
Though  he  spoke  Chinese,  his  plea 
was  easy  to  understand,  for  the  lan- 
guage of  want  is  universal.  His  emaci- 
ated body  with  swollen  abdomen,  his 
averted  eyes,  his  clothing,  and  his  small 


nondescript  bundle  —  all  identified 
him  as  one  of  the  numerous  waifs 
roaming  that  famished  land.  Alone  in 
the  world,  he  could  have  been  eight  or 
ten  years  old.  His  need  was  evident  as 
he  mumbled  his  plea.  This  was 
hunger. 

It  was  evident  everywhere  —  in  the 
blind  and  infected  eyes,  in  the  bald 
patches  on  the  heads  of  women,  the 
physical  weakness  of  the  men,  the 
abandoned  bodies  of  infants,  even  the 
excited  pursuit  and  capture  of  a  water 
snake  to  be  used  for  food.  This  was 
China,  1947.  This  was  a  generation 
ago,  on  the  other  side  of  the  world. 


We  know  hunger  as  the  scourge  of 
the  overpopulated  nations  of  Asia,  as 
the  companion  of  war,  and  as  a  fact 
of  history.  But  we  have  called  Amer- 
ica the  land  of  opportunity  —  and  it 
has  come  as  a  shock  to  have  that  word 
used  to  describe  the  needs  of  people 
here  in  this  country,  now  in  this 
generation. 

It  has  been  such  a  shock  that  the 
red  letters  on  the  cover  of  a  citizens' 
report  —  Hunger,  U.S.A.  —  have 
been  an  affront  to  us.  We  say  it  is  not 
so.  We  hide  our  eyes.  We  shut  our 
ears. 

We  look  for  explanations,  such  as : 


2-26-70    MESSENGER     3 


The  pictures  are  posed!  The  stories 
are  exaggerated!   Only  half-truths  are 
told!  There  is  no  hunger  in  my 
community!  If  children  are  hungry, 
only  their  parents  are  responsible! 

But  I  have  seen  hunger  in  Appa- 
lachia,  and  it  is  like  this: 

I  have  taken  hot  vegetable  soup  up 
a  mountain  hollow.  Aged  hands 
reached  eagerly  for  the  Karo  can,  and 
the  person  drank  so  rapidly  from  it 
that  I  was  frightened  that  immediate 
illness  would  result.  The  house  was 
caving  in,  the  windows  had  no  panes, 
and  the  ashes  in  the  open  fireplace 
were  cold.  That  is  hunger. 

Hunger  is  a  single  pot  of  dry  beans 
on  the  only  stove  in  a  two-room  dwell- 
ing set  on  posts  up  a  mountain  hollow. 

Hunger  is  a  quiet  pride,  helpless- 
ness, and  nonresponse,  refusing  to  beg 
when  there  is  no  food  in  the  house 
and  no  paycheck  expected. 

Hunger  is  being  told  again,  "Sorry, 


there  is  no  work,"  and  it  is  the 
gripping  fear  down  deep  when  it  is 
suggested  that  your  employment  on 
Operation  Mainstream  may  be  only 
temporary. 

Hunger  is  selling  mine  props  for  ten 
cents  apiece,  or  working  for  fifty  cents 
an  hour  in  a  neighbor's  garden. 

Hunger  is  a  mother  carrying  coal  in 
a  gunny  sack  on  her  back,  up  a  moun- 
tain road,  and  hunger  is  five  miles  to 
walk  in  the  hot  sun  in  summer,  and 
mud  in  winter,  to  the  store  and  to  the 
clinic  for  medicine  for  the  children. 

Hunger  is  no  fee  for  a  doctor  when 
a  child  has  chills  and  fever,  and  a 
funeral  for  a  little  boy  who  was  play- 
ing in  the  creek  forty-eight  hours 
before. 

Hunger  is  no  clothing  when  the  first 
cold  winds  blow  in  the  fall.  I  remem- 
ber when  the  temperature  fell  to 
eighteen  below  zero,  and  I  could  not 
sleep,  because  I  knew  of  children  who 


could  look  down  through  cracks  in  the 
floor  to  the  ground  and  out  through 
the  walls  to  trees  outside. 

Hunger  is  canning  wild  crab  apples 
in  a  washtub  over  an  open  fire,  and 
storing  the  jars  under  the  bed.  It  is 
food  spoiled  because  there  is  no  way 
to  save  it;  drinking  water  dipped  out 
of  the  ditch  beside  the  road;  and 
spending  too  much  for  soft  drinks  and 
cigarettes  at  a  local  store  to  satisfy 
taste  that  is  unmet  by  proper  nutrition. 

Hunger  is  fiery  death  in  burning 
cabins  because  the  coals  fell  out  of  the 
burnt-out  stove  at  night  or  the  kero- 
sene for  the  lamp  exploded. 

Hunger  is  emptiness  —  no  work, 
no  future,  no  place  for  a  man,  and  no 
need  of  him.  Hunger  is  submission. 

It  is  leaving  home  so  your  wife  can 
apply  for  welfare.  It  is  hating  your- 
self, getting  drunk  —  dirty,  filthy 
drunk  —  until  you  do  not  know  that 
you  are  hungry,  or  that  your  wife  is 


4     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


:%ai^i)m^ 


m^ 


■xs^^ismff^:^'. 


hungry,  or  that  your  children  are 
hungry. 

You  can  still  do  one-man  jobs. 
You  can  pack  sugar  and  commodity 
meal  over  a  mountain  path  on  your 
back,  add  your  home-grown  corn,  and 
set  up  your  own  home-fashioned 
moonshine  still.  And  you  can  earn 
hard  cash  for  the  clear  liquid  you 
make.  Some  initative  remains  in  the 
manhood  of  Appalachia! 

Hunger  is  that  debilitating  ache  — 
that  helplessness  inside  —  when  hon- 
esty of  conscience  contends  with  the 
necessity  for  falsehood  in  order  to  get 
the  things  that  support  life  —  another 
grocery  order,  another  gallon  of  gaso- 
line to  get  to  town  —  or  when  you 
stretch  the  truth  to  get  Social  Security 
payments. 

Hunger  is  the  sign  on  the  mine 
entrance  —  CLOSED  —  and  it  is  the 
new  machine  chewing  away  the  coal 
from  the  mountain.  Yet  it  is  the 


inability  ever  to  breathe  again  except 
in  gasps,  because  you  once  worked  in 
the  mines. 

Hunger  is  getting  up  at  4:30  to 
walk  down  a  frozen  creek  to  meet  a 
school  bus  to  ride  twenty  miles,  and 
finally  dropping  out.  It  is  the  inability 
to  read  and  write  after  going  to  school 
for  two  or  three  years.   Then  it  is 
being  told  you  have  to  have  an  educa- 
tion to  get  a  fob. 

Hunger  is  giving  your  welfare  check 
to  the  local  storekeeper  to  apply  on 
bills  already  made,  until  the  store- 
keeper goes  broke  because  you  and 
your  neighbors  could  not  pay. 

Hunger  is  waiting  for  long  hours  at 
the  clinic.  It  is  holes  in  your  bones 
because  of  diet  deficiency,  losing  all 
your  teeth  by  the  time  you  are  sixteen, 
thin  limbs,  sunken  eyes,  "high  blood," 
"low  blood,"  short  breath,  and  weak 
muscles. 

Hunger  is  getting  married  at  fifteen 


and  losing  the  bloom  of  youthful 
womanhood  by  twenty. 

Hunger  is  driving  day  and  night  in 
an  ancient  car  to  a  northern  city. 
Hunger  is  that  city  on  fire.  It  is  frus- 
tration, hate. 

Hunger  is  not  a  corpse  by  the  side 
of  the  road  in  Appalachia.  It  may  be 
the  man  called  "too  sorry  to  work" 
because  his  diet  for  thirty  years  has 
left  him  without  the  physical  stamina 
to  work,  or  his  experience  for  thirty 
years  only  fitted  him  for  employment 
now  obsolete. 

Hunger  in  America  is  a  deficiency 
of  society.  For  a  substantial  minority 
of  the  people,  it  is  the  lack  of  the 
opportunity  to  gain  the  necessities  for 
supporting  life  by  acceptable  means. 
You  caimot  treat  this  deficiency  by 
saying  you  do  not  have  it.   n 

Reprinted  from  Mountain  Life  and  Work 
(Aug.  1969)  by  permission  of  the  Council 
of  Southern  Mountains,  Inc.   Copyright 
©  1969. 


2-26-70    MESSENGER     5 


WiCC  f£t  Tender  PCant  Qrow  jyam': 


by  Nita  Griggs 


"But  we  don't  have  any  poverty  in  this  county!" 

I  walk  away  .  . . 

Crying  inside  at  the  ignorance. 

And  I  remember 

red,  chaffed  hands,  roughened  by  fifty  years  of  scrub 

boards,  o 

hands  that  have  never  known  luxury, 
crippled,  arthritic  hands  that  painfully  bend 
to  caress  a  curly-haired  grandchild. 

I  have  seen 

the  sagging  shoulders  bent  by  years  of  endless  toil 
which  has  netted  only  a  subsistence  living. 
I  know  the  slow,  shuffling  gait  of  a  man 
who  has  never  been  respected  as  a  MAN, 
a  lonely  shell  who  has  felt  failure  all  the  years  of  his 
life. 

I  have  listened 

for  the  child's  laughter 

but  the  silence  mocks  me  . . . 

a  child  born  from  the  womb  of  poverty 

into  hopelessness  and  quiet  despair, 

hardened  too  soon  to  life's  realities, 

a  child  without  stars  in  his  eyes. 

I  have  looked  into  old  eyes  in  young  faces, 
eyes  framed  by  sallowness, 
eyes  vacant  with  dreams  unborn, 
reflecting  a  soul  resigned. 


I  have  seen  the  poor  unite 

to  fight  for  their  poverty  program 
and  win! 

But  I  have  also  seen  needed  programs  up  for  legislation 
only  to  find  the  big  man  first 
and  the  money 
gone . . . 
war, 

weapons, 
defense. 

What  happens  to  the  tender  plant  of  hope? 
Will  it  rise  and  grow  again? 


I  have  also  seen  the  poor  come  alive  t . . 
eyes  sparkling  as  they  built  each  other's  homes. 
I  sawvne  of  these  new  homes  burn  down, 
and  in  the  depths  of  catastrophe  I  saw  the  poor 
square  their  shoulders  and  bravely  plan 
to  build  again. 

I  have  seen  shy,  sad  children  reborn  in  year-round  Head 
Start . . . 
laughing, 
creating, 
freed . . . 
to  become! 


Fire 


m 
Bones 


by  Edward 
K.Ziegler 


M> 


ly  old  friend  Jeremiah  had  a  rough 
time  in  the  ministry,  too!  He  was 
never  a  popular  preacher.  Scorned, 
hooted  at,  thrown  into  jail  and  into  a 
cesspool,  his  scroll  cut  up  and  burned 
angrily  by  a  petty  king,  called  a  traitor 
and  a  "communist,"  he  seemed  almost 
a  total  failure.  He  argued  with  God, 
cursed  the  day  he  was  born,  never 
wanted  to  be  a  preacher.  But  God 
compelled  him;  and  when  his  uncom- 
promising preaching  got  him  into 
trouble,  he  wanted  to  quit.  Yet  the 
message  God  had  given  him  was  like  a 
fire  in  his  bones,  and  he  couldn't 
quench  it.  So  he  went  on  for  forty 
years,  faithful  through  his  pain,  rage, 
and  frustration  to  the  high  calling  of 
his  prophetic  ministry. 

I  have  felt  that  kind  of  compulsion, 
too,  from  the  time  of  my  ordination, 
forty-eight  years  ago.  I  remember  the 
deep  emotion  and  the  exaltation  when 
I.  W.  Taylor  and  S.  H.  Hertzler  laid 
their  firm,  gentle  hands  on  my  head 
and  prayed  that  I  might  become  a  good 


minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  And  I  recall 
the  pride  and  thankfulness  in  my  par- 
ents' eyes.  In  the  ensuing  years  there 
have  been  times  when  I,  too,  have  been 
tempted  to  give  up  the  ministry.  But 
the  fire  has  stayed  aglow  in  my  bones; 
it's  still  burning,  and  I'm  glad  I  haven't 
quit  the  ministry! 

Some  years  ago,  I  was  invited  to 
speak  on  the  ministry  in  Bethany  Sem- 
inary chapel.  Rashly  I  took  as  my 
subject,  "Confessions  of  an  Uncracked 
Pastor."  There  had  just  been  a  flood 
of  magazine  articles,  books,  and 
speeches  bewailing  the  sad  plight  of 
ministers.  Gruesome  details  were  given 
of  the  many  ministers  driven  to  mental 
breakdowns,  macerated  and  maltreated 
and  persecuted  by  unfeeling,  crass,  and 
sub-Christian  congregations.  I  felt 
moved  to  share  with  seminarians  my 
conviction  that  the  pastorate  was  still  a 
rewarding  and  viable  ministry;  that  one 
need  not  fear  or  despair  over  the 
burdens  and  problems  of  the  ministry; 
that  the  rewards  were  far  greater  than 

2-26-70    MESSENGER     7 


FIRE  IN  MY  BONES  /  continued 


the  problems;  that,  in  short,  one  could 
have  a  rich  and  wonderful  career  in  the 
ministry  without  cracking  up. 

Since  that  time,  many  of  my  closest 
friends  and  colleagues  in  the  pastoral 
ministry  have  left  it.  Some  have  retired 
with  a  deep  sigh  of  relief  when  they 
reached  the  foreboding  age  of  sixty- 
five.  Many  others,  younger,  some  in 
the  very  prime  of  life,  have  given  up  in 
despair  or  anger  or  utter  defeat  and 
have  turned  to  other  vocations  with 
deep  resentments  and  hurts  that  will  be 
long  healing.  A  few  have  changed 
vocations  with  calm  assurance  that 
other  ministries  were  more  viable  for 
their  calling.  One  younger  pastor  put 
it  this  way  to  me,  "Our  churches  are 
unwilling  to  hear  a  prophetic  ministry; 
they  chew  up  and  spit  out  pastors!" 
Many  seminarians,  alarmed  by  the  high 
casualties  and  by  the  spate  of  speeches 
and  books  about  the  irrelevance  of 
preaching  and  the  parish,  seek  des- 
perately for  better  places  to  invest  their 
lives. 

Well,  my  head  is  bloody  but  un- 
bowed! I  have  felt  the  anger  and 
rejection  of  persons  who  don't  want  to 
hear  any  message  that  will  disturb  their 
ease  in  Zion.  I  have  been  called  a 
communist  by  those  who  cannot  see 
that  peace  and  racial  justice  are  a  part 
of  the  gospel.  A  few  youth  have  called 
me  a  square.  A  few  fundamentalists 
have  called  me  a  liberal;  and  a  few 
liberal  thinkers  have  been  amused  by 
my  biblical  conservatism  and  my 
concern  for  evangelism. 


I  have  had  a  satisfying  career  in  the 
ministry  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
I  have  been  pastor  of  large  and  small 
churches,  some  bursting  with  young 
vigor,  some  with  great  history  and 
precious  traditions.  I  have  been  a 


missionary  in  rural  India,  an  "Elgin 
bureaucrat"  as  director  of  evangelism, 
a  college  and  seminary  teacher,  and  an 
editor.  Thirteen  years  I  have  served  on 
the  General  Board  of  the  church,  and  I 
have  had  the  joyous  responsibility  of 
being  moderator  of  Annual  Conference 
and  of  several  district  conferences. 

Out  of  these  rich  and  varied  experi- 
ences in  the  ministry  and  my  concern 
for  the  continued  ministry  of  the 
church  I  love,  I  would  offer  some 
reflections  about  my  own  motivations, 
and  why  I  am  still  happy  to  be  an 
active  parish  minister,  with  the  fire 
still  aglow. 

My  ministry  is  person-centered.  The 
church  is  made  up  of  individual  per- 
sons —  men,  women,  children  of  all 
ages,  babies,  and  aged  pilgrims.  It  is 
only  as  I  come  to  know  them  well  and 
accept  them  as  persons  that  I  can  meet 
their  deep  hungers  and  needs  and 
equip  them  precisely  for  their  mission 
in  the  world.  My  preaching  and  teach- 
ing and  counseling  are  provocative  and 
creative  only  when  I  deal  with  the 
needs,  questions,  life  situations,  visions, 
and  trials  of  these  persons  and  when,  in 
response,  I  can  bring  the  vast  treasures 
of  revelation  and  faith  to  these  situa- 
tions. I  must  see  my  people  not  as  a 
mass  but  as  persons,  my  brothers  and 
sisters  for  whom  Christ  died,  of  in- 
finite potential  and  worth  in  God's 
sight.  I  must  know  them,  touch  them, 
hear  them,  love  them,  accept  them. 

The  deepest  satisfactions  in  the 
ministry  have  come  only  as  I  have 
learned  to  know  and  accept  and  love 
myself  as  a  genuinely  human  person, 
not  as  a  plaster  saint  or  a  stereotype. 
I  am  learning  to  accept  my  role  as  one 
of  the  laos,  the  people  of  God,  called 
to  be  an  equipping  minister  to  all  the 
other  ministers  in  the  congregation.  I 
am  not  called  to  be  a  Fosdick,  a  Visser 
't  Hooft,  a  C.  S.  Lewis,  a  Billy 


Graham.  God  wants  me  to  be  Ed 
Ziegler  —  pastor,  friend,  faithful 
preacher,  a  man  who  is  loved  and 
sustained  by  a  family  and  wife  whom 
he  has  come  to  love  very  deeply, 
unswerving  in  loyal  obedience  to 
Christ.  Less  than  this  I  dare  not 
accept;  more  no  one  may  require  of 
me. 

I  remember  John  R.  Mott's  saying 
that  for  a  Christian  man,  the  study  of 
his  priorities  is  a  first  priority!  Across 
the  years  I  have  found  it  very  im- 
portant to  say  no  to  all  sorts  of 
attractive  things  so  I  could  concentrate 
on  being  a  pastor  to  my  people,  taking 
time  to  visit  them,  and  to  listen  to 
them.  I  have  learned  that  it  is  of  first 
importance  that  I  prepare  adequately 
for  my  mission.  I  have  come  to  stress 
evangelism  in  the  exact  sense  of  the 
word,  because  it  is  so  often  watered 
down  or  held  in  contempt  as  a  relic  of 
a  dead  past.  But  to  share  the  good 
news  of  God's  mighty  acts  for  the 
redemption  of  all  men  winsomely, 
persuasively,  effectively  is  more  im- 
portant that  ever  before  in  history. 
These  are  first  priorities. 

I  am  a  general  practitioner,  not  a 
professional  specialist,  neither  a  psy- 
chiatrist, pulpit  orator,  admin- 
istrator, or  theological  innovator.  One 
of  the  perennial  delights  of  the  ministry 
for  me  is  the  rich  variety  of  tasks  I  am 
called  upon  to  do,  confronting  human 
life  at  a  hundred  facets,  sharing  deeply 
with  all  ages  and  kinds  of  persons, 
experiencing  the  whole  rainbow  of  life 
treasures.  I  have  found  that  a  pastor 
is  a  jack-of-all-trades,  but  he  is  master 
of  one  —  being  a  whole  human  being, 
ministering  effectively  to  other  humans 
with  every  kind  of  problem  and  joy. 

I  have  found  deep  satisfaction  and 
fufillment  in  my  ministry  as  pastor 
only  when  I  have  resolutely  kept  up 
certain  disciplines  which  I  believe  to  be 


8     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


absolute  essentials  for  any  pastor.  One 
is  a  discipline  of  prayer  and  Bible 
study.  I  have  not  achieved  the  depths 
in  prayer  which  some  ministers  have 
plumbed.  But  I  have  long  since 
learned  that  my  joy  and  effectiveness 
in  my  work  are  in  direct  proportion  to 
the  closeness  of  my  relationship  with 
God  in  these  time-honored  ways. 
These  are  the  very  bread  of  life  to  me. 


I 


he  pastor,  too,  must  keep  studying 
rigorously.  He  should,  I  think,  read 
at  least  fifty  "hard"  books  a  year  as 
long  as  he  lives.  He  may  not  neglect 
history,  drama,  fiction,  poetry,  or  the- 
ology! I  am  as  deeply  concerned,  also, 
about  the  man  who  reads  only  new 
books  —  and  the  man  who  never  reads 
anything  written  in  the  latter  half  of  the 
sixties!  Today's  pastor  must  read 
Luther  and  Fox  and  Kierkegaard  and 
Forsythe,  as  well  as  Cox  and  Pike  and 
Eller! 

I  have  found,  too,  that  a  discipline 
of  work,  begun  early  in  the  day,  a 
schedule  sternly  kept,  is  essential  to 
getting  a  pastor's  work  done.  There  is 
no  excuse  for  a  pastor's  ever  being 
considered  lazy! 

When  I  live  and  work  by  the  prin- 
ciples suggested  in  these  reflections,  I 
believe  that  I  or  any  other  minister  can 
have  a  rewarding  and  fruitful  career  in 
the  pastorate.  Joseph  Sittler  once 
said,  "The  church  is  likely  to  accept, 
support,  and  be  deepeningly  molded  by 
the  understanding  of  office  and  calling 
which  is  projected  by  the  minister's 
actual  behavior.  It  will  come  to  assess 
as  central  what  he  in  his  actual  per- 
formance demonstrates  as  his  central 
motive  and  concern." 

If  we  are  true  pastors,  sometimes 
our  people  will  break  our  hearts.  Per- 
haps only  then  can  we  begin  to  become 


good  ministers  of  the  Christ  who  went 
to  a  cross  for  his  love  for  men.  But 
our  people  will  often  and  unfailingly 
surround  us,  too,  with  love  and  good- 
ness, and  they  will  hear  and  heed  us  if 
we  are  faithful  to  our  Christ  and  to 
them.  Often  the  Christian  friends  who 
have  called  me  to  be  their  pastor  have 
said  to  me,  both  by  word  and  by  ac- 
tion, "We  will  be  praying  for  you  and 
love  you  very  much!"  And  I  have  been 
humbled  and  immeasurably  strength- 
ened by  their  love  and  trust  and 
sharing. 

Indeed  there  are  immense  burdens 
and  dangers  and  problems  in  the  pas- 
toral ministry.  I  wouldn't  stay  in  if 
there  were  not.  We  are  not  called 
always  to  success,  but  always  to  holy 
obedience  to  Christ.  We  are  not  called 
to  popularity,  but  to  faithfulness.  I 
still  agree,  however,  with  Bishop  Ger- 
ald Kennedy's  statement,  "No  profes- 
sion in  the  world  brings  so  much  satis- 
faction to  its  members  as  the  Christian 


ministry." 

There  have  been  times  when  I,  and 
I  think  most  pastors,  have  said  with 
colleague  Jeremiah: 

"You  seduced  me,  Yahweh,  and  I 
let  you;  you  seized  and  overcame  me. 
I've  become  a  daylong  joke. 

They  all  make  fun  of  me.  .  .  . 

But  if  I  say.  Til  forget  him! 

I'll  speak  no  more  in  his  name!' 

Then  it  is  in  my  heart  like  a  fire 
that  bums 
Shut  up  in  my  bones; 

And  I  struggle  to  hold  it  in, 
But  —  I  can't"  (Jer.  20:7,  9, 
The  Anchor  Bible). 

But  with  that  experience  comes  un- 
failing another  word  from  Jeremiah, 
"Be  not  afraid,  for  I  am  with  you  to 
deliver  you;  behold  I  have  put  my 
words  in  your  mouth."  And  the  words 
of  a  greater  One  than  the  prophet: 
"Fear  not,  for  I  am  with  you;  it  is  the 
Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the 
kingdom."   D 


Whom  Did  You  See? 

by  Elizabeth  H.  Emerson 

I  stood  at  the  left  hand  of  God. 

A  child,  crying,  crept  from  the  darkness. 

I  dimly  saw  that  his  eyes  were  dull, 

his  cheeks  were  pale,  and  his  body  bloated. 

I  went  my  way  but  God  called  me: 

"He  was  hungry  and  you  did  not  feed  him." 

"I  was  not  aware  of  his  hunger,"  I  answered. 

"You  did  not  see  me,"  God  said. 

I  stood  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 

A  child  smiled  in  my  face. 

He  glowed  with  the  look  of  health. 

I  listened,  for  someone  was  speaking: 

"He  was  hungry  and  you  fed  him." 

"I  don't  remember,"  I  said. 

I  heard  the  voice  of  God: 

"You  have  seen  me." 


Stand  Fast  as  Free  Men 


by  Charles 
E.  Zunkel 


/\  chaotic  revolt  threatens  almost  every 
part  of  our  world  and  nearly  every 
aspect  of  our  lives.  This  revolt  is 
taking  place  in  the  relationships 
between  nations,  among  emerging 
groups  of  underprivileged  peoples,  in 
almost  every  phase  of  student  life,  in 
the  so-called  generation  gap,  in  parent- 
child  relationships,  and  in  the  life  of 
the  church.  We  are  painfully  aware  of 
this  revolt,  and  we  need  to  face  it,  to 
understand  it,  and  to  find  guidelines  for 
our  attitudes  and  conduct  regarding  it. 

We  must  be  grateful  for  persons  who 
feel  compelled  to  protest  the  wrongs 
they  see  in  our  current  life.  When 
some  of  us  were  in  college,  for  in- 
stance, we  did  not  bother  ourselves 
with  the  problems  of  our  world  except 
to  intellectualize  them.  We  said  we 
were  preparing  ourselves  for  life  later. 

Students  today  are  much  more  real- 
istic. They  want  to  be  involved  now, 
not  later.  The  agenda  of  their  world  is 
their  agenda.  This  is  a  wholesome 
stance  but  presents  problems  for  the 
keepers  of  the  status  quo,  if  not  for  all 
of  us.  I,  for  one,  am  grateful  for  minds 
that  are  discerning,  hearts  that  em- 
pathize with  those  who  suffer  wrong, 
and  wills  that  are  committed  to  the  task 
of  seeking  to  do  something  about  it. 

Nations  want  to  be  free.  They  want 
to  be  free  from  the  domination  of  other 
nations;  free  to  live  their  own  lives,  to 
achieve  their  own  destinies;  free  from 
exploitation  by  any  other  nation  or  by 
any  industrial  giant. 

Underprivileged  people,  awakening 
to  what  other  people  of  the  earth  enjoy 
in  education,  material  comforts,  and 
freedom  from  disease,  hunger,  and 
want  feel  a  new  sense  of  dignity  as 
persons,  and  demand  these  rights  for 


themselves.  They  seek  to  throw  off  any 
yoke  of  oppression. 

Among  students,  at  every  level  of 
student  life,  is  a  revolt  against  author- 
ity. They  demand  participation  in 
decisions  affecting  their  lives.  There  is 
a  resistance  to  any  injustice,  real  or 
imagined,  in  their  institutions  of  learn- 
ing and  demands  to  discard  existing 
standards  of  conduct  and  establish  new 
ones. 

In  parent-child  relationships,  youth 
often  revolt  against  parental  authority. 
They  question  and  often  disregard 
parental  judgments,  and  they  demand 
greater  privileges. 

Within  the  church  there  is  ferment: 
pressure  for  rapid  change,  resistance 
to  the  past  or  to  tradition,  and  a  desire 
to  experiment. 

I  suggest  three  ingredients  which  I 
believe  to  be  necessary  if  we  are  to 
find  our  way  in  our  present  state  of 
affairs.  Undoubtedly  there  are  many 
more,  but  these  are  my  contribution  at 
the  present  moment  in  our  current  situ- 
ation. First  of  all,  persons  involved  in 
any  given  situation  need  to  listen  to 
one  another.   Far  too  often,  estrange- 
ment and  a  widening  gap  come  because 
we  do  not  hear  one  another's  concerns, 
feel  one  another's  problems,  under- 
stand our  situation.  So  there  needs  to 
be  both  listening  and  dialogue.  The 
current  word  dialogue  may  seem  to  be 
overworked,  but  nevertheless  it  is 
urgently  needed. 


Na 


nations  are  too  eager  to  seek  their 
own  national  interests,  at  whatever  cost 
to  other  nations  and  with  no  real  con- 
cern for  the  well-being  of  other  nations. 
How  often  we  hear  that  a  development 
in  international  relations  is  "not  to  our 
national  interest." 

Technologically  advanced  nations 
have  shown  far  too  little  concern  for 


the  well-being  of  underprivileged  peo- 
ple. True,  we  have  developed  some 
excellent  programs  of  technical  aid 
through  our  AID  and  Peace  Corps 
programs,  but  all  the  while  we  have 
concurrently  pursued  courses  that  have 
been  the  direct  opposite  of  these.  We 
have  pursued  far  more  energetically 
and  consistently  our  own  selfish  nation- 
al interests.  We  have  exploited 
these  emerging  nations  and  have  thus 
kept  them  undeveloped.  Christian  mis- 
sions at  the  opening  of  this  century 
began  teaching  underprivileged  peoples 
that  they,  too,  were  children  of  God; 
that  they,  too,  stood  tall  and  straight 
and  important  in  his  sight.  And  now 
we  are  beginning  to  reap  the  fruit  of 
this  teaching. 

Parents  often  seem  too  busy  to  listen 
to  their  children.  How  often  a  youth 
says,  "I  have  never  been  able  to  talk  to 
my  parents  about  this  problem."  Re- 
cently a  father  told  of  having  partici- 
pated in  a  course  on  the  meaning  of 
the  Christian  life.  He  related  how  he 
had  received  some  insights  about  hus- 
band-wife relationships.  Although  he 
and  his  wife  had  been  married  for  more 
than  twenty-five  years,  they  had  never 
really  talked  with  each  other  about 
their  relationships.  Now  they  sat  down 
one  evening  and  became  so  deeply 
involved  in  sharing  that  they  kept  on 
past  midnight.  Then  their  son  came 
in  and  sat  down,  and  father  and  son 
began  talking.  They  didn't  know  each 
other  and  had  really  never  talked  to- 
gether. They  talked  on  into  the  wee 
hours  of  the  morning.  The  father  was 
thrilled  with  the  new  doors  that  had 
been  opened  and  with  the  new  mean- 
ings which  had  become  evident. 

So,  then,  there  is  need,  first  of  all, 
for  listening  and  dialogue. 

Second,  I  believe  both  purpose  and 
discipline  need  to  shape  our  search  for 
freedom.  We  need  always  to  seek  free- 


10     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


dom  for  a  worthy  purpose.  Much  of 
the  chaos  we  see  today  seems  to  have 
little  worthy  purpose  in  view.  The 
desire  to  get  rid  of  what  we  now  have 
needs  to  exist  in  order  to  bring  into 
being  a  better  situation.  To  destroy 
what  now  exists  without  having  a 
charted  course  for  something  better  to 
follow  it  seems  to  me  to  be  folly.  We 
will  not  merely  drift  into  that  which  is 
better  than  we  now  have. 


If  life  is  to  have  fullness,  it  can  be 
found  only  in  a  great  commitment  to 
something  greater  than  myself,  some- 
thing worthy  of  all  that  I  am,  have,  and 
may  become.  I  believe  that  commit- 
ment finds  its  greatest  potential  in  Jesus 
Christ.  Each  of  us  must  reach  his  own 
decision  as  to  what  or  to  whom  he 
commits  his  life.  The  decision  must  be 
each  individual's  to  be  authentic.  For 
me,  it  is  Jesus  Christ. 

Having  found  the  purpose  to  which 
my  life  is  dedicated,  I  must  live  within 
the  boundaries  of  that  purpose.  A 
person  committed  to  Christ  finds  dis- 
ciplines and  guidelines  for  his  thoughts 
and  actions.  Commitment  and  dis- 
cipline are  inseparable.  Howard  Thur- 
man  once  wrote,  "One  who  is 
committed  to  God  finds  that  he  is  no 
longer  at  liberty  to  do  what  he  would 
be  free  to  do  if  he  were  not  so 
committed." 

One  of  the  major  problems  in  the 
conflicts  between  nations,  in  our 
schools,  and  in  the  generation  gap 
comes  because  of  a  lack  of  clearly 
defined  purpose  or  of  real  discipline,  or 
both.  Is  not  the  rioting  on  college  and 
university  campuses  or  in  public 
schools  self-defeating  when  wanton 
destruction  is  involved  and  when  there 
seems  to  be  no  clear  goal  in  view?  For 
instance,  the  demolishment  of  a  $1.6 
million  computer  center  at  Sir  George 


Williams  College  in  Montreal  and  the 
ruining  of  student  records  seem  pur- 
poseless, useless,  and,  in  the  end,  self- 
defeating.  When  one  reads  of  the 
rioting  on  college  or  university 
campuses,  can  he  fail  to  raise  the  ques- 
tion, "Do  not  the  actions  of  a  few 
students  often  infringe  upon  and  be- 
come a  denial  of  the  rights  of  others?" 
In  the  long  run,  is  this  not  self-defeat- 
ing? Indeed  is  not  some  of  it  of  the 
same  character  as  war,  war  which 
many  of  these  same  students  repudiate 
in  Vietnam? 

Third,  I  believe  the  method  by 
which  we  seek  freedom  needs  to  be 
consistent  with  the  goal  —  the  free- 
dom. I  believe,  therefore,  that  vio- 
lence is  self-defeating. 

In  the  movement  for  national  free- 
dom in  India,  Gandhi  was  wholly 
committed  to  nonviolent  resistance. 
He  disciplined  his  followers  to  that 
method.  There  were  periodic  out- 
breaks of  violence,  but  he  never  con- 
doned or  approved  it.  And  national 
independence  was  achieved  for  India. 

In  the  civil  rights  struggle,  Martin 
Luther  King  taught  and  demanded  of 
his  followers  nonviolent  resistance. 
He  came  to  this  point  of  view  via 
Jesus,  Gandhi,  and  Thoreau.  During 
the  bus  boycott  in  Montgomery,  Ala- 
bama, eyewitnesses  have  told  how 
they  saw  black  persons,  followers  of 
King,  struck  and  even  knocked  down. 
But  instead  of  reacting  violendy,  they 
simply  prayed  for  their  aggressors. 

When  Mrs.  Coretta  King,  in  the 
name  of  her  late  husband,  received  the 
Nehru  Award  for  International  Un- 
derstanding, she  said,  "In  a  profound 
way,  Martin  Luther  King  continues 
the  struggle  for  peace  and  under- 
standing between  men  and  nations 
more  powerfully  in  death  than  in  life. 
For  this  spirit  has  been  loosened  upon 
a  violent  and  loveless  world." 


Ten  years  before.  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
King  had  visited  India  and  talked  to 
Prime  Minister  Nehru.  Dr.  King 
traced  his  strategy  in  the  U.S.  civil 
rights  movement  to  Gandhi,  who  had 
been  assassinated  in  1948. 

A  year  ago  Major  Colasuonno  of 
the  U.S.  Air  Force  was  killed  in 
Vietnam.  He  had  been  corresponding 
for  months  with  his  children  and  their 
schoolmates  in  the  Church  of  the 
Magdalen  Catholic  School  in  Wichita, 
Kansas,  his  home  city.  At  Christmas- 
time 1968,  less  than  two  months 
before  his  death,  the  fourth-grade 
children  wrote,  asking,  "What  is 
war?"  In  his  reply  to  them  he  said, 
"War  is  the  curse  of  mankind  because 
he  will  not  listen  to  God's  will.  War  is 
the  agony  of  mankind  because  he  will 
not  love  his  neighbor.  If  man  learns 
to  love,"  the  major  concluded  in  his 
letter,  "there  would  be  no  more  wars, 
for  man  does  not  hurt  what  he  loves. 
Perhaps  your  generation  can  accom- 
plish this  — •  it  seems  that  mine  has 
failed.  Do  not  allow  adults  to  teach 
you  to  hate  —  for  no  reason  and 
against  no  man." 


Xerhaps  you  wonder  what  the  scrip- 
tural basis  is  for  all  this  I  have  been 
writing  about  freedom.  If  you  know 
your  New  Testament,  you  are  aware 
that  Paul  went  everywhere  in  the 
Mediterranean  world  of  his  day 
preaching  a  gospel  —  a  good  news  — 
about  freedom.  His  letter  to  the 
Galatians  focused  on  freedom  as  a 
central  concern.  He  assures  them  that 
they  are  no  longer  under  the  restric- 
tions of  the  Law  of  Moses  but  have 
their  freedom  in  Christ.  He  asserts 
that  in  Christ  there  is  neither  Jew  nor 
Greek,  bond  nor  free,  male  nor  fe- 
male. He  says,  "Freedom  is  what  we 
Continued  on  page  29 


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On  sustaining  life 

More  people,  more  production,  more 
waste  products:  That's  the  story  of  mod- 
ern civilization. 

It  is  a  kind  of  foreboding  story, 
however,  particularly  to  social  planners 
concerned  with  the  quality  and  the  en- 
durance of  the  environment.  For  if  they 
see  hope  in  curbing  present  deteriorating 
trends  in  the  latter  two  stages  of  the 
cycle,  through  improved  production  tech- 
nology and  better  means  of  waste  dis- 
posal, the  first  element  —  more  people 
—  remains  a  factor  of  grave  concern. 

Obstacle:  "If  there  is  anything  certain 
about  the  population  explosion,  it  is  that 
if  it  is  not  dealt  with  reasonably,  it  will 
explode:  explode  in  suffering,  explode  in 
violence,  explode  in  inhumanity,"  warned 
World  Bank  president  Robert  S.  Mc- 
Namara  last  year.  He  described  rampant 
population  growth  as  the  greatest  single 
obstacle  to  the  advancement  of  the  ma- 
jority of  underdeveloped  peoples. 

One  national  ecological  organization 
known  as  Faith/ Man/ Nature,  which 
takes  the  stance  that  the  "misuse  of  na- 
ture has  corrupted  the  quality  of  men's 
relations  with  each  other  and  threatens 
the  future  of  mankind  itself,"  has  issued 
a  plea  that  population  size  and  consump- 
tion levels  be  kept  "proportional  to  the 
carrying  capacity   of  the   environment." 

What  is  the  carrying  capacity?  How 
many  people  is  enough  for  the  planet 
earth  to  survive? 

Limit:  Some  experts  on  human  environ- 
ment see  the  allowable  limit  fast  ap- 
proaching. Others  see  it  already  over- 
taken. 

"Our  spacecraft  called  the  earth  is 
reaching  its  capacity,"  Lee  A.  DuBridge, 
President  Nixon's  science  adviser,  told  a 
national  conference  of  the  United  Na- 
tions national  commission  for  UNESCO. 
He  contended  that  the  first  great  chal- 
lenge of  our  time  is  to  arrest  the  popula- 
tion explosion  to  a  growth  rate  of  zero. 

Another  speaker  at  the  conference, 
Stanford    University    biologist    Paul    R. 


Ehrlich,  felt  that  in  the  United  States 
the  growth  rate  should  in  fact  be  "re- 
tarded" because  the  nation  could  func- 
tion best  with  a  population  of  150  mil- 
lion.   It  now  has  202  million. 

On  the  world  scene,  it  is  Professor 
Ehrlich's  view  that  in  the  battle  to  feed 
humanity  "our  side  already  has  been 
routed."  Pointing  up  that  only  10  coun- 
tries, including  the  United  States,  grow 
more  food  than  they  consume,  he  pre- 
dicted that  "full-scale  famines"  will  occur 
by   1975. 

"The  evidence  is  now  incontrovertible," 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  said  in 
December,  "that  man's  numbers  are  over- 
whelming the  thin,  life-giving  film  of 
earth,  water,  and  air  that  encircles  his 
planet.  The  unlimited  capacity  to  re- 
produce is  pressing  against  the  limited 
capacity  of  the  earth  to  sustain  life." 

Correctives:  Against  such  somber  real- 
ities, how  can  changes  in  the  population 
spiral  be  accomplished? 

Many  proposals  are  offered.  Included 
are  suggestions  of  establishing  a  federal 
population  commission,  revising  tax  laws 
so  as  to  discourage  rather  than  encourage 
large  families,  mounting  vast  education 
programs,  instituting  methods  of  mass 
contraception,  and  intensifying  research 
not  only  on  the  biological  aspects  of  re- 
production but  on  the  demographic  and 
sociocultural  facets  of  family  life. 

Admittedly,  some  of  these  are  com- 
plex and  long-range  solutions.  In  the 
meantime,  are  there  interim  steps  to  alter- 
ing what  has  been  termed  "the  geometric 
progression  of  applied  procreative  pow- 
er"? 

One  of  the  more  immediate  measures 
is  the  launching  of  family  planning  on  a 
large-scale  basis.  This  is  a  task  which 
Church  World  Service  and  related  de- 
nominations are  in  process  of  expanding. 

Scope:  In  the  last  few  years  CWS  pilot 
projects  of  planned  parenthood  have  been 
established  in  51  countries.  In  India, 
where  the  current  population  growth  rate 
is  a  million  persons  a  month  —  a  total 


annual  increase  equal  to  the  population 
of  Australia  moving  to  India  each  year, 
the  CWS  family  planning  efforts  have  as 
a  "zone  of  influence"  21  million  people. 

In  India  family  planning  is  promoted 
in  437  Christian  hospitals  and  clinics, 
including  those  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  A  bonus  and  incentive  plan  is 
set  up  for  institutions  giving  priority  to 
planned  parenthood  programs.  In  addi- 
tion, eight  mobile  training  teams,  audio- 
visuals,  seminars,  and  conferences  are 
offered.  Much  of  the  effort  is  directed  at 
motivation.  Specific  information  is  given 
in  relation  to  the  intrauterine  device, 
oral  contraceptives,  condoms,  foaming 
tablets,  and  sterilization. 

In  Port-au-Prince,  Haiti,  a  clinic 
opened  twice  weekly  assists  an  average  of 
150  to  200  women  a  month  by  inserting 
loops  or  offering  contraceptive  advice. 
A  booklet  in  Creole  and  seminars  were 
also  planned  to  disseminate  information. 

A  la  Disney:  In  Indonesia  a  newly 
produced  Walt  Disney  planned  parent- 
hood film  is  being  shown  in  congregations 
as  part  of  an  hour's  presentation  on  re- 
sponsible parenthood.  A  black  woman 
doctor  now  serves  as  medical  consultant 
to  the  country's  68  Protestant-related 
medical  institutions.  Literature  is  being 
published  for  illiterates  and  for  Christian 
and  Moslem  constituents. 

Elsewhere,  in  Burma,  Hong  Kong, 
Korea,  Nepal,  East  Pakistan,  the  Philip- 
pines, Ryukyu  Islands,  Taiwan,  Thailand, 
South  Vietnam,  Argentina,  Bolivia,  Bra- 
zil, Chile,  Colombia,  the  Dominican  Re- 
public, Guatemala,  Guyana,  the  Hon- 
duras, Mexico,  Paraguay,  Peru,  Uruguay, 
Algeria,  Angola,  Camerouns,  the  Congo, 
Ethiopia,  Ghana,  Malagasy  Republic, 
Malawi,  Morocco,  Nigeria,  Niger, 
Rhodesia,  Tanzania,  Uganda,  Arabia, 
Iran,  Jordan,  Oman,  Poland,  Portugal, 
Yemen,  and  Yugoslavia,  the  CWS 
Planned  Parenthood  Program  has  been 
introduced  or  is  in  wide-scale  operation. 

Supplies:  Just  as  the  listing  of  coun- 
tries is  extensive,  so  too  is  the  inventory 
of     resources     supplied.      Material     aid 


18     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


items  shipped  in  the  past  year  include 
125,000  loops  and  13,000  inserters  to  43 
countries,  and  1,400,000  cycles  pills  and 
82,000  EMKO  foam  units  to  all  11 
countries.  The  CWS  effort  is  directed 
especially  to  pilot  projects  in  countries 
not  already  serviced  by  units  of  large 
family    planning    organizations. 

The  central  point  for  collecting  and 
shipping  donated  supplies  is  the  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  Brethren  Service  Center. 
The  volume  of  materials  for  family 
planning  handled  through  New  Windsor 
is  enlarging  steadily. 

A  heavy  contributor  of  supplies  for 
the  CWS  effort  is  the  AID  War  on 
Hunger  Population  Office  of  the  federal 
government.  For  purposes  of  a  buffer 
between  the  government  donations  and 
church  programs,  the  materials  are 
channeled  through  the  Pathfinder  Fund 
in  Boston,  then  shipped  through  the 
New  Windsor  warehouse.  Both  AID  and 
CWS  prefer  the  arrangement,  which  en- 
hances   separation   and   flexibility. 

Denominations     in     turn     are     urged 


through  missionary  personnel,  medical 
institutions,  and  national  staffs  overseas 
to  give  increasing  emphasis  to  family 
planning  activity.  To  spur  such  involve- 
ment, the  NCCC's  Division  of  Overseas 
Ministries  and  especially  the  CWS  ad- 
junct have  been  ramrodding  plans  for  a 
Conference  on  Religious  Responsibility 
and  the  Population  Problem,  to  be  con- 
vened June  1-5  in  New  York  City. 

Dilemma:  The  churches,  like  other 
agencies,  are  seeing  the  almost  inescap- 
able necessity  of  coming  to  terms  with 
the  population  spiral.  The  dilemma  for 
many  social  organizations,  whatever  their 
prime  objective,  was  expressed  by  the 
executive  director  of  the  United  Nations 
Children's  Fund,  Henry  R.  Labouisse, 
who  acknowledged  that  his  group's  pur- 
pose was  not  the  formulation  of  family 
planning  policies.  But  noting  that  "the 
first  and  main  victims  of  the  population 
explosion  are  children,"  he  said  the 
matter  of  too  rapid  and  unplanned  popu- 
lation growth  must  be  dealt  with. 

For  CWS  planners  and  many  mission- 


aries and  service  workers,  the  perspective 
for  engaging  in  planned  parenthood  pro- 
grams is  not  seen  as  on  the  periphery 
of  the  church's  task.  A  CW  statement 
describes  it   as   integral: 

"The  love  of  God  in  Jesus  Christ  re- 
veals supreme  concern  for  the  individual. 
Christian,  responsible  parenthood  is  a 
basic  expression  of  God's  love  for  each 
person." 

A  further  rationale  and  appeal  for 
support  was  expressed  in  the  National 
Council  of  Churches'  resolution  on  popu- 
lation in  December.   The  statement  read: 

"Before  the  world  reaches  a  point 
where  the  quality  of  life  progressively 
deteriorates,  imaginative  and  vigorous 
action  on  a  grand  scale  is  needed  to 
avoid  this  danger  and  to  create  a  whole- 
some environment  in  which  personal 
dignity  can  come  to  mark  the  life  of 
human  beings." 

If  in  one  sense  such  endeavor  is  seen 
as  limiting  the  human  potential,  it  is  in  a 
broader  sense  making  possible  its  fulfill- 
ment. 


Brethren  doctors  counsel  on  family  planning.    At  left,  John  Homing,    in   Ecuador;    at    right,    Leonard    Blickenstaff,    in    India 

2-26-70    MESSENGER     19 


Eirene  —  a  word  meaning  peace  —  is 
the  code  name  for  a  program  in  Europe, 
the  Middle  East,  and  Africa  which  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  was  instrumental 
in  launching.  More  formally  the  effort  is 
termed  International  Christian  Service 
for  Peace.  Enlisted  also  as  sponsors  are 
the  Mennonites,  the  International  Fellow- 
ship of  Reconciliation,  and  several  volun- 
tary agencies  of  Europe. 

One  of  the  principal  focal  points  of 
Eirene  activity  has  been  Morocco,  where 
international  teams  of  workers  have  been 
engaged  in  various  projects  from  Earache 
in  the  far  north  to  Agadir  in  the  deep 
south.  Presently  there  are  three  Brethren 
volunteers  on  assignment  in  Morocco. 
One  who  returned  from  there  recently, 
Susan  Hoke,  reports  on  work  at  the  edge 
of  Agadir. 

Agadir  is  a  beautiful,  contrastingly  mod- 
ern city.  Tucked  snugly  between  the  At- 
lantic coastline  and  the  High  Atlas  foot- 
hills, it  lacks  little  in  the  line  of  natural 
beauty.  The  sea  and  the  "Kasbah"  (a 
towering  hill  on  which  much  of  the  city 
stood  before  the  earthquake  disaster  of 
1960)  are  its  lasting  frameworks  and 
give  it  not  only  the  sadness  which  comes 
of  remembering,  but  also  strength  and 
endurance,  the  hope  for  the  future. 

Seen  at  night  from  the  Kasbah,  this 
rebuilt  city  could  easily  be  mistaken  for 
someone's  lost  paradise.  The  only  sound 
is  that  of  breaking  waves;  the  air  comes 
salty  off  the  sea;  and  the  only  light  is 
that  of  the  moon,  the  stars,  and  distant 
street  lights.  The  mood  engendered  is 
complete  tranquillity. 

But   with   sunrise   comes  reality,   and 


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BVSer  Susan  Hoke  learns  Arabic  from  family  in  Chiem 


you  are  face-to-face  with  poverty  and  the 
problems  of  people  living  in  this  perplex- 
ing paradise. 

Since  August  1968  I  have  been  a  mem- 
ber of  an  Eirene  team  whose  primary 
concern  is  to  tackle  the  problems  of  some 
slum  dwellers.  The  Chiem  (which  means 
tents)  nestles  in  a  valley  on  the  outskirts 
of  Agadir.  The  people  are  friendly  and 
generous,  and  their  life  is  much  as  I 
imagine  that  of  a  village  in  Bible  times 
to  have  been. 

Strong  tradition:  Muslim  by  faith, 
their  lives  are  controlled  by  traditions 
stronger  than  they  are.  The  passiveness 
with  which  they  accept  their  poverty  is, 
for  me,  almost  incomprehensible.  It  is 
not  that  they  do  not  wish  to  be  less  poor 
or  that  they  are  poor  because  they  are 
lazy.  It  is  just  that  they  accept  what  they 
conceive  to  be  their  destiny. 

Our  work  in  the  Chiem  has  two  sides. 


The  first  was  "first  aid"  for  the  poverty- 
stricken  people.  Distributions  were  be- 
gun —  medicine  (until  the  clinic  took 
over),  cheese,  milk  for  the  babies,  chick 
peas  to  make  a  cereal  packed  with  pro- 
tein, clothes  for  babies  and  school  chil- 
dren, and  anything  else  the  families 
seemed  to  need  urgently. 

Knitting  and  sewing  classes  began  for 
women  and  girls.  Instruction  and  dem- 
onstrations were  given  in  nutrition,  baby 
care,  and  hygiene.  And  because  some 
families  live  in  two  small  mudbrick 
rooms  with  seven  or  eight  youngsters, 
birth  control  became  an  important  issue. 

Scholarships  and  sponsorships  for 
school  children  were  fought  for.  The 
people  began  to  depend  on  Eirene  vol- 
unteers for  more  than  knitting  wool  and 
milk.  A  volunteer  became  more  than  a 
friend.  And  yet,  after  nine  years  of 
Eirene 's  work,  the  people  stay  poor.  The 


Perplexing  paradise: 

Tlie  view  from  the  Kasbali 


20     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


education  the  team  began  in  the  Chiem 
has  reached  a  plateau. 

And  so  the  work  must  change.  Al- 
ready it  is  changing.  This  is  the  second 
side  of  what  Eirene  is  doing. 

Greatest  need:  We  must  try,  by  en- 
gaging the  residents  in  knitting,  sewing, 
and  handicraft  skills,  to  organize  a  co- 
operative —  something  that  can  build 
itself  up,  become  self-sufficient,  and  pro- 
vide an  income  for  the  people  of  the 
Chiem.  Their  greatest  need  is  for  an 
income  that  will  enable  them  to  buy  what 
they  need. 

So  we  now  aim  to  teach  them  to  be 
independent.  We  could  stay  in  Agadir 
for  another  100  years  giving  out  milk 
and  cheese,  but  the  people  would  still 
be  poor.    They  can  escape  this  poverty 


Above,  a  vol- 
unteer from 
Germany  in- 
structs Chiem 
residents  to 
knit  and  sew 


At  Larache,  a 
volunteer  of- 
fers carpentry 
to  boys  at  a 
government 
reeducation 
center 


pit  only  when  they  recognize  their  own 
capabilities  and  work  to  develop  them- 
selves. 

It  is  difficult  to  explain  this  to  "my" 
families.  I  rarely  give  them  anything  ex- 
cept the  regular  milk  and  cheese.  They 
often  ask  me  why.  I  reply  I  do  not  have 
anything  else.  I  try  to  persuade  them 
to  save  some  of  the  little  money  they 
have  to  encourage  them  to  buy  things  for 
themselves. 

Also,  I  talk  about  the  future  when  per- 
haps there  will  be  no  volunteers  roaming 
the  hills  with  cheese  and  milk,  and  tell 
them  we  must  work  together  to  find  other 
ways  —  jobs  —  so  that  they  can  have  the 
milk  and  cheese  they  need.  They  nod 
their  heads  in  agreement  and  dutifully 
say,  "Wahaa,"  but  often  I  feel  that  all 


they  have  understood  is  that  they  did 
not  get  what  they  were  pleading  for.  A 
life  of  independence  is  beyond  their 
imagination. 

Markets  sought:  To  make  the  idea  of 
a  cooperative  a  reality,  we  are  now  can- 
vassing "our"  families  as  well  as  other 
families  in  the  Chiem.  We  watch  for 
those  who  have  particular  skills  and  try 
to  categorize  handicrafts.  We  look  for 
markets  and  for  people  who  wish  to  help. 
Efforts  are  being  made  to  integrate  our 
work  with  that  of  different  organizations 
already  involved  in  distribution. 

The  people  must  stop  looking  toward 
us  for  their  material  needs.  We  have 
been  trying  to  stimulate  the  local  govern- 
ment authorities  to  take  more  interest  in 
the  Chiem  and  its  problems  and  to  lend 
more  aid  themselves. 

Changes  must  be  made  gradually  be- 
cause it  will  be  difficult  for  families  who 
have  been  benefiting  from  and  depending 
on  the  nazrani  in  the  white  barrack.  But 
if  we  do  not  begin  now,  it  will  never 
happen.  And  the  longer  we  continue  with 
the  old  methods,  the  more  dependent 
they  will  become  and  the  longer  they  will 
simmer  in  their  destitution. 

What  would  make  Agadir  a  little  less 
of  a  perplexing  paradise?  I  think  the 
answer  is  the  day  when  the  word  nazrani 
in  the  Chiem  can  mean  "European 
friend"  and  not  a  passport  to  dependency. 


2-26-70    MESSENGER     21 


'^ 


Up  from  the  ruins 

"We  are  living  on  the  ruins  of  the  old 
world,  both  morally  and  politically.  No 
one  single  element  and  norm  of  our  civi- 
lization can  possibly  be  taken  for 
granted." 

This  stark  assessment  of  Western  civi- 
lization vt'as  advanced  a  quarter  century 
ago  by  a  theologian  who  at  the  time  was 
a  refugee  from  his  native  Czechoslovakia. 
His  name  was  Josef  L.  Hromadka,  then 
a  professor  at  Princeton  Theological 
Seminary.  After  World  War  II  he  moved 
back  into  the  orbit  of  eastern  European 
life  and  in  the  ensuing  years  became  one 
of  the  world's  most  controversial  Protes- 
tant leaders. 

Bridge:  Specifically  what  Dr.  Hromad- 
ka undertook,  until  his  death  in  Prague  a 
few  weeks  ago,  was  to  bridge  the  chasms 
between  the  Christian  and  the  atheist, 
between  the  materialist  and  the  existen- 
tialist, between  East  and  West,  between 
technological  nations  and  the  Third 
World.  For  this  labor  he  was  held  sus- 
pect by  many  Christians  and  communists 
alike. 

A  minister  of  the  Evangelical  Church 
of  the  Czech  Brethren  and  distinguished 
as  a  professor  of  systematic  theology.  Dr. 
Hromadka  gained  international  fame 
through  the  founding  of  the  Christian 
Peace  Conference,  of  which  he  served 
as  president  from  1961  until  shortly  be- 
fore his  death.  He  sought  to  make  the 
conference  an  instrument  of  dialogue, 
taking  the  premise  that  for  the  Christian, 
discussion  with  men  of  other  faiths  or 
ideologies  is  an  urgent  duty. 

Not  everyone  shared  Dr.  Hromadka's 
passion  for  discourse  between  Christians 
and  nonbelievers.  A  point  at  which  the 
Christian  Peace  Conference  was  vulner- 
able, in  the  eyes  of  critics,  was  Dr. 
Hromadka's  insistence  that  the  militant 
atheists  in  Marxist  societies  were  to  be 
looked  upon  not  as  enemies  but  as 
friends,  as  representatives  of  a  new  and 
better  society.  He  believed  rigid  anticom- 
munism  could  lead  only  to  world  catas- 
trophe. 

Rejection:    It    was   on    the   decadence 


of  traditional  Western  civilization  that 
Dr.  Hromadka  addressed  his  book  Doom 
and  Resurrection,  published  near  the 
close  of  World  War  II.  In  calling  for  a 
reappraisal  of  values  and  structures,  he 
rejected  both  liberalism  and  conserva- 
tism, liberalism  for  its  shallow  view  of 
the  human  crisis  and  conservatism  for 
its  allegiance  to  old  structures  which  had 
lost  their  moral  power.  It  was  his  con- 
tention that  out  of  the  consequences  of 
the  war,  consequences  which  he  declared 
spoke  the  judgment  of  God,  out  of  the 
broken  pieces  of  cultural  tradition,  out 
of  the  spiritual  exhaustion  of  the  times, 
out  of  the  revolution  which  already  had 
occurred,  the  future  could  be  built  only 
if  the  world  were  faced  with  realism. 

The  strength  for  building  the  new 
world,  for  spurning  despair  and  illusion 
and  accepting  reality,  he  found  in  the 
resurrected  Christ,  the  sovereign  Lord. 
He  was  entrenched  in  biblical  revelation, 
in  the  history  of  faith,  and  the  tradition 
of  the  church,  but  in  a  way  that  was  in- 
ventive and  freeing  rather  than  formal 
and  binding.  His  stubborn  hope  as  a 
peacemaker  issued  out  of  the  gospel. 

Equality:  Specifically,  perhaps  more 
than  any  other  Western  churchman,  Josef 
Hromadka  sought  to  break  out  of  the 
prison  of  doctrinaire  theology  and  meet 
nonbelievers  on  an  equal  footing.  He 
saw  need  and  room  for  Christian-Marxist 
exploration  on  such  points  as  the  nature 
of  man,  transcendence,  alienation,  and 
revolution.  He  detested  religious  pride 
and  scored  the  West  for  its  claim  to  be 
the  defender  of  the  Christian  world. 

While  detractors  behind  the  Iron  Cur- 
tain charged  that  he  was  a  dupe  of  capi- 
talists, and  those  in  the  West  decried  his 
defense  of  socialism,  those  world  church- 
men closest  to  Hromadka  felt  his  political 
allegiance  extended  well  beyond  any  one 
ideology.  "Above  all  else  he  was  a  man 
under  the  Word  of  God,"  Eugene  Carson 
Blake  eulogized  at  the  funeral  service 
conducted  last  month.  "The  reason  non- 
Christians  can  never  quite  understand  a 
Josef  Hromadka  is  that  they  cannot  be- 
lieve that  he  really  was  committed  to  the 
just  rule  of  God  which  makes  any  com- 


I 


V 


Hromadka:  Out  of  the  ruins  and  out  of 
the  faith  he  began  building  a  new  world 

pletely  political  commitment  to  any 
earthly  kingdom  an  idolatry  to  be  re- 
jected." 

It  was  precisely  Hromadka's  under- 
standing of  the  gospel  and  his  desire  to 
see  the  Word  of  God  remain  the  Word 
of  God  that  was  so  appealing  to  church 
leaders  from  the  Third  World,  observed 
Japanese  churchman  Akira  Satake.  But, 
added  Mr.  Satake,  to  separate  Hromad- 
ka's theology  from  his  activity  in  the 
secular  world  would  be  an  error,  for  the 
two   were   integrally   aligned. 

Shame:  It  was  this  inseparability  of 
word  and  act  which  led  the  Czech  pro- 
fessor to  speak  only  as  a  Christian  such 
as  he  would  have  dared  to  speak  in  1968 
within  his  native  land.  This  was  the  land 
where  even  before  World  War  II  he  sup- 
ported Thomas  Masaryk  in  the  building 
of  a  democratic  republic.  It  was  from 
this  land  that  he  fled  during  the  Nazi 
domination  of  World  War  II.  It  was  in 
this  land  where  in  recent  years  he  con- 
tributed in  untold  measure  to  the  attain- 
ment of  greater  freedom  for  the  churches 
and  release  and  amnesty  for  imprisoned 
church  leaders. 

But  it  was  in  this  land  also  where  in 
August  of  1968  the  entry  of  tanks  from 
Russia  and  satellite  countries  halted  the 
liberation  process  Hromadka  had  helped 
inspire.  And  it  was  then  that  the  Chris- 
tian theologian,  the  one-time  recipient  of 


22     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


the  Lenin  Peace  Prize  and  the  pioneer 
in  East-West  rapprochement  within  the 
churches,  wrote  the  Russian  ambassador, 
in  part: 

"I  experience  the  most  profound  feel- 
ing of  disappointment,  regret  and  shame. 
.  .  .  The  Soviet  government  could  not 
have  committed  a  more  tragic  error.  .  .  . 
Only  a  speedy  withdrawal  of  the  occupy- 
ing forces  can  at  least  partially  diminish 
our  common  disaster." 

That  letter,  indeed  the  Russian  inva- 
sion itself,  evoked  tensions  and  froze  re- 
lations within  the  Christian  Peace  Con- 
ference. This  past  November,  in  protest 
to  the  attitude  of  the  representatives  of 
the  Warsaw  Pact  bloc  churchmen, 
among  them  Metropolitan  Nikodim  of 
the  Russian  Orthodox  Church,  Dr. 
Hromadka  resigned  as  the  CPC  leader, 
only  weeks  before  his  death  at  age  80. 

Future:  Now  with  the  void  in  leader- 
ship and  deep  polarization  within  the 
ranks,  the  Christian  Peace  Conference 
stands  on  shaky  grounds.  Should  the 
movement  be  done  in,  then  such  en- 
counters as  the  Church  of  the  Brethren- 
Russian  Orthodox  exchanges  and  other 
ventures  in  dialogue  and  reconciliation 
among  Christians  across  the  Iron  Curtain 
may  take  on  still  increasing  significance. 

Whatever  course  lies  ahead,  Josef 
Hromadka's  Christian  Peace  Conference 
over  the  past  dozen  years  is  to  be  credited 
for  opening  relations  between  the  West- 
ern Christians  and  the  Christians  of 
Eastern  Europe,  for  facilitating  serious 
study  of  the  problems  of  church  and 
society  for  Christians  in  many  lands,  and 
for  bringing  face-to-face  both  Western 
and  Eastern  Christians  with  Christians  of 
the  Third  World. 

In  the  small  company  of  North  Amer- 
icans who  have  engaged  in  these  soul- 
searching  encounters  of  the  CPC  through 
the  sixties  have  been  W.  Harold  Row, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  representative; 
Kurtis  F.  Naylor,  Brethren  and  Nation- 
al Council  of  Churches  liaison;  and  Alan 
Geyer,    Christian    Century    editor. 

Dr.  Geyer,  in  acknowledging  the 
"risks"  that  came  in  association  with  the 
CPC  especially  in  the  early  stages,   as- 


serted that  for  the  sake  of  communication 
and  fellowship  such  initiative  was  "an 
inescapable  imperative"  in  the  causes  of 
ecumenism  and  human  coexistence.  "The 
issues  grappled  with  by  the  CPC,  often 
in  the  most  frustrating  and  difficult  cir- 
cumstances, are  the  great  central  issues 
of  the  human  predicament  in  our  times. 
There  have  been  numerous  occasions 
when  the  ethical  and  political  viewpoints 
of  western  participants  have  clashed  with 
those  of  Czechs  and  other  eastern  Chris- 
tians. But  such  confrontations  have  al- 
most always  resulted  in  a  deeper  grasp 
of  what  it  means  to  become  reconciled 
to  one's  brother." 

To  undergo  that  struggle,  to  face  the 
harshest  realities  in  the  context  of  faith, 
is  what  Josef  Hromadka  saw  Christianity 
demanding.  He  looked  at  the  ruins  and 
he  looked  at  the  faith  and  he  began 
building  a  new  world. 

If  he  has  left  not  an  actual  structure, 
he  has  given  at  least  a  style  and  climate 
to  future  pursuants  of  peace.  —  h.e.r. 

Return  to  Germany 

After  world  war  II  he  left  Europe  for 
America,  entering  as  a  displaced  person 
aided  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
This  summer,  accompanied  by  his  family, 
he  will  return  to  Europe  as  resident  di- 
rector of  the  Brethren  Colleges  Abroad 
program  at  Marburg,  Germany,  for  two 
years. 

That  is  only  part  of  the  story  of 
George  T.  Dolnikowski.  It  is  a  story 
that  began  with  study  at  Moscow's  In- 
stitute of  Foreign  Languages  in  his  native 
Russia,  involved  World  War  II  service 
in  the  Russian  army  as  a  German  in- 
terpreter, and  entailed  being  wounded 
and  captured  by  the  German  army  and 
placed  in  a  prisoner-of-war  camp. 

Upon  coming  to  the  United  States,  Mr. 
Dolnikowski  was  unable  to  read  or  write 
English.  He  entered  Juniata  College  as  a 
part-time  student,  working  as  a  janitor 
to  cover  expenses.  Fellow .  students  and 
professors  tutored  him  in  English. 

Within  four  years  he  earned  a  B.A. 
in  history  from  Juniata  and  a  master's 


degree  in  Germanic  literature  from  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania.  The  latter 
was  received  with  distinction.  He  has 
gone  on  to  complete  residence  require- 
ment for  a  Ph.D.  at  Harvard  University. 

In  1954  he  joined  the  faculty  of  Juni- 
ata College,  from  where  he  will  be  on 
leave  for  the  Marburg  assignment.  He 
currently  holds  the  title  of  associate  pro- 
fessor of  Russian. 

In  1958  he  married  the  former  Joanne 
Phillips  of  Alexandria,  Pa.  They  have  a 
son  Gregory,  1 1 . 

A  member  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Mr.  Dolnikowski  was  an  interpreter 
for  the  initial  visit  of  Russian  Orthodox 
Churchmen  to  the  United  States  in  1963. 

Having  made  a  life  career  of  language 
study  and  instruction.  Professor  Dolni- 
kowski will  feel  much  at  home  in  work- 
ing at  Philipps-University,  Marburg/ 
Lahn,  in  the  bilingual  program  with  some 
30  college  juniors. 

His  situation  in  Germany,  however, 
will  be  starkly  different  from  the  circum- 
stances of  an  earlier  stay  there. 


Assigned  to  two  years  in  Marburg:  Jun- 
iata's   George    Dolnikowski    and    family 


2-26-70    MESSENGER     23 


news 


Crest  Manor  church.  South  Bend,  Ind. 


Parishes  and  space 

An  ongoing  need  in  congregational  life 
is  the  creation  and  renovation  of  space 
for  worship,  fellowship,  and  service. 
Among  local  parishes  which  have  dedi- 
cated  new   facilities    are   the    following: 

Crest  Manor  church,  South  Bend,  Ind. 
Formerly  First  church,  the  congrega- 
tion's new  plant  in  the  southeast  part  of 
the  city  was  constructed  seven  years  ago. 
This  past  fall  the  sanctuary  and  addition- 
al classrooms  were  completed,  at  a  cost 
of  $45,000.   Charles  E.  Zunkel  is  pastor. 

Ankeny  church,  Iowa.  The  former 
Des  Moines  Valley  congregation  relo- 
cated in  1968  and  erected  a  $128,000 
plant.  The  diamond  shape  building  fea- 
tures six  arches  forming  a  hexagon  on 
the  interior.  The  altar  displays  a  large 
stone  dragged  in  from  the  field  and  cut. 
David  K.  Hykes  is  pastor. 

Osceola  church,  Indiana.  Since  relo- 
cating to  a  30-acre  site  in  1963,  the  con- 
gregation has  erected  a  new  parsonage 
and  a  new  church  plant,  the  latter  dedi- 
cated in  November.  The  wooded  section 
of  the  acreage  is  being  developed  for  ed- 
ucational and  recreational  use.  Charles 
Stouder  Jr.  is  pastor. 

Loon  Creek  church,  Huntington,  Ind. 
A  $75,000  development  program  in  1968 
provided  an  educational  unit  and  re- 
modeling of  the  80-year-old  sanctuary. 
A  $45,000  educational  unit  had  been 
erected  ten  years  earlier.  Because  of 
proximity  to  a  large  new  reservoir,  the 


congregation  is  seeking  ways  of  serving 
weekend  campers  as  well  as  the  commu- 
nity.   Arden  K.  Ball  is  pastor. 

Yellow  Creek  church,  Goshen,  Ind. 
The  113-year-old  congregation  in  No- 
vember dedicated  new  and  enlarged  fa- 
cilities, completed  at  a  cost  of  $100,000. 
Included  were  an  educational  wing,  new 
entrance,  remodeled  sanctuary,  and  brick 
veneer.  A  new  parsonage  was  built  next 
to  the  church  in  1964.  Wilmer  A.  Petry 
is  pastor. 

Bethany  church.  New  Paris,  Ind.  Be- 
side the  "Big  House,"  as  the  large  104- 
year-old  frame  church  along  U.S.  Route 
6  was  long  referred  to,  the  Bethany  con- 
gregation erected  a  brick  sanctuary  in 
contemporary  styling.  The  $90,000  proj- 
ect, completed  in  1968,  also  included 
seven  smaller  rooms.  James  C.  McKin- 
nell  is  pastor. 

Hanover  church,  Pennsylvania.  Three 
edifices  united  as  one,  representative  of 
the  Trinity,  is  the  architectural  expres- 
sion of  the  Hanover  church.  The  com- 
plex comprises  the  432-seat  sanctuary, 
the  two-story  Christian  education  build- 
ing, and  the  fellowship  hall,  all  enclosing 
an  open  court  and  an  upUfted  cross  held 
by  laminated  beams.  The  units  are  elec- 
trically heated.  The  cost  was  approxi- 
mately $285,000.  Dedicated  in  Novem- 
ber, the  church  is  described  by  Pastor 
Roger  L.  Forry  as  having  "no  back  or 
front;  it  faces  out  to  all  sides  and  facets 
of  life  —  residences,  schools,  farms,  and 
factories  —  where  minds  and  hands  are 


occupied  in  the  daily  world." 

Fostoria  church,  Ohio.  New  facilities 
on  the  congregation's  11 -acre  site  in 
southeast  Fostoria  were  dedicated  last 
June.  The  cost,  including  land,  totaled 
$160,000.  Among  features  of  the  build- 
ing are  a  sanctuary  for  164  persons  and 
a  unique  "community  room"  with  kitch- 
enette. Last  year  the  Tiffin  congregation 
voted  to  merge  with  the  Fostoria  church. 
Bruce  E.  Bennett  is  pastor. 

Faith  church,  Batavia,  111.  A  merger 
in  1966  between  two  yoked  parishes. 
Faith  Evangelical  United  Brethren 
Church  and  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
led  to  the  sale  of  the  EUB  facilities  and 
additions  to  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
The  new  stnicture  includes  a  sanctuary 
and  nine  classrooms;  the  old  frame 
building  is  now  a  fellowship  hall  and 
youth  center.  New  jjews  were  installed 
this  month.    Terry  Hatfield  is  pastor. 

Nettle  Creek  church,  Hagerstown, 
Ind.  Beside  the  old  Nettle  Creek  church 
structure,  now  used  largely  for  educa- 
tional purposes,  stands  a  new  sanctuary. 
The  $134,000  facility,  dedicated  in 
1968,  seats  260  persons.  Ralph  W.  Wag- 
oner is  pastor. 

North  Winona  church,  Warsaw,  Ind. 
A  new  sanctuary  added  in  front  of  the 
facility  which  has  served  for  nearly  100 
years  was  dedicated  in  October.  Cost, 
not  including  furnishings,  was  $120,000. 
The  church  site  has  enlarged  to  six  acres. 
Lester  A.  Young  has  been  pastor  for  23 
years. 


24     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


Ankeny  church,  Iowa 


Osceola  church,  Indiana 


Loon  Creek  church,  Huntington,  Ind. 


Yellow  Creek  church,  Goshen.  Ind. 


Bethany  church.  New  Paris,  Ind. 


Hanover  church,  Pennsylvania 

Nettle  Creek  church.  Hagerstown,  Ind. 


Fostoria  church.  Ohio  Faith  church,  Batavia,  III. 

North  Winona  church,  Warsaw,  Ind. 


# 


day  by  day 


Visitors  in  Castaner  Valley  remark  about  the  apparently  re- 
laxed pace  in  contrast  to  the  States.  However,  those  of  us  who 
live  here  wonder;  a  closer  look  would  reveal  that  family  togeth- 
erness, for  instance,  doesn't  "just  happen"  here  either.  Nor  do 
family  devotions.  With  a  regular  schedule  almost  nonexistent, 
we  have  had  to  take  advantage  of  unscheduled  moments.  And 
when  worship  happens  anytime,  anywhere,  it  teaches  that  our 
relationship  with  God  is  constant  and  that  there  is  no  such 
thing  as  separation  between  "spiritual"  and  "secular"  life. 

We  feel  that  prayer  is  God  and  man  in  communion,  and 
this  takes  place  in  different  ways.  We  have  nothing  against 
formal  worship  but  feel  it  should  never  replace  the  moving  of 
the  Spirit.  Often  we  use  the  traditional  prayer  and  Bible  study 
approach  in  our  home,  but  we  try  to  limber  up  whenever  a 
sense  of  "oughtness"  surrounds  it.  Prayer,  a  great  privilege,  so 
often  becomes  a  duty  —  especially  mealtime  prayers.  There- 
fore several  different  practices  have  developed. 

Now  that  the  children  are  older  we  often  sing  parts  or 
rounds.  "For  health  and  strength  and  daily  food,  we  give  thee 
thanks,  oh  Lord"  is  a  favorite.  We  sing  it  two  or  three  times. 
Each  family  member  can  take  a  turn,  adding  different  verses. 
Mom  might  sing,  "For  Wanda,  Doug,  and  Wendy  too,"  and 
then  all  chime  in  on  "We  give  thee  thanks,  oh  Lord."  A  child 
might  sing,  "For  fun  and  noise  and  exercise,"  and  then  the 
rest  join  in.    Each  can  add  a  line  if  the  toast  isn't  getting  cold. 

We  think  it  important  to  sing  thank  you  as  praise  songs  — 
full  of  life  and  rhythm.  We  sing  with  our  eyes  open.  Holding 
hands  around  the  table  has  become  a  custom.  Sometimes,  if 
we're  feeling  high,  we  raise  our  clasped  hands  as  we  sing  —  if 
there  is  freedom,  new  ideas  will  pop  up  every  now  and  then 
and  subside  as  something  else  takes  their  place.  Most  of  the 
spontaneity  is  from  our  three-year-old,  who  hasn't  yet  learned 
what  is  "proper  and  religious." 

"Allelu,  Allelu,  Allelu,  Alleluiah,  Praise  Ye  the  Lord" 
has  many  possibilities.  After  that  line  is  sung  twice,  the  leader 
can  fill  in  the  last  half  of  the  song  with  something  like  "God 
grew  our  beans";  family:  "Alleluiah";  leader:  "Doug  pulled 
the  weeds";  family:  "Alleluiah";  leader:  "Mom  cooked  the 
beans";  family:  "Alleluiah,  praise  ye  the  Lord."  It  isn't  difficult 
to  discuss  during  the  meal  how  good  God  is. 

Sometimes  the  grace  is  each  person's  stating  what  he  is 
thankful  for,  with  no  pretense  when  a  bad  mood  strikes.  Even 
the  glum  one  must  contribute,  as  it  is  a  good  way  to  teach 
that,  no  matter  how  tough  things  seem,  there  really  is  always 
something  for  which  to  be  thankful.  The  attitude  of  gratitude 
is  so  essential  for  wholeness  that  it  is  worth  cultivating.  For 
instance,  if  there  is  tension  in  the  air,  a  sour  voice  may  say 
he  is  thankful  things  aren't  always  so  bad.  A  child  may  say 
he  is  glad  we  don't  have  liver  very  often.    A  sister  might  even 

26     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


say  she  is  glad  she  has  only  one  brother.   This  sort  of  honesty   i 
usually  brings  forth  a  burst  of  laughter  that  helps  clear  the  air    3 
so  that  when  the  threefold  amen  is  sung  everyone  actually  feels    ] 
like  singing.    Even  if  all  but  one  sing  (joyfully  and  lively,  that 
is)   it  does  something  to  the  atmosphere,   and  Sourpuss  may 
cheer  up.    In  this  culture  it  would  be  called  "raising  the  vibra- 
tions."   The   topic  of  conversation   could   very  easily  be  the 
reasons  that  Jesus  talked  so  much  about  attitudes  and  emotions. 

Our  smallest's  favorite  prayer  occurs  when  one  person  starts 
like  a  cheer  leader,  announcing,  "God  is  great,"  and  around 
the  circle  it  goes,  with  each  one  stating  what  God  is,  and  then 
all  together,  like  a  cheering  squad,  "Y-e-a-h  God"  —  or 
"Praise  God,"  if  a  visitor  is  present  who  would  be  offended  by 
the  terminology.  There  is  no  need  to  assume  children  do  not 
know  God  well  enough  to  do  this.  They  are  usually  ahead  of 
adults.  If  not,  it  is  a  good  way  to  teach.  Some  of  the  attributes 
of  God  that  have  come  out  around  our  table  are  "God  is  love, 
truth,  beauty,  harmony,  vastness,  bounty,  peace,  power,  light." 
If  someone  draws  a  blank,  he  can  simply  proclaim,  "God  is."    ' 

All  this  naturally  leads  into  a  discussion  of  why  some  think 
God  isn't.  It  seems  better  to  us  if  it  is  done  so  naturally  that 
no  one  realizes  he  is  experiencing  "rehgious  education."  Who 
wants  to  be  educated  anyway?  But  everyone  wants  to  live  and 
stretch  and  grow.  Children  sense  whether  parents  are  doing 
their  religious  duty  or  whether  what  is  happening  is  a  natural 
outcome  of  a  parent's  faith.  Perhaps  the  former  produces  the 
rebellion  personified  in  a  volunteer  who  let  us  know  in  no 
uncertain  terms  that  she  didn't  believe  in  prayer  and  "that 
stuff."  After  a  prayer  that  was  different  from  what  she'd 
expected,  she  said,  with  tear-filled  eyes,  "Maybe  I  do  believe  in 
prayer,  after  all."  —  Don  and  Shirley  Fike 


DAILY   READING  GUIDE  March    1-14 

Sunday     Exodus   3:10-15.     God   is! 

Monday  1  John  4:7-12.  God's  basic  nature  is  love  (the  perfect  unity  of 
all   his   attributes). 

Tuesday  Galatians  5:22-25.  God  is  Spirit;  "fruits  of  the  Spirit"  are  at- 
tributes  of  God. 

Wednesday    John    10:10;    John    15:4-5.     God    is    life. 

Thursday    I    John    1:5-7;   John   8:12;   John    1:1-9.     God    is    light. 

Friday  Isaiah  9:5-6;  Luke  2:13-14;  John  14:27;  Numbers  6:22-27.  God  is 
peace. 

Saturday    Ephesians    1:16-23;    6:10;    3:20-21.     God    is    power. 

Sunday  Isaiah  66:l-2a;  Psalm  139:1-18;  Job  9:2-12;  2  Chronicles  6:14-18. 
God's    creation    is    vast. 

Monday  Psalms  50:9-15;  John  10:10;  2  Corinthians  9:9-11.  God  provides 
in  abundance. 

Tuesday  Ecclesiasfes  3:10-11;  Psalm  133;  Isaiah  65:17-25.  God's  creation 
supports    beauty    and    harmony. 

Wednesday    1    Corinthians    13:4-8a.     Love    is    patient    and    kind. 

Thursday    Philippians    4:8-9.     Give    attention    to    goodness    and    gentleness. 

Friday    Exodus    34:6;    Hebrews    11:8-11;    10:19-25.     Practice    faithfulness. 

Saturday  John  8:31-36;  2  Corinthians  3:12-18.    Truth  is  the  way  to  freedom. 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


Renewal  and  Mission 


THE  DIALOGUE  GAP,  by  Thomas  J.  Mullen. 
Abingdon,     1969.      126    pages,    $1.75 

THE  LAST  YEARS  OF  THE  CHURCH,  by  David 
Poling.      Doubleday,    1969.      153    pages,    $4.95 

THE   GATHERING   STORM   IN   THE   CHURCHES,   by 

Jeffrey     K.     Hadden.      Doubleday,     1969.      257 
pages,   $5.95 

THE  CHURCH  IS  NOT  EXPENDABLE,  by  Gaylord 
B.  Noyce.  Westminster,  1969.  128  pages, 
$3.95 

THE  RECONCILING  COMMUNITY,  by  Orlando  I. 
Tibbetts.    Judson  Press,  1969.    128  pages,  $2.50 

"Of  the  writing  of  books  on  church 
renewal,  there  seems  to  be  no  end.  .  .  . 
They  range  from  reluctant  pessimism 
about  the  local  church  to  passionate  op- 
timism about  its  future."  So  states 
Thomas  J.  Mullen  in  The  Dialogue  Gap, 
a  small  handbook  for  personal  and  group 
study  —  a  book  this  reviewer  would  very 
highly  recommend. 

Feeling  strongly  that  "the  church  of 
Jesus  Christ  cannot  afford  the  internal 
division  which  now  exists,  especially  at 
the  local  level,"  the  author  shares  his 
experiences  and  insights  to  enable  groups 
and  churches  to  bridge  the  dialogue  gap 
by  mutual  understanding,  forbearance, 
and  action.  He  is  convinced  there  is  a 
"new  breed  of  Christians  abroad  in  the 
land"  and  that,  even  though  they  do  not 
represent  the  majority  of  church  mem- 
bers, they  do  "represent  a  significant  and 
a  growing  number  of  persons  who  have 
taken  religion  out  of  the  cloister  and  into 
the  street."  The  tragedy,  as  Mullen  sees 
it,  is  that  the  new  breed  and  the  regular 
traditional  members  have  both  "been 
turning  each  other  off  and  tuning  each 
other  out"  and  that  it  now  is  imperative 
that  each  group  learn  to  "listen  with  its 
hearing  aid  turned  up"  to  discern  what 
God  is  saying  in  our  time. 

The  former  editor  of  Christian  Herald 
and  now  president  of  the  Christian  Her- 
ald Association,  David  Poling  gives  as  a 
subtitle  "A  Compassionate  Critique"  of 
the  church.  The  "critique"  is  very  evi- 
dent throughout  the  book,  pointed  and 
relevant;  but  it  is  not  always  as  obvious 
as  the  compassionate  spirit  in  which  he 
seeks  to  share  his  criticism. 

After  a  first  chapter  on  "The  Church 


and  Change,"  Poling  focuses  sharply  on 
the  future  of  the  church.  "Remodel  or 
Rebuild  or  Remove?"  he  asks  in  a  chap- 
ter title.  "There  are  many  who  are  so 
angry  with  the  church  because  they  love 
it  so  deeply.  .  .  .  It's  underachievement 
that  is  killing  the  church.  Tiny  faith, 
dwarfed  hope,  and  diluted  love  are  all 
there  and  this  is  a  sickening  diet  of  what 
the  church  might  be  —  and  should  be!" 

Dr.  Poling  feels  strongly  that  the  fer- 
ment within  the  church  is  a  result  of  the 
failure  of  the  church  to  take  a  strong 
Christian  stand  on  the  pressing  social  is- 
sues of  the  day,  a  failure  to  live  and  share 
the  love  of  God  for  all  peoples  as  re- 
vealed in  Jesus  Christ. 

His  concise  way  of  stating  the  issue 
may  be  discerned  from  a  few  brief  state- 
ments: "The  churches  have  nothing  to 
say  because  they  are  panting  under  the 
loads  and  burdens  of  housekeeping  proj- 
ests";  "The  Christian  really  has  allegiance 
to  God's  whole  world,  and  at  pain  of 
persecution  and  abandonment  by  nation- 
alists and  tunnel-vision  patriots,  must 
speak  the  work  of  reconciliation  and 
peace";  "Our  society  is  going  through 
torment  in  the  streets,  violence  in  the 
ghettos,  demonstrations  in  the  univer- 
sities, and  picketing  in  the  plazas  because 
people  want  change.  Basically  it  is  a 
search  for  more  love,  more  justice,  more 
humanity,  and  more  dignity." 

The  emergence  of  "the  new  layman" 
is  one  of  the  rays  of  hope  in  the  church, 
according  to  Poling.  "The  new  layman 
and  his  growing  breed  are  those  who 
quickly  set  their  face  against  the  church 
when  it  stops  caring,  stifles  life,  thwarts 
love,  and  perverts  justice.  ...  To  be  a 
layman  loyal  to  Jesus  Christ  is  to  tell 
it  like  it  is  ...  to  separate  the  trivia 
from  the  truth." 

A  penetrating  criticism  of  the  church 
in  our  day  is  given  under  the  heading 
"Anything,  So  Long  As  It's  Secular." 
The  church  in  its  desire  to  be  relevant 
in  our  changing  society  "faces  the  twin 
peril  of  being  in  the  world  and  of  it, 
without  clarity,  distinction  or  percep- 
tion." There  is  too  much  fascination  with 
"dirt,    profanity,    sexual    perversion    be- 


cause this  is  how  life  is."  In  too  many 
instances  the  church  does  not  know 
where  to  praise  and  where  to  blast  in 
secular  affairs.  Often  the  church  seems 
to  forget  that  the  Christian  faith  takes 
life  as  it  is  —  with  all  its  shame,  perver- 
sion, and  depravity  —  and  gives  it  a  new 
dimension  of  change  and  hope  and  re- 
newal in  Christ. 

In  facing  the  issue  of  the  church's  rela- 
tion to  and  involvement  in  war.  Poling 
brings  his  most  stinging  rebuke  to  the 
church  that  dares  to  call  itself  Christian. 
"From  Constantine  until  now,  the  church 
has  blessed  wars,  consecrated  Crusaders, 
baptized  blitzes,  and  passed  the  ammu- 
nition. ...  As  America  is  searching  its 
conscience  on  Vietnam  and  war,  the 
church  is  struggling  for  its  own  soul." 
Stating  that  the  church  must  raise  the 
hard  yet  essential  questions  about  war, 
he  warns:  "Let  it  realize  it  will  be  dec- 
orated with  the  wardrobe  of  anti-Ameri- 
canism, that  it  will  be  plastered  with 
slogans  of  subversion,  that  it  may  well 
be  smeared  with  the  sarcasm  of  'patri- 
ots.' " 

Possibly  his  indictment  of  the  church 
is  too  severe,  but  these  statements  are 
worth  pondering:  "I'm  not  sure  that 
you  can  name  a  single  government,  king, 
dictator,  president  who  was  ever  without 
religious  support  for  any  war  or  con- 
flict. .  .  .  What  is  alarming  and  most 
apprehensive  to  many  within  the  Chris- 
tian community  is  the  manipulation  and 
cultivation  of  religion  for  the  'product' 
of  war." 

The  Last  Years  of  the  Church  ■ —  is 
this  just  a  scare  technique,  or  is  the  au- 
thor telling  it  as  it  is?  In  his  own  words 
we  are  able  to  sense  why  he  chose  this 
as  the  title  of  this  most  interesting  vol- 
ume: "We  are  in  the  last  years  of  the 
church  as  we  know  it  because  we  can 
never  go  back  to  the  pleasant  detached 
ways  of  the  past  and  call  this  the  mighty 
church  of  Christ.  It  may  be  some  kind 
of  church  but  it's  not  the  one  that  is 
going  to  be  in  the  cauldron  of  life,  sur- 
rounded by  the  surging  needs  of  hu- 
manity who  are  hungry  for  direction, 
depth,   and   hope.    .    .    .   We   are   in   the 


2-26-70    MESSENGER     27 


last  years  of  the  church  because  instead 
of  ducking  conflict  and  circling  the 
bruises  of  life,  the  new  saints  will  see 
every  human  encounter,  event,  experience 
as  really  filled  with  God's  presence.  .  .  . 
The  new  days  of  the  Christian  commu- 
nity are  going  to  be  scary  and  exhilarat- 
ing because  every  situation  counts  and 
every  person  is  a  child  of  the  Promise." 

Looking  to  the  future  of  the  church, 
when  "the  present  arrangement  of  things" 
has  been  radically  changed.  Dr.  Poling 
quotes  with  approval  a  statement  from 
a  new  type  congregation  in  which  each 
member  signed  this  as  a  part  of  his  Chris- 
tian commitment:  "We  believe  it  to  be 
the  primary  job  of  the  church  to  seek 
where  God  is  at  work  and  to  follow  him 
there  in  obedient  service  ...  in  our 
homes,  our  places  of  work,  our  jail,  our 
city  hall,  our  slums,  our  playground,  our 
schools,  and  our  churches." 

The  focal  point  around  which  Jeffrey 
Hadden  did  his  extensive  research,  and 
about  which  he  writes,  is  the  subtitle  of 
his  book,  "The  Widening  Gap  Between 
Clergy  and  Laymen."  Written  by  lay- 
man, sociologist,  and  research  scholar, 
this  book  presents  the  results  of  Hadden's 
research  in  a  number  of  areas  relating 
to  the  changing  church  in  a  changing 
world.  What  he  finds  is  a  "gathering 
storm  in  the  churches,"  and  he  attempts 
to  tell  it  like  it  is. 

The  author's  statement  of  what  his 
book  is  all  about  is  rather  accurate  — 
though  it  is  not  easily  determined  wheth- 
er this  statement  is  the  result  of  his  re- 
search or  whether  the  research  con- 
firmed his  prior  conclusions.  He 
says  (page  32) :  "In  recent  years  three 
crises  have  been  emerging  in  the 
Protestant  churches:  a  crisis  over  its  very 
meaning  and  purpose  for  being,  a  crisis 
of  belief,  and  a  crisis  of  authority.  The 
three  crises  are  obviously  interrelated. 
Clergy  have  challenged  the  traditional 
role  of  the  church  in  society  because  they 
have  reinterpreted  the  theological  basis 
of  their  faith  and  in  so  doing  have  come 
to  feel  that  their  faith  involves  a  much 
more  vital  commitment  to  the  problems 


of  this  world.  Laity  have  challenged  the 
authority  of  the  clergy  because  they  do 
not  share  their  understanding  of  the 
meaning  and  purpose  of  the  church.  The 
shattering  of  traditional  doctrines  has 
weakened  the  authority  of  the  clergy, 
for  it  is  no  longer  certain  that  they  hold 
the  keys  to  the  kingdom." 

Most  of  the  book  is  devoted  to  por- 
traying the  two  major  areas  of  the  widen- 
ing gap  between  the  clergy  and  the  lay- 
men; the  liberalizing  or  changing  reli- 
gious beliefs  of  the  clergy  and  their 
involvement  in  social  issues,  especially 
action  in  the  area  of  civil  rights.  Seven- 
ty-two tables  are  included  in  the  book, 
presenting  the  results  of  his  research, 
largely   around    these    two    basic   issues. 


It  seems  to  this  reviewer  he  overdid  the 
tables  and  the  interpretation  of  them, 
trying  too  hard  to  be  scientific  and  still 
evidently  wanting  to  prove  his  basic 
premises. 

Although  written  as  a  report  of  ex- 
tensive research,  the  book  is  fairly  easy 
to  read  and  has  something  important  to 
say  to  both  clergy  and  laymen.  There 
are  three  major  questions  that  should  be 
raised  concerning  the  author's  conclu- 
sions: (1)  Is  it  true  that  "a  large  portion 
of  the  activist  clergy  are  structurally  re- 
moved from  the  parish  church"  and  that 


"the  evidence  is  fairly  clear  that  the  in- 
novative, action-oriented  clergy  occupy  a 
significant  proportion  of  the  nonparish 
position  in  American  Protestantism"?  (2) 
Is  it  basically  a  widening  gap  between 
clergy  and  laymen,  or  is  it  a  struggle  in- 
volving both  laymen  and  clergy  seeking  to 
find  the  way  of  Christ  in  a  world  of  tre- 
mendous upheaval  and  radical  change? 
(3)  Does  the  author  have  a  theological 
background  and  perspective  adequate  to 
interpret  correctly  the  gathering  storm  in 
the  churches?  Each  person  who  reads 
this  book  may  want  to  do  so  with  these 
and  other  questions  in  mind  —  yet  with 
a  mind  that  is  open  to  hear  all  the  au- 
thor is  endeavoring  to  say. 

Out  of  his  life  as  a  pastor,  director 
of  summer  work  camps,  participant  in 
the  civil  rights  struggle,  associate  pro- 
fessor and  dean  of  students  at  Yale  Di- 
vinity School,  Gaylord  Noyce  is  con- 
vinced that  The  Church  Is  Not  Expend- 
able. Not  just  another  book  on  the  re- 
newal of  the  church,  this  is  a  serious 
attempt  to  help  the  confused  layman, 
the  anxious  pastor,  the  questioning  stu- 
dent in  sensing  the  true  mission  and  pur- 
pose of  the  church  of  Jesus  Christ.  The 
format  of  the  book  is  interesting,  the  style 
of  writing  is  challenging,  the  message  is 
clear  and  forceful  —  and  the  book  mer- 
its careful  study  by  both  clergy  and  lay- 
men who  are  deeply  concerned  about 
the  future  of  the  church,  and  their 
church. 

"TTiis  is  a  human  book,  a  warm 
book"!  And  The  Reconciling  Commu- 
nity abounds  with  significant  stories  of 
where  the  church  is  experiencing  renew- 
al, and  how.  It  is  the  conviction  of  the 
author  that  the  purpose  of  the  church 
is  to  be  "the  reconciling  community," 
to  be  "in  the  world"  but  "not  of  the 
world,"  bearing  the  love  of  God  into 
every  area  and  facet  of  life.  Persons  who 
want  to  see  their  church  become  an  effec- 
tive agent  of  reconciliation  and  who  want 
to  participate  in  the  life  and  work  of  the 
reconciling  community  will  find  this 
small  volume  indispensable.  —  Olden  D. 
Mitchell 


28     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


STAND  FAST  /  from  page  10 

have  —  Christ  has  set  us  free!  Stand 
fast,  then,  as  free  men  and  do  not 
allow  yourselves  to  become  slaves 
again"  (Gal.  5:1,  Today's  English 
Version). 

Scholars  tell  us  that  Corinthian 
women  took  him  seriously  and  quit 
wearing  the  veil  (headdress)  in  public 
which  every  moral,  married  woman 
wore  to  symbolize  her  purity  and  her 
subjection  to  her  husband.  It  brought 
reproach  upon  the  church.  Pagans 
said,  "Look  at  these  Christian  wom- 
en! They  are  immoral."  So  Paul  pled 
with  them,  for  the  sake  of  the  good 
name  of  Christ  and  the  cause  of  his 
church,  to  put  the  veil  on.  Were  they 
not  free?  Of  course,  they  were. 
Could  they  not  exercise  that  freedom 
by  not  wearing  the  veil?  Of  course, 
they  could.  Yet  for  the  sake  of  Christ, 
for  the  prosperity  of  his  cause,  they 
should  limit  their  freedom. 

In  today's  chaos  and  revolt,  as  we 
search  for  freedom,  we  need  to  listen 
in  dialogue  with  one  another;  to  seek 
freedom  within  the  framework  of  a 
purpose  greater  than  we  are,  being 
willing  to  live  by  the  disciplines  of 
that  purpose;  and  to  use  methods 
which  are  consistent  with  the  good, 
the  freedom  we  seek.  Let  the  search 
proceed!    D 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 

FOUR-BEDROOM  home  for  sale.  North  Man- 
chester, Ind.,  two  blocks  college  campus,  lived  in 
2)2  years.  $18,700.  W/rite  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Offices,  Box  12,  1451  Dundee  Ave., 
Elgin,    III.    60120. 

BRETHREN  TRAVEL— Plan  novi/  to  leave  New 
York  on  June  15  for  a  magnificent  three  weeks 
in  Scandinavia,  including  Lapland,  the  Land  of 
the  Midnight  Sun.  Three-week  tour  of  Western 
Europe,  including  1970  Oberammergau  Passion 
Play  in  the  Bavarian  Alps,  leaves  New  York 
July  5.  It  is  possible  to  participate  in  either 
or  both  tours.  Write  J.  Kenneth  Kreider,  Route 
3,   Elizabethtown,   Pa.   17022. 


Plenty need.   Loaded  freezers 

empty  cupboards.  Warm 

boots bare  feet.  Comfortable 

homes not  even  a  roof.  Hope 

despair.  Life death. 

A  child  cries.   He  is  hun- 
gry. A  parent's  heart  aches.  Food  is 
scarce.  Disease  stalks,  attacks,  devours. 

Happiness,  warmth,  med- 
ical help,  adequate  nourishment  are  so 
much  a  part  of  our  lives  that  it  is  hard 
to  understand  that  for  many  in  our  world 
they  are  only  dreams. 

But  they  are  dreams  that 

can  be  turned  into  reality.  Our  generous 

response  to  the  One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing 

offering  will  help. 

Do  we  care?  Do  we  dem- 
onstrate that  caring  in  concrete  ways? 
Needed  more  than  words  and  sympathy 
are  acts  of  love,  gifts  of  money  for 
food,  shelter,  medicine. 

Help  from  us  today  so  that 

self-help  may  become  a  possibility 

tomorrow. 


One  Great 

Hour  of  Sharing 

Amount  

Street/RFD 

City 

Congregatio 

Please    seno 
Church    of 
Ave.,  Elgin, 

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the 
III. 

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Brethren 
60120 

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your    contribution 
leral    Board,    1451 

to 
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idee 

Uriel 


To  mark  thirty  years'  service  at  the 
Spring  Creek  church  of  J.  Herbert  and 
Ruth  Miller,  that  Hershey,  Pa.,  congrega- 
tion is  sending  them  on  a  tour  of  Europe, 
Palestine,  and  Egypt. 

J.  Stanley  Earhart,  pastor  of  the  Me- 
chanicsburg,  Pa.,  congregation,  will  be- 
come executive  secretary  of  the  Southern 
Pennsylvania  District  next  Sept.  1.  The 
newly  established  office  is  to  be  located 
at  the  Brethren  Home,  New  Oxford.  . .  . 
Another  Brotherhood  appointment  has 
been  announced  by  the  World  Ministries 
Commission.  Cesar  Calderon,  who  will 
act  as  interim  financial  officer  until  June 
1  for  the  United  Andean  Indian  Mission 
in  Ecuador,  is  the  first  Ecuadorian  to 
carry  responsibility  for  fiscal  manage- 
ment at  the  Ecuadorian  mission. 

Olden  D.  Mitchell,  who  reviewed  cur- 
rent books  for  this,  issue,  was  elected 
vice-president  of  the  Fort  Wayne,  Ind., 
Council  on  Human  Relations.  He  is  pas- 
tor of  the  Lincolnshire  congregation. 

Two  men  were  licensed  recently  to  the 
ministry.  Manchester  College  student 
Brent  Zumbrun  was  licensed  and  in- 
stalled as  pastor  of  the  Wabash  Country 
church  in  Indiana.  .  .  .  Robert  Williard 
of  Winston-Salem,  N.C.,  was  licensed 
during  special  services  at  the  Fraternity 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

A  former  General  Board  member  and 
minister  died  Dec.  19,  1969.  Ralph  E. 
White  at  the  time  of  his  death  by  heart 
attack  was  part-time  pastor  of  the  Beaver 
Dam  church  in  the  Mid-Atlantic  District. 
Mr.  White  became  a  member  of  the 
General  Ministerial  Board  in  1942,  serv- 
ing in  that  capacity  until  1947.  He  was 
vice-chairman  of  the  board  from  1945 
to  1947.       , 

Our  best  wishes  go  to  couples  observ- 
ing golden  wedding  anniversaries:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomas  D.  Arnold,  Burketts- 
ville,  Md.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sharon  Gross- 
nickle,  Copemish,  Mich.;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Herbert  Lanter,  Cerro  Gordo,  111.;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maxie  Hodgin,  Waterloo, 


Iowa. 

Other  couples  celebrating  anniversaries 
include  the  Norman  Schicks,  Waterloo, 
Iowa,  sixty-two;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  S. 
Heisey,  Newmanstown,  Pa.,  sixty-three; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  B.  Peters,  Roanoke, 
Va.,  sixty-five. .  .  .  Two  couples  are 
marking  sixty-six  years  of  marriage:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Albert  JLandis,  Verona,  Ohio; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  D.  Metsker, 
Quinter,  Kansas. 


Mike  Yassim,  soccer  fullback,  is  the 
first  Elizabethtown  College  athlete  since 
1963  to  be  named  to  the  All-American 
Soccer  Team.  The  biology  major  has 
played  on  the  National  Team  of  Sierra 
Leone,  his  home. 

Manchester  College  students  and  em- 
ployees in  January  donated  191  pints  of 
blood  in  the  most  successful  blood  drive 
ever  held  in  North  Manchester.  A  blood- 
mobile  at  the  Indiana  campus  accepted 
blood  from  191  of  the  216  persons  who 
reported  to  give. 

Received  by  Juniata  College  was  a 

$250,000  grant  from  the  Charles  A. 
Dana  Foundation  —  the  largest  grant 
ever  made  by  a  foundation  to  the  Penn- 
sylvania college.  The  funds  will  be 
matched  by  the  college  to  create  and 
maintain  endowed  professorships. 

The  sixteen-member  Bridgewater 
College  Chorale  entertained  guests  at  a 
January  banquet  in  Richmond,  honoring 
members  of  the  General  Assembly  of 
Virginia. 


Feb.  22  —  March   1      Brotherhood   Week 
March   6     World   Day  of  Prayer 
March   8      One  Great  Hour  of  Sharing 
March   ^5      Passion  Sunday 
March  17-20      General  Board,   Elgin,   Illinois 
March   22      Palm  Sunday 
March   22      Camp   Fire  Girls  Sunday 
March  26      Maundy  Thursday 
March   27      Good   Friday 
March   29      Easter 
April    12      National    Christian    College    Day 
April  27  — May  3     Mental  Health  Week 


Elected  to  the  commission  on  students 
and  faculty  of  the  Association  of  Amer- 
ican Colleges  (AAC)  was  John  N. 
Stauffer,  president  of  Juniata  College, 
Huntingdon,  Pa.  The  AAC  is  the  nation- 
al organization  of  undergraduate  colleges 
of  liberal  arts  and  sciences.  .  .  .  McPher- 
son  College  president  J.  Jack  Melhorn 
was  elected  president  of  the  Kansas  Asso- 
ciation of  Colleges  and  Universities, 
which  includes  representation  of  more 
than  forty  Kansas  two-  and  four-year 
schools. 


Wenatchee  Valley  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  Washington  is  investigating  a 
cooperative  retirement  home  venture  to 
be  operated  jointly  with  the  Immanuel 
Baptist  Church  of  Wenatchee. 

Three  Church  of  the  Brethren  congre- 
gations are  involved  in  new  community 
ministries.  The  Dundaik  church,  Balti- 
more, Md.,  is  listing  its  telephone  num- 
ber as  a  "Hot  Line  for  Help."  Between 
10  A.M.  and  1  P.M.  each  day  volunteers 
man  the  phone  to  help  callers  with  prob- 
lems. .  .  .  Martin  Luther  King  Co-op 
Food  Store  opened  last  month  after  the 
University  Park  congregation  in  Mary- 
land helped  get  the  project  under  way 
with  a  loan  from  the  Fund  for  the  Amer- 
icas in  the  United  States.  .  . .  Oakland 
fellowship  in  California  has  offered  its 
facilities  for  use  by  a  local  Navajo 
group's  tutoring  program  two  evenings  a 
week. 

Sponsoring  an  academy  to  provide  spe- 
cial training  for  laymen  is  the  Frederick, 
Md.,  Church  of  the  Brethren.  The  ef- 
fort was  inaugurated  as  one  answer  to 
the  church  of  the  future,  which  may 
draw  heavily  on  trained  lay  leadership. 

In  a  special  ceremony  last  month  the 
congregation  of  Wakeman's  Grove  near 
Edinburg,  Va.,  burned  the  mortgage  for 
its  remodeled  sanctuary  and  fellowship 
hall.  ...  Six  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  area 
Church  of  the  Brethren  congregations 
exchanged  laymen  as  morning  speakers 


30     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


recently.  Their  topic  was  "The  Local 
Congregation  and  the  Pastoral  Ministry." 

In  a  recent  action  the  district  board  of 
Illinois  and  Wisconsin  directed  the  ex- 
ecutive secretary  to  remind  representa- 
tives from  those  states'  congressional  dis- 
tricts in  which  there  are  Brethren  con- 
gregations of  the  traditional  Church  of 
the  Brethren  peace  stance.  The  letter 
which  resulted  from  the  board's  request 
urged  the  repeal  or  expiration  of  federal 
tax  programs  designed  to  support  the 
Vietnam  War. 

The  draft,  Vietnam,  and  Southeast 
Asia  provided  subject  matter  for  a  series 
of  Sunday  evening  meetings  hosted  this 
month  by  the  South  Waterloo,  Iowa, 
church. 


Conducting  research  for  a  first  en- 
cyclopedia of  German  writers  in  the 

United  States  since  1675  is  Dr.  Robert 
E.  Ward,  Youngstown,  Ohio.  A  German 
writer,  he  notes,  is  anyone  regardless  of 
nationality  who  writes  imaginative  litera- 
ture in  the  German  language  while  resid- 
ing in  the  United  States.  Information 
and  inquiries  may  be  directed  to  Dr. 
Ward  in  care  of  the  Department  of  For- 
eign Languages,  Youngstown  State  Uni- 
versity, Youngstown,  Ohio  44503. 

"Awareness  of  Our  Revolutionary 
Times"  will  keynote  the  Pennsylvania 
Interdistrict  Men's  Retreat  March  14-15. 
Three  Brethren-related  college  presidents 
—  Wayne  F.  Geisert,  Morley  J.  Mays, 
and  John  N.  Stauffer  —  plus  Herbert 
Stroup,  dean  of  students  and  professor 
of  sociology  at  Broolclyn  College,  will 
act  as  resource  leaders. 

"The  Counselee  Who  Exploits  the 
Counselor"  will  be  one  of  the  major  ad- 
dresses to  be  given  by  Dr.  William  E. 
Hulme  at  the  twenty-first  Institute  on 
the  Ministry  to  the  Sick,  April  6-8,  at 
The  Johns  Hoplcins  Hospital.  The  lec- 
turer is  professor  of  pastoral  counseling 
at  Luther  Theological  Seminary,  St.  Paul, 
Minn.  The  institute  is  open  to  clergymen 
of  all  faiths;  early  registration  is  recom- 


mended. Further  information  may  be 
obtained  from  Chaplain  Clyde  R. 
Shallenberger,  The  Johns  Hopkins  Hos- 
pital, 601  N.  Broadway,  Baltimore,  Md. 
21205. 

Married  couples  and  parents  without 
partners  are  especially  invited  to  partici- 
pate in  a  family  life  retreat  hosted  by 
the  Shenandoah  District  Oct.  23-25, 
1970.  Focusing  on  "Creative  Relation- 
ships," the  three-day  event  will  feature 
Dr.  Tibor  Chikes,  professor  of  pastoral 
care,  Wesley  Theological  Seminary, 
Washington,  D.C.,  and  Mrs.  Jeanette 
Tolle,  South  Bend,  Ind.,  who  has  been 
active  in  home  and  family  life  programs 
in  her  area.  Additional  information  may 
be  obtained  by  writing  the  Shenandoah 
District  Office,  1029  S.  High  St.,  Har- 
risonburg, Va.,  22801. 

Spain,  Portugal,  and  Oberammergau 
arc  among  ten  points  of  interest  on  a 
Brethren  tour  Sept.  1 1  —  Oct.  18,  1970, 
to  be  hosted  by  L.  W.  Shultz.  A  few 
spaces  remain.  Interested  persons  may 
contact  Mr.  Shultz  at  603  College  Ave., 
North  Manchester,  Ind.  46962. 


Reuel  B.  Pritehett,  who  has  given  gen- 
erously of  his  time  to  collecting  books 
and  materials  relating  to  Brethren  his- 
tory, has  informed  Messenger  of  the 
results  of  a  poll  he  took  several  years  ago 
to  determine  what  persons  are  regarded 
as  most  outstanding  church  leaders. 

The  results  are  as  follows:  for  the  pe- 
riod 1708-1800,  Alexander  Mack,  Peter 
Becker,  Christopher  Sauer  Sr.,  and  John 
Naas;  for  the  period  1800-1900,  James 
Quinter,  D.  L.  Miller,  Henry  Kurtz,  and 
John  Kline;  for  the  period  1900-1950, 
D.  W.  Kurtz,  Otho  Winger,  Henry  C. 
Early,  and  Wilbur  B.  Stover. 

Additional  information  concerning  the 
poll,  including  the  names  of  runners-up 
in  each  period,  may  be  obtained  from  the 
Bridgewater  College  library  or  from  the 
historical  library  at  the  General  Offices 
in  Elgin.   Reuel  Pritehett  is  now  living  at 
Asbury  Acres  in  Maryville,  Tenn. 


Barkip,    Casper,    Getlysburg,    Pa.,    on    Dec.     28, 

1969,    aged    78 
Beery.    Lester,   La   Place,    III.,   on    Jan.    16,    1970, 

aged  83 
Bohrer,    Margaret,    Keyscr,    VV.    Va..    on    Oct.    5, 

1969,  aged    68 

Bond,    Roy,    Johnsville,    Md.,    on    Nov.    29,    1969 
Brandt,  Elwood   O.,   Mc.\lister\ille,   Pa.,   on  Nov. 

28.  1969,  aged  59 

Brumbaugh,    Theodore    A.,    Windham,    Ohio,    on 

Dec.    4,    1969,    aged    88 
Cogan,  J.   Ernest   Sr.,    Hopewell,   Pa.,   on    Jan.    2. 

1970,  aged    74 

ELsenhauer,    Jennie,    Lebanon,    Pa.,    on    Dec.    22, 

1969.  aged  85 
Fahnestock,   Clinton    M..    Manheim.    Pa.,   on   Oct. 

30,  1969,    aged    87 

Forror,    John   W.,   La    Mesa.    Calif.,    on    Dec.    10. 

1969,  aged    52 

Frost,  Juhan  H.,   Indianapohs,   Ind.,  on  Jan.    16, 

1970,  aged  87 

Gerdes,  Edna,   Dixon.  111.,  on   Dec.   3.   1969,  aged 

79 
Green,  Leah  VVylie,  McCune,  Kansas,  on  Aug.  8, 

1969,    aged    61 
Cross,    Goldie    V..    Sipesville.    Pa.,    on    Sept.    30. 

1969,   aged   78 
Haldeman,  Mclvin  G..  South  Bend,  Ind.,  on  Dec. 

29,  1969,   aged   70 

Harrison,  Gertie,   Indianapolis,  Ind.,  on  July   12, 

1969,  aged  83 
Hinkle,    Chester,    Kevser,    W.    Va.,    on    .Aug.    3, 

1969,  aged    53 

Hii-scli.   .Mildred  Gripe,  La  Place,  111.,  on  Jan.  4, 

1970,  aged  72 

Laughman,  Hester,  Dallas  Center,  Iowa,  on  Dec, 

31,  1969 

Lillibridge,    Eva,    Flora,    Ind.,    on   Jan.    11,    1970, 

aged  64 
Martin,   Leola,    Dayton,   Ohio,   on   Dec.    21.    1969, 

aged    90 
Masters.    H.    J.,    Blue    Springs,    Mo.,    on    Jan.    5, 

1970,   aged   90 
Maugans,    William    F,.    Peru,    Ind.,    on    May    17, 

1969,    aged    94 
Miller,  Blaine,   Waterloo.  Iowa,  on  July   8.   1969, 

aged  67 
Penrod,    Benjamin    W.,    Everett.    Pa.,    on    Dec.    7, 

1969,    aged    47 
Peters,  Samuel  S.,   Lititz,   Pa.,  on  Nov.   26,   1969, 

aged  42 
Reed,    Rachel    Dulaney,    ,\lum    Ridge,    Va„    on 

Nov.    11,    1969,    aged   90 
Silverman,    Ruth,   Dixon.   111.,   on   Nov.    20,    1969, 

aged    62 
Snowberger,  Isaac,   New  Enterprise,   Pa.,  on  Jan. 

1,   1970,  aged  69 
Souders,   Kathrjn,  Dixon,  111.,  on  Nov.   30,    1969, 

aged    73 
Stitely.  Miriam  Sue.   Baltimore.  Md.,  on  Sept.   3, 

1969,  aged  55 
Wagenman,    Dessie    M.,    Cando,    N.D.,    on    Dec. 

25,    1969,    aged    63 
AValter,    Fred    L,,    Claysburg,    Pa.,    on    Dec.     15, 

1969,    aged    76 
Whited,   Evelyn,   Everett,   Pa.,   on   Dec.    13,    1969. 

aged   65 
Winand,   SaUie,   Spring    Grove,    Pa.,    on    Oct.    17, 

1969,  aged  87 
Wolfe,    Elma    Vale,    Medford,    Oregon,    on    Aug. 

10,  1969,  aged  81 


2-26-70    MESSENGER     31 


Take  Courage 


GUEST  EDITORIAL 


%0n  March  6,  1970,  a  bond  of  prayer  spanning  six  continents 
will  encircle  the  world.  On  this  day,  known  as  "World  Day 
of  Prayer,"  women  in  130  countries  will  offer  prayers  in 
seventy-five  languages  and  a  thousand  dialects. 

Protestant,  Orthodox,  and  Roman  Catholic  women  will 
unite  their  witness  round  the  theme  "Take  Courage"  — 
"Moet  Houden,"  "Stech  Fest,"  "Esfuerazte."  It  was  chosen 
by  an  international  committee  headed  by  Miss  Gudrun 
Diestel  of  Germany.  A  housewife  from  Egypt,  a  social 
worker  from  Guyana,  a  church  worker  from  the  Philippines, 
and  a  woman  from  the  U.S.A.  discovered  a  common  bond 
of  faith  and  worship  as  they  created  the  service  for  this 
year. 

Women  will  "take  courage"  as  they  pray  for  themselves 
and  for  one  another.  They  will  give  courage  as  they  join 
in  a  worldwide  offering  to  be  devoted  to  an  Intercontinental 
Mission  Fund,  serving  six  continents.  They  will  celebrate 
courage  as  they  bring  to  mind  women  who  have  ventured 
boldly  on  behalf  of  their  fellow  human  beings. 

Courage  is  not  usually  considered  a  peculiarly  feminine 
virtue.  This  accent  comes  fittingly,  however,  at  the  opening 
of  a  decade  which  promises  a  new  awakening  of  women,  a 
worldwide  forward  movement  of  women  to  realize  their  full 
potential  and  to  take  responsibility  for  the  future  course  of 
history.  In  most  societies,  including  the  very  highly  devel- 
oped, it  takes  courage  for  women  to  set  aside  the  custom 
and  prejudice  that  limit  their  potential  and  to  stand  to  their 
true  height  and  dignity. 

Many  notable  women  have  already  led  the  way.  One 
such  could  not  attend  a  World  Day  of  Prayer  gathering  if 
she  so  chose,  unless  granted  special  government  permission. 
This  is  sixty-three-year-old  Mrs.  Helen  Joseph,  who  has 
been  under  house  arrest  in  South  Africa  for  the  past  seven 
years.  She  lives  alone  in  a  cottage  at  35  Fanny  Avenue, 
in  a  white  suburb  of  Johannesburg. 

Once  her  home  was  a  meeting  place  for  young  and  old, 
for  African  and  Indian,  for  colored  and  white,  for  people  of 
the  broad  political  spectrum  known  as  the  South  African 
Liberation  Movement.  Now  she  may  receive  no  visitors, 
attend  no  gatherings,  belong  to  no  organization.  She  must 


report  to  the  police  daily.  She  may  not  be  quoted  by  any 
publication,  may  not  set  foot  on  any  premises  in  which 
editing  or  publishing  takes  place. 

This  last  restriction  did  not  come,  however,  before  Mrs. 
Joseph  had  secretly  mailed  out  to  England,  a  few  pages  at  a 
time  at  different  mailboxes,  a  book  she  had  written  entitled 
Tomorrow's  Sun:  A  Smuggled  Journal  From  South  Africa 
(London,  Hutchinson;  New  York,  John  Day). 

Latterly  permission  has  been  granted  to  Mrs.  Joseph  to 
attend  church  services  on  Sundays  and  some  holy  days. 

Mrs.  Joseph  was  first  arrested  with  154  others  of  all 
races  in  a  nationwide  predawn  swoop  in  1956  and  charged 
with  high  treason.  Presumably  she  was  included  for  her  part 
in  organizing  a  demonstration  of  20,000  (mostly  African) 
women  from  all  over  South  Africa  to  protest  the  proposed 
extension  to  African  women  of  the  hated  "pass  laws"  which 
restrict  freedom  of  movement.  The  trial  lasted  four  and  a 
half  years,  and  Helen  was  in  the  witness-box  for  three 
weeks,  nine  full  days  of  which  were  spent  under  cross- 
examination.  The  verdict  was  "not  guilty"  and  the  accused 
were  discharged. 

The  accused  had  been  granted  bail,  but  before  the  end 
of  the  trial  they  were  rearrested  along  with  many  others, 
following  the  Sharpville  massacre  of  peaceful  demonstrators 
in  March  1960,  and  the  government  declaration  of  a  state  of 
emergency  which  lasted  some  months.  Helen  was  kept  in 
solitary  confinement  for  nineteen  days. 

The  order  of  house  arrest  was  served  on  her  after  an 
8,000-mile  trip  to  visit  tribesmen  who  had  been  banished  to 
remote  areas  for  their  opposition  to  the  apartheid  system. 
Helen  Joseph  was  the  first  to  be  restricted  in  this  way. 
Many  others  have  followed,  but  most  have  found  the  impo- 
sition intolerable  and  have  left  the  country  to  become  exiles. 
Helen  remains.  A  witness  such  as  hers  calls  for  ever  greater 
courage  and  resolve.  This  she  finds  through  her  faith  in 
God. 

On  World  Day  of  Prayer  women  throughout  the  world 
will  draw  on  the  same  source  as  each  seeks  courage  to 
venture  in  some  way  for  the  advance  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  on  earth.  —  Winsome  Munro 


32     MESSENGER    2-26-70 


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LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Hunger  Is  ...  a  sin^e  pot  of  beans,  being  told  there  is  no  work,  five  miles 
to  walk  to  the  store,  no  clothing  when  cold  winds  blow.  Hunger  is  a  deficiency 
in  American  society,  by  Ernest  H.  Walker,  page  2 

Fire  Still  in  My  Bones!  Looking  back  over  forty-eight  years  in  the  ministry, 
one  pastor  contends  that  the  "fire  has  stayed  aglow  in  my  bones."  He  woiddnt 
quit  the  pastoral  ministry.  He  tells  why.  by  Edward  K.  Ziegler.  page  7 

Stand  Fast  as  Free  Men.  Freedom  requires  far  more  than  the  absence  of 
restraint.  Men  must  learn  to  seek  freedom  "within  the  framework  of  a  purpose 
greater  than  we  are."  by  Charles  E.  Zunkel.   page  10 

Signs  of  Our  Times.  The  poster  phenomenon  is  more  than  a  current  craze. 
Posters  offer  a  medium  for  protest  and  hope.  Some  of  them  reflect  a  kind  of 
Christian  joy  in  living  creatively  as  persons  involved  in  life,  by  Jeanne  Don- 
ovan,  page  12 

Perplexing  Paradise:  The  View  From  the  Kasbah.  Eirene  —  a  word 
meaning  peace  —  is  the  code  name  for  an  international  service  program  in 
Europe,  Africa,  and  the  Middle  East.  A  Brethren  volunteer  describes  her 
work  in  Morocco,  by  Susan  Hoke,  page  20 

Parishes  and  Space.  New  facilities  for  worship,  fellowship,  and  service  be- 
come necessary  as  local  congregations  seek  to  fulfill  their  mission.  Here  are 
pictures  of  eleven  recently  dedicated  buildings,  page  24 


Other  features  include  a  poem  by  Nita  Griggs,  "Will  the  Tender  Plant  Grow  Again?" 
(page  6);  a  poem  by  Elizabeth  H.  Emerson,  "Whom  Did  You  See?"  (page  9);  a  new 
center-fold  poster,  by  Wilbtir  Brumbaugh  (page  16);  "On  Sustaining  Life"  (page  18); 
"Day  by  Day,"  by  Don  and  Shirley  Fike  (page  26);  "Renewal  and  Mission,"  a  review 
article  by  Olden  D.  Mitchell  (page  27);  and  "Take  Courage,"  a  guest  editorial  by 
Winsome  Munro  (page  32). 


COMING  NEXT 


The  contributions  that  artists  make  to  various  editions  of  the  Bible  are  illustrated  in 
samples  from  a  new  book  on  "Rembrandt's  Drawings  and  Etchings  for  the  Bible"  and  in 
a  story  about  a  contemporary  illustrator  whose  work  appears  in  a  new  version  of  the 
scripture.  .  .  .  Mary  Greenawalt,  a  librarian  who  is  knowledgeable  regarding  the  reading 
tastes  of  children,  calls  attention  to  new  developments  in  literature  for  young  readers. 
.  .  .  Several  news  stories  report  on  authoring  and  publishing  activities  of  Brethren.  VOL.     1 1 9    NO.    5 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     *^     3/12/70 


/' 


^^    :^S^ 


Rembrandt  depicts  the  Bible 


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STATEMENT  OFFENSIVE 

The  comment  about  sex  becoming  the 
most  significant  area  for  leisure,  which  ap- 
peared in  an  article  in  the  Jan.  1  issue,  is 
an  offense  to  me. 

I  find  it  very  difficult  to  trace  a  rational 
state  of  mind  back  through  statements  such 
as  this  at  a  time  like  the  present,  when  the 
world  is  so  threatened  by  a  population  ex- 
plosion. The  availability  of  effective  birth 
control  methods  has  nothing  to  do  with  the 
basic  morality  and  rationality  of  the  issue. 

It  is  a  sad  commentary  on  our  times 
when  the  urbanity  and  sophistication  of  a 
Hugh  Heiner-Playboy  Magazine  point  of 
view  has  become  more  winsome  than  the 
highest  wisdom  of  God  which  was  expressed 
in  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  particularly  true 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  whose  genius 
in  the  past  has  come  largely  from  a  pietistic 
interpretation  of  the  scriptures. 

Earl  E.  Snader 
Sandstone,  Minn. 

GOD'S   DISAPPROVAL 

Perhaps  the  writer  of  the  article  on  pages 
2-5  of  the  Jan.  1  issue  does  not  approve  of 
the  things  contrary  to  God's  will  which  he 
reports  can  be  expected  in  the  70s.  I  surely 
hope  he  doesn't.  However,  he  does  not  men- 
tion his  disapproval.  Worse  yet,  he  does  not 
mention  God's  disapproval  of  materialism, 
drugs,  fornication,  adultery:  "Let  your  con- 
versation be  without  covetousness;  and  be 
content  with  such  things  as  ye  have:  for  he 
hath  said,  I  will  never  leave  thee,  nor  for- 
sake thee"  (Heb.  13:5-6,  KJV).  "I  will 
come  near  to  you  to  judgment;  and  I  will 
be    a   swift   witness   against    sorcerers,    and 


readers  write 


against  adulterers  .  .  .  and  against  those 
.  .  .  that  fear  not  me,  saith  the  Lord  of 
hosts.  For  I  am  the  Lord,  I  change  not" 
(Mai.  3:5-6,  KJV).  "He  who  commits 
adultery  has  no  sense;  he  who  does  it  de- 
stroys himself"  (Prov.  6:32).  "Flee  forni- 
cation. ...  He  that  committeth  fornication 
sinneth  against  his  own  body"  (1  Cor.  6:18- 
20,  KJV).  "This  is  the  will  of  God,  even 
your  sanctification,  that  ye  should  abstain 
from  fornication"  (1  Thess.  4:3,  KJV). 

In  Rev.  21:7-8  we  learn,  "He  that  over- 
cometh  shall  inherit  all  things;  and  I  will 
be  his  God,  and  he  shall  be  my  son"  (KJV). 
"But  as  for  the  cowardly,  the  faithless,  the 
polluted,  as  for  murderers,  fornicators, 
sorcerers,  idolaters,  and  all  liars,  their  lot 
shall  be  in  the  lake  that  burns  with  fire  and 
brimstone,  which  is  the  second  death" 
(RSV).  These  are  but  a  few  of  the  many 
scriptures  that  show  God's  disapproval. 

The  author  does  not  mention  that  God's 
instructions  for  Christians  are:  "Present 
your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  ac- 
ceptable unto  God,  which  is  your  reasonable 
service.  And  be  not  conformed  to  this 
world:  but  be  ye  transformed  by  the  renew- 
ing of  your  mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what 
is  that  good,  and  acceptable,  and  perfect, 
will  of  God"  (Rom.  12:1-2,  KJV).  "Go 
ye  therefore,  and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing 
them  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of 
the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  Teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I 
have  commanded  you"  (Matt.  28:19-20, 
KJV).  Nor  does  he  mention  that  "without 
Christ  we  can  do  nothing."  (See  John  15:1- 
10.)  Neither  does  he  mention  that  when 
the  things  described  in  Matthew  24  are  all 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover,  3  (top),  4,  5  (left,  bottom),  7  National  Gallery  o£  Art,  Washington,  DC: 
3,  5  (upper  right),  6  courtesy  of  The  Art  Institute  of  Chicago;  9  Don  Honick;  17  Religious  News 
Service;  22.  24,  29  Annie  Vollotton  for  Good  News  for  Modern  Man,  the  New  Testament  in  Today's 
English  Version,  copyright  (c)   1966  by  the  American  Bible  Society 


Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
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Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119   No.  6 


happening,  the  time  for  Christ's  return  is 
near  (study  Matthew  24,  KJV,  and/or 
Amplified  Bible).  .  .  . 

For  some  time  we  have  been  concerned 
about  the  Church  of  the  Brethren's  trend 
toward  lack  of  belief  in  the  authority  of 
the  Bible.  When  a  teacher  tells  his  pupils 
that  he  just  can't  believe  that  things  really 
happened  the  way  the  Bible  says  they  hap- 
pened, or  when  he  says,  "Some  people  be- 
lieve this,"  and  proceeds  to  read  the  scrip- 
tures, we  can  teach  our  own  children  that 
Jesus  said,  "All  things  are  possible  with 
God"  (Matt.  19:26,  Luke  18:27,  Mark 
10:27,  Mark  14:36).  We  can  teach  our 
own  children  to  say  with  the  Psalmist  in 
Psalm  119:99  (KJV),  "I  have  more  under- 
standing than  all  my  teachers;  for  thy  testi- 
monies are  my  meditation."  But  what  about 
the  many  other  children  whose  parents  don't 
even  know  that  these  doubts  are  being  sown 
in  their  children's  minds? 

Reader,  I  challenge  you  to  investigate 
what  is  being  taught  to  your  children  in 
their  Sunday  school  classes,  and  I  challenge 
you  to  study  the  Bible  to  find  out  what 
God  says  about  the  things  that  are  happen- 
ing in  the  world  today.  "There  are  many 
devices  in  a  man's  heart;  nevertheless  the 
counsel  of  the  Lord,  that  shall  stand"  (Prov. 
1 9 : 2 1 ,  KJ  V ) .  "Thus  says  the  Lord  .  .  .  this  is 
the  man  to  whom  I  will  look,  he  that  is 
humble  and  contrite  in  spirit,  and  trembles 
at  my  word"   (Is.  66:1-2). 

Mrs.  Dan  Deal 
Onekama,    Mich. 

REVOLUTION  -  AND     CHRISTIAN     STRUCTURE 

Thank  you  for  printing  [parts  of]  Leigh- 
ton  Ford's  address,  "Evangelism  in  a  Day  of 
Revolution"  (Jan.  15).  It  seems  to  express 
exactly  the  hopes  many  of  us  feel.  It  in- 
spires us  to  keep  the  faith  and  struggle  going 
toward  the  kind  of  Christian  world  we  des- 
perately want. 

I  was  especially  impressed  with  his  un- 
derstanding and  appreciation  of  the  attempts 
of  today's  youth  to  point  out  the  ineptitudes 
of  my  generation  and  others  past,  and  also 
to  understand  the  reality  of  planning  not 
only  the  "Christian  revolution"  but  the 
"Christian  structures"  that  must  be  to  take 
its  place.  Too  often  we  become  so  interested 
in  attaining  a  goal  that  we  forget  what  the 
goal  is  in  reality. 

Joyce  M.  Miller 
Franklin  Grove,  111. 


Page  one... 


AGAINST  RELIGIOUS,  NOT  CIVIL  LAWS 

For  quite  some  time  I  have  been  follow- 
ing with  interest  the  thoughts  of  others  as 
they  expressed  their  feelings  on  the  subject 
of  civil  disobedience,  right  or  wrong.  I  am 
not  writing  to  say  civil  disobedience  is  right 
or  wrong.  This  each  individual  must  de- 
cide. But  at  this  time  I  do  feel  compelled 
to  speak  out  in  support  of  the  scripture. 

In  the  Jan.  15  issue,  Mr.  Paul  Gish  speaks 
out  on  his  feelings.  Again  I  say  Mr.  Gish 
is  entitled  to  his  opinion.  I  only  question 
his  use  of  scripture.  Yes,  Jesus  healed  on 
the  Sabbath.  Yes,  Jesus  and  his  disciples 
plucked  grain  on  the  Sabbath.  But  these 
rules  were  established  by  the  religious  lead- 
ers. These  laws  were  not  civil  laws.  The 
civil  laws  were  established  by  the  Roman 
government.  The  Roman  government  was 
a  godless,  atheistic  government  that  wor- 
shiped many  gods  but  did  not  know  the 
living  God,  the  Father  of  the  Hebrews. 
Rome  did  not  care  in  the  least  if  a  man  was 
healed  on  a  certain  day  of  the  week.  Jesus 
did  not  break  civil  laws.  He  did  not  dem- 
onstrate against  civil  authorities.  He  did 
speak  out  against  apostasy  in  the  Jewish 
faith.  He  did  not  waste  his  time  rebelling 
against  the  civil  laws  established  by  Rome. 
Rather  he  gave  his  life  in  service  to  his 
fellowman. 

It  seems  strange  that  some  will  use  Jesus 
as  an  example  to  follow  in  promoting  civil 
disobedience,  when  Jesus  did  not  demon- 
strate against  Rome.  There  is  much  more 
I  would  like  to  say,  but  to  conserve  space 
I  would  only  refer  to  Jesus  as  he  stood 
trial  before  Pilate,  as  recorded  in  John  18: 
28-40.  Jesus  was  delivered  to  Pilate,  who 
represented  the  civil  authorities.  At  the  con- 
clusion of  this  trial,  the  words  of  Pilate,  as 
he  passed  sentence,  were,  "I  find  in  Him 
(Jesus)  no  fault  at  all."  Also  during  the 
course  of  this  trial  Jesus  also  said  his  "king- 
dom is  not  of  this  world." 

As  Christians  we  must  love  our  friends 
and  enemies.  We  can  change  society  only 
by  changing  men's  hearts.  Man's  heart 
cannot  be  changed  by  legislation,  only  by 
actively  demonstrating  the  love  of  Jesus 
Christ  for  men.  This  we  do  in  service  to 
man,  not  in  demonstration  or  acts  of  civil 
disobedience.  Jesus  spoke  out  and  demon- 
strated against  false  religion.  He  did  not 
rebel  against  the  civil  law  of  Rome. 

Ernest  L.  Reisinger 
Manheim,  Pa. 


In  a  book  written  many  years  ago  by  Dr.  Edgar  Goodspeed,  that  New 
Testament  scholar  asserted  that  almost  from  the  earliest  years  of  the 
church  Christians  were  active  as  publishers.    They  were  among  the  first,  he 
said,  to  utiUze  the  folio   (folded  pages)   method  of  making  a  manuscript 
available  to  readers.    And  when  later  developments  came  along,  including 
the  invention  of  printing,  it  was  often  the  church  that  was  foremost 
in  adapting  the  new  tool  to  its  own  programs  for  publishing  the 
good  news  of  the  gospel. 

If  you  consider  also  the  tremendous  contributions  of  missionary 
translators  and  the  liberating  effect  of  church-sponsored  literacy 
campaigns,  you  might  conclude  that  publishing  is  still  a  vital  force 
in  Christian  education. 

This  issue  of  Messenger  offers  our  readers  several  opportunities  to 
update  their  information  about  recent  Bible  translations  —  and  to  view 
some  examples,  both  traditional  and  recent,  of  Bible  illustration.    It 
discloses  what  might  be  a  significant  trend  toward  the  development  of  a 
more  varied  Brethren  literature,  including  a  handful  of  books  by  Brethren 
intended  for  the  trade  generally  and  not  only  for  a  denominational 
audience   (see  page   13). 

It  looks  as  if  the  Brethren  Press  will  be  busy  throughout  the  year, 
but  many  of  Messenger's  contributors  have  also  won  a  place  of 
prominence  on  other  publishers'  lists.    We  are  happy  for  the  honor  and 
recognition  some  of  these  writers  have  already  received.    We  are  already 
making  plans  to  print  some  selections  from  their  publications  as  soon  as 
they  may  be  available  for  use.    A  case  in  point  is  Vernard  Eller's 
exciting  project  scheduled  for  May  publication  entitled  The  Mad 
Morality:    Or  the  Ten  Commandments  Revisited.    Look  for  an 
excerpt  in  our  April  23  issue. 

"She's  beautiful  with  children"  wasi  the  enthusiastic  report  by  one 
Messenger  worker  on  Mary  Greenawalt.    In  addition  to  her  work  as 
children's  librarian  at  Elgin's  public  library,  Mary  teaches  a  class  in 
children's  literature  at  Elgin  Community  College. 

Norman  Cousins,  editor  of  Saturday  Review  and  a  long-time 
exponent  of  an  approach  to  world  problems  based  not  only  on  natural 
interest  but  on  human  interest  as  well,  lectured  last  month  at 
Elizabethtown  College  in  Pennsylvania. 

Former  BVSer  Royce  Tooker  writes  from  Marburg,  Germany,  where 
he  is  a  student. 

Turlpck,  California,  is  the  home  of  Margaret  J.  Anderson,  free-lance 
writer  whose  articles  have  appeared  in  other  issues. 

Three  pastorsi  undertook  book  reviewing  for  this  issue:    Floyd  E. 
Bantz,  who  serves  the  Roaring  Spring  church  in  Middle  Pennsylvania; 
Robert  Mock,  who  is  minister  to  students  at  Indiana's  Manchester 
College;  and  Berwyn  L.  Oltman,  who  pastors  the  English  River  Church 
of  the  Brethren  at  South  English,  Iowa. 

The  peace  message  presented  on  page  29  of  this  issue  has  been 
designed  so  that  it  can  be  published,  if  desired,  as  a  public  witness  in 
local  newspapers.    For  information  and  assistance  in  preparing  this  or  a 
similar  peace  advertisement,  readers  may  write  to  Lamar  Gibble,  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General  Offices,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 

On  the  cover  is  an  etching,  self-portrait,  of  Rembrandt  van  Ryn, 
which  the  artist  titled  "Rembrandt  Drawing  at  a  Window."      The  Editors 


Messenger  art  feature 


REMBRANDT 


HIS  DRAWINGS  AND  ETCHINGS  FOR  THE  BIBLE 


Rembrandt's  biblical  illustrations,  even  though 
they  were  created  three  hundred  years  ago,  seem 
more  modern,  more  related  to  our  everyday  life 
than  much  of  the  Christian  art  which  has  been 
produced  in  the  last  few  years. 

Why  this  is  so  is  clearly  explained  and  beauti- 
fully illustrated  in  a  new  book,  Rembrandt's 
Drawings  and  Etchings  for  the  Bible,  by  Hans- 
Martin  Rotermund  (Pilgrim  Press,  $22.50). 

From  childhood  the  Bible  was  a  personal  ex- 
perience for  Rembrandt  van  Ryn.  He  first  heard 
it  as  his  mother  read  him  Bible  stories.  The 
Bible  became  so  much  a  part  of  his  life  that  his 
paintings  of  biblical  scenes  seem  to  parallel  events 
in  his  life.  Almost  poetically,  when  he  died,  he 
was  in  the  midst  of  painting  old  Simeon  holding 
the  Christchild. 

In  one  respect  it  is  remarkable  that  the  Dutch 
artist  continued  to  paint  and  draw  scenes  from 
the  Bible.  The  Calvinist  theology  had  denounced 
painting  as  idolatrous  and  other  painters  had 
long  since  gone  to  painting  fruit,  flowers,  and 
seascapes.  He  stood  alone  and  his  incomplete 
sketches  were  then  considered  worthless. 

For  Rembrandt  the  Bible  was  primarily  a 
"nonreligious"  book  of  images  of  what  man  is. 
He  depicted  the  individual's  encounter  with  God, 
but  not  closed  off  or  unrelated  to  man's  everyday 
life.  This  is  why  he  never  illustrated  sections  of 
the  scriptures  which  contain  only  preaching.   For 


example,  he  completely  ignored  the  New  Testa- 
ment letters  and  the  Revelation.  He  never  made 
allegorical  or  symbolical  interpretations.  He  did 
reproduce  in  detail  the  narratives  of  the  Bible:  the 
woman  at  the  well,  Joseph  interpreting  dreams, 
Jesus  healing  the  sick.  His  representations  of 
these  events  are  so  concrete  that  it  is  usually 
possible  to  say,  to  the  verse,  what  part  of  the 
narrated  event  he  had  in  mind. 

"No  matter  how  close  to  the  text  Rembrandt 
stays,"  writes  Rotermund,  "his  relationship  to  it 
is  nevertheless  creatively  free.  .  .  . 

"Protestantism's  lack  of  artistic  productivity 
has  been  spoken  of  again  and  again.  People  point 
to  the  abundance  of  works  of  art  in  the  Catholic 
Church  and  say  that  in  the  Protestant  sphere  ar- 
tistic energies  have  been  released  in  only  one 
area,  that  of  church  music,  the  word  of  the  Bible 
in  song:  the  cantatas  of  Johann  Sebastian  Bach, 
But  Rembrandt  stands  next  to  Bach,  much  more 
isolated,  to  be  sure,  with  far  fewer  successors,  but 
also  with  his  source  in  Protestant  Christianity.  It 
may  well  be  that  for  us,  we  who  are  so  strongly 
visually  oriented,  the  work  of  Rembrandt  can 
mean  something  similar  to  what  the  rediscovery 
of  Bach  in  the  last  century  meant  to  Christendom 
then  and  has  meant  since.  For  Rembrandt  offers 
the  ultimate  that  an  artist  as  Christian  can  —  he 
makes  present  and  gives  testimony  to  the  word 
of  the  Holy  Scriptures."   D 


2     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


Luke  2:15,  16.  When  the  angels  went  away 
from  them  into  heaven,  the  shepherds  said  to 
one  another,  "Let  us  go  over  to  Bethlehem  and 
see  this  thing  that  has  happened,  which  the 
Lord  has  made  known  to  us."  And  they  went 
with  haste,  and  found  Mary  and  Joseph,  and 
the  babe  lying  in  a  manger. 


Genesis  40:5,  6-8.  And  one  night  they  both 
dreamed  —  the  butler  and  the  baker  of  the 
king  of  Egypt,  who  were  confined  in  the  pris- 
on—  each  his  own  dream  .  .  .  When  Joseph 
came  to  them  in  the  morning  and  saw  them, 
they  were  troubled.  .  .  .  They  said  to  him, 
"We  have  had  dreams,  and  there  is  no  one 
to  interpret  them."  And  Joseph  said  to  them, 
"Do  not  interpretations  belong  to  God?  Tell 
them  to  me,  I  pray  you." 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     3 


Luke  2:41-44,  46.  Now  his  parents  went  to  Jerusalem  every  year  at  the  feast  of  the  Passover.  And  when  he  was  twelve  years  old, 
went  up  according  to  custom;  and  when  the  feast  was  ended,  as  they  were  returning,  the  boy  Jesus  stayed  behind  in  Jerusalem. 
After  three  days  they  found  him  in  the  temple,  sitting  among  the   teachers,  listening  to  them  and  asking  them  questions.  .  .  . 


they 


Matthew  2:14,  15a 
And  he  rose  and 
took  the  child  and 
his  mother  by 
night,  and  de- 
parted to  Egypt, 
and  remained  there 
until  the  death 
of  Herod. 


4     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


Matthew  22:18-23.  But  Jesus,  aware  of  their  malice,  said, 
"Why  put  me  to  the  test,  you  hypocrites?  Show  me  the 
money  for  the  tax."  And  they  brought  him  a  coin. 
And  Jesus  said  to  them,  "Whose  likeness  and  inscrip- 
tion is  this?"  They  said,  "Caesar's."  Then  he  said  to 
them,  "Render  therefore  to  Caesar  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's,  and  to  God  the  things  that  are  God's."  When 
they  heard  it  they  marveled;  and  they  left  him  and  went 
away. 


Matthew  26:36-37, 
40,  47.  Then  Jesus 
went  with  them 
to  a  place  called 
Gethsemane,  and 
he  said  to  his 
disciples,  "Sit  here, 
while  I  go  yonder 
and  pray."    And 
taking  with  him 
Peter  and  the  two 
sons  of  Zebedee, 
he  began  to  be  sor- 
rowful and  trou- 
bled. .  .  .  And  he 
came  to  the  dis- 
ciples and  found 
them  sleeping.  .  .  . 
While  he  was  still 
speaking,  Judas 
came,  one  of  the 
twelve,   and  with 
him  a  great  crowd 
with  swords  and 
clubs.  .  .  . 


John  4:7,  13,  27. 
There  came  a 
woman  of  Samaria 
to  draw  water.  .  . . 
Jesus  said  to  her, 
"Everyone  who 
drinks  of  this 
water  will  thirst 
again.  ..."  Just 
then  his  disciples 
came.   They  mar- 
veled that  he  was 
talking  with  a 
woman.  .  .  . 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     5 


John  11:41-44.  So  they  took  away  the  stone.  And  Jesus  hfted  up 
his  eyes  and  said,  "Father,  I  thank  thee  that  thou  hast  heard  me. 
I  knew  that  thou  hearest  me  always,  but  I  have  said  this  on  ac- 
count of  the  people  standing  by,  that  they  may  believe  that  thou 
didst  send  me."  When  he  had  said  this,  he  cried  with  a  loud 
voice,  "Lazarus,  come  out." 


John  19:38-40.  After  this  Joseph  of  Arimathea,  who  was  a  dis- 
ciple of  Jesus,  but  secretly,  for  fear  of  the  Jews,  asked  Pilate  that 
he  might  take  away  the  body  of  Jesus,  and  Pilate  gave  him  leave. 
So  he  came  and  took  away  his  body.  Nicodemus  also,  who  had 
at  first  come  to  him  by  night,  came  bringing  a  mixture  of  myrrh 
and  aloes,  about  a  hundred  pounds'  weight. 


John  20:26-29.  Eight  days 

later,  his  disciples  were 

again  in  the  house,  and 

Thomas  was  with  them. 

The  doors  were  shut,  but 

Jesus  came   and  stood 

among  them,  and  said, 

"Peace  be  with  you." 

Then  he  said  to  Thomas, 

"Put  your  finger  here,  and 

see   my  hands;  and  put 

out  your  hand,   and  place 

it   in  my  side;  do  not  be 

faithless,   but  believing." 

Thomas  answered  him,  "My 

Lord  and  my  God!" 


/  \.y 


6     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


Luke  15:20,  22.  "And  he  arose  and  came  to  his  father.  But  while  he  was  yet  at  a  distance, 
his  father  saw  him  and  had  compassion  .  .  .  and  kissed  him.  .  .  .  But  the  father  said  to  his 
servants,  'Bring  quickly  the  best  robe,  and  put  it  on  him;  and  put  a  ring  on  his  hand,  and 
shoes  on  his  feet;  and  bring  the  fatted  calf  and  kill  it,  and  let  us  eat  and  make  merry.  .  .  .  '  " 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     7 


Have  ^u  Met  These  Children? 


by  Mary  Greenawalt 


Ma 


Lax  is  so  mischievous  his  mother 
calls  him  a  wild  thing  and  sends  him 
to  his  room  without  his  supper. 

Honest,  brave,  trustworthy,  obedi- 
ent Charlie  Bucket  finds  a  gold  seal 
on  his  candy  bar  and  wins  a  fabulous 
trip. 

Fern,  a  soft-hearted,  introverted 
child,  spends  most  of  one  summer  in 
a  barn,  watching  and  listening  to  a 
group  of  animals. 

Pippi,  who  lives  alone  with  her 
monkey  and  her  horse,  decides  to  go 
to  school  so  she  won't  have  to  miss 
Christmas  and  Easter  vacation. 

Sam  runs  away  from  the  city,  makes 
his  home  in  a  hollow  tree,  wears 
buckskin  clothes,  and  cooks  his  food 
out  of  acorn  flour,  bulbs,  and  herbs. 

They  aren't  among  your  acquaint- 
ances? That's  probably  because  you're 
over  thirty  and  your  opportunities  to 
meet  the  in-group  among  today's 
juvenile  literary  characters  have  been 
limited. 

But  ask  the  ten-year-old  in  the 
family  how  many  he  recognizes.  No 
doubt,  four  out  of  five  if  he  has  been 
lucky  enough  to  have  been  introduced 
to  them  by  a  perceptive  teacher  or  if 
he  has  found  them  "in"  when  he 
visited  the  local  library.  For  all  of 
the  above  are  characters  in  extremely 
popular  children's  books.  In  most 
cases  their  popularity  has  spread  from 
children  to  adults  rather  than  from 
adults  to  children.  These  are  books 
children  discovered  for  themselves 
and  then  (not  always  with  adult  ap- 
proval) spread  the  good  word  to  their 
friends  of  whatever  age. 


Max  in  Maurice  Sendak's  picture 
book  Where  the  Wild  Things  Are 
(Harper  and  Row,  1963)  raises  a 
regular  rumpus  around  the  house,  so 
his  mother,  losing  her  patience,  sends 
him  to  his  room  without  his  supper. 
There  Max  works  off  his  aggressive 
feelings  in  a  most  child-satisfying 
fantasy.  Some  adults  find  the  mon- 
sters in  their  muted  tones  of  blue  and 
green  grotesque  and  ugly.  But  Max 
in  his  fantasy  releases  his  tensions  and 
then  comes  back  to  reality  "to  where 
someone  loved  him  best  of  all." 
Preschoolers  up  to  second-  and  third- 
graders  are  greatly  attracted  to  Max 
and  discuss  with  understanding  the 
fantastic  exploits  of  the  Wild  Things 
and  the  reality  of  the  hot  supper  that 
awaits  Max  in  his  room. 


/\dults  were  not  quite  prepared  for 
the  enthusiasm  with  which  children 
greeted  Charlie  and  the  Chocolate 
Factory,  by  Roald  Dahl  (Knopf, 
1964).  Here  is  an  eighteenth-century 
morality  tale  in  modern  setting. 
Charlie  is  completely  virtuous  and  is 
rewarded  with  permanent  residence  in 
the  chocolate  factory.  The  other 
dreadful  children,  Augustus  Gloop, 
Veruca  Salt,  Violet  Beauregarde,  and 
Mike  Teevee  (their  names  suggest  the 
nasty  habits  they  possess),  meet  with 
equally  dreadful  accidents  as  they  tour 
the  chocolate  factory.  The  action, 
humor,  and  play  on  words  make  this 
one  of  the  most  sought-after  modern 
day  fantasies  for  children;  its  imminent 


transition  to  the  screen  can  only  add 
to  its  popularity. 

Fern  Arable,  the  third  child  in  our 
list  of  fictional  characters,  is  the  little 
girl  in  the  great  animal  fantasy, 
Charlotte's  Web,  by  E.  B.  White 
(Harper,  1952).  Although  adult  re- 
viewers greeted  it  with  critical  praise, 
it  was  not  until  children  tested 
Charlotte's  Web  that  its  true  signifi- 
cance was  realized.  Certainly  the 
best  children's  book  of  a  decade, 
Charlotte's  Web  in  its  deceptively 
simple  style  celebrates  the  continuity 
of  life.  A  good  third-grade  reader  can 
probably  read  the  book  by  himself, 
but  the  book  is  too  good  to  read 
silently.  It's  meant  to  be  read  aloud 
—  its  humor,  pathos,  wisdom,  and 
beauty  are  best  shared  by  children  of 
all  ages.  Templeton  the  rat,  Charlotte 
the  spider,  and  "humble,"  "radiant," 
"terrific"  Wilbur  the  pig  have  entered 
the  pages  of  literary  immortality. 

When  American  children  discovered 
that  Swedish  import,  Pippi  Longstock- 
ing  (Viking,  1950),  they  realized  that 
author  Astrid  Lindgren  had  created  a 
child  who  would  be  tolerated  by 
adults  but  would  be  loved  by  chil- 
dren everywhere.  She  does  all  the 
things  an  ordinary  child  often  yearns 
to  do  —  says  exactly  what  she  thinks, 
goes  to  bed  and  gets  up  whenever 
she  likes,  stuffs  the  dirty  dishes  in  the 
woodbox.  Successfully  resisting  all 
forms  of  adult  pressure,  Pippi  pro- 
vides the  reader  a  vicarious  release 
of  frustrations  against  rules  and  au- 
thority plus  some  slapstick  humor. 

Sam  is  the  only  one  of  the  literary 


8     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


THE  LAST  FREE  BIRD 

hv  A.  H;irri>  StDiu-  -' 

illusiratcJ  by  Shtil.i  Hems 


SteVie  ''^""•nsteptoe 


characters  who  may  not  belong  on  the 
Hst  permanently.  Ever  since  author 
Jean  George  published  My  Side  of  the 
Mountain  (Dutton,  1959),  Sam,  the 
boy  who  finds  a  crowded  apartment 


and  urban  pressures  unbearable,  has 
always  had  a  small  band  of  intensely 
interested  supporters.  The  moving 
picture  last  year  attracted  many  addi- 
tional readers  to  the  book.  Some 


discriminating  sixth-  and  seventh- 
graders  found  more  satisfying  answers 


The  author  discusses  a  point  of  interest  with 
with  two  young  visitors  to  the  Elgin  library 


X 


HAVE  YOU  MET  THESE  CHILDREN?    continued 


to  the  problem  of  maintaining  one's 
identity  in  the  book  than  they  had 
discovered  in  the  movie. 

Here  then  are  five  books  that 
children  like  to  read  and  that,  by  and 
large,  adults  think  children  ought  to 
read.  Not  always  do  these  two 
groups  coincide.  Of  the  more  than 
25,000  juvenile  books  in  print  a  good- 
ly portion  can  be  characterized  as,  at 
best,  insipid.  Their  controlled  vo- 
cabularies give  children  practice  in 
learning  new  word  meanings  and  in 
developing  silent  reading  techniques, 
but  their  content  is  so  pallid  as  to 
leave  their  readers  completely  in- 
difierent. 

Another  portion  of  books  falls  into 
the  series  category  (Nancy  Drew  and 
the  Hardy  Boys,  for  example) ;  their 
plots  are  dependent  on  coincidence; 
their  characters  are  stereotypes;  their 
style  is  fiat.  Because  of  much  action 
and  suspense  these  series  books  often 
make  a  great  appeal  to  children.  But 
after  a  child  has  read  two  or  three  of 
a  series,  he  can  begin  to  see  their 
sameness.  If,  at  such  a  time,  an  adult 
familiar  with  children's  books  is  on 
hand,  he  can  often  help  the  child  find 
books  equally  engrossing  but  ones 
which  will  give  him  greater  enjoy- 
ment and  deeper  understanding  of  life. 

/\  greater  understanding  of  life  is 
a  criterion  adults  often  use  in  judging 
books  for  children.  Such  reviewers 
bring  to  their  critical  reading  fine 
literary  backgrounds  and  discriminat- 
ing standards,  but  sometimes  they  for- 
get an  essential  factor  in  identifying 
outstanding  children's  books  —  the 
child's  viewpoint.  No  matter  how 
beautifully  written  or  how  perceptive 
its  insights,  if  a  book  is  too  hard  or 
seems  irrelevant  to  today's  child,  it 
will  not  have  a  large  reading  audience. 


Some  of  the  many  award-winning 
books  in  the  children's  literature  field 
fall  in  this  category.  Admittedly  they 
are  fine  books,  but  their  appeal  is  to 
adults  rather  than  to  children. 

The  ideal  book,  if  there  is  such  a 
thing,  has  great  child  appeal;  it's  fun 
for  him  to  read.  But  it  also  meets  the 
standards  of  literary  craftsmanship.  It 
provides  the  child  a  deeper  under- 
standing of  his  own  life  and  widens 
the  horizons  of  the  world  in  which  he 
lives.  Of  the  5,000  or  so  juvenile 
books  that  will  be  written  this  year, 
how  will  children  find  the  ones  that 
fulfill  these  qualifications? 

First  of  all,  a  child  cannot  find 
good  books  if  he's  never  around  them. 
Books  must  be  available  to  children 
in  homes,  churches,  schools,  and  li- 
braries. But  even  if  children  have  the 
opportunity  to  see  most  of  the  new 
books  written  for  them,  they  won't 
have  time  to  read  all  of  them.  So 
interested  parents,  teachers,  and  li- 
brarians must  do  some  of  the  pre- 
liminary choosing;  they  must  be 
willing  to  read  books  not  for  their 
enjoyment  but  for  children's  enjoy- 
ment. 

An  adult  willing  to  take  on  such  a 
reading  assignment  will  find  books 
of  every  size  and  shape  and  on 
almost  every  conceivable  subject. 
It's  almost  as  if  publishers  of  chil- 
dren's books  have  determined  to 
leave  no  branch  of  knowledge  un- 
explored or  no  technique  of  book- 
making  untried.  But  after  the  read- 
ing continues  for  awhile,  the  reader 
is  able  to  see  that  books  fall  into 
groups  and  to  identify  certain  trends 
that  seem  to  be  occurring  in  the  chil- 
dren's book  field.  Three  seem  par- 
ticularly significant  and  worth  noting. 

Greater  permissiveness  in  subject 
matter  and  language  is  certainly  an 
evident  trend  in  today's  book  for 


both  children  and  young  people. 
Authors  write  about  things  in  which 
young  people  are  interested.  No 
longer  is  today's  reader  satisfied  to 
read  about  his  world  as  some  adult 
thinks  it  should  be;  instead  he  wants 
to  read  about  his  world  as  he  knows 
it  is.  In  some  fiction  for  the  junior 
high  age  episodes  involving  drug 
addiction  and  sex  are  part  of  the  story 
line.  In  picture  books  for  the  pri- 
mary child  quite  sophisticated  con- 
cepts in  both  the  pure  and  the  social 
sciences  are  presented.  Needless  to 
say  there  are  books  in  both  of  these 
areas  of  questionable  quality. 

Authors  who  choose  as  their  setting 
painfully  realistic  scenes  from  the 
teen-age  world  still  are  writing  books 
for  the  young.  These  authors  struggle 
to  make  everything  end  happily  and 
to  solve  all  problems.  Often  this 
means  resorting  to  contrived  endings 
and  pat  solutions.  Recognizing  and 
identifying  a  problem  with  frankness 
and  candor  is  one  thing;  but  suggesting 
there  are  easy  and  quick  ways  to  solve 
these  problems  is  dishonest  and  insults 
the  intelligence  of  young  readers.  Con- 
sequently many  of  the  new  realistic 
novels  for  young  people  turn  out  not  to 
be  so  realistic  after  all. 

Authors,  on  the  other  hand,  who  are 
trying  to  present  quite  advanced  ideas 
to  the  very  young  are  having  varying 
degrees  of  success.  The  Last  Free  Bird, 
by  A.  Harris  Stone  ( Prentiss-Hall, 
1967),  a  picture  book  of  unusual  beau- 
ty and  sensitivity  whose  theme  deals 
with  the  squandering  of  natural  re- 
sources, has  had  only  limited  popular- 
ity with  the  very  young.  How  the 
Children  Stopped  the  Wars  (Farrar, 
1969),  a  new  book  by  Jan  Wahl  for 
the  middle-age  child,  seems  to  many 
adult  reviewers  to  have  unusual  merit. 
It  is  hoped  that  its  testing  by  children 
will  bear  out  that  opinion. 


10     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


The  appearance  of  a  flood  of  books 
about  black  Americans  is  the  second 
trend  that  seems  worth  noting.  Every 
publisher  has  moved  to  include  among 
his  list  of  new  books  titles  that  meet 
the  demand  for  book  characters  with 
which  a  black  child  can  identify  and 
also  titles  that  white  children  can  read 
to  better  their  understanding  of  their 
black  counterpart.  Many  of  these 
books  are  hastily  put  together,  unin- 
spired, and  hack-written.  Adults 
choosing  books  in  this  area  should  be 
especially  careful  to  demand  quality  of 
content  and  writing.  A  book  about 
any  minority  group  that  perpetuates  a 
stereotype  is  probably  worse  than  no 
book  at  all.  Evan's  Corner,  by  Eliza- 
beth Hall  (Holt,  1967),  a  picture  book 
which  points  up  a  little  black  boy's 
need  for  finding  in  his  crowded  apart- 
ment a  private  corner  that  belongs  just 
to  him,  will  probably  provide  its  white 
reader  with  valuable  insights.  Stevie, 
by  John  Steptoe  (Harper  &  Row, 
1969),  a  picture  book  written  in  the 
vernacular  of  the  ghetto  and  illustrated 
with  rich  colors  and  Roualt-like  fig- 
ures, can  give  its  black  reader  security 
and  identity. 

A  third  trend,  which  will  no  doubt 
become  more  evident  as  the  seventies 
advance,  is  the  tremendous  increase  of 
nonbook  materials  in  the  children's 
literature  field.  Especially  in  the 
schools  will  the  impact  of  the  new 
media  be  felt.  Already  school  libraries 
are  practically  nonexistent;  in  their 
place  have  sprung  up  refurbished 
rooms  bearing  the  name  "materials 
center."  Adequate  electrical  outlets 
for  projection  machines  and  record 
players  are  equally  as  important  as 
adequate  shelving  for  books.  As  for 
the  materials,  some  new  children's 
books  are  sold  only  with  accompany- 
ing record  or  cassette  tape.  Weston 
Woods,  a  pioneer  audio-visual  com- 


pany, has  had  striking  successes  in 
translating  the  art  of  the  picture  book 
to  both  films  and  filmstrips. 

Adults  charged  with  the  responsibil- 
ity of  choosing  the  best  from  among 
these  new  media  need  to  resist  the 
blandishments  of  enthusiastic  publish- 
ers and  distributors.  They  need  to 
judge  the  technical  quality  as  well  as 
the  literary  quality  of  each  piece  of 
material.  The  need  for  reliable  and 
consistent  evaluation  aids  is  felt. 
While  many  journals  review  the  vari- 
ous media,  an  aid  of  the  same  scope 
and  magnitude  as  the  Children's 
Catalog  (H.  W.  Wilson)  in  the  book 
field  has  yet  to  appear. 

The  defender  of  books  does  not 
need  to  deplore  the  inroads  made  by 
the  electronic  media.  All  the  various 
media  have  a  common  communication 
goal.  Nonbook  materials  in  children's 
literature  serve  to  introduce,  to  re- 
inforce, or  to  amplify  the  communica- 
tion process  that  starts  on  the  printed 
page.  Children  of  the  seventies  will 
probably  find  that  no  one  medium  is 
sufficient,  but  a  combination  of  media 
will  be  his  choice  as  he  learns  to  com- 
municate, to  deepen  and  broaden  his 
insights,  and  as  he  tries  to  understand 
himself  and  the  world  in  which  he 
lives.    D 


WHfflETHEWIlpmflszipp 


THE  mUMTAm 


"stmmimm 


Ir'^sol 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     11 


Translating  the  word 

Two    MODERN    LANGUAGE    TRANSLATIONS 

of  the  entire  Bible  are  in  process  of 
completion,  with  the  first,  the  New 
English  Bible,  to  be  released  March  16. 

The  second,  Today's  English  Version, 
will  provide  a  few  years  hence  an  Old 
Testament  counterpart  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment edition  already  in  wide  use,  an 
edition  known  as  Good  News  for  Mod- 
ern Man. 

The  New  English  Bible  was  commis- 
sioned at  the  outset  by  the  Protestant 
churches  of  Britain  24  years  ago.  Since 
the  introduction  of  the  New  Testament 
in  the  New  English  version  in  1961,  the 
translation  has  been  widely  heralded  for 
its  contemporary  idiom,  its  up-to-date 
scholarship,  and  its  functional  format. 

Two  editions  of  the  complete  Bible 
are  to  be  issued,  a  standard  edition  in 
one  volume  with  or  without  the  Apocry- 
pha, and  a  library  edition  in  three  vol- 
umes. Published  jointly  by  the  Oxford 
and  Cambridge  university  presses,  a  mil- 
lion copies  of  the  New  English  Bible 
are  to  be  in  print  on  the  publication  date. 

A  Messenger  review  of  the  New 
English  Bible  is  to  appear  soon,  written 
by  David  J.  Wieand  of  the  Bethany  Sem- 
inary faculty. 

At  work  on  the  translation  of  the  Old 
Testament  in  Today's  English  Version  is 
a  team  of  four  scholars,  one  of  whom 
is  a  Bridgewater  College  alumnus,  Keith 
R.  Crim,  Richmond,  Va.  He  and  col- 
leagues expect  to  complete  their  task  in 
three  or  four  years. 

Dr.  Crim,  a  Presbyterian  minister  and 
former  teacher  in  Korea  for  14  years 
as  well  as  Old  Testament  scholar,  was 
for  three  years  book  editor  of  John  Knox 
Press,  the  publishing  wing  of  the  Pres- 
byterian (U.S.)  Board  of  Christian  Ed- 
ucation. With  the  American  Bible  So- 
ciety he  holds  the  position  of  special 
secretary  for  translations. 

The  Psalms  will  be  the  first  portion 
of  the   Old  Testament  to   be  published 


in  Today's  English  Version,  perhaps  late 
this  year. 

The  aim  of  the  project,  as  Dr.  Crim 
describes  it,  is  "to  present  the  Bible  in 
language  that  is  completely  contempo- 
rary at  the  level  of  vocabulary  and  style 
understandable  by  and  acceptable  to  the 
broadest  possible  range  of  native  speak- 
ers of  the  language." 

Since  the  release  in  paperback  of  the 
New  Testament  in  Today's  English  Ver- 
sion over  three  years  ago,  17  million 
copies  have  been  distributed. 

Study  resources 

Is  THERE  a  distinctive  pattern  of  life 
within  the  Church  of  the  Brethren?  And 
has  the  church  been  able  throughout  its 
history  to  respond  to  changing  condi- 
tions? These  are  just  two  of  the  major 
concerns  with  which  Emmert  F.  Bittinger 
deals  in  a  new  study  book.  Heritage  and 
Promise:  Perspectives  on  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  published  by  the  Brethren 
Press. 

The  new  volume  by  Dr.  Bittinger,  as- 
sociate professor  of  sociology  at  Bridge- 
water  College,  offers  a  basic  resource 
in  Brethren  history. 

Origins:  An  introductory  chapter  en- 
titled "From  Rome  to  Schwarzenau"  is 
valuable  in  helping  Brethren  see  how 
their  origins  relate  to  the  sweep  of  church 
history  through  the  ages.  Another  chap- 
ter documents  the  beginnings  of  the 
church  in  colonial  America.  Subsequent 
chapters  are  less  concerned  about  pro- 
viding an  orderly  chronicle  of  events  but 
instead  offer  the  student  a  picture  of 
the  development  of  Brethren  thought 
through  the  years.  Perhaps  of  most  cur- 
rent interest  to  present-day  members  of 
the  church  will  be  the  author's  descrip- 
tion of  what  he  finds  to  be  distinctive 
patterns  of  life  within  the  church. 

The  family:  Though  an  examination 
of  the  changing  life-styles  of  the  Brethren 
family  shows  it  to  be  buffeted  by  urbani- 
zation, education,  and  many  outside  in- 


fluences, the  author  notes  that  the  family 
is  not  about  to  fall  apart  or  disintegrate. 
He  writes,  "As  with  the  American  family 
as  a  whole,  [the  Brethren  family]  has 
responded  to  the  changing  times  by 
adapting  its  structures  and  functions.  It 
continues  to  meet  its  members'  needs." 

Dr.  Bittinger,  on  the  Bridgewater  fac- 
ulty since  1963,  has  degrees  from  Bridge- 
water  College  (B.A.);  Bethany  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  (B.D.);  and  the  University 
of  Maryland  (M.A.,  Ph.D.).  An  active 
churchman,  he  has  been  in  the  pastoral 
role  the  equivalent  of  13  years  of  full- 
time  work. 

Projected:  Heritage  and  Promise  is  the 
most  recent  in  a  series  being  developed 
by  the  Parish  Ministries  Commission  to 
provide  new  Brethren  materials  for  the 
Library  of  Resources.  Eight  books  have 
been  projected  to  provide  study  resources 
as  well  as  teaching  materials  not  other- 
wise offered  in  the  Encounter  Series  or 
in  the  total  Library  of  Resources. 

So  far  two  books,  both  attractively 
designed  as  paperbacks  for  use  by  youth 
and  adults,  have  appeared.  The  first  was 
a  symposium  entitled  Six  Papers  on 
Peace. 

Two  other  Brethren  study  books  for 
youth  and  adults  are  scheduled  for  pub- 
lication in  1970.  Dale  Brown,  professor 
of  theology  at  Bethany  Theological  Sem- 
inary, has  prepared  a  manuscript  con- 
cerned with  "The  Brethren  and  Paci- 
fism." Ronald  Morgan,  pastor  of  the 
Mack  Memorial  church  in  Dayton,  Ohio, 
is  dealing  with  theological  affirmations  of 
faith  as  viewed  from  a  Brethren  perspec- 
tive. Both  volumes  are  expected  to  ap- 
pear in  a  paperback  format  similar  to 
the  two  books  already  published. 

Parish  Ministries  Commission  antic- 
ipates four  new  peace  studies:  for 
junior  highs,  written  by  Bethany  Sem- 
inary students;  for  primary  grades,  by 
Mrs.  Wayne  Miller;  for  third-  and 
fourth-graders,  by  Mrs.  Leland  Berry; 
and  for  juniors,  prepared  by  James 
McKinnell. 


12     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


Brethren  authorship 

If  plaudits  were  to  be  given  to  the 
"most  prolific  book  writer"  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  on  the  current 
scene,  the  race  would  be  a  tight  one  for 
two  top  contenders.  One  is  a  42-year-old 
professor  in  California,  Vernard  Eller; 
the  other,  a  dynamic  lady  of  76  in  Vir- 
ginia, Anna  Mow. 

Among  the  latest  Eller  works  is  a  vol- 
ume. The  Promise,  subtitled  Ethics  in 
the  Kingdom  of  God.  Published  in  Jan- 
uary by  Doubleday,  the  book  presents 
the  view  of  the  La  Verne  College  religion 
professor  that,  in  an  almost  overwhelm- 
ing secular  world,  the  Christian,  with  his 
sight  on  "the  oncoming  kingdom,"  must 
defend  the  right  to  be  "irrelevant"  to  the 
truths  of  the  moment. 

This  May  Abingdon  Press  will  publish 
a  splashy  paper-covered  book  titled  The 
Mad  Morality:  Or  the  Ten  Command- 
ments Revisited,  an  assessment  by  Eller 
of  what  he  terms  Mad  magazine's  own 
brand  of  old-fashioned  morality  and  its 
relation  to  Judeo-Christian  teaching. 

Dr.  Eller  is  author  of  His  End  Up, 
published  last  year  by  Abingdon  Press, 
and  Kierkegaard  and  Radical  Disciple- 
ship,  published  by  Princeton  University 
Press  in  1968.  The  former  national 
youth  editor  also  is  under  contract  to 
Doubleday  for  a  book  In  Place  of  Sacra- 
ments, a  treatment  of  the  Lord's  Supper 
and  baptism  in  particular. 

Mrs.  Mow's  most  recently  published 
work  is  So  Who's  Afraid  of  Birthdays? 
(Lippincott),  which  has  been  rerun  since 
the  first  printing  of  5,000  copies  was 
quickly  depleted.  She  is  scheduled  to 
have  another  book  out  in  May  by  the 
same  publisher,  a  volume  dealing  with 
the  first  year  of  marriage  and  entitled 
The  Secret  of  Married  Love. 

Four  of  Mrs.  Mow's  earlier  volumes, 
all  published  by  Zondervan,  have  under- 
gone a  series  of  reprintings.  Say  Yes  to 
Life,  in  its  seventh  printing,  is  now  being 
distributed  in  England.    Your  Teen-ager 


and  You  is  in  its  fifth  printing  and 
Your  Child  in  its  eighth  printing.  Go- 
ing Steady  With  God  is  now  in  a  sixth 
printing. 

Mrs.  Mow's  activities  include  a  heavy 
pace  of  lecturing  and  spiritual  life  re- 
treats throughout  the  country  and  mem- 
bership on  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Board.  She  and  her  husband, 
Baxter  Mow,  were  missionaries  in  India 
for  17  years,  after  which  she  taught  at 
Bethany  Seminary  for  18  years.  The 
Mows  reside  in  Roanoke,  Va. 

Currently  Mrs.  Mow  is  contemplating 
as  her  next  writing  venture  a  book  for 
young  people  on  the  Bible  and  faith. 
Three  publishers  have  indicated  interest 
in  the  work. 

Among  other  Brethren  who  have  re- 
cently published  works  or  are  under  con- 
tract to  publish  are  the  following: 

Donald  F.  Durnbaugh,  Oak  Brook, 
III.  Editor  of  and  one  of  eight  contrib- 
utors to  The  Church  of  the  Brethren: 
Past  and  Present,  to  be  published  this 
fall  by  Evangelisches  Verlagswerk,  a 
Protestant  publisher  in  Germany,  as  part 
of  a  Churches  of  the  World  series. 

Arthur  G.  Gish,  Philadelphia,  Pa., 
The  New  Left  and  Christian  Radicalism. 
To  be  released  this  month,  the  book 
makes  an  analysis  of  the  present  New 
Left  with  the  left  wing  of  the  Reforma- 
tion and  offers  a  synthesis  of  these  two 
radical  movements.  The  volume  grows 
out  of  Mr.  Gish's  involvement  in  peace, 
civil  rights,  and  protest  activity. 

Patricia  Helman  (Mrs.  A.  Blair), 
North  Manchester,  Ind.,  The  Moon  Un- 
der Her  Feet  (Doubleday).  The  publica- 
tion date,  tentatively,  is  early  next  year. 
The  book  is  described  as  "a  spiritual 
response  to  the  feminine  mystique." 

Jim  HolUs,  Clinton,  N.Y.,  Harold 
Pinter:  The  Poetics  of  Silence  (Southern 
Illinois  University  Press).  Dr.  HoUis, 
who  is  a  professor  of  literature  at  Kirk- 
land  College,  describes  the  book  as  "an 
analysis  of  the  plays  of  the  British  play- 
wright Pinter  with  particular  reference 


to  the  sensitivity  with  which  he  uses 
language  and  silence  to  convey  the  emp- 
tiness, loneliness,  and  anxiety  of  much 
of  contemporary  life."  The  book  will 
be  published  this  October. 

HoUis  is  also  editing  and  introducing 
an  anthology  of  readings,  entitled  Mod- 
ern Life-Styles,  for  Scott  Foresman, 
which  will  be  published  next  spring. 

David  L.  Miller,  Syracuse,  N.Y.,  Gods 
and  Games:  Toward  a  Theology  of  Play 
(World  Publishing).  In  the  volume  Dr. 
Miller,  who  is  associate  professor  of  re- 
ligion at  Syracuse  University,  calls  for 
a  theology  that  does  not  think  of  leisure, 
contemplation,  holiday,  and  play  coming 
at  the  end  of  work,  but  at  the  outset, 
as  the  basis  for  all  life. 

Robert  E.  Mohler,  McPherson,  Kan., 
Out  on  Broad  Kansas  Plains.  A  newly 
published  autobiography  reflecting  the 
experiences  of  farm,  classroom,  labora- 
tory, museum,  bank,  and  church  by  the 
long-time  McPherson  College  teacher 
and  administrator. 

Delores  Teufel,  Hershey,  Pa.,  Star 
Gazer,  a  book  of  poems  published  last 
year.  Her  previous  volumes  were  Col- 
lected Poems,  Reflections,  and  Soft 
Sound  of  Beauty.  Mrs.  Teufel,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Spring  Creek  Church  of  the 
Brethren  at  Hershey,  is  a  prorninent 
leader  in  local,  area,  and  state  literary 
societies. 

Murray  L.  Wagner  Jr.,  Chicago,  111., 
Like  the  Crocus  (Brethren  Press).  A 
part  of  the  Through-the-Week  Series  for 
ninth-  and  tenth-grade  public  school 
students,  the  book  offers  a  look  at  school 
experiences  and  learnings  from  the  per- 
spective of  the  Christian  faith.  It  is  to 
be  published  for  the  Cooperative  Publi- 
cation Association  later  this  year. 

Ernest  M.  Wampler,  Bridgewater,  Va., 
Seeking  God's  Will  for  Me.  An  auto- 
biography published  late  last  year  reveal- 
ing the  retired  Brethren  minister  and 
missionary's  search  for  God,  from  in  the 
Shenandoah  Valley  and  on  to  the  pastor- 
ate, missions  in  China,  and  home  again. 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     13 


+  news 


The  church  abroad 

Developments  related  to  the  witness 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  in  its 
program  of  world  ministries,  include  the 
following  happenings  abroad. 

Nigeria  scholarships:  Four  members 
of  the  faculty  of  Waka  Schools  in  Ni- 
geria are  recipients  of  a  University  Schol- 
arship Fund  set  up  by  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  mission  in   1967. 

All  Nigerians,  the  four  are  Gamace 
Madziga  and  Jack  Mbaya,  both  studying 
at  Ahmadu  Bello  University,  Zaria,  and 
Jabani  Mambuli  and  James  Mshelia, 
both  enrolled  in  Abdulahi  Bayero  Col- 
lege, Kano. 

The  amount  of  the  scholarships  for 
each  of  the  three  students  who  are  mar- 
ried is  $336;  for  the  one  single  student, 
$201.  In  addition  all  four  are  receiving 
Nigerian    government   scholarships. 

Malam  Gamace,  who  will  be  the  first 
of  the  four  to  complete  his  university 
work,  has  been  named  by  the  Waka 
Board  of  Governors  to  become  principal 
of  the  Waka  Secondary  School  upon  his 
return  this  summer. 

The  Scholarship  Fund  was  set  up  ex- 
plicitly by  Brethren  workers  on  the 
premise  that  "the  mission  begin  to  de- 
pend more  and  more  on  the  building 
of  persons  and  less  and  less  on  the  de- 


velopment of  institutions." 

In  the  future  the  fund  is  expected  to 
benefit  students  in  other  fields,  such  as 
theology  and  medicine,  as  well  as  in 
education. 

Traveling  library:  The  young,  vigor- 
ous Center  of  Theological  Studies  at 
Quito,  Ecuador,  has  taken  to  the  road. 

In  its  latest  development,  the  center 
has  set  up  small  mobile  libraries  of  basic 
reference  and  text  books  for  use  at 
regional  outposts  throughout  the  coun- 
try. 

For  example,  one  of  ten  regional  cen- 
ters is  at  Quevedo,  where  Israel  Arellano 
is  pastor  of  an  independent  congrega- 
tion. Both  Pastor  Arellano  and  his  wife 
Ruth  are  teachers  for  the  Center  for 
Theological  Studies,  and  their  church 
building  is  the  regional  outpost. 

Financing  for  the  traveling  library 
has  come  through  the  Theological  Edu- 
cation Fund,  an  international  and  ecu- 
menical program  especially  responsive  to 
experimental  training  ventures.  The 
fund,  inspired  by  the  World  Council  of 
Churches,   is  headquartered   in   London. 

The  director  of  the  Center  of  Theo- 
logical Studies,  Ulises  Hernandez,  a 
Methodist  missionary  from  Mexico,  sees 
the  mobile  units  as  greatly  strengthening 
the  eff'ort  to  offer  biblical  and  theological 
study  to  laity  and  clergy. 


At  Quevedo, 
Pastor  and 
Mrs.  Arellano 
examine  new 
library  unit. 
At  the  right 
is  Ulises 
Hernandez, 
director  of  the 
study  center 


While  inaugurated  by  the  United 
Evangelical  Church  in  1965,  the  center 
from  its  inception  has  been  broadly  ecu- 
menical, enlisting  the  support  of  inde- 
pendent and  Covenant  churchmen  as 
well  as  members  of  the  United  Church. 

Scripture  distribution:  The  recent 
opening  of  a  new  auxiliary  of  the  Bible 
Society  of  India  is  expected  to  be  a  boon 
to  the  production  and  distribution  of 
Christian  literature  in  Gujarat,  the  state 
where  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
India  is  most  active. 

The  Gujarat  Auxiliary  is  the  eleventh 
regional  office  to  be  established  in  India. 
It  is  located  in  Ahmedabad,  the  city  in 
north  Gujarat  where  tensions  between 
the  Muslim  and  Hindu  communities  led 
to  three  weeks  of  rioting  last  fall. 

Brethren,  both  nationals  and  mission- 
aries, have  been  much  involved  in  the 
work  of  the  India  Bible  Society  and  the 
wider  effort  to  translate  and  distribute 
Christian  literature  in  the  Gujarati  lan- 
guage. 

Church  of  the  Brethren  member 
Gershom  J.  Bulsari,  a  literacy  worker, 
book  shop  manager,  and  former  pastor, 
is  a  member  of  the  board  for  the  Gujarat 
Auxiliary. 

At  Bulsar,  a  branch  of  the  Gujarat 
Auxiliary  has  been  formed  headed  by 
I.  L.  Christachari,  executive  secretary  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  districts,  as 
president;  Maganlal  M.  Gameti,  pastor, 
Bulsar  church,  as  vice-president;  Ger- 
shom Bulsari  as  secretary;  and  J.  B. 
Solomon,  an  active  layman,  as  treasurer. 
Organized  fifteen  months  ago,  the  Bulsar 
unit  is  the  newest  of  seven  branches. 
However,  the  Christian  community  at 
Bulsar  long  has  been  supportive  of  the 
work  of  the  Bible  Society. 

Students  from  the  Gujarat  United 
School  of  Theology,  a  cooperative  train- 
ing institution  at  Ahmedabad  to  which 
Brethren  personnel  are  related,  partici- 
pated in  a  summer  earn-and-serve  type 
project  to  distribute  a  "Million  Gospels 
in  Gujarat."  While  failing  to  achieve 
the  numerical  goal,  the  teams  of  stu- 
dents worked  hard  and  sometimes 
penetrated    hostile    communities    where 


14     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


Veteran  New  Windsor  employees  Joel  Pe- 
tre  and  Beatrice  Thompson,  cited  by  H. 
McKinley  Coffman,  director  of  the  center 


they    rendered    a    courageous    witness. 

While  Brethren  missionaries  are  not 
engaged  per  se  in  the  Bible  Society  pro- 
gram, they  have  been  much  involved  in 
eiforts  to  produce  Christian  literature. 
For  example,  Laura  Sewell,  working 
with  Gershom  Bulsari,  is  completing 
work  on  a  three-year  daily  vacation  Bi- 
ble school  course. 

The  Bible  Society  of  India,  in  its  latest 
one-year  report,  indicates  it  produced  in 
the  Gujarati  language  18,000  New  Testa- 
ments, nearly  a  million  copies  of  sep- 
arate gospels,  and  more  than  a  half 
million  copies  of  other  special  selections 
from  the  Bible. 

The  production  of  scriptures  for  use 
in  India  entails  translations  in  25  lan- 
guages. One  of  the  newer  editions  in 
demand  is  Today's  English  Version, 
made  available  through  the  American 
Bible  Society. 

Employees  cited:  In  its  twenty-five- 
year  history,  the  Brethren  Service  Cen- 
ter, New  Windsor,  Md.,  has  had  two 
employees  who  have  been  with  the  op- 
eration all  but  a  few  years. 

They  are  Mrs.  Beatrice  Thompson, 
cook,  an  employee  of  23  years,  and  Joel 
Petre,  cafeteria  and  maintenance  super- 
visor, 23  years. 

The  two  head  the  list  of  ten  workers 
honored  at  an  annual  employees'  dinner. 
Others  cited  for  having  completed  ten 
or  more  years  of  employment  were: 

Mrs.  Helena  Weller,  17  years;  Mrs. 
Dorothy  Albaugh,  15  years;  Mrs.  Elsie 
Yohn,  14  years;  Mrs.  Helen  Hinman,  12 
years;   Mrs.   Ruby   Bollinger,    11   years; 


and  Mrs.  Marianna  Burkholder,  Mrs. 
Helena  Kruger,  and  Mrs.  Charlotte  Al- 
baugh, each  10  years. 

H.  McKinley  Coffman,  center  director, 
made  presentations  to  each  of  the  hon- 
ored workers.  A  total  of  100  center  per- 
sonnel and  guests  attended. 

The  center,  an  adjunct  of  the  World 
Ministries  Commission,  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  is  an  ecumenical  hub  from 
which  the  processing  and  shipping  of 
material  aid  for  Church  World  Service, 
Lutheran  World  Relief,  World  Relief 
Commission,  and  Interchurch  Medical 
Assistance  are  directed  overseas,  and 
where  such  other  endeavors  as  Brethren 
Volunteer  Service  training,  the  SERRV 
Program  and  International  Gift  Shop, 
and  regional  CROP  office  are  located. 

Phasing  out:  A  temporary  program 
to  help  African  churches  care  for  refu- 
gees and  begin  rehabilitation  measures 
has  ended  after  five  years.  During  this 
period  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  con- 
tributed  $10,000  to  the  special  appeal. 

Known  as  the  Ecumenical  Program 
for  Emergency  Action,  the  effort  was 
launched  by  the  All-African  Conference 
of  Churches  with  a  goal  of  $10  million. 
Actual  money  received  to  date  is  more 
than  $6  million.  Pledges  yet  to  come 
in  total  $3  million.  In  addition,  nearly 
$2.7  million  was  received  to  aid  victims 
of  the  Nigerian  civil  war. 

The  closing  report  indicates  that  the 
Emergency  Action  agency  supported  99 
projects  in  29  countries,  encompassing 
agricultural  work,  leadership  training, 
urban  programs,  health  assistance,  com- 
munity development,  and  relief  and  ref- 
ugee ministries. 

Projects  still  being  funded  will  be  ad- 
ministered in  conjunction  with  the  World 
Council  of  Churches. 

Peanuts:  In  its  latest  quarterly  report 
the  Rural  Service  Center  of  India  reveals 
significant  dietary  improvement  for  79 
families  who  set  aside  a  store  of  peanuts 
for  family  consumption.  Heretofore  pea- 
nuts were  considered  by  the  villagers 
as  a  source  of  cash  income  and  were 
used  only  marginally  for  food. 

In  another  project  of  the  center,  the 


yield  of  peanuts  in  particular  fields  was 
doubled  over  the  previous  year  after  the 
leveling  of  the  land.  "As  no  fertilizer 
was  used,"  reported  missionary  George 
Mason,  "it  must  be  assumed  that  the 
fertility  of  the  subsoil  layers  is  not  in- 
ferior to  the  top  soil.  The  increase  can 
be  attributed  to  much  better  retention 
of  rainfall."  Where  crops  on  leveled 
fields  were  heavily  fertilized  with  barn- 
yard manure,  the  results  were  especially 
excellent. 

Ecuador  appointees:  Cesar  Calderon 
of  Quito,  Ecuador,  has  been  named 
financial  officer  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Mission  and  United  Andean 
Indian  Mission  on  an  interim  basis.  He 
is  retired  as  treasurer  of  the  city's  water 
works,  is  an  active  layman  in  an  inde- 
pendent congregation,  and  was  president 
for  many  years  of  the  Brethren  Mission 
Foundation. 

Mrs.  Calderon  has  provided  language 
training  for  1-Ws  and  other  workers  in 
Ecuador.  Their  son  Rene  is  a  graduate 
of  Manchester  College. 

Mr.  Calderon  is  the  first  Ecuadorian 
to  carry  major  fiscal  responsibility  in  the 
Ecuadorian  mission  enterprise.  A  book- 
keeper, who  also  is  a  national  and  who 
was  trained  by  a  former  1-W  service 
worker,  will  assist  in  the  assignment. 

In  another  assignment  of  interest  to 
Brethren,  Jack  and  Flora  Warner  have 
been  appointed  to  a  term  of  service  with 
the  United  Andean  Indian  Mission.  Mr. 
Warner  is  a  brother  of  Paul  Warner, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  missionary  in 
Ecuador;  Mrs.  Warner  is  a  native  of 
Brazil,  where  they  met  while  Jack  was 
in  missionary  service  under  the  Meth- 
odist Church.  They  have  since  lived  in 
Madison,  Wis.,  where  Mr.  Warner  has 
completed  his  master's  degree.  Their 
assignment,  which  will  be  under  the 
United  Methodist  Church,  will  bring  fur- 
ther internationalization  of  the  Christian 
community  in  Ecuador. 

The  United  Andean  Indian  Mission  is 
a  cooperative  undertaking  of  five  denom- 
inations in  Ecuador.  George  M.  Kreps 
serves  as  field  coordinator  both  for  it  and 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Mission. 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     IS 


+  news 


The  road  to  Songmy 

"I   SENT   THEM   A   GOOD   BOY,"   Said   Mrs. 

Anthony  Meadlo,  "and  they  sent  home  a 
murderer."  The  name  of  Paul  David 
Meadlo,  of  New  Goshen,  Indiana,  has 
figured  in  the  reports  of  the  slaughter  of 
more  than  100  Vietnamese  civilians 
(some  accounts  put  the  number  above 
350)  by  American  soldiers  at  a  village 
named  Songmy. 

Where  did  the  journey  to  Songmy  be- 
gin? Did  it  begin  only  after  Paul  David 
Meadlo  arrived  in  Vietnam?  Or  did  it 
start  far,  far  back  —  back  to  the  first 
time  Paul  Meadlo  played  the  game  of 
killing  Indians,  or  cheered  when  West- 
ern movies  showed  Indians  being  driven 
off  cliffs?  Even  in  some  schoolbooks,  the 
Indians  were  fit  subjects  for  humiliation 
and  sudden  death.  They  were  something 
less  than  fully  human,  and  their  pain 
levied  no  claim  on  the  compassion  of 
children  —  or  even  adults. 

Long  before  Paul  Meadlo  ever  saw  a 
Vietnamese,  he  learned  that  people  of 
yellow  skin  were  undesirable  and  there- 
fore inferior.  He  learned  in  his  history 
class  about  the  Oriental  Exclusion  Act, 
the  meaning  of  which  was  that  people 
from  Asia  were  less  acceptable  in  the 
United  States  than  people  from  Europe. 
He  learned  very  little  about  the  culture 
of  Asian  people  but  he  learned  to  asso- 
ciate them  with  all  sorts  of  sinister  be- 
havior. 

The  road  to  Songmy  is  long  and  wide. 
It  is  littered  with  children's  toys  —  toy 
machine  guns,  toy  flame-throwers,  toy 
dive  bombers,  toy  atom  bombs.  Standing 
at  the  side  of  the  road  are  parents  watch- 
ing approvingly  as  the  children  turn  their 
murderous  playthings  on  one  another. 
The  parents  tell  themselves  that  this  is 
what  children  do  in  the  act  of  growing 
up.  But  the  act  of  growing  up  is  an 
enlargement  of,  and  not  a  retreat  from, 
the  games  that  children  play.  And  so 
the  subconscious  is  smudged  at  an  early 
age  by  bloody  stains  that  never  fully 
disappear. 


Paul  David  Meadlo  grew  up  in  a  little 
town  10,000  miles  away  from  Vietnam; 
but  the  kind  of  things  that  were  to  hap- 
pen in  Songmy  came  springing  to  life 
in  his  living  room  where  there  was  an 
electronic  box  called  television.  Hour 
after  hour,  the  box  would  be  lit  up  by 
pictures  showing  people  whose  faces  were 
smashed  and  pulverized,  but  it  was  part 
of  an  endless  and  casual  routine.  Where 
did  the  desensitization  to  human  pain 
and  the  preciousness  of  life  begin?  Did 
it  begin  at  formal  indoctrination  sessions 
in  Vietnam,  or  at  point-blank  range  in 
front  of  an  electronic  tube,  spurting  its 
messages  about  the  cheapness  of  life? 

And  when  the  court-martial  is  held, 
who  will  be  on  trial?  Will  it  be  only 
the  soldiers  who  were  face-to-face  with 
the  civilians  they  say  they  were  ordered 
to  kill?  The  army  now  says  soldiers 
should  not  obey  commands  that  are 
senseless  and  inhuman.  What  well- 
springs  of  sense  and  humaneness  are  to 
be  found  in  the  orders  to  destroy  whole 
villages  from  the  air?  Is  a  man  in  a 
plane  exempt  from  wrongdoing  solely 
because  he  does  not  see  the  faces  of  the 
women  and  children  whose  bodies  will 
be  shattered  by  the  explosives  he  rains 
on  them  from  the  sky?  How  does  one 
define  a  legitimate  victim  of  war?  What 
of  a  frightened  mother  and  her  baby 
who  take  refuge  in  a  tunnel  and  are  cre- 
mated alive  by  a  soldier  with  a  flame- 
thrower? Does  the  darkness  of  the  tun- 
nel make  them  proper  candidates  for 
death? 

Will  the  trial  summon  every  American 
officer  who  has  applied  contemptuous 
terms  like  "'gook,"  "dink,"  and  "slope" 
to  the  Vietnamese  people  —  North  and 
South?  Will  it  ask  whether  these  officers 
have  ever  understood  the  ease  and  rapid- 
ity with  which  people  who  are  deprived 
of  respect  as  humans  tend  to  be  regarded 
as  subhuman?  Have  these  officers  ever 
comprehended  the  connection  between 
the  casual  violence  of  the  tongue  and 
the  absolute  violence  of  the  trigger 
finger? 


Will  the  men  who  conceived  and  au- 
thorized the  search-and-destroy  missions 
be  on  trial?  Search-and-destroy  quickly 
became  destroy  first  and  search  after- 
ward. How  far  away  from  unauthorized 
massacre  is  authorized  search-and-de- 
stroy? 

Will  the  trial  ask  why  it  was  that  the 
United  States,  which  said  it  was  going 
into  Vietnam  to  insure  self-determina- 
tion, called  off  the  countrywide  free  elec- 
tions provided  for  in  the  1954  Geneva 
Agreements  —  after  which  call-off  came 
not  just  Viet  Cong  terror  but  the  pro- 
digious growth  of  the  National  Libera- 
tion Front? 

Will  the  trial  ask  what  role  the  United 
States  played  in  the  assassination  of  Pres- 
ident Ngo  Dinh  Diem?  Will  it  ask  how 
it  was  that  political  killing  and  subver- 
sion, which  had  always  been  regarded  as 
despicable  actions  perpetrated  by  our  en- 
emies, should  have  been  made  into  prac- 
tices acceptable  to  the  United  States? 

Will  there  be  no  one  at  the  trial  to 
explain  why  the  negotiations  at  Paris 
were  deadlocked  over  the  shape  of  the 
table  for  six  weeks  —  during  which  time 
five  thousand  Americans  and  Vietnamese 
were  killed?  If  the  men  at  Paris  had 
been  able  in  advance  to  see  the  faces  of 
those  who  were  to  die,  would  this  have 
made  them  responsible  for  the  dead? 

There  is  a  road  back  from  Songmy 
and  Vietnam.  It  is  being  traveled  today 
by  the  American  soldiers  who  gave  their 
Thanksgiving  dinners  and  regular  rations 
to  Vietnamese,  and  who  in  deed  and  atti- 
tude have  made  themselves  exemplars  of 
a  creatively  humane  presence.  There  are 
doctors  and  teachers  and  volunteers  on 
this  road  who  comprehend  the  possi- 
bilities and  power  of  regeneration.  But 
their  numbers  need  to  be  swelled  to 
bursting  in  order  to  begin  to  meet  the 
need. 

It  is  a  long  road  back,  not  just  for 
the  soldiers  who  were  there  but  for  all 
of  us  who  showed  them  the  way  to 
Songmy.  —  Norman  Cousins 

Reprinted    by    permission    from    Saturday   Revie 


The  road  to  Songmy  is  long  and  wide. 

16     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


It  is  a  long  road  back  for  all  of  us 


Search-and-destroy 
quickly  became  destroy 
first  and  search  after- 
wards. How  far  away 
from  unauthorized  massacre 
is  authorized  search- 
and-destroy? 


Is  a  man  in  a  plane 

exempt  from  wrongdoing 

because  he  does  not  see 

the  faces  of  the  women 

and  children  whose  bodies 

will  be  shattered  by 

the  explosives  he  rains 

on  them  from  the  sky? 


How  does  one  define  a 
legitimate  victim  of  war? 
.  .  .  Does  the  darkness 
of  the  tunnel  make  a 
frightened  mother  and 
her  baby  proper 
candidates  for  death? 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     17 


news 


ROYCE  TOOKER  REPORTS 


THE  BRIDGE  IN  BERLIN 


Despite  the  division  and  sadness 
caused  by  the  erection  of  the  Wall  over 
eight  years  ago,  Berlin  is  one  of  Ger- 
many's most  alive  and  beautiful  cities. 
With  a  population  of  over  2,000,000  in 
the  West  and  1,000,000  in  the  East,  Ber- 
lin has  all  the  characteristics  of  large 
cities. 

On  the  northern  border  of  West  Berlin, 
in  an  area  that  used  to  be  garden  settle- 
ments for  Berliners  with  apartments  in 
the  city,  a  new  city  in  itself  is  rapidly 
being  tacked  together.  The  Maerkisches 
Viertel,  which  now  houses  30,000  people 
and  upon  completion  will  add  that  many 
more,  is  a  fantastic  example  of  prefabri- 
cation  construction. 

In  the  center  of  this  new  city  is  a  gray 
slab  structure  built  over  the  main  thor- 
oughfare. This  structure,  known  as  the 
Bridge,  is  the  only  youth  recreation  cen- 
ter in  the  whole  complex  —  and  even  it 
was  not  planned  by  the  architects.  For- 
tunately the  Evangelical  Church  of  Berlin 
recognized  the  need,  and  on  August  8, 
1968,  the  Bridge  became  an  open  recrea- 
tion center  to  give  the  youth  of  the  Maer- 
kisches Viertel  (MV)  the  opportunity  to 
meet  others,  work  together  on  similar 
interests,  and  realize  common  goals. 

Watchdogging:  From  the  beginning 
it  became  clear  that  the  two  Bridge  di- 
rectors (Klaus  Ruch  and  I)  weren't 
enough  to  carry  out  all  of  the  responsi- 
bilities effectively.  Much  of  our  time  was 
spent  watchdogging  the  club,  which  cer- 
tainly wasn't  our  idea  of  a  significant 
Christian  witness  or  of  an  effective  youth 
encouragement  program. 

Because  we  wanted  to  be  more  per- 
sonally involved,  we  spent  many  off  work 
hours  talking  with  young  people  about 
their  problems,  their  homes,  the  church, 
their  lives  and  what  they  had  accom- 
plished, and,  most  important,  what  they 
could  do  tomorrow. 

Unfortunately  such  conversations  were 


nearly  impossible  in  the  Bridge  because 
of  the  large  number  of  visitors  and  the 
great  volume  of  noise  from  a  35-watt 
record  player. 

Routine:  A  typical  day  at  the  Bridge 
began  with  the  opening  of  the  doors  at 
3,  but  often  there  would  be  somebody 
seeking  admittance  at  8  or  9  in  the  morn- 
ing. His  problem  was  simply,  "I  ain't 
got  nothing  to  do.  It's  all  mixed  up;  the 
whole  world  is  crazy  and  I  don't  feel 
like  doing  anything  anyway."  We  were 
limited  in  the  way  we  could  respond  to 
such  problems  by  our  small  quarters  and 
facilities,  but  we  tried  to  capitalize  on  the 
energy  and  ideas  of  the  young  people  to 
build  and  change  wherever  possible. 

We  did  have  a  pool  table,  a  borrowed 
ping  pong  table,  and  two  football  table 
games  called  Kicker  Spiel  that  kept  eight 
people    busy   playing   and    thirty   others 


watching.  A  book  case  had  been  filled 
with  books  but  as  time  passed  all  of  them 
disappeared  with  the  exception  of  the 
twenty  New  Testaments. 

Programs:  We  made  several  attempts 
for  organized  programs  in  the  evenings, 
but  they  were  usually  met  with  indiffer- 
ence and  such  comments  as  "All  I  want 
is  my  peace  and  quiet."  The  confusion 
of  many  of  the  young  people  who  visited 
the  Bridge  began  to  raise  significant  ques- 
tions in  our  own  minds.  What  happens 
to  a  fourteen-year-old  when  he  is  torn 
from  his  old  environment  and  moves 
with  his  family  to  a  totally  new  develop- 
ment that  could  appropriately  be  called 
"skyscraper  apartments"?  What  happens 
when  he  tries  to  be  good  and  is  rebuffed 
daily  by  the  coldness  of  the  prefabricated 
surroundings?  How  can  you  tell  this  per- 
son that  someone  loves  him  and  cares, 
even  though  he  was  forced  to  spend  two 
years  in  a  Christian  retention  home 
where  he  learned  how  to  fight  to  stay 
alive? 

Church  concern?  Herr  Ruch  spent  a 
great  deal  of  his  free  time  talking  with 


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Berlin's  Maerkisches   Viertel:   "A   fantastic  example   of  prefabrication   construction" 


18     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


church  officials  and  city  councilmen, 
trying  to  relate  some  of  the  problems  of 
young  people  at  MV.  He  made  a  sad 
discovery.  The  church  and  city  had 
closed  ears.  The  church  felt  that  it  had 
already  done  enough,  and  the  city  had 
no  room  for  such  problems  in  their 
budget  until  1973.  We  came  to  realize 
that  the  problems  youth  were  talking 
about  were  real,  not  imaginary.  They 
were  being  pushed  into  insignificant  roles 
by  society,  the  government,  and  the 
church. 

The  Bridge  was  never  what  one  would 
call  a  "nice"  place  to  visit.  The  large 
turnover  of  visitors,  administrative  prob- 
lems, and  most  of  all  the  brutal  aggres- 
siveness of  many  of  the  young  people 
kept  the  Bridge  in  constant  tension.  Per- 
haps a  brief  sketch  of  some  of  the  young 
people  we  worked  with  will  give  insight 
into   the   complexity   of  their   problems. 

Christians?  Rudi  was  the  older  broth- 
er of  the  fellow  who  tried  to  reshape  my 
glasses  last  December.  Although  he  was 
only  nineteen  years  old,  he  had  already 
been  in  numerous  jails,  homes,  and  in- 
stitutions. He  spent  two  years  in  a  cor- 
rectional institution  operated  by  the 
church  and  it  was  there  that  he  learned 
to  fight,  to  hate,  and  even  to  kill.  It  was 
there  that  he  learned  how  hypocritical 
many  Christians  can  be,  and  he  swore 
he  would  get  even  with  them.  Klaus 
Ruch  and  I  tried  quietly  to  convince  him 
that  there  are  other  people  who  are  sin- 
cere and  helpful.  At  times  we  seemed 
to  get  through  to  him  and  we  even  es- 
tablished a  trust  relationship  that  lasted 
until  March.  During  this  time  Rudi  was 
a  positive  person,  and  because  he  was 
well-known  and  respected  by  many  Ber- 
lin street  gangs,  we  had  no  hoodlum  at- 
tacks on  the  Bridge.  Rudi  had  been  in 
the  hospital  numerous  times  due  to  fights 
and  suicide  attempts,  and  each  time  he 
was  released  he  promised  not  to  do  it 
again.  He  was  from  a  family  of  seven- 
teen children,  five  of  whom  died  at  birth. 

Peter's  problem:  Peter,  17,  was  well- 
liked  by  most  of  the  other  kids.  But  he 
too  had  been  in  a  correctional  home,  and 
even  though  he  appeared  to  be  intelli- 


Tlie  Bridge  recreation  center  "was  never  what  one  would  call  a  nice  place  to  visit" 


gent,  he  could  not  complete  his  ap- 
prenticeship. I  never  understood  why 
until  his  father  visited  the  bridge  one 
night.  He  walked  in  and  said,  "Have 
you  got  my  brat  here?"  I  told  him  that 
we  didn't  have  any  brats  there,  and  I 
didn't  know  whom  he  meant.  I  asked 
him  to  kindly  remove  himself  from  the 
center  if  he  was  going  to  speak  with  that 
kind  of  attitude.  Eventually  he  found 
Peter  and  threatened  to  call  the  police 
if  Peter  didn't  at  once  give  him  the  twen- 
ty-five dollars  that  he  owed  him.  The 
father  turned  to  me  and  the  rest  of  the 
group  and  said  that  the  place  ought  to 
be  shut  down  if  we  allowed  such  dumb 
brats  as  this  one  (Peter)  to  come.  He 
left  and  I  had  a  new  insight  into  Peter's 
problem. 

Parents?  Parents  seemed  to  mean 
much  to  these  kids,  but  it  was  difficult  to 
know  what  the  situation  was  at  home 
with  most  of  them,  and  even  more  dif- 
ficult to  get  the  parents  to  become  in- 
volved in  the  lives  of  their  own  children. 
More  often  than  not,  we  never  got  a 
chance  to  meet  the  parents,  so  we  had 
to  work  very  slowly  and  one-sidedly  in 
trying  to  deal  with  incomplete  relation- 
ships. 

Often  we  would  spend  three  or  four 
nights  a  week  talking  with  a  boy  or  girl 
several  hours  beyond  closing.    The  next 


morning  meant  bookwork,  errands,  meet- 
ings, pamphlet  printing,  house  and  court 
visits,  planning  with  the  probation  de- 
partment, and  work  with  a  kindergarten. 
In  the  afternoon  we  worked  with  other 
volunteers  in  supervising  an  imaginative 
adventure  playground  where  children 
learned  to  build  a  fire  or  construct  a 
house. 

Klaus  and  I  continually  fought  for 
more  equipment  and  personnel,  and  in 
April  another  volunteer  arrived.  But  the 
days  didn't  get  any  shorter. 

The  church  wouldn't  give  us  any  finan- 
cial assistance  but  fortunately  their  moral 
support  remained  to  the  point  that  Klaus 
and  I  served  as  baptismal  witnesses  for 
one  youth. 

Bridge  lesson:  Often  as  self-righteous 
parents  and  Christians  we  conveniently 
ignore  the  problems  of  youth,  thinking 
that  they  are  unimportant  or  something 
merely  to  be  grown  out  of.  Experience 
at  the  Bridge  taught  me  something  else: 
The  most  important  thing  to  realize  is 
that  these  young  people  weren't  bad, 
stupid,  or  born  problems.  .  .  .  They  were 
confused  by  a  society  that  created  them, 
then  turned  its  back  on  them.  The 
Bridge  is  an  international  experience:  It 
grows  and  festers  equally  well  in  San 
Francisco  and  Chicago.  —  royce  took- 

ER,    MARBURG 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     19 


day  by  day 


A  VISIT  to  a  chickenhouse  can  be  quite  an  experience.  One 
is  likely  to  find  a  chicken  or  two  literally  picked  to  pieces 
by  the  rest  of  the  flock.  It  seems  that  a  slight  oddity  will 
induce  an  attack  on  the  different  one  until  he  is  put  com- 
pletely out  of  the  picture. 

At  an  early  age  children  notice  the  differences  in  peo- 
ple. But,  unlike  chickens,  they  must  learn  to  accept  them 
as  they  are  and  to  recognize  the  individual  contributions 
that  they  make  to  the  rest  of  the  world.  An  awareness  of 
the  differences  in  people  will  help  the  child  to  cope  with 
his  own  reactions  when  someday  he  may  become  a  vic- 
tim of  the  flock  for  one  reason  or  another. 

It  is  not  unusual  to  see  a  three-year-old  point  and  stare 
at  a  midget  his  own  size.  The  flustered  mother  drags  him 
away,  admonishing  him  for  his  overt  actions  and,  if  she 
is  a  wise  mother,  explains  the  phenomenon  of  human  de- 
velopment in  a  way  that  the  child  can  understand. 

Our  own  children  enjoyed  their  friendship  with  Lynn, 
our  handicapped  neighbor  who,  although  older  in  years 
and  mature  in  body,  spent  her  time  with  them  trading 
records  and  talking  of  pets.  Lynn  is  a  lovable  girl  and 
her  handicap  is  easily  accepted  by  our  children. 

Not  so  easily  explained  away  is  the  personality  of 
"Pig,"  a  schoolmate.  How  this  girl  got  her  nickname  no 
one  knows  exactly.  She  is  not  obese,  just  a  little  on  the 
chunky  side.  She  uses  some  rather  bizarre  ways  of  getting 
attention  which  makes  life  miserable  for  her.  Heavy  make- 
up, loud  conversation,  and  general  exploitation  of  her 
privileges  are  all  factors  in  her  abnormal  bid  to  be  noticed. 
In  her  desperate  desire  to  be  loved  she  has  succeeded  in 
becoming  most  unlovable.  If  her  peers  could  recognize 
her  better  qualities,  her  unusual  behavior  patterns  would 
probably  diminish.  Instead  she  is  constantly  picked  on, 
and  the  vicious  cycle  continues. 

Moving  from  a  small  town  to  a  city  a  few  months  ago 
has  exposed  a  whole  new  world  of  people  for  our  children, 
and  they  have  reacted  in  different  ways.  Six-year-old  Todd, 
after  his  first  face-to-face  confrontation  with  a  black- 
skinned  person  said,  "You  know,  it  was  one  of  those 
brown  people  who  used  to  be  related  to  Indians." 

Day  by  day  we  encounter  people  who  are  different. 
Differences  show  in  size,  shape,  and  color  as  well  as  per- 
sonalities of  all  kinds.  Some  are  lovable  and  some  are  un- 
desirable. We  cannot  isolate  ourselves  from  people  nor 
can  we  always  pick  and  choose  our  human  encounters. 

Listed  below  are  some  suggestions  for  sharpening  our 
awareness  of  differences  in  people. 

Who  am  I?  Self-acceptance  must  come  before  we  can 


fully  accept  other  people.  During  a  recent  visit  with  rela- 
tives we  found  ourselves  rolling  in  laughter  when  an  uncle 
drew  a  sketch  of  the  Shingleton  profile.  We  were  surprised 
that  the  drawing  really  characterized  the  physique  of  most 
of  the  family.  This  was  all  in  fun,  of  course.  Making 
silhouettes  of  the  children  can  be  a  profitable  family  ac- 
tivity in  terms  of  a  common  interest  and  gaining  insights 
into  oneself.  As  the  years  go  by  the  profile  will  still  be 
recognizable.  Silhouettes  are  easy  to  make  by  projecting 
the  shadow  to  white  paper  on  a  wall.  This  is  achieved  by 
placing  a  study  lamp  behind  the  subject  and  tracing  the 
profile.  Transfer  the  drawing  onto  black  paper  with  a 
white  background  and  a  very  nice  wall  hanging  can  be 
realized. 

Let's  go  people  watching.  Family  fun  and  learning, 
too,  are  the  objects  of  a  people-watching  activity.  A  busy 
shopping  center,  a  train  station,  or  an  air  terminal  are 
good  places  to  go.  Watch  the  way  people  move,  their  mode 
of  dress,  and  especially  their  facial  expressions,  and  you 
may  soon  be  able  to  ascertain  the  troubled  and  the  happy, 
and  the  general  life-styles  of  persons  as  they  pass. 

A  time  for  worship.  A  stormy  recitation  of  an  un- 
pleasant happening  in  which  one  individual  dominated  a 
particular  situation,  or  the  description  of  someone  being 
treated  inferiorly  because  of  color  or  social  status,  very 
often  becomes  table-talk  at  the  end  of  a  day.  Without 
much  effort  an  incident  can  become  the  theme  for  a  fam- 
ily worship  experience.  An  assortment  of  dofls  (no  two 
alike)  can  be  used  to  represent  the  different  types  of  peo- 
ple to  be  portrayed,  or  they  can  simply  be  placed  sur- 
rounding a  globe  for  a  worship  center.  Appropriate  hymns 
and  Bible  stories  may  be  used  to  implement  the  service, 
but,  equally  important,  the  children  should  be  allowed  to 
reenact  situations  which  pertain  to  the  theme.  A  stimulat- 
ing discussion  is  inevitable  in  this  worship  experience.  — 
Eldon  and  Ruth  Shingleton 

DAILY   READING  GUIDE        March    15-28 

Sunday    Luke    19:2-10.     A   wee    little   man   was   he. 

Monday     John    4:4-15.     Though    she    was    not    a    Jew,    he    spoke    with    her. 

Tuesday     Luke    17:11-14.     Ten    men    were    cleansed. 

Wednesday      Matthew     8:28-34.      The     mentally     ill. 

Thursday     Acts    9:1-2,    17-19,     An    enemy    won. 

Friday     Acts     10:34,    35.     God    shows    no    partiality. 

Saturday     Acts    14:11-15.     All    of    like    nature. 

Sunday    1    Corinthians    13:4-7.    Love   is   for   everyone. 

Monday     Solomon    1 :5-6a.     One    of    a    different    skin. 

Tuesday     Matthew    5:43-48.     Perfection    includes    loving    others. 

Wednesday     Matthew    7:1-5.     Who    are    we    to    judge? 

Thursday     Matthew    13:31,    32.     Kindness    will    grow    and    grow. 

Friday     Mark    1 :40-42.     An    act    of    compassion. 

Saturday     James    2:1-4.     Acceptance    for    all. 


20     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


New  Testament  Crossword 


by  Carol  Conner 


ACROSS 
I  Emotion  in  Luke  15:32 
5  Navigation  chart 
8  Action  urged  in  1  Thess.  5:17 

12  Of  aircraft 

13  Metal-yielding  substance 

14  Emerald  Isle 

15  Beheld  (Acts  1:11) 

16  Title  of  respect  (John  20:21) 

17  What  to  abhor  (Rom.  12:9) 

18  Imitated 

20  Signify 

21  Uses  up  (Matt.  26:8) 

24  Achiever  (James  1:22) 

25  Become  ready  to  eat 

26  Empty  (John  2:15) 

27  Postmaster  (abbr.) 

29  Girl's  name 

30  Hard  alloy 

32  Hawaiian  food 

33  Probable  error  (abbr.) 

34  Appearance 

35  Young  animals  (Matt.  21:5) 

37  Fierce  animal  (1  Peter  5:8) 

38  Young  hen 

39  Despise 

41  Modem  artist 

42  Time  (John  17:1) 

43  Piece  of  food  (John  13:26) 

44  Sell 

48  Too 

49  Weed  cutter 

50  God  (Mark  15:34) 

51  Wild  animal 

52  Be  mistaken  (Matt.  22:29) 

53  Place 

DOWN 

1  Anesthetic 

2  Civil  War  general 

3  Exist 

4  Give 

5  Great  leader  and  lawgiver  (John 
5:46) 

6  Parched 

7  For  each 

8  Frog 

9  Flowing  water  (Rev.  22:1) 


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42 

43 

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47 

48 

49 

50 

51 

52. 

53 

10  Seed  covering 

11  Shout 

19  Payment 

20  Full  of  feeling 

21  Outer  garment 

22  Assistant 

23  Mineral  spring 

24  Female  hare 

26  Writing  tool  (3  John  13) 

27  End  of  earth's  axis 

28  Drizzle 

31  Number 

32  Friend 
34  Reflector 

36  Mount  in  Luke  19:29 

37  Insect 

38  Writing  material  (2  John  12) 

39  Salt-water  fish 


40  Plant  of  mustard  family 

41  Entrance  (Rev.  3:20) 
43  Her 

45  Hebrew  high  priest 

46  Not 

47  Give  up  life  (Acts  21:13) 


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3-12-70   MESSENGER    21 


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Annie  Vollotton,  artist,  writer,  composer 


Her  Shorthand  Drawings 

Illustrate  a  Best  Seller 


by  Margaret 
J.  Anderson 


0„ 


'ne  day  when  a  photographer  friend, 
a  new  Christian,  visited  our  home,  he 
brought  with  him  the  American  Bible 
Society's  popular  Today's  English 
Version  of  the  New  Testament,  Good 
News  for  Modern  Man. 

"Have  you  seen  this?"  he  asked 
excitedly.  "It's  like  reading  a  news- 
paper. And  look."  He  flipped  the 
pages  and  pointed  to  one  of  the  more 


than  two  hundred  line  drawings  that 
illustrate  the  book.  "That's  me,"  he 
said.  "The  prodigal  son,  the  guy  who 
had  to  hit  bottom  before  he  came  to 
his  senses.  Whoever  drew  those  pic- 
tures is  one  clever  fellow." 

I  told  my  friend  that  he  was 
wrong.  The  artist  is  not  one  clever 
fellow,  but  a  very  talented  Swiss-born 
woman,  Mile.  Annie  Vollotton.  Only 


22     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


a  few  weeks  previously  I  had  inter- 
viewed her  in  Chicago  where  she 
made  one  of  twenty-two  stops  on  her 
third  trip  to  the  United  States.  Be- 
sides, I  visited  with  her  secretary 
and  traveling  companion,  Annie  Lelu, 
who  shared  what  she  knew  about  the 
artist.  I  also  watched  a  performance 
where  an  overhead  projector  en- 
larged the  "shorthand"  illustrations 
Miss  Vollotton  drew  while  she  spoke. 
Using  several  of  the  Good  News  for 
Modern  Man  adaptations  she  invari- 
ably added  a  fresh,  humorous  touch 
which  the  audience  was  quick  to  ap- 
plaud. 

"Christians  should  be  happy  peo- 
ple," she  said  in  her  own  accented 
English. 

She  proved  this  premise  when,  in 
intervals  between  drawings,  she  intro- 
duced a  couple  of  rounds  she  had 
composed.  She  divided  her  audience 
into  three  sections  and  within  seconds 
had  them  singing,  joyfully,  as  she 
alternately  sang  or  yodeled  the  song. 
Here  is  the  one  I  remember  best: 
"Can  you  tell  me  why  you  are  so 
peaceful?  /  Can  you  tell  me  why  you 
are  so  joyful?  /  I  love  Jesus,  /  He  is 
powerful  /  And  faithful,  /  He's  my 
friend,  /  He's  my  friend." 

Born  in  Lausanne,  Switzerland,  a 
daughter  of  the  late  Benjamin  Vollot- 
ton, a  well-known  Swiss  Protestant 
writer.  Miss  Vollotton  studied  art  at 
Ecole  des  Arts  Decoraftis  in  Stras- 
bourg, France.  Latent  talent  com- 
bined with  diligent  study  and  practice 
made  her  proficient  in  various  media 
—  oils,  watercolors,  stencils,  and 
plastics. 

A  versatile  person,  she  has  written 
a  collection  of  children's  songs  pub- 
lished in  Switzerland  under  the  title 
Chante  a  Dieu  (Sing  to  God) . 

Miss  Vollotton  has  also  written 
children's  books.  Her  latest.  From 


Apple  up  to  the  Moon,  will  be  pub- 
lished by  Abingdon  Publishing  House. 
It  is  an  art  and  text  interpretation  of 
the  story  of  man  from  creation  to  the 
space  age. 

During  her  stay  in  America  last 
summer.  Miss  Vollotton  prepared 
thirteen  children's  tapes  titled  "Story 
Line,"  which,  designed  originally  for 
TV  distribution,  are  now  available 
also  to  churches  for  Sunday,  vacation, 
and  released-time  programs. 

She  has  also  created  a  TV  program 
which  is  produced  in  Paris,  where 
she  lives,  for  persons  who  do  not  at- 
tend church  school.  It  is  called  Moi 
Clementine.  The  lead  players  are  two 
puppets  named  for  characters  in  a 
children's  book  she  wrote  several 
years  ago.  Clementine,  the  older,  is 
Sunday  school  age;  Pip,  her  brother, 
is  not.  Every  Sunday  when  Clemen- 
tine returns  from  her  class  session 
she  proceeds  to  draw  pictures,  Vollot- 
ton style,  of  the  stories  she  has  learned. 

Speaking  of  her  love  for  the  Bible, 
Miss  Vollotton  said,  "I  was  taught 
to  love  the  Bible  when  I  was  just  a 
small  child.  More  recently  I've  be- 
come upset  because  non-Christians 
and  unchurched  persons  aren't 
interested  in  reading  it.  That's  why 
I'm  so  glad  to  have  had  a  part  in 
the  Good  News  for  Modern  Man 
production. 

"If  you  invite  a  guest  to  your  home, 
you  want  him  to  feel  at  home  when 
he  arrives.  As  host,  you  will  wel- 
come him  with  a  smile  and  an 
amiable,  hospitable  manner. 

"It's  the  same  with  the  Bible.  To 
feel  welcome,  a  person  must  be 
greeted  by  attractive  pleasing  pages. 
The  nonreligious  twentieth-century 
man  has  a  million  distractions.  He 
will  not  be  enticed  by  dull,  copious, 
obsolete  language." 

Robert  G.  Bratches,  TEV  (Today  o 


English  Version)  translator,  agrees. 
He  says  Good  News  for  Modern  Man 
was  written  "consciously  for  the  un- 
churched." And  he  believes  Miss 
Vollotton  provides  the  touch  of  en- 
ticement that  helps  attract  these 
people. 

It  was  in  Priorite,  a  French  Bible 
Society  sleek  paperback  book  pub- 
lished in  Switzerland,  that  Miss  VoUot- 
ton's  imaginative  drawings  first  saw 
publication.  Later  the  American  Bi- 
ble Society  asked  her  to  illustrate 
"The  Right  Time,"  a  portion  of 
Today's  English  Version  of  the  Gospel 
of  Mark,  which  was  published  before 
the  complete  New  Testament. 
Pleased  with  her  sketches,  they  gave 
her  the  Good  News  assignment. 

Many  readers  have  suggested  that 
this  volume  represents  author-artist 
teamwork  at  its  creative  best.  The 
fact  that  one  complements  the  other 
so  meaningfully  has  made  this  Ameri- 
can Bible  Society  New  Testament  a 
publication  marvel.  With  sales 
spiraling  as  they  do,  it  is  slated  to 
become  the  best-selling  paperback  in 
history. 

In  its  many  translations  into  other 
languages  the  text  of  this  volume  goes 
through  careful  screenings.  Miss 
Vollotton's  work,  however,  remains 
intact. 

"That's  because  the  pictures  are 
so  universally  relevant,"  she  told  me. 
"They  do  not  need  translation." 

The  relevance  of  which  she  spoke  is 
self-evident.  Note  the  contemptuous 
pride  with  which  the  teacher  of  the 
Law  parades  his  holiness  in  Mark  12; 
the  desolation  of  the  prodigal  son 
with  his  pigs  in  Luke  15;  the  diverse 
characterization  in  every  crowd  of 
people,  particularly  in  Matthew  8;  the 
true-to-life  behavior  of  children  Jesus 
blesses  in  Matthew  19. 

"A  photographer  captures  an  atti- 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     23 


SHORTHAND  DRAWINGS  /  continued 

tude,"  Miss  Vollotton  explained.  "A 
movie  camera  garners  a  whole  se- 
quence of  motion.  But  it's  my  preroga- 
tive as  an  artist  to  choose  a  precise 
moment  I  want  to  portray." 

To  depict  this  precise  moment  Miss 
Vollotton  eliminates  nonessentials. 
Her  people  have  no  faces.  When  I 
asked  her  why,  she  said,  "Everyone  is 
familiar  with  the  human  body,  so  why 
draw  ears,  eyes,  nose,  and  mouth,  or 
every  finger  on  the  hand?  I  want  to 
give  the  viewer  an  instantaneous  total 
rather  than  partial  impression  of  each 
moment  I  select.  Besides  identifica- 
tion is  always  trustworthy  because 
each  drawing  represents  types  of  peo- 
ple and  specific  emotional  reactions 
everyone  understands." 

A  good  illustration  of  this  identifi- 
cation occurred  when  the  ten  millionth 
copy  of  Good  News  for  Modern  Man 
was  presented  to  former  baseball 
player  Bobby  Richardson.  Having 
been  asked  to  draw  for  the  guests  who 
would  be  present  at  a  dinner  in  the 
athlete's  honor.  Miss  Vollotton  felt 
she  ought  to  do  something  that  would 
call  attention  to  the  game  that  had 
helped  make  him  famous.  This  would 
be  difficult,  however,  since  she  knew 


next  to  nothing  about  how  baseball  is 
played.  She  solved  the  problem  by 
scanning  a  series  of  baseball  pictures. 
Then,  with  a  few  quick  strokes  she 
captured  the  excitement  of  partici- 
pants in  the  game  to  the  delight  of 
the  guests  who  knew  baseball  well. 

A  perfectionist,  Miss  Vollotton  has 
sometimes  done  forty  to  sixty  sketches 
before  she  is  satisfied  with  a  particular 
one. 

A  good  example  is  Jesus'  admonish- 
ing his  disciples:  "If  anyone  wants  to 
come  with  me  he  must  forget  himself 
and  carry  his  cross  and  follow  me." 

"When  I  thought  about  the  admoni- 
tion," she  said,  "I  realized  that  Jesus 
must  have  meant  that  each  of  us 
carries  a  cross.  It  may  be  illness, 
marital  problems,  financial  worries, 
loneliness,  envy,  some  physical  handi- 
cap. So  I  drew  a  group  of  people 
carrying  crosses." 

But  someone  objected  to  the  cross 
placed  on  a  child.  "Do  children 
have  crosses?" 

"Indeed  they  do,"  Miss  Vollotton 
answered.  "A  child  who  learns  his 
mother  doesn't  love  him  carries  his 
own  special  kind  of  cross.  So  does  a 
small  child  who  is  afraid  of  a  neigh- 


borhood bully.  Or  a  child  who  has  , 

been  separated  in  divorce  from  one  | 

of  his  parents." 

As  the  picture  took  shape,  she 
decided  to  make  Jesus  the  leader  of 
the  procession,  but  she  did  not  put  a 
cross  on  him. 

"Shouldn't  he  carry  a  cross,  too?" 
someone  asked. 

Miss  Vollotton  thought  about  that 
for  a  time.  Then  she  said,  "No,  not 
at  this  moment.  Later  he  will  be 
forced  to  take  up  his  own  cross.  Then 
he'll  remove  the  crosses  from  the 
people." 

She  pondered  further.  Finally  she 
hit  on  the  solution.  Actually,  she 
said,  it  was  quite  simple.  She  took 
Jesus  out  of  the  picture.  In  his 
place  she  drew  footsteps  (to  indicate 
his  nearness)  which  seeing,  the  crowd 
decided  to  follow. 

"At  that  point  I  was  satisfied  that 
I  have  given  the  illustration  the 
honesty  and  strength  I  wanted  to  por- 
tray." 

This  same  honesty  and  strength  is 
evident  in  work  that  Miss  Vollotton 
is  currently  doing.  Her  tasks  are  two- 
fold: the  designing  of  line-drawing 
stained  glass  windows  for  her  broth- 
er's reformed  church  in  France;  and 
the  creation  of  Old  Testament  "short- 
hand" drawings  which  she  will  sub- 
mit for  the  American  Bible  Society's 
consideration  in  the  publication  of  that 
section  of  Today's  English  Version  of 
the  complete  Bible,  scheduled  for  re- 
lease in  1975. 

"My  drawings  are  consciously  de- 
signed so  simply  even  a  child  can 
understand  them,"  Miss  Vollotton 
told  me.  "My  thesis:  'Remember 
this,'  "  she  quoted  from  Matthew 
18:2,  3,  TEV,  "  'unless  you  change 
and  become  like  little  children,  you 
will  never  enter  the  kingdom  of 
heaven.' "  D 


24     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


;:  Facing  the  questions  that  death  raises 


CREMATION,  by  Paul  E.  Irion.  Fortress  Press, 
1968.     152   pages,   $3.95   cloth,   $2.50   paper 

THE  DEATH  IN  EVERY  NOW,  by  Robert  Ochs, 
S.  J.    Sheed  and  Ward,  1969.    159  pages,  $4.25 

DEATH:  MEANING  AND  MORTALITY  IN  CHRIS- 
TIAN THOUGHT  AND  CONTEMPORARY  CUL- 
TURE, by  Milton  McC.  Gatch.  Seabury,  1969. 
216  pages,  $5.95 

When  it  was  popular  to  use  the  word 
existentialism,  many  definitions  of  the 
general  philosophy  that  term  covered 
were  making  the  rounds.  One  of  them 
was:  "Life  is  one  thing  after  another  and 
death  is  the  thing  after  that."  The  origi- 
nal contained  a  spicy  adjective  that  has 
been  deleted,  but  the  import  is  the  same. 
This  definition  plaintively  echoes  the 
inescapable  fact  that  after  all  the  activity 
and  agony  of  living,  life  ends  in  death. 
When  the  children  are  reared  and  gone, 
the  house  mortgage  completed,  and  the 
pension  secured,  the  next  stage  is  not 
bliss,  but  oblivion. 

From  the  day  we  were  conceived  we 
were  destined  for  death.  Throughout  the 
rest  of  our  lives  we  stare  into  its  ugly 
face.  We  meet  it  whenever  a  loved  one 
dies;  we  meet  it  when  we  contemplate 
our  own  future;  and  we  meet  it  almost 
every  time  we  view  the  evening  television 
newscast. 

If  youth  fears  death,  it  does  not  ob- 

'  viously  reflect  the  fear.  And  many  elder- 

\  ly  people  are  weary  of  staving  off  death, 

i  ready  now  to  welcome  its  release. 

I       Death   is   most   feared  and  most  un- 

welcomed  by  those  caught  between  youth 

[  and  old  age,  those  who  are  in  the  middle 

years.    It  is  for  them  that  death   is  an 

inescapable,  anxiety-producing  threat  to 

existence. 

The  three  books  listed  above  all  deal 
with  this  happening,  but  in  different 
ways.  Cremation  is  not  really  about 
death  but  about  a  particular  method  of 
disposing  of  a  person's  body  after  death 
has  occurred.  The  volume  does  contain 
a  chapter  on  theological  considerations 
but  it  is  hardly  a  militant  apologetic  for 
cremation. 

The  author  is  not  so  much  concerned 
to  defend  the  method  as  he  is  to  help 


those  who  must  be  responsible  for  caring 
for  the  bodies  of  their  loved  ones  to 
decide  if  cremation  can  be  a  dignified 
and  Christian  procedure. 

To  do  this  he  gives  an  historical 
resume,  airs  the  legal,  psychological,  and 
pastoral  concerns,  and  even  discusses  the 
mechanics  of  cremation. 

It  must  be  noted,  however,  that  our 
negative  attitudes  toward  cremation  as 
a  proper  funeral  practice  do  reveal  our 
anxiety  and  theological  confusion  about 
death.  To  the  extent  that  Professor  Irion 
helps  us  wrestle  with  whether  cremation 
violates  the  Christian  hope  of  resurrec- 
tion he  is  on  the  same  track  as  the  other 
two  authors. 

The  Death  in  Every  Now  grapples 
with  what  the  fact  of  death  means  in 
our  lives.  Although  this  book  is  not  long, 
I  found  it  difficult  to  keep  my  mind  from 
wandering.  Perhaps  that  is  indicative  of 
a  reluctance  to  come  to  grips  with  the 
issue  itself. 

Professor  Ochs  says  that  man  not  only 
knows  he  is  going  to  die,  he  dreads  it. 
Death  is  not  only  an  affront  to  his  rea- 
son; it  is  also  an  affront  to  his  person. 
Yet,  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  it  insults 
both  reason  and  person,  he  is  helpless 
to  do  anything  about  it. 

Therefore,  man  must  affirm  his  death. 
He  must  move  beyond  resignation  to 
death  as  inevitable.  He  must  see  death 
not  as  a  threat  but  as  a  desirable  part 
of  life.  Then  he  must  govern  his  pre- 
death  existence  accordingly. 

Desiring  death  as  part  of  life,  however, 
does  not  mean  not  desiring  life.  It  means 
to  live  expectantly  here  and  now  and 
to  expect  death  as  part  of  that  living. 

Professor  Gatch's  Death:  Meaning  and 
Mortality  in  Christian  Thought  and  Con- 
temporary Culture  was  for  me  the  most 
interesting  of  the  three  books.  It  con- 
tains a  very  helpful  introduction  which 
presents  our  present  attitudes  toward 
death  as  evidenced  by  our  funeral  cus- 
toms, modern  art,  drama,  and  literature. 

After  this  introduction  Gatch  offers  an 
historical  resume  of  attitudes  from  the 
pre-Christian  Greek  era  through  the  pres- 
ent part  of  the  twentieth  century. 


The  major  intent  of  this  historical  re- 
view is  to  indicate  the  influence  of  Greek 
thought  —  that  the  body  of  man  and  his 
spirit  were  separate  entities  —  upon  the 
Christian  faith.  This  concept  that  man's 
body  is  of  the  earth  and  undesirable  but 
his  essence  is  spiritual  and  nonmaterial 
is  in  opposition  to  the  biblical  view  that 
man  is  a  unified  whole  seen  only  in  his 
physical  presence.  It  is  for  this  reason 
that  the  Bible  speaks  of  raised  bodies 
and  not  of  immortality. 

Throughout  the  centuries  Christian 
theologians  have  kept  these  two  opposing 
ideas  in  healthy  tension.  They  have  not, 
according  to  Professor  Gatch,  completely 
abandoned  the  understanding  of  death 
involved  in  the  word  resurrection. 

But  twentieth-century  man  has  not  so 
successfully  preserved  this  tension.  He 
has  gone  Greek.  At  the  same  time  he 
has  become  more  materialistic  in  his 
goals  and  ambitions,  he  has  abandoned 
the  materialistic  view  of  death  which  is 
taught  by  the  New  Testament's  resurrec- 
tion witness. 

Professor  Gatch  says:  "We  attempt  to 
mask  death,  to  hedge  it  about,  so  that 
it  does  not  sorely  threaten  us  if  only 
because  it  has  been  made  invisible.  .  .  . 
We  find  ourselves  using  word  pictures 
of  conceptual  systems  to  which  we  no 
longer  adhere." 

Twentieth-century  Christians  can  es- 
cape this  confusion  by  interpreting  every 
occurrence,  in  all  its  everyday  reality, 
as  a  simultaneous  part  of  a  world-his- 
torical context  through  which  each  part 
is  related  to  the  other.  Hence,  man's 
death  in  the  future  affirms  the  necessity 
for  significant  living  in  the  present. 

I  must  confess  to  feeling  unsure  about 
having  correctly  summarized  the  thinking 
of  both  professors  Ochs  and  Gatch  be- 
cause I  feel  unsure  about  having  under- 
stood it  in  the  first  place. 

Attempting  to  understand  them,  how- 
ever, did  prompt  me  to  do  some  thinking 
that  I  would  not  otherwise  have  done. 
The  books  may  do  that  for  others,  also. 

When  talking  about  death,  or  about 
what  happens  beyond  the  loss  of  physical 
life,  we  are  talking  about  something  we 


3-12-70   MESSENGER     25 


can't  really  know  enough  about  to  dis- 
cuss even  though  we  must  discuss  it. 

No  concept  of  death  can  be  established 
outside  the  whole  realm  of  faith.  There 
is  no  factual  knowledge  or  information. 
There  is  only  that  knowledge  which  is 
received  through  the  minds  of  the  faith- 
ful. 

Furthermore,  if  our  real  knowledge  is 
rooted  in  faith,  then  questions  about  the 
mechanical  facts  of  life  after  death  are 
fruitless  ones.  They  require  answers  that 
are  not  available.  The  question  about 
death,  then,  is  not  how  or  where.  It  is 
who. 

For   the   Christian   the   "who"   is   the 


God  and  Father  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  has 
promised  us  his  presence  both  in  life 
and  beyond  it.  Faith  in  that  promise 
enables  us  to  live  our  present  life  for 
all  it  is  worth.  Faith  in  that  promise 
enables  us  to  take  death  seriously.  We 
face  it  and  because  we  know  it  is  real 
we  make  the  maximum  of  our  present 
living. 

But  at  the  same  time,  we  stand  in  sure 
and  certain  knowledge  that  his  presence 
is  also  beyond  death  and  that  new  dimen- 
sions of  living  lie  in  store  for  us.  We 
eagerly  expect  them  and  we  use  that 
expectation  to  determine  the  quality  of 
our  present  life.  —  Floyd  E.  Bantz 


The  volatile  campus  scene 


MOVE    OVER  -  STUDENTS,    POIITICS,    RELIGION, 

by    Francis    Carling.     Sheed    and    Ward,    1969. 
154   pages,   $3.95 

THIS  DAMNED  CAMPUS,  by  Robert  N.  Taylor 
Jr.     Pilgrim    Press,    1969.      130       pages,    $2.95 

THEOLOGY  AND  THE  CHURCH  IN  THE  UNI- 
VERSITY, by  Julian  N.  Hartt.  Westminster 
Press,    1969.     204    pages,    $3.25 

Move  Over  —  Students  and  This 
Damned  Campus  are  books  on  commu- 
nication. Not  that  the  authors  wrote 
from  this  perspective;  but  it  is  most  strik- 
ing to  note  how  a  campus  minister  re- 
lates the  campus  scene  in  contrast  to 
how  a  lucid  student  comes  on  about  the 
campus.  Taylor  tends  to  be  cute,  quick, 
shocking,  and  shallow  while  Carling  is 
canny,  quiet,  propitious,  and  profound. 
Taylor  moves  in  fast  to  "tell  it  like  it  is" 
and  the  resulting  feeling  is  hollow. 
Carling  comes  on  slow  and  easy-like,  and 
the  reader  is  called  to  reflection  and 
contemplation.  The  difference  may  be 
in  the  mood  stance:  Taylor  sees  "the 
campus"  and  Carling  "lives  there." 

Both    authors    are    abundantly    aware 
that  the  contemporary  revolution  has  not 


omitted  the  campus.  Revolution  among 
adults  is  usually  tempered  by  experience, 
cynicism,  and  the  strange  need  for  se- 
curity. The  idealism,  impatience,  and 
awareness  of  youth  are  the  gaseous 
fumes  which  permeate  the  entire  campus 
and  explode  in  a  myriad  of  directions. 
Add  to  this  the  high  concentration  of 
these  ingredients  on  every  campus  and 
you  begin  to  realize  how  volatile  the 
place  can  get.  The  entire  campus  be- 
comes a  participant,  in  one  form  or  an- 
other, in  the  movements  affecting  racial 
equality,  world  peace  and  understanding, 
political  reforms,  religious  renewal,  and 
personal  freedom.  The  revolution  seems 
to  be  about  every  person  becoming  in- 
volved in  making  those  decisions  which 
ultimately  impinge  upon  him.  Colleges 
and  universities  are  saliently  knowledge- 
able at  this  point  and  some  are  imagina- 
tively addressing  themselves  to  the  mean- 
ing of  persons. 

Tayor  and  Carling  are  most  contrast- 
ing at  the  level  of  their  assumptions. 
The  forum  is  Freudian  and  adjustment- 
oriented  and  sees  student  restiveness  as 


a  stage  of  adolescence  —  certainly  not 
related  to  the  essence  of  being.  He 
would  encourage  administration  to  give 
in  a  little  here,  tolerate  a  little  there, 
humor  the  darlings  some  other  place, 
and  you  will  soon  have  an  adjusted,  like- 
able adult  after  four  years. 

Student  Carling  is  contemporary,  hu- 
manly conscious,  and  refuses  to  be  hu- 
mored. He,  with  hosts  of  his  contem- 
poraries, is  shocked  by  man's  departure 
from  caring  just  at  a  time  when  most 
is  known  about  concern.  He  will  not 
let  die  the  hope  that  man  can  love  his 
fellows  enough  to  turn  his  ingenuity 
toward  other  than  causing  colossal  suffer- 
ing. The  concern  of  Francis  has  no  un- 
derstanding   of    adjustment    psychology. 

Here,  then,  are  two  books  on  commu- 
nications, two  approaches  to  "telling  it 
like  it  is."  Both  are  important  reading 
for  persons  who  seek  to  discover  campus 
life  these  days  and  more  particularly 
what  is  happening  among  the  young. 

Higher  education  has  been  analyzed 
and  psychoanalyzed  by  the  sociologist, 
the  psychologist,  the  educationalist.  Not 
excluded  among  those  concerned  about 
the  university  is  the  theologian.  Dr. 
Hartt,  chairman  of  the  department  of 
religious  studies  at  Yale  University,  is  a 
voice  to  be  heard.  In  Theology  and  the 
Church  in  the  University  he  offers  a 
stimulating  statement  on  the  Christian 
university  in  which  he  considers  the  uni- 
versity as  "a  unique  arena  for  theological 
argument."  He  considers  the  theological 
questions  being  raised  today  as  the  ques- 
tions other  disciplines  will  be  considering 
tomorrow. 

There  are  eight  brilliant  essays  that 
deal  with  such  subjects  as  Christian  com- 
mitment and  the  critical  life;  the  con- 
fusion of  the  arts  and  sciences  as  sep- 
arate divisions;  involvement  or  detach- 
ment, in  which  he  considers  that  the 
Christian  is  always  in  pursuit  of  ade- 
quate understandings  but  never  at  the 
cost  of  "passionate  hand-to-hand  engage- 
ment with  the  powers  of  darkness";  the 
university  as  a  theological  arena;  revela- 
tion and  the  variety  of  theological  be- 


26     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


llefs;  the  college  chapel  and  the  pre- 
sumptions with  which  it  meets  the  uni- 
versity community. 

The  book  is  an  honest  attempt  to 
explain  university,  theology,  and  the  re- 
lation between  the  two.  What  is  written 
is  food  for  thought;  but  throughout  this 
book  I  observed  a  rather  armchair  ap- 
proach to  the  matter.  There  seems  to 
be  a  stark  omission  of  the  priority  ques- 
tions being  raised  around  the  university 
these  days.  For  example,  Dr.  Hartt 
might  have  addressed  himself  to  ecumen- 
ism, not  within  the  Christian  context  but 
rather  among  all  religious  persuasions. 
The  essays  do  allow  that  non-Christians 
might  be  as  compassionate  as  Christians 
and  the  Christian  who  takes  Christ  seri- 
ously is  the  first  to  the  "battle"  for  hu- 


man causes.  But  what  about  that  long 
line  of  servants  first  to  the  battle  who 
have  no  Christian  motivation  and  who 
observe  the  Christians  standing  back  and 
watching? 

One  might  also  wish  that  Dr.  Hartt 
would  have  his  essays  informed  by  the 
illuminating  studies  of  higher  education 
carved  out  by  scholars  in  the  behavioral 
sciences.  His  concepts  rather  heavily 
draw  on  a  medieval  definition  of  the 
university.  What  would  he  do  with  a 
university  of  the  streets?  Would  such 
a  university  that  addressed  itself  to  an 
understanding  and  involvement  in  a  giv- 
en locale  and  to  particular  issues  be  a 
university?  What  would  and  would  not 
be  Christian  about  such  an  endeavor?  — 
Robert  Mock 


Toward  a  vital  ministry 


DEMANDS  ON  MINISTRY  TODAY,  by  George 
W.   Barrett.     Seabury,    1969.     165   pages,   $3.50 

PROFESSION:  MINISTER,  by  James  D.  Glasse. 
Abingdon,   1968.     157  pages,  $3.75 

FERMENT  IN  THE  MINISTRY,  by  Seward  Hiltner. 
Abingdon,    1969.     211     pages,    $4.95 

THE  CENTRALITY  OF  PREACHING  IN  THE  TOTAL 
TASK  OF  THE  MINISTRY,  by  John  Killinger. 
Word   Books,    1969.     123   pages,   $3.95 

Anyone  who  reads  current  magazines 
(or  who  attends  Brethren  Annual  Con- 
ferences!) is  aware  of  the  growing 
amount  of  criticism  of  the  pastoral  min- 
istry. Of  the  writing  of  books  on  the 
subject,  of  the  frustrations  and  problems 
of  clergymen  there  seems  to  be  no  end! 
Here  are  four  books  which  move  beyond 
criticism  to  some  positive  suggestions  for 
a  vital  ministry  to  "the  world  that  God 
loves  so." 

George  W.  Barrett,  Episcopal  bishop 
of  Rochester,  sees  "the  unprecedented 
demands  being  made  upon  ministers  to- 


day" as  arising  out  of  the  growing  social, 
political,  and  theological  questions  being 
raised  by  our  changing  society.  The 
church  has  been  slow  in  providing  an- 
swers because  "for  the  most  part  our 
parishes  are  organized  along  the  lines  of 
what  has  been  described  as  'come'  struc- 
tures rather  than  'go'  structures  and  be- 
cause of  the  lack  of  effective  communi- 
cation between  the  parish  leaders  or  the 
committed  core  group  at  the  center  and 
the  congregation  as  a  whole  and  espe- 
cially those  on  the  fringe  of  it." 

The  author  urges  church  leaders  to 
"avoid  letting  parishes  become  places 
where  people  are  bored  to  death"  and  to 
stop  treating  "man  come-of-age"  as  a 
small  child.  It  is  his  conviction  that 
"the  parish  is  necessary  as  a  center  for 
outward  action"  and  that  "people  require 
places,  holy  places,  in  which  to  worship." 
It  is  his  faith  that  "the  American  church 
will  never  retreat  to  the  catacombs,  un- 


less driven  there  .  .  .  and  the  parish  can 
remain  a  home  and  increasingly  become 
an  outpost.  It  never  need  be  an  enclave 
or  a  prison." 

In  a  chapter  on  "Power  and  Conflict" 
the  author  discusses  with  insight  both 
the  conflicts  and  tensions  in  society  and 
the  polarization  within  the  church  as  it 
faces  its  social  mission.  His  summary  of 
the  work  of  Mr.  Saul  Alinsky  and 
FIGHT  (Freedom,  Integration  or  Inde- 
pendence, God,  Honor  and  Today)  pro- 
vides helpful  directives  for  creatively  fac- 
ing some  of  the  current  social  problems. 
Words  of  caution  are  offered  to  church 
leaders  who  become  deeply  concerned 
about  inequities  in  our  society:  "We 
must  resist  the  temptation  to  compulsive- 
ness,  of  feeling  the  need  of  rushing  into 
every  controversy  so  that  our  influence 
is  destroyed  by  overexposure." 

Barrett's  chapter  on  "Sheep  and  Free 
Men"  is  an  appeal  to  provide  within  the 
church  an  atmosphere  of  love,  recogniz- 
ing that  "no  two  people  are  alike  in  .  .  . 
their  spiritual  needs  [and]  ...  in  their 
awareness  of  holy  things."  Parishioners 
must  not  be  used  as  things,  not  tools, 
or  instruments,  but  must  be  guided  in 
their  growth  towards  Christian  maturity. 

Parts  two  and  three  of  Barrett's  book 
offer  creative  and  helpful  suggestions  for 
getting  on  with  the  mission  of  the 
church. 

The  subtitle  of  the  book  by  James 
D.  Glasse  is  "Confronting  the  Identity 
Crisis  of  the  Parish  Clergy."  The  ap- 
proach of  the  author  is  primarily  socio- 
logical. He  begins  by  acknowledging 
that  "clergy  and  laity  are  in  conflict  over 
everything  from  Vietnam  to  visual  aids" 
and  that  "the  image  of  the  ministry  is 
cloudy,  confused,  and  unattractive."  He 
cites  three  basic  kinds  of  images  of  the 
minister:  personality-type  (who  he  is); 
institutional-type  (where  he  serves);  and 
occupational-type    (what  he   does) . 

Dr.  Glasse  is  convinced  that  the  min- 
ister belongs  to  the  classification  "pro- 
fessional." He  makes  it  clear  that  "the 
concept  of  profession  is  not  antithetical 
to  the  concept  of  calling."  He  very  help- 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     27 


fully  describes  what  it  means  to  be  a 
professional,  relating  the  role  of  the 
clergymen  to  that  of  the  doctor,  lawyer, 
and  teacher.  A  professional  is  an  edu- 
cated man,  master  of  some  body  of 
knowledge;  an  expert  man,  master  of 
some  specific  cluster  of  skills;  an  institu- 
tional man,  serving  through  an  historical 
social  institution;  a  responsible  man  able 
to  act  competently  in  situations  which 
require  his  services;  and  a  dedicated 
man,  dedicated  to  the  values  of  the  pro- 
fession. 

Glasse  discussed  the  relationship  of 
the  minister  with  the  people  of  his  parish 
("Professionals  in  the  Priesthood  of  Be- 
lievers") and  assumptions  and  facts 
about  the  status  of  the  ministerial  pro- 
fession. It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
the  hope  expressed  by  the  author  in  the 
final  chapter  has  been  realized  in  the 
formation  of  the  American  Academy  of 
Parish  Clergy. 

The  major  section  of  Seward  Hiltner's 
book  (which  was  the  Brethren  Ministers' 
Book  Club  selection  for  September) 
deals  with  "The  Functions  of  the  Min- 


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istry."  The  author  discusses  expectations 
and  realistic  possibilities  for  the  ministry 
as  preaching,  administering,  teaching, 
shepherding,  evangelizing,  celebrating, 
reconciling,  theologizing,  and  disciplin- 
ing. While  he  recognizes  that  no  one 
man  can  be  an  expert  in  all  of  these 
areas,  he  discusses  how  each  function 
can  be  related  to  every  other  function. 
His  concluding  advice  to  the  minister  is: 
"Forget  the  perfectionism;  do  well  what 
you  can  do  well;  shore  up  your  weak- 
nesses to  some  point  —  and  then  rejoice 
that  you  are  not  on  the  assembly  line 
doing  the  same  thing  every  ten  minutes." 

With  keen  insight  and  refreshing  wit 
Seward  Hiltner  discusses  current  atti- 
tudes about  the  professional  ministry.  It 
is  his  conviction  that  "you  cannot  have 
a  competent  and  moving  local  Christian 
community  without  a  supervisor,  an 
overseer,  who,  while  dependent  upon  his 
community,  is  nevertheless  free  at  criti- 
cal points  to  transcend  it."  Borrowing 
from  biblical  and  historical  concepts  of 
the  ministry  and  adding  to  them  some 
present-day  expectations,  Hiltner  uses 
cartoonlike  images  to  symbolize  the  var- 
ious ministerial  functions.  He  punches 
many  holes  in  the  traditional  balloon-like 
glorification  of  the  preaching  and  evan- 
gelizing functions. 

A  statement  in  the  chapter  on  "The 
Ministry  as  Administering"  is  a  serious 


a  6eepeR  look 

into  conversion  and  its  relation 
to  Christian  growth  is  found  in 
Kendrick  Strong's  new  book  THE  DIVINE 
STAIRCASE.  A  fresh  and  penetrating  look 
into  a  subject  that  dates  back  to  Old  Testa- 
ment times.  Perfect  for  private  use  or  group 
study.  $1.00  each;  ten  or  more,  850  each. 
Order  from 

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indictment  which  every  pastor  ought  to 
consider  seriously:  "The  fact  is  that  what 
ministers  say  they  like  to  do  is  precisely 
what  they  do  alone  and  by  themselves 
without  having  to  consult  anyone  but 
God,  and  that  what  they  dislike  doing 
is  consulting  and  winning  and  relating 
to  other  people  in  order  to  get  something 
done."  This  reinforces  an  earlier  state- 
ment in  the  book:  "A  minister  who  can- 
not tolerate  ambiguity  cannot  tolerate  a 
local  church."  Hiltner  feels  that  the 
many  complaints  by  pastors  about  ad- 
ministrative duties  grow  out  of  a  kind 
of  Utopian  concept  of  what  a  pastor's 
daily  schedule  should  be  and  out  of  a 
general  conception  of  administration 
that  is  determined  by  what  is  poor! 

The  title  of  Hiltner's  book  is  taken 
from  "a  stage  in  the  process  of  wine 
making  which,  while  full  of  agitation  and 
bubbles,  comes  out  at  a  constructive 
point  if  it  is  not  taken  as  a  finality."  The 
author  points  out  that  "there  is  a  kairos 
in  wine  making.  If  fermentation  goes 
on  indefinitely,  the  product  is  useless. 
If  the  proper  moment  of  arrest  is  seized, 
however,  then  the  intermediate  stirring 
and  agitations  may  be  seen  as  necessary 
stages  in  the  making  of  a  better  prod- 
uct." If  the  prophetic  insights  of  Seward 
Hiltner  are  heeded,  certainly  the  current 
"ferment  in  the  ministry"  will  lead  to 
more  effective  pastors  and  stronger 
churches. 

The  book  by  John  Killinger  is  one 
which  I  found  both  challenging  and  dis- 
turbing. The  author  demonstrates  his 
mastery  of  the  language  and  his  sense 
of  the  poetic  —  both  qualities  which  he 
expects  in  good  preaching.  It  is  his  con- 
viction that  "the  more  a  man  works  at 
his  preaching,  so  that  it  becomes  a  de- 
pendable word  in  this  briar  patch  of 
words  we  inhabit,  the  more  orderly  his 
own  life  and  ministry  tend  to  become. 
...  A  man  must  have  a  center.  He 
cannot  be  all  circumference.  Some- 
where, somehow,  things  must  come  to- 
gether. And  the  burden  to  preach,  to 
make  a  sermon,  to  speak  a  word,  is  such 
a  place." 


\ 


28     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


Certainly  one  cannot  argue  with  such 
logic  nor  with  Killinger's  reverence  for 
the  proclamation  of  the  Word.  But  when 
he  goes  on  to  affirm  that  effective  preach- 
ing is  the  answer  to  the  problems  of 
makiug  worship  meaningful,  doing  a 
good  job  of  pastoral  care,  spearheading 
a  program  of  dynamic  Christian  educa- 
tion, finding  the  keys  to  good  church 
administration,  and  dealing  with  conflicts 
in  the  pastor's  family  life,  I  wonder  if 
he  doesn't  overstate  his  case! 

Perhaps  the  fact  that  I  received  my 
seminary  training  at  a  time  when  there 
was  much  being  said  about  "the  futility 
of  preaching"  makes  it  more  difficult  for 
me  to  assimilate  all  of  the  lofty  concepts 
about  the  proclamation  of  the  Word. 
Or  is  my  frustration  arising  from  the 
contradictory  and  confusing  expectations 
of  parishioners  —  in  various  ages  and 
stages  of  life  -  from  the  pulpit  only  an 
indication  that  I  have  fallen  victim  to 
the  cynicism  of  ministers  which  the  au- 
thor describes?  "He  had  lost  the  why 
out  of  the  middle  of  life,  out  of  the 
middle  of  what  he  was  doing,  and  the 
why  is  never  easy  to  put  back." 

Yes,  this  book  by  Killinger  is  one  to 
challenge  one's  thinking  about  pastoral 
priorities  and  to  disturb  any  clergyman's 
conscience! 

I  note,  in  conclusion,  that  the  four 
books  reviewed  represent  different  per- 
spectives on  the  same  theme.  Bishop 
Barrett  views  the  ministry  from  the  per- 
spective of  a  church  administrator  or 
official  and  from  the  discipline  of  pas- 
toral theology.  Dr.  Glasse  reflects  the 
concerns  of  a  professor  of  practical  the- 
ology and  writes  with  a  sociological 
slant.  Dr.  Hiltner  writes  out  of  wide 
experience  in  the  field  of  religion  and 
personality,  with  special  expertise  in  pas- 
toral counseling.  Dr.  Killinger  is  obvi- 
ously a  professor  of  preaching.  By  com- 
bining the  insights  of  these  four  authors 
one  arrives  at  a  comprehensive  analysis 
of  the  pastoral  ministry  in  our  changing 
society.  Pastors  are  here  to  stay,  and 
they  can  be  improved! — Berwyn  L. 
Oltman 


Who's  on  Trial? 


I  reel  at  the  atrocities  in  Vietnam, 
Yet  the  atrocity  is  war  itself. 

I  shudder  at  killing  villagers  one  by  one. 
Yet  bombers  do  whole  villages  at  a  time. 

I  cringe  and  say  "no"  to  war. 
Yet  my  taxes  pay  for  it. 

I  would  put  an  end  to  war. 
Yet  my  children  play  it. 

Who  is  on  trial?    I  am. 

I  am  on  trial  for  a  war  crime. 


We  believe  that  God  is  the  Father  of  all.  If  this  be  so,  then 
all  war  is  between  brothers  and  all  war  is  wrong.  The  present 
mood  is  to  Vietnamize  the  war,  but  a  Vietnamized  war  ^is  still 
war.  Historically,  we  have  said  "no"  to  war.  Say  "no"  with  us. 
—  The  Church  of  the  Brethren 


3-12-70    MESSENGER     29 


in  Uriel 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

A  high  school  senior  and  assistant 
church  school  superintendent  of  the 
Hurricane  Creek  church  in  Illinois  re- 
cently received  a  Sons  of  the  American 
Revolution  (SAR)  good  citizenship 
award.  Tom  Dooly,  Mulberry  Grove, 
111.,  an  active  participant  in  school  and 
church  organizations,  met  the  SAR's 
criteria  of  dependability,  service,  leader- 
ship, and  patriotism. 

Moderator  and  chairman  of  the  dea- 
cons at  Community  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Hutchinson,  Kansas,  Edwin  Switzer 
received  the  Outstanding  Young  Church 
Layman  Award  from  his  city's  Jaycees 
group.  .  .  .  Aileen  (Mrs.  Chester) 
Thompson,  member  of  Ridgeway  Com- 
munity church  at  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  was 
elected  treasurer  of  the  Greater  Harris- 
burg Council  of  Churches. 

The  oldest  living  resident  at  the  Mor- 
rison's Cove,  Pa.,  home  celebrated  her 
one  hundredth  birthday  March  8.  She  is 
Mrs.  Hannah  D.  Brumbaugh,  who  is  a 

charter  member  of  the  Altoona  Twenty- 
eighth  Street  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples  ob- 
serving golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Glen  Finfrock,  Hutchin- 
son, Kansas;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Den  Parrish, 
Modesto,  Calif.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Howard 
Breneman,  Hagerstown,  Ind.;  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Edward  Zumbrum,  Hanover, 
Pa.  .  .  .  Four  couples  from  the  Pleasant 
Hill  church  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  have 
marked  fiftieth  anniversaries:  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Theodore  Hunt,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ed- 
ward Saintz  Sr.,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Byers, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  B.  "Burley"  Peters. 

Other  couples  celebrating  wedding  an- 
niversaries include  the  John  O.  Boyers, 
Keedysville,  Md.,  fifty-one;  the  Hazen 
Ebersoles,  New  Enterprise,  Pa.,  fifty-two; 
the  Thomas  Settles,  Martinsburg,  Pa., 
fifty-two;  the  James  Bodeys,  Huntington, 
Ind.,  fifty-four;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence  B. 
Rhodes,  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  fifty-four;  the 
Miner  Wines,  Huntington,  Ind.,  fifty-five; 
the  Elder  Wagners,  Martinsburg,  Pa., 


fifty-five;  the  Lewis  Sinks,  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  fifty-five;  and  the  Claude  Millers, 
Hanover,  Pa.,  fifty-eight. 

Seven  couples  are  celebrating  sixty  or 
more  years  of  marriage:  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Eldie  Smith  Sr.,  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  sixty; 
the  Noah  Andersons,  Plymouth,  Ind., 
sixty-one;  the  Merrill  Winebrenners, 
Huntington,  Ind.,  sixty-two;  the  Roy 
Dunmires,  McVeytown,  Pa.,  sixty-three; 
the  Blaine  Millers,  Elderton,  Pa.,  sixty- 
four;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jesse  A.  Riffey, 
Olathe,  Kansas,  sixty-six. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

Welcoming  a  new  pastor  next  month 
will  be  the  Elkins  congregation  in  West 
Marva.  To  serve  there  full  time  is 
Walter  Biough,  who  is  leaving  the  Dan- 
ville/ La  Vale  yoked  parish  in  the  same 
district. .  .  .  Wilmer  Petry  will  leave 
Northern  Indiana's  Yellow  Creek  church 
in  July,  when  he  will  begin  serving  the 
Maple  Grove  congregation  in  Northern 
Ohio. 

Accepting  a  call  from  the  Kent  church 
in  Northern  Ohio  is  Elmer  I.  Brum- 
baugh, returning  to  that  congregation  of 
which  he  was  part-time  pastor  from 
1945-1960.  He  has  been  serving  part 
time  at  the  Alliance  church. . .  .  Forrest 
U.  GrofF  has  gone  to  the  Long  Beach, 
Calif.,  church  as  associate  pastor. 

Adding  to  his  retirement  occupations 
is  Ralph  W.  HofFman,  who  is  serving  at 
the  Andrews  church  in  Middle  Indiana. 
. .  .  While  on  furlough  from  Nigeria, 
Howard  W.  Ogburn  will  serve  on  an  in- 
terim basis  at  Middle  Pennsylvania's 


March   15  Passion  Sunday 

March  17-20  General   Board,   Elgin,   Illinois 

March   22  Palm  Sunday 

March  22  Camp  Fire  Girls  Sunday 

March  26  Maundy  Thursday 

March   27  Good   Friday 

March   29  Easier 

April    12  National    Christian    College    Day 
April  27 -May  3      Mental  Health  Week 


Aughwick  church.  . .  .  James  Heckman 

has  accepted  the  pastorate  of  the  Green- 
land parish,  including  the  Brick,  Oak- 
dale,  and  North  Fork  congregations,  in 
the  district  of  West  Marva. 

M.  R.  ZIgler,  since  last  fall  interim 
pastor  of  the  Bethel  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Naperville,  111.,  has  been  forced  to 
terminate  his  pastoral  service  because  of 
illness.  He  is  a  patient  at  Rockingham 
Memorial  Hospital,  Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Installed  as  pastor  of  the  Bowmont 
church  near  Nampa,  Idaho,  was  David 
McKellip,  who  will  serve  there  on  a  part- 
time  basis.  .  .  .  Two  men  were  licensed 
recently  to  the  ministry:  Bruce  Cans,  of 
the  Lindsay  congregation  in  California, 
and  Christian  Arndt,  Ephrata,  Pa. 

The  founder  of  the  Easley,  Ala., 
church  and  for  more  than  forty  years  its 
pastor,  Edward  M.  Culler,  92,  died  Aug. 
31,  1969,  in  a  Birmingham  hospital. 

POTPOURRI 

Congregations  may  secure  from  their 
district  offices  a  tape  of  a  half-hour  talk 
by  Dr.  Alan  Walker,  an  Australian 
Methodist  churchman.  Recorded  at 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary  where  Dr. 
Walker  appeared  as  guest  speaker  at  a 
recent  chapel  service,  the  address  calls 
for  a  balance  between  social  action  and 
evangelism  but  emphasizes  the  necessity 
for  personal  witness. 

High  schoolers  from  thirteen  states 
will  attend  the  regional  youth  confer- 
ence at  McPherson,  Kansas,  March  1 3- 
15.    Participants  will  consider  diverse 
topics  under  the  theme :  Successfully 
Surfing  Over  the  Waves  of  Problems." 

The  spring  issue  of  the  North  Carolina 
Historical  Review  features  an  article 
about  the  Fraternity  Church  of  the 
Brethren  at  Winston-Salem,  N.C.,  writ- 
ten by  Dr.  Roger  Sappington,  professor 
of  history  at  Bridgewater  College. 

Groundbreaking  ceremonies  for  a  new 
building  will  be  held  April  12  by  the 
Calvary  congregation  at  Winchester, 
Va.  The  new  facility  will  include  a 
sanctuary  and  ten  additional  rooms. 


30     MESSENGER    3-12-70 


YOUTH  MEDITATIONS 

V/after   L.   Cook.   Thirty-nine   meditations   for 
youth.  Lives  of  biblical  characters  ore  used  as 
background   for   discussions   of    problems 
and  experiences  of  today's  teen-agers.  $2.50 


CRISIS   IN   EDEN 

Frederick    Eider    explores    the    problems    of 
pollution     and     overpopulation.     Seeking 
answers  in  a  religious  approach,  he  sees  the 
church's  endorsement   of   a   nev/   asceticism    to 
govern   man's   use  of   nature.   $3.95 


THE  AFFABLE  ENEMY 

y/allace  E.   Fisher  presents  a  challenge  to 
the    complacent    Christian    who    destroys    the 
church  from  within.  The  exchange  of  letters 
used     to    explore     this    case     for    vital 
Christian   commitment.   $3.95 


THE   PIG'S   BROTHER  AND 
OTHER    CHILDREN'S    SERMONS 

S.  Lawrence  Johnson.  A  delightful  collection 
of  funny,  sod,  thought-provoking   sermons   for 
children.  A  valuable  aid  to  anyone  respon- 
sible   for    talking    to   children.   $3 


THE  POWER  TO  BLESS 

Myron    C.    Madden    discusses    the    art    of 
pastoral    care    for    the    helping    layman    and 
minister,    tllustrotions    and    case    material    are 
used    to    relate    dynamic    psychology   to 

Christian   theology.    $3.50 

HELPING  CHILDREN  WITH 
THE  MYSTERY  OF  DEATH 

Elizabeth   L.  Reed.  A  practical  and   spiritual 
approach    to    the    problem    of    telling    a    child 
about    death.    Poems,    short    stories,    and 
prayers   ore    included   for   use   with 
children.   $3.50 

UNDERSTANDING 
CHRISTIAN  EDUCATION 

Woyne   R.    Rood.   This    introductory   text 
presents   the   basic   issues,   provides  thought- 
provoking    perspectives,    and    encourages    the 
student  to  make  his  own  assessments.  $8.50 


LIFE  BEGINS  AT  DEATH 

Leslie    D.    Weatherhead    gives    direct   and 
concise   answers   in   reply  to   questions   about 
the    possibility   of   life    after    death.    He 
provides   reassurance   for   many.   Paper,   $1.25 


MAJOR  RELIGIONS 
OF  THE  WORLD 

Marcus   Boch.    A    compact   survey   of    the 
founders,    holy   writings,  worship,  and   basic 
beliefs   of   the    major   religions   of   the   world. 
Parallels  to  Christianity  are  pointed  out. 
Paper,   $1.25 

PUTTING  YOUR  FAITH  TO  WORK 

John   A.   Redhead   answers   questions   asked 
about   the    religious    approach    to    life's 
problems.  Shows   how  faith   can   become  a 
reality  In   doily  life.   Illustrated  with  actual 
cases.    Paper,    $1.25 

JESUS  AND  THE  DISINHERITED 

Howard  Jhurman   analyzes  Jesus'  words  in 
regard   to   minorities.   He   proposes   loyalty  to 
the    teachings   of   Jesus   as   the    solution    to 
one    of   our   greatest    problems.    Paper,    $1.25 

COMPANION  TO  THE  HYMNAL 

An  analysis  of  the  psalms  and   hymns  of  the 
church,  a   survey  of  tunes,  and  a   discussion 
of     American     hymnbooks.     Based     on 
The   Mefhodist   Hymnai.   Geaiy,   Young, 
and   Lovelace.   $10 

At    your    locol    bookstore 

abingdon  press 


EDITORIAL 


A  River  Flowed  Out  of  Eden 

1 

The  Lord  God  planted  a  garden. 

t 

The  Lord  God  gave  us  a  land 

t 

Where  trees  in  loveliest  grandeur  grew 

•1 
: 

By  streams  of  water  as  fresh  as  dew, 

f 

And  the  air  man  breathed  was  ever  new. 

Listen 

: 

We  could  open  our  eyes 

In  a  paradise 

It  is  more  than  a  sound. 

For  the  Lord  had  planted  a  garden. 

It  is  someone's  song 
that  you  hear. 

But  men  have  corrupted  that  garden, 

And  men  have  wasted  that  land. 

So  listen,  friend. 

Our  poisons  peril  each  leaf  and  blade. 

Our  earth  is  scarred,  and  its  beauties  fade. 

Listen  to  a  bee's  humming . . .  and 

Our  air  is  heavy  with  death,  man-made. 

to  the  wrenching  ring  of  tires  that 

And  a  darkening  pall 

bum  down  a  hot  highway. 

Hangs  over  all 

Like  a  shadow  across  God's  garden. 

Listen  to  a  bird's  fluting  .  .  .  and 

to  the  ambulance  siren  wailing  its  way 

f 

up  some  street  of  sorrows. 

0  man,  do  you  see  your  own  judgment? 

O  man,  will  you  stumble  toward  death? 

The  garden  you  lost  you  may  regain. 

Listen  to  a  kitten's  purring  .  .  .  and 

You  can  salvage  the  life  you  would  sustam. 

to  the  grinding  gears  of  a  mad  machine 

But  love  must  grace  the  earth  again. 

churning  out  progress. 

And  your  brothers'  need 

Must  supplant  your  greed. 

Listen  to  a  lover's  lullaby  .  .  .  and 

O  God,  send  your  cleansing  rain!  —  K.M. 

to  the  whip  of  hurricane  winds  that 
waste  both  land  and  water. 

Listen  to  a  mother's  praying . . .  and 
to  the  cries  of  motherless  children  who 
hunger  for  a  heart  to  hold  them. 

Always  it  is  someone's  song 

that  you  hear. 

So  listen,  friend.  —  K.M. 

' 

First  in  the  new  year! 

a  Brethren  Press  paperback 
for  class  study 

or  for  private  reading 


S©[?D0(3(|j@    g][jQ(il  Pd'QDDQDS© 
Perspectives  on  the  nuna  of  Die  Brethra 

Heritage  and  Promise  offers  a  contemporary  look  at  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  the  light  of  its  history.  The  origins  and  growth  of 
the  denomination  are  clearly  outlined  in  the  context  of  church  history 
and  in  the  setting  of  a  changing  society.  Basic  beliefs  and  styles  of 
life  among  Brethren  receive  equal  prominence  with  institutional  devel- 
opments. 

Ctiapters:  From  Rome  to  Schwarzenau  .  .  .  Founding  and  Growth  in 
Europe  .  .  .  Establishment  and  Growth  in  America  .  .  .  Brethren  Beliefs 
.  .  .  The  Life-style  of  the  Brethren  .  .  .  The  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Today's  World.   160  pages. 

Tfie  writer:  Emmert  F.  Bittinger  is  associate  professor  of  sociology  at 
Bridgewater  College.  A  former  pastor,  he  joined  the  Bridgewater 
faculty  in  1963.  He  is  a  graduate  of  Bridgewater  (B.A.),  Bethany  Theo- 
logical Seminary  (B.D.),  and  the  University  of  Maryland  (M.A.  and 
Ph.D.).  His  private  collection  of  Brethren  books  and  periodicals  re- 
flects his  enthusiasm  for  the  church's  literary  and  spiritual  heritage. 


Church   of  the  Brethren   General  Offices 
1451    Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,   Illinois  60120 

Please  send  me copies  of  Heritage  and  Promise  at  $1.95  each. 

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LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Rembrandt,  His  Drawings  and  Etchings  for  the  Bible.  In  his  biblical  il- 
lustrations Dutch  artist  Rembrandt  van  Ryn  expressed  a  spirit  of  humanness 
that  speaks  forcefully  to  us  today,   an  art  feature,   page  2 


Have  You  Met  These  Children?  A  librarian  who  works  with  children  re- 
views several  books  which  appeal  to  young  readers  and  offers  criteria  for 
selecting  children's  books,   by  Mary  Greenawalt.   page  8 


Brethren  Authorship.  Recently  published  efforts  by  writers  in  the  Brother- 
hood range  from  a  discussion  of  Mad  magazine  to  biographical  sketches. 
page  13 


The  Road  to  Songmy.  An  editor  of  a  national  magazine  asks  where  begins 
the  psychology  of  violence  which  can  permit  and  excuse  the  massacre  of 
women  and  children  in  a  Vietnamese  village,  by  Norman  Cousins,  page  16 


The  Bridge  in  Berlin.  A  volunteer  at  a  gathering  place  for  youth  who  live  in 
two  Berlin  high  rise  apartment  buildings  describes  frustrations  and  triumphs 
of  a  unique  kind  of  ministry,  by  Royce  Tooker.  page  18 


Her  Shorthand  Drawings  Illustrate  a  Best  Seller.  Annie  Vollotton,  artist, 
writer,  composer  — and  illustrator  for  Good  News  for  Modem  Man  — talks 
about  her  work,  by  Margaret  J.  Anderson,   page  22 


OTHER  FEATUBES  include  news  from  the  Brethren  abroad  (page  14);  "Day  by  Day," 
by  Eldon  and  Ruth  Shingleton  (page  20);  a  "New  Testament  Crossword"  for  children, 
by  Carol  Conner  (page  21);  and  three  review  articles  on  recent  books,  by  Floyd  E. 
Bantz  (page  25),  Robert  Mock  (page  26),  and  Berwyn  L.  Oltman  (page  27). 


COMING  NEXTi 


Ronald  K.  Morgan  asserts  that  "Celebration  Is  a  Style  of  Life."  .  .  .  Terry  Pettit  visits 
toith  Ralph  Holdeman,  whose  redemption  sculpture  calls  attention  to  meanings  in 
the  gospels  which  we  might  not  discover  without  our  technological  eye.  .  .  .  How  did 
Early  Christians  symbolize  their  faith?  Graydon  F.  Snyder  answers,  "With  symbols 
of  the  times."  VOL    119    NO.    i 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     ^^  3/26/70 


Easter:  The  season 
fglad  songs 
has  come 


readers  write 


REWRITING  THE  TEN   COMMANDMENTS 

Once  in  awhile  good  Christians  are  led 
astray  by  radio  preachers  like  Carl  Mclntire. 
I  would  like  to  call  to  the  attention  of  our 
readers  a  few  facts  from  Mclntire's  so- 
called  Christian  Beacon.  .  .  . 

Although  he  criticizes  the  major  denom- 
inations for  meddling  in  politics  instead  of 
preaching  the  gospel,  he  recently  conducted 
a  big  march  on  Trenton,  N.  J.,  with  Gov. 
Maddox  of  Georgia  as  chief  speaker  lifting 
up  the  virtues  of  the  war  in  Vietnam.  He 
had  also  invited  Gov.  Wallace  and  Sen. 
Thurmond. 

His  January  15  issue  contains  the  espous- 
al by  his  International  Christian  Youth  of 
situation  ethics  —  the  "new  immorality." 
Mclntire's  own  organization,  which  is 
tightly  under  his  control,  does  not  trust  the 
words  of  the  King  James  Version,  although 
they  violently  object  to  some  newer  ver- 
sions. I  quote  their  own  words  from  the 
Christian  Beacon  (p.  5):  "In  fact  the  Bible 
indicates  that  at  times  war  is  both  neces- 
sary and  justifiable.  The  sixth  command- 
ment, 'Thou  Shalt  not  kill'  (KJV),  should 
be  more  literally  translated  'Thou  shall 
not  commit  premeditated  murder,'  there- 
fore not  prohibiting  all  killing." 

If  Joseph  Fletcher  would  use  this  precise 
method  with  the  eighth  commandment,  Mr. 
Mclntire  would  regard  it  as  sinful.  I  hope 
that  Brethren  will  not  fall  for  Mclntire's 
brand  of  situation  ethics  and  his  rewriting 
the  Ten  Commandments. 

Some  Brethren  criticized  some  of  our 
young  people  who  marched  in  Washington 
in  the  interests  of  peace.  I  hope  that  they 
will  be  alert  to  the  march  of  Mclntire's 
youth  on  April  11,  when  they  demonstrate 
in  favor  of  a  longer  and  more  violent  in- 


volvement of  the  United  States  in  that  un- 
happy part  of  the  world.  They  claim  that 
the  war  by  the  United  States  in  Vietnam  is 
justified  on  "scriptural  grounds."  They  com- 
mend the  president  and  urge  that  the  war 
be  "more  forcefully  executed." 

I  trust  that  all  Brethren  will  see  through 
this  distortion  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Joseph  Fletcher  and  his  followers  and 
Carl  Mclntire  and  his  followers  would  both 
change  the  Ten  Commandments  to  suit  their 
own  ideas.  I  would  suggest  that  Brethren 
read  again  Matthew  5  —  7  to  get  ideas  that 
are  above  those  of  either  of  these  men. 

E.  Paul  Weaver 
North  Manchester,   Ind. 

PAGAN   BELIEF 

The  belief  that  "economic  imbalance" 
is  the  root  cause  of  social  evils  is  a  pagan 
belief.  The  worship  of  mammon  is  a  pagan 
religion,  doubly  dangerous  when  it  wears  a 
biblical  cloak. 

When  the  economic  "experts"  in  the 
church  sell  all  their  possessions  and  give  the 
proceeds  to  the  poor,  I  will  be  more  favor- 
ably disposed  to  listen  to  them. 

Christian  Bashore 
Gettysburg,  Ohio 

SAY  NO  TO  DEATH,  YES  TO   lOVE 

There  still  seems  to  be  considerable  con- 
fusion or  misunderstanding  of  the  draft  re- 
sistance position  among  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  not  to  mention  the 
populace  at  large.  As  one  who  has  turned 
in  his  draft  card  to  his  local  Selective  Serv- 
ice Board,  I  would  like  to  speak  to  the  is- 
sue. 

At  age  eighteen  I  registered  and  obtained 
a  CO  classification  and  in  turn  served  two 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  artwork  by  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh;  3  artwork  by  Janie  Russell;  5  "Christ  at 
Emmaus,"  by  Rembrandt  van  Ryn,  courtesy  of  the  National  Gallery  of  Art,  Washington,  D.C.,  Rosen- 
walti  Collection:  6  "The  Study  for  a  Triptych,"  by  the  Master  of  the  Stotteritz  Altar,  Albrecht  Diirer. 
courtesy  of  the  Smithsonian  Institution;  15  (first,  third  from  left),  26  Don  Honick;  (second)  courtesy  of 
Eastern  Mennonite  College;  17  artwork  by  Harry  Dehner  and  Associates;  22,  23  (right)  24,  25  sculpture 
by  Ralph  M.  Holdeman;   23    (left)  Religious  News  Service 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer,  director 
of  communication:  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
ofScial  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  §3.60  per  year  for  church  group 
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Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  III.    March  26,  1970. 


Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.  Vol.  119   No.  7 


years  in  BVS  for  my  alternative  service  ob- 
ligation. I  consider  my  service  meaningful 
and  worthwhile,  and  I'm  grateful  that  the 
Brethren  have  a  program  such  as  BVS,  ^-le- 
cause  it  does  offer  some  very  signific  it 
service  opportunities. 

However,  the  program,  by  the  nature  of 
its  subservient  relationship  to  Selective 
Service,  is  in  a  compromise  position.  In 
retrospect  I  regret  the  inherent  compromise 
of  that  position,  for  I  was,  as  well  as  was 
BVS,  an  agent  in  a  very  real  sense  of  the 
Selective  Service  system.  Though  we  very 
much  opposed  the  system  and  the  military 
machine,  we  were  guilty  of  complicity  by 
accepting  in  fact  the  legitimacy  of  that  sys- 
tem. As  of  last  October,  I  chose  to  accept 
that  no  longer.  Rather  I  chose  to  say  YES 
to  life  to  an  even  greater  degree  than  I  had 
before. 

There  are  those  who  are  increasingly 
dismayed  by  this  sort  of  "rebellion"  and 
civil  disobedience,  but  I  must  say  that  it  is 
very  gratifying  indeed  to  see  the  increased 
sensitivity  of  young  men  and  women  across 
our  nation  and  the  world  who  are  saying 
NO  to  death  and  destruction  and  the  institu- 
tions that  support  that,  and  a  resounding 
YES  to  love  and  brotherhood  of  all  men  — 
the  way  of  Christ,  who  is  to  me  the  most 
powerful  example  of  one  who  stood  for 
love,  peace,  and  social  justice  for  all  men. 

Phil  Rieman 
Wakarusa,  Ind. 

NOT   IN   CHRONOLOGICAL  ORDER 

There  has  never  been  any  effort  by  bibli- 
cal authors  and  theologians  to  edit  a  Bible 
in  chronological  sequence.  The  present  or- 
der is  a  good  deal  like  a  person  who  throws 
newspapers  into  the  basement,  some  recent 
issues  on  the  bottom  of  the  pile  and  old  is- 
sues on  top. 

For   instance   the   first   written  books   of 
the   New  Testament,   the   first   and   second 
epistles  of  Paul  to  the  Thessalonians,  were 
written  50-51  a.d.;  to  the  Galatians,  52-58 
A.D.    The  Corinthian  correspondence,  prob-    ' 
ably  four  letters  now  combined  in  First  and 
Second  Corinthians,  was  written  54-55  a.d.    ! 
In  short,  Paul's  letters  vvere  mostly  written 
in  the  decade  50-60  a.d.,  and  all  of  them 
(with  the  exception  of  Hebrews,  80-90  a.d.,)    , 
were  completed  before  Mark,  the  first  of   I 
the  three  synoptic  writers,  sat  down  to  write    ! 
the  gospels.   The  Gospel  according  to  Mark 
was  written  about  70  a.d.;  Matthew,  90-95 


/V.D.;  Luke  and  the  Acts,  about  90  a.d.;  and 
Revelation  about  95  a.d.  The  Gospel  ac- 
cording to  John  and  the  three  epistles  of 
John  were  written  about  100  a.d. 

There  is  some  dispute  and  controversy 
among  theologians  as  to  who  this  John, 
the  author  of  the  fourth  gospel,  was.  There 
are  many  Johns  in  the  Bible  and  some 
fundamentalists  claim  that  the  author  of  the 
fourth  gospel  was  the  beloved  disciple  who 
jsat  with  Jesus  at  the  last  supper.  It  was 
pretty  well  accepted  by  Bible  researchers 
that  none  of  the  twelve  who  sat  with  Jesus 
at  the  last  supper  or  anyone  who  knew  Jesus 
personally  had  anything  to  do  with  writing 
the  New  Testament,  the  authors  being  sec- 
ond and  third  generation  converts  to  Chris- 
tianity. Paul  never  met  Jesus  and  remained 
a  Pharisee  of  the  Pharisees  up  until  his  in- 
stant conversion  on  the  road  to  Damascus 
some  years  after  Jesus'  death. 

The  point  of  this  letter  is  that  all  history 
should  be  written  in  chronological  order  of 
events  in  order  to  aid  the  student  in  his 
understanding.  This  criticism  applies  to 
the  Old  Testament  as  well  as  the  new.  For 
instance,  scholars  believe  that  the  book  of 
Daniel  was  written  about  165  B.C.  Yet  the 
book  appears  thirteenth  from  the  last  book, 
namely  Malachi,  written  about  460  B.C. 
Deuteronomy  was  published  in  621  B.C.,  yet 
it  appears  fifth  in  the  Old  Testament,  while 
Isaiah  of  Babylon,  written  546  and  539  B.C., 
appears  twenty-third  in  order  of  arrange- 
ment in  the  Old  Testament. 

No  high  school  or  college  history  text 
starts  with  the  First  or  Second  World  War 
but  goes  back  to  the  dawn  of  history  and 
begins  with  ancient  Egypt  or  wherever  ar- 
chaeology, anthropology,  or  paleontology 
finds  signs  of  prehistoric  man. 

V.  P.  Mock 
Chippewa  Falls,  Wis. 

IF  PEACE  IS  OUR  CAUSE 

There  are  some  things  in  this  world  which 
just  don't  fit.  Like  the  wedding  suit  after 
fifteen  years  of  marriage.  Or  round  pegs 
in  square  holes.  Or  sin  in  the  Christian  life. 
Or  the  United  States  assuming  the  role  of 
world  marshal.  Or  a  soldier  with  a  Bible  in 
his  pocket  and  rifle  in  his  hand. 

One  of  the  main  beliefs  which  sets  apart 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  the  peace 
position.  The  church  fathers  maintained 
that   a   follower   of   the    Prince    of   Peace 

Continued  on  page  28 


Page  one... 


""flope 


Announcement  of  this  year's  Annual  Conference  theme,  "Celebration  of  Hope," 
prompted  immediate  reaction  in  some  circles. 

"I'm  tired  of  the  word  celebration,"  complained  one  participant  in  a 
conversation  about  the  theme.  "It's  been  used  too  often  to  have  meaning  any 
longer,"  he  went  on.  "And  I  think  most  Brethren  feel  the  same  way." 

"Only  some  Brethren,"  chimed  in  another,  "like  you  fellows  at  the  Semi- 
nary. But  most  Brethren  still  think  of  the  Fourth  of  July  when  we  talk  of 
celebration." 

For  some  Annual  Conference  participants,  though,  the  impasse  may  dis- 
solve with  the  creative  interpretations  of  "Celebration  of  Hope"  to  be  offered  by 
Brethren  for  a  graphic  arts  exhibit  at  Lincoln. 

Three  categories  —  posters,  banners,  photography  —  leave  an  open  field 
for  entrants  to  express  their  feelings  about  the  Conference  theme.  Poster  and 
banner  creators  can  "do  their  own  thing"  with  whatever  art  medium  seems 

appropriate  —  painting,  serigraph,  woodcut, 

photography,  montage,  collage.  Photographers 

AnnUfll COnf^finCB'TO        ^''^  y^^m  to  enter  prints  (no  slides,  please),  a 
minimum  size  of  11  x  14  inches. 

Conference  planners  have  opened  the  ex- 
hibit to  all  persons  related  to  congregations, 
institutions,  and  programs  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Artists  may  submit  up  to  three  items 
in  each  category,  and  entrants  sixteen  and  un- 
der are  being  asked  to  indicate  age.  An  impar- 
,^.      ^_       .^.       ^—    .     tial  committee  will  select  exhibit  items. 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^  But  don't  wait!  Material  must  be  post- 

^^^    '^^^^^^^    ^^^H      marked  not  later  than  May  26,  1970.  Need 
^^F  ^k  ^^^^^F  ^k  ^^1      more  information?  Mail  entries  and  inquiries 
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^1      to  the  Office  of  Communication,  1451  Dundee 
r^^^^^F^^^k ^      Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 
■^Hi^^MBMd^HIHBM  Graphic  interpretation  of  the  celebration  of 

hope  may  seem  impossible  to  some  of  us  who, 
as  the  second  speaker  hinted,  associate  celebration  with  the  Fourth  of  July. 
Ronald  K.  Morgan  helps  us  out  when  he  reminds  us  on  page  2  of  this  issue  that 
"Celebration  Is  a  Style  of  Life."  Ron  is  pastor  of  the  Mack  Memorial  Church 
of  the  Brethren  at  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Outside  denominational  boundaries  celebration  finds  expression  in  the 
work  of  Ralph  M.  Holdeman,  whose  redemption  sculpture  "celebrates  our 
technology  instead  of  cussing  it."  The  interviewer,  Terry  Pettit,  is  on  assign- 
ment with  the  Office  of  Communication  at  the  General  Offices. 

Other  contributors  include  Earle  W.  Fike  Jr.,  executive  secretary  of  the 
Parish  Ministries  Commission. 

Noah  S.  Martin  serves  as  pastor  of  the  Moxham  Church  of  the  Brethren  at 
Johnstown,  Peimsylvania. 

William  R.  Faw  used  his  communion  meditation  at  the  Imperial  Heights 
church  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  where  he  serves  as  pastor. 

Professor  of  New  Testament  at  Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  Graydon 
F.  Snyder  has  contributed  other  feature  articles  to  Messenger. 

Dale  Aukerman's  Easter  message  is  reprinted  from  a  Brethren  Action 
Movement  tract.  Dale  indicates  that  copies  of  the  tract  are  available  from 
BAM,  Box  175,  North  Manchester,  Indiana  46962. 

The  Editors 


CELEBR 


Yo 


ou've  been  hearing  and  seeing  this 
word  celebration  with  repeated  fre- 
quency lately.   No  doubt  some  of  you 
think  we  have  found  a  new  toy  that 
we  will  play  with  until  it's  worn  out. 
Because  the  word  celebration  is  being 
used  in  many  places  with  some  differ- 
ent meanings  and  because  our  past  use 
of  it  makes  us  associate  the  word  only 
with  parties  or  even  with  drunkenness, 
it  seems  important  to  give  the  word 
some  special  attention.    I  do  think  the 
word  has  value  for  us,  so  let's  come  to 
some  common  understanding  of  it  in 
order  that  we  may  use  it  with  clarity. 

Christianity  has  many  divisions  in 
it,  partly  because  of  the  spectrum  of 
moods  of  people.  There  are  a  quietism 
with  Quakers,  a  zeal  with  Jehovah's 
Witnesses,  a  mysticism  with  the  Spirit- 
ualists, a  rigid  formalism  with  liturgical 
churches,  a  physical  and  emotional  ex- 
pressiveness with  Pentecostals,  and  so 
forth. 

A  mood  the  Brethren  and  some 
others  have  wrongly  overemphasized  is 
that  of  guilt  and  solemnity.  Some  of 

2     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


our  resistance  to  worship  patterns  that 
pull  out  all  the  stops  and  use  a  wide 
variety  of  capacities  to  praise  God  are 
resisted  because  this  has  not  been  our 
mood  or  style  of  life. 

When  we  use  the  word  celebration, 
let  it  be  clear  from  the  outset,  we  are 
not  implying  a  perpetual  mood  of 
WHOOPEE!  Celebration  may  at  times 
reflect  a  gaity  of  high-pitched  emotion. 
But  it  may  also  be  the  spirit  of  calm 
reverence  and  awe  that  we  associate 
with  the  first  peek  at  a  newborn  baby. 

Celebration  is  important  to  the  life 
of  every  one  of  us.  If  only  birthdays, 
anniversaries,  and  hoUdays,  we  all  have 
occasions  when  we  celebrate.  Celebra- 
tion is  universal  in  human  life  —  ev- 
ery culture  has  celebration. 

Celebration  is  to  be  associated  with 
biblical  words  such  as  joy,  rejoice, 
gladness,  and  blessed.  Joy  is  one  of 
the  key  elements  of  religious  faith  in 
the  Bible.  I  knew  these  words  were 
frequent  in  the  Bible,  but  I  didn't  rea- 
lize how  often  they  appear.  A  simple 
check  in  an  English  concordance 


IS  A  STYLE 
OF  LIFE 

by  RonaldK,  Morgan 


shows  that  this  group  of  words  appears 
over  1,000  times. 

Robert  Gregor  Smith,  the  Scottish 
Bible  scholar,  wrote  about  joy:  "Joy 
is  not  an  isolated  or  occasional  conse- 
quence of  faith,  but  it  is  an  integral 
part  of  the  whole  relation  to  God." 
What  he  is  saying  is  that  in  the  Bible 
joy  is  a  style  of  life.  It  is  not  an  oc- 
casional feeling,  but  a  way  of  life.  It 
makes  more  sense  to  me  to  substitute 
a  word  and  say,  "Celebration  is  a  style 
of  life."  It  is  such  a  central  part  of  our 
relationship  to  God  that  all  of  our  Ufe 
is  affected  by  it. 

Just  as  I  do  not  love  my  wife  only 
when  I  kiss  her,  but  I  also  love  her 
when  we  eat,  work,  talk,  and  argue  — 
so  celebration  is  a  style  of  life  which 
can  permeate  all  of  Christian  living. 

I  find  in  the  letter  to  the  PhUippians 
some  good  examples  of  this  style  of  life 
expressed  in  Paul's  spirit.  The  Cotton- 
patch  Version  of  this  letter  of  Paul 
(4:4,  5)  reads:  "The  Lord  is  close  by, 
so  don't  fret  over  anything."  Celebra- 
tion is  a  style  of  life  marked  by  faith. 


moN 


A  celebration  style  of  life  is  a  life 
of  faith  that  enables  one  to  adopt  a 
"nevertheless"  way  of  living.  "Things 
seem  bad,  but,  nevertheless,  God  is 
Lord,  so  I  am  going  on."  Celebration 
can  see  monstrous  evil,  intense  pain, 
agony,  and  injustice  and  say  neverthe- 
less. We  can  do  so  because  of  faith  in 
God  as  ultimate  and  Lord  of  all. 

It  is,  in  Paul's  terms,  "the  peace  that 
passes  all  understanding  that  keeps  our 
hearts  and  minds  in  Christ  Jesus"  (4: 
7). 

Ross  Snyder  has  described  it  this 
way:  In  celebration  "the  eternal  drama 
of  light  in  the  context  of  darkness  oc- 
curs once  more  before  our  eyes."  Paul 
used  the  light  image  to  describe  the 
Philippian  Christians:  "You  shine  as 
lights  in  the  world"  (2: 15).  This  is 
reminiscent  of  Jesus'  imagery:  "You 
are  the  light  of  the  world." 

To  use  the  imagery  of  eyesight,  cele- 
bration develops  your  capacity  to  see 
depth,  to  see  things  in  perspective,  in 
the  perspective  of  faith. 

Celebration  is  a  style  of  life  marked 


by  partnership.  I  have  been  conduct- 
ing a  workshop  in  celebration  at  a 
nearby  church.  In  our  first  session,  I 
had  the  people  share  some  celebration 
from  their  recent  lives.  I  should  have 
been  prepared  for  what  I  heard,  but  I 
was  still  surprised  when  they  beauti- 
fully expressed  so  many  of  the  things 
I  felt  about  celebration  without  my 
telling  them.  One  of  them  was  that 
celebration  nearly  always  involves 
other  people.  Celebration  is  com- 
munal, shared.  It  has  partners  in  cele- 
bration; there  is  some  unity  with 
others. 

Paul  hardly  had  his  quiU  dry  from 
his  first  dip  in  the  inkwell  when  he 
wrote  to  the  Philippians,  "making  my 
prayer  with  joy,  thankful  for  your 
partnership  in  the  gospel.  .  .  "  ( 1:4-5 ) . 

And  he  mentions  this  numerous 
times,  calling  attention  to  and  appeal- 
ing for  unity.  He  calls  them  his  "joy." 
He  rejoices  that  they  have  revived 
their  concern  for  him  and  expressed  it 
in  sending  him  a  gift  of  money  with  a 
friend  (4:10). 


The  life-style  which  is  celebration  is 
mindful  of  and  appreciative  of  the  way 
we  are  bound  to  others  in  fellowship 
of  love  and  concern. 

In  the  optometrist's  language,  the 
celebration  style  of  life  has  not  lost 
peripheral  vision.  It  can  see  the  ones 
who  are  beside  us  and  behind  us,  with 
us  in  any  kind  of  event  and  time. 

Celebration  is  a  style  of  life  marked 
by  hope.  Christian  hope  is  at  the  heart 
of  the  New  Testament  and  the  life  of 
the  early  church.  It  offers  a  needed 
word  to  balance  contemporary  pessi- 
mism about  the  world. 

Paul's  celebration  style  of  life  had 
its  hope  rooted  in  Jesus  Christ:  "I  am 
sure,"  he  wrote  confidently,  "that  he 
who  began  a  good  work  in  you  will 
bring  it  to  completion  at  the  day  of 
Jesus  Christ"  (1:6).  Whether  he 
would  live  to  see  his  Philippian  friends 
again  or  not,  he  was  confident  and 
courageous  about  his  own  life  and  the 
purpose  to  which  he  had  committed  his 
life. 

When  we  talk  of  hope,  it  is  easy  to 

3-26-70   MESSENGER     3 


slip  into  a  "positive  thinking"  frame  of 
mind;  not  that  this  is  all  bad,  but  a 
celebration  style  of  life  is  more  than 
blind  optimism.  It  is  an  approach  to 
life  which  refuses  to  believe  evil  is  the 
winner  of  the  war  if  it  wins  a  battle. 
It  is  a  style  of  living  which  does  not 
shrink  from  being  active  in  the  battle 
for  righteousness,  because  it  is  con- 
fident in  the  final  victory  of  God.  One 
who  lives  with  a  celebration  style  of 
life  refuses  to  be  crushed  with  setbacks. 
He  perseveres. 


c 


Celebration  is  not  nearsighted.  It 
can  see  the  long  view. 

Faith,  partnership,  hope  —  and  cele- 
bration as  a  style  of  life  are  marked  by 
a  capacity  to  suffer.  The  one  who 
bears  the  style  of  celebration  in  his 
spirit  does  not  lose  it  even  in  suffering. 
Have  you  ever  known  an  ordinarily 
jovial  and  friendly  person  who,  when 
he  has  a  cold  or  is  faced  with  serious 
illness,  becomes  a  bear?  You  just  get 
out  of  his  way.  He  cannot  tolerate  suf- 
fering. And  don't  we  all  tend  to  expect 
that  God  will  keep  us  from  suffering  as 
a  reward  for  our  having  faith  in  him? 
We  are  assuming  we  are  somehow 
above  Jesus  when  it  comes  to  suffering. 

The  amazing  thing  about  Paul's  let- 
ter to  the  Philippians,  the  most  joyous 
of  all  his  letters,  is  that  it  is  written 
from  prison,  out  of  tragic  circum- 
stances, perhaps  out  of  the  confronta- 
tion with  death  itself.  Paul  had  learned 
the  secret  of  facing  both  plenty  and 
hunger,  abundance  and  want. 

Furthermore,  a  celebration  style  of 
living  can  take  suffering  into  itself,  not 
only  when  pressed  to  do  so,  but  also 
by  its  own  willful  choosing  when  it 
seems  necessary  to  faithfulness. 

Here  is  where  our  word  "celebra- 
tion" is  most  often  misunderstood. 


How  can  we  celebrate  our  sufferings? 
We  don't  in  the  sense  of  saying,  "Yip- 
pee, isn't  this  great?"  That's  maso- 
chism or  a  martyr  complex.  Rather  we 
celebrate  our  tragedies  and  concerns 
by  lifting  them  up  to  God  in  the  con- 
text of  our  faith  in  God,  our  hope,  and 
in  the  context  of  the  commitment  to 
Christ  we  have  made. 

Then  we  can  celebrate  a  death  be- 
cause we  believe  in  eternal  life  and  we 
are  grateful  to  God  for  the  partnership 
of  the  one  now  missing  in  some  ways 
from  us. 

We  can  celebrate  a  defeat  because 
we  tried.  We  can  celebrate  a  bill  be- 
cause it  represents  a  product  or  a  serv- 
ice rendered  to  us.  We  can  celebrate 
a  separation  for  we  know  our  loved 
one  cannot  go  beyond  the  presence  of 
God. 

There  is  a  marked  divergence  be- 
tween the  Old  Testament  and  the  New 
Testament  here,  and  the  cross  makes 
all  the  difference.  In  the  New  Testa- 
ment suffering  can  be  endured  with 
joy,  with  a  style  of  life  that  takes  it  on 
willingly  with  confidence  in  God. 

It  strains  me  to  come  up  with  a 
parallel  in  eyesight  here.  Maybe  we 
can  think  of  it  this  way:  Celebration  is 
being  able  to  see  all,  not  just  what  we 
want  to  see.  Celebration  does  not  have 
the  disease  of  the  eye  children  get  when 
asked  to  clean  up  their  mess  and  they 
say,  "What  mess?" 

Finally,  a  celebration  style  of  life  is 
marked  by  "eager  expectation"  ( 1 : 
20) .  Don't  you  enjoy  the  company  of 
one  who  has  a  capacity  for  wonder, 
amazement,  and  fascination?  We  are 
getting  accustomed  to  rapid  change. 
That's  good  in  some  ways,  but  bad 
when  we  lose  the  sense  of  wonder  at 
something  new. 

The  celebration  life-style  is  per- 
ceptive about  life's  possibilities,  depths, 
opportunities,  and  meanings.  Paul 


said  he  had  an  "eager  expectation"  in     ij 
life  about  the  usefulness  and  truth  of 
what  he  was  doing.  He  was  constantly 
amazed  about  God's  mercy  and  grace, 
even  as  he  sat  in  prison.  After  all,  Paul 
had  been  at  one  time  a  murderer  of 
Christians.  "Amazing  grace,"  the  gos- 
pel song  has  it. 

A  celebration  style  of  life  is  keen 
to  see  the  little  things  as  well  as  the 
big  things  about  which  life  can  cele- 
brate. It  can  be  amazed  at  a  rose's 
delicate  petal,  fascinated  by  a  new  idea, 
appreciative  of  an  evening  at  home, 
grateful  for  a  toy.  I'd  like  to  encourage 
you  to  make  mealtime  a  time  of  cele- 
bration. Let  each  person  express  what 
it  is  about  which  he  can  now  celebrate, 
and  share  with  each  other,  as  we  do  in 
worship,  the  things  we  lift  up  to  God. 
Celebration  is  not  farsighted  —  it  can 
see  the  little  things  very  close  to  us. 

A  year  or  so  ago  Redbook  had  some 
excerpts  from  a  book  by  Fae  E.  Ma- 
lania  entitled  Rejoice  and  Be  Glad.  In 
one  of  the  meditations  in  that  book  she 
told  of  being  in  the  village  at  the  foot 
of  Matterhorn  Mountains  in  the  Alps. 
There  are  many  higher  mountains  in 
the  world,  but  none  may  rise  so  sharply 
and  dominate  over  a  community  quite 
like  the  Matterhorn  does. 

When  they  went  to  their  hotel  room 
and  looked  up,  she  thought  she  saw  it, 
but  her  husband  insisted,  no,  those 
were  other  mountains  and  Matterhorn 
was  hidden  by  mist. 

She  was  awakened  in  the  morning 
by  her  husband  shouting,  "There  it  is! 
There  it  is!"  And  when  she  looked, 
sure  enough  it  was  even  higher,  so 
obviously  higher  and  yet  seemingly  so 
near. 

So  it  is  with  God.  Even  when  he 
seems  hidden  by  mist  and  mystery,  he 
is  certainly  there  —  and  a  celebration 
style  of  life  is  one  in  which  we  live 
knowing  he  is  there.    D 


4     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


Communion  prayers 


For  the  Bread 


Lord, 

You  are  always  doing  miracles  with  common  things 
You  give  us 

the  nurtiu-e  of  the  earth 

the  sprout  of  the  seed 

grain 

the  skUl  of  an  unknown  baker 

and  we  share  the  goodness  of  bread; 
but  the  miracle  of  how  bread  comes  to  us  is 
hidden  from  us. 
You  give  this  bread,  Lord,  a  common  thing. 
We  eat,  and  share  in  its  goodness; 

but  the  miracle  of  how  life  in  Jesus  Christ  is  given 
is  hidden  from  us. 
As  we  eat,  help  us  to  share  in  the  miracle  and  rejoice 
in  the  reality  of  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 


For  the  Wine 


Lord, 

Sometimes  we  think  no  one  cares,  and  then  the  touch  of 
a  hand  says,  "I  do." 

Sometimes  we  feel  no  one  understands,  and  then  we  meet  a 
pair  of  eyes  that  says  someone  does. 
Sometimes  we  feel  alone,  and  a  smUe  says  we  aren't. 
Sometimes  we  feel  lost,  and  you  give  us  a  cup  that  reminds  us  we  are  found. 
Lord, 

As  we  drink  and  remember,  give  us  courage  to  accept  your 
acceptance  of  us  in  Jesus  Christ.  Amen. 


byEarleFikeJr. 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     5 


It 

was 
the 

NINTH 
HOUR 

by  Noah  S.Martin 


There  was  nothing  unusual  about  the 
ninth  hour  —  it  occurred  once  a  day. 
But  this  day  it  was  a  most  unusual 


hour.  I  was  in  Jerusalem  that  day  to 
visit  my  son.  I  came  once  a  week  to 
bring  him  tidings  from  our  home  in 
the  countryside. 

The  streets  in  Jerusalem  were  quiet. 
This  was  strange!  The  last  time  I  was 
in  the  city  I  took  the  path  outside  the 
gate  to  avoid  the  crowd.  The  mer- 
chants were  bargaining  and  the  laugh- 
ter of  children  filled  the  streets.  I  had 
even  thought  of  moving  into  the  city 
myself.  The  people  were  pleasant,  and 
I  did  like  to  hear  the  laughter  of  chil- 
dren. Ours  were  all  grown  and  gone. 
But  today  things  were  so  different. 
The  city  was  quiet  and  empty  but  for 
a  blind  man  I  saw  sitting  by  the  wall. 
He  was  all  alone.  It  seemed  as  though 
a  cloud  of  death  was  hanging  over  the 
city.  I  walked  over  to  the  blind  man 
and  dropped  a  coin  in  his  empty  box. 

"God  bless  you,  God  bless  you,"  he 
said. 

"Where  is  everyone?"  I  asked,  sens- 
ing a  look  of  dismay  upon  his  face. 

"Have  you  not  heard?"  shouted  the 


beggar.  "Today  is  the  crucifixion  of 
Jesus  of  Galilee." 

"Jesus?"  I  replied.  "But  what  has  he 
done?  Is  he  not  the  man  who  healed 
the  lame  and  opened  the  eyes  of  the 
blind?" 

"Yes,  yes,  he  is,"  wept  the  beggar, 
"but  they  have  led  him  to  Golgotha  to 
crucify  him." 

"Golgotha!  But  is  that  not  where  the 
two  thieves  are  to  be  crucified?" 

"Yes,  the  two  thieves  and  Jesus." 

"Jesus?" 

"Yes!  They  passed  by  but  a  short 
time  ago.  I  cried  out  for  mercy  but 
was  beaten  by  a  soldier  who  told  me 
that  Jesus  would  never  walk  these 
streets  again  to  heal  the  blind.  He  was 
bearing  his  own  cross,  I  was  told,  and 
was  being  beaten  by  the  soldiers.  I  saw 
nothing,  but  I  heard  the  snap  of  the 
whip  against  flesh  and  the  groan  of  a 
man.  It  was  Jesus.  He  is  being  cruci- 
fied now." 

"Let  us  go,"  I  said,  "I  will  lead 
you." 


We  began  our  trek  through  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem.  We  were  alone. 
At  first  we  walked  as  fast  as  we  could; 
then  we  began  to  run. 

"Hold  tight,"  I  yelled,  "and  lift 
your  feet  high.  We  are  now  outside 
the  city.  The  path  is  rough  and  un- 
even." 

We  began  to  climb  the  hill.  He 
stumbled  once  and  cut  his  knee  against 
a  rock.  I  cleansed  the  wound  and 
bound  it  with  a  strip  of  cloth  I  tore 
from  the  bottom  of  my  robe. 

"Come,"  I  said,  "we  must  hurry." 

We  contmued  to  climb  the  hill. 

We  were  met  by  two  women  of  Jeru- 
salem. They  were  weeping.  We 
stepped  by  to  let  them  pass. 

"What  did  he  mean  when  he  said, 
'Daughters  of  Jerusalem,  weep  not  for 
me  but  for  yourselves  and  your  chil- 
dren'?" 

"I  don't  know,  Martha,  but  never  a 
man  spoke  like  this  man." 

Again  they  wept. 

"Come,"  I  said,  "let  us  continue." 

The  noise  of  the  crowd  grew  louder 
and  louder.  There  was  jeering  and 
cursing.  Men  were  betting  1 0-0  that 
he  would  not  descend  from  the  cross. 
"After  all,"  I  heard  someone  say,  "he 
is  one  of  us,  is  he  not?" 

"But  he  claims  to  be  the  son  of 
God,"  I  heard  a  man  say  sarcastically. 

"That's  why  he's  being  crucified  — 
for  blasphemy!" 

"What's  this  about  his  tearing  down 
the  temple  and  buUding  it  in  three 
days?  It  took  Herod  forty-two  years  to 
build  that  temple." 

"There's  only  one  thing  that  worries 
me,"  said  a  woman  standing  nearby. 

"What's  that?" 

"Barabbas  is  out  on  the  streets 
again." 

We  began  to  push  our  way  through 
the  crowd.  I  saw  three  crosses  against 
the  blue  sky. 

"There  he  is,"  I  whispered  to  the 
beggar.  "He  is  on  the  cross  between 
two  thieves.  There  is  a  title  above  his 
head.  It  reads,  'This  is  the  King  of 
the  Jews.'  " 

"He  saved  others;  let  him  save  him- 
self, if  he  be  Christ,  the  chosen  of 
God." 

"If  you  are  the  king  of  the  Jews, 
save  yourself!  Come  down  from  the 


cross. 

Then  they  spat  in  his  face. 

"Father,  forgive  them;  for  they  know 
not  what  they  are  doing." 

We  drew  nearer. 

"Listen!  One  of  the  thieves  is  talk- 
ing to  him  now." 

"Are  you  not  the  Christ?  Save  your- 
self and  us." 

"Do  you  not  fear  God?  We  are  re- 
ceiving our  just  punishment;  but  this 
man  has  done  nothing  wrong.  Re- 
member me  when  you  come  into  your 
kingdom." 

"Verily  I  say  to  you,  today  shall  you 
be  with  me  in  Paradise." 

"Out  of  the  way!"  shouted  the  sol- 
diers. "Move  back!" 

"What  is  happening?"  whispered  the 
beggar.  "Is  he  descending  from  the 
cross?" 

"No,  I  think  they  are  going  to  part 
his  garments.  They  are  going  to  tear  it 
into  four  pieces.  No,  they  are  casting 
lots  for  it.  .  .  .  The  soldier  on  the  out- 
side got  the  garment. 

"Who  is  weeping?" 

"Let's  move  closer.  It  is  a  woman 
kneeling  at  the  cross.  She  is  in  great 
sorrow.  There  are  others  kneeling  by 
her.  They  must  be  his  mother  and 
brothers.  Listen!" 

"Woman,  behold  your  son." 

"Behold  your  mother." 


T, 


Lhere  was  a  pause  and  aU  was  now 
very  quiet  except  for  the  weeping  of 
those  by  the  cross.  I  had  a  lump  in  my 
throat  and  my  eyes  became  moist.  I 
looked  at  the  beggar.  He  was  wiping 
his  eyes  with  the  back  of  his  hands. 
From  that  time  forward  we  became  as 
brothers. 

The  blood  was  now  flowing  from 
the  cross.  I  glanced  at  the  man's  face. 
Never  had  I  seen  such  a  look.  His  eyes 
were  upon  those  who  had  crucified 
him.  But  it  was  a  look  of  compassion 
and  love.  I  had  seen  men  upon  a  cross 
before,  but  none  looked  as  he  did. 
They  died  with  screams  and  curses.  I 
marveled.  I  tried  to  describe  his  face 
to  my  friend.  "His  expression  reveals 
both  pain  and  sorrow.  His  face  is  radi- 
ant. There  seems  to  be  a  sacredness 
surrounding  it.  His  eyes  —  they  are  so 
kind." 


"Quiet,  he  is  speaking." 

"Eli,  Eli,  lama  sabachthani?  My 
God,  my  God,  why  have  you  forsaken 
me?" 

Then  one  of  those  standing  nearby 
ran  and  filled  a  sponge  full  of  vinegar, 
and  put  it  upon  a  reed  and  gave  him  a 
drink  saying,  "Let  him  alone;  let  us  see 
whether  Elias  will  come  to  take  him 
down." 

It  was  growing  dark.  It  looked  as  if 
a  storm  were  coming.  A  thunderstorm 
was  blowing  up  from  the  mountains 
and  the  clouds  hid  the  sun.  The 
women  were  praying  for  Jesus,  and  the 
centurion  leaned  on  the  pike  and  was 
silent.  The  soldiers  became  silent,  too. 
For  a  long  time  we  stood  there. 

"Come,  my  friend,  let's  go  back  to 
the  city  lest  we  be  caught  in  the  rain." 

"No,  no,  let's  remain.  Never  before 
have  I  had  such  a  feeling  of  closeness 
to  God.  I  feel  as  though  I  am  stand- 
ing on  holy  ground." 

It  was  the  ninth  hour. 

"Father,  into  your  hands  I  commit 
my  spirit." 

And  with  that  cry  he  died. 

The  ground  trembled.  I  grasped  my 
friend  by  the  hand  and  waited.  Again 
all  was  still. 

"Truly,  this  was  the  son  of  God," 
cried  one. 

"Certainly  this  man  was  innocent," 
cried  the  centurion. 

"What  have  we  done?"  cried  a  man. 
"What  have  we  done?" 

Then  he  turned  and  ran  into  the  city 
for  fear. 

One  by  one  they  began  to  leave. 
Some  were  weeping;  some  were  shak- 
ing their  heads  in  disbelief;  some  won- 
dered if  this  was  really  the  son  of  God; 
but  all  of  them  looked  very  serious  and 
sober.  A  few  remained  to  kneel  by  the 
cross. 

Then  the  soldiers  came.  They  broke 
the  legs  of  the  two  thieves.  But  when 
they  came  to  Jesus  they  saw  he  was 
already  dead.  So  they  pierced  his 
side  with  a  sword.  All  was  still. 

My  friend  and  I  went  forward  and 
knelt  by  the  cross.  I  put  my  arms 
around  him.  Then  he  began  to  weep. 
I  too.  We  knelt  in  silence  for  some- 
time. And  then,  suddenly,  we  lifted 
our  faces.  This  was  indeed  the  Son  of 
God.   n 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     7 


When  we  see  ourselves  . . . 
...  we  see  confusion. 

So  many  people  believe  so  many  different  things  .  .  . 
so  many  people  do  so  many  different  things  .  .  . 
so  many  people  expect  us  to  do  so  many  different  things 
How  do  we  know  what  is  right? 
How  do  we  know  what  to  look  for  in  seeing  ourselves? 

When  we  see  ourselves  .  .  . 
...  we  see  anxiety. 

We  are  not  sure  we  are  good  enough  to  keep  our  husband,  wife,  or  friend  3^^ 
we  are  afraid  people  will  see  through  our  masks  and  faces  .  .  . 

we  fear  that  through  accident  or  maUciousness  harm  might  come  to  us  at  any  moment. 
How  do  we  know  how  to  act? 
How  can  we  stand  to  look  at  ourselves?  isa3BiHas«?:-'A^j*lj«^ 

When  we  see  ourselves  .  .  . 
...  we  see  pettiness. 

We  aren't  worth  another  person's  love  .  f 
we  are  awfully  closed  and  small-minded 
we  are  hateful  and  spiteful. 

How  can  we  do  what  is  loving? 

How  can  we  clear  our  eyes  so  we  can  look  at  ourselves? 


When  we  see  another  . . . 

...  we  feel  competition 

He  may  want  the  same  spouse  I  want .  .  . 
he  may  want  the  same  job  I  want .  .  . 
he  may  want  the  same  position  of  esteem  I  want. 
How  can  I  let  down  my  guard  to  him? 
How  can  I  ever  take  him  to  me  as  a  brother? 

When  we  see  another  .  .  . 
...  we  feel  resentment. 

He  may  be  younger  and  healthier  than  I .  .  . 
he  may  have  a  different  background  than  I .  .  . 
he  may  have  different  moral  standards  than  I. 
How  can  I  trust  him? 
How  can  I  accept  him  as  my  equal? 


When  we  see  another  .  .  . 
...  we  feel  hate. 

He  may  be  an  enemy  to  me  .  .  . 

he  may  want  to  hurt  me  .  .  . 

he  may  belong  to  a  group  I  hate. 

How  can  I  forgive  him  for  my  hate? 

How  can  I  bother  to  look  at  him  long  enough  to  love  him? 


8     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


1  believe  in  the  Father . .  . 

Through  him  I  can  see  the  moral  order  of  the  universe. 
Through  him  I  can  see  the  God  of  judgment  and  justice 
Through  him  I  love,  move,  and  have  my  being. 
Why  can't  I  make  order  in  my  own  life? 
<9B        Why  can't  I  seek  justice? 
|Sw^        Why  can't  I  live  and  enjoy  the  fruits  of  life? 

ilieve  in  the  Son . . . 
Through  him  I  can  see  the  power  of  love  triumphant, 
Through  him  I  can  see  the  purpose  and  meaning  in  sufiEering."^ 
Through  him  I  can  see  servanthood  in  purest  form- 
Can  I  not  find  the  path  of  love? 
Can  I  not  stand  strong  even  amid  suffering? 
Can  I  not  serve  and,  serving,  find  God? 

I  believe  in  the  Holy  Spirit . . . 

Through  him  I  can  feel  the  throb  of  history. 

Through  him  the  church  can  come  aUve. 

Through  him  God  acts  in  the  world,  seeking  his  kingdom. 

May  I  see  myself  clearly  in  God's  face! 

May  I  see  the  other  as  a  brother  in  Christ's  face! 

May  I  see  the  world  transformed  in  the  face  of  the  Holy  Spirii 


Through  a 
Mirror. . .  Clearly 


t^  William  R.Faw 


3-26-70   AAESSENGER    9 


'^^^- 


W^^^^KC^-'     "I'^Jl.'  ^ 


O     V 


jf*-^ 


ANGOTlAE'AVXISr 
ANCOTIV^iPAPy 

fiArsledtiA'iRfisiP^ 

PARrNTE5 


Early  Christian  Symbols 

by Graydon F.Snyder  | 


If  archaeologists  of  the  twenty-second 
century  would  uncover  a  church  of  the 
twentieth  century,  they  would  likely  be 
very  confused  about  the  nature  of 
Christian  symbols  for  our  time.  In  the 
sanctuary  of  our  church  buildings  they 
would  find  some  familiar  Christian 
symbols  like  a  dove  or  a  shepherd  or 
perhaps  even  a  cup  and  fish.   Others, 
like  the  cross,  the  candle,  the  bloodied 
head  of  Jesus,  could  be  interpreted  in 
terms  of  medieval  symbols.  But  some 
would  prove  difficult. 

The  Bible  as  a  symbol  could  be  ac- 
cepted, but  the  scholar  of  the  twenty- 
second  century  might  find  it  difficult  to 
determine  what  it  meant  for  our  day. 
Surely  he  would  be  puzzled  by  the 
presence  of  "Christian  state"  symbols 
like  the  Christian  flag,  the  American 
flag,  the  Constantinian  symbol  so  long 


after  the  dissolution  of  Christian  civili- 
zation. 

No  doubt  he  would  be  more  excited 
and  challenged  by  the  church's  youth 
room.  There  he  would  find  symbols  to 
challenge  his  knowledge  of  twentieth- 
century  culture.  How  would  he  evalu- 
ate flowers,  loaves  of  bread,  and  var- 
ious esoteric  monograms  for  the  church 
of  the  twentieth  century?  For  they  are 
symbols  of  the  times,  not  symbols  of 
Christian  culture. 

The  first  symbols  of  the  church  were 
all  like  those  of  the  youth  room.  They 
had  to  be,  of  course.  Christianity  grew 
most  rapidly  in  the  cities  of  the  Greco- 
Roman  world.  Its  first  mass  of  adher- 
ents were  citizens  of  the  cosmopolitan 
Mediterranean  world,  largely  from  the 
lower  classes  and  slaves  whose  national 
origins  were  the  eastern  Mediterranean 


(Greece,  Asia  Minor,  and  Syria). 

Because  of  the  Jewish  law  against 
art  and  symbols  (the  second  command- 
ment), the  very  first  Palestinian  Chris- 
tians had  no  symbolic  tradition.   But 
the  Gentile  Christians  naturally  would 
symbolize  their  faith  as  they  had  been 
accustomed.   To  do  that  they  utilized 
symbols  from  their  world  which  best 
expressed  what  their  new  faith  meant  to 
them. 

Such  a  procedure  was  dangerous,  of 
course.   If  the  symbols  were  of  the 
pagan  world,  how  could  one  distin- 
guish between  pagan  and  Christian? 
The  earliest  known  Christian  sar- 
cophagus (stone  coffin)  is  so  decorated 
with  symbols  that  it  makes  as  much 
sense  in  terms  of  the  pagan  culture  as  it 
does  for  the  Christian  faith.  Some  of 
the  early  church  fathers  recognized  this 


i 


^.. 


and  urged  the  Christians  to  adopt  more 
neutral  symbols.  I  am  not  so  sure  they 
followed  this  advice.  In  fact,  it  is  more 
likely  the  symbols  they  picked  were 
not  changed  at  all  —  they  simply 
utilized  those  things  which  most  nearly 
stood  for  what  they  had  discovered  in 
the  new  faith. 

So  we  can  understand  why  there  are 
so  few  references  in  the  earliest  sym- 
bols to  things  which  we  consider  im- 
portant: Jesus,  the  cross,  the  resurrec- 
tion, the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  moral 
values,  basic  doctrines,  and  the  Bible. 
None  of  these  was  a  part  of  the  culture 
in  which  the  Christians  lived. 

What  was  there?  Fortunately  in 
some  parts  of  the  world  the  climatic 
and  physical  conditions  have  been  such 
that  very  early  symbols  have  been  kept 
for  us.  Most  of  these  are  in  the  cata- 


combs of  Rome,  but  early  symbols  can 
also  be  found  elsewhere  in  Italy,  Egypt, 
and  occasionally  in  Syria.  It  is  not 
easy  to  determine  what  they  meant  be- 
cause we  have  so  thoroughly  covered 
them  with  our  own  interpretations. 
But  armed  with  some  knowledge  of 
symbols  in  the  ancient  world  we  can 
at  least  come  close  to  the  original 
meanings. 

Two  of  the  earliest  Christian  sym- 
bols have  to  do  with  water:  an  anchor 
and  a  fish.  The  anchor  had  practically 
no  symbolic  use  prior  to  its  appearance 
in  the  catacombs.  Therefore,  we  have 
to  start  from  scratch.    In  later  Chris- 
tian literature  the  anchor  signified 
hope.  In  fact,  its  only  biblical  mean- 
ing also  is  hope  (Hebrews  6:19). 
Coupled  with  the  high  likelihood  that 
water,  for  the  early  Christians,  signified 


an  alien  environment,  one  can  see  in 
this  symbol  an  expression  of  "hope 
despite  the  present  despair."   The  fish 
on  the  other  hand  has  a  very  extensive 
use  as  a  pagan  symbol.  There  are 
many  possible  meanings.  In  popular 
cults  the  fish  were  symbols  of  fertility 
much  as  Neptune  was  often  paired 
with  Venus,  the  goddess  of  fertility. 

More  appropriate  to  Christian  sym- 
bolism would  be  the  symbol  of  the  dol- 
phin as  a  "savior."  It  was  believed 
that  the  dolphin  could  and  had  saved 
people  who  were  drowning  or  ship- 
wrecked (like  "Flipper"  today). 
Therefore,  the  arched  dolphin  often 
occurred  as  a  decoration  on  mau- 
soleums and  sarcophagi.  But  the  dol- 
phin ought  not  to  be  confused  with 
the  regular  fish. 

Actually,  I  suspect  the  Christian  fish 


CHRISTIAN  SYMBOLS  /  continued 

had  two  sources.  It  was  the  meat  of 
the  early  Christian  communal  meals.  In 
artwork  depicting  the  "agape"  there  is 
never  anything  but  fish.  The  earliest 
descriptions  of  Christians  eating  to- 
gether have  much  more  in  common 
with  the  feeding  of  the  five  thousand 
and  the  eating  of  fish  in  John  2 1  than 
with  the  Passover  and  the  lamb.  Sec- 
ondly, the  fish  had  non-Christian  mean- 
ing much  like  the  anchor:  Here  was 
life  which  could  survive  in  what  ap- 
pears to  us  as  a  hostile  environment. 
Later,  about  the  time  of  Constantine 
(nearly  everything  about  Christian 
symbolism  changed  in  the  fourth  cen- 
tury A.D.)  the  fish  was  a  primary  theo- 
logical symbol  because  its  Greek  letters 
tyOuv  (I  CH  TH  U  S)  formed  an 
acrostic  confession:  "Jesus  Christ,  Son 
of  God,  Savior." 


Another  set  of  symbols  has  been 
connected  with  the  Latin  inscription 
PAX.  Where  writing  has  been  joined 
with  art,  especially  in  the  catecombs, 
the  word  pax  (peace)  or  the  phrase 
in  pace  (in  peace)  occurs  the  most 
often.  Frequently  connected  with  this 
"peace"  was  a  dove  or  an  olive  branch. 
In  the  non-Christian  world  both  likely 
referred  to  the  peace  of  the  afterlife. 
Romans  continued  a  sort  of  life  with 
the  dead  of  their  families  by  burying 
them  in  a  city  of  the  dead  (necropolis) 
and  by  eating  with  them  once  a  year. 
The  burials  were  done  by  families  and 
special  places  were  constructed  for 
eating  with  those  who  had  passed  on. 

The  early  Christians  continued  this 
practice.  But  I  think  the  "peace,"  the 
dove,  and  the  olive  branch  referre^i  not 
only  to  the  peace  of  life  after  death 
but  also  to  the  peace  which  for  the 
Christian  had  come  in  this  life.  The 
modem  family  says  the  some  thing  at 
a  funeral  meal.  It  tries  to  say  that 
death  has  not  conquered  the  family 
unity  (peace). 

As  the  artistic  interest  of  the  early 
church  developed  there  appeared 
among  the  peace  symbols  a  human 
figure,  normally  female,  with  arms  out- 
stretched. Because  the  figure  appears 
to  be  praying  we  have  called  it  an 
orante.  Prior  to  the  more  systematic 
illustrations  of  the  church  under  Con- 
stantine, this  symbol,  the  orante,  has  to 
be  considered  the  most  basic  Christian 
symbol.  The  praying  figure  has  an 
ancient  history,  even  though  its  mean- 
ing may  be  hard  to  determine.  At  the 
time  the  Christians  took  it  over,  it  was 
one  of  several  national  symbols  used 
by  the  emperors  to  strengthen  loyalty 
to  the  state  and  piety  toward  certain 
traditions  and  gods.  One  thinks  today 
of  Nixon's  victory  signal  or  even  more 
appropriately  de  Gaulle's  raised  arms. 
Very  likely  the  emperors  of  that  tune 


paraded  through  the  streets  with  hands 
outstretched. 

In  Christian  symbolism  the  orante 
appears  as  a  sign  of  peace.  I  think  it 
means  that  the  things  promised  by  the 
state:  peace,  well-being,  satisfaction, 
justice,  and  community  have  been 
found,  not  in  the  state  but  in  the  com- 
munity of  believers.  Or,  to  put  it  very 
bluntly,  what  the  first  Christians  found 
in  their  common  life  was  not  so  much 
determined  by  Jewish  history  and  the 
Old  Testament  as  by  the  dreams  of 
poets  like  VirgU  and  the  promises  of 
emperors  like  Trajan  (as  understood 
by  the  man  on  the  street,  of  course) . 
The  orante  means  they  found  in  the 
church  what  they,  as  non-Christians, 
had  been  seeking  in  the  Roman  Em- 
pire. 

A  second  major  picture  symbol  was 
the  good  shepherd.  Like  the  orante, 
it  too  had  an  ancient  history  as  far 
back  as  the  second  millenium  before 
Christ.  Normally  it  stood  either  for  a 
priest  bearing  a  lamb  to  sacrifice,  or, 
as  in  the  New  Testament,  a  shepherd 
caring  for  his  sheep.  The  latter  was 
more  popular  with  the  Greco-Roman 
world.  The  good  shepherd  could  be  a 
part  of  the  pleasant  dreams  associated 
with  Acadian  Utopia  where  men  and 
animals  lived  together  in  a  rural,  hip- 
pielike flowerdom. 

The  early  Christian  communities 
were  hardly  Utopian,  but  hard-pressed 
lower  classes  must  have  found  in  the 
church  a  place  of  care  and  acceptance. 
That  is  a  major  reason  why  Christian- 
ity spread  so  rapidly.  Julian  the  Apos- 
tate, a  later  emperor,  tried  to  change 
the  empire  back  to  paganism.  He  ad- 
vised pagan  priests  to  organize  charity 
and  kindness  because  those  were  the 
ways  Christians  had  conquered  the 
world.  It  was  the  symbol  of  the  good 
shepherd  which  caught  up  this  Chris- 
tian love. 


Only  gradually  did  there  develop  a 
uniquely  Christian  symbolism.  Biblical 
stories  served  primarily  as  a  backdrop 
for  the  orante.  You  find  the  orante 
standing  victoriously  in  the  center  of 
an  ark,  or  between  two  lions,  or  in  a 
fiery  furnace  or  flying  out  of  a  sea 
monster's  mouth,  or  in  the  presence  of 
false  accusers  (Susanah  and  the  el- 
ders).  These  were  to  say:  despite  the 
adverse  conditions  of  this  life  in  the 
church  or  Christian  faith,  one  can  find 
peace  and  receive  deliverance. 

In  addition  the  non-Christian  sym- 
bols took  on  specific  Christian  mean- 
ings. The  fish  became  a  confession  of 
faith;  the  good  shepherd  was  identified 
with  Jesus.  Uniquely  Christian  sym- 
bols were  slow  in  coming.  The  cross 
did  not  appear  until  after  Constantine. 
Some  early  portrayals  of  the  cruci- 
fixion show  Jesus  without  a  cross!  Even 
when  the  cross  did  appear  it  was  not 
because  of  atonement  theology.  Ac- 
cording to  Barnabus  (a  Christian  writ- 
er of  the  second  century)  the  cross  of 
Jesus  was  symbolized  by  the  tau  (last 
letter  of  the  Hebrew  alphabet) .  Like 
the  Greek  omega,  the  tau  represented 
ultimacy.  It  was  used  as  a  mark 
(Ezekiel  9:4)  to  protect  people  from 
evil  powers.  As  such  the  Christians 
must  have  adopted  it  as  a  mark  or  sign. 
Only  much  later  was  that  sign  of  the 
cross  identified  with  the  cross  as  an  in- 
strument of  execution. 

The  Christian  culture  established  by 
Constantine  has  slowly  come  to  an  end. 
With  its  demise  will  likely  go  many  of 
our  Christian  symbols.  As  we  pick  up 
a  new  symbolism  we  may  reach  back 
for  ancient  signs  like  the  anchor  or  the 
fish  but  will  likely  take  new  ones,  too, 
like  the  peace  sign  or  flowers.  But  if 
we  take  a  page  from  the  early  church, 
our  symbols  ought  to  express  what 
Christianity  is  in  terms  of  signs  the 
world  today  would  also  use.   D 


ii2!!  speak  up 


Man  Alive! 


We  join  you  in  the  Easter  affirmation, 
"The  Lord  has  risen  indeed!" 

The  rebel  Jew  was  done  away  with, 
but  he  didn't  remain  away.  He  was 
killed,  but  he  didn't  stay  killed.  Men 
of  hate  and  violence  carried  the  day, 
and  a  second  day.  But  Jesus  carried 
the  third.  The  establishment  had  the 
power  to  kill  and  soldiers  to  do  the 
killing.  The  radical  rabbi  refused  any 
attempt  to  outdo  them  on  their  level. 
He  yielded  to  their  kind  of  power  — 
and  committed  himself  to  power  that 
confounded  their  purpose  and  undid 
that  killing. 

We  rejoice  with  you  that  this  risen 
Jesus  is  "the  Power  of  God"  toward  us, 
the  life  of  God  into  us.  To  him  has 
been  given  all  power,  all  authority, 
even  on  this  crazy,  mixed-up  planet. 
With  you  we  celebrate  his  life  —  and 
with  you  some  of  us  feel  we  must  share 
certain  questions. 

All  authority  is  his.  Can  you  then 
accept  it  as  proper  that  young  men. 
Christian  young  men,  submit  them- 
selves to  a  system  of  military  authority 
that  in  large  measure  goes  square 
against  the  authority  of  the  risen  Jesus? 

The  living  one  calls  and  recruits  us 
to  share  life  with  others.  Can  you  sup- 
port your  country's  claim  that  it  has 
the  right  to  draft  and  recruit  men  for 
meting  out  death  to  others? 

Jesus  came  not  to  destroy  men's 


lives  but  to  save  them.  And  out  of 
letting  his  own  life  be  destroyed  has 
come  the  great  saving.  Can  you  as 
his  disciples  give  any  sort  of  assent  to 
that  vast  destroying  of  life  in  Vietnam 
which  our  country  (and  the  other  side 
too)  is  still  engaged  in? 

He  came  and  comes  that  they  may 
have  life  —  they  too,  the  Viet  Cong, 
North  Vietnamese,  Cubans,  Russians, 
Chinese.  How  can  we  relish  body 
counts  of  their  corpses  and  align  our- 
selves with  the  poUtics  of  scaring  or 
killing  them? 

Confronted  by  hard-line  violent  ene- 
mies, the  first  disciples  deserted  their 
nonviolent  Lord.  To  the  extent  that 
we  present-day  Christians  join  their 
precipitate  flight,  aren't  we  really 
denying  the  cross  and  the  resurrec- 
tion? 

Jesus  Christ  is  sovereign  Lord  of 
history  —  and  of  his  people  in  the 
midst  of  history.  Can  we  join  in  the 
presumption  that  the  United  States  has 
to  police  the  world  and  that  mankind's 
future  depends  centrally  on  the  USA? 
Must  not  our  primary  allegiance  be  to 
this  Lord  rather  than  to  the  nation  we 
live  in? 

This  Master  is  with  us  always,  to  the 
close  of  the  age.  Why  then  do  we  get 
so  afraid  of  communism  —  or  dissent- 
ers —  or  rioters?  How  can  we  be  ready 
to  cringe  with  others  behind  a  shield 
of  H-bombs  or  of  brutal  police  meth- 
ods? Isn't  this  a  Master  who  enables 
his  followers  to  meet  "enemies"  with- 
out napalm,  ICBMs,  or  mace  —  a 
Master  who  can  give  us  courage  and 
love  to  meet  antagonists  as  he  met  his? 

The  Lord  is  risen  indeed!  Let's  live 
like  it.  —  Dale  Aukerman 

3-26-70    MESSENGER     13 


news 


Celebration  at  Lincoln 

With  an  agenda  that  tends  toward  the 
lean  side  of  things,  at  least  as  seen 
at  this  juncture,  the  184th  Annual  Con- 
ference of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
may  well  make  its  mark  in  the  realms  of 
worship  and  education.  At  least  these 
are  points  getting  considerable  attention 
in  the  preplanning  for  the  June  23-28 
event  at  Lincoln,  Neb. 

Through  worship  and  other  activities 
conferencegoers  will  be  given  to  ex- 
periencing a  "Celebration  of  Hope," 
seeking  to  express  the  meaning  and 
relevance  of  this  basic  tenet  of  the 
Christian   faith. 

Speakers:  Treating  aspects  of  the 
theme  of  hope  will  be  four  general  ses- 
sion speakers.    They  are: 

Myron  S.  Augsburger,  Tuesday  eve- 
ning. In  the  keynote  address  Dr. 
Augsburger  will  be  making  his  third 
appearance  of  the  day;  he  will  speak 
earlier  to  the  annual  Pastors  Conference. 
He  is  president  of  Eastern  Mennonite 
College  Seminary,  Harrisonburg,  Va., 
and  was  one  of  the  speakers  last  year  for 
the   U.S.  Congress   on  Evangelism. 

A.  G.  Breidenstine,  Annual  Confer- 
ence moderator,  Wednesday  evening.  A 
layman  residing  at  Lancaster,  Pa.,  the 
retired  deputy  superintendent  of  public 
instruction  in  Pennsylvania  will  offer  a 
state-of-the-church  assessment  as  the 
moderator's  address. 

Richard  L.  Landrum,  Friday  evening. 
Mr.  Landrum  is  pastor  of  the  Rochester 
Community  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Topeka,  Kan. 

Leland  Wilson,  Sunday  morning  wor- 
ship hour.  Mr.  Wilson  is  pastor  of  the 
La  Verne  church  in  California  and  im- 
mediate past  director  of  interpretation 
for  the   General  Board. 

Drama:  Among  other  program  fea- 
tures dealing  with  the  Conference  theme 
will  be: 

A  drama  by  the  Covenant  Players, 
Thursday  evening.  Four  actors  from  the 
National    Repertory    Theater,     Encino, 

14     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


Calif.,  will  be  on  hand  not  only  for  this 
production  but  for  spontaneous  and  pro- 
vocative presentations  throughout  the 
week.  Their  selections  offer  a  depiction 
of  man  today  with  the  problems  and 
challenges  he  faces  or  avoids. 

A  celebrative  worship  service,  Satur- 
day evening.  TTie  service  is  being 
planned  by  Earle  W.  Fike  Jr.  and  Wilfred 
E.  Nolen  of  the  staff  of  the  Parish 
Ministries   Commission,   General   Board. 

Further  treatment  of  the  concepts  of 
celebration  and  of  hope  will  come  in 
Bible  study  periods,  Wednesday  through 
Saturday,  8:30  to  9: 15  a.m.  The  leaders 
are  to  be  armounced  shortly.  On  two 
occasions  reactors  will  respond  to  the 
presentations  on  the  spot,  and  each  day 
post-evening  sessions  will  enable  study 
groups  to  pursue  the  presentation  and 
themes    at   greater  length. 

Spectrum:  In  addition  to  the  extended 
Bible  study  sessions,  conferees  may 
select  from  a  wide  spectrum  of  other 
programs  focused  on  contemporary  con- 
cerns. Among  these,  in  the  tentative 
planning,  are  such  topics  as  "My 
Credit  Card  Life,"  "Women's  Rights 
and   Wrongs,"  "The  Trust  Gap"   (Con- 


gregations/Districts/Elgin), "Anabaptist 
Thought  Today,"  and  "Vietnam  To- 
morrow." Other  sessions  will  deal  with 
sex  education,  environment,  nonviolence, 
hymns  and  anthems,  and  styles  of  leader- 
ship. Gatherings  for  hobbyists  in  wood- 
working and  in  painting  are  on  tab.  So 
too  is  a  series  of  sessions  on  "Listening 
to  Other  Voices,"  with  the  "other"  en- 
compassing Indian  Americans,  blacks, 
youth,  overseas  churchmen,  and  Roman 
Catholics. 

Eight  to  ten  of  these  elective  sessions 
will  be  scheduled  each  evening  beginning 
at  8:45.  A  similar  offering  of  interest 
sessions  is  planned  on  Sunday  morning 
prior  to  the  worship  service. 

In  a  real  sense  the  sessions  are  pointed 
toward  education  —  theological  and  so- 
cial —  and  offer  a  forum  for  con- 
frontation from  within  and  outside  the 
denomination.  Such  education  and  en- 
counter are  coming  to  be  seen  as  values 
which  a  large-scale  meeting  like  Annual 
Conference  can  accomplish  best,  perhaps 
more  than  articulate  decision  making  or 
definitive  action. 

Holdovers:  In  the  business  realm,  the 
Lincoln  Conference   travels  light  so  far 


On  hand  for 
spontaneous 
presentations  at 
Conference  will 
be  Covenant 
Players  from 
National  Reper- 
tory Theater, 
Encino, 
California 


as  the  amount  of  baggage  from  previous 
conferences  goes.  One  carryover  item  is 
a  study  of  recruitment  and  training  of 
ministers   from   minority   groups. 

What  likely  will  be  the  weighty  item 
from  last  year  is  "A  Resolution  for  Ac- 
tion," a  paper  which  introduced  the  Fund 
for  the  Americas  and  which  was  referred 
to  the  General  Board  for  study  and  for 
framing  "concrete  proposals"  for  con- 
sideration at  Lincoln.  While  the  Fund 
already  is  operational  and  a  current- 
year  goal  is  set,  long-range  objectives  for 
race  education  and  for  support  of  com- 
munity organization  and  economic  de- 
velopment by  minority  groups  are  yet  to 
be  established  by  Annual  Conference 
delegates. 

New  queries:  In  terms  of  new  busi- 
ness originating  out  of  district  con- 
ferences in  recent  months,  the  agenda 
includes: 

A  query  from  Southern  Ohio  seeking 
to  establish  and  clarify  policy  and  pro- 
cedures by  which  districts  or  congrega- 
tions "may  unite,  merge,  or  federate  with 
other   denominational   units." 

A  query  from  Northern  Indiana  ask- 
ing for  a  study  of  the  rural  church, 
comparable  to  the  1968  study  of  the 
urban  church. 

Two  queries  from  Western  Pennsyl- 
vania, one  asking  for  a  study  of  Sept.  1 
as  the  time  for  beginning  the  church 
year,  and  the  second  encouraging  the 
General  Board  to  provide  a  national 
program  in  the  interest  of  health  and 
welfare  concerns. 

A  query  from  the  Western  Plains  dis- 
trict calling  for  the  denomination's  en- 
dorsement of  Project  Equality,  an  inter- 
religious  effort  aimed  at  using  the  pur- 
chasing power  of  churches  to  improve 
employment  opportunities  for  minorities. 

A  concern  submitted  by  the  Oregon- 
Washington  Board  of  Administration 
may  gain  recognition  as  a  query.  The 
concern  asks  Annual  Conference  for 
guidelines  on  the  relicensing  annually  of 
a  minister  by  a  congregation. 

The  Pension  Board  also  is  processing 


^Jtk 


Conference  speakers:   A.  G.  Breidenstine,  Myron  Augsburger,  Leland  Wilson,  Richard  Landrum 


an  amendment  which  will  require  adop- 
tion by  delegates.  The  item  concerns 
revision  of  a  stipulation  in  the  present 
Pension  Plan  whereby  a  member  clergy- 
man can  withdraw  his  personal  invest- 
ment only  upon  resigning  his  ordination. 

Other  Conference  business  will  include 
reports  of  committees  and  agencies  of 
the  church. 

Art  exhibit:  To  give  wider  interpre- 
tation to  the  Conference  theme,  a  post- 
er/banner/photography exhibit,  open  to 
the  church  and  to  individuals  at  large,  is 
being  arranged.  Details  may  be  obtained 
by  writing  the  Office  of  Communication 
at  the  General  Offices  in  Elgin. 

Members  of  the  Central  Committee 
responsible  for  overall  planning  of  the 
Lincoln  program  are,  in  addition  to  Mod- 
erator Breidenstine,  Harold  Z.  Bomber- 
ger,  moderator-elect,  McPherson,  Kan.; 
William  R.  Eberly,  secretary.  North 
Manchester,  Ind.;  Robert  G.  Greiner, 
treasurer,  and  Hubert  R.  Newcomer, 
executive  secretary,  both  of  Elgin,  HI.; 
W.  Clemens  Rosenberger,  Lititz,  Pa.; 
Mary  Spessard  Workman,  Goshen,  Ind.; 
and  Joseph  M.  Long,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Annual  Conference  has  met  previously 
in  Lincoln  in  1964,  1926,  and  1901.  The 
sessions  this  year  will  be  in  Pershing 
Municipal  Auditorium,  adjacent  to  the 
Nebraska  State  Capitol. 

Weeds  into  protein 

A  MACHINE  that  can  transform  jungle 
weeds  into  rich  and  inexpensive  protein 
foods  is  being  tested  in  Nigeria  and 
India. 

According  to  The  London  Times,  a 
biochemist  at  the  Rothamsted  experi- 
mental station,  Britain,  recently  told 
a   meeting   of   the   American   Chemical 


Society  that  the  experimental  machines, 
which  cost  about  $1,000  each,  can  con- 
vert a  ton  of  weeds  into  nourishing,  con- 
centrated protein  in  an  hour. 

The  scientist,  N.  W.  Pirie,  added  that 
each  machine  is  able  to  supplement  the 
protein  diet  of  50,000  people  a  year. 
It  is  thus  seen  as  having  significant  poten- 
tial in  areas  of  the  world  where  there  is 
chronic  malnutrition.  Unskilled  oper- 
ators are  able  to  work  the  machines. 

"Stress  has  been  placed  on  the  extrac- 
tion of  leaf  protein,"  Mr.  Pirie  said,  "be- 
cause the  yield  is  large,  the  methods  are 
sufficiently  simple  to  be  used  by  any 
community  technically  competent  to 
handle  a  tractor,  and  leaf  crops  grow 
well  in  parts  of  the  tropics  where  rain  is 
so  frequent  that  it  is  difficult  to  ripen  a 
seed  crop.  It  is  in  these  regions  that 
protein  shortage  tends  to  be  most  acute. 

"The  nutritional  value  of  the  proteins 
obtained  from  jungle  plants  is  about  the 
same  as  that  obtained  from  fish  and  meat. 

"The  new  process  is  not  intended  to 
replace  other  methods  of  producing  pro- 
tein supplements,  such  as  fish  meal,  cot- 
ton seed,  and  soybean  flour.  Instead, 
it  will  provide  an  alternative  method 
when  fish,  cotton  seed,  and  soybeans 
are  unavailable. 

"The  machine  grinds  the  leaves  and 
weeds  to  a  pulp  and  then  presses  the 
juice  out.  The  juice  contains  about  one 
half  to  three  quarters  of  the  protein  in 
the  leaf.  The  protein  is  then  coagulated, 
filtered  off,  and  washed.  The  end  product 
is  a  tasteless  cake  that  has  the  texture  of 
cheese." 

To  make  the  cake  palatable,  Mr.  Pirie 
said  that  he  and  his  colleagues  added 
various  flavors  and  had  made  cocktail 
snacks  tasting  like  curry  and  smoked 
fish. 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     15 


flews 


PERSPECTIVES 


A  sampling  of  Brethren  speak  to 


What  are  the  challenges,  the  priori- 
ties, the  possibilities  which  you  see  ahead 
for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  this 
new  decade? 

This  is  the  question  put  by  Messenger 
to  a  number  of  Brethren  throughout  the 
country.  Behind  the  query  lies  the  de- 
sire of  sharpening  what  the  role  and  re- 
sponsibility of  the  church  are  for  these 
times,  and  of  reflecting  upon  what  the 
Brethren  in  this  period  might  become. 

The  statements  of  15  respondents  fol- 
low in  this  issue  and  the  next.  Their 
views  cluster  around  four  pivotal  tasks 
or  themes,  themes  which  have  emerged  as 


central  in  the  exploration  by  Brethren 
and  others  on  Mission  in  the  70s.  The 
four  are: 

Achieving  personal  meaning  and  sig- 
nificance. In  some  of  the  soundings  con- 
ducted in  recent  weeks  by  the  General 
Board,  this  concern  has  registered  as  a 
top  priority.  Three  Brethren  speak  to 
the  issue  in  the  columns  here. 

Shaping  the  emerging  church  and  its 
response  to  mission.  Of  the  persons  in- 
vited by  Messenger  to  share  their  views, 
this  task  emerged  as  the  favorite  theme. 
Statements  on  this  by  five  Brethren  fol- 
low. 


1.  Achieving  personal  meaning  and  significance 


Voice  from  the  middle 

by  CLIFFORD  B.  HUFFMAN 
Farm  loan  appraiser,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

As  I  LOOK  into  the  70s  I  find  myself,  at 
the  age  of  forty-seven,  in  the  middle.  I 
find  it  difficult,  amid  the  many  voices 
clamoring  to  be  heard  today,  to  find 
those  with  which  I  can  most  identify  and 
find  real  meaning. 

I  am  between  the  extremes  of  funda- 
mentalism on  the  one  hand  and  social  ac- 
tivism on  the  other.  I  feel  the  rug  being 
pulled  out  from  under  me  as  I  see  the 
kind  of  Christian  life  that  holds  mean- 
ing for  me  disappearing  down  the  drain. 
President  Nixon  was  probably  describing 
my  group  in  a  sense  when  he  referred 
to  the  silent  majority.  Dr.  George  M. 
Docherty,  pastor  of  the  famed  New  York 


Avenue  Presbyterian  Church,  Washing- 
ton, D.C.,  refers  to  my  group  as  the  un- 
committed middle.  In  a  recent  sermon 
he  challenged  us  to  speak  up  and  make 
ourselves  known,  becoming  the  dynamic 
middle. 

A  United  Methodist  pastor  in  our 
neighborhood  has  just  resigned,  explain- 
ing that  his  decision  reflects  the  inner 
conflict  and  turmoil  within  the  institu- 


Accept  change 
with  discretion 

in  the  70s  .  .  . 


Working  for  justice  and  reconciliation. 
In  the  next  issue  of  Messenger  four 
Brethren  will  speak  to  the  implications 
of  this  task.  Not  surprisingly,  their  views 
contrast  at  some  points,  concur  at  others. 

Defining  the  place  of  religion  in  a  sec- 
ular, pluralistic  society.  Again,  as  with 
tasks  one  and  three,  this  topic  was  se- 
lected by  three  respondents. 

Without  analysis  —  leaving  to  the 
reader  to  discern  what  these  commen- 
taries say  when  summed  up  —  here  fol- 
lows the  first  of  two  installments  on  how 
a  sampling  of  Brethren  anticipate  the 
70s. 


tional  church  today.  How  to  be  genuine; 
how  to  be  relevant;  how  to  be  faithful 
to  the  mission:  These  are  some  of  the 
vital  questions,  he  says,  that  "stir  my 
soul."  He  went  on  to  say  that  his  future 
might  include  institutional  chaplaincy, 
school  or  college  teaching,  or  administra- 
tive leadership. 

There  is  a  growing  mood,  not  only  in 
the  United  Methodist  Church  but  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  also,  that  the 
institutional  church  has  had  it;  that  God 
wants  his  servants  in  forms  of  ministry 
free  from  the  shackles  of  the  pastorate 
and  the  traditions  which  acccHnpany  it. 

I  am  concerned  for  the  man  in  the 
pew  like  myself,  who  as  much  as  ever 
needs  meaningful  corporate  worship  and 
who  feels  deserted  by  those  who  lead  us 
—  those  who  are  seeking  areas  of  service 
outside  the  church.   I  cannot  find  in  the 


16     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


IN  THE  70s 


^see  as  priorities  and  possibilities  for  the  churcli 


social  world,  even  as  much  as  I  know 
that  my  Christian  commitment  must  lead 
me  there,  the  lift  I  feel  in  a  well-planned 
worship  service  which  includes  the  ma- 
jestic and  thrilling  tones  of  a  pipe  organ, 
interesting  variations  of  forms  of  worship 
utilizing  instrumental  musical  talent 
from  within  the  church,  for  example,  and 
the  mingling  with  other  Christians  within 
the  fellowship  of  the  church. 

At  the  other  extreme  are  the  funda- 
mentalists among  us  who  cry  out  that 
the  church's  business  is  to  save  souls, 
leaving  the  social  ills  to  the  government. 
While  these  voices  preach  renewal  within 
the  church  they,  in  fact,  tend  to  divide  it. 
I  subscribe  to  their  enthusiasm  but  can- 
not share  totally  their  views. 

A  Quaker  associate  of  mine  said  some 
time  ago,  "I  don't  know  what's  the  mat- 
ter with  us  but  we  sure  ain't  growin'.  " 
This  would  seem  to  be  a  case  in  point 
that  a  social  service-oriented  church, 
devoid  of  any  significant  evangelistic 
thrust,  fails  to  grow.  There  are  those 
who  say  that  growth  is  not  important 
so  long  as  you  serve  your  neighbor. 
If  this  view  has  any  validity,  why 
did  Christ  leave  us  with  the  great  com- 
mission which  is  both  evangelistic  and 
social?  It  instructs  us  to  "make  disciples 
of  all  nations"  (evangelistic),  "teaching 
them  to  observe  all  that  I  have  com- 
manded you"   (social). 

As  we  try  to  find  meaning  in  this  dec- 
ade, we  in  the  middle  must  take  a  fresh 
look  at  the  foundations  of  our  faith, 
including  a  reaffirmation  of  our  commit- 
ment to  the  great  commission;  adoption 
of  increased  servant  ministry,  but  not  at 
the  expense  of  personal  spiritual  enrich- 
ment which  the  church  should  provide, 


and  a  review  of  the  routineness  of  our 
worship,  transforming  it  into  truly  mean- 
ingful experience. 

We  can  find  meaning  in  the  70s  if  we 
can  accept  change  with  discretion,  with- 
out deserting  the  principles  which  have 
been,  and  always  will  be,  the  backbone 
of  the  Christian  church. 


To  convey  meaning 

by  S.  EARL  MITCHELL 
Pastor,  Pon  Republic,  Va. 

It  seems  evident  to  many  of  us  that 
the  church  needs  to  discover  some  new 
directions  and  emphases  for  the  years 
immediately  ahead.  We  have  too  many 
programs,  services,  and  activities  which 
contribute  very  little  to  the  people  in  the 
church  or  to  the  larger  community  out- 
side the  church. 

One  of  the  central  concerns  of  the 
church  in  the  70s  should  be  that  of  help- 
ing people  to  achieve  personal  meaning 
and  significance.  This  should  be  directed 
both  toward  the  people  in  the  church  and 
those  in  the  secular  community. 

Automation,  industrialization,  and  regi- 
mentation of  people  in  our  society  have 


Help  people  to 
find  meaning 
for  their  own 
lives  .  .  . 


robbed  many  of  the  meaning  of  life. 
Many  people  today  feel  that  their  lives 
are  insignificant,  that  what  they  do  is  un- 
important. Their  jobs  are  just  a  means 
of  making  a  living;  they  are  unaware  of 
making  any  real  contribution  to  the  bet- 
terment of  mankind.  They  are  engaged 
in  a  busy  whirl  of  activities,  both  on  the 
job  and  in  their  leisuretime,  but  they 
have  no  great  value  for  which  they  are 
striving. 

The  73rd  Psalm  describes  the  strug- 
gles of  a  man  as  he  sought  for  meaning 
in  life  and  did  not  find  it  until  he  "went 
into  the  sanctuary  of  God."  Then  he  was 
able  to  see  life  from  a  larger  perspective 
and  discovered  that  "God  is  good  to  the 
upright  and  to  the  pure  in  heart." 

The  church  program  in  the  70s  should 
be  focused  on  helping  people  find  mean- 
ing and  significance.  Worship  services 
and  sermons  should  be  deliberately 
planned  to  help  make  people  more  aware 
of  the  presence  and  power  of  God  around 
them  and  supporting  them  and  to  help 
them  discover  some  central  purpose  for 
their  lives  and  some  new  disciplines  by 
which  they  can  regulate  their  living. 
This  will  certainly  mean  having  variety 
of  worship  experiences  and  using  both 
old  and  new  forms  in  our  services.  The 
church  school  should  discard  all  its  an- 
tiquated materials  and  methods  and  dili- 
gently set  about  the  task  of  helping  peo- 
ple to  think  through  the  issues  of  life  and 
discover  for  themselves  the  roots  of  a 
reasonable  and  meaningful  faith.  Minis- 
ters need  to  cultivate  the  art  of  listening, 
being  oj>en  and  responsive  to  each  per- 
son; and  people  need  to  become  more 
aggressive  in  asking  questions  and  shar- 
ing their  concerns  with  the  minister. 


J-26-70    MESSENGER     17 


PERSPECTIVES 
ON  THE  70s 


Every  youth  and  adult  in  the  church 
needs  to  be  involved  in  some  type  of 
small  group  in  which  he  can  unload  his 
tensions  and  frustrations,  his  doubts  and 
uncertainties.  Every  person  needs  the 
supportive  fellowship  of  Christian  friends 
as  he  deals  with  the  difficult  problems  of 
life  and  develops  a  mature  faith.  The 
church  has  an  unusual  opportunity  to 
help  people  find  meaning  in  life  through 
carefully  planned  group  therapy. 

One  of  the  primary  responsibilities  of 
the  church  at  this  time  is  that  of  helping 
people  to  find  meaning  for  their  own 
lives  so  that  they  may  be  able  to  witness 
more  effectively  in  their  world. 


Our  adult  priorities 

by  MURRAY  L.  WAGNER 

Pastor,  Quarryville,  Pa. 

In  a  small  Pennsylvania  town  more 
than  fifty  years  ago  there  was  a  local 
scare  brought  on  by  a  kidnaping  in  a 
nearby  city.  A  small  boy  came  home 
breathlessly  from  school,  shouting, 
"There's  a  kidnaper  downtown!" 

The  wondering  mother  asked,  "How 
do  you  know?" 

"There's  a  man  who  has  hair  in  his 
ears!" 

The  boy  is  now  a  grandfather,  but  he 
still  has  his  suspicions  that  men  with 
beards  are  either  communists  or  hippies 
with  little  to  choose  between  them.  The 
adult  judgment  is  scarcely  more  ridicu- 
lous than  that  of  the  child. 

Upon  such  a  hair  hangs  a  Damocles' 
sword  when  judgments  are  made  with  so 
little  thought,  drawing  conclusions  which 
could  have  an  eternal  impact. 

The  wretched  mess  that  civilization  (?) 
has  come  to  be  drives  men  to  seek  some 
escape.  Wc  cannot  move  farther  west 
when  we've  worn  out  the  soil  and  pol- 
luted all  natural  resources,  so  we  reach 
out  into  virgin  territory  of  space. 

Yet,  somehow  the  accomplishment  of 
reaching  the  moon,  this  "victory,"  turns 
rancid   and   the   "greatest  event   in   the 


history  of  man"  fails  to  generate  carols 
or  significance  as  did  the  birth  of  a  baby 
boy  in  a  cow  stable  2,000  years  ago. 

If  space  exploration  so  soon  loses  its 
excitement;  if  youth  are  being  "turned 
off"  by  conventional  religion;  if  young 
people  dare  "dance  before  the  Lord" 
(was  David  a  hippie?),  then  adults  are 
seeing  "kidnapers"  all  about. 

It  should  be  evident  that  we'd  better 
be  looking  at  inner  space  instead  of  outer 
(isn't  that  what  God  does?).  Why  the 
generation  gap?  the  "falling  away"? 
Youth  knows  that  actual  commitment  is 
essential  now,  in  the  70s,  if  life  is  to  have 
any  meaning. 

But  to  what  shall  youth  be  committed? 
The  ideals  of  the  fathers?  That  honesty  is 
the  Christian  way  (But,  Dad,  on  Form 
1040  you  listed  .  .  .)?  That  sexual  purity 
is  an  absolute  (Our  preacher  surely 
must  watch  the  hemlines  or  how  would 
he  be  so  hip  on  ladies'  fashions)?  That 
tobacco  is  a  defilement  (But,  who  raises 
the  weed?)?  That  betting  at  the  track  is 
a  form  of  sinful  gambling  (Didn't  I  see 
you  watching  the  board  anxiously  at  the 
stock  exchange?)?  What  priorities  shall 
young  people  set  if  their  elders  have  done 
so  poorly  in  example? 

One  United  States  senator  related 
that  he  had  chided  his  grandson  for  "get- 
ting high"  on  drugs.  The  youngster  said, 
"But,  Granddad,  I  saw  you  stone  drunk 
many  a  time,  and  that's  just  as  bad." 
Did  you  know  what  the  senator  says  he 
will  do?  "I  am  going  to  vote  to  make  the 
use  of  marijuana  legal."  We  assume  that 
if  we  legalize  murder  it  will  reduce  the 
homicide  rate. 

The  problems  that  confront  the  nation 


"Look,  Dad, 
you  show  us 
what  it  means 
to  be 
committed  .  .  .' 


are  the  soul's  problems  magnified.  The 
erosion  of  the  hillsides  through  greedy 
practices  will  end  when  men's  souls  are 
no  longer  eroded  by  selfishness.  The  hun- 
ger speaks  of  the  emptiness  of  human 
souls.  Poverty  —  what  poverty  is  more 
distressing  than  a  grandfather  who  re- 
ported in  Sunday  school  class:  "I  haven't 
read  a  book  since  I  left  high  school"? 

If  we  are  to  attain  significance  as  per- 
sons we  need  set  our  priorities  in  order. 
One  generation  worshiping  at  the  altar  of 
the  great  god  $ucce$$  should  remember 
that  the  finger  of  scorn  pointed  at  an- 
other leaves  four  fingers  pointing  to  the 
breast  of  the  accuser.  In  the  eyes  of  the 
ludge  Eternal  it  is  likely  about  as  bad  to 
worship  Mammon  (gold)  as  Venus 
(beauty)  or  Bacchus  (wine).  And  some 
who  condemn  the  Mercury  (speed)  god 
are  themselves  near  the  altar  of  Mars. 
Many  a  Brethren  farmer  would  object 
strenuously  if  an  agent  came  and  took 
his  best  cow  for  government  purposes  but 
he  says  not  a  mumblin'  word  if  his  son 
is  taken  and  taught,  "Now  this  bayonet: 
shove  it  in  all  the  way,  and  then  twist  it 
good  and  hard." 

Some  of  us  have  enough  faith  in  the 
integrity  of  youth  to  feel  they  will  not 
follow  the  wandering  stars  which  have 
attracted  so  many  of  their  seniors.  Some 
of  them  realize  that  a  mind  should  be 
open  until  it  gets  hold  of  a  great  idea 
and  then  never  let  go.  They  will  study, 
explore,  classify,  separating  the  chaff 
from  the  wheat,  and  from  that  wheat 
will  make  the  staff  of  life. 

It  would  appear  that  the  men  and 
women  of  the  70s  would  ask  their  fore- 
bears: "Act  your  age  (but  don't  crawl). 
If  Christ  is  really  meaningful  for  you  as 
you  say  he  is,  show  us.  If  he  does  really 
change  lives,  let's  see  him  do  something 
with  yours.  We  have  walked  a  long  time 
with  our  small  fingers  in  your  hands  but 
the  nail  prints  are  not  very  prominent, 
are  they? 

"Look,  Dad,  you  show  us  what  it 
really  means  to  be  a  committed  follower 
of  Jesus  Christ;  then  we'll  think  more 
about  it." 


18     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


2.  Shaping  the  emerging  church  and  its  response  to  mission 


A  multiple  ministry 

by  A.  G.  BREIDENSTINE 

Educator,  Lancaster,  Pa. 


i  The  church  in  the  70s,  if  it  seeks  truly 
1  to  be    God's   instrument   in   the   world, 
I  must  shape  itself  to  be  relevant  to  the 
j  needs  of  the  day.    To  be  anything  less 
than    fully    relevant    will    result    in    the 
!  church  being  ignored  by  our  secular  so- 
[  ciety  and  simply  passed  by.    To  be  rele- 
!  vant  will  demand  an  expertness  in  mis- 
!  sion  never  before  required. 
,       Our  present-day  society  has  developed 
i  high   specialization   in   many   areas.     As 
citizens,  we  have  come  to  expect  an  ex- 
pertness in  theology,  in  the  healing  arts, 
in  education,  in  the  various  sciences,  and 
in  our  dealings  one  with  another.   To  be 
vital  in  the  society  the  church  must  "try 
hard   to  show   [itself]   worthy   of   God's 
approval,  as  a  labourer  who  need  not  be 
ashamed,   driving   a  straight   furrow,   in 
[its]     proclamation    of    the     truth"     (2 
Tim.  2:15,  NEB). 

For  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  a  gear- 
ing-up  may  not  be  as  difficult  as  at  first 
expected.  With  a  tradition  in  the  multiple 
ministry,  our  church  should  be  able 
quickly  to  return  to  this  tradition  —  but 
with  a  difference.  For  at  least  one  new 
shape  of  the  emerging  church  will  be  that 
of  a  multiple  staff  with  recognized  spe- 
cializations. Thus,  for  the  Brethren,  in- 
stead of  having  a  multiple  ministry  of 
many  generalists,  this  decade  will  de- 
mand a  multiple  staff  of  experts.  As 
many  churches  already  require  profes- 
I  sional  musicians  to  serve  as  their  minis- 
j  ters  of  music,  so  they  will  shortly  expect 
similar  expertise  in  church  education,  in 
church  welfare  services,  in  social  action, 
and  in  all  areas  where  the  mission  of  the 
church  makes  its  claims. 

But  the  practical  demands  of  our  times 
also  suggest  that,  instead  of  multiplying 
full-time  staff,  we  claim  a  tithe  or  a 
double  tithe  of  the  church  member  expert 
who  serves  society  day  after  day.  Oh, 
yes,  we  will  still  have  to  pay  for  these 
services,  and  we  will  also  pay  for  the 
professional's  further  training  which  is 


required  of  him  to  do  the  work  to  which 
he  is  called.  However,  men  and  women 
in  their  vocations  will  readily  respond 
to  the  unanimous  call  of  the  congrega- 
tion. Ordinarily  they  will  accept  most 
readily  if  the  call  is  for  a  definite  term 
of  service  —  say  three  years.  If  success- 
ful, such  a  term  could  be  extended;  it 
should,  however,  not  become  another 
fixation  for  life.  Thus,  churches  might 
appoint  ministers  of  church  education, 
ministers  of  neighborhood  services,  min- 
isters of  social  action,  ministers  of  music 
and  worship,  and  such  additionals  as  the 
purpose  of  the  body  of  Christ  requires. 
Some  of  the  ministers  in  small  congrega- 
tions might  well  serve  several  congrega- 
tions of  the  same  denomination  or  serve 
across  denominational  lines. 

Administratively,  I  see  the  pastor  as 
one  among  equals,  but  in  charge.  It  is  he 
who  coordinates  the  work  of  the  several 
ministers.  Leadership,  even  if  expert, 
must  nevertheless  be  focused  for  effec- 
tive mission.  The  several  ministers 
should  confer  frequently  with  the  pastor 
in  short  staff  meetings,  but  at  least  an- 
nually in  an  extended  retreat,  do  the  long- 
range  dreaming  and  planning  allowing  the 
Holy  Spirit  to  have  his  way. 

Furthermore,  it  must  be  clearly  under- 
stood that  the  ministers  are  called  to  give 
leadership  services,  to  rally  the  many 
congregational  workers,  give  guidance, 
and  help  to  clarify  the  church's  objec- 
tives —  not  to  be  saddled  personally  with 
the  entire  load  of  work. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
changed  many  times  during  its  history, 
and  it  can  do  so  again  during  the  70s. 
To  accept  a  modified  version  of  a  mul- 
tiple ministry,  locally  called,  is  a  shape 


The  church  in 
the  70s  must 
be  fully 
relevant .  .  . 


the  emerging  church  will  require. 


A  dynamic  healing  force 

by  ROSS  A.  HEMINGER 

Orchardist,  Wenatchee,  Wash. 


Are  church  habits  like  some  people's 
eating  habits,  never  changing?  Change  is 
always  with  us.  Sometimes  it  speeds 
ahead  rapidly;  other  times  it  slows  con- 
siderably. The  range  of  what  may  be 
known  by  observation  of  changes  in  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  should  warn 
of  what  may  happen. 

Precisely  what  factors  should  be  con- 
sidered in  the  changing  church  to  make 
it  responsible  to  fulfill  its  mission  in  the 
70s? 

Theological  training  has  gone  through 
considerable  change.  The  laity  needs  to 
know  and  to  understand  the  same  kind  of 
language  used  in  the  new  theology.  The 
gap  should  be  greatly  reduced  for  a 
more  effective  ministry.  Theologians 
must  use  words  which  make  their  mean- 
ing clear  to  the  laity.  A  wider  gap  ex- 
ists between  what  some  ministers  say  and 
what  our  young  people  understand. 
Many  of  the  publications  by  church  lead- 
ers require  hard  study  to  read  and  un- 
derstand what  is  being  said.  The  church 
must  struggle  to  bring  a  common  dia- 
logue more  easily  understood  by  all  mem- 
bers. 

The  church  in  the  70s  will  learn  to  lis- 
ten more  carefully  to  dissent  and  hon- 
estly to  understand  those  who  disagree. 
We  can  work  effectively  with  those  who 
disagree  when  we  learn  to  define  our 
areas  of  disagreement  and  then  submit 
them  to  the  will  of  God.  Acts  15  clearly 
states  the  position  of  which  I  speak.  The 
will  of  God  and  the  inspiration  of  his 
spirit  can  heal  differences. 

Programs  will  not  necessarily  be 
handed  down.  They  will  arise  and  de- 
velop from  involved  members.  Witness 
what  happened  at  the  1969  Annual  Con- 
ference. The  people's  concerns  were  ex- 
pressed both  through  and  aside  from  the 
agenda. 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     19 


news 


The  wide  variety  of  interests  and  prob- 
lems of  various  groups  has  alienated  the 
affluent  from  the  poor,  the  clergy  from 
the  laity,  the  blacks  from  the  whites. 

As  ambassadors  of  reconciliation  can 
we  develop  the  means  to  bring  these 
groups  together?  Can  we  broaden  our 
Christian  faith  to  understand  the  legiti- 
mate claims  of  the  other? 

What  are  some  of  the  solutions  to  so- 
ciety's ills  that  local  congregations  must 
formulate? 

1.  To  bring  wars  with  their  total  in- 
volvement of  people  to  an  end. 

2.  To  rebuild  goodwill  and  human  dig- 
nity both  locally  and  around  the  world. 

3.  To  decide  what  our  relationship  is 
to  our  nuclear  capabilities. 

4.  To  discover  our  responsibility  to 
the  population  explosion,  which  often 
results  in  crime,  poverty,  and  waste  of 
human  resources. 

5.  To  realize  the  hazard  to  health  of 
environmental  pollution.  These  and 
many  other  problems  manifest  them- 
selves. Some  will  contend  that  solutions 
are  government's  responsibility,  but  I 
believe  it  is  more  the  responsibility  of 
the  church  as  the  body  of  our  society 
who  cares  for  the  individual  in  our 
changing  complex  social  structure.  The 
change  in  tomorrow's  church  really 
means  a  great  sense  of  evangelistic  min- 
istry to  preach  the  gospel  of  wholeness  to 
our  people. 

Some  of  our  activities  are  no  longer 
relevant  to  the  needs  of  man.  We  must 
evaluate  what  we're  doing  and  why  we're 
doing  it.  The  evaluation  of  these  activi- 
ties must  involve  our  total  congregation. 
We  must  speak  more  clearly  and  more 


The  church 
must  emerge 
as  the 
champion 
of  the 
individual  .  . 


meaningfully  to  man's  social  needs. 

Consider  Job,  for  example.  Job  cried 
out,  "Oh,  that  I  knew  where  I  might  find 
him!"  Society  is  crying  out  to  the  church, 
"Where  can  I  find  meaning  for  my  life?" 
"Where  can  I  find  peace?"  "Where  can 
I  find  God?"  "Is  there  no  one  to  help 
me?"  Can  we  offer  hope  for  man's  needs? 
The  emerging  church  must  speak  with 
direction,  yet  in  a  spirit  of  love  and 
compassion. 

John  14:15-20  speaks  pointedly  about 
our  relationship  of  God  to  man  and  it 
is  in  this  context  that  man  will  find  ful- 
fillment of  his  total  needs. 

The  church  must  emerge  as  the  cham- 
pion of  the  individual.  Man's  cause  is 
lost  in  the  bigness  of  government,  of  in- 
dustry, of  unions.  Unless  the  church 
helps  man  to  have  some  medium  for  re- 
sponse, to  act  upon  as  well  as  being  acted 
upon,  to  live  as  a  human  being  ought 
to  live,  man  will  sink  in  the  mire  of  hope- 
lessness. 

The  regenerating  and  renewing  wor- 
ship of  our  churches  will  undergo 
changes.  Courage  to  stand  for  justice 
and  beyond  that  for  mercy  toward  all 
people  will  make  the  church  of  the  70s 
a  dynamic  healing  force  in  a  fragmented 
world. 


To  be  a  sign 


by  KERBY  LAUDERDALE 

Pastor,  Oakland,  Calif. 

Our  mission  in  the  1970s  is  exactly 
what  it  has  been  for  nearly  nineteen  hun- 
dred and  seventy-odd  years  (assuming 
first  we  believe  it) :  to  proclaim  the  good 
news  that  God  loves  man;  to  proclaim 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  as  the  one  who  made 
God's  love  come  alive  (as  it  were);  to 
proclaim  that  the  kingdom  of  God  has 
come  (and  is  coming);  and  to  live  in  the 
presence  of  the  kingdom  (anticipating  its 
coming) . 

This  statement  is  not  rhetorical!  I  mean 
it  exactly  as  it  is  written.  Our  mission 
has  not  changed  one  bit  with  the  passage 


of  some  1,970  years,  and  we  aren't  any 
closer,  in  terms  of  progress,  to  the 
kingdom  now  than  we  have  ever  been. 
Therefore,  seeking  our  "Mission  for  the 
70s"  is  sort  of  like  carting  the  proverbial 
cart  out  there  in  front  of  the  horse  again. 
I  will  admit  to  the  value  of  emphasizing 
particular  aspects  of  our  mission  at  dif- 
ferent times  and  places.  However,  there 
is  a  danger  in  distinguishing  between 
aspects  of  the  mission  because  all  too 
soon  the  aspects  become  the  mission. 

This  is  precisely  our  problem  and  pre- 
cisely our  calling  in  the  70s.  We  must 
reaffirm  the  faith  and  its  central  mission 
and  thus  live  in  the  presence  of  the 
kingdom  now.  That  means,  concretely, 
the  war  is  over!  And  Alcatraz  belongs 
to  the  Indians!  And  black  is  beautiful! 

Now  this  calling  is  no  small  order. 
And  it  does  not  come  as  essentially  an 
educational  process  or  an  evolutionary 
growth.  Rather,  if  we  take  our  clues 
from  the  New  Testament  —  and  where 
else  would  we  get  them  —  it  comes  as  a 
radical  change. 

For  example,  in  the  little  exchange  re- 
corded in  John's  gospel  between  Nico- 
demus  and  Jesus  about  entering  the  king- 
dom of  God,  Jesus  says,  "Unless  a  man 
is  bom  anew  [or  from  above],  he  cannot 
see  the  kingdom  of  God."  Now  birth  cer- 
tainly implies  something  other  than 
growth  —  something  more  than  growth. 
C.  K.  Barrett  states  this  clearly  in  his 
commentary  on  John:  "Judaism,  which 
Nicodemus,  the  Pharisee  and  ruler  of  the 
Jews,  the  teacher  of  Israel,  represents,  is 
inadequate;  it  cannot  move  forward  con- 
tinuously into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
A    moment    of    discontinuity,    compa- 


Our  mission  is 
to  proclaim  the 
good  news  .  .  . 


20     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


PERSPECTIVES 
ON  THE  70s 


rable  with  physical  birth,  is  essential." 
'  Pharasaic  Judaism  is  in  many  ways 
!  comparable  to  contemporary  Christianity, 
certainly  at  this  point.  If  we  contem- 
porary Christians  expect  the  kingdom 
at  all,  it  is  totally  in  the  future;  and  yet  it 
iis  something  we  are  getting  closer  to  day 
by  day.  But  not  so  according  to  the  New 
Testament.  Matthew  records  a  saying  of 
Jesus  which  carries  the  same  message  as 
John's:  "Unless  you  turn  and  become 
like  children  you  will  never  enter  the 
kingdom  of  heaven"  (18:3).  Here  again, 
the  early  Christians  proclaim  that  en- 
trance into  the  kingdom  is  more  than 
growth  and  progress. 

Quite  apart  from  the  witness  of  the 
early  church,  our  entire  world  —  popula- 
tion and  environment  —  is  calling  for  our 
conversion.  It  is  becoming  increasingly 
clear  that  our  population  and  environ- 
mental problems  are  so  severe  that  noth- 
ing short  of  a  radical  change  on  our  part, 
a  deep  and  profound  conversion  to  car- 
ing for  one  another  and  our  world  more 
than  we  care  for  our  own  immediate  con- 
venience and  profit,  will  save  us  from 
disaster.  No  process  of  gradual  change 
of  priorities,  no  program  of  education  to 
|arouse  our  "enlightened  self-interest,"  no 
compromise  between  conservation  and  in- 
dustrial interests  will  have  a  chance  of 
staving  off  the  disaster!  The  situation  is 
so  critical  that  only  a  radical  conversion 
will  save  us. 

Now  the  Bible,  both  Old  and  New 
Testaments,  have  been  saying  that  for 
nearly  2,500  years.  Man's  condition  in 
his  personal  and  social  life,  in  his  indi- 
vidual and  communal  relationship,  is  so 
lost  that  no  "progress"  or  gradual  change 
will  get  him  anywhere.  In  order  to  enter 
the  kingdom  he  needs  a  radical  change,  a 
new  birth,  a  birth  from  above. 

Let  me  quote  from  the  French  Chris- 
tian writer,  Jacques  Ellul,  to  shore  up 
the  point:  "Of  course  he  [the  Christian] 
can  always  immerse  himself  in  good 
works,  and  pour  out  his  energy  in  reli- 
gious or  social  activities,  but  all  this 
will  have  no  meaning  unless  he  is  fulfill- 
ing the  only  mission  with  which  he  has 


been  charged  by  Jesus  Christ,  which  is 
first  of  all  to  be  a  sign." 

All  our  goals  for  "Mission  in  the  70s" 
are  important,  but  they  are  of  second- 
ary importance.  That  they  have  been  di- 
visive among  the  Brethren  shows  that  we 
have  lost  sight  of  what  is  of  primary  im- 
portance. The  new  forms  of  the  church 
can  be  many  forms  —  even  among  the 
brethren  —  but  even  they  (the  forms) 
are  of  secondary  importance.  Of  pri- 
mary importance  is  our  mission  (in  the 
70s)  to  repent,  and  to  believe  the  king- 
dom of  God  is  at  hand;  and  believing,  to 
live  —  personally,  socially,  communally 
—  as  a  sign  of  the  New  Covenant  given 
to  men  through  Jesus  Christ  —  our  Lord. 


Our  primary  response 

by  ANNA  B.  MOW 
Writer.  Roanoke,  Va. 

We  hear  much  about  the  emerging 
church.  The  church  has  been  emerging 
from  the  beginning.  This  is  not  unique 
for  the  70s.  There  were  many  things 
Jesus  could  not  tell  his  disciples  because 
they  were  not  ready  to  understand  them, 
but  he  told  them  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
would  be  their  guide.  (See  John  16:5- 
15.)  The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  power  of 
God  by  which  the  church  emerges  into 
the  maturity  of  the  body  of  Christ. 

Our  problems  today  look  small  com- 
pared to  what  the  early  church  went 
through.  They  really  had  some  emerg- 
ing to  do  to  shape  the  first  church.  Our 
race  problem  doesn't  touch  the  tension 
they  faced  in  the  Jew-Gentile  issue.   Paul 


The  church  has 
never  been 
relevant  to  the 
world  .  .  . 


wrote  to  the  Ephesians,  "For  he  recon- 
ciled both  to  God  by  the  sacrifice  of  one 
body  on  the  cross,  and  by  this  act  made 
utterly  irrelevant  the  antagonism  be- 
tween them.  Then  he  came  and  told 
both  you  who  were  far  from  God  and 
us  who  were  near  that  the  war  was  over. 
And  it  is  through  him  that  both  of  us 
now  can  approach  the  Father  in  the  one 
Spirit"   (Eph.  2:14-18,  Phillips). 

The  unity  which  they  achieved  and 
which  we  so  desperately  need  today  was 
in  Christ,  through  his  Spirit.  When  the 
primary  commitment  is  to  Christ  and  the 
enabling  power  is  the  Holy  Spirit,  self- 
consciousness  and  self-righteousness  are 
eliminated.  This  is  why  many  of  our 
"good  works"  today  are  not  appreciated. 
The  well-dressed,  well-meaning  bene- 
factor is  often  despised  by  those  in  need 
who  are  grasping  for  personal  dignity. 
"Secular"  service,  which  is  merely  hu- 
man goodwill,  is  not  enough. 

The  real  Christian  church  finds  its  pri- 
mary response  not  to  mission,  but  to 
Christ.  After  the  commitment  to  Christ 
the  Christian  must  turn  to  the  world  for 
which  Christ  died.  But  he  will  do  it 
with  the  love  which  dissolves  barriers. 
Jesus  prayed,  "As  thou  didst  send  me 
into  the  world,  so  I  have  sent  them  into 
the  world"  (John  17:18).  He  goes  out, 
not  as  a  benefactor,  but  with  a  message 
and  with  unself-conscious  love  in  serv- 
ice.   The  response  is  to  God  in  mission. 

Too  much  of  the  attempt  today  has 
been  to  be  relevant  to  the  modem  world. 
The  church  has  never  been  relevant  to  the 
world.  But  Christ  and  his  message  are 
always  relevant  to  the  needs  of  persons 
for  fulfillment  and  life.  The  youth  of 
today  are  especially  discerning  in  seeing 
the  phoniness  of  stooping  to  the  level  of 
the  world's  way  of  living  and  talking  in 
order  to  "reach"  them.  This  is  not  the 
trend  for  the  emerging  church  which 
is  the  body  of  Christ. 

The  mission  of  the  church  which  is 
the  body  of  Christ  is  reconciliation.  Rec- 
onciliation is  not  "sitting  on  the  fence," 
as  one  brother  called  it.  Reconciliation  is 
a  matter  between  man  and  God  and  then 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     21 


news 


between  persons.  Sitting  on  the  fence  is 
an  indifferent  attitude  on  issues.  A  recon- 
ciler is  always  involved  with  people.  I 
was  thrown  into  this  cauldron  on  a  panel 
at  Annual  Conference.  My  statement, 
already  prepared,  was  for  cooperation 
with  the  government  as  far  as  possible. 
And  I  thank  God  for  the  cooperation  of 
the  government  with  the  peace  churches 
in  making  alternative  service  possible. 
Just  before  my  turn  to  speak  a  young 
brother  unexpectedly  burned  his  draft 
card.  He  was  joined  by  nearly  a  hun- 
dred people  who  came  forward,  Billy 
Graham  style,  to  stand  by  him.  I  had 
to  thank  God  for  all  these  young  people 
who  were  willing  to  endanger  themselves 
for  their  convictions.  The  church  must 
keep  its  arms  around  the  young  people. 
Their  courage  is  what  the  future  will 
stand  on.  At  the  same  time  my  sympathy 
is  not  with  their  position  on  the 
issue. 

Our  government  is  also  made  up  of 
persons.  There  are  senators  who  meet 
every  Wednesday  morning  for  prayer. 
There  are  many  others  who  have  a  deep 
desire  to  be  honest  before  God.  Jesus 
was  a  master  at  finding  these  areas  in 
the  lives  of  people  who  came  to  him.  The 
church,  his  representative  today,  must 
also  find  these  areas  in  the  lives  of  men 
in  the  "establishment"  and  make  it  easier 
for  them  to  live  up  to  their  highest  as- 
pirations. When  the  people  of  the  church 
make  a  frontal  attack  on  other  men  who 
are  already  heavily  burdened,  they  have 
already  lost  in  the  first  round  of  their 
ministry  of  reconciliation.  World  power 
is  over  people.  The  underdog  may  be 
using  the  same  power  tactics  as  the  over- 
lord. The  church  must  use  the  power  of 
God  which  is  for  other  people  or  it  is 
not  the  church,  the  body  of  Christ. 

As  from  the  begirming,  God  must 
shape  the  emerging  church.  In  response 
to  him  the  church  will  find  its  mission 
in  the  world. 

"The  things  that  are  shaken  are  obvi- 
ously things  which  can  be  shaken.  They 
are  thus  revealed  to  be  man  made,  pass- 
ing or  temporal  things  by  the  very  fact 


that  they  are  shaken.  And  they  are  be- 
ing removed  out  of  the  way  so  that  the 
things  which  cannot  be  shaken  may  re- 
main" (Heb.   12:27). 

This  is  the  greatest  day  the  Christian 
church  has  ever  seen.  God's  answer  for 
the  needs  of  the  world  and  its  people  is 
in  her  hands. 


Each  one  is  a  minister 

by  IRVEN  F.  STERN 

Pastor,  Hutchinson,  Kan. 

At  the  beginning  of  1960  it  was  my 
privilege  to  be  involved  in  helping  shape 
the  Nigerian  church  for  the  coming  dec- 
ade. The  church  in  northeast  Nigeria 
was  experiencing  a  "people's  movement," 
meaning  that  large  numbers  of  people 
were  accepting  Christ  as  Lord.  A  major 
problem  was  that  few  of  the  new  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  were  able  to  engage  in 
a  study  program  that  would  enable  them 
to  grow  in  the  faith.  Very  few,  indeed, 
were  able  to  train  others  for  such  a  task. 

Some  of  us  had  felt  that  the  church 
could  be  much  more  effective  if  it  could 
institute  a  plan  for  training  many  of  its 
members  to  do  the  task  of  nurturing  the 
masses  coming  under  Christ's  Lordship. 
The  vehicle  for  doing  this  was  established 
as  Kulp  Bible  School.  The  goal  of  the 
school  was  that  it  should  train  a  lay 
rather  than  a  professional  ministry  for 
the  church  in  Nigeria.  It  was  not  to 
compete  with  or  replace  the  Theological 
College  of  Northern  Nigeria  but  rather 
supplement  it. 

Though  I  do  not  have  exact  figures  at 


Motivate  every 
adult  member 
to  become  a 
minister  .  .  . 


hand,  I  should  judge  that  between  150 
and  200  men,  and  their  wives,  have  com- 
pleted three  years  or  more  of  training 
in  the  past  decade,  with  perhaps  50  more 
couples  in  the  process  of  being  trained. 
These  lay  ministers  are  leading  the  church 
to  grow  in  its  response  to  the  needs  of  the 
world. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  the 
United  States  has  a  great  need  for  some 
kind  of  training  program  for  its  minis- 
ters, whom  I  conceive  to  be  every  adult 
member  of  the  church.  Perhaps  a  design 
could  be  devised  whereby  professionally 
trained  pastors  could  offer  such  training 
within  local  congregations  to  adult  mem- 
bers. 

A  whole  new  concept  of  the  role 
of  the  pastor  would  need  to  emerge. 
More  of  his  time  would  be  given  to  the 
task  of  training  the  members  for  mission. 
He  would  leave  much  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  church's  program,  visita- 
tion evangelism,  leading  of  worship, 
teaching  of  children,  and  many  other 
things  that  now  take  up  his  time  in  the 
hands  of  the  other  ministers  —  adult 
members  of  the  congregation. 

Vernard  EUer  makes  a  very  important 
point  in  his  article  "Manoeuvre  Ministe- 
riel,"  published  in  Brethren  Life  and 
Thought,  Winter  1970,  when  he  says 
that  the  church  today  has  been  too  con- 
cerned with  hiring  professionals  to  do 
their  performing  for  them.  The  result  is 
too  often  an  ineffective  church  that  leaves 
too  much  of  its  believing  and  mission 
in  the  hands  of  its  paid  staff. 

I  believe  that  the  church  of  the  future 
might  best  fulfill  its  ministry  by  moti- 
vating every  adult  member  to  become  a 
minister.  Every  Christian  ought  to  fol- 
low Jesus'  example  of  applying  the  open- 
ing words  of  Isaiah  61  to  himself:  "The 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  is' upon  me,  because  he 
has  anointed  me  to  preach  good  news 
to  the  poor.  He  has  sent  me  to  proclaim 
release  to  the  captives  and  recovering  of 
sight  to  the  blind,  to  set  at  hberty  those 
who  are  oppressed,  to  proclaim  the  ac- 
ceptable year  of  the  Lord"  (quoted  from 
Luke  4:18-19). 


22     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


day  by  day 


The  family  is  a  many-splendored  thing.  It  is  a  miniature 
congregation.  It  is  a  hiousehold  of  faitli  —  just  as  the  con- 
gregation is  the  household  of  faith.  Our  day-by-day  activ- 
ities these  two  weeks  will  lead  us  to  a  greater  understanding 
of  and  appreciation  for  the  household  of  faith  and  how  the 
miniature  household  can  better  participate  in  the  public 
worship  service  of  the  household  of  faith. 

Too  often  our  family  worship  and  public  worship  are 
considered  to  be  different  things.  They  are  different  in 
intensity  and  place,  but  nevertheless  they  are  duplicates  of 
each  other  in  terms  of  purpose  and  understanding. 

The  family  should  participate  in  the  public  worship  as 
a  family  group  and  seek  to  worship  as  full  participants. 
We  are  of  the  notion  that  many  people  are  finding  that 
public  worship  does  not  speak  to  them;  thus  they  are  either 
continuing  out  of  a  faith  obedience  or  they  are  finding  other 
things  to  do.  Of  course,  we  need  to  work  toward  relevancy 
in  our  public  worship  experience,  but  we  also  need  to  work 
toward  an  awareness  of  why  we  go  there  in  the  first  place. 

These  moments  which  we  spend  together  as  families 
will  provide  excellent  opportunities  for  us  to  come  to  this 
awareness  and  to  train  our  children.  Our  main  activity  will 
be  to  attend  our  Sunday  morning  formal  worship  service 
and  then  build  our  daily  experiences  around  it. 

Steps  in  our  activity 

1 .  Have  a  family  discussion  on  what  we  expect  to  have 
happen  in  the  worship  service,  and  assign  various  aspects 
to  be  observed  and  reported  on  at  a  later  time.    What  do 


DAILY  READING  GUIDE        March   29 -April    11 

Sunday     1    Samuel   21:1-6.     People's   needs    are   more   important   than   even 

the   holy   bread. 
Monday   Genesis   22:7,    8.     God   will    provide   the    tools    of   worship   if   we 

know    the   true    purpose    of   worship. 
Tuesday    Ephesians  3:14-19.    Join  with   all   the   saints   of   the   household   in 

knowing  the   love  of  Christ. 
Wednesday    Ephesians  4:1-3.    Forbear  one  another  in   love. 
Thursday     Ephesians  4:4-7.     Many    members   become   one   body. 
Friday     Ephesians    4:11-15.     There    are    many    functions    of    the    household. 
Saturday      Ephesians    4:32.      Kindness    and    forgiveness    are    traits    of    the 

household  of  faith. 
Sunday     Ephesians    5:M.     A    life-style    should    include    thanksgiving. 
Monday    Ephesians  5:19,  20.    The  sounds  of  worship  include  psalms,  hymns, 

and   songs. 
Tuesday     Acts    2:42.     Worship    includes    teaching,    fellowship,    breaking    of 

bread,    and    prayers. 
Wednesday     Acts    2:46,   47.     The    earliest    Christians    attended    church    and 

had  worship  at  home. 
Thursday    James   1:22-25.    Hearing   leads  to  doing. 
Friday    James  2:14-17.    The   outcome   of  faith   is   service. 
Saturday    James  5:13-16.    Members   of  the   household   of  faith   sustain   one 

another. 


we  expect  to  have  happen?  Will  we  be  entertained  or  will 
we  be  engaged  in  an  encounter  with  our  Lord  and  with  one 
another?  Will  we  carry  on  private  love  affairs  with  God? 
Or  will  we  be  a  part  of  a  group  of  people  praising  God, 
seeking  understanding  of  themselves,  and  diligently  apply- 
ing themselves  to  the  principle  that  they  can  live  in  harmony 
and  unity?  Will  the  people  ignore  one  another  as  they  enter 
the  sanctuary  or  wUl  they  warmly  greet  one  another?  Will 
the  people  leave  as  soon  as  the  service  is  over  like  bats  out 
of  a  cave  or  will  they  linger  to  visit  and  encourage  one 
another?  WUl  strangers  be  intimately  received  by  the  peo- 
ple or  will  it  be  up  to  the  ushers  and  minister  to  provide 
the  proper  mechanics  to  assimilate  them? 

Let's  watch  the  progression  of  the  service  to  see  if  we 
can  appreciate  the  acts  of  praise  at  the  beginning  of  the 
service,  the  acts  of  instruction  and  fellowship  during  the 
middle  part  of  the  service,  and  the  acts  of  commitment 
toward  the  conclusion  of  the  service.  Let's  also  see  if  we 
can  distinguish  the  selection  of  hymns  in  relation  to  the 
different  movements  of  the  service. 

2.  Have  a  family  discussion  on  the  service  itself  to  see 
if  what  you  went  there  looking  for  was  indeed  what  you 
found.  Then  proceed  to  pattern  the  home  worship  as  nearly 
as  possible  after  the  public  worship  service  at  your  church. 
Be  sure  to  keep  in  mind  that  the  total  household  of  faith 
should  be  mvolved.  Throughout  the  steps  of  the  activity 
try  to  concentrate  on  the  people  involved  rather  than  on  the 
physical  surroundings.  The  physical  surroundings  should 
be  discussed  on  the  basis  of  how  they  enable  the  people  to 
engage  in  a  worshipful  experience.  Let  us  never  forget  that 
buildings  and  equipment  are  to  be  used.  —  Ruth  and 
Eldon  Shingleton 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     23 


m 


by  TERRY 
PETTIT 

I've  often  wondered  what  happens  to 
old  Studebakers  and  Edsels  when  they 
die.  Do  they  just  "fade  away"  into  the 
thousands  of  junk  yards  that  hide  be- 
hind billboards?  Or,  like  elephants,  do 
they  have  a  special  burial  place  all 
their  own:  some  enormous  under- 
ground garage  in  Utah  that  they  creep 
toward  when  their  valves  begin  to  go 
and  the  end  is  near? 

Of  course  not  all  of  them  would 
make  it  to  Utah.  Some  might  struggle 
as  far  as  Kansas,  cough  a  few  times, 
and  then  die  unceremoniously  by  the 
side  of  the  road.  Others  sit  on  blocks 
forever,  while  a  lucky  few  go  out  in 
the  glory  of  a  fraternity  fund  raising 
day  where  you  pay  a  quarter  for  a 
swing  with  a  sledge. 

A  couple  have  found  their  way  into 
a  small  studio  located  in  an  industrial 
warehouse  on  Twenty-second  Street  in 
New  York  City. 

The  studio  is  rented  by  Dr.  Ralph 
M  Holdeman,  who  is  the  director  for 
evangelism  on  the  staff  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  and  a  widely 
known  sculptor.  As  Dr.  Holdeman 
eyes  a  Studebaker  nose  cone  cross 


sculpture,  he  remarks,  "Our  industrial 
culture  punches  out  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  things  in  the  world."  Many 
of  those  things  —  VW  hubcaps,  bolts, 
refrigerator  grills,  automobile  bumpers, 
computer  parts  —  hang  on  the  walls  of 
his  studio,  modified  by  his  imagination 
and  an  oxyacetylene  torch. 

While  fitting  some  triangular  pieces 
of  scrap  metal  together,  Holdeman 
talks  about  his  art:  "I  celebrate  our 
technology  rather  than  cussing  it,  be- 
cause it  calls  attention  to  things  we 
wouldn't  have  caught  in  the  gospel  if 
it  weren't  for  our  technological  eye." 
When  he  finishes  with  the  scrap  metal 
in  front  of  him,  it  will  become  a  sun- 
burst, a  zinnia,  or  the  eye  of  a  camera. 

Holdeman  works  in  his  studio  nearly 
every  day.  Leaving  his  office  at  the 
National  Council  of  Churches  in  the 
late  afternoon,  he  catches  a  subway 
tunneling  toward  Twenty-second 
Street.  He  is  as  calm  as  anyone  can  be 
in  New  York,  casually  switching  from 
an  "Express"  to  a  "Local"  for  variety's 
sake.'  Under  Times  Square,  walking 
among  junk  that  will  never  become 
sculpture,  he  talks  about  pollution  and 
how  people  in  a  hurry  urinate  behind 
an  old  maintenance  shack.  And  when 
a  train  comes  by  .  . .  well. 


Ralph  Holdeman,  creator  of 


REDEMPTION 
SCULPTURE 


J4     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


f 


REDEMPTION  SCULPTURE  /  continued 


Dr.  Holdeman  likes  to  refer  to  his 
art  as  "redemption  sculpture."  That  is 
"the  redemption  of  scrap  material  just 
to  make  something  beautiful":  Two 
bumper  guards  become  an  owl,  crosses 
grow  out  of  nails  and  wire,  strips  of 
sheet  metal  become  a  moving  bush, 
and  many  pieces  of  scrap  become 
nothing  but  unsymmetrical  patterns  to 
look  at  and  enjoy. 

While  the  sculpture  is  interesting 
and  often  beautiful,  it  is  sometimes  in- 
tended to  be  much  more.  Holdeman 
has  been  a  long-time  student  of  reli- 
gious symbolism.  At  the  drop  of  a 
"peace  sign,"  for  example,  he  can  talk 
about  the  evolution  of  the  Kairos  sym- 
bol :  "In  the  beginning  the  three  lines 
represented  an  Egyptian  man  with  his 
arms  raised  upward.  If  the  man  was 
turned  upside  down,  the  symbol  repre- 
sented death.  When  a  circle  was  drawn 
around  the  upside-down  man,  it  meant 
eternal  life  or  heaven.  But  people  have 
updated  the  Kairos  symbol,  and  today 
the  circle  around  the  three  lines  means 
'life  now.'  "  It  is  the  awareness  of  sym- 
bols and  the  use  of  them  in  his  sculp- 
ture that  makes  Holdeman's  art  more 
than  just  entertaining. 

When  Holdeman  talks  about  the 
reinterpretation  of  old  symbols,  he  is 
quick  to  point  out  that  every  preacher 


does  the  same  thing  in  the  pulpit  on 
Sunday.  One  senses  that  he  hopes  the 
church  will  explore  new  opportunities 
for  witness  and  rebirth.  This  is  most 
evident  when  he  talks  about  any  one  of 
the  many  pieces  of  sculpture  he  has 
done  that  utilize  the  symbol  of  the 
cross.  "The  cross  when  originally  seen 
was  brutal,  horrible,  and  messy;  the 
thud  of  the  wood  in  the  hole,  the  ham- 
mering of  the  nails;  it  must  have  been 
ghastly.  What  has  happened  is,  that 
event  has  become  Good  Friday.  What 
is  important  is  not  what  the  cross  was, 
but  what  it  causes  us  to  do."  Perhaps 
a  parallel  to  the  "life  now"  interpre- 
tation of  the  Kairos  symbol  are  Holde- 
man's feelings  about  Jesus:  "When 
Jesus  is  talking  about  eternal  life,  he 
is  talking  about  a  quality  of  life.  Not 
so  much  physical  life  after  death,  but 
a  more  abundant  life  now." 

When  Dr.  Holdeman  is  not  reinter- 
preting old  symbols,  he  is  attempting 
to  give  new  perspectives  to  historical 
events  with  new  symbols.  He  stopped 
his  slide  projector  on  a  photograph  of 
a  piece  called  "Explosion  Cross,"  and 
then  with  a  look  in  his  eyes  that  people 
get  when  they're  going  to  tell  you  what 
their  work  is  all  about,  he  said,  "Pente- 
cost described  by  people  steeped  in 
their  own  culture  is  symbolized  by 


wind,  flame,  and  the  dove.  When  I 
think  of  power,  I  think  of  atomic  ener- 
gy, a  generator  plant  below  Niagara 
Falls,  the  updating  of  a  symbol:  the 
atom."  And  so  he  built  a  cross  out  of 
computer  parts  —  a  cross  embedded  in 
the  symbol  of  the  atom. 

Part  of  being  an  artist  is  dealing  with 
the  phenomena  that  confront  your  cul- 
ture today,  even  if  you're  so  close  to 
them  that  it  is  difficult  to  gain  any 
perspective.  Holdeman  describes  his 
moon  sculpture  as  such  a  confronta- 
tion. "It's  just  an  attempt  to  say  that 
the  moon  is  real  to  us.  It's  what's  bug- 
ging us.  It's  in  our  songs;  some  people 
believe  it  controls  the  stars;  it's  in  the 
midst  of  our  thinking  ...  as  if  we  were 
tides  being  pulled  by  the  moon." 

Holdeman's  vision  as  an  artist  is  re- 
flected in  his  position  as  director  for 
evangelism  when  he  says,  "Christ  is 
more  than  a  concept.  If  Jesus  is  your 
savior,  that  means  that  you  must  be 
socially  constructive,  concerned,  and 
involved."  Perhaps  that  is  one  thing 
the  artist  can  teach  us.  When  he  looks 
at  the  world  and  all  it  means  or  doesn't 
mean,  he  takes  it  seriously  enough  to 
react  to  it  and  with  it.  Whether  sketch- 
ing a  landscape,  painting  a  soup  can, 
or  bending  a  Studebaker  nose  cone,  he 
is  in  effect  saying,  "I'm  concerned."   D 


\^-^-^^ 


Dr.  Holdcman 

director  for 

evangelism 

Nationa 

,;    Council  of 

Churches 

works  in  his 

studio  in  an 

^ 

indiistria 

buildinc  on 

/-■^ 

22nd  St.  in 

New  >'ork 

BEVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


The  World  of  the  Gospel  Critic 


INTERPRETING    THE    GOSPELS,    by    R.    C.    Briggs. 
Abingdon,   1969.     188   pages,   $4.50 

WHAT  IS   FORM   CRITICISM?   by   Edgar  McKnight. 
Fortress   Press,    1969.     86   pages,   $2.25 

WHAT    IS    REDACTION    CRITICISM?    by    Norman 
Perrin.     Fortress   Press,    1969.     86   pages,   $2.25 

One  of  the  many  areas  in  which  there 
has  been  a  breakdown  of  communication 
between  professionals  and  laymen  in  the 
church  is  that  of  the  method  by  which 
we  study  the  Bible.  The  approach  to  the 
Bible  taken  by  the  professional  critic  is 
sometimes  attacked,  sometimes  admired, 
but  often  simply  ignored,  because  the 
terrain  of  the  world  of  the  critic  is  so 
totally  unfamiliar.  How  is  this  gulf  be- 
tween specialist  and  nonspecialist  to  be 
bridged?  This  can  come  about  only  if 
somehow  the  nonspecialist  is  oriented  to 
the  ways  of  the  professional  critic  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  really  feel  the  "why" 
and  "wherefore"  of  these  ways  —  and 
maybe  even  begin  to  make  them  his 
own.  The  three  books  to  be  discussed  in 
this  article  attempt  to  provide  just  this 
kind  of  orientation. 

Interpreting  the  Gospels  is  a  com- 
prehensive introduction  to  the  whole 
critical  enterprise.  In  nine  carefully 
structured  chapters,  the  author  intro- 
duces the  readers  to  the  various  methods 
used  in  critical  analyses  of  the  gospels 
and  deals  with  some  of  the  larger  ques- 
tions which  the  critical  method  raises, 
for  example  the  character  of  biblical 
language,  our  knowledge  of  the  historical 
Jesus,  the  authority  of  the  Bible.  Briggs 
is  fully  coversant  with  the  historical  de- 
velopment of  critical  method  in  the  study 
of  the  Bible  (including  the  most  recent 
trends)  and  is  therefore  a  reliable  guide 
to  the  subject.  The  material  presented 
by  the  author  was  developed  originally 
for  use  in  the  classroom  and  in  adult 
discussion  groups.  With  helpful  sum- 
mary outlines  and  bibliographical  sug- 
gestions at  the  end  of  each  chapter,  tiie 
book  could  be  profitably  used  as  a  study 
guide  for  a  discussion  group  in  the  local 
church. 

The  other  two  books  listed  above  are 
part  of  a  three-volume  paperback  series 


entitled  "Guides  to  Biblical  Scholarship." 
The  third  volume  of  the  series  —  on 
literary  criticism  of  the  gospels  • — •  is 
scheduled  for  publication  in  the  near 
future.  In  each  of  the  three  books,  the 
reader  will  find  a  lengthier  and  more 
detailed  discussion  of  one  of  the  critical 
approaches  dealt  with  briefly  in  Inter- 
preting the  Gospels.  At  the  end  of  each 
of  these  86-page  volumes,  there  is  a 
glossary  of  technical  terms  used  and 
an  annotated  bibliography,  which  again 
enhance  their  usefulness  as  study  guides. 

McKnight's  book  deals  with  that 
aspect  of  critical  method  which  is  la- 
beled form  criticism.  Taking  note  of 
the  fact  that  the  material  now  in  our 
gospels  was  originally  transmitted  orally 
in  small  units,  the  form  critic  attempts 
to  discover  what  the  forms  of  these  units 
of  material  were  —  and  how  these  forms 
came  into  being  in  the  life  of  the  early 
church.  The  author  succeeds  in  writing 
a  highly  readable  introduction  to  form 
criticism  in  the  process  of  telling  the 
story  of  how  this  method  arose  and 
developed.  A  concluding  chapter  draws 
on  the  work  of  several  present-day 
form  critics  to  illustrate  how  our  his- 
torical picture  of  Jesus  himself  is  affected 
when  we  take  the  approach  of  the  form 
critic    seriously. 

Perrin's  book  deals  with  a  still  more 
recent  phase  of  the  development  of 
critical  method,  that  which  goes  by  the 
name  of  redaction  criticism.  Taking  note 
of  the  fact  that  the  writers  of  our  gospels 
modified  and  interpreted  the  sayings  and 
stories  of  Jesus  in  the  process  of  collect- 
ing them  together,  the  redaction  critic 
seeks  to  discover  what  theological  mo- 
tives lie  behind  this  editorializing  on  the 
part  of  the  gospel  writers.  Perrin,  like 
McKnight,  introduces  his  subject  via  a 
telling  of  the  story  of  how  the  method 
arose  within  scholarly  circles  in  our  time. 
The  third  chapter  of  the  book  is  espe- 
cially interesting  —  an  original  sample  of 
how  a  redaction  critic  works  with  a  par- 
ticular bloc  of  material,  though  it  should 
be  noted  that  some  of  the  points  made 
here     represent     highly     personal     (and 


questionable)  conclusions  of  the  author 
and  not  a  consensus  of  critical  opinion. 
Interpreting  the  Gospels,  What  Is 
Form  Criticism?  and  What  Is  Redaction 
Criticism?  are  to  be  commended  for 
meeting  a  real  need.  It  is  to  be  hoped 
that  pastors  and  directors  of  religious 
education  will  take  advantage  of  works 
such  as  these  in  their  adult  programs. 
In  this  way,  specialist  and  nonspecialist 
may  move  forward  together  toward  a 
richer  understanding  of  how  God  brought 
his  Word  to  take  shape  in  history.  — 
Richard  B.  Gardner 

READERS  WRITE  /  continued 
from  page  one 

should  not  participate  in  war  or  learn  the 
art  of  warfare. 

However,  our  peace  witness  since  World 
War  I  has  grown  progressively  weaker.  The 
facts  reveal  that,  during  World  War  II, 
eighty  percent  of  the  Brethren  boys  eligible 
for  the  draft  went  into  direct  military  serv- 
ice. And  presently,  there  is  no  reason  to  be- 
lieve the  percentage  of  Brethren  supporting 
the  military  has  decreased.  Therefore,  the 
inevitable  question  is  raised:  Are  we  a  peace 
church? 

Unfortunately,  there  are  Church  of  the 
Brethren  pastors  not  in  sympathy  with  our 
peace  witness.  Since  they  would  feel  more 
comfortable  in  another  denomination  which 
does  support  warfare,  measures  ought  to  be 
taken  relieving  these  pastors  of  their  lead- 
ership within  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Within  this  permissive  atmosphere,  our 
young  men  continue  to  bear  military  arms. 
How  strange  that  even  within  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  the  military  way  of  life  has 
rapidly  become  the  normal  course  of  ac- 
tion, and  those  who  choose  otherwise,  we 
esteem  them  not. 

This  trend  has  been  allowed  to  take 
place  because  of  a  breakdown  in  church 
discipline.  While  we  loudly  proclaim  law 
and  order  for  our  society,  "to  each  his  own 
thing"  is  the  order  for  the  day  within  the 
context  of  the  Christian  faith. 

By  the  grace  of  God,  within  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  let  us  all  work  together  for 
the  same  thing.  If  peace  is  our  cause,  let's 
be  united  in  a  strong  peace  witness  and  take 
active  measures  which  will  bring  about  this 


28     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


unification.  Or,  contrariwise,  if  war  really 
is  our  cause,  may  God  have  mercy  on  our 
blindness. 

Jack  Farrell  Sr. 
Syracuse,  Ind. 

EASTER  THOUGHTS 

Below  are  some  thoughts  I  had  for  bring- 
ing some   Easter  scriptures  up-to-date. 

And  he  set  his  face  toward  Jerusalem  — 
He  did  that  — ■  for  me? 

Hosanna!  Praise  the  King! 
I  would  do  that  for  him  —  I  like  to  sing  and 
be  happy. 

Then  Satan  entered  Judas  Iscariot  — 
Forgive,   Lord;  he  enters  me,   too. 

He  took  a  towel  and  girded  himself  — 
I  could  do  that  for  him,  but  for  my  fel- 
lowman? 

//  it  be  possible,  let  this  cup  pass  — 
Thank  God,  he  was  willing  in  spite  of  ...  . 

I  do  not  know  this  Man  — 
Forgive,  Lord;  if  I  knew  this  man,  I  would 
not  act  like  I  do  sometimes.  .  .  . 

Crucify  him!  Give  us  Barabbas! 
Stupid    people.     He    was    worth    a    million 
like  Barabbas.   Stupid  me  ...  a  new  Easter 
hat  .  .  .  starving  children  in  Nigeria.  .  .  . 

And  they  mocked  him  — 
Don't  I  .  .  .  almost  every  day? 

And  Jesus  cried  with  a  loud  voice.  My 
God! 

He  did  that  for  me?  Could  I,  for  him? 
Utter  despair  ...  he  is  gone.  .  .  . 

He  is  not  here.  He  has  risen! 
He  lives!  Let  him  live  ...  in  me. 

Mrs.  Melvin  Myers 
Bridgewater,  Va. 

CLASSIFIED  ADS 

NEED  A  SPEAKER  OR  RESOURCE  LEADER?  Art 
Gish,  traveling  evangelist  for  peace  and  church 
renevi'al,  is  available  for  preaching  missions, 
youth  meetings,  and  retreats.  He  is  especially 
interested  in  social  issues  and  a  revival  of  the 
Brethren  vision.  Possible  topics  include  radical 
discipleship,  church  renewal,  distinctive  Brethren 
teachings,  war,  and  racism.  For  more  information 
contact  Art  Gish,  510  W.  Coulter  St.,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.   19144.    Phone  215-849-0520. 

BRETHREN  TOUR  —  Some  seats  still  available  on 
bus  for  the  Shultz  tour  to  Lincoln  Conference, 
the  Dakotas,  Minnesota,  around  Lakes  Superior, 
Michigan,  Huron,  Erie  in  Ontario,  returning  via 
Stratford,  Toronto,  Niagara,  and  Cleveland.  June 
22 -July  11,  1970.  Write  to  L.  W.  Shultz,  603 
College    Ave.,    North    Manchester,    Ind.    46962. 


FOURTEEN 

DAYS 

IN 


r 


Ecuador 


...   a  fascinating  tour 
with  mission   emphasis 


The  tour  oHers  a  aoss  section  of  Ecuadorian  lite,  climate, 
geography,  and  scenery.    /Lccompanied  by  mission  personnel, 
you'll  visit  mis^on  programs  and  churches,  see  people 
and  places  you  never  knev/  existed,  and  collect  mem 
ones  that  will  keep  you  company  tor  the  rest  of 
yo|§ii/e. 

JULY  M4,  1970 
All  expenses  including  round-trip  air  tare  from 
Miaad,  $450.   For  additional  iniormation 
and  application  blank  write: 

ECUADOR  TOUR 

undee  Avenue,  Elgin,  ill.  60120 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Leading  his  third  goodwill  people-to- 
people  mission  for  Pennsylvania  agricul- 
tural leaders  will  be  Enos  B.  Heisey, 
a  member  of  the  Hershey,  Pa.,  Spring 
Creek  Church  of  the  Brethren.  The 
twenty-two  day  junket  to  Africa  begins 
Oct.  31. 

William  G.  Willoughby  of  Bridge- 
water  College  has  accepted  the  chair- 
manship of  the  department  of  philosophy 
and  religion  at  La  Verne  College.  .  .  . 
Succeeding  him  in  a  similar  capacity  at 
Bridgewater  is  W.  Robert  McFadden. 
...  A  former  BVSer  who  served  with 
Church  World  Service  in  Korea,  Wesley 
P.  Albin,  has  been  named  CROP  direc- 
tor for  Wisconsin. 

Returning  to  the  states  for  a  three- 
month  furlough  is  Kathryn  Kiracofe, 
who  has  been  serving  in  India.  She  will 
be  living  at  Harrisonburg,  Va.  .  .  . 
Bridgewater  College  president  Dr. 
Wayne  F.  Geiserf  was  elected  president 
of  the  forty-five-member  Association  of 
Virginia  Colleges  at  the  group's  recent 
gathering. 

Another  member  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  celebrated  his  one  hundredth 
birthday  this  month.  He  is  James  M. 
Mohler  of  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  who  was 
100  years  old  on  March  19. 

Dr.  Roger  E.  Sappington  of  the 
Bridgewater  College  history  faculty  pre- 
sented a  paper  at  the  South  Carolina 
Tricentennial  Commission  observance  on 
the  policy  of  state  governments  regarding 
the  Quakers  and  other  nonresistant  sects 
during  the  American  war  of  inde- 
pendence. 

A  former  editor  of  Messenger  and 
now  chairman  of  the  sociology  and  an- 
thropology department  at  Chapman  Col- 
lege, Orange,  Calif.,  Dr.  Desmond  W. 
Bittinger  will  speak  at  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege's Founder's  Day  April  3.  The  occa- 
sion will  also  mark  the  ninetieth  anni- 
versary of  the  college. 

Three  young  men  have  earned  Scout- 


ing awards.  Billy  Sykes  and  Gary  Stern 

of  the  Community  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Hutchinson,  Kansas,  both  received 
the  God  and  Country  Award.  .  .  .  Eagle 
Scout  Dave  Baer  of  Bedford,  Pa.,  re- 
ceived the  Outstanding  Service  Award 
from  his  chapter  of  the  "Order  of  the 
Arrow,"  an  elective  program  in  Scouting 
emphasizing  camping  and  outdoor 
experience. 

Our  best  wishes  go  to  couples  who  are 
celebrating  golden  wedding  anni- 
versaries :  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Paul  Basehore, 
Hummelstown,  Pa.;  the  Archie  Gorhams, 
Battle  Creek,  Mich.;  the  Walter  Rep- 
logles,  Sebring,  Fla.;  the  Herman  Buhls, 
New  Market,  Va.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arch  F. 
Rust,  Cabool,  Mo.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacob 
D.  Shirk  Sr.,  Stoystown,  Pa.;  and  the 
Jesse  Arnolds,  Petersburg,  W.  Va. 

Other  couples  observing  wedding  anni- 
versaries include  the  Arthur  Fuhrmans, 
Brodbecks,  Pa.,  fifty-three;  the  John 
Swopes,  Hershey,  Pa.,  fifty-five;  the  Niels 
Esbensens,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  fifty-five; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Noah  Keeny,  Brodbecks, 
Pa.,  fifty-nine;  and  the  Arthur  Hillsamers, 
Brethren,  Mich.,  sixty-one. 

DEADLINE 

April  15,  1970,  is  an  important  date 
for  ministers.  That  is  the  deadline  for 
requesting  exemption  from  social  security 
coverage  of  earnings  from  services  in  the 
exercise  of  their  ministry. 

Approval  of  any  request  for  exemption 
will  be  based  on  an  individual's  opp>o- 
sition,  by  reason  of  conscience  or  reli- 

iQliaiilllEElID 

March  27  Good  Friday 

March  29  Easter 

April   12  National    Christian    College    Day 
April  27 -May  3     Mental  Health  Week 

May  3  Rural    Life   Sunday 

May  3-10  National   Family   Week 

May  7  Ascension    Day 

May   10  Mothers  Day 

May   17  Pentecost 

AAay   17  Annual    Conference   Offering 

May  24  Trinity  Sunday 

May  30  Memorial  Day 


\ 


gious  principle,  to  receiving  social  secur- 
ity benefits  based  on  his  income  as  a 
minister. 

The  April  1 5  deadline  applies  only  to 
ministers  who  had  annual  earnings  in 
any  two  years  before  1970  of  $400  or 
more  from  services  in  the  exercise  of 
their  ministry.  A  minister  who  elected 
social  security  coverage  by  filing  a  Form 
2031  before  1968  cannot  get  an  ex- 
emption. 

Applications  for  exemption  (Form 
4361)  and  additional  information  can  be 
obtained  from  any  Internal  Revenue 
Office. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

At  Roanoke,  Va.,  Williamson  Road 
church  pastor  B.  Harold  Moyer  wUl 
direct  a  three-month  financial  campaign     i 
to  launch  the  first  phase  of  "Decade  of 
Development"  for  Camp  Bethel  in  the 
First  and  Southern  districts  of  Virginia. 

The  Charleston  congregation  in  South- 
em  Ohio  in  January  welcomed  J. 
Herman  Reinke  as  its  new  pastor. 

Two  men  from  Southern  Virginia  Dis- 
trict churches  and  one  from  First  Vir- 
ginia were  licensed  recently  to  the  min- 
istry. James  Tilley  received  his  license 
at  the  Maple  Grove  church.  Southern 
Virginia;  Robert  Williard,  chairman  of 
the  district  commission  of  stewards,  at 
the  Fraternity  church,  Southern  Virginia; 
and  attorney  Gerald  Manning,  at  the 
Crab  Orchard  church.  First  Virginia. 

POTPOURRI 

Benches,  light  fixtures,  songbooks, 
and  offering  plates  from  the  German- 
town  church  will  be  on  the  biU  of  sale  at 
the  third  annual  Benefit  Auction  to  be 
sponsored  on  March  28  by  the  youth  of 
Eastern  Peimsylvania.  Root's  Auction, 
East  Petersburg,  Pa.,  will  oversee  the 
sale,  including,  along  with  the  German- 
town  articles,  many  items  donated  for 
resale  by  businesses  and  individuals. 
Funds  from  the  auction  will  be  tagged 
for  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the 
U.S.,  for  a  work  project  in  Appalachia  or 


30     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


Ecuador,  or  for  scholarships  for  Camp 

Swatara. 

The  second  cross-country  tour  by  the 
Farr  Family  Band  will  occur  in  June  and 
July.  The  eight  Farrs  are  interested  in 
presenting  concerts  in  Brethren  churches 
en  route  as  they  travel  from  Dayton  to 
Chicago  to  Minneapolis,  on  to  Washing- 
ton and  Oregon,  through  California,  and 
back  via  Colorado,  Kansas,  and  Mis- 
souri. Contact  Nick  Farr,  Box  16,  Mid- 
dletown.  Pa.  17057. 

During  a  trial  run  in  April  and  May, 
page  4  of  the  Christus  Series  bulletins 

wiU  offer  worship  resources  rather  than 
the  usual  commentary  on  the  cover 
theme  and  the  life  and  work  of  the 
church.  Where  appropriate,  the  worship 
items  may  be  incorporated  in  the  congre- 
gational service.  On  other  occasions  the 
material  lends  itself  to  personal  medita- 
tion.   Reactions  to  the  approach  are 
sought  by  those  planning  the  bulletins  at 
the  General  Offices. 

Pastors  and  their  wives  attending  the 
June  23  Pastors'  Retreat  at  Amiual  Con- 
ference will  hear  addresses  by  Myron 
Augsburger  on  the  theme  "Evangelism 
in  the  70s." 

Classes  examining  the  shape  of  the 
church  in  the  seventies  and  the  English 
religious  tradition  wiU  be  part  of  the 
Canterbury  Ecumenical  Summer  School 
July  1-31.  Lectures  and  discussions  by 
outstanding  Christian  leaders  will  be 
seasoned  with  participation  in  the  cul- 
tural festival  commemorating  the  800th 
anniversary  of  the  death  of  Archbishop 
Thomas  Becket.  Word,  Inc.,  is  handUng 
Stateside  arrangements,  and  more  infor- 
mation is  available  from  Bill  Scott,  Di- 
rector, Word  Tours,  Box  1790,  Waco, 
Texas  76703. 

Funderberg  Library  at  Manchester 
College,  North  Manchester,  Ind.  46962, 
is  searching  for  bound  or  unbound  copies 
of  The  Inglenook  from  its  beginning  in 
1899  or  1900  through  Volume  3,  814, 


dated  April  6,  1901.  Readers  able  and 
willing  to  supply  all  or  part  of  them  may 
write  Librarian  Allen  WiUmert  at  the 
college. 

Trinity  Church  of  the  Brethren,  De- 
troit, Mich.,  is  hosting  an  interfaith 
draft  counseling  program  each  Sunday 
evening.  Some  thirty-five  pastors  and 
laymen  from  many  denominations  are 
participating  in  draft  counselor  training. 

Lassa  Fever,  the  disease  which  in 
January  1969  took  the  life  of  Brethren 
nurse  Laura  Wine  in  Nigeria,  has  been 
classified  so  deadly  that  laboratory  re- 
search into  its  mysteries  has  been  stopped 
by  American  doctors,  reported  The  New 
York  Times  last  month. 

Swan  Creek  congregation  near 
Wauseon,  Ohio,  is  sharing  its  pastor, 
Walter  Coldren,  with  the  Taylor  United 
Methodist  Church  three  miles  away.  The 
cooperative  effort  is  temporary.  .  .  . 
Members  of  the  Living  Stone  church 
at  Cumberland,  Md.,  are  participating  in 
a  community-wide  "Meals  on  Wheels" 
program  for  semi-invalids  who  cannot 
prepare  adequate  meals  for  themselves. 

DEATHS 

Alspaugh,   Thomas    H.,    Huntsdale,    Pa.,    on   Jan. 

29,  1970,  aged  75 
Anderson,  Harry,  Rocky  Mount,  Va.,  on  Jan.   15, 

1970,  aged  69 
Bomberger,    Sadie,    Lebanon,    Pa.,    on    Dec.    24, 

1969,  aged  67 

Bowers,    Olive   Hill,   Sagamore,    Pa.,    on   Jan.    24, 

1970 
Bowman,    Henry   D.,   Hanover,    Pa.,   on   Feb.    24, 

1970,  aged  82 

Browand,    Aaron    J.,    Medina,    Ohio,    on    Jan.    3, 

1970,  aged  75 
Chisley,    William    G.,    White    Cottage,    Ohio,    on 

Feb.   17,  1970,  aged  78 
Collier,  Charles  E.,  Uniontown,  Pa.,  on  Sept.   12, 

1969,  aged  76 

Criclienberger,    Elsie   V.,    Barren    Ridge,    Va.,    on 

May  3,  1969,  aged  83 
Fackler,  Ivory  A..  Ashland,  Ohio,  on  Jan.  5,  1970, 

aged  94 
Fahs,  Naomi,  Virden,  111.,  on  Feb.  8,  1970,  aged 

65 
Fields,  Charles  F.  Jr.,  Brownsfield,   Pa.,  on  April 

23,  1969,  aged  58 
Frost,    Julian,    Indianapolis,    Ind.,    on    Jan.     16, 

1970,  aged  87 

Garrison,    Virginia,    Palmyra,    Pa.,    on    Feb.     1, 

1970,  aged  64 
Gilbert,  Hattie  Bell,  Barren  Ridge,  Va.,  on  Dec. 

13,  1969.  aged  74 
Gnagy,    Fred    B.,    Hutchinson,    Kansas,    on    Nov. 


29,  1969,  aged  60 
Goflf,  Mae,  McPherson,  Kansas,  on  Jan.  28,  1970, 

aged  92 
Grace,    Mary,    Palmyra,    Pa.,    on    Nov.    12,    1969, 

aged  60 
Griner,    Mary    Ella,   Ashland,   Ohio,   on   Jan.    17, 

1970,  aged  85 
Grose,  Elsie  Weik,  Wilmington,  Del.,  on  Feb.   11, 

1970,  aged  74 
Harmon,  Naomi,  Elyria,  Ohio,  on  Jan.  25,   1970, 

aged   77 
Heisey,  Clyde  H.,  Palmyra,  Pa.,  on  Nov.  7,  1969, 

aged  68 
Heistand,   Christ    K.,    Palmyra,    Pa.,   on    Dec.    12, 

1969,  aged  76 

Hiller,  Goldie,  Ashland,  Ohio,  on  Jan.    18,   1970, 

aged  66 
Inman,    Thomas    D.,    White    Cottage,    Ohio,    on 

Aug.  5,  1969,  aged  79 
Kauer,    Henry,    Warrensburg,    Mo.,    on    Feb.    23, 

1970,  aged  79 

Kimmel,  Myers,   Shelocta,   Pa.,  on  Jan.    31,   1970, 

aged  75 
Kline,    William    D.,    Neffsville,    Pa.,    on    Oct.    29, 

1969,  aged  91 
Kulp,    William    K.,    Dunkirk,    N.Y.,    on    Dec.    18, 

1969,  aged  82 

Langham,  Lesmar  A.,   Duncansville,  Pa.,  on  Jan. 

20,  1970,  aged  70 
Martiii,  Ira  J.,  Ashland,  Ohio,  on  Jan.  23,  1970, 

aged  87 
Miller,    David   A.,    Martinsburg,    Pa.,   on   Jan.    2, 

1970,  aged  86 

Miller,    Grace,    Palmyra,    Pa.,   on   Aug.    30,    1969, 

aged  78 
Miller,  Minnie,  Pyrmont,  Ind.,  on  Jan.   18,  1970, 

aged  80 
Moyer,   Glenn   M.,   Zanesville,   Ohio,   on   Feb.    11, 

1970 
Mummert,    Gertrude,    Flora,    Ind.,    on    Jan.    24, 

1970,  aged  88 
Naff,   Paul,   Boones  Mill,  Va.,  on  Dec.   20,    1969, 

aged  62 
Ruckman,   Cora  F.,  Potomac   Park,   Md.,   in   De- 
cember 1969,  aged  88 
Scott,  Eva  C,  Rock  Falls,  Wis.,  on  Jan.  9,  1970, 

aged  80 
Seltzer,  Carolyn,  Palmyra,  Pa.,  on  Aug.   17,   1969, 

aged  29 
Shaver,    Patra    Mills,    Bent    Mountain,    Va.,    on 

Feb.  13,  1970,  aged  92 
Shoemaker,    Ralph,    Canton,    Ohio,    on    Jan.    4, 

1970,  aged  69 
Shanaman,  Harry  W.,  Parker  Ford,  Pa.,  on  Dec. 

2,  1969,  aged  86 
Smeltzer,    Maude   Whisler,    La    Verne,    Calif.,    on 

Jan.   18,  1970,  aged  74 
Steinruck,    Bertha    Keiter,    Parker    Ford,    Pa.,    on 

Feb.    11,   1970,   aged  93 
Teeter,    John    Elvin,    Martinsburg,    Pa.,    on    Feb. 

1,  1970,  aged  58 
Thompson,    Louella    S.,    Mount    Perry,    Ohio,    on 

Jan.   11,  1970,  aged  74 
Waterbury,  Maggie,  Enid,  Okla.,  on  Feb.  12,  1970, 

aged  76 
Weaver,    Rufus    B.,    Palmyra,    Pa.,    on    Nov.    18, 

1969,  aged  71 

Whistler,    Maude    K.,    Huntsdale,    Pa.,    on    Nov. 

26,  1969,  aged  75 
Wirt,    Robert,    Roanoke,    Va.,    on    Feb.    2,    1970, 

aged  57 
Zimmerman,  Katie  R.,  Carlisle,   Pa.,  on  Jan.   31, 

1970,  aged  88 


3-26-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


The  season  of  glad  songs  has  come 


C 


omposers  like  Bach  and  Handel,  Mozart  and  Bee- 
thoven were  never  expected  to  be  theologians  or  biblical 
experts,  but  many  of  them  revealed  unusual  perception 
when  they  attempted  to  set  Christian  texts  to  music. 

Take  Johann  Sebastian  Bach,  for  example.  His  output 
included  cantatas,  oratorios,  anthems,  motets,  the  great 
"passions"  based  on  the  scriptures,  and  the  monumental 
B-Minor  Mass.  In  the  latter  appear  the  familiar  Latin 
words  of  the  creed  that  was  regularly  recited  in  churches. 
Bach  translated  its  truths  into  a  wonderful  musical  affirma- 
tion. 

In  his  setting  for  the  words  "And  he  was  crucified  for 
us  under  Pontius  Pilate,  suffered,  and  was  buried,"  Bach 
allows  the  somber  facts  of  Christ's  death  on  the  cross  to 
color  the  music  with  sadness  and  pain.  The  rhythm  is  slow 
and  deliberate,  and  the  pace  is  such  that  the  listener  is  al- 
most persuaded  to  look  on  the  burial  of  his  Lord  as  a 
finality  to  be  accepted  in  a  whisper  that  fades  into  silence. 

But  only  for  a  moment.  The  next  chorus  follows  im- 
mediately. It  is  marked  allegro  and  the  music  is  loud.  The 
mood  has  completely  changed.  For  now  the  word  of  hope 
must  be  affirmed,  "The  third  day  he  rose  again."  If  any 
listener  had  fallen  asleep  in  the  quiet  description  of  burial, 
now  he  is  turned  on  by  the  blast  of  trumpets  as  well  as  the 
shout  of  voices  celebrating  the  resurrection. 

Bach  may  not  have  been  a  theologian,  but  he  took  his 
Christian  faith  most  seriously.  He  knew  when  to  puU  out 
all  the  stops.  He  knew  that  resurrection  means  a  time  of 
gladness  and  rejoicing.  His  music  releases  a  torrent  of 
sound,  full  of  an  infectious  and  happy  rhythm,  marked  by 
interweaving  melodies,  reiterating  a  theme  that  speaks  ap- 
propriately to  the  victory  of  Christ  over  death.  On  this  as 
well  as  on  many  other  occasions  the  eighteenth-century 
musician  seemed  eager  to  draw  on  all  the  resources  of 
praise  mentioned  in  Psalm  150  —  trumpet,  lute,  timbrel, 
dance,  strings,  pipes,  cymbals,  and  "everything  that 
breathes"  —  to  affirm  the  exceeding  greatness  of  God. 


But  if  music  can  so  catch  the  interior  meaning  of  a 
text,  why  should  not  the  life-style  of  Christians  also  ex- 
press confidence  in  the  victory  that  Easter  affirms?  So  many 
live  and  die  without  any  demonstrable  expectation  that  God 
is  alive  in  our  world  and  in  the  activities  of  men.  So  many 
expend  their  energies  in  avoiding  confrontations  that  migjit 
lead  to  a  cross.  They  close  their  eyes  to  contemporary 
crucifixions;  trying  to  secure  their  souls,  they  lose  them.  So 
many  walk  in  fear  and  despair,  as  if  all  their  hopes  for  a 
kingdom  lie  buried  and  forgotten.  Like  defeated  disciples 
they  have  gone  back  to  their  nets  thinking  of  their  Master 
as  only  a  memory. 

t/aster  has  something  quite  different  to  say.  Jesus  Christ 
is  a  present  reality,  not  just  a  memory.  And  his  disciples, 
however  much  reason  they  have  to  be  discouraged,  should 
no  longer  be  defeated.  If  placed  in  prison,  they  can  sing. 
If  rejected  by  their  society,  they  can  go  underground.  But 
wherever  they  live,  they  do  not  give  up  to  the  evils  they 
deplore.  They  neither  cop  out  nor  drop  out.  They  see 
themselves  rather  as  persons  through  whom  an  active  God 
relates  to  other  persons,  including  their  jailers  and  the  op- 
pressors. They  are  singers  whose  songs  can  open  prison 
doors.  They  are  the  celebrators  of  a  great  new  morning  for 
all  mankind.  They  can  march  or  wait,  they  can  dance  or 
sit  still,  they  can  protest  or  pray,  they  can  shout  or  whisper, 
they  can  hold  fast  or  yield;  but  whatever  their  particular 
calling  may  require,  they  walk  in  the  resurrection  that  sup- 
ports their  hope. 

The  words  of  an  ancient  love  poem  that  is  more  than  a 
love  poem  run  like  this,  "For  see,  winter  is  past,  the  rains 
are  over  and  gone.  The  flowers  appear  on  the  earth.  The 
season  of  glad  songs  has  come"  (The  Song  of  Songs,  2:11- 
12,  The  Jerusalem  Bible).  Easter  is  such  a  time  of  singing. 
You  don't  have  to  be  a  composer  or  even  a  musician  to 
break  into  song.  If  your  faith  is  adequate,  a  joyful  noise 
wUl  do.  But  wear  some  flowers  too.  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    3-26-70 


I 


COIVIRLETE 

The  New  Enqlish  Bible 

A  fresh  and  authoritative  translation  of  the  Bible  into 
modern  English,  available  until  now  only  in  the  New 
Testament 

Choose  from  the  following   new   editions: 
Standard  Edition  (Old  and  New  Testaments),  $8.95 
cloth 

Standard  Edition  with  Apocrypha,  $9.95  cloth 
Library  Edition,  in  three  separate  cloth  volumes: 

Old  Testament,  $8.95 

Apocrypha,  $4.95 

New  Testament,  $5.95 


Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices 
Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Celebration  Is  a  Style  of  Life.  There  is  biblical  support  for  the  idea 
that  joy  is  central  in  the  Christian  experience.  Therefore,  it  should  be  cele- 
brated in  a  particular  life-style,  by  Ronald  K.  Morgan,  page  2 

The  Ninth  Hour.  A  simple  narrative  reflects  the  impact  of  a  few  hours  on 
the  streets  and  surroundings  of  Jerusalem  on  a  Friduy  many  years  ago.  by 
Noah  S.  Martin,    page  6 

Early  Christian  Symbols.  The  earliest  signs  and  symbols  adopted  by  the 
church  were  not  uniquely  Christian,  but  they  were  quickly  given  Christian 
meanings.  Christians  today  can  use  ancient  signs  —  and  new  ones,  too.  by 
Graydon  F.  Snyder,    page  10 

Perspectives  on  the  70s.  As  a  contribution  toward  viewing  the  oppor- 
tunities and  challenges  of  a  new  decade.  Messenger  invited  representative 
Brethren  to  comment  on  how  the  church  can  help  persons  achieve  meaning 
and  significance  and  how  the  emerging  church  can  respond  to  mission. 
statements  by  Clifford  Huffman,  Earl  Mitchell,  Murray  Wagner,  A.  G. 
Breidenstine,  Ross  Heminger,  Kerby  Lauderdale,  Anna  Mow,  and  Irven  Stem, 
page  16 

Redemption  Sculpture.  Ralph  Holdeman  is  known  to  American  churches 
as  director  of  evangelism  for  the  National  Council  of  Churches.  But  he  is 
also  recognized  as  a  sculptor.  His  vision  as  an  artist  reflects  his  Christian 
faith,   by  Terry  Pettit.   page  24 

Other  features  include  "Communion  Prayers,"  by  Earle  Fike  Jr.  (page  5);  "Through 
a  Mirror  .  .  .  Clearly,"  a  communion  meditation  by  William  R.  Faw  (page  8);  "Man 
Alive,"  a  speak- up  statement  for  Easter,  by  Dale  Aukerman  (page  13);  a  brief  preview 
of  the  program  in  prospect  for  Annual  Conference  (page  14);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Ruth 
and  Eldon  Shingleton  ( page  23 ) ;  and  a  review  article,  "The  World  of  the  Gospel 
Critic,"  by  Richard  B.  Gardner  (page  28). 


COMING  NEXT  I 


Seven  Brethren  spokesmen  contribute  to  the  second  installment  of  a  feature  on  "Per- 
spectives on  the  70s."  .  .  .  Two  couples,  preparing  for  overseas  mission  service,  describe 
their  orientation  experiences  at  Stony  Point,  New  York,  experiences  helpful  in  "Learning 
to  Live  in  Mission."  .  .  .  Mark  Gibbs,  a  British  visitor  to  United  States  churches,  offers 

observations  and  suggestions  to  American  Christians  in  "Take  Up  Your  Cross  —  And  .,.^.      ...-,    ...^     . 

Relax."  VOL.    119    NO.    3 


WRCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     *^  4/9/70 


^?*r*o^-«*- 


.'■^;..y*^;tv*r>**i'! 


WAGNER'S  SATIRE 

I  am  sorry  to  read  that  Murray  Wagner 
will  write  no  more  satire.  Can't  you  per- 
suade him  to  change  his  mind? 

His  satire  is  clever,  witty,  effective,  and 
interesting.  Also  interesting  are  the  reac- 
tions of  people,  obviously  literate,  who  do 
not  recognize  satire,  however  blatant. 

Betty  Fox  Solberg 
La  Verne,  Calif. 

CALLED  TO   BEGIN   AT  THE  BOTTOM 

I  was  especially  interested  in  the  article 
written  by  Mrs.  Inez  Long  on  the  pastor  as 
he  sees  himself  at  the  bottom  rung  of  the 
ladder.  She  speaks  of  the  ministries  in  soci- 
ology, psychology,  chaplaincy,  inner-city 
mission,  coffeehouses,  labor  and  industry, 
councils  of  churches,  and  education  as  en- 
joying higher  prestige.  However,  this  should 
not  disturb  the  one  who  is  called  of  God  to 
preach  the  gospel  and  to  shepherd  the  flock. 

The  one  who  is  called  of  God  for  the 
pastorate  must  begin  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder  to  have  the  presence  and  power  of 
Christ  with  him.  Philippians  2:6,  7  describes 
Jesus  this  way:  "Who,  although  being  essen- 
tially one  with  God  and  in  the  form  of 
God  (possessing  the  fullness  of  the  attri- 
butes which  make  God,  God),  did  not  think 
this  equality  with  God  was  a  thing  to  be 
eagerly  grasped  or  retained;  but  stripped 
himself  [of  all  privileges  and  rightful  digni- 
ty] so  as  to  assume  the  guise  of  a  servant 
[slave],  in  that  he  became  like  men  and  was 
born  a  human  being"  (The  Amplified  Bible). 
The  scripture  goes  on  to  say,  in  this  same 
chapter,  that  he  humbled  himself  and  be- 
came obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death 
of  a  cross.  Therefore,  because  he  stooped 
so  low,  God  has  highly  exalted  him. 

The  scripture  further  clarifies  the  pastor's 
position  in  Luke  14:11:  "For  whosoever 
exalteth  himself  shall  be  abased;  and  he  that 
humbleth  himself  shall  be  exalted."    This  is 


readers  write 


not  all;  the  pastor  knows  that  he  will  be  per- 
secuted, but  not  deserted.  He  will  be  struck 
down  to  the  ground,  but  never  struck  out 
and  destroyed  (see  2  Cor.  4:9). 

In  spite  of  all  this,  if  the  call  from  God 
is  clear,  the  pastor  would  not  take  any  other 
position.  I  had  other  calls,  and  I  tried  some 
of  them,  but  only  the  role  as  pastor  com- 
pletely filled  the  longing  of  my  heart.  The 
pastorate  is  not  an  embarrassment,  but  a 
challenge  and  adventure  of  godly  boldness. 
I  would  encourage  dedicated  young  men  to 
pray  for  the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
relative  to  the  position  as  a  pastor. 

Mrs.  Long  lifted  up  four  areas  of  pro- 
ductiveness of  the  sacred  call  of  God  to 
experience  a  place  of  power  in  the  world  to- 
day as  a  pastor;  there  are  other  areas. 

E.  Myrl  Weyant 
South  Bend,  Ind. 

KEEP   BUSY   AND    KEEP   YOUNG 

I  have  just  reread  the  article  "What  Re- 
tirement means  to  me"  (Jan.  2,  1969). 
More  power  to  the  writer.  I  served  forty- 
two  years  in  the  free  riiinistry,  worked  for 
a  living.  Retired  from  my  regular  job  as 
factory  worker.  Wanted  to  spend  my  retire- 
ment years  in  pastoral  work  on  a  subsistence 
basis.  Was  told  I  was  too  old  (though  I  did 
have  fair  success  in  evangelistic  work).  Am 
now  working  with  Church  World  Service. 
Hold  the  record  for  clothing  collection  in 
West  Virginia  and  enjoy  life  in  its  fullest. 
In  my  seventy-eighth  year  and  never  felt 
better  in  my  life.  My  advice:  Don't  let 
them  tell  you  you  are  too  old.  Keep  busy 
and  you  will  keep  young. 

P.  Stein  Hockman 
Romney,  W.  Va. 

BOnOM  OR  TOP  -  SO  WHAT? 

I  realize  that  Inez  Long's  recent  article 
was  a  defense  of  the  pastoral  ministry,  but 
I  thought  it  was  unfortunate  that  she  ac- 


PHOTO   CREDITS:    Cover,    2,   3.   5    Lance   R.    Woodruff;    9    Alan    Clibum;    10-11    artwork    by    Wilbur 
E.  Brumbaugh;  12  (left)  Don  Honick;  13  Religious  News  Service:  20  National  Institutes  ot  Health  photos 

Ke.nneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  ot  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  I,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
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If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at  I 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other  I 
week  by  the  Church  ot  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin.  III.    April  9,  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119   No.  8 


cepted  the  rather  facile  judgment  that  we 
pastors  are  on  the  "bottom  rung."  Though 
most  academicians  would  "put  us  down," 
in  the  eyes  of  the  public  we  can  be  on  the 
bottom  or  the  top.  I  value  the  judgment 
of  the  ordinary  citizen  more  because  he 
tends  to  judge  us  on  our  individual  merits. 
However,  my  main  point  is,  so  what?  In 
my  better  moments  I  could  care  less  what 
rung  I  am  on  because  I  know  I  am  doing  a 
significant  job  with  people  —  which  is,  after 
all,  what  counts.  Praying  with  a  dying  old 
man  is  as  "relevant"  as  any  of  the  grandiose 
fads  that  come  and  go.  The  lonely  fact  of 
death  is  one  none  of  us  escapes.  I  could 
say  more.  But  I  will  simply  say  I  find  the 
pastoral  ministry  more  relevant  today  than 
ever. 

Roy  A.  Johnson 
Westminster,  Md. 


INVITATION   TO  EXPO  TRAVELERS 

Anyone  going  to  Expo  70  in  Osaka?  If 
so,  I  would  like  to  invite  you  to  add  Korea 
to  your  itinerary.  Korea  has  a  cultural 
heritage  and  history  quite  different  from  that 
of  Japan,  and  visiting  here  would  give  a  nice 
contrast  between  two  Oriental  countries. 
It  would  also  be  good  for  you  to  see  a  less 
affluent  side  of  Asia,  to  visit  a  country  less 
like  the  U.S.  than  Japan. 

I  would  be  glad  to  help  make  sugges- 
tions of  things  to  see  while  you  are  here 
and  help  with  arranging  lodging  if  I  can. 
Although  I  will  be  working  at  my  regular 
job,  I  would  hope  to  be  able  to  meet  you 
when  you  are  here;  visiting  with  fellow 
Brethren  is  not  too  common  in  Korea. 

The  Korean  Presbyterian  Church  also 
has  plans  for  hosting  foreign  visitors  dur- 
ing Expo  70  time.  They  can  suggest  one- 
day,  or  longer,  trips  out  of  Seoul;  provide 
translators  for  Korean  church  services;  help 
with  logistics;  set  up  tours  of  all  kinds;  ar- 
range for  opportunities  to  meet  Koreans  of 
the  same  profession  or  interests.  If  you  are 
interested  in  these  services  you  can  write 
directly  to:  Rev.  Joyce  Sasse,  Box  46, 
Chongju,  North  Choong  Chung  Do, 
KOREA. 

Rev.  Sasse  is  a  missionary  of  the  United 
Church  of  Canada  and  a  personal  friend 
of  mine. 

If  your  trip  includes  Hong  Kong,  you 
can  come  by  way  of  Korea  at  no  extra 
charge;  the  same  may  be  true  if  you  go  to 
Taiwan.  Our  local  papers  have  indicated 
there  is  to  be  a  reduction  of  air  fares  be- 


tween  Japan  and  Korea  to  encourage  vis- 
itors to  come.  I  hope  that  any  of  you 
traveling  in  this  part  of  the  world,  to  Expo 
I  70  or  otherwise,  will  seriously  consider  in- 
cluding Korea  in  your  trip.  And  I  hope  to 
hear  from  you  if  you  plan  to  come. 

Esther  Huston 
Methodist  Mission 
I.P.O.  Box  1182 
Seoul,  KOREA 

IS  THE  LADDER  UPSIDE  DOWN? 

I  have  been  following  Messenger's  dis- 
cussion of  the  pros  and  cons  of  the  pastoral 
ministry.  You  are  doing  a  good  job  of  air- 
ing both  sides,  and  I  hope  Inez  Long's  ar- 
ticle (Jan.  29)  is  definitely  not  the  last  say 
on  the  subject!  Her  defense  of  the  pastoral 
minister  does  not  really  measure  up  —  if 
an  argument  can  be  made  for  keeping  him 
going  as  a  valuable  social  agent. 

There  is  a  basic  fallacy  in  her  placing 
him  in  "the  mud  and  mire,  in  the  garbage 
heaps  of  men's  lives,  and  the  stench  left 
behind  the  bottom"!  Really!  The  church, 
as  I  see  it  today,  does  not  put  its  pastor  in 
such  circumstances.  Indeed,  if  he  put  him- 
self there  his  congregation  would  throw 
him  out. 

The  editorial  in  the  same  issue  of  Mes- 
senger describes  the  pastor's  situation  a  bit 
closer  to  the  truth,  I  believe.  Except  for 
those  few  churches  who  do  become  involved 
with  draft  resisters,  runaways,  youth  gangs, 
blacks,  and  the  poor  (mud  and  mire?),  the 
church  by  and  large  looks  on  people  as 
prospects,  customers,  potential  contributors; 
and  for  it  relevance  constitutes  "gigantic 
campaigns,  mass  meetings.  .  .  a  stepped  up 
program  of  church  activities  designed  to 
get  (sic)  those  lonely  and  lost  people"  to 
wash  their  faces,  cut  their  hair,  put  on 
square  clothes,  and  join  "with  us  lovely 
people  who  have  already  arrived." 

One  of  the  writers  to  the  editor  in  the 
same  issue  said,  "Our  youth  won't  settle 
for  money,  cars,  and  prestige.  Their  world 
could  be  destroyed  tomorrow,  literally, 
and  they  want  reality  and  relevance."  This 
goes  for  young,  aspiring  ministers  today  as 
well.  Too  many  pastors  today  are  preoccu- 
pied with  money  and  prestige  and  numbers 
of  converts,  especially  ones  with  money, 
and  above  all  with  guarding  against  mud  and 
stench.  This  is  precisely  the  reason  young 
ministers  are  rejecting  the  job  in  preference 
for  those  other  ministries  Mrs.  Long  names: 
Continued  on  page  22 


Page  one... 


For  a  long  time  journalists  have  tried  to  devise  ways  of  communicating  a 
message  so  tersely  that  a  busy  person  on  the  run  could  get  the  word.  In  fact  we 
have  scriptural  authority  that  the  Lord  once  instructed  Habakkuk  to  "write 
the  vision;  make  it  plain  upon  tablets,  so  he  may  run  who  reads  it." 

Now,  for  busy  ministers,  there  is  a  new  development,  a  service  that 
records  on  tape  and  distributes  monthly  digests  of  magazine  articles.  On  at 
least  three  occasions  during  the  past  year.  Messenger  features  have  been 
shared  in  this  way.  The  latest  request  from  the  Ministers'  Taped  Digest  is  for 
permission  to  include  portions  of  Linda  Beher's  article  on  coffeehouses 
which  appeared  in  our  January  15  issue. 

Granting  permission  for  reprinting  features  is  getting  to  be  a  fairly 
common  experience  for  Messenger.    Over  the  years  a  sampling  of  our 
editorials,  poems,  articles,  and  also  some  of  our  photos  and  artwork  has 
appeared  in  other  magazines.   In  recent  months  we  shared  some  of  our  original 
contributions  with  The  Free  Methodist,  The  Wesleyan  Advocate,  The 
Mennonite,  Gospel  Herald,  The  Church  Advocate.  The  Church  Woman,  Teens 
Today,  and  Christian  Living.   Some  of  our  readers  have  also  told  us  that  they 
have  encouraged  their  local  newspapers  to  pick  up  a  news  story,  an  editorial, 
a  poem,  or  a  short  article  that  they  found  especially  meaningful. 

Perhaps  the  newest  kind  of  request  is  the  one  that  asks  about  the  source 
of  pictures  or  posters  and  whether  these  can  also  be  reproduced.  We  want  all 
our  readers  to  know  that  we  are  eager  to  make  any  of  our  original  materials  as 
available  to  them  —  and  to  others  —  as  possible.  We  would  ask  only  that 
they  check  with  us  first  to  make  sure  there  are  no  restrictions  or  hmitations 
enforced  by  copyright  or  by  some  special  circumstances  that  must  be  heeded. 

Be  assured  of  one  thing:   There  is  no  limit  to  what  you  can  do  with 
pictures,  poems,  posters,  or  features,  when  you  can  take  them  straight  out  of 
Messenger  and  tack  them  on  your  personal  bulletin  board  or  on  a  wall  in  a 
classroom.   If  you  need  extra  copies  (a  few  at  a  time),  let  us  know. 

Worth  noting  in  this  issue  is  the  contribution  by  the  David  Kreiders  and 
the  Donald  Fanchers.   Now  en  route  to  Indonesia  under  support  of  the  United 
Church  Board  for  World  Ministries,  Dave  and  Alice  Kreider  were  at 
Manchester  College,  where  he  served  on  the  philosophy  and  rehgion  faculty. 
The  Fanchers  lived  near  Elgin  until  their  appointment  to  Indonesia  by  the 
World  Ministries  Commission  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Don 
served  with  the  Brotherhood  staff. 

An  Anglican  layman  and  schoolmaster  by  profession,  Englishman 
Mark  Gibbs  taught  in  Manchester  schools  until  1964,  when  he  became 
director  of  a  small  foundation  interested  in  experimental  education.   Mr. 
Gibbs's  other  activities  include  the  chairmanship  of  the  Ecumenical  Committee 
of  the  German  Kirchentag  and  joint  authorship  of  the  best-selling 
God's  Frozen  People. 

L.  Byron  Miller  lives  at  Akron,  Ohio,  where  he  is  pastor  of  the  Eastwood 
congregation. 

Chairman  of  the  historical  committee  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Donald  F.  Durnbaugh  serves  on  the  faculty  of  Bethany  Theological  Seminary, 
Oak  Brook,  Illinois. 

Patricia  Roop  Bubel,  homemaker  and  part-time  dental  assistant,  and  her 
husband  Dave  live  at  the  Brethren  Service  Center,  New  Windsor,  Maryland, 
where  Dave  is  dispatcher  and  processing  supervisor.  The  Bubels  were 
living  at  the  Houston,  Texas,  Center  when  their  son  Stephen  was  bom. 

The  Editors 


LEARXIXG 

TO  LIVE 

IN  MISSIOX 


ihe  sign  by  the  road  reads  "Mission- 
ary Orientation  Center  —  A  Com- 
munity Preparing  for  Christian  Mis- 
sion." The  sign  needs  to  be  changed! 
Paul  Yount,  director  of  the  Orientation 
Center,  suggested  early  in  our  training 
program  that  it  should  read  "A  Com- 
munity Living  in  Christian  Mission." 
Tlie  significance  of  his  remark  was 
not  clear  until  the  end  of  the  ten-week 
core  program.  Central  to  the  orienta- 
tion program,  the  core  portion  is  based 
on  the  assumption  that  mission  is  the 
task  of  all  Christians,  and  that  the  best 
preparation  for  being  in  mission  in 
another  culture  is  to  learn  to  live  in 
mission  in  this  culture. 


The  Missionary  Orientation  Center, 
located  in  Stony  Point,  New  York, 
about  forty  miles  north  of  New  York 
City  on  the  Hudson  River,  is  operated 
by  a  group  of  five  Protestant  denomi- 
nations as  an  ecumenical  training  cen- 
ter for  missionaries  going  to  other 
countries.  Participating  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  center  are  the  Disciples 
of  Christ,  the  United  Methodist 
Church,  the  Reformed  Church  in 
America,  the  United  Church  of  Christ, 
and  the  United  Presbyterian  Church 
(USA).  Other  denominations,  the 
Brethren  among  them,  send  individual 
missionaries  to  the  center  from  time  to 
time,  making  for  a  richly  ecumenical 


and  highly  diverse  community. 

Several  Brethren  families  have  re- 
cently completed  the  Stony  Point 
orientation  program.  Fumitaka  and 
Charlotte  Matsuoka  finished  their  ori- 
entation in  September  and  are  now  in 
language  study  in  Japan  prior  to  going 
to  Indonesia,  where  Matsu  will  be 
teaching  in  a  seminary  at  Ambon. 
Doris  and  Don  Fancher  and  Alice  and 
Dave  Kreider  completed  the  orienta- 
tion program  in  December  and  are 
now  engaged  in  language  study  prior 
to  their  departure  for  Indonesia.  It 
is  out  of  their  experience  at  the  Mis- 
sionary Orientation  Center  that  this 
article  grows. 


Opposite  page:  Trainees  in  dialog  at  the 
Mission  Orientation  Center. 
Left:  They  visit  Green  Haven  Prison's 
inmate  cadre  program 


To  understand  and  to 
communicate 

hy   DAVID  KREIDER 

The  first  major  part  of  the  core 
program  in  which  we  were  involved  is 
what  the  staff  of  the  center  calls  the 
"primary"  group.  It  is  their  intention 
that  the  primary  group  become  for  us 
a  model  of  the  church  in  mission. 
Most  of  the  day-to-day  activity  of  the 
training  program  was  focused  on  the 
five  primary  groups  of  nine  members 
each.  They  each  included  one  staff 
person  and  were  selected  on  the  basis 
of  maximum  heterogeneity. 

Wives  were  expected  to  partici- 
pate fully  in  these  groups  and  all  of  the 
related  activities  of  the  orientation 
program.  Living,  eating,  and  child 
care  arrangements  are  all  designed  to 
free  them  from  normal  demands  so 
that  they  have  access  to  the  same  orien- 
tation provided  for  their  husbands. 

I  was  in  a  primary  group  composed 
of  two  seminary  graduates,  a  single 
girl  with  a  doctor's  degree  in  elemen- 
tary education,  a  Roman  Catholic 
girl  from  Thailand,  a  journalist-En- 
glish teacher,  an  agricultural  expert, 
a  home  economist  with  previous  ex- 
perience in  the  country  (Bolivia)  to 
which  she  is  returning,  and  Doris, 
housewife  and  mother  extraordinary. 
Two  of  us  were  Brethren,  one  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Church  of  Christ, 
the  Roman  Catholic  mentioned  above, 
a  Presbyterian,  and  four  United  Meth- 
odists. 

These  personal  details  are  signifi- 
cant because  the  need  to  understand 


one  another  clearly  and  to  communi- 
cate with  one  another  effectively  was 
at  the  heart  of  our  learning  together. 
We  planned  work  assignments  as  a 
group,  prepared  and  presented  a  Bible 
study,  worshiped  together,  participated 
in  "games"  as  a  group,  discussed  the 
lectures  presented  to  us,  and,  through 
a  representative,  participated  in  plan- 
ning some  aspect  of  the  program  itself. 

Two  particular  activities  of  our  pri- 
mary group  illustrate  both  the  diffi- 
culties in  communication  growing  out 
of  our  diversity  and  the  sense  of  joy 
and  achievement  which  result  when 
such  barriers  are  overcome.  One  of 
the  first  things  which  we  had  to  do  to- 
gether, at  a  time  when  we  barely  knew 
one  another,  was  to  make  the  assign- 
ments to  our  situational  groups.  There 
were  eight  possible  situational  assign- 
ments, so  that  no  two  of  us  could  have 
the  same  one,  even  if  we  wanted  it. 
We  were  told,  further,  that  our  per- 
sonal choices  should  provide  an  experi- 
ence which  would  be  different  from 
our  prior  personal  experience.  To  ex- 
pose one's  motives  in  making  choices 
to  the  group,  to  consider  and  accept  or 
reject  the  judgment  of  the  group  about 
what  would  be  most  helpful  personally, 
and  to  weigh  one's  own  needs  and  de- 
sires in  relation  to  those  of  the  others 
in  the  group  resulted  in  a  painful  but 
stimulating  learning  experience. 

A  second  enlightening  activity  was 
one  of  the  games  which  we  were  asked 
to  play.  "Dangerous  Parallel"  involves 
the  participants  in  foreign  and  military 
policy  decisions  based  on  a  simula- 
tion of  events  related  to  the  Korean 
War.  Would  three  pacifists  participate 
in  a  group  decision  to  bomb  another 


country,  even  in  a  game?  Would  they 
spy  on  other  groups  to  find  out  their 
capabilities  and  intentions?  They  would 
and  they  did,  in  both  cases!  Only  a 
game?  Perhaps,  but  it  provided  oppor- 
tunity to  test  one's  imagination  and 
creativity  and  to  see  how  each  of  us 
functioned  in  relation  to  persons  in  our 
group  and  to  other  groups.  It  may 
have  been  "only  a  game,"  but  it  was 
also  an  exciting  learning  experience. 

Our  group  began  to  disperse  in  mid- 
November.  Its  members  are  now  in 
Africa  and  Latin  America,  and  several 
of  us  will  soon  be  in  Asia.  We  feel 
that  we  have  family  around  the  world. 


To  discover  and  deal  with 
real  feelings 

by   DONALD  E.  FANCHER 

A  young  man  sits  quietly  in  a  small 
group  meeting.  His  face  is  flushed;  he 
continually  clasps  and  unclasps  his 
hands.  His  response  to  questions  is  a 
curt  grunt.  He  makes  no  contribution 
to  the  conversation  until  the  time  for 
the  meeting  is  almost  over.  Suddenly, 
he  explodes.  Harsh,  angry  words  pour 
out.  But  they  seem  to  have  little  rela- 
tion to  anything  that  has  been  said.  It 
is  rather  a  broadside  criticism  of  the 
group.  Someone  asks  him  why  he  is  so 
angry.  But  he  denies  feeling  any  anger 
at  all. 

Such  behavior  often  demonstrates 
loss  of  contact  with  one's  own  feelings. 
It  also  demonstrates  how  such  un- 
awareness  may  interfere  with  effective 
working  relationships  with  others. 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     3 


TO  LIVE  IN  MISSION  /  continued 

A  person  working  overseas  must  be 
aware  of  his  own  feelings  and  ideas. 
Without  the  support  and  clues  that  he 
normally  has  in  his  own  culture,  an 
alien  may  respond  inappropriately. 

To  aid  persons  in  developing  skills 
to  read  their  own  feelings,  one  week  of 
the  orientation  program  was  devoted 
to  sensitivity  training.  This  sort  of  pro- 
gram has  become  familiar  to  many 
persons  through  the  human  relations 
labs  which  have  been  held  at  Brethren- 
related  colleges  in  recent  years.  Other 
persons  may  know  something  of  the 
program  through  recent  reports  in  na- 
tional magazines.  Even  so,  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  week's  activities  may  be 
helpful. 

Each  morning  began  with  a  brief 
period  —  about  an  hour  —  spent  in 
nonverbal  exercises.  For  example,  an 
exercise  in  experiencing  trust  was  the 
blind  walk.  The  entire  group  divided 
into  pairs.  Each  couple  then  walked 
around  the  campus,  one  of  the  partners 
walking  with  eyes  closed,  relying  on 
his  "sighted"  partner  to  take  care  of 
him.  Without  speaking,  the  guide  led 
his  charge  around  trees,  into  and  out  of 
buildings,  and  climbing  on  playground 
equipment. 

Before  beginning  this  exercise,  the 
trainer  had  suggested  that  we  some- 
times learn  to  trust  other  people  by 
trusting  them.  Many  of  us  discovered 
that  we  could  put  ourselves  into  the 
hands  of  another  person  without  fear. 
The  degree  of  trust  that  existed  was 
shown  by  those  who  were  willing  to 
run,  eyes  closed,  across  a  tree-filled 
campus,  knowing  that  they  would  be 
cared  for.  One  young  woman  rode  a 
bicycle,  relying  entirely  on  her  sighted 
partner  for  guidance. 

"T-Groups"  consmned  the  bulk  of 
the  time  during  sensitivity  training  — 
several  hours  each  morning,  afternoon, 
and  evening.  Ten  participants  and  a 


trainer  comprised  each  T-Group.  Our 
long  hours  of  talking  were  sometimes 
tenderly  supportive,  sometimes  aggres- 
sively challenging.  Always  there  was 
the  concern  to  recognize  and  identify 
what  one  was  really  feeling. 

Each  participant  remained  ultimate- 
ly responsible  for  his  own  behavior. 
Each  was  responsible  for  how  he  dealt 
with  his  feelings,  how  he  responded  to 
others,  and  the  consequences  of  his  ac- 
tions. But  the  basic  concern  was  to 
discover  and  deal  with  one's  real  feel- 
ings and  ideas  rather  than  with  "how 
I  think  I  ought  to  feel."  In  this  effort, 
most  of  the  participants  felt  great  sup- 
port from  the  other  members  of  the 
group. 

Sensitivity  training  is  not  psycho- 
therapy. However,  many  of  us  began 
to  recognize  some  of  the  dynamics  that 
profoundly  afifect  our  behavior.  For 
one,  it  was  the  difficulty  involved  in 
working  as  a  subordinate  to  a  woman. 
For  another,  it  was  the  problem  of 
always  having  been  "nice"  and 
"pretty."  For  a  third,  it  was  avoidance 
of  responsibility  by  refusing  to  recog- 
nize his  gifts  and  abilities. 

The  trainers  played  a  crucial  role 
in  the  work  of  the  week.  Contrary  to 
some  expectations,  they  were  not  al- 
ways gentle  and  supportive.  For  ex- 
ample, one  response  by  our  trainer 
was,  "I've  got  a  bellyful  of  you  church- 
types  who  are  winners,  but  keep  acting 
like  losers!" 

Did  the  week  accomplish  what  was 
hoped  for?  Certainly  the  results  were 
not  uniform.  Some  persons  expressed 
the  conviction  that  the  week  marked  a 
dramatic  change  in  their  lives.  Others 
felt  there  had  been  no  such  marked 
change.  But  few,  if  any,  of  the  par- 
ticipants felt  the  week  had  been  poorly 
spent. 

I  would  have  to  say  that  it  did  mark 
a  significant  change  of  tack  for  me  — 


not  an  about-face,  but  a  different  angle 
or  direction. 

For  most  of  us,  it  was  a  solid  re- 
minder that  any  effectiveness  we  may 
have  overseas  will  depend  at  least  as 
much  on  what  we  are  as  it  does  on 
what  we  can  do. 


To  relate  to  new  people 
and  new  surroundings 

by    DORIS  FANCHER 

"Is  this  it?  I  expected  something 
different.  Though  the  streets  and  emp- 
ty lots  are  filled  with  trash,  this 
doesn't  look  so  bad."  These  were  the 
thoughts  of  the  five  people  in  our  car 
as  we  pulled  up  to  Union  Settlement 
in  East  Harlem  on  that  warm  Septem- 
ber day. 

The  five  of  us  from  the  Missionary 
Orientation  Center  were  really  trying 
something  new,  our  "situational  experi- 
ence." This  part  of  the  training  pro- 
gram is  designed  to  find  out  how  you 
relate  to  new  people,  surroundings, 
and  culture. 

There  were  eight  different  types  of 
situational  experiences  offered.*  It  was 
expected  that  we  work  in  the  one  that 
would  be  most  different  from  any  pre- 
vious experience.  My  primary  group 
decided  that  I  should  go  to  Union  Set- 
tlement in  East  Harlem,  but  I  went 
with  many  reservations  and  much  anx- 
iety. 

This  area  is  made  up  of  forty  per- 
cent Puerto  Ricans  and  thirty-eight 
percent  Negroes.  The  rest  of  the  peo- 
ple are  predominately  of  Italian  back- 
ground. 

We  started  our  first  day  by  talking 
with  Nora  Bowens,  director  of  the  East 

*  Among  these  were  Greenwich  Village, 
Green  Haven  Prison,  and  a  Spanish 
community  in  Haverstown,  New   York. 


4     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


Harlem  Project  stafiE.  The  project  is 
one  of  the  services  sponsored  by  Union 
Settlement  Association.  The  associa- 
tion tries  to  meet  the  needs  and  con- 
cerns of  the  community  at  many  levels. 
Their  program  includes  Project  Head- 
start,  a  cultural  center,  day  care  center, 
a  neighborhood  study  club,  the  college 
readiness  program,  credit  union,  and 
Gaylord  White  House,  an  apartment 
building  for  senior  citizens,  as  well  as 
many  others.  We  were  allowed  to 
choose  which  particular  area  we 
wanted  to  work  in  during  the  ten  weeks 
we  were  there.  We  had  several  days  to 
explore  and  get  acquainted  with  the 
area. 

One  landmark  in  the  community  is 
a  hot  dog  stand  on  the  corner  of  100th 
Street  and  2nd  Avenue.  We  soon 
found  out  why.  "Pop,"  a  Greek  immi- 
grant with  very  little  schooling,  owns 
and  operates  this  concession.  He  be- 
came interested  in  the  neighborhood 
study  club  and  has  contributed  regu- 
larly to  its  support.  Operating  out  of 
two    storefronts,    the   neighborhood 
study  club  provides  a  place  for  children 
to  study  after  school  and  receive  reme- 
dial help.  The  average  attendance  at 
the  study  club  is  forty-two;  at  times  as 
many  as  ninety  are  there. 

The  day  care  center,  where  I  spent 


four  hours  each  week,  was  another  fa- 
cility used  to  capacity.  Its  purpose  is 
to  provide  a  constructive  and  enjoyable 
program  for  children  (ages  three  to 
eight)  of  working  or  incapacitated 
mothers.  There  were  140  children  en- 
rolled, divided  into  small  classes  of 
sixteen.  I  worked  with  one  of  the 
four-year-old  groups. 

My  experience  of  learning  here  was 
quite  revealing.  I  went  in  with  ideas 
of  what  I  could  do  to  help.  I  discov- 
ered this  was  not  what  my  primary 
role  should  be.  It  was  most  important 
just  to  be  there,  having  personal  con- 
tact with  the  children.  I  was  also  im- 
pressed with  the  teachers. 

I  cherish  the  friendships  I  made  with 
Lena  and  Neris  who  live  in  Gaylord 
White  House,  a  residence  for  low-in- 
come persons.    Living  there  are  350 
people,  62  years  of  age  or  older.  They 
have  a  good  program  which  includes 
crafts,  recreation,  and  social  and  medi- 
cal services.  However,  these  people 
can  be  very  lonely,  and  their  anticipa- 
tion of  my  personal  visit  each  week 
was  gratifying. 

I  was  very  interested  that  an  or- 
ganization helped  them  on  election  day 
last  year  not  only  in  voting  but  also  in 
staging  a  parade  to  instill  interest  in 
others.  As  a  result,  their  picture  ap- 


peared in  The  New  York  Times  and 
over  the  ABC  television  network.  You 
can  imagine  the  excitement  I  encoun- 
tered on  my  visit  there  the  next  day. 
Yes,  this  is  learning  in  a  different 
culture  from  "mine,"  but  it  is  surpris- 
ing how  soon  I  felt  "at  home."  Is  this 
a  situation?  Is  this  the  mission?  Is  this 
the  church?  This  is  our  world,  in 
which  I  want  to  work. 

To  live  in  community 

by   ALICE  KREIDER 

Community  life  at  the  Missionary 
Orientation  Center  has  many  dimen- 
sions. We  participated  in  informal  get- 
togethers  among  the  families;  children 
played  long  hours;  we  ate  together  in 
the  common  dining  hall;  we  took  an 
occasional  night  out  when  the  schedule 
permitted;  we  joined  in  a  few  organized 
social  activities  planned  for  the  whole 
group.  These  activities,  too,  con- 
tributed to  our  self-awareness,  and 
aided  us  in  becoming  more  sensitive 
and  understanding  of  other  individuals, 
both  adults  and  children. 

On  weekends  with  no  classes,  we 
had  time  to  do  some  sightseeing.  An- 
other family  with  two  children  the 
same  age  as  ours  went  with  us  to  New 
York  City  to  take  the  boat  ride  around 
Manhattan  on  a  sunny  day  in  October. 
We  appreciated  the  opportunity  to 
become  acquainted  on  an  informal 
basis,  and  none  of  us  wUl  forget  the 
skyline  of  the  city  or  the  Statue  of 
Liberty. 

Watching  twenty  children  play  is 
an  experience!  There  were  nine  boys 
between  the  ages  of  four  and  seven 
who  became  known  as  the  "mini- 
Mafia."  They  enjoyed  the  advice  of 
several  adults  as  they  played  baseball, 
football,  and  soccer.  They  made  up 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     5 


TO  LIVE  IN  MISSION  /  continued 

games,  hiked,  fished,  and,  when  win- 
ter arrived,  spent  long  hours  playing  in 
the  snow. 

In  the  dining  hall,  where  over  forty 
adults  and  twenty  children  gathered  to 
eat,  the  toddlers  made  themselves 
known.  The  clatter  of  a  plastic  dish  or 
glass,  a  common  sound  at  every  meal, 
forced  us  to  develop  a  greater  toler- 
ance for  noise! 

A  community  council  coordinated 
activities  for  all  age  groups.  At  Hal- 
loween we  had  a  party  for  the  children, 
and  then  one  for  the  adults  later  in 
the  evening.  The  children  started  their 
party  with  trick  or  treating  for 
UNICEF.  They  were  very  excited 
when  two  of  the  adults  dressed  as  Cap- 
tain Kangaroo  and  Mr.  Greenjeans  for 
the  adult  party  paid  them  a  visit.  Dis- 
tinctive about  the  adult  party  were  the 
originality  and  variety  of  the  costumes. 


One  of  the  participants,  a  German 
girl  who  had  never  been  to  a  Hallow- 
een party,  came  as  a  robot.  Her  cos- 
tume was  fashioned  out  of  two  large 
boxes  decorated  with  twigs,  leaves,  and 
crepe  paper. 

In  addition  to  these  social  activities 
our  community  life  included  responsi- 
bility for  a  number  of  work  duties. 
Each  primary  group  was  assigned  cer- 
tain work  duties  which  they  distributed 
among  their  members.  We  had  to  help 
with  the  dishwashing,  clean  the  dining 
room,  sweep  hallways,  lock  the  main 
building  each  night,  assist  the  librarian, 
help  with  the  mail,  and  other  chores 
that  reminded  us  of  summer  camp. 

The  diversity  in  background  among 
the  participants  also  contributed  to  a 
stimulating  variety  of  worship  services 
which  were  part  of  our  community  life. 
Members  of  the  staff  conducted  a  dia- 


logue-style Bible  study.  Primary 
groups  created  their  own  worship  mo- 
ments in  which  we  shared  bits  of  scrip- 
ture, poetry,  and  hymns  which  had 
personal  significance.  Corporate  wor- 
ship featured  contemporary  hymns 
with  guitar  accompaniment,  and  a  con- 
cluding communion  service  led  by 
Dave  and  Don  reflected  an  unusual 
but  distinctively  Brethren  flavor.  One 
of  the  staff  members  made  an  outline 
of  the  seven  continents  on  the  floor 
with  masking  tape,  and  we  sat  on  the 
floor  in  a  circle,  literally  "around  the 
world,"  as  we  partook  of  the  elements 
of  the  eucharist  and  washed  one  an- 
other's feet.  The  holy  kiss  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  took  on  real 
significance  as  we  embraced  one  an- 
other around  that  circle  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  core  portion  of  our  training 
program.    D 


Faith  looks  up... 


In  the  beginning  God  created  .  .  .  God  created  the  uni- 
verse and  made  man  to  have  dominion  over  all 

From  the  time  of  Moses  and  the  Ten  Command- 
ments until  the  time  of  Jesus,  man  lived  mostly  by  the 
law.  As  I  see  it,  to  live  by  the  law  is  to  do  or  not  do 
what  someone  decides  you  should  do.  This  is  the  easy 
way  to  live,  because  someone  else  has  to  take  the  re- 
sponsibility when  the  law  doesn't  work.   With  the 
teachings  of  Jesus  came  the  beginning  of  man's  living 
beyond  the  law,  a  life-style  in  which  we  are  responsible 
for  our  own  actions. 

I  believe  there  is  great  value  for  each  person  to  work 
through  what  he  believes  and  what  he  should  do.  By 
living  Jesus'  way  I  can  never  feel  that  I  have  arrived  or 
that  I  am  "pretty  good."  A  friend  once  said,  "Beware 
of  the  person  who  tells  you  how  good  he  is.  I  prefer  the 
person  who  shows  me  what  he  believes  and  not  what  he 
says  he  believes." 


When  you  know  what  you  believe,  then  live  it.  Al- 
ways be  on  the  alert  for  new  ideas  and  insights,  and  be 
willing  to  change  your  beliefs  as  new  understanding 
comes.  Above  aU,  know  your  goals  and  objectives  and 
strive  to  reach  them.  Don't  be  easily  swayed  by  what 
everyone  else  thinks. 

Chart  your  course  well,  and  stay  on  the  course.  As 
adversities  come,  rely  on  your  faith  in  God,  for  your 
faith  is  the  result  of  proven  trust  in  God  and  your 
fellowman. 

LELAND  SLOUGH  is  the  president 
of  Arrow  Tool,  Inc.,  in  Elkhart, 
Indiana.  An  active  churchman,  he 
serves  as  chairman  of  the  official  board 
in  the  Elkhart  church  and  as  a  member 
of  the  Northern  Indiana  district  board. 
He  has  served  as  PTA  president  and 
as  the  chairman  of  Church  Community 
Service.   The  Sloughs  have  three  chil- 
dren: Becky,  17;  Jon,  14;  and  Greg,  13. 


6     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


Take  up  your 

cross. ••and  relax! 


by  MARK  GIBBS 

i%ny  visitor  to  the  United  States  these 
days  leams  a  great  deal  about  the  deep 
difiQculties  of  the  churches.  This  last 
year  I  have  found  much  despondency 
and  an  almost  masochistic  wallowing 
in  gloom.  Some  church  leaders  seem 
indeed  determined  to  point  out  the 
worst  points  in  the  contemporary  scene 
—  perhaps  in  order  to  atone  somehow 
for  previous  neglect  of  time. 

Of  course,  there  are  many  American 
congregations  and  many  church  insti- 
tutions in  serious  trouble.  Certainly 
there  are  division  and  dismay  among 
both  clergy  and  laity.  Yet  a  visitor 
from  abroad  can  also  find  many  signs 
of  hope  and  of  growth,  both  in  parish 
life  and  in  experimental  ministries;  and 
I  do  not  think  it  is  accurate  or  fair  to 
give  too  dark  and  depressing  a  picture. 

Mn  the  first  place,  the  bitter  con- 
cerns and  arguments  now  to  be  found 
in  church  after  church  are  in  them- 
selves a  sign  of  life,  not  of  death.  I 
must  frankly  admit  that  when  in  the 
1940s  I  first  made  some  academic 
study  of  American  churches,  then  I  was 
disturbed  and  despondent  about  their 
attitude  to  racism  and  to  the  deep  pov- 
erty so  evident  both  in  the  inner  city 
and  in  many  rural  areas.  They  were 
not  then  alive  with  controversy  on 
these  issues;  far  too  often  they  were 
apparently  apathetic  and  callous. 

It  is  rather  like  the  past  history  of 
slavery  and  the  slave  trade.   When 
these  beastly  horrors  were  first  publi- 
cized —  and  many  Englishmen  as  well 
as  Americans  were  profiting  from  the 


slave  trade  —  then  the  nation  and  the 
churches  seemed  more  divided  and  dis- 
turbed than  in  the  "peaceful"  days 
when  slavery  was  taken  for  granted. 
But  the  disturbance  was  the  beginning 
of  the  change. 

The  American  churches  are  per- 
plexed by  many  controversies  at  this 
time,  but  they  are  in  a  much  more 
healthy  state  than  when  they  mainly 
bothered  about  the  size  of  their  rival 
sanctuaries.  Spiritually,  they  are  in 
much  better  shape  than  many  quiet, 
dull,  and  empty  churches  in  Britain 
and  Europe. 

What  is  more,  any  balanced  survey 
of  the  American  churches  today  will,  I 
believe,  show  some  most  encouraging 
signs  of  renewal  and  some  very  prom- 
ising models  of  church  life  for  the 
future.  This  is  true  both  of  many 
parishes  and  of  other  kinds  of  church 
ministries. 

For  instance,  many  Roman  Cath- 
olics are  sadly  discouraged  about  the 
progress  in  updating  their  giant  and 
sometimes  unwieldy  institutions.  Yet 
the  style  of  many  Sunday  masses  is  now 
wonderfully  different  from  the  formal 
Latin  drone  of  only  a  few  years  ago, 
with  the  laity  half  asleep  or  slipping 
out  the  door  as  soon  as  it  was  legally 
permissible. 

Again,  it  is  simply  not  true  to  say 
that  almost  aU  suburban  Protestant 
churches  are  hopelessly  racist  or  pi- 
etist. Their  congregations  are  mixed  in 
their  attitudes  and  often  caught  in  his- 
torical and  social  prejudices;  but  very 
many  of  the  laity  (and,  indeed,  many 
of  those  rather  despised  church  wom- 
en's groups)  are  quietly  and  effectively 
taking  positions  which  would  have 


seemed  very  far  out  only  a  few  years 
ago.  And  many  of  the  new  styles  of 
urban  church  work  are  achieving  dis- 
tinct, sober  progress  —  for  instance  (to 
mention  only  three  which  I  saw  in  the 
fall  of  1969)  the  Boston  Industrial 
Mission;  the  Chesapeake  Foundation 
in  Washington,  D.C.,  which  concen- 
trates on  poverty  questions;  and  the 
Center  for  Urban  Encounter  in  Port- 
land, Oregon. 

The  trouble  is  that  somehow  there 
exist  horrible  communication  blocks 
which  make  it  difficult  for  American 
church  people  to  hear  good  news. 
Even  major  church  committees  may 
sometimes  not  know  of  important  and 
promising  new  experiments,  especially 
if  they  do  not  belong  to  their  denomi- 
nation.  (There  are  even  worse  blocks 
which  somehow  stop  news  of  experi- 
ments from  the  Netherlands,  or  Ger- 
many, or  Africa  —  as  if  Americans 
were  only  prepared  to  belong  to  a 
world  church  if  it  was  as  bad  off  as 
themselves! ) 

J.n  an  almost  perverse  and  quite 
unbiblical  way,  there  is  a  tendency  to 
emphasize  bad  news  and  to  ignore  the 
good.  Of  course,  there  is  no  room  at 
all  for  complacency;  of  course.  Chris- 
tians need  to  face  hard  facts,  no  matter 
how  unpleasant  they  are.  But  a  diet  of 
unrelieved  disasters  is  neither  nourish- 
ing nor  necessary.  It  may  be  that  some 
clergy  in  the  States  are  suffering  from 
something  of  a  Jeremiah  complex. 
Certainly  it  may  have  been  right  in  the 
last  few  years  to  shock  and  shake  com- 
placent congregations  out  of  their  cozy 
apathy  —  for  instance,  about  the 
ghastly  tragedy  of  the  Vietnam  War. 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     7 


TAKE  UP  YOUR  CROSS  /  continued 

But  now  the  tactics  of  congregational 
renewal  need  to  be  different. 

In  the  first  place,  church  leaders 
and  parish  ministers  must  make  a  very 
thorough  and  persistent  effort  to  under- 
stand where  the  laity  are  at  the  mo- 
ment. Some  of  the  people  in  the  pews 
are  of  course  disturbed,  bewildered, 
and  defensive.  This  is  not  just  because 
of  changes  in  the  churches:  The  whole 
of  American  life  (even  in  remote 
country  areas)  is  changing  so  fast  that 
perhaps  three  centuries  of  change  are 
now  squeezed  into  something  like 
seventy-five  years. 

We  live  to  be  300  years  old,  in  terms 
of  social  change.  In  actual  fact,  very 
many  older  American  church  people 
are  adapting  to  the  1970s  with  great 
courage  and  skill;  but  some  are  fright- 
ened and  need  much  pastoral  help  if 
they  are  to  find  their  true  vocation  for 
the  future.  It  is  not  much  use  to  shout 
at  such  people;  and  I  suspect  that 
sometimes  church  leaders  and  parish 
clergy  must  learn  more  courteous  and 
effective  ways  of  leading  them  on. 

On  the  other  hand,  many  other  lay 
people  are  by  no  means  so  fearful 
about  the  future.  American  congrega- 
tions include  —  thank  God  —  many 
"strong"  Christians  who  are  not  proud 
or  arrogant  but  nevertheless  still  con- 
fident that  even  in  these  stormy  days 
they  wUl  find  a  job  to  do  and  a  life  to 
enjoy.  They  are  not  frightened  by 
change;  in  big  ways  or  small,  they  are 
the  changemakers,  in  industry,  in  city 
life,  in  their  local  schools  and  hospitals, 
and  in  their  homes. 

Sometimes,  indeed,  they  are  unfairly 
impatient  with  the  clergy  because  the 
church  seems  to  lag  behind,  not  be- 
cause it  moves  too  fast.  Many  of  them 
are  deeply  involved  in  the  structure  of 
society  —  business,  government,  edu- 
cation —  and  they  know  quite  well  by 
now  the  defects  of  these  structures  and 


the  possibilities  of  their  renewal.  Some 
of  the  younger  ones  have  tough  and 
fundamental  questions  to  ask  about 
American  society.  But  young  or  old, 
these  are  competent,  critical  people. 
If  they  can  only  be  given  a  first-class 
Christian  education  to  match  their 
secular  sharpness,  they  will  be  a  major 
strength  for  the  churches  of  the  future. 

I  suggest  also  that,  for  their  part, 
the  laity  in  and  on  the  fringe  of  the 
American  churches  must  try  harder  to 
understand  the  struggles  of  the  clergy 
today.  The  role  of  the  priest  or  minis- 
ter has  changed  radically  since  the  days 
when  he  was  the  center  in  the  parish  of 
both  theological  knowledge  and  reli- 
gious discipline.  It  is  just  as  difficult 
for  many  older  clergy  as  for  many 
older  laity  to  accept  the  pace  of  change 
today.  It  is  not  easy  for  a  younger 
minister,  eager  for  church  and  social 
renewal,  to  realize  that  he  cannot  "be 
the  church"  on  his  own  and  that  he 
must  find  a  new  role  as  an  adviser  and 
resource  person  for  the  laity,  rather 
than  try  to  be  the  leader  in  every  situa- 
tion. And,  unfortunately,  very  few 
seminaries  as  yet  train  the  young  clergy 
for  such  new  styles  of  church  life  or 
even  show  him  convincingly  how  valu- 
able his  new  role  may  be  in  the  future. 

Mhere  is  an  urgent  need  for  the 
American  churches  to  offer  far  more 
opportunities  for  clergy  and  laity  to 
learn  together  their  mission  for  the 
days  ahead.  If  this  is  to  happen,  it  will 
require  the  acceptance  of  two  princi- 
ples for  adult  Christian  education. 
1 .  The  clergy  must  learn  how  to 
learn  from  the  laity  as  well  as  how  to 
teach  them.  They  must  know  how  to 
stay  sometimes  in  the  background;  they 
are  not  normally  in  the  front  line  of 
business  or  political  life.  And  the  laity 
must  learn  how  to  treat  the  clergy  as 
human  beings,  with  minds  and  opinions 


and  fears  like  everybody  else,  instead 
of  expecting  them  to  be  drearily  neu- 
tral on  anything  controversial. 

2.  The  churches  must  offer  a  wide 
spectrum  of  different  kinds  of  learning 
opportunities;  and  much  more  money 
will  have  to  go  into  adult  Christian 
education  and  training  of  all  kinds. 

If  I  may  say  so,  some  dioceses  and 
denominations  suffer  more  than  a  little 
from  fads  and  fashions  in  laity  educa- 
tion (whether  it  be  sensitivity  training, 
racist  studies,  or  prayer  groups). 
There  are  a  great  many  different  ways 
in  which  Christians  can  learn  together, 
and  it  is  rather  fine  how  many  useful 
experiments  and  techniques  have  come 
tO'  the  world  church  from  American 
pioneers.  But  an  experiment  in  one 
city  or  parish  is  not  automatically  to  be 
copied  everywhere  else,  at  least  not  be- 
fore a  very  careful  evaluation.  No 
parish  can  do  everything;  every  parish 
is  different;  it  is  stupid  to  expect  toe 
much  uniformity. 

And,  of  course,  not  everything  can 
be  done  in  a  parish  setting.  Some 
American  cities  have  already  developed 
a  rich  variety  of  experiments  in  non- 
parish  groups  and  activities.  Very 
many  clergy  and  laity  should  be  en- 
couraged to  join  in  one  of  these,  in  ad- 
dition to  (rather  than  instead  of)  par- 
ish life. 

In  his  very  funny  book  The  Mack- 
erel Plaza,  Peter  de  Vries  has  the 
phrase  "Take  up  your  cross  and  relax!" 
It  sounds  irreverent;  but  I  venture  to 
suggest  that,  in  fact,  it  is  excellent  ad- 
vice for  the  people  of  God  today.  Cer- 
tainly there  are  burdens  for  us  to  bear; 
but  we  shall  carry  them  more  effective- 
ly if  we  are  a  little  more  confident  and 
relaxed  about  the  months  and  years 
ahead.  We  need  not  be  fearful:  The 
church  has  been  through  worse  things 
before.  And  there  are  a  good  many 
signs  of  hope  if  we  look  for  them.   D 


8     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


day  by  day 


"Dad,  Mother,  I'm  really  disturbed  about  the  Bible,"  said 
fifteen-year-old  Tom  to  his  parents  one  evening. 

"What  is  it  that  so  upsets  you?"  asked  his  parents. 

"Well,"  continued  Tom,  "you've  always  taught  us  chil- 
dren that  the  Bible  is  the  Word  of  God,  that  the  stories  and 
miracles  in  it  are  true  and  happened  just  as  they  are  writ- 
ten there.  My  church  school  teachers  and  minister  have 
taught  the  same  thing.  And  up  to  now,  I  have  believed  both 
them  and  you. 

"But  now  there  are  doubts  coming  into  my  mind. 
We've  been  studying  science  in  school  and  the  teacher  has 
been  telling  us  that  there  are  myths  in  the  Bible  and  that 
some  of  the  stories  are  only  fiction. 

"And  he  makes  it  sound  so  convincing.  Just  today  he 
asked,  'How  could  Jonah  have  been  swallowed  by  a  fish 
and  after  three  days  be  spewed  out  again?  How  could  the 
three  Hebrew  children  have  been  cast  into  a  fiery  furnace 
and  not  have  been  burned?  How  could  Jesus  walk  on  the 
water  or  turn  water  into  wine?  How  can  we  say  that  God 
is  up  there  in  heaven  above  the  canopy  of  blue  when  the 
astronauts  have  orbited  in  space  and  we've  seen  moon 
shots  on  TV  and  we  haven't  seen  or  discovered  either  God 
or  heaven?  These  stories  are  contrary  to  natural  law.  We're 
living  in  an  age  of  scientific  reasoning  now.'  " 

With  these  words  from  their  son,  Tom's  parents  were 
taken  aback.  They  began  to  see  the  reason  for  their  older 
son  David's  rebellion  against  the  church  and  faith  in  his 
freshman  year  at  college.  Would  Tom  and  the  younger 
children  follow?  Was  their  well-intentioned  conservatism 
closing  the  minds  of  their  children? 

The  parents  began  a  more  serious  study  and  evaluation 
of  the  Bible  and  were  open  for  more  dialogue,  questions, 
honest  differences  between  themselves  and  their  children 
and  other  people.  They  found  themselves  discovering  new 
truths  in  the  Bible  and  gaining  new  interpretations  for  old 
truths.  It  was  really  a  transformation  and  new  thrust  of 
faith  in  this  home.  Would  this  not  be  a  good  venture  for 
each  of  our  homes? 

Suggested  activities 

1 .  Purchase  an  inexpensive  booklet  like  Biblical  Truth 
and  Modern  Man,  by  Bruce  Rahtigen,  a  layman's  guide  to 
understanding  the  Bible.  Read  this  127-page  booklet  as  a 
family  and  see  how  the  Bible  came  to  be,  and  how  the 
author  clarifies  many  current  problems  about  the  Bible. 

2.  Come  to  grips  with  the  terms  myth  and  fiction.  Can 
the  Bible  contain  a  story  that  may  not  have  literally  hap- 
pened and  still  be  spiritually  meaningful  and  true?  Read  2 


Samuel  12.  Was  Nathan's  story  there  a  literal  fact  or  a 
story  he  made  to  illustrate  a  point  for  David? 

3.  Ask  yourselves:  "Is  it  wrong  to  honestly  doubt"  pro- 
vided we  hold  on  to  those  things  in  which  we  do  now  be- 
lieve? Is  this  not  a  sign  of  growth?  See  Thomas'  doubt, 
then  his  great  affirmation  of  faith! 

4.  Look  for  concepts  in  the  Bible,  not  for  literal,  iso- 
lated texts.  Read  one  of  the  gospels  as  a  family  or  the 
book  of  Acts,  or  a  shorter  epistle!  Let  each  member  of 
the  family  write  down  what  he  thinks  the  central  message 
of  the  book  is. 

5.  Let  the  family  choose  a  topic  they'll  consider  for  a 
week  or  longer  in  family  devotions,  like  God,  love,  for- 
giveness, reconciliation,  evil,  immorality.  Compare  Old 
Testament  concepts  of  these  terms  with  Jesus'  fuller  em- 
phasis. 

6.  Always  avoid  the  danger  of  "bibliolatry"  —  having 
the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God  taking  the  place  of  God 
himself.  —  L.  Byron  Miller 


DAILY  BIBLE  GUIDE     April  12-25 

Sunday    Select  passages  from  Jonah.     Is  the  fish  the  central  message  or  an 

incident  to  show  Jonah's  disobedience  to  preach  to  the  hated  Ninevites? 
Monday    2  Timothy  3:16.    The  Bible  is  set  apart  from  other   literature. 
Tuesday    Matthew  5:17-21.    Jesus  teaches  a   higher   righteousness  than   law. 
Wednesday    Romans   10:1-17.    Faith   comes   by   hearing   the  Word. 
Thursday    2  Timothy  2:15.    Be  a  student  of  the  Word. 

Friday    Psalms   119:18.    The  psalmist  composes   a   prayer  for   understanding. 
Saturday     Psalms    119:1-11.     The   Word    is    a    strength    for    righteous    living. 
Sunday    Matthew  7:21-27.    Be  not  hearers  only,  but  doers. 
Monday    John    16:12-15.    Jesus  makes  a   promise   of  the   Holy  Spirit  as   our 

teacher. 
Tuesday     Romans    1:14-17.     The    gospel    has    power    to    redeem    and    make 

whole. 
Wednesday    Matthew  4:1-11.    The  Word   is  strength  when  we  are  tempted. 
Thursday    Acts  8:26-40.    Teachers   and   witnesses   of  the  Word   are   needed. 
Friday    John   1:1-14.    The   living   Word,   Christ,   is  seen   beneath   the   written 

word. 
Saturday    Hebrews   6:1-20.    A  writer   offers   food   for   the   mature. 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     9 


s 


"April  is  tlie  cruelest  month,  breeding  lilacs  out  of  the 
dead  land."  T.  S.  Eliot,  The  Wasteland 


Oying  over  and  over, 

Being  born  again  and  yet  again, 

I  have  played  a  game 

w^ith  death  and  life, 

wanting  nothingness, 

somehow  never  quite  able 

to  make  the  very  final  decision, 

to  write  the  last  sentence 

and  mark  a  period  to  life. 

The  year  at  its  coldest 

has  been  hard, 

but  there  is  a  kind  of  ease 

in  the  absence  of  hope. 

To  expect  something 

and  get  nothing 

is  hell; 

to  expect  nothing 

and,  sometimes,  to  get  something 

is  life. 

One  would  not  think 

to  break  the  frozen  ground  in  winter, 

plant  a  seed, 

watching  for  a  green  blade 

to  stab  through  the  crusted,  barren  earth. 

Spring  is  a  borning,  hopeful  season. 

God,  I'm  terrified  of  another  spring. 


Mreath  smells, 

a  too  sweet  penetrating  odor 

of  urine, 

and  of  decay, 

of  unwillingness, 

and  an  unsuccessful  antiseptic. 

Life  smells  too, 

of  men's  aftershave  and  ladies'  perfume, 

of  Christmas  trees  and  roses 

and  goldenrod  in  hayf ever  season, 

of  bubblegum  and  rubber, 

of  chocolate  and  automobile  exhaust, 

of  incense  and  cigarette  smoke, 

of  gas  and  oil 

and  good,  rich  earth 

and  sweat. 


10     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


Living  or  dying, 
Being  or  not  being. 
Polarities?  Extremes? 
Beginnings  and  endings? 
No  more,  perliaps,  tiian 
loving  or  hating. 
Alpha  or  Omega. 

"I'm  not  afraid  to  die. 
Would  you  hold  my  hand? 
Now,  I'm  not  afraid  to  die." 

The  smells  of  living  and  dying  blend  and  become  one. 

"I'm  not  afraid  to  live. 
Would  you  hold  my  hand? 
Now,  I'm  not  afraid  to  live." 


imil  through  the  long  winter, 

I  was  without  hope. 

Spring  brought  with  it 

the  pain  and  terror 

of  a  second  birth. 

It  was  the  newness 

of  which  I  was  afraid. 

I  had  grown  accustomed 

to  my  despair. 

I  had  worn  it, 

shaped  it, 

and  could  live, 

if  not  well, 

at  least  comfortably  with  it, 

as  one  does  with 

an  old  pair  of  shoes. 

Hope  came 

with  the  first  minute  signs  of  new  life 

bringing  feelings  that 

I  had  thought  lost 

in  the  agonizing 

months  of  bitter  cold. 


IV 

Mt  isn't  easy,  you  know. 

I  saw  your  hand  held  out  to  me. 

God  knows, 

I  wanted  to  reach  for  yours. 

There  was  even  a  tentative, 

frightened  attempt  — 

and  then, 

almost  as  a  reflex  action, 

my  hand  fell  to  my  side  again. 

It  was  too  much  to  ask  of  me 

just  then. 

You  didn't  take  your  hand  away, 

though. 

I  was  glad. 

You  held  it  steady, 

still  reaching  out  to  me 

and,  somehow, 

as  though  I  had  no  control, 

I  found  my  hand  in  yours. 

To  communicate 

is  to  more  than  say  words. 

To  touch  is  to  more  than  touch. 

I  didn't  think 

that  I  deserved 

to  have  you  care  that  much. 

You  took  my  hand. 

I  couldn't  understand  why. 

Without  bread, 
without  wine, 
we  celebrated 
communion. 


by  Jeanne 
Donovan 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     11 


Relief  in  Nigeria 

To  ENGAGE  in  relief,  rehabilitation,  and 
reconciliation  in  postwar  Nigeria,  tem- 
porary reassignments  within  the  Brethren 
missionary  community  have  been  under- 
taken in  recent  weeks. 

At  the  invitation  of  the  Christian 
Council  of  Nigeria,  field  secretary  Roger 
L.  Ingold  is  serving  until  late  June  as 
assistant  to  Emmanuel  Urhobo,  director 
of  relief  and  rehabilitation  for  the  Coun- 
cil. The  effort,  directed  from  the  capital 
city  of  Lagos,  will  require  over  $8  mil- 
lion. 

A  second  missionary.  Von  Hall,  an 
agriculturist,  is  initiating  a  seed  yam 
planting  project  in  the  Southeast  State 
for  a  two-month  period. 

A  third  worker  in  the  crisis  program 
is  Marion  Bricker  of  Astoria,  111.,  a  for- 
mer Brethren  Volunteer  Service  assignee 
who  returned  to  Nigeria  last  fall  for  a 
second  stint  in  relief  ministries.  He  is 
a  member  of  a  team  responsible  for  dis- 
tributing medical  and  relief  supplies. 

All  three  Brethren  are  working 
through  and  for  Nigerian  organizations, 
under  direction  of  Nigerians. 

In  Mr.  Ingold's  absence  from  the  ad- 
ministrative office  in  Jos,  missionary 
Donald  L.  Stern  is  acting  field  secretary. 

Self-determination:  Both  during  the 
war  period  itself  and  since  the  end  of 
hostilities  early  in  January,  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  has  sought  to  work  with 
Nigerian  officials  in  matters  for  which 
they  are  ultimately  responsible.    "We  are 


In   Nigerian  relief  force,   from  the   left: 
Roger  Ingold,  Marion  Bricker,  Von  Hall 


supportive  of  their  desire  to  find  and 
administer  the  necessary  resources  in 
their  own  way,  among  their  own  people, 
through  their  own  institutions,"  stated 
Lamar  Gibble,  Brotherhood  counselor  in 
international  affairs. 

The  appeal  for  $8  million  launched  by 
the  Christian  Council  of  Nigeria  will  un- 
dergird  costs  of  personnel,  transporta- 
tion, administration,  public  health  facil- 
ities, orphanages,  agricultural  imple- 
ments, and  seeds. 

Funds  for  the  Nigerian  Council's  pro- 
gram are  being  sought  by  the  World 
Council  of  Churches.  The  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  among  the  WCC  members 
contributing  support,  with  World  Min- 
istries executive  Joel  K.  Thompson  con- 
tacting congregations  at  the  end  of  Feb- 
ruary on  behalf  of  the  Emergency  Disas- 
ter Fund.  Since  1968,  $31,078  has  been 
expended  by  the  General  Board  for  Ni- 
geria relief.  An  additional  $21,000  on 
hand  is  earmarked  for  support  of  Breth- 
ren workers  and  possible  undergirding  of 
the  relief  program  of  the  Christian  Coun- 
cil of  Nigeria. 

Noninvolvement:  In  the  course  of  the 
civil  conflict  the  stance  of  the  Brethren 
mission  in  Nigeria  has  been  one  of  non- 
involvement  in  the  internal  political  is- 
sues, at  the  same  time  expressing  concern 
for  human  suffering  throughout  all  of 
Nigeria.  Field  Director  Ingold  stated  that 
as  individuals,  the  Brethren  missionaries 
did  not  favor  the  breakup  of  the  federa- 
tion. "Now  that  the  war  is  over,"  he 
said,  "we  see  clearly  that  now  is  the  time 
for  all  of  us  to  support  the  country  and 
the  people  in  whatever  way  we  can,  in 
relief,  rehabilitation,  and  reconciliation. 
I  have  been  especially  impressed  by  the 
repeated  emphasis  of  General  Gowan 
[Nigeria's  head  of  state]  on  the  need  for 
reconciliation." 

In  addition  to  the  Brethren  already 
deployed  to  rehabilitation  programs,  dos- 
siers on  five  persons  now  available  for 
relief  work  have  been  submitted  by  the 
World  Ministries  Commission  to  Ni- 
gerian    agencies.      Additional     workers, 


both  nationals  and  missionaries,  are  be- 
ing considered  for  placement  in  the  crisis 
areas.  As  of  early  last  month,  however, 
few  if  any  visas  had  been  granted  by  Ni- 
gerian   authorities    to    expatriates. 

A  holy  crusade? 

April  22.  Earth  Day.  The  moment 
when  America  begins  to  reclaim  its  en- 
vironment. 

In  a  venture  not  unlike  last  fall's  mor- 
atorium, collegians  and  concerned  citi- 
zens in  communities  across  the  country 
are  encouraged  to  observe  Earth  Day  by 
beginning  to  probe  the  problems  of  pollu- 
tion and  how  to  correct  them.  The  move- 
ment, in  the  words  of  its  planners,  will 
stress  the  need  for  life's  becoming  better 
rather  than  bigger  and  faster,  for  reas- 
sessment of  the  ethic  of  individual  prog- 
ress at  the  expense  of  mankind  in  gen- 
eral, and  for  challenge  to  corporate  and 
government  leaders  who  promise  change 
but  shortchange  the  necessary  remedies. 

The  national  day  of  envirormiental  ed- 
ucation was  proposed  last  fall  by  Sen. 
Gaylord  Nelson,  Democrat  of  Wisconsin, 
and  Rep.  Paul  McCloskey,  Republican  of 
California.  Doubtlessly  many  of  the 
day's  spokesmen  will  reiterate  President 
Nixon's  plea  that  "the  1970s  absolutely 
must  be  the  years  when  America  pays 
its  debt  to  the  past  by  reclaiming  the 
purity  of  its  air,  its  waters,  and  our  living 
environment.  It  is  literally  now  or  nev- 
er." 

Religion's  role:  Where  the  churches 
of  the  nation  fit  into  the  overall  thrust 
for  a  renewed  environment  is  yet  to  be 
seen.  Until  now  leadership  from  the 
churches  has  been  noticeably  lax.  At  a 
recent  meeting  of  church  publishers  a 
group  of  editors  lamented  that  even  £is 
recently  as  two  or  three  years  ago  few 
ministers  or  laymen  could  be  interested 
in  what  was  happening  to  the  quality  of 
existence  in  this  country.  Christian  stew- 
ardship, the  concept  in  which  man  is 
viewed  as  a  partner  or  co-creator  rather 
than  eventual   master  of   the   forces   of 


12     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


nature,  was  rarely  broadened  to  en- 
compass concern  for  the  physical  envi- 
rons. Little  dispute  was  given  to  the  old 
saw  that  an  individual  producer's  de- 
cision to  invest  was  to  maximize  the 
common  good,  no  matter  how  much  he 
subverted  nature  in  the  process. 

But  in  looking  at  what  is  ahead  for 
religion  in  the  new  decade,  one  journal- 
ist, William  Braden  of  Chicago,  an  an- 
alyst of  trends  in  theology  and  culture, 
predicted,  "The  religious  movements  of 
the  1970s  may  well  take  the  form  of  a 
holy  crusade  against  American  technol- 
ogy." Braden  based  his  observation  on 
a  somewhat  widespread  quasimystical  re- 
action to  technological  abuses,  the  talk 
of  return  to  the  sacred,  and  evidences  of 
new  regard  for  nature.  All  of  which,  he 
summed  up,  give  youth  and  theologians 
a  new  word  to  proclaim :  ecology. 

The  outlook,  in  Braden's  view,  led  him 
to  join  with  sociologist-priest  Andrew  M. 
Greely  in  declaring:  "God  didn't  die  in 
the  1960s.  Science  may  have.  But  God 
did  not." 

Political  ties:  One  very  discernible 
point  is  that  at  stake  on  Earth  Day  is 
a  great  deal  more  than  fruited  plains  and 
amber  waves  of  grain  and  even  purple- 
mountained  majesty.  The  issues  over  en- 
vironment are  far  more  than  theological 
or  technological  in  import.  They  are  also 
intensely  political.  News  columnist  Mi- 
chael Harrington  underscored  the  matter 
in  these  terms: 

"This  [the  country's  ecology]  is  not  a 
Community  Chest  problem  where  all  the 
men  of  goodwill  rally  to  lick  the  forces 
of  evil.  It  is  a  profound  political  ques- 
tion, and  it  will  not  be  solved  without 
conflict  and  some  deep  changes  in  Amer- 
ican institutions.  .  .  . 

"  'Everyone'  loves  beauty,  clean  beach- 
es, wholesome  air,  uncontaminated  food, 
swimmable  rivers,  and  all  the  rest.  But 
there  are  also  some  who  have  an  even 
greater  passion  for  the  profits  generated 
by  auto  engines,  by  the  oil  deposits  in 
the  Santa  Barbara  channel,  or  by  ruining 
an  entire  valley  through  strip  mining  in 


Classes  at  Florida's  Presbyterian  Col- 
lege were  canceled  while  900  students 
worked  to  save  the  lives  of  birds  cov- 
ered with  oil.  Hair  dryers  were  used  to 
hasten  drying.  The  birds  were  victims  of 
an  oil  slick  from  a  tanker  run  aground 


Appalachia.  Put  bluntly,  those  corporate 
interests  do  not  want  to  pay  the  social 
cost  of  their  private,  money-making  in- 
vestments and,  above  all,  they  don't  want 
to  be  told  to  stop  what  they  are  do- 
ing. .  .  . 

"I  find  it  significant  that  the  White 
House  seems  to  be  quite  happy  about 
the  notion  of  a  national  student  mora- 
torium on  the  environment.  It  is  as  if 
the  Nixonites  are  saying  to  themselves 
that  it  would  be  marvelous  if  youthful 
idealism  could  be  turned  off  the  war  and 
turned  on  to  something  uncontroversial, 
like  the  rancid  air. 

"And  I  am  sure  that  the  powers  that 
be  will  indeed  try  to  keep  the  debate  over 
the  environment  on  the  level  of  lofty 
generality  while  the  nation  continues  to 
choke  in  its  own  affluence.  But  I  hope 
those  who  are  mounting  this  challenge 
will  understand  from  the  outset  how  rad- 
ical it  is  and  be  prepared  to  stick  to  their 
guns." 

Combat  tactics:  One  new  resource  for 
Earth  Day  meetings,  The  Environmental 
Handbook  (Ballantine  Books,  95  cents), 
begins  with  explanations  by  scientists, 
businessmen,  and  conservationists  as  to 
what  has  gone  wrong  and  why.  It  goes 
on  to  detail  combat  tactics  for  coping 
with  the  problem  through  "grass  roots 
individualism,"  suggesting  such  practices 
as   "carry    a   bag    or   basket   with   you. 


Don't  accept  unnecessary  paper  bags. 
Remove  excess  packaging  at  the  store." 
On  whatever  front  —  individual  or 
corporate,  local  or  national,  youth  or 
adult,  theological  or  political  —  it  ap- 
pears that  Earth  Day  April  22  may  well 
be  only  the  opening  round  in  the  fight 
against  the  sins  of  technology. 

Trends  downward 

Membership  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada in  1962  was  at  its  peak,  202,257. 
Membership  in  the  United  States  as  re- 
ported in  the  1970  Yearbook,  pubhshed 
last  month,  is  185,198. 

The  net  decline  over  the  preceding 
year  was  2,759  members,  or  a  percentage 
loss  of  1.5  percent. 

Nationally  and  interdenominationally, 
the  membership  trend  for  all  churches 
and  synagogues  compiled  in  1959  was  a 
1 .6  percent  gain  over  the  previous  year. 
The  figures,  published  by  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  of  Christ  and  an- 
nounced in  February,  showed  member- 
ship in  the  four  largest  denominations  to 
be  Southern  Baptist  Convention,  11,330,- 
481;  United  Methodist  Church,  10,990,- 
720;  National  Baptist  Convention, 
U.S.A.,  5,500,000;  and  the  Episcopal 
Church,  3,373,890. 

Some  declines  were  recorded  in  these 
churches  as  well.  Southern  Baptists,  for 
instance,  while  reporting  a  net  gain,  had 
nearly  5,000  fewer  baptisms  than  in  the 
previous  year.  The  United  Methodist 
Church  recorded  201,000  fewer  mem- 
bers. The  Episcopal  Church  registered 
a  membership  decline  of  1 .46  percent. 

Among  the  few  bodies  registering  phe- 
nomenal growth  is  the  Mormon  Church, 
whose  membership  has  doubled  since 
1951. 

Lardin  Gabas,  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  Nigeria,  through  much  of 
the  60s  recorded  annual  gains  of  from 
1,500  to  3,000  members.  In  a  reversal 
of  trend,  Lardin  Gabas  last  year  revealed 
a  net  loss  of  701  members. 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     13 


iq^news 


PERSPECTIVES 


How  DOES  A  SAMPLING  of  Brethren  con- 
ceive of  the  role  of  their  denomination  in 
the  70s?  This  is  a  question  which  was 
opened  up  in  the  Messenger  of  March 
26  and  is  continued  with  the  viewpoints 
which  follow. 

Published  in  the  initial  treatment  were 
eight  statements  on  the  themes  of  achiev- 
ing personal  meaning  and  significance 
and  of  shaping  the  emerging  church  and 
its  response  to  mission.    In  the  final  in- 


stallment here,  seven  more  contributors 
speak  to  the  themes  of  working  for  jus- 
tice and  reconciliation  and  of  defining 
the  place  of  religion  in  a  secular,  plural- 
istic society. 

In  General  Board  program  planning, 
no  official  sanction  has  been  given  to  the 
set  of  themes  per  se  outlined  in  this 
series.  The  four  themes  have  been  cen- 
tral, however,  in  the  study  of  Mission  in 
the  70s,   in  area  sounding  conferences. 


and  in  examination  of  Brotherhood  prior- 
ities. 

The  reader  on  his  own  may  want  to  re- 
flect what  the  statements,  when  taken  in 
totality,  have  to  say  about  current 
Brethren  thought.  Further,  the  reader  is 
invited  to  share  with  Messenger  his  own 
appraisal  of  the  statements.  Or  he  may 
wish  to  express  in  writing  his  own  per- 
spective on  directions  for  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  the  new  decade. 


3.  Working  for  justice  and  reconciliation 


Bearing  down  hard 

by  JOSEPH  W.  KENNEDY 
Attorney,  Wichita,  Kan. 


The  winds  of  social  change,  which 
started  blowing  in  the  60s,  may  well  be- 
come a  gale  in  the  70s.  Increasingly, 
people  are  becoming  more  sensitive  to 
injustice  and  less  reluctant  to  challenge 
the  status  quo.  However,  if  the  society 
is  to  survive,  the  confrontations  of  the 
60s  must  give  way  to  the  reconciliation 
of  the  70s. 

The  church  has  a  dual  role  in  the  area 
of  social  change.  First,  the  church  must 
never  be  afraid  to  point  out  injustices 
which  do  exist  and  challenge  Christians 
to  make  the  necessary  changes,  however 
painful  they  may  be.  There  will  be  many 
areas  of  social  injustice  to  deal  with  in 
the  70s,  some  as  new  as  the  war  on  pol- 
lution and  others  as  old  as  the  American 
Indian.    The  church  must  remain  sensi- 


tive to  discover  injustice  where  it  exists 
and  to  make  a  prophetic  witness  which 
may  lead  to  confrontation. 

The  other  role  of  the  church  is  as  a 
conciliatory  body,  bringing  groups  with 
divergent  views  together.  If  the  church 
practices  what  it  preaches  concerning  the 
philosophy  of  loving  our  enemies,  then 
it  can  perform  a  very  valuable  function 
in  attempting  reconciliation  between  war- 
ring groups.  The  church,  more  than  any 
other  institution,  is  ideally  suited  to 
espousing  the  cause  of  reconciliation,  and 
to  making  people  realize  that  they  must 
accept  others  as  persons  and  children 
of  God  even  though  they  disagree  with 
their  social  or  political  viewpoints. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  the  70s 
will  have  an  opportunity  to  operate  in 
both  capacities  as  a  witness  to  social 
injustice  and  as  an  agency  of  reconcilia- 
tion. Since  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
is  small  and  its  resources  are  limited,  it 
can  be  most  effective,  in  my  opinion,  in 


the  initiation  of  social  change  by  limiting 
its  activities  to  one  or  two  specific  areas 
where  injustice  is  particularly  rampant. 
A  small  group  such  as  ours  quickly  di- 
lutes its  effectiveness  if  it  attempts  to 
tackle  every  possible  social  issue  and  so- 
cial injustice  which  crops  up.  By  bearing 
down  hard  in  one  or  two  areas,  however, 
the  church  can  make  an  effective  witness. 

The  church  can  be  even  more  effective 
in  the  70s  in  the  area  of  reconciliation. 
The  Church  of  the  Brethren,  one  of  the 
historic  peace  churches,  should  have  a 
special  role  to  play  in  the  art  of  reconcili- 
ation. Perhaps  the  church  could  estab- 
lish reconciliation  task  forces  which 
could  be  sent  into  areas  of  human  con- 
flict and  disaster  much  as  the  Mennonite 
teams  are  sent  into  areas  of  natural 
disaster. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  must  not 
be  afraid  of  change,  because  change  is 
itself  a  natural  function  in  the  order  of 
things.    The  church  must  accept  change 


14     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


DN  THE  70s 

PART  TWO 


as  a  challenge  and  seek  to  find  and  pro- 
mote those  changes  that  are  necessary 
and  good  while  at  the  same  time  effecting 
those  changes  in  the  spirit  of  Christian 
love;  for  our  religion  and  our  nation 
are  based  on  an  unchanging  principle, 
that  we  are  all  children  of  God  and  all 
men  are  created  equal  in  his  sight. 


Reconciliation  first 

by  BERT  G.  RICHARDSON 

Pastor,  Jonesboro,  Tenn. 

The  story  of  the  prodigal  son  is  well- 
known  to  all  of  us.  However,  it  appears 
to  me  that  the  interpretations  we  have 
heard  do  not  bring  out  the  real  meaning 
of  the  story.  For  years  we  have  been 
talking  about  reconciliation;  here  is  one 
of  the  best  examples  I  know  to  illustrate 
the  role  of  the  church  in  reconciliation. 
The  old  father  goes  out  the  front  door 
and  the  younger  son  is  reconciled.  Then 
the  father  goes  out  the  back  door  in 
an  attempt  to  reconcile  the  older  brother. 
He  does  everything  possible  to  bring  the 
two  together  in  a  harmonious  relation- 
ship. 

One  significant  role  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  should  play  in  the  70s  is  to 
be  a  reconciler.  The  church  must  do 
what  it  can  to  bring  together  two  parties 
where  relationships  are  strained.  When 
reconciliation  is  achieved,  the  biggest 
barrier  to  social  justice  has  been  re- 
moved. In  the  past,  I  fear,  we  have  been 
either  too  much  for  or  too  much  against 
an  issue.  We  have  been  either  doves  or 
hawks;  for  civil  disobedience  or  against 
it.  There  has  not  been  a  strong  "middle- 


of-the-road"    approach    and    the    breach 
between  groups  has  grown  larger. 

If  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  to 
be  involved  in  reconciliation  during  the 
70s,  it  must  come  to  a  real  understanding 
of  what  reconciliation  is.  For  example, 
we  may  have  gone  overboard  for  such 
programs  as  the  Fund  for  the  Americas 
in  the  U.S.  and  the  antiwar  movement. 
As  I  see  it,  the  weakness  of  the  Fund 
for  the  Americas  is  not  that  it  goes  too 
far  but  that  it  does  not  go  far  enough. 
Perhaps  we  often  think  that  all  the  black 
man  needs  is  money;  we  forget  he  also 
needs  God.  He  needs  to  be  reconciled 
to  God  and  to  his  white  brother  through 
Jesus  Christ.  His  white  brother  also 
needs  reconciliation  with  God  and  his 
black  brother.  Of  course,  the  giving  of 
money  is  the  easiest  way  out,  and  this 
seems  to  be  what  we  are  doing  rather 
than  facing  our  full  responsibilities.  We 
need  to  come  to  the  realization  that  even 
if  we  feed  all  the  hungry  in  the  world, 
clothe  them,  educate  them,  provide  them 
with  a  minimum  wage,  and  still  do  not 
reconcile  them  to  God  and  to  their  fel- 
lowmen,  we  have  failed  miserably.  The 
methods  we  use  many  times  seem  to  try 
to  purify  water  in  the  well  by  painting 
the  pump  handle. 


The  Church 
of  the  Brethren 
must  come  to 
a  real  under- 
standing of 
what  reconcilia- 
tion is  .  .  . 


In  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  one 
good  example  of  reconciliation  happened 
at  the  1957  Annual  Conference  at  Rich- 
mond, Va.  The  Conference  was  sharply 
divided  over  a  church  extension  report. 
Much  time  was  spent  on  the  floor  in 
open  debate.  To  the  platform  strolled 
one  of  the  Brethren  giants  of  reconcilia- 
tion. He  pointed  out  that  the  report,  as 
all  reports  do,  had  many  advantages  as 
well  as  some  disadvantages  and  that  per- 
haps we  needed  more  time  to  study  the 
issue  and  to  hear  other  viewpoints.  He 
moved  that  the  report  be  deferred  until 
the  1958  Annual  Conference  at  Des 
Moines,  Iowa.  His  motion  was  carried 
by  a  very  large  majority.  At  the  1958 
Annual  Conference,  the  report  on  church 
extension  passed  with  very  little  opposi- 
tion. However,  had  the  report  been 
passed  at  Richmond,  it  is  very  possible 
that  this  would  have  caused  a  serious  di- 
vision in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

It  is  this  spirit  of  reconciliation  that 
we  need  in  our  approach  to  the  world 
of  today.  Our  programs  basically  are 
good.  Justice  needs  to  come  into  many 
areas  of  our  national  and  international 
life.  More  important  than  justice  is  the 
reconciliation  of  man  to  God  and  to  his 
brother. 


Reorder  all  priorities 

by  WARREN  E.  MILLER 
Director,  Pilot  House,  Baltimore,  Md. 

"If  we  have  a  race  problem  in  this 
country,  how  can  you  say  that  it's  the 
fault  of  white  people?  We're  getting  on 
okay.   Why  don't  you  just  recognize  that 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     IS 


PERSPECTIVES 
ON  THE  70s 


the  problem  is  with  the  'culled'  people?" 
The  speaker  is  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  This  person's  statement 
points  in  a  rather  disturbing  way  to  what 
seems  to  me  to  be  a  crucial  issue  for  the 
church  in  the  next  decade:  Will  the 
church  be  able  to  approach  its  mission 
for  justice  and  reconciliation  with  the 
clarity  and  singlemindedness  that  will 
make  it  effective  in  combating  the  de- 
humanizing aspects  of  life  for  large  num- 
bers of  the  world's  people? 

One  of  the  basic  issues  in  our  country 
and  in  the  world  is  the  challenge  to  hu- 
man health  and  dignity  created  by  the 
exploitation  of  peoples  in  all  parts  of  the 
world.  The  tendency  has  often  been  for 
us  to  blame  the  victims  of  exploitation 
for  their  plight:  "If  colored  people  want 
the  same  opportunities  the  rest  of  us  have, 
then  they  will  have  to  work  for  them, 
just  like  we  did."  What  we  don't  see  is 
that  no  amount  of  effort  is  going  to  pro- 
duce opportunities  for  people  to  whom 
opportunity  is  denied  because  they  were 
born  into  the  wrong  family  or  country 
or  race.  The  solutions  to  these  problems 
are  to  be  found  only  through  the  estab- 
lishment of  justice. 

There  is  a  great  demand  these  days  in 
our  land  for  law  and  order.  Not  very 
many  people  seem  to  be  as  concerned 
about  justice  as  they  are  about  law  and 
order.  The  irony  of  that  attitude  is  that, 
at  least  from  the  perspective  of  Black 
America  and  other  exploited  peoples, 
there  will  never  be  law  and  order  until 
justice  is  achieved,  when  laws  are  cre- 
ated and  enforced  impartially  and  fairly. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has  long 
voiced  concern  about  the  problems  of 
racism   and   war  and   has   acted   out   its 


We  have  con- 
tinued blandly 
giving  tip  serv- 
ice to  the  need 
for  justice 
and  recon- 
ciliation .  .  . 


concern:  Through  the  Brethren  Service 
programs,  the  services  to  refugees,  the 
exchange  programs,  the  Heifer  Project, 
and  in  a  thousand  other  ways  we  have 
responded  to  human  need  and  suffering. 
But  why  should  the  church  be  concerned 
primarily  with  the  victims  of  racism  and 
war?  The  mission  of  the  church  now 
should  be  focused  on  the  need  for  justice 
and  the  hope  that  there  need  not  be 
as  many  victims  if  the  dehumanizing 
forces  of  exploitation,  racism,  and  war 
can  be  attacked. 

The  Annual  Conference  has  spoken 
eloquently  against  racism  and  war,  as 
it  did  in  1963,  when  Conference  declared 
unequivocally  that  "The  Time  Is  Now 
to  Heal  our  Racial  Brokenness."  But  for 
the  most  part  we  have  continued  blandly 
giving  lip  service  to  the  need  for  justice 
and  reconciliation,  while  spending  mil- 
lions of  dollars  for  real  estate  and  build- 
ings and  making  great  investments  of 
human  resources  in  institutional  mainte- 
nance activities. 

And  our  church  at  all  levels  continues 
to  reinforce  the  racism  of  institutions, 
through  investments  in  racist  corpora- 
tions, through  employing  contractors 
who  have  discriminatory  hiring  practices, 
through  buying  from  firms  who  practice 
racial  discrimination  in  one  way  or  an- 
other. 

The  action  of  the  1969  Annual  Con- 
ference in  adopting  the  Fund  for  the 
Americas  in  the  U.S.  program  was  help- 
ful in  calling  for  a  major  commitment 
of  resources,  both  human  and  financial, 
to  deal  with  the  racial  crisis  in  America. 
But  it  did  not  go  far  enough:  As  long 
as  the  effort  to  bring  the  Christian  wit- 
ness into  action  to  solve  the  race  prob- 
lem is  perceived  as  an  "extra"  fund  or 
program  to  be  added  on  to  the  rest  of 
the  church's  activities,  the  church's  hy- 
pocrisy will  remain,  and  the  problem  will 
be  substantially  unaffected.  That  is  why 
the  church's  mission  for  justice  and  rec- 
onciliation in  the  1970s  requires  a  reor- 
dering of  all  priorities  to  close  the  gap 
between  our  official  pronouncements  and 
our  investments  of  resources,  both  finan- 
cial and  human. 


Brethren  service  for  the  70s 

by  ROY  A.  JOHNSON 

Pastor,  Westminster,  Md. 

The  postwar  response  of  Brethren  to 
the  desperate  needs  of  war-torn  Europe 
captured  the  imagination  of  the  church, 
especially  of  her  youth.  An  untold 
amount  of  time,  money,  and  commit- 
ment was  given  to  a  program  which  was 
timely  and  effective. 

But  what  of  today?  What  timely  and 
practical  program  can  answer  the  needs 
of  the  70s?  I  would  propose  that  there 
is  one  specific  need  which  we  Brethren 
ought  to  take  seriously,  and  that  the  ful- 
fillment of  this  need,  like  the  Brethren 
Service  program,  will  have  values  in 
terms  of  reconciliation  and  brotherhood. 

This  need  is  for  low-cost,  decent,  safe 
housing.  In  our  community,  a  widow 
earning  $45  per  week  is  being  forced  out 
of  her  house.  She  will  probably  have 
to  pay  $90,  or  half  her  income,  to  rent 
a  small  apartment.  Another  woman 
without  a  husband  but  with  a  10-year-old 
child,  receives  $160  per.  month  from 
welfare  and  pays  $86  for  rent.  A  third 
woman  lives  in  a  100-year-old  house  and 
receives  Social  Security  checks  of  $84 
per  month.  Though  she  owns  her  home, 
she  cannot  afford  to  maintain  it.  Recent- 
ly two  men  were  burned  to  death  in  a 
shack  that  obviously  was  not  safe  enough 
to  live  in.  These  cases  are  only  a  few 
of  what  could  be  mentioned.  In  our 
county  over  fifteen  percent  of  the  homes 
are  without  indoor  plumbing.  Housing  is 
being  built,  but  not  for  those  with  low 
incomes.  They  must  live  in  the  aging, 
deteriorating  houses  that  are  left  behind. 


16     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


The  need  for  low-cost  housing  is  well 
documented.  The  federal  government  es- 
timates that  26,000,000  new  homes  must 
be  built  over  the  next  ten  years.  Six  mil- 
lion of  these  must  be  for  low-income 
people. 

Under  George  Romney,  the  govern- 
ment is  developing  a  program  called  Op- 
eration Breakthrough  to  solve  the  low- 
cost  housing  program.  But  past  experi- 
ence has  indicated  the  results  may  be 
slow  in  coming;  and  if  they  come,  they 
will  tend  to  be  vast,  impersonal  programs 
which  minimize  the  humanity  of  those 
who  are  being  housed. 

Just  as  the  Brethren  Service  program 
existed  at  the  same  time  the  Marshall 
Plan  was  in  effect,  a  human.  Christian 
program  of  assistance  and  self-help  is 
needed  in  the  field  of  housing.  I  believe 
I    there  is  a  need  for  a  task  force  on  low- 


cost  housing  to  be  formed  on  the  nation- 
al level  to  carry  out  these  functions. 

1.  To  assist  local  churches  and  com- 
munity groups  to  organize  and  develop 
nonprofit  corporations  for  the  purpose 
of  rehabilitating  existing  housing  and 
building  new  low-cost  housing.  Many  of 
these  groups  are  being  formed  but  they 
need  information  and  assistance. 

2.  To  provide  information  regarding 
the  many  new  techniques  and  materials 
which  are  being  developed  to  make  pos- 
sible cheaper,  quality  housing  in  the  fu- 
ture. 

3.  To  develop  a  traveling  housing  pro- 
duction team  which  will  go  to  a  commu- 
nity and  set  up  a  production  line  to  pro- 
duce low-cost  housing  with  the  help  of 
volunteers  and  the  future  occupants.  The 
purpose  here  is  to  reduce  labor  costs  and 
enable     people     to    accumulate    "sweat 


equity"  as  a  down  payment  on  their  own 
home. 

4.  To  provide  funds  to  assist  housing 
groups  from  the  Fund  for  the  Americas 
in  the  U.S.  and  other  sources.  Perhaps 
to  help  local  groups  find  investors  who 
will  require  less  than  the  present  high 
interest  rate  on  their  investment. 

5.  To  do  practical  experimentation  in 
combining  and  applying  new  building 
materials  and  techniques. 

6.  To  bring  pressure  to  bear  on  gov- 
ernments at  all  levels  to  reduce  building 
and  other  code  restrictions  which  pres- 
ently raise  the  cost  of  housing  by  as 
much  as  forty  percent. 

The  benefits  of  the  program  briefly 
outlined  above  would  be  better,  safer 
housing,  plus  more  local  involvement  of 
people  in  doing  something  about  the 
problem. 


4.Defining  the  place  of  religion  in  a  secular,  pluralistic  society 


Restoration  ahead? 

by  R.  RUSSELL  BIXLER 
Pastor,   Pittsburgh,   Pa. 

In  our  yard  is  a  large  dead  tree.  It's 
been  dead  for  several  years.  But  because 
of  the  children's  tree  house,  it  has  been 
allowed  to  stand. 

Religion  too  is  dead.  Still  on  its  feet 
perhaps,  but  subject  to  every  wind  of 
doctrine.  Religion  was  killed  2,000  years 
ago,  nailed  to  a  cross.  In  its  place  lives 
the  risen  Lord  Jesus  Christ  —  and  all 
who  live  in  him. 

Those  occupied  with  patching  up 
graveyard  monuments  are  known  as  con- 
servatives. Liberals  are  constantly  sharp- 
ening their  hatchets.  There  is  a  third 
course  open  to  the  church,  a  course  nei- 
ther conservative  nor  liberal.  It  is  radi- 
cal —  radical  New  Testament  Christiani- 
ty. Christianity  dictated  neither  by  dead 
tradition  nor  by  dying  man,  but  by  the 
living  word  of  God. 


Naturally  there  is  conflict  within  the 
churches.  Secular  seminaries  teach  an- 
thropology (the  study  of  man)  rather 
than  theology  (the  study  of  God).  The 
secular  pastor  then  collides  with  The 
Congregation,  a  group  of  natives  dedi- 
cated to  the  preservation  of  a  dying  in- 
stitution. The  pastor's  anthropolatry 
(the  worship  of  man)  is  not  a  viable  sub- 
stitute for  their  institutionalism.  Both 
are  merely  forms  of  dead  religion. 

The  New  Testament  church  is  radical. 
Even  a  casual  reading  reveals  that.  The 
reader's  own  congregation  is  a  far  cry 


The  New  Testa- 
ment Church  of 
the  1970s  may 
find  itself 
forced  partially 
under- 
ground .  .  . 


from  the  early  congregations  of  Jerusa- 
lem, Philippi,  and  Rome.  Yet  Jesus  de- 
mands New  Testament  churches.  A  re- 
markable fact  is  that  this  is  a  very  real 
possibility  —  even  today. 

The  church  picture  of  the  1970s  de- 
pends upon  which  church  we  examine. 
The  church  which  is  acceptable  to  the 
secular,  pluralistic  world  will  be  com- 
posed of  varieties  of  dead  religion.  It 
will  accommodate  itself,  as  it  has  his- 
torically, to  popular  pressures.  Thus, 
secular  religion  will  offer  programs  to 
nurture  people's  alleged  physical  and 
emotional  needs  while  ignoring  far  more 
essential  spiritual  needs.  If  the  spiritual 
does  appear  in  the  dead  church  of  the 
1970s,  it  will  probably  be  occult  prac- 
tices such  as  spiritualism,  reincarnation, 
and  metaphysics,  all  of  which  are  de- 
monic. 

The  New  Testament  Church  of  the 
1970s  may  find  itself  forced  partially  un- 
derground by  an  unholy  combination  of 
confiscatory   taxation  and   governmental 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     17 


PERSPECTIVES 
ON  THE  70s 


limitations,  hierarchical  oppression  with- 
in denominations,  and  public  disapproval 
of  things  that  sinful  human  nature  does 
not  understand.  In  short,  it  will  likely 
bear  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  church 
of  the  Book  of  Acts. 

This  picture  seems  so  utterly  foreign 
to  most  contemporary  churchmen  that  it 
will  largely  be  ignored  as  unworthy  of 
serious  discussion.  Indeed,  radical  Chris- 
tianity appears  to  the  modem  mind  as 
fantasy,  a  product  of  irrelevant  dreamers 
who  don't  know  what's  going  on  in  the 
world. 

On  the  contrary,  the  New  Testament 
church  does  know  what's  going  on  in 
the  world.  Further,  it  knows  an  offensive 
truth  which  the  secular  mind  cannot  per- 
ceive —  that  no  human-framed  tools  or 
schemes  can  significantly  improve  this 
world's  mess.  Secular  religion  finds  its 
theology  on  the  front  page  of  the  news- 
paper and  discovers  that  its  course  of 
action  has  already  been  decided  by  the 
groups  making  the  most  noise. 

"Man  does  not  live  by  bread  alone, 
but  ...  by  everything  that  proceeds  out 
of  the  mouth  of  the  Lord."  The  church 
that  serves  Jesus  Christ  insists  upon  per- 
sonal repentance  from  sin.  The  im- 
mensely popular  idea  of  collective  re- 
pentance from  somebody  else's  social 
sins  is  a  deceptive  fiction.  Individual 
acceptance  of  Christ  as  "boss"  is  basic 
to  Christianity. 

Which  way  the  1970s?  Perhaps  both 
directions.  We  may  see  a  church  within 
the  church:  New  Testament  Christianity 
springing  up  here  and  there  from  the 
lifeless  forms  of  religion's  playhouses. 
How  like  the  synagogues  of  Paul's  day! 

Restoration  in  this  decade?  Could  be. 


New  style,  new  views 

by  HERBERT  HOGAN 

Vice-president  and  dean.  La  Verne  College, 
La  Verne,  Calif. 

On  December  29,  1969,  Newsweek  re- 
ported on  the  college  and  university 
scene  under  the  caption  "The  New  Mood 


on  Campus."  The  article  suggested  a 
calmer  atmosphere  prevails  as  compared 
to  the  past  four  years.  But  if  the  church 
is  to  serve  and  be  served  by  the  college 
student,  information  such  as  contained 
in  Newsweek  must  be  taken  seriously. 

Of  nine  American  institutions  to  which 
students  were  asked  to  respond,  only 
American  political  parties  ranked  lower 
than  organized  religion.  Above  organ- 
ized religion  were  high  schools,  police, 
courts,  Congress,  business,  family,  and 
the  university.  Only  seven  percent  of 
the  students  rated  organized  religion  in 
the  "excellent"  category  and  twenty-six 
percent  rated  it  "good."  Thus,  only  one 
third  (thirty-three  percent)  looked  "with 
favor"  on  organized  religion. 

Such  statistics  cannot  be  casually  dis- 
missed as  representative  of  only  the  large 
universities.  In  a  seminar  of  mine  at 
La  Verne  College  in  which  Harvey  Cox's 
The  Secular  City  was  read  and  discussed, 
approximately  twenty-four  of  the  twen- 
ty-eight students  voiced  considerable  dis- 
satisfaction with  the  church.  "I  am  still 
a  Christian,"  was  a  typical  comment, 
"but  I  find  nothing  of  value  for  me  in 
the  church." 

Neither  can  it  be  claimed  that  this 
is  the  reaction  of  immature  college  stu- 
dents since  nearly  half  the  class  were 
graduate  students  ranging  from  twenty- 
three  to  thirty-seven  years  of  age. 

It  would  seem  evident  that  the 
church's  posture  must  be  changed  if  it 
is  to  encompass  college-age  youth  and 
young  adults. 

1.  The  church  and  its  members  must 
be  more  accepting  and  understanding  of 
change.  The  world  in  which  we  live  is 
not   the   world   into   which   most   of  us 


were  bom,  or  even  the  one  in  which  we 
were  educated;  the  world  of  tomorrow 
will  be  even  more  radically  altered. 

2.  The  church  and  its  members  must 
be  more  keenly  aware  of  the  need  for 
action  on  crucial  problems  facing  soci- 
ety: poverty,  racism,  war,  the  population 
explosion,    pollution,    drugs,    antiquated 
educational    institutions,    and    outmoded 
Puritanism   in   sex.    The   discussions   on    ; 
racism   in   the   church,   to  use   but   one    [ 
illustration,  are  too  often  replays  of  what    j 
I    heard    in    1940  —  thirty    years    ago. 

3.  Continued  experimentation  is  need- 
ed in  forms  of  worship  with  emphasis 
on  adaptation  to  the  youth  culture.  If 
even  the  hippies  find  meaning  in  the 
mysterious,  the  spiritual,  and  the  reli- 
gious, adaptation  is  not  only  possible  but 
would  be  enriching. 

4.  A  way  must  be  found  to  expand 
drastically  our  efforts  at  meaningful  en- 
counter with  those  within  and  those  out- 
side the  church,  whether  we  refer  to  the 
process  as  Mission  One,  Mission  Twelve, 
T-groups,  encounter  groups,  or  sensitiv- 
ity groups.  I  have  found  more  love  in 
sensitivity  groups  (under  able  leadership) 
than  in  forty  years  of  attendance  at 
church  school,  church  services,  youth 
meetings,  and  conferences. 

5.  The  church  and  its  members  must 
be  acutely  aware  that  we  live  in  the  sec- 
ular city.  The  twentieth-century  world 
is  no  longer  the  world  of  nineteenth- 
century  agrarian  communities.  It  does 
take  a  new  style,  a  new  attitude,  a  new 
viewpoint  to  deal  effectively  with  the  new 
world. 

Some  may  suggest  that  the  choice  be- 
fore us  is  between  the  old  church  and 
the  new,  yet-to-be-created  church.  It 
may  be,  however,  that  the  choice  is  be- 
tween the  new  and  no  church  at  all. 
This  is  not  to  disparage  past  contribu- 
tions of  the  church,  or  even  the  manner 
in  which  it  is  meeting  the  needs  of  a 
segment  of  the  population.  But  the  num- 
ber of  youth  who  are  finding  satisfaction 
in  the  church  is  rapidly  declining,  and 
all  too  frequently  it  is  the  more  able 
and  idealistic  youth  who  are  the  least 
satisfied  with  organized  religion. 


18     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


Is  prayer  for  real? 

by  WARREN  F.  GROFF 

Dean,  Bethany  Theological  Seminary, 

Oak  Brook,  III. 

In  these  changing  times  our  Christian 
beliefs  are  put  to  the  test  in  new  ways. 
Some  of  the  current  difficulties  in  ex- 
periencing the  meaningfulness  of  prayer 
follow  from  a  long-standing  tendency  to 
think  of  God  as  a  being  "out  there"  or 
"up  there"  somewhere  beyond  the  blue. 
We  have  been  taught  to  speculate  about 
what  he  is  like :  Does  he  know  everything 
before  it  happens?  Can  he  be  at  all 
places  at  once?  Can  he  do  anything  he 
jolly  well  pleases?  If  so,  why  isn't  the 
world  a  better  place?  Why  do  we  have 
such  a  rough  time  following  our  own 
better  instincts?  Once  we  start  down  this 
road,  God  becomes  a  question  to  be  an- 
swered, a  problem  to  be  solved. 

Let's  come  at  it  another  way!  When 
we  speak  of  God,  we  are  not  talking 
about  a  being  who  is  far  off  somewhere. 
He  is  as  close  as  our  own  memories, 
our  own  relationships  with  others,  our 
own  projects,  our  own  hopes  and  dreams. 
It  is  not  so  much  that  he  poses  a  problem 
about  heavenly  things..  Rather  we  speak 
of  God  as  a  way  of  asking  a  question 
which  must  always  remain  open,  about 
what    it    means    to    be    a    man. 

Dostoevsky  once  said  that  if  God  goes, 
man  goes.  He  is  right.  To  acknowledge 
God  —  among  other  things  —  is  to  rec- 
ognize that  there  are  currents  which  flow 
in  the  depth  of  life  which  scarcely  even 
ripple  the  surface.  To  ask  the  question 
of  God  is  to  ask  the  question  of  man: 
Who  is  this  strange  "happening"  on  this 
planet  —  frail  and  strong,  devious  and 
noble,  crying  and  laughing,  loving  and 
hating,  sharing  and  hiding,  always  pur- 
suing dreams  that  exceed  his  grasp, 
sometimes  liking  himself  less  than  he 
ought,  often  preoccupied  too  much  with 
himself?  To  believe  in  God  is  to  affirm 
that  man  has  a  nobler  purpose  for  being 
than  bone-grinding  poverty;  that  man 
was  not  meant  to  grovel  in  bombed-out 
cities   and   defoUated  countrysides;   that 


man  was  not  created  for  meaningless, 
routine  jobs  required  to  produce  more 
and  more  things  for  a  runaway  economy; 
that  man  is  not  intended  to  endure  lonely 
and  isolated  lives  that  follow  from  being 
forced  to  match  the  dehumanizing  labels 
which  box  in  the  creative  spirit. 

And  so  worship  continues  to  have  a 
place.  To  worship  is  to  receive  the  gift 
of  openness  to  those  signals  from  the 
depth,  those  gentle  —  sometimes  not  so 
gentle  —  nudges  which  keep  us  from 
capitulating  to  our  cynicism,  our  myopia, 
our  blinders.  A  whisper  comes  from  out- 
side of  us  that  we  really  are  worth  more 
than  we  think.  There  is  a  grandeur  in 
the  midst  of  all  the  sordidness  of  life. 
There  is  tenderness  in  the  center  of  our 
manipulativeness.  There  is  caring  along 
with  our  callousness.  Deceit  has  not  to- 
tally overcome  integrity.  Sometimes  trust 
breaks  through  the  barriers  of  distrust. 
In  worship  we  recapture  a  vision  of  that 
awesome  mixture  of  life  — of  both  the 
misery  and  grandeur  of  man.  We  scarce- 
ly know  how  —  but  in  our  isolation  we 
sense  that  we  are  not  really  alone.  It  is 
as  though  another  stands  in  our  midst, 
and  because  he  is  there  we  occasionally 
are  free  to  reach  out  toward  each  other, 
to  remove  our  masks,  to  forge  ahead 
even  when  the  path  is  unclear,  to  accept 
even  those  things  about  ourselves  we 
deem  most  unacceptable. 

Worship  is  openness  to  the  unexpected 
gifts  and  surprises  of  life.  That  is  the 
reason  celebration  and  joy  often  come 
to  the  fore.  But  the  joy  which  worship 
brings  is  not  escapist.  It  stands  before 
the  folly  and  the  foibles  of  man,  and 
the  tears  mingle  with  the  laughter. 

Then  where   does  prayer  fit  in?    To 


To  believe  in 
God  is  to  affirm 
that  man  is  not 
intended  to  en- 
dure lonely  and 
isolated  lives  . . . 


believe  in  God  is  one  of  the  most  deeply 
human  acts  we  can  imagine.  It  is  pro- 
foundly a  personal  deed.  It  is  to  recog- 
nize something  inexhaustible  about  the 
fife  each  of  us  has  been  given.  Hence, 
there  also  is  fittingness  to  prayer.  Is 
prayer  for  real?  We  can  answer  with 
an  unequivocal  "yes."  Like  belief  in  God 
prayer  is  a  deeply  personal  expression. 
It  is  as  human  as  crying  and  laughing, 
asking  and  hoping,  cajohng  and  pouting, 
being  sad  and  being  glad.  Prayer  is  a 
central  form  for  that  openness  which  is 
so  crucial  in  worship.  We  respond  to 
those  signals  from  the  depth  of  life  — 
sometimes  in  gratitude  for  what  we  have 
received  (praise),  sometimes  in  mute 
awkwardness  as  we  find  ourselves  nearly 
crushed  by  burdens  too  heavy  to  carry 
(petition),  sometimes  in  penitence  for 
guilt  we  cannot  shrug  off  (confession), 
sometimes  out  of  concern  for  others 
around  us  (intercession).  We  speak  and 
act  out  our  feelings,  our  desires,  our  con- 
cerns, without  knowing  the  outcome. 
Certainly  we  are  not  pushing  buttons  that 
somehow  coerce  things  according  to  our 
own  whims  and  private  preferences.  We 
face  the  securities  and  the  insecurities  of 
life,  trusting  that  we  are  sustained  in 
ways  we  do  not  even  know. 

We  are  free,  then,  to  address  God  with 
confidence  that  we  are  addressing  more 
than  a  Void  or  our  own  projected  im- 
ages. Jesus  called  God  "Father"  and 
lived  in  a  way  that  united  the  things  of 
heaven  and  the  things  of  earth.  And 
now,  since  God  is  so  profoundly  "in" 
and  "down-here,"  we  are  even  free  to 
think  of  him  as  "out"  and  "up-there." 
We  need  not  feel  constrained  to  answer 
all  the  speculative  questions  about  what 
kind  of  being  he  is,  or  whether  prayer 
literally  changes  things.  It  is  enough  for 
us  to  believe  and  to  pray  as  a  response. 

Man  is  not  simply  a  "decider"  and  a 
"dreamer."  He  is  also  an  "answerer." 
He  answers  those  creative  impulses  that 
spring  from  the  depth  and  that  became 
incarnate  in  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  That  is 
what  supports  our  belief  in  God.  It  is 
also  what  nurtures  the  life  of  prayer  and 
worship,  even  in  a  secular  age. 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     19 


d-news 


Normal  volunteers  in  a  research  hospital 


by  RICHARD  STUTZMAN 

"To  REBUILD  A  HOUSE  you  must  under- 
stand its  original  framework;  otherwise 
the  foundations  may  not  support  the  new 
structure.  ...  In  a  somewhat  similar 
way,  the  research  scientist  needs  to  un- 
derstand the  health  of  the  healthy  to  aid 
him  in  doing  something  positive  about 
the  disease  of  the  sick.  This  is  what 
establishes  the  need  for  normal  volun- 
teers. ..." 

This  excerpt  from  a  recent  publication 
about  the  Normal  Volunteer  program 
clearly  depicts  the  reason  why  the  pro- 
gram was  initiated  in  1953  as  a  regular 
activity  of  the  clinical  center,  the  re- 
search hospital  serving  the  National  In- 


stitutes of  Health  in  Bethesda,  Md.  It 
is  a  program  in  which  hundreds  of  nor- 
mal, healthy  young  people  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  Mennonite,  and  other 
religious  and  educational  backgrounds 
have  served  as  normal  control  patients. 
With  its  origin  going  back  to  1798 
when  President  John  Adams  signed  the 
Marine  Hospital  Service  Act,  the  Nation- 
al Institutes  of  Health  (NIH),  a  division 
of  the  Public  Health  Service  in  the  U.S. 
Department  of  Health,  Education,  and 
Welfare,  has  grown  to  encompass  all 
major  fields  of  medical  research.  With 
the  opening  of  the  first  research  labora- 
tory of  the  Public  Health  Service  in 
1887,  the  foundation  was  laid  for  the 
more     than     14,000     research    projects 


which  are  now  being  carried  out  by  NIH 
researches. 

Each  year  several  hundred  "normals" 
are  admitted  to  the  NIH  volunteer  pro- 
gram by  such  sponsoring  agencies  as 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service,  the  Mennon- 
ite Central  Committee,  and  numerous 
liberal  arts  colleges  and  universities,  in- 
cluding the  six  Brethren  colleges.  A  city- 
county  clinic  in  Johnstown,  Pa.,  also 
sponsors  volunteers. 

Upon  admission  to  the  clinical  center, 
located  on  the  300-acre  NIH  campus, 
the  volunteers,  according  to  Delbert  Nye, 
chief  of  the  normal  volunteer  patient 
program,  are  assigned  to  a  specific  insti- 
tute and  nursing  unit  of  the  hospital  and 
to  a  specific  doctor  in  that  institute.    Six 


Wires  will  monitor  changes  in  volunteer  Deborah  Simmons'  sleep  Richard  Stutzman  reshelves  books  at  the  NIH  technical  library 


people  from  the  July  1969  BVS  unit  en- 
tered the  clinical  center  on  Aug.  20  of 
that  year,  following  the  completion  of 
their  training  unit  at  New  Windsor.  The 
six  were:  Trudy  Tyler,  Waterloo,  Iowa; 
Debi  Simmons,  Bridgewater,  Va.;  Doug 
Mahoney,  Bakersfield,  Calif.;  Dale  Seese, 
Delphi,  Ind.;  David  Holl,  Bridgewater, 
Va.;  and  Richard  Stutzman,  Winter 
Park,  Fla. 

While  having  one  of  the  least  restric- 
tive studies  in  terms  of  his  activity.  Dale 
Seese,  the  unit  leader  of  the  six  BVSers, 
reported  that  when  he  was  used  he  "was 
really  used."  The  investigator  on  one 
study  was  Dr.  Douglas  Rosing,  who  was 
exploring  the  fibrinolytic  activity  of  the 
blood  —  the  continual  process  of  the 
breaking  down  of  blood  clots  —  in  a 
project  for  the  National  Heart  Institute 
(NIH). 

After  being  wired  to  instruments  to 
record  such  activities  as  the  flow  of  blood 
into  the  forearm  and  continuous  blood 
pressure,  volunteer  Dale  was  given  drugs 
in  pill  form,  injections,  or  through  a 
catheter  (plastic  tube)  placed  in  an  ar- 
tery in  the  upper  arm.  Blood  samples 
were  drawn  periodically  as  the  effects  of 
the  drug  wore  off.  Usually  two  or  three 
drugs  were  used  in  a  single  testing  peri- 
od. Results  of  this  study  will  aid  efforts 
to  treat  patients  with  heart  conditions. 

Most  of  the  volunteers  also  participate 
in  the  career  assignment  program  which 
gives  them  the  opportunity  to  work  in 
their  free  time  in  a  laboratory  or  office 
for  one  of  the  institutes.  Dale's  career 
assignment  was  in  cooperation  with  Dr. 
Ronald  Thompson  and  Del  Thrasher,  de- 
signing and  constructing  rubber  cham- 
bers for  use  in  the  well-known  "sweat 
studies,"  part  of  the  research  on  cystic 
fibrosis.  Molded  to  the  individual  volun- 
teer's forehead,  hand,  and  back,  the 
chambers  are  designed  to  circulate  air  to 
evaporate  sweat  and  carry  it  to  be  an- 
alyzed by  complex  electronic  instru- 
ments. Such  career  assignment  experi- 
ence gives  valuable  exposure  to  some  of 
the  world's  most  noted  scientists  in  cur- 
rent medical  research  and  provides  an 
excellent    classroom    which    cannot    be 


duplicated  anywhere  else  in  the  world. 

Trudy  Tyler  is  one  of  two  female  BVS 
volunteers  from  the  July  1969  unit  at 
the  clinical  center.  Assigned  to  the  Na- 
tional Cancer  Institute  (NCI),  Trudy's 
study  consisted  of  taking  a  fertility  pill 
and  a  birth  control  drug  at  the  same 
time,  to  study  the  resulting  effects.  Five 
to  ten  cubic  centimeters  of  blood  are 
drawn  from  Trudy  each  morning,  follow- 
ing which  she  spends  a  lot  of  her  free 
time  working  for  the  National  Institute 
of  Mental  Health  (NIMH),  coding  mar- 
riage interviews  and  writing  abstracts  of 
the  coded  interviews  for  the  division  of 
family  studies. 

One  of  the  normal  volunteers  serving 
his  alternative  service  with  the  Mennon- 
ite  Central  Committee  is  Aldis  Gerber. 

While  serving  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
metabolic  division  of  the  National 
Cancer  Institute,  Al  has  participated 
in  two  studies  (the  author  of  this 
article  has  participated  in  these  same 
studies).  The  first  study  consisted  of  a 
rigidly  controlled  diet  in  research  being 
done  to  test  for  calcium  retention. 

The  second  study  in  which  Al  partici- 
pated involved  taking  labeled  (radioac- 
tive) albumin  and  bilirubin  intravenous- 
ly. These  two  substances  are  normally 
found  in  the  process  of  the  breakdown 
of  red  blood  cells  and  are  extracted  by 
the  liver  of  a  normal  person.  In  this 
study  by  Dr.  Joseph  Bloomer,  careful 
analysis  of  the  blood  samples  —  28  sam- 
ples were  taken  the  first  day,  45  for  the 
whole  study  —  and  urine  and  stool  sam- 
ples, the  functions  of  the  liver  can  be 
traced  in  minute  detail. 

Assigned  to  another  metabolic  unit  is 
Arlene  Eikenberry,  a  member  of  the 
Sugar  Ridge  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
Michigan,  and  sponsored  by  Johnstown. 
Arlene  has  participated  in  some  of  the 
most  confining  of  all  the  studies  at  NIH. 
On  two  studies  since  her  arrival  in  mid- 
September,  Arlene  has  been  confined  to 
the  clinical  center  for  a  total  of  50  days 
while  participating  in  studies  with  rigid 
dietary  controls.  The  first  study,  lasting 
for  two  weeks,  involved  the  adrenal 
glands  and  the  taking  of  ACTH  (adreno- 


corticotrophic  hormone)  over  a  four-day 
period  Arlene's  latest  study,  divided  in- 
to three  parts  of  approximately  12  to 
14  days  each,  is  concerned  with  checking 
the  effects  of  cellulose  phosphate  (de- 
scribed by  Arlene  as  a  "glorified  paper 
in  a  huge  pill")  on  high  urinary  calcium 
in  the  kidneys.  This  study,  directed  by 
Dr.  C.  Pak,  is  being  made  to  test  the 
drug  for  its  effectiveness  in  reducing  kid- 
ney stones.  The  metabolic  diet  for  this 
study  is  so  rigid  that  Arlene  must  lick 
her  plates  to  make  absolutely  sure  that 
every  bit  of  food  is  consumed. 

One  vital  aspect  of  combating  a  dis- 
ease is  isolating  it  before  it  infects  a  large 
mass  of  people.  The  National  Institute 
of  Allergy  and  Infectious  Diseases 
(NIAID)  is  currently  doing  research  in 
developing  skin  tests  to  detect  amobiosis 
and  histoplasmosis.  Such  techniques  as 
skin  tests  will  be  much  faster  than  the 
present  methods  of  blood  analysis.  David 
Holl,  another  member  of  the  BVS  con- 
tingent, is  a  normal  volunteer  assigned 
to  NIAID  to  assist  in  developing  such 
tests.  But  Dave  has  also  been  used  to 
test  several  other  skin  tests  and  has  been 
"borrowed"  by  the  Heart  and  Cancer 
institutes  for  studies  not  conflicting  with 
the  NIAID  tests.  In  addition,  Dave 
spends  a  good  deal  of  his  free  time  in 
the  medical  library  doing  research  for 
a  doctor. 

Almost  without  exception  these  volun- 
teers have  reported  that  the  total  experi- 
ence offered  by  NIH  has  been  one  of 
value  to  the  individuals  involved.  Many 
feel  that  it  has  been  an  opportunity  to 
give  something  to  society  and  mankind, 
something  of  their  own  lives  that  may 
someday  help  save  the  life  of  another 
human  being.  The  need  for  more  qual- 
ified volunteers  goes  on  year  after  year, 
and  the  need  will  continue  to  be  filled 
in  part  by  dedicated  volunteers. 

Perhaps  nothing  better  summarizes  the 
importance  of  the  normal  volunteeer  as 
the  words  of  the  Secretary  of  Health,  Ed- 
ucation, and  Welfare :  the  service  of  each 
volunteer  is  "of  broad  significance  to  the 
advancement  of  medical  science  and  the 
ultimate  benefit  of  mankind." 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     21 


-,>^ 


^ 


When 


*°  your  owj       *^  "le  SD»  •  .  °'""'on,  and  /  '^°9« 

'^'no.n^n„  '''^^^  'or  oX  *"'  '■en  Pfen  .  '"^Se^s 

/ssue  f„  '  >"""■  churcl,        '"^nds    f„?  ""=  ^opv  anl   "^  '""e 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued 
from  page  one 

sociology,  chaplaincy,  inner  city,  coffee- 
houses, labor,  and  industry.  What  better 
areas  of  work  are  there  to  find  mud  and 
mire,  garbage  heaps,  using  Mrs.  Long's 
own  terms  to  include  revolutionary  groups 
and  "rebellious  lives"  that  "dirty  up  the 
temple"  and  the  image  of  today's  bottom- 
rung,  traditional  pastor.  Yet  these  are  the 
very  areas  and  groups  that  represent  rele- 
vance today  as  seen  by  the  young  ministers 
looking  for  the  best  means  of  sacrifice  and 
giving  to  their  Lord.  It  would  seem  Mrs. 
Long  has  the  ladder  upside  down  and  back- 
wards. 

Another  fallacy  Mrs.  Long  seems  bent  on 
perpetuating  is  her  assertion  that  because 
all  these  youthful  ministers  are  striving  to 
get  where  the  action  is  they  are  therefore 
trying  to  climb  a  prestige  ladder,  seeking 
the  limelight,  using  the  pastoral  ministry  to 
get  up  higher,  grinding  their  heels  into  the 
shoulders  of  the  poor,  heroic  guy  on  the 
bottom  rung,  the  pastor.  In  her  opinion  no- 
body seeking  such  things,  no  matter  how 
much  mud  and  mire  they  might  get  stuck 
in  at  the  top,  could  possibly  have  an  honest, 
respectable,  or  idealistic  motivation  attrib- 
uted to  them.  .  .  . 

I  would  like  to  hear  from  some  of  those 
young  ministers  who  are  allegedly  climbing 
this  ladder  of  prestige.  I  also  fail  to  see 
how  the  pastor  today  is  "protecting  due 
processes  by  which  reason  may  be  em- 
ployed" or  how  he  protects  "the  right  of 
diversity"  any  more  than,  or  even  as  much 
as,  the  ministers  just  beginning  to  enter  other 
fields  —  inner  city  for  instance  —  who  are 
identifying  with  ghetto  dwellers,  fighting  for 
justice  for  the  black  man,  learning  about  the 
problems  and  rebellion  of  youth,  listening, 
and  searching  with  them  the  way  to  a  less 
cruel  and  more  meaningful  society. 

Perhaps  if  we  start  by  dealing  with  the 
questions  raised  in  the  latter  part  of  the 
Long  article  with  regard  to  relationship  be- 
tween the  individual  and  community  and 
the  role  of  the  church  in  the  community,  we 
could  come  upon  a  new  role  for  the  church 
pastor  and  concomitantly,  a  much  better 
reason  for  his  existence. 

Marie  Ingerman 
Corte  Madera,  Calif. 

PRACTICING  RACE  RELATIONS 

I  spent  the  month  of  January  at  the  Piney 
Woods  School  twenty  miles  southeast  of 
Jackson,  Miss.    When  I  told  the  principal, 


22     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


A  concise  history -with  interpretation 


Laurence  Jones,  that  I  am  a  member  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  he  brightened  at 
once  and  said,  "Our  herd  of  Angus  cattle 
was  given  us  by  a  group  of  Brethren  people, 
and  a  number  of  persons  of  that  church 
have  visited  us."  The  large  farm  is  stocked 
also  with  Ayrshire  cattle  and  with  hogs. 

Theodore  Miller,  a  minister  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  is  chaplain,  does  part  of  the 
preaching,  calls  on  the  sick,  and  teaches 
classes.  Mrs.  Miller  is  the  nurse  of  the 
students  and  faculty. 

Black  people  make  up  the  student  body 
with  the  exception  of  a  few  from  Mexico. 
Some  teachers  are  white,  others  black. 
There  are  no  student  demonstrations,  no  dis- 
cussion of  race  relations;  everyone  is  busy 
practicing  relations.  There  are  quarrels  in 
neighboring  towns,  but  at  the  school  every- 
one is  valued  according  to  his  personal 
worth. 

Piney  Woods  School  started  with  no  re- 
sources in  1909  and  now  has  good  build- 
ings of  brick  and  stone  and  a  student  body 
of  about  275.  Many  students  must  work 
their  way,  and  this  situation  makes  personal 
donations  quite  necessary. 

Brethren  people  have  donated  time  and 
money,  and  Piney  Woods  is  helping  us  un- 
derstand other  races. 

William  J.  Tinkle 
Eaton,  Ind. 

UNFINISHED  TASKS 

Corinne  Hoff  Simmons'  remarks  (Jan. 
29)  about  people  failing  in  general  to  bring 
words  of  kindness  and  acts  of  thoughtful- 
ness  to  the  bereaved  were  interesting  read- 
ing. Her  comments  should  help  many  to  be 
more  alert  to  help  others  at  a  time  of  need. 

Much  could  be  said  about  the  needs  of 
the  aged  and  the  ill  who  are  often  a  rather 
forgotten  people. 

Thank  you  for  reminding  us  to  be  more 
thoughtful  of  the  bereaved.  Also  let  us 
do  more  for  the  ill  and  the  aged. 

Our  church  needs  to  awake  to  the  fact 
that  there  is  a  need  for  homes  for  the  re- 
tarded people  of  their  church  and  com- 
munities! They  could  be  set  up  under  some 
of  our  great  leaders  like  those  who  wisely 
planned  homes  for  the  senior  folks.  We 
need  more  leaders  with  great  vision. 

The  church  has  many  unfinished  tasks. 
Youth  is  waiting  for  new  fields  to  work  in. 

Mrs.  Esther  G.  Royer 
Westminster,  Md. 


HERITAGE  AND  PROMISE:  PERSPECTIVES  ON 
THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN,  by  Emmert 
F.  Bittinger.  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Board,    1970.     158   pages,   $1.95 

There  has  long  been  a  need  for  a  rela- 
tively concise  history  and  interpretation 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  for  use  in 
church  schools  and  membership  classes. 
In  Emmert  Bittinger's  new  publication 
we  have  now  been  provided  with  that 
tool.  The  author  kept  this  goal  clearly 
in  mind  in  planning  the  book  and  suc- 
cessfully accomplished  his  task. 

The  book  is  organized  along  both 
chronological  and  topical  lines.  An  ini- 
tial chapter  provides  a  quick  sweep  of 
Christian  history  leading  up  to  the 
eighteenth  century  ("From  Rome  to 
Schwarzenau").  This  is  followed  by  a 
description  of  the  founding  and  growth 
of  what  in  modern  parlance  could  be 
called  the  "Schwarzenau  Eight."  The 
next  chapter  relates  the  story  of  estab- 
lishment and  development  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  North  America. 

Having  laid  this  historical  foundation, 
Bittinger  shifts  to  several  thematic  dis- 
cussions. A  chapter  on  Brethren  beliefs 
precedes  an  intriguing  chapter  on  the 
life-style  of  the  Brethren,  which  is  in 
turn  followed  by  an  interpretation  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  today's 
world.  A  selected  bibliography  and  sev- 
eral pages  of  discussion  questions  on 
each  chapter  conclude  the  brief  volume. 

The  author  demonstrates  awareness  of 
both  older  and  more  recent  writing  on 
Brethren  history.  He  does  a  good  job 
of  "making  existing  knowledge  available 
to  the  average  reader"  (p.  6).  More 
original  work  is  found  in  the  second  half 
of  the  book,  where  Bittinger,  associate 
professor  of  sociology  at  Bridgewater 
College,  brings  to  bear  his  professional 
training.  Sociologists  of  religion  have 
seen  in  the  Brethren  a  case  study  in 
transition  from  sect  to  denomination. 
The  author  uses  this  concept  skillfully, 
also  showing  that  this  transformation 
need  not  be  taken  in  a  deterministic 
sense.  The  Brethren  maintain  certain 
emphases  and  convictions  today,  which 
clearly    stem    from    the    early    heritage. 


These  for  Bittinger  are  important  values 
which  should  not  lightly  be  discarded. 

One  feature  of  the  study  which  will 
be  especially  helpful  to  teachers  is  an 
ingenious  chart  showing  the  relationship 
of  Brethren  beliefs  to  those  of  other 
Christian  communions.  He  makes  the 
valid  point  that  the  Brethren  stood 
squarely  within  the  broader  framework 
of  Christian  belief,  at  the  same  time 
coming  down  more  heavily  on  distinctive 
doctrines. 

A  discussion  of  the  relative  influence 
of  Pietism  and  Anabaptism  upon  the 
Brethren  will  be  of  interest  to  many. 
Along  with  other  commentators,  Bittinger 
sees  as  a  notable  Brethren  quality  an 
openness  to  change  in  doctrinal  position 
and  religious  observance  when  needed. 
Yet  he  balances  against  this  an  equally 
important  characteristic,  that  is,  the  con- 
cern for  obedience  to  the  teachings  of 
Christ.  "These  adjustments  of  beliefs 
and  practices  served  the  vital  role  of 
keeping  the  church  and  its  emphases  in 
touch  with  the  times  —  that  is,  more 
relevant.  .  .  .  Perhaps  in  our  own  day, 
more  than  at  any  other  time,  the  re- 
sponsiveness of  the  church's  doctrines 
and  emphases  to  human  need  is  most 
critical.  The  church  is  in  creative  tension 
with  society  and  culture.  This  is  the  key 
not  only  to  its  survival  but  to  its  vitality" 
(p.  90). 

Some  will  find  the  presentation  on 
the  Brethren  "identity  crisis"  in  chapter 
six  to  be  the  most  stimulating  part  of  the 
book.  Here  are  found  brief  but  clear 
sketches  of  divergent  groupings  within 
the  denomination.  The  chapter  indicates 
that  the  question  of  denominational  iden- 
tity must  be  worked  out  if  the  member- 
ship is  "to  express  in  the  fullest  way  the 
will  of  Christ"  (p.  134).  Bittinger  es- 
tablishes four  principles  around  which 
the  question  should  be  answered:  (1) 
continuity  with  the  spiritual  heritage,  in- 
cluding pacifism,  simple  life,  unity  of  life 
and  worship,  and  other  points;  (2)  con- 
tinued emphasis  upon  the  New  Testa- 
ment and  the  life  of  Christ;  (3)  mainte- 
nance of  a  sense  of  community  among 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     23 


REVIEWS  /  continued 


the  Brethren  both  at  the  local  and  at 
the  Brotherhood  level;  and  (4)  ability  to 
relate  to  the  needs  of  people  in  current 
life. 

In  concluding  paragraphs  the  author 
takes  his  stand  with  those  who  see  the 
most  urgent  role  of  the  church  in  a  min- 
istry of  "dialogue  and  confrontation"  de- 
signed to  change  institutional  structures 
in  society.  Christians  should  work  in 
secular  ways  to  improve  their  commu- 
nities.   Ecumenism,  for  Bittinger,  is  seen 

REVIEWS  I  RECORDS 


in  the  same  light.  As  Christians  make 
common  cause  to  improve  society,  they 
practice  a  true  unity  of  witness  and  ac- 
tion. This  "secular  ecumenism"  (a 
phrase  not  used  by  the  author)  provides 
the  real  ecumenical  cutting  edge. 

In  sum,  we  have  here  a  valuable  cur- 
riculum resource,  which  should  both  in- 
form and  elicit  discussion  in  Brethren 
congregations.  The  attractive  paperback 
format  and  illustrations  should  facilitate 
such  use.  —  Donald   F.   Durnbaugh 


Sounds  from  Berlioz,  Blake  and  a  Baptist 


TE  DEUM:  Berlioz  (Philips)  is  the  latest 
addition  to  conductor  Colin  Davis' 
Berlioz  Cycle,  keyed  to  the  centennial 
of  the  great  French  romantic's  death  in 
1869.  Davis'  is  the  second  of  two  extant 
LP  recordings  of  this  work;  the  other 
was  also  by  an  English  conductor,  the 
late  Sir  Thomas  Beecham.  The  absence 
of  a  French  recording  or  indeed  of  oth- 
ers is  incomprehensible,  for  this  is  a  Te 
Deum  to  rank  with  those  of  Haydn  and 
Bruckner  —  and  with  Berlioz'  other  ma- 
ture works.  Especially  noteworthy  is  his 
powerful  and  delicate  use  of  the  organ; 
but  the  choral  writing,  too,  is  sublime 
and  the  orchestral  score  monumental  yet 
also  full  of  intimate  inner  voices.  Davis 
has  distinguished  himself  as  a  conductor 
of  many  composers  from  Handel  to 
Stravinsky,  and  he  triumphs  again  in 
what  can  only  be  called  a  magnificent 
evocation  of  a  great  work. 

THE  UNIVERSE  IS  SINGING:  Sebas- 
tian Temple  (GIA)  is  subtitled  "Twelve 
Songs  in  the  Spirit  of  Teilhard  de 
Chardin,"  sung  and  played  on  the  guitar 
by  the  composer.  Like  the  overwhelming 
bulk  of  today's  church-related  pseudo- 
pop  music,  it  is  bland  rather  than  bold. 


and  it  is  overstuffed  with  verbiage,  spun 
out  endlessly.  The  result  is  very  uncool, 
overwrought.  As  poetry,  the  words 
strike  me  as  hypersophisticated  theologi- 
cal nursery  rhymes,  and  the  dippity-do 
tunes  don't  help.  In  contrast,  listen  to 
the  provocative  songs  of  The  Band  or 
Blind  Faith,  which  are  far  more  poetic 
because  they  say  less  powerfully  and  en- 
gage the  listener's  participation.  Tem- 
ple's package  is  too  round,  firm,  fully 
packed,  free  and  easy  on  the  draw  —  but 
not  really  as  good  as  a  cigarette  com- 
mercial. 

SONGS  AND  PROVERBS  OF  WIL- 
LIAM BLAKE:  Britten  (London),  dating 
from  1965,  makes  abundant  use  of 
twelve-tone  scale  to  create  intense,  dark- 
hued  settings  for  the  frequently  enig- 
matic, strong  poetry  of  Blake.  The  solo- 
ist, baritone  Dietrich  Fischer-Dieskau,  is 
ideal  for  this  arresting  and  major  work. 
Somewhat  forbidding  on  first  hearing, 
like  Hugo  Wolf,  this  music  acquires  a 
deep  luster  as  it  becomes  familiar,  adding 
to  the  revelatory  impact  of  the  words. 
Overside,  tenor  Peter  Pears  sings  The 
Holy  Sonnets  of  John  Donne,  written 
two   decades   earlier.    The   composer   is 


at  the  piano  in  both  works.  A  four-star 
disk  for  anyone  who  cherishes  the  high- 
est in  religious,  literary,  and  musical  val- 
ues. 

A  RAINBOW  IN  CURVED  AIR:  Terry 
Riley  (Columbia)  is  music  of  reiterated 
patterns  and  polymetric  cycling,  struc- 
ture upon  structure  with  varied  random 
developments  which  completely  elude 
description  but  are  a  bit  like  a  fusion  of! 
the  Indian  raga  and  a  sort  of  fugal  rockl 
in  which  the  primary  instrument  is  the( 
electric  organ  played  by  the  composer,' 
who  also  plays  here  electric  harpsichord,! 
rocksichord  (whatever  that  is),  dumbec 
(a  reed  instrument),  and  tambourine. 
Sometimes  you  get  sonic  "mirror  images" 
of  a  theme,  one  on  each  stereo  speaker. 
Overside,  for  soprano  saxophone  and. 
electric  organ,  is  an  equally  fascinatingi 
and  delicious  concoction  called  Poppy 
Nogood  and  the  Phantom  Band.  Liner 
notes  consist  of  a  poem  which  begins, 
"And  then  all  wars  ended."  The  music 
seems  to  say  it,  too,  in  a  very  unusual 
musical  lingo. 

JUDAS:  Clarence  Jordan  (Koinonia)  is  a 
spoken  reinterpretation  of  the  gospel  by 
the  late  founder  of  Koinonia  Farm,  a 
pioneering  interracial  cooperative  in 
Georgia.  If  the  South  has  produced  a 
white  Christian  saint  worthy  of  being 
counted  a  brother  to  Martin  Luther 
King,  Jordan  is  certainly  a  top  candidate 
for  that  mantle.  With  insight,  compas- 
sion, and  his  familiar  Georgia  drawl, 
Jordan  presents  Judas  not  as  a  scoundrel 
but  as  a  sincere  follower  of  Jesus  who 
came  to  a  tragic  parting  of  the  ways. 
Judas  tried  to  follow  Jesus  while  remain- 
ing true  to  the  religious  establishment  of 
his  day,  finally  choosing  the  former  and 
betraying  the  latter  —  as  have  not  a  few 
present-day  Christians.  Overside,  Jordan 
relates  the  biblical  story  of  the  man  from 
Gadara  to  today's  conflict  between  alien- 
ated young  people  and  "law  and  order." 
The  New  Testament  contains  some  pretty 
strong  stuff',  and  it  takes  a  preacher  like 
this  radical  Baptist  to  tell  it  like  it  is  for 
our  time.  —  William  Robert  Miller 


24     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


by  PATRICIA  ROOP  BUBEL 

Karly  one  morning  in  August  I  aroused 
my  husband  so  that  he  could  take  me 
to  the  hospital  for  the  birth  of  our  sec- 
ond child.  I  felt  no  particular  alarm 
about  the  fact  that  I  was  going  into 
labor  five  weeks  early,  as  our  first  son 
had  been  bom  seven  weeks  premature- 
ly. The  suitcase  was  even  packed,  for 
I  had  been  completely  unprepared  the 
first  time,  and  I  did  not  want  a  repeat 
of  that  rush  performance. 

We  arrived  at  the  hospital  about  six 
A.M.  and  our  second  boy  was  delivered 
at  one  p.m.  after  a  very  easy  labor. 
After  I  heard  his  lusty  cry  and  knew 
his  weight  was  four  pounds  and  eight 
ounces  I  breathed  easily,  for  our  first 
son  had  weighed  only  four  pounds  and 
four  ounces  and  today  he  is  a  healthy, 
robust  boy.  I  knew  that  he  would  be 
swept  off  to  an  isolette  and  that  my 
only  contact  with  him  would  be  look- 
ing at  him  through  several  glass  win- 
dows for  about  a  month  until  he 
reached  the  going-home  weight.  It  is 
difficult  to  watch  other  mothers  hold 
and  feed  their  babies,  but  I  had  gotten 
used  to  this  with  my  fixst  baby.  My 


main  concern  was  that  this  little  one 
live  in  spite  of  his  prematurity.  I  knew 
also  that  the  first  forty-eight  hours  of 
a  "preemie's"  Ufe  are  the  most  difficult, 
and  there  were  some  fears.  Once 
again,  though,  since  our  first  one  had 
made  it,  I  put  these  aside  while  my 
husband  and  I  happily  chose  the  name 
Stephen  and  discussed  the  future  of 
our  two  sons  together. 

I  assumed  that  all  was  following 
normal  procedure  with  Stephen  until 
the  doctors  began  asking  questions  that 
I  did  not  think  were  quite  routine. 
What  drugs  had  I  taken  during  preg- 
nancy? Had  I  had  any  disease  or  in- 
fections? My  friends  seemed  to  be  pro- 
tective of  me  and  warned  that  the  dan- 
ger period  for  a  preemie  was  not  yet 
over.  I  reassured  them  I  knew  this, 
but  after  aU  Mike  had  made  it,  so 
why  not  Steve? 

Finally,  on  the  night  before  I  was 
to  come  home,  my  husband  told  me 
that  there  was  something  seriously 
wrong  with  Steve,  but  at  this  point  the 
doctors  could  not  diagnose  his  dis- 
order. All  they  knew  was  that  his  liver, 
spleen,  and  heart  were  unusually  en- 
larged and  he  was  quite  jaimdiced. 


home  for 


Numbness  set  in;  I  refused  to  believe 
this  was  happening  to  me.  I  could  only 
think  that  siu^ely  it  wasn't  anything 
serious  and  that  with  time  and  weight 
gain  all  would  take  care  of  itself.  In 
the  morning  I  bombarded  the  pedia- 
trician with  questions;  and  he  told  me 
that  possibly  Steve  had  a  disorder  that 
would  be  operable,  or  he  might  have  a 
type  of  hepatitis  that  might  in  time 
clear  itself. 

I  returned  home  to  my  family  and 
at  this  time  explained  to  Mike  only 
that  Steve  had  to  stay  at  the  hospital 
to  grow  a  little  bigger  before  he  could 
come  home.  This  was  very  puzzling 
to  a  two-and-a-half -year-old  who  was 
seing  all  his  friends'  baby  brothers  and 
sisters  coming  home  with  Mommy,  for 
this  was  a  prolific  year  in  our  neighbor- 
hood. 

We  spent  a  month  visiting  Steve 
through  the  glass  and  consulting  with 
the  pediatrician  as  to  any  possible 
diagnosis.  Nothing  was  pinpointed  as 
the  cause  of  his  illness  during  this  time 
and  no  treatment  was  given.  He  man- 
aged to  sustain  life  despite  predictions 
that  he  could  not,  and  when  he  reached 
the  six-pound  mark  we  were  called  to 


Stephen 


26     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


bring  him  home.  It  was  a  happy  oc- 
casion for  Mike,  and  I  can  still  hear 
him  telling  everyone  in  the  hospital 
lobby,  "That's  my  brudder."  However, 
I  cannot  remember  feeling  any  joy. 
There  were  too  many  questions,  too 
many  fears. 

Steve  was  home  a  month  before  he 
entered  a  research  center  in  a  nearby 
hospital  for  more  thorough  studies  in 
hopes  that  a  diagnosis  could  be  made. 
The  research  center  doctors  ran  exten- 
sive tests,  and  our  family  had  three 
long  days  of  waiting  for  their  results. 
We  just  hoped  that  they  would  discover 
something  and  be  able  to  start  some 
treatment  to  correct  his  condition. 

On  the  third  day  my  husband  and  I 
met  with  two  of  the  doctors,  and  their 
verdict  was  final.  They  told  us  that 
Steve  had  cytomegalic  inclusion  dis- 
ease, which  is  caused  by  a  virus  that 
the  mother  contracted  during  the  first 
three  months  of  pregnancy.  They  told 
us  that  this  virus  affects  all  parts  of 
the  hvmian  system  and  that  there  was 
a  strong  possibility  that  it  had  attacked 
Steve's  central  nervous  system.  How 
much  brain  damage  would  manifest 
itself  they  could  not  say.  They  told 
us  he  would  not  live  beyond  several 
months. 

With  these  words  ringing  in  oxur  ears, 
we  left  the  hospital;  we  tried  to  absorb 
all  that  we  had  just  heard.  We  didn't 
talk.  The  next  day  we  took  Steve 
home  to  have  with  us  until  the  end 
came.  I  actually  hated  to  pick  that 
child  up  and  take  him  home  when  I 
knew  that  aU  I  could  do  was  to  feed 
and  care  for  him  until  death  took  him. 
I  never  knew  how  helpless  a  person 
could  feel  when  a  doctor  says  to  him 
that  there  is  nothing  that  can  be  done. 

Thus  we  started  our  vigil  of  caring 
for  Steve.  He  seemed  to  act  as  most 
normal  babies  do  in  the  beginning,  ex- 
cept that  I  had  to  overlook  an  enlarged 


abdomen  and  a  hydrocyl  of  the  testi- 
cles. With  time,  however,  his  care  be- 
came more  and  more  difficult.  He  be- 
gan having  seiziu'es  in  which  he  would 
stiffen  and  throw  his  head  back;  his 
swallowing  was  not  well  developed.  I 
also  noticed  that  I  could  not  prop  him 
in  an  Infanseat,  and  try  as  I  might  I 
could  get  no  smile  or  normal  gripping 
of  the  hand.  His  weight  gain  was  slow 
and  he  suffered  serious  ear  infections 
and  a  case  of  pneumonia  that  required 
another  hospitalization. 

Then  there  were  aU  the  nights  of  his 
screaming  until  three  a.m.  from  some 
unknown  pain.  The  answers  in  Dr. 
Spock  for  a  crying  child  simply  did  not 
apply  to  Steve;  even  holding  him  faUed 
to  reUeve  him  of  his  seizures.  The 
three  doctors  who  were  closely  follow- 
ing Steve's  case  always  bent  a  sympa- 
thetic ear  when  I  called  them  to  ask 
for  any  insight  they  might  give  me  in 
caring  for  Steve,  but  even  they  had  no 
concrete  advice  to  offer  on  how  to 
solve  the  difficulties  he  was  having. 

Jrly  feelings  toward  this  child  were 
on  that  thin  line  between  love  and  hate 
—  he  was  taking  so  much  from  me  that 
I  had  nothing  left  for  the  rest  of  my 
family.  I  could  see  that  our  family 
relationships  were  falling  apart.  To 
Mike,  "Stay  away  from  Stephen"  be- 
came a  necessary  phrase,  as  any  cold 
he  had  was  sure  to  cause  pneiunonia. 
The  seizures  made  holding  Steve  an 
impossible  task  for  him.  The  in- 
evitable pity  for  Stephen  by  visitors 
intensified  the  normal  jealousy  feelings 
that  any  child  has  for  a  new  baby; 
finally,  our  family  could  go  nowhere 
as  a  unit,  since  one  of  us  had  to  re- 
main home  with  Stephen. 

I  had  read  many  books  on  home 
care  of  children  like  Stephen  and  what 
a  blessing  they  could  be  to  aU  con- 


cerned, but  as  I  read  further  I  found 
that  most  of  these  famUies,  because  of 
their  wealth,  did  not  have  the  financial 
burden  necessarily  caused  by  such  a 
situation.  We  could  not  hire  someone 
to  come  in  the  home  to  help  fuU-time 
with  the  work  load,  for  it  was  more 
than  we  could  do  to  take  care  of  his 
mounting  medical  expenses. 

We  did  attempt  hiring  a  homemaker 
from  FamUy  Service  for  two  days  a 
week  to  help  with  Stephen's  care,  so 
that  I  could  do  necessary  shopping 
and  errands.  This  did  not  solve  the 
problem,  though,  for  Mike  stiU  took 
backstage  while  Stephen  was  being 
cared  for,  and  frequently  I  would  re- 
turn home  to  find  him  sitting  on  the 
sofa  in  the  some  spot  that  I  had  left 
him.  Soon  I  began  taking  him  with 
me  on  these  days,  even  though  the 
doctors  had  emphatically  told  me  to 
get  out  of  the  house  ALONE. 

I  had  always  felt  that  if  I  should 
have  a  handicapped  chUd,  I  would 
nobly  take  care  of  him  at  home,  but 
when  it  actually  happened  to  me  I 
could  quickly  see  that  sooner  or  later 
I  would  have  to  choose  between  this 
child's  care  or  the  care  of  the  rest  of 
my  famUy.  PhysicaUy  and  emotionaUy 
I  could  not  meet  aU  of  their  needs 
alone. 

After  five  months  of  our  struggle 
with  Stephen  —  my  sleeping  nights  at 
the  neighbors,  so  that  I  could  rest  con- 
tinuously for  several  hours  —  I  was 
stUl  hoping  for  a  miracle.  He  had  al- 
ready lived  longer  than  the  doctors  had 
first  predicted.  I  was  forced  finaUy  to 
accept  the  hopelessness  of  his  condi- 
tion by  the  pediatrician,  who  empha- 
sized that  Stephen  was  nontrainable 
and  would  be  immobile  the  rest  of  his 
life.  I  also  recalled  the  words  of  one 
of  the  doctors  when  I  caUed  him  about 
a  particular  problem  in  his  care.  After 
giving  me  some  suggestions,  he  subtly 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     27 


STEPHEN  /  continued 

closed  with  the  statement,  "Don't  try 
to  be  a  martyr,  Mrs.  Bubel." 

At  this  point,  we  knew  our  former 
solutions  would  not  work;  the  only 
course  for  us  now  was  to  look  for  a 
private  institution  in  which  to  place 
him.  We  visited  a  home  for  exception- 
al children  that  our  pediatrician  had 
recommended,  and  took  a  tour  of  the 
facilities  there  for  brain-damaged  chil- 
dren. It  was  an  appealing  and  sicken- 
ing experience  to  see  these  children 
(some  were  adults  chronologically) 
lying  in  a  vegetable  state.  It  was  quite 
apparent  to  us,  though,  that  the  nurse 
in  charge  loved  these  children  as  per- 
sons and  had  dedicated  her  life  to  mak- 
ing their  existence  as  comfortable  as 
possible  and  filled  with  loving  care. 

This  love  was  shown  as  she  intro- 
duced us  to  a  fifteen-year-old  mon- 
goloid who  rushed  up  to  greet  us  along 
with  her.  She  simply  put  her  arm 
around  him  and  took  him  right  along 
on  the  tour  instead  of  brushing  hun 
aside,  as  she  well  may  have  done.  We 
decided  then  to  bring  Stephen  in  the 
next  day,  for  once  we  had  made  the 
decision  we  did  not  want  to  prolong 
carrying  it  out.  We  came  home  in  a 
state  of  shock  to  think  that  our  child 
really  was  one  of  these  children  and 
would  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  in  this 
state,  forever  an  infant  in  both  motor 
and  mental  abilities. 

The  next  day  was  a  difficult  one  as 
we  prepared  Steve  for  his  trip  to  his 
new  home.  We  took  Mike  along  with 
us,  for  we  wanted  him  to  know  where 
Steve  would  be  staying  and  not  just 
think  that  we  had  gotten  rid  of  him  in 
some  unknown  place.  Mike  must  have 
sensed  the  finality  of  our  trip,  for  on 
the  way  to  the  home  he  looked  up  at 
me  with  concerned  eyes  and  asked, 
"Mommy,  Stevie  won't  be  able  to  play 
football  with  me,  will  he?"  We  then 
arrived  at  the  hospital;  and  I  think  the 


most  difficult  thing  I  have  ever  done  in 
my  life  was  to  lay  Stephen  down  in  his 
crib  and  walk  away,  knowing  that  I 
would  never  know  the  joy  of  caring 
for  him  in  the  way  I  had  dreamed. 

We  left  the  hospital  in  a  dazed  state 
and  spent  the  rest  of  the  day  putting 
away  a  few  of  the  most  visible  baby 
things  that  were  left  behind.  However, 
it  took  me  about  six  months  to  take 
his  crib  down,  for  I  think  somewhere 
deep  inside  I  still  hoped  that  his  con- 
dition would  improve  and  that  maybe 
he  could  be  brought  home  again. 

Naturally,  this  private  institution 
posed  a  large  financial  burden,  so  the 
next  day  I  began  looking  for  part-time 
jobs  to  pay  for  Stephen's  monthly  care. 
Four  days  later  I  began  work.  With 
the  help  of  the  church  nursery  and  a 


"My  feelings  toward 
this  child  were  on 
that  thin  line  be- 
tween love  and  hate. 
He  was  taking  so  much 
from  me  that  I 
had  nothing  left  for 
the  rest  of  my 
family  ..." 


good  friend,  I  found  a  suitable  place 
for  Mike  to  spend  his  time  whUe  I 
was  working.  With  the  time  I  was 
home,  then,  with  Mike,  we  could  re- 
establish our  relationship  which  had 
been  so  broken  by  Stephen's  presence. 

It  has  been  four  and  a  half  years 
now  since  Stephen  was  institutional- 
ized. During  this  time  we  have  worked 
through  the  questions  of  "Why  did  this 
happen  to  us?"  and  "Have  we  done 
all  we  can  do  for  this  child?"  We  know 
these  things  happen,  so  why  not  to  us? 
Repeated  testing  and  the  advice  of 
three  competent  doctors  have  assured 
us  that  we  cannot  do  more  to  train 
Stephen. 

I  think  our  most  difficult  question  to 
answer  was  "Why  do  we  have  such 
negative  feelings  toward  this  chUd?" 
We  have  had  to  accept  some  of  these 
feelings  that  we  felt  so  guilty  about,        i 
for  there  were  times  when  we  all  re-       | 
sented  what  his  condition  had  done  to 
our  family.  We  realize  that  part  of  our 
resentment  stemmed  from  our  terrible 
frustration  in  not  knowing  what  on 
earth  we  could  do  for  him  and  wanting 
so  much  for  him  to  be  whole  and  nor- 
mal. Yes,  there  are  some  beautiful 
stories  of  children  being  trained,  but 
the  stories  of  the  children  who  have  no 
hope  at  the  present  time  and  the  agony 
their  parents  go  through  knowing  this 
is  not  too  often  made  known.  My  hope 
is  that  our  story  may  help  another 
parent  with  such  a  child,  who  knows  in 
his  own  heart  that  institutional  care  is 
the  only  solution  in  their  particular 
case. 

We  know  we  are  not  the  only  par- 
ents who  wonder  what  is  the  true  spirit 
of  their  chUd,  locked  up  inside  of  a 
damaged  body.  We  trust  that  they, 
along  with  us,  will  someday  meet  our 
children  on  a  spiritual  plane  so  that 
we  may  know  one  another  as  we  were 
intended  to  here  in  this  life.   D 


28     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


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PERSONAL  MENTION 

Assistants  in  volunteer  work  during 
February  and  March  were  Earl  and  Ro- 
sella  Flory,  Nampa,  Idaho.  The  Florys 
worked  at  the  Presbyterian  Indian  Mis- 
sion in  Arizona.  Mrs.  Flory  contributed 
an  article  for  the  Jan.  29,  1970,  Messen- 
ger. 

Serving  as  co-director  of  a  research 
project  providing  the  background  papers 
for  the  1970  White  House  Conference  on 
Childhood  and  Youth  is  Dan  Peterman, 
a  member  of  First  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Harrisburg,  Pa. 

Two  members  of  the  Community 
church  at  Golden  Valley,  Minn.,  Beth 
and  Marie  Snader,  have  been  tapped 
for  two-year  posts  in  Tanzania,  East 
Africa,  with  the  Christian  Service  Corps. 

Switzeriand,  the  U.S.S.R.,  Turkey, 
Lebanon,  Thailand,  and  Japan  were  on 
the  itinerary  of  A.  Blair  Helman's  one- 
month  tour  of  the  world.  The  president 
of  Manchester  College  participated  in 
the  tour  as  part  of  a  seminar  and  field 
study  of  educational  contrasts  around 
the  world. 

Hymnbook  for  Christian  Worship,  a 
joint  effort  by  the  American  Baptist  and 
the  Disciples  of  Christ  churches,  con- 
tains two  hymns  written  by  Messenger 
editor  Kenneth  I.  Morse,  "O  Christ,  We 
Climb  the  Hill"  and  "God  of  the  Moving 
Years."  A  joint  committee  representing 
the  two  denominations  selected  381 
hymns  for  the  new  edition,  among  them 
181  new  works  which  include  Mr. 
Morse's  two. 

A  long  ministry  was  honored  in  Feb- 
ruary when  members  of  the  Jones  Chapel 
church  in  Southern  Virginia  saluted  L.  A. 
"Granddaddy"  Bowman  on  his  ninety- 
fifth  birthday  Feb.  13.  Schoolteaching 
and  farming  are  among  Mr.  Bowman's 
pursuits,  but  his  career  has  been  the  min- 
istry, at  several  Virginia  churches,  in- 
cluding Jones  Chaf)el. 

Chairman  of  the  physics  faculty  at 
Bridgewater  College,  Dean  R.  Neher 
will  relinquish  that  post  for  the  director- 


ship of  the  Virginia  college's  C.  E.  ShuU 
Computing  Center.  Succeeding  Dr. 
Neher  in  the  physics  department  chair- 
manship will  be  Donald  L.  DeardorfT. 

Joseph  M.  Long  and  Virginia  Fisher 
will  serve  on  the  staff  for  the  new  At- 
lantic Northeast  District,  beginning 
Oct.  1,  1970,  as  executive  secretary  and 
associate  executive  secretary  respectively. 

A  Bridgewater,  Va.,  woman  who 
spent  her  life  serving  others  in  Appa- 
lachia  long  before  the  needs  of  that  area 
became  news  died  Feb.  11,  1970.  Nelie 
Wampier,  Bridgewater  College  alumna, 
schoolteacher,  and  a  co-founder  of  the 
Brethren  Industrial  School  in  Greene 
County,  Va.,  was  93. 

Funeral  services  for  Mrs.  Edward  K. 
(Ilda)  Ziegler,  71,  were  held  March  10 
at  Eglon,  W.  Va.  She  died  March  4  at 
Bakersfield,  Calif.,  where  her  husband  is 
pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples  who 
have  celebrated  golden  wedding  anni- 
versaries recently:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank 
Conway s,  Wenatchee,  Wash.;  the  Jacob 
Parkers,  Luke,  Md.;  and  the  Elmer  Gib- 
bles,  Lebanon,  Pa.  .  .  .  Three  couples 
from  Floyd,  Va.,  are  observing  fiftieth 
anniversaries;  the  L.  D.  Bowmans,  the 


SQiSdl^lO! 


April  12  National    Christian    College   Day 
April  27  — May  3     Mental   Health  Week 

May  3  Rural  life  Sunday 

May  3-10  National   Family   Week 

May  7  Ascension   Day 

May   10  Mother's  Day 

May  15-17  District  conference,   First  Virginia 

May   17  Pentecost 

May   17  Annual   Conference  Offering 

May  24  Trinity  Sunday 

May  30  Memorial   Day 

June   14  Children's  Sunday 

June   20-21  Church     of    the     Brethren     General 
Board,  Lincoln,   Neb. 

June  21  Father's  Day 

June   23-28  Annual   Conference,    Lincoln,   Neb. 

June  28  Christian    Citizenship   Sunday 


Wyatt  Slushers,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Posie 
D.  Weeks. 

Other  couples  marking  wedding  anni- 
versaries include  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carlos 
Morris,  Bunker  Hill,  111.,  fifty-four;  the 
Raymond  Armentrouts,  Modesto,  Calif., 
fifty-five;  the  Frank  Fishers  Sr.,  Clarence, 
Iowa,  fifty-six;  the  Haig  Kojakanians, 
Modesto,  Calif.,  fifty-six;  the  F.  E. 
Clevengers  Sr.,  Fostoria,  Ohio,  sixty- 
four;  and  the  T.  I.  Bowmans,  Port  Re- 
public, Va.,  sixty-five. 

PASTORS  AND  PARISHES 

A  retired  pastor  in  the  Evangelical 
United  Brethren  Church,  Dewey  Eder, 
has  accepted  a  part-time  counseling  and 
guidance  post  at  the  Bethel  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Naperville,  111.    The  an- 
nouncement of  his  part-time  work  there 
coincided  with  the  disclosure  of  the  call- 
ing of  Kenneth  Frantz  to  the  Bethel  pas- 
torate.  Pastor  Frantz  will  go  to  Naper- 
ville from  the  Stover  Memorial  congre- 
gation at  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 

Robert  E.  HoufF,  pastor  of  the  Har- 
risonburg, Va.,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
for  over  seven  years,  has  resigned  to  ac- 
cept a  summer  worker-priest  position  in 
the  National  Council  of  Churches'  pro-     1 
gram  of  ministry  in  the  national  parks.       ' 
For  the  summer  Mr.  Houff  will  be  em- 
ployed at  New  Mexico's  Carlsbad  Cav- 
erns National  Park,  conducting  interfaith 
services  and  working  as  a  ranger  guide. 

Western  Pennsylvania's  Morrellville 
congregation  at  Johnstown  honored 
Homer  C.  Hess  this  month  on  the  fif- 
tieth anniversary  of  his  ordination. 


POTPOURRI 

To  create  awareness  of  environment 
pollution  problems,  Manchester  College 
students  plan  a  day-long  Focus  on  En- 
vironment April  20.  Among  activities 
slated  are  two  lectures  on  environment, 
one  by  Dr.  Warren  G.  Hansen,  Purdue 
University,  and  one  by  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  attorney  James  M.  Barrett  III. 

Two  neighboring  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren congregations  will  operate  kinder- 


30     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


gartens  next  school  term.  Williamson 
Road  church,  Roanoke,  Va.,  will  con- 
tinue its  operation  of  one  of  the  longest 
established  kindergarten  programs  in  the 
area,  and  a  new  kindergarten  will  begin 
at  the  Cloverdale  church. 

Middle  Indiana's  Hickory  Grove  con- 
gregation has  a  solution  for  the  genera- 
tion gap.  Once  each  month,  Hickory 
Grove  youth  assume  responsibility  for 
Sunday  morning  worship.  The  traditional 
fare  is  there,  but  occasionally  worship 
has  been  in  drama  form. 

Three  congregations  are  dedicating 
new  facilities  this  spring.  Friendship 
church,  near  North  Wilkesboro,  N.C., 
will  dedicate  a  new  church  building  May 
31.  .  .  .  Meadow  Mills  congregation, 
Shenandoah  District,  will  participate 
April  26  in  dedication  ceremonies  for  a 
new  addition. ...  A  wing  on  the  educa- 
tional building  at  Southern  Ohio's 
Bradford  church  will  be  dedicated  April 
12. 

A  transatlantic  merger  of  two  inde- 
pendent religious  journals  will  occur  in 
June  1970,  when  the  British  ecumenical 
fortnightly.  New  Christian,  will  join 
The  Christian  Century,  ecumenical 
weekly  published  in  Chicago.  In  its  in- 

CUSSIFIED  ADS 

WANTED  —  Brethren  from  anywhere,  any  age,  to 
exchange  ideas  about  anything  and  everything, 
by  means  of  recorded  tape,  7'/2,  3%,  1%  i.p.s., 
two  track.  Reply  promised.  Write  or  send  tape 
to  Thurston  Myers,  Route  2,  Box  18,  Union 
Bridge,  Md.  21791. 

PRISON  EXPERIENCE  BOOKLET -A  pacifist's 
account  of  life  in  federal  prison  —  his  actions 
and  reactions.  Seventeen  months  of  experience, 
yours  for  50  cents  postpaid.  Valuable  for  draft 
counselors,  draft-exempt  ministers,  and  con- 
scription-age youth.  From  Whittier  Print  Shop, 
Springville,   Iowa  52336. 

WANTED  —  Able-bodied  custodian  for  full-time 
work  at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  McPherson, 
Kansas,  beginning  June  1,  1970.  This  could  be 
an  opportunity  for  a  retired  man  who  would 
like  to  be  actively  employed  for  a  few  more 
years  or  for  a  family  with  young  folk  ready  to 
enter  college.  Contact  Leonard  Lowe,  1200 
Glendale  Road,  McPherson,  Kansas  67460,  or  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  1500  E.  Euclid,  Mc- 
Pherson, Kansas  67460. 


itial  form  the  arrangement  provides  for 
expanded  international  and  ecumenical 
content  in  the  Century,  with  New  Chris- 
tian ceasing  separate  publication  and  its 
name  accompanying  the  Century's  on 
cover  and  masthead. 

OPPORTUNITIES 

A  three-week  European  tour  for 

Shenandoah  Valley  residents  and  alumni, 
parents  of  students,  faculty,  and  friends 
of  Bridgewater  College  will  be  hosted  by 
the  college  July  30  —  Aug.  20,  1970. 
Included  on  the  itinerary  are  stops  at 
Oberammergau  for  the  Passion  Play  and 
Stratford-on-Avon  for  a  Shakespearean 
play.  Inquiries  may  be  directed  to  Walter 
L.  Smith,  Alumni  Relations  Office, 
Bridgewater  College,  Bridgewater,  Va. 
22812. 

Camp  counseling  positions  are  open 
in  nine  Church  of  the  Brethren  camps 
for  children,  junior  highs,  and  youth.  In- 
quiries may  be  made  directly  to  each 
camp. 

Blue  Diamond,  Petersburg,  Pa.  16669 

Brethren  Heights,  Route  1 ,  Rodney, 
Mich.  49342 

Brethren  Woods,  Route  1,  Keezletown, 

Va.  22832 

Eder,  Route  1,  Fairfield,  Pa.  17320 

Missouri  District  camp,  contact  per- 
son; Marvin  Thill,  Route  3,  Box  121, 
Adel,  Iowa  50003 

Sugar  Grove,  2935  N.  Owens  Rd., 
Covington,  Ohio  45310 

Woodland  Altars,  Route  4,  Peebles, 
Ohio  45660 

Swatara,  Route  1,  Bethel,  Pa.  19507 

Woodbrook,  Route  2,  Mount  Airy, 
Md.  21771 


The  city  as  a  context  for  learning  will 
be  featured  in  the  annual  meeting  of  the 
Society  for  the  Advancement  of 
Continuing    Education    for    Ministry 

(SACEM),  at  St.  Paul  School  of  The- 


ology Methodist,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  June 
8-11.  Professional  leaders  in  continuing 
education  for  ministry  and  others  con- 
cerned for  enhancing  ministry  will  gather 
to  study  methods,  refine  theory,  explore 
curriculum,  and  learn  from  one  another. 
Information  is  available  from  SACEM, 
3401  Brook  Rd.,  Richmond,  Va.  23227. 


DEATHS 

Boop,    Paul   E.,    HoUidaysburg,    Pa.,   on    Feb.    27, 

1970.  aged  71 
Brandenburg,    Keefer    S.,    Westminster,    Md.,    on 

Feb.  25,  1970,  aged  88 
Brewer,   Mary,    South   English,    Iowa,    on   Jan.    9, 

1970,  aged  88 
Cook,  Roscoe,  Mount  Solon,  Va.,  on  Oct.  7,  1969, 

aged  60 
Dockeney.  Luther.  Martinsburg,  W.  Va.,   on  Jan. 

14,  1970.  aged  74 
Eakright.  Jasper,  Claypool,  Ind.,  on  Jan.  21,  1970, 

aged  79 
Ebbert,   Samuel  S.,  Quinter,    Kansas,  on   Feb.    17. 

1970,  aged  81 
Files,    Mervel,    Martinsburg,    W.    Va.,   on    Feb.    6, 

1970.  aged  64 
Flory,  Lucille,  Brookville,  Ohio,  on  Dec.   9,   1969, 

aged  78 
Furhman,    Mariah,    Neffsville,    Pa.,    on    Jan.    31, 

1970,  aged  90 
Goode,    Lorene    Eggleston,    Martinsville,    Va.,    on 

June  23,  1969.  aged  44 
Grubb,  Earle,    Martinsburg.  W.  Va.,  on   Jan.    19. 

1970,  aged  62 
Kaylor,   Anna,    Lebanon,    Pa.,    on    Jan.    19,    1970, 

aged  74 
Logan,  William,  Claypool,  Ind.,  on  Nov.  16,  1969, 

aged  90 
Marshall,    Ovie,    New    Oxford,    Pa.,    on    Jan.    21, 

1970,  aged  57 
Michael,  Boyd,  Sangerville,  Va.,  on  Dec.  25,  1969, 

aged  76 
Michael,   Steven,    Mount   Solon,   Va.,  on    Dec.    12. 

1969,  aged  85 

Neher,  Sarah  Rinehart,  Englewood,  Ohio,  on  Dec. 

8,  1969.  aged  90 
Pigg,  Cathleen  Vernon,  Martinsville,  Va.,  on  Oct. 

3,  1969,  aged  47 
Ross,  Dessie,  Greenville,  Ohio,  on  Feb.   21.   1970, 

aged  76 
Sholley,  Leah  B.,  Lebanon,  Pa.,  on  Feb.  27.  1970, 

aged  73 
Shull,  Rufus,  Mount  Solon,  Va.,  on  Sept.  5,  1969, 

aged  61 
Skelton,    Melvin,   Virden,    111.,   on    Feb.    25,    1970, 

aged  64 
Small,   Frances,  Martinsburg,  W.  Va.,  on   Feb.   5, 

1970,  aged  67 

Smith,  Odene,  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  on  Feb.  25,  1970, 

aged  46 
Spohn,  Charles,  Hutchinson,  Kansas,  on  March  3, 

1970,  aged  77 
Stahl,   Nettie   Hemminger,    Bakersfield,   Calif.,   on 

Feb.  9,  1970,  aged  90 
Stutzman,  Floyd  F.,  Metamora,  Ohio,  on  March  7, 

1970,  aged  55 
Wilson,    Pierce,   Wiley,   Colo.,   on   Dec.    16,    1969, 

aged  87 


4-9-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


/Vre 


\fes,  There  Are  Other  Options 


ren't  you  the  lucky  one?  You  may  already  have  won  the 
grand  prize  in  the  sweepstakes  —  one  hundred  dollars  a 
month  for  life,  or  the  luxury  holiday  for  two  in  Hawaii,  or 
the  new  sports  car,  or  the  color  television,  or  the  stereo 
phonograph,  or  the  mink  coat.  You  are  lucky  because  all 
you  need  to  do  is  to  return  your  claim  card  with  your  prize- 
winning  numbers.  You  have  nothing  to  buy,  but  of  course 
there  is  a  special  offer  that  you  cannot  afford  to  pass  up.  .  .  . 

So  the  invitation  runs  in  the  clever  advertisement  you 
find  in  your  mailbox.  The  accompanying  letter  assures  you 
that  you  are  one  of  a  carefully  selected  list  of  future 
prizewinners,  but  you  suspect  that  several  others  in  your 
neighborhood  are  just  as  "lucky."  Prize  contests  and 
sweepstakes  are  nothing  new.  The  new  wrinkle  is  the 
suggestion  that,  even  before  you  decide  to  enter,  "you  may 
already  have  won." 

To  pick  up  your  daily  newspaper,  on  the  other  hand, 
you  may  conclude  that  the  refrain  is  quite  the  opposite. 
Many  of  its  disturbing  headlines  suggest  menacingly  that 
"you  may  already  have  lost,"  that  someone  far  away  from 
you  is  busily  choosing  numbers.  And  even  before  you  have 
a  chance  to  decide  whether  you  are  in  the  contest  or  not, 
the  choice  has  been  made  for  you,  the  odds  are  drawn,  and 
you  don't  have  to  be  told  who  will  be  paying  the  bill. 

For  instance,  if  you  are  a  young  man  of  nineteen,  the 
draft  lottery  determines  if  and  when  you  may  be  called  for 
military  service.  Many  a  fellow  is  tempted  now  to  curse  the 
day  of  his  birth  or  at  least  to  wish  it  had  been  another  day. 

We  read  about  tragic  circumstances  in  Vietnam  or  Laos 
that  seemingly  cannot  be  changed  simply  because  of 
decisions  —  or  indecisions  —  made  several  years  ago.  You 
ask  about  present  options,  and  there  do  not  seem  to  be  any 
new  ones.  The  same  old  policy  continues  —  and  by  the 
time  the  public  knows  enough  about  a  situation  to  question 
a  dangerous  policy,  it  has  been  put  into  practice.  "You  may 
already  have  lost." 

Consider  the  reports  we  hear  about  the  erosion  of  our 
natural  environment,  about  the  almost  immediate  dangers 
of  air  and  water  pollution.  Study  the  timetables  showing  the 
number  of  years  we  have  yet  to  enjoy  the  breath  of  life 
God  intended  for  us.  These,  too,  make  us  wonder  if  we 


may  be  learning  —  too  late  —  the  facts  we  need  to  have 
to  save  our  environment  or  even  our  own  lives.  If  lakes  dry 
up  and  rivers  turn  to  poison,  if  the  air  is  not  fit  to  breathe 
and  a  mother's  milk  is  dangerous  for  her  newborn  baby, 
must  we  conclude  that,  in  the  sweepstakes  of  survival,  "you 
may  already  have  lost"? 

Are  these  the  best  alternatives  we  can  offer  to  young 
people  today?  Must  they  who  have  such  a  stake  in  the 
future  be  required  to  become  gamblers  with  destiny,  waiting 
to  see  how  the  dice  fall  or  the  wheel  turns?  We  should  not 
be  surprised  if  many  of  them  resent  the  idea  of  becoming 
pawns  in  the  hands  of  government  officials,  military  leaders, 
builders  of  financial  empires,  or  other  administrators, 
educators,  and  planners.  They  reject  —  and  rightly  so  —  a 
doctrine  of  man  that  views  them  as  statistics  to  be  recorded 
or  as  objects  to  be  traded  back  and  forth  in  the  games  that 
some  establishments  play  with  human  lives. 


It  strikes  us  that  the  church,  instead  of  merely  coun- 
seling the  young  to  be  quiet  and  to  be  satisfied  with  a 
system  that  offers  so  many  material  blessings,  ought  to  be 
in  the  business  of  demonstrating  that- there  are  other  op- 
tions, something  apart  from  bland  conformity  to  an  evil 
order  on  the  one  hand  and  a  violent  rejection  of  all  order 
on  the  other.  To  fulfill  this  role,  however,  the  church  itself 
must  change  in  at  least  two  directions.  It  must  recover  the 
vision  of  its  Lord  as  a  leader  who  is  dynamic  but  also 
gentle,  revolutionary  but  also  loving,  radical  but  also 
affirming.  Jesus  called  men  to  a  fresh  style  of  life  and  to 
an  action  movement  he  described  as  the  kingdom  of  God. 
The  recovery  of  this  vision  is  certainly  part  of  the  evan- 
gelistic and  teaching  task  of  every  church. 

But  this  means  also  that  the  church  caimot  remain 
static.  It  will  inevitably  be  caught  up  in  commitments  that 
place  it  at  odds,  sometimes  in  direct  conffict,  with  the 
society  of  which  it  is  a  part.  But  such  a  church  will  at  last 
come  alive  —  and  it  will  have  options  to  offer  because  it 
will  provide  an  instrument  through  which  God  himself  can 
operate  to  do  his  work  in  his  world  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    4-9-70 


Brd/irm 
Ad/iors 


BOOKS 


The  New  Left  and  Christian  Radicalism 


ARTHUR  G.  GISH 


Gods  and  Games 


DAVID  L.  MILLER 


This  book  is  an  attempt  to  bring  together  the  author's  experience 
in  the  protest  movement  with  his  left-wing,  sectarian  Christian 
heritage.  He  begins  by  analyzing  and  comparing  the  present  New 
Left  with  the  Left  Wing  of  the  Reformation  and  then  makes  his 
own  synthesis  of  these  two  radical  movements.  His  conclusions 
are  radical  both  theologically  and  politically.  The  book  is  written 
for  both  the  humanist  radical  who  has  never  seen  the  relevance 
of  theology  to  social  change  and  for  those  Christians  who  have 
never  realized  the  radical  social  implications  of  the  Christian 
faith.  Those  unhappy  with  both  the  theological  and  political 
establishment  will  find  this  book  stimulating.  $2.95  paper 


"Play  is  our  mythos.  Play  is  a  metaphor  of  contemporary  con- 
sciousness." Thus  David  Miller  describes  the  importance  of  the 
concept  of  play  In  religious  thought  today.  He  examines  game 
theories  In  anthropology,  literature,  psychology,  mathematics,  and 
philosophy.  These  fragmented  strands  of  contemporary  life  are 
brought  into  harnnonious  interplay  as  the  metaphors  of  game  and 
play  form  the  basis  of  a  unified  philosophy  of  life.  In  a  book 
that  is  sometimes  serious,  sometimes  playful,  he  argues  for  a 
theology  that  would  interpret  traditional  religion  as  play.  Such 
a  theology  would  think  of  resting  on  the  first  day  rather  than 
the  seventh,  for  leisure,  contemplation,  holiday,  and  play  do  not 
come  at  the  end  of  work;  they  are  the  bases  of  all  life.  $5.95 


The  Promise:  Ethics  in  the  Kingdom  of  God 


VERNARD  ELLER 


The  goal  of  the  Christian  life  is  to  usher  in  the  Kingdom  of  God. 
If  this  is  so,  then  the  final  test  of  the  Christian  In  the  field  of 
ethics  or  In  politics  or  anywhere  else  is  whether  his  life  tends 
toward  achieving  this  goal  or  preventing  it.  This,  says  Vernard 
Eller,  is  the  fundamental  basis  of  all  Christian  behavior.  The 
absolutist  ethics  of  bygone  days,  the  new  morality,  situation  ethics, 
and  all  the  rest  are  useless  for  they  are  all  systems  of  law,  and 
the  gospel  of  grace  is  the  creative  building  of  the  new  Kingdom. 
Not  only  is  this  book  persuasive,  it  is  an  inspiring  call  to  each 
individual  to  look  at  his  own  life  and  ask  himself:  Is  my  life 
creating  the   Kingdom  of  God   or   preventing   its  creation?        $5.95 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Learning  to  Live  in  Mission.  The  Missionary  Orientation  Center  at  Stony 
Point,  New  York,  offers  a  variety  of  experiences  for  persons  under  appoint- 
ment for  overseas  service.  Two  Brethren  couples  describe  the  orientation 
program,   by  David  and  Alice  Kreider,  Donald  and  Doris  Fancher.    page  2 

Take  Up  Your  Cross  — And  Relax!  A  British  visitor  to  American  church- 
es thinks  that  church  life  in  this  country  is  neither  as  depressing  nor  as  dis- 
maijing  as  its  critics  maintain.  He  sees  several  signs  of  hope  and  growth. 
by  Mark  Gibbs.    page  7 


Perspectives  on  the  70s,  Part  Two.  Continuing  a  review  of  Brethren 
comment  on  the  role  of  the  denomination  in  this  decade,  seven  contributors 
consider  the  church's  responsibility  in  working  for  justice  and  peace  and  in 
defining  its  place  in  a  secular  society,  by  Joseph  W.  Kennedy,  Bert  G.  Rich- 
ardson, Warren  E.  Miller,  Roy  A.  Johnson,  R.  Russell  Bixler,  Herbert  Hogan, 
and  Warren  F.  GrofiE.    page  14 


Normal  Volunteers  in  a  Research  Hospital.  Several  BVSers  are  in- 
volved each  year  in  research  projects  at  the  National  Institutes  of  Health  that 
frequently  "draw  blood."  Their  service  is  valuable  for  medical  research  and 
for  the  benefit  of  mankind,  by  Richard  Stutzman.   page  20 

A  New  Home  for  Stephen.  A  mother  tells  why  some  parents  must  learn 
to  accept  the  need  for  institutional  care  for  a  son  or  daughter,  by  Patricia 
Roop  Bubel.   page  26 

Other  featohes  include  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Leland  Slough  (page  6);  "Day  by 
Day,"  by  L.  Byron  Miller  (page  9);  a  series  of  four  poems,  "Lilacs  Out  of  a  Dead 
Land,"  by  Jeanne  Donovan  (page  10);  news  stories  concerning  "Relief  in  Nigeria"  and 
"A  Holy  Crusade?"  (page  12);  a  description  of  a  new  study  book  on  Brethren  history, 
reviewed  by  Donald  F.  Durnbaugh  (page  23);  and  a  look  at  recent  recordings,  by 
Wilham  Robert  Miller  (page  24). 


COMING  NEXT  I 


Arthur  J.  Goldberg,  former  Supreme  Court  justice  and  United  States  ambassador  to  the 
United  Nations,  describes  the  plight  of  Alaska's  Indians,  Eskimos,  and  Aleuts  in  their 
struggle  for  native  land  rights.  .  .  .  Verrmrd  Eller  examines  "The  Mad  Morality"  in  an 
excerpt  from  his  forthcoming  book  of  the  same  title.  .  .  .  "The  Joy  of  Believing"  cap- 
tures the  imagination  and  reflects  the  faith  of  M.  M.  Thomas.  VOL.    119    NO.    8 


T^ifti*.^.^ 


-•J^mtmKm). 


■  "*^w^^ws(Mi3s^  ■ 


"'^mt^fm-^.. 


/ 


Tie  spirit  sfiou/( 
not  groy\f  old' 


'M 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN    Jfe^   4/23/70 


readers  write 


DON'T  TAMPER 

WHICH  CHILD  SHALL  WE  GIVE  UP? 

(Feb.   12  Messenger) 

Kendra  Eve,  certainly  not!  Our  beautiful 
college  senior  who  will  begin  her  public 
schoolteaching  career  following  graduation 
in  just  seventy  days.  .  .  . 

Jeffrey  Dale,  absolutely  not!  Our  hand- 
some college  junior  presently  pursuing  a 
career  in  the  manufacture  of  electricity, 
the  stable,  good-natured  racing  car  enthu- 
siast. .  .  . 

Johnny  Dale,  unconditionally  not!  Our 
lovable  "Billy  Graham-Johnny  Carson"  col- 
lege freshman  who  faces  each  day  as  a  new 
challenge  for  living  hfe  at  its  fullest.  .  .  . 

Oh,  NO,  Mr.  Ben  Hansen,  Fm  glad  our 
three  "arrived"  before  you  began  laying 
ground  rules  limiting  our  family  to  two 
children.  Be  sterile  and  fruitless,  Mr.  Han- 
sen, but  please  don"t  tamper  with  our  fam- 
ily because  we  are  still  old-fashioned  enough 
to  believe  "lo,  children  are  a  heritage  of 
the  Lord." 

EvAMAE  Crist 
Hallam,  Pa. 

GOD'S   CONCEPT  OF   FAMILY 

"The  Two-Child  Family  Movement"  (Feb. 
12)  was  an  idea  which  has  needed  express- 
ing in  a  publication  for  some  time  even 
though  a  few  individuals  have  expressed  it 
personally  for  some  time. 

However,  as  I  finished  it,  I  felt  a  real 
concern  that  a  major  portion  of  the  idea 
was  missing,  or  at  least  left  unsaid  and 
therefore  missing  for  many  to  whom  the 
idea  may  be  new.  We  don't  so  much  need 
to  convince  ourselves  that  two  children  are 
all  a  family  should  have  as  we  need  to 
understand  God's  concept  of  "family"  and 
not  our  own  limited  concept. 


In  our  own  family  (five  children)  we 
firmly  believe  that  God  entrusts  parents 
with  children  in  more  than  one  way.  He 
may  give  them  to  us  biologically  —  if  we 
so  choose;  he  may  give  them  to  us  by 
adoption  —  if  we  so  choose;  or  he  may 
give  us  foster  children  —  if  we  so  choose. 
God  has  given  us  freedom  of  choice  and 
he   constantly  presents   opportunities  to   us. 

It  seems  an  important  part  of  Ben  Han- 
sen's article  that  we  should  talk  with  God 
about  what  size  family  we  should  have 
and  listen  to  him  carefully  as  he  tells  us 
in  what  way  he  will  send  us  children. 

Pat  M.  Wright 
Mt.  Joy,  Pa. 

WHO   IS   DISADVANTAGED? 

Glenn  Bucher's  article,  "The  God  of  Dis- 
content" (Feb.  12),  begins  by  suggesting 
that  for  many  of  us  our  education  has 
been  incomplete,  often,  "in  fact,  quite  dis- 
advantaged." He  proceeds  to  mention  sev- 
eral outstanding  Negroes  of  former  periods 
whom  most  of  us  who  have  progressed 
through  the  usual  rungs  of  the  American 
formal  educational  ladder  know  very  little 
about. 

One  of  those  whom  he  mentions  is  Fred- 
erick Douglass,  1817-95,  a  self-educated 
slave  who  rebelled  against  his  condition, 
escaped  to  freedom,  and  became  a  chief 
spokesman  for  the  liberation  of  his  race 
for  almost  two  generations.  Frederick 
Douglass  was  said  to  have  had  a  brilliant 
mind.  He  was  handsome  in  physical  ap- 
pearance. A  man  of  wisdom  and  great 
courage,  he  combined  his  talents  in  writ- 
ing and  speech  to  stir  the  American  con- 
science in  behalf  of  the  liberation  of  his 
race. 

Douglass    experienced   all    the    usual    in- 


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Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication:  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20.  1918 
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dignities  of  slavery  as  a  young  man  and'l 
because  of  his  rebellious  nature  was  at  one  I 
time  turned  over  to  a  "professional  Negro- 
breaker"  just  as  a  colt  would  be  turned 
over  to  a  trainer  to  be  broken.  He  was 
whipped  unmercifully.  He  wrote  later  of 
this  experience:  "I  was  not  afraid  to  die 
...  a  free  man  in  fact,  while  I  remained  a 
slave  in  form." 

In  later  years  Frederick  Douglass  was 
Marshal  to  the  District  of  Columbia  and 
also  was  once  our  minister  to  the  Republic 
of  Haiti. 

The  real  point  of  this  letter  is  that  my 
public  education  did  not  introduce  me  to 
Frederick  Douglass.  I  had  a  vague  notion 
that  he  was  somebody  who  had  done  some- 
thing. Not  until  the  summer  of  1969, 
while  browsing  in  the  bookstore  at  New 
Salem  State  Park,  III.,  during  a  thunder- 
shower,  did  I  discover  Frederick  Douglass 
for  who  he  was.  For  the  first  time  I  learned  i 
that  Douglass  was  bom  in  Talbot  County, 
Eastern  Shore  of  Maryland,  across  the 
Tuckahoe  River  from  where  I  was  born  in 
Carohne  County. 

Through  elementary  and  high  school  I 
education  in  Caroline  County,  no  one  told  1 
me  about  Frederick  Douglass.  While  there 
may  be  a  marker  there  now,  in  my  youth- 
ful meanderings  on  the  Shore  (once  slave 
territory)  I  do  not  recall  ever  seeing  a 
marker  calling  attention  to  this  remarkable 
Negro  man.   ' 

I  was  among  the  "disadvantaged"  in  my 
public  formal  education. 

RuFus  B.  King 
N.  Manchester,  Ind. 


AMERICANA? 

Four  popular  American  assumptions 
are: 

1.  The  inexperienced  should  plan  our 
future.  This  has  some  advantages  and  some 
limitations.  Most  youth  may  be  idealistic 
and  briUiant.  I  wasn't.  I  was  inexperienced, 
rebellious,  and  stupid.  Experience  caused 
me  to  modify  many  ideas.  Experienced 
adults  saved  me  from  many  tragic  mistakes. 
Even  yet  there  may  be  a  few  young  people 
like  myself.  A  few  adults  may  be  honest 
and  better  informed  than  those  with  less 
experience. 

2.  Minorities  shall  rule.  Which  minority? 
Probably  the  one  which  is  most  ruthless 
and  violent.  Is  democracy  then  obsolete? 
If  so,  let's  face  it.    Evidently  our  "democ- 


Page  one... 


racy"  is  bad,  but  the   alternatives   may  be 
worse. 

3.  Propaganda  should  control  us.  Neither 
religious  leaders  nor  scholars  have  any  bind- 
ing obligation  to  sweat  out  the  balanced 
truth  and  to  keep  the  public  informed  as 
they  plan  our  future.  You  just  pick  your 
minority  and  promote  their  line  of  propa- 
ganda. Thus  you  serve  God,  your  country, 
and  humanity. 

4.  Only  force  really  works.  Jesus  was 
mistaken.  Gandhi  was  wrong.  Pacifists  are 
deluded  people.  AU  the  great  victories  for 
peace  are  irrelevant. 

Is  this  what  you  think?  What  will  happen 
if  most  of  us  think  this  way? 

Roy  White 
Citronelle,  Ala. 

NO  CHOICE 

The  question  posed  in  the  Messenger 
editorial,  "A  Dream  or  a  Nightmare?"  (Jan. 
29)  is  not  really  a  question.  I  don't  think 
we  have  a  choice.  I  think  we  must  be  pre- 
pared for  both,  with  the  order  reversed. 
First  there  must  be  the  nightmare  and  then 
the   dream. 

The  nightmare  is  coming  because  it  is 
necessary,  in  the  natural  economics  of 
things,  for  everyone  to  pay  for  everything 
he  has  and  is  using.  If  he  cannot  pay  for 
any  of  it,  he  should  be  prepared  to  have  it 
taken  from  him. 

The  payment  for  all  the  things  we  have 
and  are  using  is  more  than  a  cash  payment. 
It  includes  payment  for  the  lives  we  have 
twisted  and  destroyed  in  the  process  of  get- 
ting all  this  for  ourselves.  It  also  includes 
payment  for  every  little  finger  belonging  to 
someone  else  that  we  have  crushed  as  we 
have  climbed  the  ladder  to  success.  It  in- 
cludes payment  for  what  we  have  done  to 
God's  good  earth.  Christians  already  know 
he  is  the  one  to  whom  it  belongs. 

People  who  think  they  have  worked  as 
hard  as  we  think  we  have  for  what  we  own 
do  not  take  kindly  to  balloon  clauses  in 
contracts.  But  again,  in  the  natural  econom- 
ics of  things,  those  balloon  clauses  are  there. 

When  the  balloon  clauses  strike  us,  one  by 
one,  there  may  be  many  who  will  find  them- 
selves bankrupt,  and  for  them  it  may  be  the 
merciful  end.  But  for  others  who  are  not 
bankrupt  and  who  will  pay,  it  will  be  a 
nightmare. 

Then  after  that  will  come  the  dream. 
Earl  E.  Snader 
Sandstone,  Minn. 


"Putting  it  to  bed"  is  the  way  editors  describe  the  act  of  finally  giving  up  a 
magazine  into  the  hands  of  the  printer. 

Weekly,  monthly  —  or,  as  in  the  case  of  Messenger,  every  two  weeks  — 
the  staff  of  a  magazine  holds  its  collective  breath.   For  under  the  pressures  of 
deadlines,  a  magazine  provides  infinite  opportunity  for  error:  a  misplaced  by- 
line; captions  and  photographs  interposed;  jumbled  poetry  lines;  credits  to 
whom  they  are  not  due;  and  typographical  errors  too  numerous,  humorous, 
and  embarrassing  to  mention.   Sometimes  a  photograph  or  a  solemnly  prom- 
ised manuscript  does  not  arrive  until  the  eleventh  hour,  and  the  hour  is  already 
past  "bed"  time. 

On  the  other  hand,  deadline  pressures  can  sometimes  spur  highly  crea- 
tive endeavors:  the  birth  of  a  new  poem;  a  different  and  attractive  way  to  use 
color  on  a  page;  or  the  arrangement  of  several  photographs  in  a  pleasing 
design.  And  sometimes,  the  pressure  seems  to  increase  everyone's  alertness: 
Where  is  the  permission  line  for  that  artwork?  Is  this  man's  name  spelled 
correctly?  Look,  the  tail  of  that  G  is  missing.  .  .  . 

For  the  crew  working  on  Messenger,  deadline  time  comes  every  two 
weeks  • —  actually  about  four  weeks  before  the  magazine  arrives  in  sub- 
scribers' mailboxes.  In  those  four  weeks  this  magazine  will  have  been  de- 
signed, printed,  folded,  cut,  stapled,  and  mailed  —  while  another  will  be  al- 
ready in  process.  But  we  hope  that  what  we  offer  from  the  pressures,  frustra- 
tions, and  excitement  of  our  deadline-bound  production  schedule  you  may 
read  and  savor  at  leisure. 

Just  as  a  magazine  is  often  defined  by  the  necessity  of  production  sched- 
ules, viTiters,  too,  relate  to  necessity  in  much  the  same  way  if  the  words  of  an 
old  pro,  Samuel  Johnson,  can  be  believed:  "Nothing  excites  a  man  to  write 
but  necessity."  You'll  want  to  determine  your  own  reasons  as  you  read  con- 
tributions in  this  issue  from  Vernard  Eller,  author,  educator,  and  theologian 
from  La  Verne,  California,  whose  publishing  schedule  includes  three  new 
books;  Roma  Thompson,  who  describes  her  activities  as  a  houseparent  in  her 
story;  M.  M.  Thomas,  Mar  Thoma  Syrian  Church  of  Malabar,  who  is  director 
of  the  Christian  Institute  for  the  Study  of  Religion  and  Society  and  chairman 
of  the  central  committee  of  the  World  Council  of  Churches;  and  Arthur  J. 
Goldberg,  former  Supreme  Court  Justice  and  United  States  ambassador  to 
the  United  Nations,  who  is  serving  as  counsel  to  the  Alaska  Federation  of 
Natives  as  a  public  service. 

Among  other  contributors  are  poet  Ruth  B.  Statler,  who  has  had  several 
volumes  published:  two  novels,  a  biography,  and  a  collection  of  notations  on 
Brethren  hymnody.  .  .  .  Layman  Wayne  Huntley,  whose  article  was  his  dis- 
trict moderator's  address,  now  chairs  the  commission  on  nurture  for  the  South- 
eastern District.  He  lives  at  Rutherfordton,  North  Carolina.  .  .  .  Chicago 
resident  Richard  A.  Livingston,  a  former  BVSer  and  an  alumnus  of  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary,  currently  teaches  school  while  working  on  a  degree 
in  church  music  and  singing  in  Chicago's  Rockefeller  Chapel  Choir. 

The  Editors 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     1 


m  mmiM^  mm 


And  Moses  turned,  and  went  down  from 
the  mountain  with  the  two  tables  of  the 
testimony  in  his  hands,  tables  that  were 
written  on  both  sides;  on  the  one  side 
and  on  the  other  were  they  written.  And 
the  tables  were  the  work  of  God,  and  the 
writing  was  the  writing  of  God,  graven 
upon  the  tables.   When  Joshua  heard  the 
noise  of  the  people  as  they  shouted,  he 
said  to  Moses,  "There  is  a  noise  of  war 
in  the  camp."  But  he  said,  "It  is  not  the 
sound  of  shouting  for  victory,  or  the 
sound  of  the  cry  of  defeat,  but  the  sound 
of  singing  that  I  hear."  And  as  soon  as 
he  came  near  the  camp  and  saw  the  calf 
and  the  dancing,  Moses'  anger  burned 
hot,  and  he  threw  the  tables  out  of  his 
hands  and  broke  them  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain.  —  Exodus  32: 15-19 


Ut'strue!  It's  in  the  book!  Moses, 
the  very  first  person  to  see  the  Ten 
Commandments,  immediately  got  mad 
and  broke  them  in  disgust  —  smashed 
them  to  smithereens.  Nobody  since 
has  done  a  more  thorough  job  of  it. 

But  the  situation  calls  for  more 
attention.  Moses'  disgust  was  just  the 
opposite  of  ours;  he  was  disgusted  not 
with  the  commandments  but  with  the 
behavior  of  the  children  of  Israel.  We 
get  disgusted  with  the  commandments, 
because  we  want  to  behave  like  the 

From  Vernard  EUer's  new  book,  The  Mad 
Morality:  Or  the  Ten  Commandments  Re- 
visited. Copyright  ©  1970  by  Abingdon 
Press.  $2.79. 


children  of  Israel.  All  of  us  at  times 
have  wished  we  could  join  Moses  in 
demolishing  those  stone  tablets;  then 
we  wouldn't  have  to  worry  about 
breaking  the  commandments  in  the 
other  sense  of  the  term. 

But  are  the  Ten  Commandments  all 
that  bad?  Perhaps  we  have  not  given 
them  a  fair  hearing;  after  all,  the 
spokesmen  of  the  people  to  whom  they 
were  originally  given  —  that  is,  the 
writers  of  the  Old  Testament  — 
considered  them  to  be  God's  greatest 
gift  to  man.  How  does  that  figure? 

We  tend  to  see  the  Ten 
Commandments  as  repressive, 
negative,  binding,  limiting.  They 
obstruct  our  freedom,  hold  us  back, 
keep  us  from  having  any  fun,  crush  our 
flowering  little  personalities.  That  we 
see  them  so  is  largely  our  own  problem 
—  because  we  never  have  really 
experienced  what  it  means  to  be 
squelched  and  oppressed.  But  the 
children  of  Israel  knew;  they  had  just 
been  freed  out  of  slavery. 

The  people  who  were  gathered  at 
Mt.  Sinai  to  receive  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments represented  a  group  that 
had  lived  as  slaves  of  the  Egyptians  for 
hundreds  of  years  —  much  longer  than 
the  black  man  had  to  endure  slavery 
in  America.  Also,  their  lot  was  harder, 
their  suffering  more  intense,  and  their 
situation  much  more  hopeless  than 
ever  was  the  case  with  American 
slaves. 


And  then,  quite  without  warning 
and  by  sheer  miracle,  as  it  were,  this 
God  Yahweh  came  along,  turned  these 
people  loose,  and  kept  their  former 
owners  from  getting  at  them.  These 
were  the  people  who  received  the 
commandments.  The  one  central, 
overwhelming  fact  of  their  existence 
that  they  were  free  men  —  and,  thanks 
to  Yahweh,  having  gotten  that  way, 
they  intended  to  stay  that  way. 


■0". 


his  is  the  only  proper  background 
against  which  to  understand  the  Ten 
Commandments.  And  we  are  not  left 
to  guess  on  this  matter;  commandments 
themselves  set  the  stage.  We  ought  not 
to  think  that  the  Ten  Commandments 
begin  with  Commandment  Jl ;  the 
preceding  verse  is  the  most  important 
of  all.  Exodus  20:2  reads:   "I  am  the 
Lord  your  God,  who  brought  you  out 
of  the  land  of  Egypt,  out  of  the  house 
of  bondage." 

Yahweh  is  saying  in  effect:   "You 
are  free  men,  right?" 

"Right!" 

"And  it  took  me  to  get  you  that 
way,  right?" 

"Right!" 

"I  have  rather  adequately  demon- 
strated that  your  freedom  is  my  prime 
concern,  right?" 

"Right!" 

"And  having  done  what  I  did,  I  have 
proven  myself  to  be  the  world's 


2     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


ONE 

DAY 

LAST 

SUMMER 


The  use  of  alcohol  often  leads  to  destruction,  as  in  the  many  instances  when  drunken  drivers  are  involved  in  fatal  traffic  accidents.  "Thafs  why  it's  called  'fire 
water.'  Molotov  cocktails  have  killed  far  fewer  people  than  the  other  varieties  have.  'Mad'  magazine  has  underlined  that  truth  beautifully  in  Don  Martin's  car- 
loon  above,"  says  Eller 


MAD  MORALITY  /  continued 

leading  expert  on  freedom,  right?" 

"Right!" 

"Fine!  Then  let  old  Yahweh  give 
you  a  few  helpful  tips  on  how  to  be 
free  men  and  stay  that  way,  okay? 

"You  people  don't  know  it,  but  you 
stand  in  danger  of  losing  your  new 
freedom.  No,  it  is  not  that  the 
Egyptians  are  about  to  repossess  you; 
I  took  good  care  of  them.  But  in  the 
first  place,  there  are  a  lot  of  other  gods 
around  here  who  would  dearly  love  to 
have  you  sign  on  with  them.  They  will 
make  you  big  promises  about  the 
freedoms  they  have  to  offer.  But  be 
careful!  I've  already  proved  that  I  am 
the  God  of  freedom,  right?" 

"Right!" 

"What  these  gods  offer  as  freedom 
always  turns  out  to  be  slavery  — 
that's  why  they  are  false  gods.  One 
God  frees  men;  any  other  god  enslaves 
men  —  that's  the  difference  between 
the  true  God  and  false  gods.  Therefore 
.  .  .  you  free  men  shall  have  no  other 
gods  besides  me,  right?" 

"Right!" 

"In  the  second  place,  there  are  a 
lot  of  'free'  people  around  who  wUl 
make  free  in  inviting  you  to  join  them 
in  setting  up  graven  images.  They 
carve  figures  of  animals  or  of  men  or 
of  the  sun  and  moon  to  use  in  their 
worship.  But  whenever  any  object 
commands  more  attention,  service,  or 
homage  —  more  of  yourself  —  than 
it  actually  deserves,  that  is  slavery  .  .  . 
just  as  you  had  to  give  your  Egyptian 
overlords  more  of  yourselves  than  they 
justly  could  claim.  Is  that  right?" 

"Right!" 

"So  .  .  .  you  free  men  shall  not 
make  for  yourselves  a  graven  image, 
right?" 

Et  cetera  through  Commandments 
#3,  4,  5,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and  10. 

Well,  that  all  sounds  very  nice;  but 
you  can't  deny  that  the  Ten 


Commandments  have  all  those  knots 
in  them:   "You  shall  NOT  do  this. 
You  shall  NOT  do  that.  You  shaU 
NOT  do  the  other."  They  are  as 
negative  as  all  get-out. 

But  that  can  be  taken  as  an  indica- 
tion that  they  are  guarantees  of 
freedom! 

Say  that  again? 

Absolutely.  The  negativity  of  the 
commandments  marks  off  small  areas 
into  which  free  men  ought  not  go  — 
precisely  so  that  they  can  remain  free 
to  roam  anywhere  else  in  the  great 
wide  world.  Consider  a  positive 
command,  such  as:   You  shall  always 
leave  a  school  building  through  a  red 
painted  door.  Over  against  that  put 
the  negative  command:   You  shall  not 
leave  school  buildings  through  red 
painted  doors.  Which  command  frees 
more  kids  to  get  out  of  more  school 
buildings  more  of  the  time?  Obviously, 
a  negative  command  can  prohibit  one 
action,  precisely  in  order  to  free  one 
for  a  host  of  others,  whereas  the 
positive  requirement  can  force  one 
into  a  given  course  of  action  and  deny 
him  the  possibility  of  all  others.  If  the 
Ten  Commandments  are  correct  in 
spotting  the  threats  to  hiunan  freedom, 
then  the  negativity  of  their  wording  is 
indeed  the  invitation  for  man  freely  to 
find  whatever  style  of  life  suits  him  — 
as  long  as  he  avoids  these  few  pitfalls 
that  would  destroy  his  freedom 
altogether. 

Mad  magazine  shows  at  least 
something  of  the  same  understanding 
of  freedom  that  the  Ten  Command- 
ments do.  Although  for  pragmatic 
reasons  the  Mad  men  might  be  inclined 
to  deny  it,  their  magazine  is  dedicated 
to  helping  kids  become  free  and  stay 
free.  In  one  sense,  all  good  humor  and 
satire  is  a  means  by  which  people  can 
rise  above  the  pettinesses,  the 
stupidities,  and  the  injustices  that 


\ 


threaten  to  enslave  them.  Once  a 
threat  can  be  laughed  at,  it  is  much 
less  of  a  threat. 

Mad  is  dedicated  to  freedom,  and 
kids  sense  this  —  that  is  why  they 
rush  to  read  the  stuff.  The  very 
reading  gives  one  a  certain  sense  of 
freedom.  Right? 

"Right!" 

But,  it  must  be  said,  there  are  also 
a  lot  of  other  magazines  that  are 
dedicated  to  the  cause  of  freedom  — 
Playboy,  for  instance.  The 
difference  is  that  Mad  shares  a  secret 
with  the  Ten  Commandments  of  which 
Playboy  has  heard  never  so  much  as  a 
whisper.  Playboy's  concept  of 
freedom  is  to  discard  the  Ten 
Commandments,  not  use  them.  Either 
by  direction  or  indirection,  there 
probably  is  not  one  of  the  command- 
ments the  breaking  of  which  Playboy 
does  not  advocate.  When,  both  in  its 
ads  and  in  its  text,  cheek  by  jowl 
Playboy  pumps  both  fast  cars  and 
liquor,  it  even  forfeits  its  right  to  get      i 
serious  about  "you  shall  not  kill."         |] 

Mad,  on  the  other  hand,  sees,  with 
the  Ten  Commandments,  that  there 
are  many  vaunted  freedoms  which  in 
fact  lead  to  slavery.  The  difference  is 
that  the  Ten  Commandments,  upon 
seeing  these,  warns  against  them;  Mad 
makes  fun  of  them.  Both  are  effective  i 
means  of  showing  up  falsity.  Mad's 
satire  would  not  come  off  as  success- 
fully as  it  does  were  it  not  coming  close 
to  the  truth  about  falsity  of  which  it 
ridicules.  Satire  succeeds  only  when 
it  carries  a  good-sized  load  of  truth. 

Free  men  get  that  way  and  stay  that 
way  by  steering  clear  of  fake  freedoms. 
Both  the  Ten  Commandments  and 
Mad  understand  this;  and  the  very 
fakes  that  the  commandments  warn 
against  are  those  that  Mad  ridicules. 
If  you  don't  believe  that,  then  just 
stick  with  us.   D 


4     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


It  takes  understanding,  ingenuity,  and 
unlimited  energy  when  you  are 


(S[]q8D(o1[?©dq 


fo^  [S®ODQ(o] 
ir[jQ®OijQ[o)g®DQ 


LnJow  many  wives  do  you  have?" 

"One." 

"What  nationality  are  you?" 

"American." 

"And  you  have  thirty-five  children, 
how  can  that  be?" 

"I'm  a  housefather  at  Hillcrest 
School  here  in  Jos." 

My  husband  Jan  and  I  encounter 
many  such  questions  as  well  as  stares 
and  comments  when  we  meet  and  talk 
to  people  in  the  Jos  area  while  on 
outmgs  with  the  children  of  one 
dormitory  at  Hillcrest  School.  This 
conversation  developed  one  afternoon 
last  year  when  "Uncle"  Jan,  as  the 
children  call  him,  was  taking  a  little 


girl  to  the  local  Bata  shoe  store  for  a 
new  pair  of  tennis  shoes. 

How  can  houseparents  claim  to  be 
the  "parents"  of  these  children?  We 
do  think  of  them  as  our  children  and 
their  welfare  is  our  main  concern.  It 
must  be  that  way  because  these 
missionary  children  spend  thirty-six 
weeks  out  of  fifty-two  at  Hillcrest 
School  in  our  care. 

Hillcrest  was  established  in  1942  by 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to  provide 
an  education  for  the  children  of 
American  missionaries  in  Nigeria. 
Presently  it  is  operated  on  a 
cooperative  basis  with  twelve  mission 
groups  and  staffed  accordingly.  Eight 
of  the  twelve  mission  groups  board 
their  children  on  the  Hillcrest  grounds. 

The  children  come  from  various 


nations :   Denmark,  Great  Britain,  the 
United  States,  South  Africa,  Canada, 
Scotland,  Switzerland,  and  Germany. 
Their  parents  are  scattered  far  and 
wide :  in  Togo,  Dahomey,  Cameroons, 
Sierra  Leone,  Chad,  and  all  of  Nigeria. 
Obviously  we  have  a  wide  variety  of 
pupils,  staff,  and  interest  at  Hillcrest. 
What  does  a  housemother  do?  Go 
with  me  as  I  enter  one  of  the  four 
dormitories  housing  twenty-three 
children  ages  six  to  nine.  A  bell  rings 
loudly  and  clearly  and  I  greet  the  chil- 
dren with  "Good  morning,  girls,  it's  a 
lovely  morning.  Don't  forget  to  gather 
all  your  dirty  clothes  and  get  them  to 
the  laundry  before  the  breakfast  bell 
rings."  The  children  move  rather 
slowly  at  first.  They  enjoy  the 
companionship  of  two  or  three  room- 


Organization  is  the  key  word  at  Hillcrest  School  in  Jos,  Nigeria.    Meals  are  scheduled  starting  with  the  youngest  grades  first 


HOUSEPARENTS  /  continued 

mates,  and  they  have  to  decide  together 
what  to  wear  today.  As  Jan  walks 
down  the  boys'  hall  to  rouse  them  out 
of  bed  for  the  day,  he  finds  one  who 
has  been  reading  quietly  for  several 
minutes  while  the  others  are  whooping 
and  yelling,  planning  for  the  day's 
activities. 

The  children's  clothes  are  laundered 
in  a  central  system  operated  by  the 
Junior  Staif  (Nigerian  men)  and 
supervised  by  one  of  the  nearby  house- 
fathers. Each  room  in  every  dorm  has 
its  own  laundry  box.  Every  morning 
dirty  clothes  are  carried  to  the  laundry. 
By  late  afternoon  the  boxes  are  filled 
with  clean  clothes  and  returned  to  the 
proper  room. 

The  bell  rings  again  and  one  of  the 
children  asks,  "Is  that  go  up?" 

"Yes,"  I  reply,  "everybody  go  up 
for  breakfast." 

As  we  walk  to  the  central  dining 
room  we  discuss  whether  we  might  eat 
guinea  com  porridge  (hot  cooked 
cereal),  French  toast  with  syrup,  or 
fried  eggs  and  bacon.  Our  dining  room 
is  a  nice,  bright,  huge  room  on  the 
second  floor  with  tables  each  seating 
five  or  six  children.  The  Junior  Staff 
does  an  excellent  job  of  preparing  our 
food,  again  under  the  supervision  of  an 
expatriate  catering  manager.  As  the 
food  is  served  family  style,  each  of  the 
eight  houseparents  and  the  nurse  is 
responsible  for  the  serving  and  for  the 
good  table  manners  of  ten  or  fifteen 
children.  As  the  children  finish  their 
breakfast,  they  are  excused  and  they 
rush  to  the  dorm  to  brush  their  teeth 
and  gather  library  books  and  raincoats. 
Then  they  settle  down  to  play  until  the 
bell  rings  which  allows  them  on  the 
school  grounds. 

The  teachers  arrive  about  7:30  for 
corporate  devotions.  They  return 
afterwards  to  their  classroom  to 
complete  bulletin  board  notices  and 


prepare  to  greet  the  children  as  they 
arrive.  School  begins  for  the 
elementary  children  at  8:30.  During 
those  hours  in  the  morning,  Jan  and  I 
check  rooms  for  cleanliness  and  neat- 
ness. Sometimes,  I  hand-launder 
special  Sunday  dresses  or  trousers 
while  Jan  runs  errands  in  town,  super- 
vises the  work  of  the  yard  crew,  and 
does  a  variety  of  maintenance  work  on 
the  grounds.  The  steward  is  busy 
sweeping  and  scrubbing  bedrooms  and 
bathrooms,  preparing  a  clean  home  for 
the  children. 


LSach  Monday  we  have  home  staff 
prayers  together  and  once  a  month  we 
meet  to  discuss  future  programs  and 
events  as  well  as  problems  that  arise 
from  time  to  time. 

We  must  watch  the  clock,  though, 
because  at  1 1 :  30  we  go  to  the  dining 
room  for  lunch.  The  children  in  the 
first  three  grades  eat  from  1 1 :  30  to 
12:00,  cafeteria-style.  The  day 
students  (nonboarders)  carry  sack 
lunches  and  join  us  in  the  dining  room 
also.  Immediately  after  lunch  we  re- 
turn to  the  dorm  for  the  forty-minute 
rest  hour.  The  children  are  not 
required  to  sleep,  but  we  do  insist  that 
they  rest  quietly  on  their  beds  during 
this  time. 

While  the  children  rest,  the  steward 
polishes  their  shoes.  At  ten  minutes 
until  one  I  put  my  book  down  and  call 
out,  "You  may  get  up,  children."  They 
shout  joyously,  for  they  have  about 
fifteen  minutes  of  playtime  on  the  play- 
ground. After  the  bell  rings  for  school 
to  begin  in  the  afternoon,  Jan  and  I 
relax.  Often  in  the  hot,  dry  season  we 
go  to  the  local  club  pool  for  a 
refreshing,  cool  swim.  On  cool,  rainy 
days  we  often  settle  down  with  a  good 
book  or  visit  with  friends. 

One  of  the  difficult  tasks  of  caring 


for  all  these  children  is  trying  to  find 
an  activity  that  they  all  like  to  do. 
Swimming,  of  course,  is  a  favorite 
with  nearly  everyone,  and  when  it  is 
swimming  season,  we  make  very  good 
use  of  the  pool  financed  by  the  school 
for  the  students'  use.  Several  of  the 
children  who  have  rock  collections 
welcome  a  hike  to  a  nearby  river  for 
precious  stones.  Naturally,  there  are 
days  when  we  stay  home  and  the 
children  find  and  create  then-  own 
kinds  of  play.  Down  one  hall  a  group 
may  be  practicing  a  play  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  rest  of  the  dorm 
during  some  story  hour.  The  boys 
might  be  out  front  kicking  the  soccer 
ball  and  playuig  goalie.  There  will  be 
a  few  on  the  playground  swinging  and 
climbing  the  monkey  bars,  walking  on 
stilts,  making  clay  pots,  playing  house, 
coloring,  or  reading. 

All  of  the  children  need  to  be  a  part 
of  the  group.  They  all  miss  parents 
and  little  brothers  and  sisters,  though 
some  express  this  differently.  Some- 
times communication  is  the  problem. 
One  situation  that  required  much 
understanding  was  that  of  a  new  first- 
grader,  a  Danish  boy  who  understood 
and  spoke  very  little  English. 
Fortunately,  there  are  four  other 
Danish  children  living  with  us  who  xm- 
derstand  and  speak  English  very  well. 


v2/ne  night  as  Jan  was  supervising 
bath  time  and  checking  to  be  sure  cleani 
laundry  was  put  away  and  dirty  clothes  | 
put  in  the  box,  he  noticed  that  Ame's 
levis  were  very  dirty.  As  Jan  put  them 
in  the  laundry  box,  Arne  started  crying 
and  ran  to  retrieve  his  levis  from  the 
box.  After  much  talking  and  on 
discovering  a  second  pair  of  clean  levis 
in  the  drawer,  Arne  agreed  to  put  the 
dirty  ones  in  the  box  after  all. 
Several  days  later,  Jan  told  Arne 


6     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


44  There  isn't  time  to  consult  a  hook! 
We  must  fall  hack  on  our 
knowledge  and  experience 


that  it  was  time  to  put  the  second  pair 
of  levis  in  the  laundry  box.  But  Arne 
absolutely  refused  to  let  go  of  them. 
Jan  asked  him  to  take  his  bath,  and 
a  httle  later  when  Jan  went  down  to 
help  him  wash,  Arne  was  still  crying. 
After  his  bath,  he  told  one  of  the 
Danish  boys  laughingly  that  "Uncle 
Jan  forgot  to  wash  his  ears."  When 
Jan  tucked  Arne  in  for  the  night,  he 
found  Ame's  dirty  levis  under  the  bed. 
Jan  again  put  them  into  the  laundry 
box,  explaining  that  they  needed  to  be 
washed.  Then  Arne  really  cried  long 
and  loud.  After  consulting  with  the 
other  Danish  boy,  Jan  realized  what 
Arne  was  thinking  and  feeling.  Several 
days  ago  he  had  sent  up  his  one  pair 
of  levis  and  they  hadn't  come  back. 
Here  was  the  second  pair  about  to  be 
taken  from  him  and  he  just  couldn't 
lose  them,  too.  Jan  explained  that  the 
electricity  has  been  off  and  the  men  in 
the  laundry  had  much  to  do;  tomorrow 
morning  they  would  walk  to  the 
laundry  room  and  see  if  they  could  find 
Ame's  first  pair  of  levis. 

Arne  was  very  pleased  the  next 
morning  when  he  went  to  the  laundry 
and  saw  his  levis  in  the  basket  waiting 
to  be  ironed.  When  he  received  the 
clean,  ironed  levis  that  evening  he 
came  to  Jan  carrying  them,  wearing  a 
grin  nearly  from  ear  to  ear  saying, 
"See."  Now  we  have  no  problem 
getting  Ame  to  put  his  dirty  clothes  in 
the  laundry  box,  and  he  willingly  does 
his  share  of  the  chores  in  his  room. 
His  English  is  amazingly  understand- 
able and  he  loves  playing  and  rough- 
housing  with  "Uncle"  Jan. 

About  every  other  weekend  on 
Friday  night  we  have  active  games  on 
the  tennis  and  basketball  courts  where 
floodlights  are  available.  One  Friday 
evening  as  the  children  played  a  very 
favorite  game  called  "dare  base,"  I 
found  Debby  sitting  all  by  herself, 


crying  her  heart  out.  I  stopped,  sat 
down  with  her,  and  tried  to  comfort 
her,  waiting  patiently  for  her  to  stop 
crying  long  enough  to  teU  me  her 
problem. 

"What's  wrong,  Debbie?"  I  asked. 

"Oh,  Aunt  Roma,  I  just  had  to  sit 
here  and  cry  and  cry.  I'm  so  lonesome 
and  homesick  for  my  mommy  and 
daddy  and  Timmy,  I  just  had  to  cry." 
I  reassured  Debby  telling  her  that  it 
was  perfectly  all  right  to  cry  from 
lonesomeness  and  homesickness.  In 
fact,  I  told  her  that  we  all  feel  lonely 
and  homesick  at  various  times. 

vSAir  after-school  activities  are  many 
and  varied.  Piano  practice  is  one  of 
the  many  things  we  encourage.  Some 
evenings  the  third-graders  have 
arithmetic  or  spelling  homework  to  do. 
Every  child  writes  a  letter  home  each 
week  to  inform  his  parents  of  the  many 
happenings  at  Hillcrest.  It's  rather 
difficult  to  find  things  to  write  about  if 
we  haven't  done  anything  exciting  like 
getting  stuck  in  the  riverbed  while  out 
getting  sand  for  the  sandbox;  going 
to  Vom  on  a  picnic  and  climbing  rocks 
and  more  rocks;  or  going  for  a  hike 
and  getting  caught  in  a  rainstorm. 

After  supper  we  have  devotions  in 
the  dining  hall.  The  fifth-  through 
eighth-graders  go  to  supervised  study 
hall.  Our  children  might  have  a  short 
game  of  red  rover  or  soccer  while  Jan 
and  I  run  the  water  for  baths.  The 
children  take  their  baths,  put  on  their^ 
pajamas,  and  come  to  the  lounge  (our 
main  large  room)  of  the  dorm  for 
songs,  a  story,  and  devotions.  This 
time  together  in  the  lounge  gives  us 
opportunities  to  praise  the  children  for 
clean  rooms  and  pleasant  manners  or 
to  remind  others  that  they  haven't  been 
resting  quietly  enough. 

Then  we  hand  out  piUs!  We  try  to 


keep  the  children  well  and  healthy  with 
vitamin  and  flouride  pills  along  with 
the  antimalarial.  Usually  Jan  tucks 
the  boys  in  and  turns  off  their  lights, 
while  I  kiss  the  girls  good-night. 

Certainly  there  are  advantages  and 
disadvantages  to  sending  children  to  a 
boarding  school.  A  boarding  school 
does  require  separation  from  parents. 
It  hit  me  rather  hard  when  our  own 
preschooler,  who  enjoys  and  joins  in 
many  activities  at  Hillcrest,  said  after 
several  days'  separation,  "You  two  can 
go  home  to  America,  and  when  school 
is  over,  you  can  come  back  and  get  us. 
We'll  get  along  all  right." 

Earlier,  when  we  served  elsewhere 
in  a  churchman  position,  we  had  our 
moments  of  regret  at  having  to  send 
the  boys  to  Hillcrest  so  that  we  could 
serve  the  church  in  Nigeria.  Probably 
the  most  difficult  situation  for  me  to 
accept  was  the  boys'  independence 
after  they  had  been  to  school  for  only 
a  semester.  It  seemed  that  they  didn't 
really  need  their  mother  for  anything. 
Yet  at  the  same  time  they  were 
struggUng  at  wanting  to  be  accepted 
back  into  the  family  circle. 

Even  so,  there  are  definite  advan- 
tages also.  Few  parents  in  America, 
for  example,  are  in  a  position  to  send 
their  children  to  private  schools.  And 
it  is  significant  that  the  education  boys 
and  girls  receive  at  Hillcrest  is 
academically  sound.  Furthermore, 
high  moral  and  Christian  standards 
are  expected  of  every  staff  member. 

As  houseparents  for  thirty-five 
children,  when  we  need  to  act  in  a 
given  situation,  there  simply  isn't  time 
to  consult  a  book!  We  must  then  fall 
back  on  our  own  knowledge  and 
experience.  This  can  be  a  most 
difficult  task.  But  the  love,  kindness, 
and  understanding  which  we  must 
show  for  each  child  is  vital  to  his  total 
adjustment  to  school.   D 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     7 


m  GffloEiloTJTOIM^ 


The  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like  treasure 
hidden  in  a  field,  which  a  man  found  and 
covered  up;  then  in  his  joy  he  goes  and 
sells  all  that  he  has  and  buys  that  field. 
Again,  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  like 
a  merchant  in  search  of  fine  pearls,  who, 
on  finding  one  pearl  of  great  value, 
went  and  sold  all  that  he  had  and  bought 
it.  —  Matthew  13:44-46 


^. 


he  Hturgy  of  joy  is  intended  as  a 
celebration  of  joy,  of  rejoicing  in  one 
common  faith  and  common  vocation 
as  Christians.  I  have  been  looking  at 
several  verses  in  the  Bible  which  speak 
of  joy  and  found  that  these  two  para- 


bles of  our  Lord  describe  the  distinc- 
tive character  of  Christian  joy  in  the 
most  telling  manner.  The  man  has 
seen  a  treasure  hidden  in  a  field,  or  the 
merchant  has  seen  a  pearl  of  great 
price.  And  these  visions,  unknown  to 
others,  have  taken  possession  of  them. 
The  more  each  contemplates  what  he 
has  seen,  the  more  joyful  he  becomes. 

But  it  is  a  joy  which  also  produces 
an  agony,  because  he  must  make  haste 
to  possess  the  treasure  or  the  pearl.  It 
is  a  joy  which  has  in  it  a  restlessness, 
compelling  him  to  go  and  sell  all  that 
he  has  to  buy  it. 

The  sense  of  joy  at  being  possessed 
by  a  reality  other  than  oneself  and  the 


restlessness  arising  from  the  compul- 
sion to  possess  what  has  possessed  us 
are  basic  characteristics  of  creativity 
in  any  field  of  life.  Something  has  tak- 
en hold  of  me  and  I  must  explore  it. 
All  great  achievements  of  science,  the 
arts,  and  religion  are  the  results  of  such 
agonizing  pursuits  of  truth  compelled 
by  a  joyful  vision. 

In  the  film  The  Agony  and  the 
Ecstasy,  on  the  life  of  Michelangelo, 
the  artist  plods  on  under  the  command 
of  the  Pope,  painting  second-rate 
paintings  and  destroying  them  because 
in  not  fulfilling  a  joyful  vision  that  has 
possessed  him  he  is  not  expressing 
himself.  But  after  the  joyful  vision 


This  stone  sculpture 

relief  depicts  the 

supper  at  the  house 

of  Simon  the  leper 

in  Bethany  where  a 

woman  washed  the 

feet  of  Jesus  with 

precious  ointment 

8     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


takes  possession  of  him,  he  cares 
neither  for  Pope  nor  cardinals,  wealth 
nor  wrath  in  expressing  his  new  cre- 
ativity. The  ecstasy  of  the  vision  leads 
to  the  agony  of  the  artistic  creation,  at 
the  end  of  which  comes  the  ecstasy  of 
fulfillment.  This  is  most  so  in  the  joy 
of  believing,  in  the  life  of  faith. 

St.  Paul  speaks  of  his  life  as  one  of 
obedience  to  a  heavenly  vision.  The 
writer  of  the  Letter  to  the  Hebrews 
asks  us  to  run  the  race  that  is  set 
before  us,  coming  unto  Jesus  the 
I  author  and  founder  of  our  faith,  "who 
for  the  joy  that  was  set  before  him  en- 
dured the  cross,  despising  the  shame, 
and  is  seated  at  the  right  hand  of  the 
throne  of  God"  (12:2).  Today  I  want 
to  take  this  opportunity  to  set  before 
you  three  aspects  of  the  joyful  vision 
of  faith  and  the  agony  of  obedience  to 
that  vision. 


[F. 


irst  and  foremost,  the  joy  of  be- 
lieving lies  in  the  knowledge  that 
Christ  Jesus  has  taken  hold  of  me  and 
I  belong  to  him.  When  St.  Paul  speaks 
of  vision,  he  is  speaking  primarily  of 
the  reality  of  the  crucified  and  risen 
Christ  who  has  encountered  him  as  a 
living  reality  and  has  taken  hold  of 
him,  revealing  himself  to  his  inner  be- 
ing as  the  clue  to  the  knowledge  of 
God  and  man  and  the  path  to  a  new 
existence  in  righteousness.  From  then 
on,  the  life  of  St.  Paul  is  the  endless 
adventure  of  exploring  the  inexhausti- 
ble riches  of  the  mystery  and  meaning 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  of  making  him 
known  to  the  Gentiles  as  the  only 
name  by  which  man  can  be  saved. 
Writing  to  the  PhUippians  he  says: 
"All  I  want  is  to  know  Christ  and 
experience  the  power  of  his  resurrec- 
tion. ...  I  do  not  claim  that  I  have 
already  succeeded  in  this,  or  have  al- 
ready become  perfect.  I  keep  going  on 


to  try  to  possess  it,  for  Christ  Jesus  has 
already  possessed  me"  (3:10,  12, 
Today's  English  Version). 

This  has  been  true  whenever  men 
have  been  gripped  by  the  vision  of 
Jesus  Christ  as  the  clue  to  the  ultimate 
purpose  of  human  existence  and  fulfill- 
ment. He  appears  differently  with 
each  new  question  of  the  purpose  of 
human  existence.  If  our  question  is  of 
sin  and  guilt,  he  is  our  savior;  if  our 
question  is  of  disease,  suffering,  and 
death,  he  is  our  healing  and  our  resur- 
rection. If  our  question  is  of  the 
knowledge  of  God,  he  is  the  revelation 
of  the  Father;  if  it  is  of  structures  of 
evil  in  our  corporate  life,  he  is  the 
Lord  who  subjugates  all  principaUties 
and  powers;  if  it  is  of  social  justice,  he 
is  the  bearer  of  the  kingdom  of  love 
and  righteousness;  if  it  is  a  question  of 
atomic  catastrophe  and  universal 
chaos,  he  is  the  cosmic  Christ. 

People  who  have  been  searching  for 
ideologies  as  the  dynamic  of  social  ac- 
tion have  at  various  times  found  in 
Jesus  the  pacifist,  the  liberal  democrat, 
or  the  socialist.  Even  men  outside  the 
church  have  been  challenged  by  the 
personality  of  Jesus  Christ  and  at- 
tempted to  understand  him  within  their 
own  categories  of  thought  and  life. 
The  truth  is  that  no  framework  of 
doctrine  which  men  have  formulated 
has  been  able  to  apprehend  him  fully. 
As  someone  has  said,  Jesus  walks  out 
of  every  frame  with  which  we  seek  to 
turn  him  into  a  static  picture  hanging 
on  our  walls.  And  today,  with  the 
large-scale  rejection  of  primitive  myths 
and  classical  metaphysics  in  the  name 
of  scientific  patterns  of  thinking,  there 
are  people  who  cannot  believe  in  the 
traditional  symbols  and  concepts  of 
religion  but  still  continue  to  be  com- 
mitted to  Jesus  Christ  as  the  source 
and  goal  of  ultimate  meaning  and 
purpose  in  life. 


I  have  said  all  this  only  to  indicate 
that  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ  is  more 
and  beyond  all  our  understanding  or 
even  experience  of  him.  As  one  of  our 
Indian  theologians.  Justice  Chenchiah, 
used  to  say,  "The  only  fixed,  im- 
mutable, absolute  center  in  Christianity 
is  the  fact  of  Christ";  and  it  is  danger- 
ous for  us  to  be  burdened  with 
absolutized  doctrines  and  traditions  or 
they  will  become  substitutes  for  direct 
encounter  and  vision  of  the  person  of 
Jesus  Christ.  We  shall  certainly  con- 
tinue to  explore  the  truth  of  his  person 
in  both  traditional  and  new  frame- 
works of  doctrine,  ideology,  and  life. 
But  the  dynamics  of  this  come  from 
our  direct  vision  of  the  person  of  Jesus 
Christ,  who  has  encountered  us  on  the 
way  to  the  meaning  of  our  existence 
and  made  us  his  own.  We  seek  to 
apprehend  him  who  has  first  appre- 
hended us  and  compelled  us  joyfully 
to  surrender  ourselves  to  him  as  our 
Lord  and  our  God  and  constrained  us 
to  proclaim  him  to  all  men. 


^, 


he  second  aspect  of  the  Christian 
vision,  which  brings  both  joy  and  the 
agony  of  obedience,  is  the  vision  of 
which  St.  Paul  speaks  as  the  groaning 
and  travaihng  in  pain  of  the  whole 
creation  for  liberation;  that  is,  for  its 
renewal  and  perfection  in  Christ. 
Here,  of  course,  is  the  Christian  basis 
for  man's  adventure  in  science  and 
technology  and  all  fields  of  exploration 
and  the  conquest  of  nature  and  the 
cosmos.  But  I  would  like  especially  to 
emphasize  the  groaning  of  mankind, 
of  men  and  women  struggling  for 
abundant  life  and  the  realization  of 
their  dignity  as  human  beings  in 
society  and  the  vision  of  the  new 
humanity  in  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
promise,  judgment,  and  fulfillment  of 
their  struggles. 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     9 


JOY  OF  BELIEVING  /  continued 


The  Vatican  Council  document  on 
the  pastoral  constitution  of  the  church 
in  the  modem  world  and  the  Uppsala 
WCC  Assembly  report  on  renewal  in 
mission  emphasize  the  relevance  for 
the  contemporary  world  of  this  aspect 
of  the  Christian  vision.  As  the  Uppsala 
report  says :   "There  is  a  burning 
relevance  today  in  describing  the 
mission  of  God  in  which  we  participate 
as  the  gift  of  a  new  creation,  which  is 
a  radical  renewal  of  the  old,  and  the 
invitation  to  men  to  grow  up  into  their 
full  humanity  in  the  new  man  Jesus 
Christ." 

It  goes  on  to  say  that  in  the  incar- 
nation and  the  resurrection  of  Jesus 
Christ  "a  new  creation  was  bom,  and 
the  first  goal  of  history  was  assured, 
when  Christ  as  head  of  that  new 
humanity  will  sum  up  all  things." 

Writing  to  the  Corinthians,  St.  Paul 
sees  in  the  risen  Christ  "the  firstfruits" 
of  the  re-creation  of  humanity,  the 
inaugmation  of  a  movement  through 
which  Christ  establishes  his  reign  over 
all  rule  and  all  authority,  leading  in  the 
end  to  the  destmction  of  death  the  last 
enemy  and  the  summing  up  of  all 
things  in  his  second  coming,  and  finally 
delivering  the  kingdom  to  the  Father, 
that  God  may  be  all  in  all.  This  vision 
of  the  presence  of  the  victorious  Christ 
and  the  movement  of  the  kingdom 
taking  control  of  history  brings  infinite 
joy,  the  joy  of  hope.  But  it  also  com- 
pels us  to  participate  with  him  in  the 
work  of  the  kingdom  in  the  rough  and 
tumble  of  history. 

When  C.  F.  Andrews  began  his 
career  in  India  he  said  that  the 
fundamental  vision  of  the  church  in 
India  should  be  that  of  "Christ,  the  son 
of  man,  suffering  in  each  indignity 
offered  to  the  least  of  his  brethren; 
Christ,  the  giver  of  abundant  life  to 
noble  and  aspiring  sons;  and  Christ, 
the  divine  head  of  humanity  in  whom 


all  the  races  of  mankind  are  gathered 
into  one." 

In  his  book  What  I  Owe  to  Christ, 
Andrews  speaks  of  the  vision  which 
compelled  him  to  spend  himself  in  the 
service  of  the  Indian  coolie  laborers 
who  were  suffering  oppression  in  dif- 
ferent parts  of  the  world.  Once  sitting 
on  the  veranda  of  his  house,  he  saw  an 
Indian  coolie  burdened  with  many 
cares  and  oppressions  coming  up  the 
path  to  the  house.  When  Andrews 
looked  closely,  he  recognized 
him  as  the  runaway  coolie  he  had 
seen  in  Natal  in  South  Africa. 
Andrews  says:   "As  I  was  looking  the 
face  seemed  to  change  in  front  of  me 
and  appeared  as  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ."  Then  he  disappeared.  That 
vision  of  identifying  the  Indian  coolie, 
struggling  for  his  humanity,  as  Jesus 
himself  became  the  dynamic  of  his 
vocation  of  service. 

No  talk  of  the  joy  of  Christian 
believing  is  valid  today  unless  we  are 
possessed  by  the  vision  of  Christ  and 
his  kingdom  involved  in  the  stmggle 
of  the  people  in  all  parts  of  the  world 
against  ignorance,  poverty,  disease,  and 
oppression.  The  people's  awakening 
everywhere  to  the  dignity  of  selfhood 
and  to  their  right  to  participate  in 
centers  of  power  and  their  right  to 
bread  and  life  and  the  struggles  for 
development  must  be  seen  within  the 
context  of  the  new  humanity  offered  in 
Jesus  Christ.  As  Nicolas  Berdiaev  has 
said,  the  problem  of  my  bread  is  a 
material  problem,  but  the  problem  of 
my  brother's  bread  is  a  spiritual 
problem.  No  fear  of  politics,  no  fear 
of  revolutionary  changes  should 
prevent  us  from  pursuing  the  con- 
straints of  our  joyful  vision  of  the 
kingdom,  to  the  point  of  participation 
in  their  struggles.  As  the  Uppsala 
Assembly  has  said,  the  criterion  of 
Christian  mission  in  our  time  is 


"whether  it  places  the  church  alongside 
the  poor,  the  defenseless,  the  abused, 
the  forgotten,  and  the  bored." 


'H 


thirdly,  there  is  the  vision  of  Christ 
in  our  day  renewing  and  making  his 
church  to  be  a  worthy  instrument  and 
the  firstfmits  of  the  kingdom  among 
men.  As  the  epistle  to  the  Ephesians 
(1:23)  says,  "the  fulness  of  him  who 
fills  all  in  all,"  to  whom  is  committed 
the  word  of  reconciliation  in  a  world 
alienated  from  God  and  sorely  divided, 
is  a  source  of  joy.  But  it  is  a  joy  which 
constrains  us  to  new  efforts  at  renewal 
and  unity  because  we  know  only  too 
well  the  churches  are  far  from  the  only 
holy  catholic  and  apostolic  church, 
which  is  their  tme  reality.  At  this 
point,  the  word  of  the  Lord  which  is 
the  source  of  joy  should  become  "a 
burning  fire  shut  up  in  (oxu")  bones" 
(Jeremiah  20:9),  so  that  we  become 
restless  for  the  new  life  which  God  is 
giving  to  the  church.  It  is  thus  that  the 
church  already  can  sing  with  "the  voice 
of  joy,  the  voice  of  gladness;  the  voice 
of  the  bridegroom  and  the  voice  of  the 
bride,  the  voices  of  those  who  sing  .  .  . 
'Give  thanks  to  the  Lord  of  hosts,  for 
the  Lord  is  good,  for  his  steadfast  love 
endures  forever!'  For  I  will  restore 
the  fortunes  of  the  land,  as  at  first,  says 
the  Lord"  (Jeremiah  33: 1 1). 

Now  unto  him  who  is  able  to  keep 
you  from  falling  and  present  you 
faultless  and  joyful  before  his  glory  — 
to  the  only  God  our  Savior,  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord,  be  glory,  majesty, 
might,  and  authority  from  all  ages  past, 
and  now,  and  forever  and  ever. 
Amen.    D 

"The  Sermon  at  the  Tulsa  Ecumenical 
Service,"  by  M.  M.  Thomas,  copyright  © 
by  The  Ecumenical  Review,  Vol.  XXI,  No. 
2,  April  1969,  pp.  130-134.  Used  with  per- 
mission. 


10     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


dayhirday 


Our  day-by-day  activities  these  two  weeks  will  center 
around  our  perception  through  the  eyes  of  a  child.  In  the 
thinking  of  our  Lord,  the  child's  mind  is  a  good  place.  He 
specifically  said  that  in  order  to  know  the  kingdom  of 
God,  we  must  be  like  little  children. 

Their  simplicity  and  honesty  both  amaze  and  perplex 
us,  but  we  are  thankful  for  them.  How  beautiful  upon  the 
pavement  are  the  little  feet  of  those  who  see  things  as 
they  reaUy  are. 

Suggested  activities 

1.  Take  a  hike  with  a  smaU  child  in  the  city.  It  just 
might  be  that  you  could  get  an  entirely  different  perspective 
on  what  you  consider  to  be  the  real  problems  of  the  city. 
Especially  be  alert  to  any  comments  or  interpretations  the 
small  child  might  place  upon  a  disturbance  if  one  should 
occur  during  your  hike. 

2.  Take  a  hike  with  a  child  in  the  country.  Visit  a 
state  park  or  a  state  forest.    Or  simply  drive  into  the 

I  country  and  walk  along  a  country  road.  You  will  be  re- 
freshed to  discover  that  the  child  is  alert  to  the  things  which 
you  in  yoUr  busy  schedule  don't  even  notice.  You  will  be 
refreshed  in  having  these  things  become  important  to  you 
because  they  are  important  to  the  child. 

3.  Stop  at  some  point  along  the  hike  or  while  walking 
leisurely  and  write  a  prayer.  Try  very  hard  to  lead  the 
child  in  being  creative  in  what  he  is  thankful  for,  what  he 
would  like  to  see  changed,  and  how  there  could  be  better 
people  in  our  world.    Pray  for  these  things. 

4.  Have  family  worship  at  home,  using  the  daily 
lessons  listed  on  this  page  and  the  prayers  which  have  been 
written  on  your  hikes.  Also  talk  at  length  about  what  was 
observed  on  the  hikes  and  what  these  things  mean  to  you. 
Try  extremely  hard  to  maintain  the  child's  perspective,  both 
for  his  own  sake  and  for  the  sake  of  the  adults.  This  is  a 
marvelous  experience  for  adults  who  have  no  small  chil- 
dren. You  could  borrow  a  child  for  the  hike.  We  would 
specifically  suggest  that  in  the  case  of  a  husband  and  wife 
that  you  each  borrow  a  child  and  take  separate  hikes  and 
then  discuss  the  experiences,  especially  with  an  eye  to 
commonality  and  differences  of  perception  with  the  different 
children.  Adults  living  alone  find  that  these  different 
activities  are  quite  refreshing  and  that  they  will  enrich  con- 
versation from  time  to  time. 

Children  are  very  knpressionable,  and  they  are  honest. 
We  adults  are  all  the  time  thinking  how  we  can  direct,  train, 
guide  our  children.  It  would  seem  to  us  that  it  would  be 
a  good  idea  for  us  to  spend  some  time  trying  to  see  the 


world  as  they  see  it.  Perhaps,  then,  we  will  be  able  better 
to  understand  their  frustrations  and  problems  as  well  as 
to  see  the  world  from  a  less  worry-prone  perspective.  It 
is  interesting  to  know  that  most  of  a  child's  frustration  is 
the  result  of  his  being  unable  to  do  what  he  wants  to  do 
or  to  manipulate  his  world  into  fitting  his  scheme  of  things. 
But  children  don't  give  up  easily.  Our  lives  wiU  be 
enriched  if  we  can  learn  the  ways  of  a  small  child.  —  Ruth 
and  Eldon  Shingleton 

DAILY  BIBLE   READINGS        April   26  -  May  9 

Sunday      Isaiah     11:6,    7.      In     a    child's    world     all     live    together    without 

prejudice. 
Monday     Matthew    18:1-5.     Become    as    humble    as    a    child. 
Tuesday    Acts  9:10-19.     "Brother   Saul"   experiences   simple  trust   and   faith. 
Wednesday     Matthew   7:7-12.     Children    bring    out   the    best    In    evil    men. 
Thursday     Romans   8:1-4.     Our   conduct   can    be   directed    according   to  the 

spirit. 
Friday    Romans  8:5-8.    Life  and  peace  are  products  of  a  spiritual   outlook. 
Saturday    Romans   8:26-27.     Our   perceptions    are   not   enough. 
Sunday    Matthew   6:24.    A   child    knows   better. 
Monday    Matthew   6:25,   26.     Life   is   really   quite   simple. 
Tuesday    Matthew  6:27-30.    Do  not  be   anxious. 
Wednesday    Matthew  6:31-33.    Seek  first  the   kingdom. 
Thursday    Proverbs  20:11,   12.    The  child   expressed   his  true  feelings. 
Friday    Mark   10:13-16.    Receive  the   kingdom. 
Saturday    Luke  2:46-48a.    We   are   astonished   at  a   child's  wisdom. 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     11 


Evangelism  for  today 

A  GRAFFITI  BOARD  APPROACH  to  defining 
evangelism  prompted  quite  an  array  of 
expressions  at  a  Brethren  gathering.  Ac- 
cording to  samplings  taken  from  the 
handwriting  on  the  wall,  EVANGELISM 
IS  — 

"passing  the  Word  along." 
"sharing  God's  love." 
"God  come  alive  to  people." 
"attitude  rather  than  technique." 
"NOT  getting   church   members 
and  pew  fillers." 

.  .  .  "giving  quality  to  life." 

.  .  .  "alive  and  well  in  Frederick, 
Md." 

.  .  .  "dead." 

The  last  prognosis  notwithstanding, 
the  stance  taken  by  the  Parish  Ministries 
staff  at  the  General  Offices  is  that  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  has  "a  great 
hunger  and  a  ripeness"  for  evangelism. 
Increasing  calls  for  leadership  and  for 
resources  and  strategies  give  evidence  of 
an  upsurge  of  interest,  a  "growing  recep- 
tivity," the  staff  contends. 

The  member  of  the  commission's 
Planning  Counselors  team  specifically 
assigned  to  evangelism,  Matthew  M. 
Meyer,  pastor  for  13  years  at  Glendale, 
Calif.,  prior  to  joining  the  Brotherhood 
staff  last  September,  sees  as  an  urgent 
step  the  changing  of  individual  and  cor- 
porate attitudes."  "Too  often  we  are 
spiritually  and  emotionally  programmed 
for  failure,"  he  said.  He  feels  that  need- 
ed more  than  methods  and  materials, 
however,  are  "clarity  of  purpose,  whole- 
some pride  in  the  church,  a  confident 
enthusiasm  for  Christ  and  the  church, 
and  a  spirit  of  expectancy." 

Statement:  A  working  paper  which 
the  Planning  Counselors  have  drafted 
and  circulated  begins  to  describe  where 
the  church  is  in  evangelism.  Acknowl- 
edging that  the  mere  mention  of  the  word 
may  tend  to  turn  some  people  off,  the 
team  is  convinced  that  a  new  and  serious 
look  at  evangelism  is  due. 

Too  wide   an  interpretation  of  evan- 


gelism —  as  in  concepts  which  see  evan- 
gelism as  Christian  education,  as  serving 
human  need,  as  living  a  good,  decent 
life  —  tends  to  render  the  word  virtually 
meaningless,   the   statement   asserts. 

It  further  acknowledges  that  for  many 
people  the  "religious  fanatics"  and  "emo- 
tionally high-powered  evangelists"  have 
led  some  people  to  shy  away  from  evan- 
gelism through  proclamation. 

Discouragement  and  frustration  over 
past  failures,  the  tendency  of  religious 
people  to  talk  much  and  do  little,  the 
infighting  between  Christian  groups,  a 
language  and  an  imagery  that  sometimes 
fail  to  speak  contemporaneously,  the 
inability  of  churchmen  whose  task  it  is  to 
share  the  good  news  to  grasp  the  reality 
of  God,  at  least  in  the  traditional  sense 
.  .  .  these  are  very  real  factors  which 
the  paper  says  must  be  considered. 

What  to  do  then? 

On  this  point  the  working  paper  is  not 
starkly  creative.  It  offers  no  bold,  daring 
innovation.  Many  of  the  materials  ini- 
tially selected  for  an  accompanying  pack- 
et tend  toward  wearying  conventionality. 
Yet  the  paper  itself  provides  a  perspec- 
tive, a  framework,  that  is  forthright  and 
articulate. 

Scope:  Take  the  scope  of  evangelism, 
for  example,  as  treated  in  the  statement. 
There  is  both  a  wide  dimension  which 
says  evangelism  is  as  broad  as  "telling 
the  good  news  of  God's  love"  and  a  more 
narrow  focus  which  says  it  is  as  limited 
as  "seeking  commitment  of  life  to  Christ 
and  the  church." 

"Evangelism  in  the  full  sense  must  in- 
clude both  word  and  deed,  proclamation 
and  action,"  the  statement  sums  up.  "To 
omit  one  or  the  other  is  to  participate  in 
an  incomplete  process  of  evangelism." 

Language:  In  dealing  with  terms  com- 
mon to  the  evangelism  vocabulary,  the 
paper  points  up  how  the  meanings  of 
words  have  changed  with  time. 

"Being  'bom  again'  originally  meant 
being  bom  of  the  Word  or  bom  of  God, 
and  that  meant  that  such  an  experience 
made  a  person  eager  to  bring  his  life 


afresh  into  a  new  openness  and  obedience 
to  whatever  God  may  want  of  him.  It  is 
ironically  strange  that  so  many  people 
who  claim  to  be  'bom  again'  have  be-  '. 
come  intensely  conservative,  anchored 
in  yesterday's  forms  of  religion  and  the 
patterns  and  practices  of  the  past.  In 
the  early  church  the  'bom  again'  experi- 
ence produced  Christian  revolutionaries 
who  turned  the  world  upside  down.  Too 
often  today  it  seems  to  produce  the  most 
stubbom  opponents  of  change,  both  in- 
side and  outside  the  church." 

Numbers:  What  about  the  widespread 
criticism  of  the  church's  concem  for 
numbers?  "While  it  is  wrong  to  'seek 
numbers,'  we  have  a  divine  imperative  to 
'seek  people.'  The  fact  that  people  add 
up  on  statistical  statements  is  and  should 
be  beside  the  point.  Numbers  should  not 
be  the  cause  either  of  our  being  evangel- 
ists or  our  not  being  evangelists." 

Admittedly,  a  church  can  be  evange- 
listic, perhaps  very  evangelistic,  and  yet 
decrease  in  membership,  the  statement 
allows.  But,  nonetheless,  it  expresses 
concem  over  a  "crisis  in  membership"  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  noting  that 

General   Offices'   evangelism   task   team, 
1.  to  r.,  C.  Weaver,  M.  Meyer,  M,  Grouse 


12     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


"in  the  last  four  years  membership  has 
dropped  rapidly  to  a  point  lower  than  any 
time  since   1952." 

There  is  a  fallacy  in  much  of  the  ra- 
tionalization that  is  offered  as  to  why 
members  are  leaving  the  church  • —  that 
they  are  disinterested  or  detached  mem- 
bers. Many  of  those  leaving  today,  the 
paper  asserts,  are  "wheat,  not  chaff;  com- 
mitted and  dedicated,  not  fringe  people." 

The  paper  goes  on  to  deal  with  the  at- 
titude of  "so  what"  if  the  church  should 
lose  its  life  and  die.  "How  foolish!"  is 
the  retort.  "If  we  don't  believe  in  the 
church,  we  better  say  so  and  discuss  the 
reasons  why.  If  we  do  believe  in  the 
church,  we  better  strive  to  make  it  rele- 
vant and  fight  for  its  survival  and  its 
vitality  in  influencing  and  serving  hu- 
manity in  behalf  of  God." 

Paradox:  Another  section  points  up 
several  paradoxes,  or  seeming  contradic- 
tions, which  surround  the  church. 

The  church  has  been  the  protector  of 
social  orders;  it  is  also  an  agent  of  change 
in  social  orders. 

The  church  engages  in  a  healing  minis- 
try to  persons;  it  also  "stirs  up  trouble" 
in  its  drive  for  justice. 

The  church  is  a  fellowship  gathered 
around  religious  mysteries;  it  is  also  a 
community  dispersed  for  the  practical 
work  of  reconciliation. 

The  church  is  a  fellowship  of  unity  in 
Christ;  it  is  also  a  fellowship  that  has  and 
works  for  creative  diversity. 

In  pointing  to  the  dynamic  of  paradox, 
the  paper  quotes  a  United  Presbyterian 
source  which  says  that  by  nature  a  para- 
dox is  not  something  to  be  resolved  by 
choosing  one  side  of  the  contradiction  as 
true  and  rejecting  the  other  side  as  false 
or  of  lesser  value.  "To  do  so  would  be 
to  lose  the  very  meaning  which  the  para- 
dox conveys." 

Innovation:  In  regard  to  coffeehouses, 
community  youth  centers,  night  urban 
projects,  and  other  experimental  min- 
istries, the  paper  holds  up  one  caution. 
While  such  ventures  offer  "an  excellent 
form  of  witness  to  express  God's  love" 


and  therefore  are  an  avenue  to  significant 
contacts  and  relationships,  if  they  are 
intended  as  a  "front  for  evangelism"  de- 
signed to  gain  new  converts,  they  may 
prove  disappointing. 

Strategy:  "If  individuals  find  their  re- 
ligious life  exhilarating  and  deeply  mean- 
ingful, they  will  be  eager  to  have  others 
share  this  joy  with  them,"  the  paper 
states.  But  it  urges  a  congregation  not  to 
wait  until  it  has  attained  its  goals  of  ex- 
citement and  joy  before  inviting  other 
people  into  its  life;  the  time  to  start  the 
action  is  now. 

Four  types  of  evangelism  are  outlined 
and  commended  to  each  congregation. 
One  is  pulpit  evangelism,  centered  in 
preaching,  worship,  missions,  revival 
meetings,  crusades.  The  second  is  church 
school  evangelism,  occurring  in  such 
educational  settings  as  the  church  and 
home.  The  third  is  visitation  evangehsm, 
centering  in  person-to-person  relation- 
ships. The  fourth  is  "unconventional 
evangelism,"  as  in  coffeehouses,  shopping 
centers,  resort  areas,  drag  strips,  hos- 
pitals, jails. 

Beyond  this,  the  working  paper  does 
not  prescribe  specific  techniques  for  get- 
ting the  task  done.  It  does  suggest  clear- 
ly a  base  and  context  for  action. 

Motivation:  While  observing  that  "sav- 
ing souls"  prompts  some  people  to  evan- 
gelize, the  document  points  out  the 
emphasis  on  soul  may  minimize  the  im- 
portance of  the  body  and  contradict  the 
Hebrews'  holistic  concept  of  man. 

"In  less  traditional  terms  we  might 
say  that  'to  save'  includes  the  desire  to 
help  a  person  find  the  resources  he  needs 
to  live  most  successfully,  to  grow  toward 
wholeness,  and  to  find  personal  and  spiri- 
tual fulfillment." 

The  paper  acknowledges  that  the  day 
when  duty  and  obligation  alone  are  strong 
enough  to  assure  loyalty  and  participa- 
tion may  be  past.  The  tendency  today 
is  for  people  to  go  where  the  joy,  the  fun, 
the  excitement,  and  the  meaning  are. 
"Therefore,  if  the  church  is  going  to  be 
able  to   attract  today's  people,   it  must 


speak  to  today's  human  needs." 

"...  To  invite  someone  to  become  a 
Christian  and  join  our  church  says  a 
great  deal  about  our  own  joys,  satisfac- 
tions, desires,  feelings,  and  faith.  It  also 
says  something  about  our  concept  of  an- 
other person's  spiritual,  social,  and  psy- 
chological needs.  Above  all,  it  implies 
that  there  is  something  of  significance 
to  which  we  are  inviting  them." 

In  process:  In  distributing  the  working 
paper  in  its  present  form,  staff  member 
Meyer  and  colleagues  see  it  as  a  state- 
ment in  process,  one  to  which  the  reac- 
tions and  suggestions  of  pastors  and  laity 
are  earnestly  sought. 

Further  treatment  of  the  evangelism 
theme  will  be  a  focal  point  of  the  forth- 
coming Annual  Conference,  particularly 
in  the  Pastors  Conference,  the  opening 
night  address,  three  evening  discussion 
sessions,  and  a  special  evangelism  lunch- 
eon. The  speaker  for  the  pastors'  meet- 
ing and  opening  night  will  be  Myron 
S.  Augsburger,  Mennonite  college  presi- 
dent and  evangelism  leader. 

Across  the  Brotherhood  nine  trained 
counselors  are  available  as  consultants 
in  evangelism  to  districts  and  congrega- 
tions. 

At  the  General  Offices  in  Elgin,  two 
units  are  working  in  evangelism  program- 
ming. A  special  task  force,  comprised  of 
Matthew  M.  Meyer  and  Clyde  E.  Weaver 
of  the  Parish  Ministries  staff  and  Merle 
Crouse  of  the  World  Ministries  staff,  are 
formulating  policies  and  directions.  The 
members  of  the  Planning  Counselors 
team,  along  with  Mr.  Meyer,  are  Ercell 
V.  Lynn,  Wilfred  E.  Nolen,  and  Thomas 
Wilson.  Copies  of  the  working  paper 
and  related  resource  items  may  be  ob- 
tained from  the  General  Offices. 

The  extent  to  which  the  evangelism 
thrust  moves  forward  rests  mightily  upon 
the  response  of  districts  and  congrega- 
tions. To  them,  the  counsel  and  appeal 
on  evangelism,  as  noted  in  the  paper,  is: 
"Get  with  it.  Live  today.  Speak  for  God 
today  to  today's  people  in  today's  lan- 
guage." 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     13 


news 


Robert  Horton: 'While  the  fire  burns../ 


In  April  1968,  five  organizations  —  the 
American  Friends  Service  Committee, 
the  Central  Committee  for  Conscientious 
Objectors,  the  Fellowship  of  Reconcilia- 
tion, the  National  Service  Board  for  Re- 
ligious Objectors,  and  the  War  Resisters 
League  —  joined  forces  and  formed  the 
Prison  Visitation  Service  to  War  Objec- 
tors (PVS).  The  PVS  then  employed 
Robert  Horton,  a  longtime  Methodist 
pastor  and  later  AFSC  worker,  to  be  a 
prison  visitor.  Some  of  the  services  that 
the  PVS  tries  to  provide  to  war  objec- 
tors in  prison  are: 

•  To  let  them  know  that  a  large  group 
of  people  are  thinking  of  and  supporting 
them. 

•  To  help  them  secure  books  and  oth- 
er supplies. 

•  To  remind  people  not  in  prison  of 
the  witness  or  sacrifice  the  prisoners  are 
making. 

•  To  discover  if  conditions  in  prison 
are  not  what  they  should  be. 

•  To  provide,  on  occasion,  a  liaison 
between  the  men  and  their  families  and 
friends. 

For  the  past  two  years  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  has  provided  annual  sup- 
port of  $500  through  this  form  of  min- 
istry. Wilbur  Mullen  of  the  Brotherhood 
staff  sits  on  the  PVS  board.  Office  of 
Communication  correspondent  Terry 
Pettit  interviewed  Robert  Horton  at  his 
home  in  South  Hampton,  Pa. 

Q.  Mr.  Horton,  what  is  your  main 
purpose  in  visiting  a  war  objector  in 
prison? 

A.  I  try  to  help  the  man  do  what  he 
wants  to  do.  I'm  not  there  to  read  scrip- 
ture to  him  if  he  doesn't  want  it  read  or 
pray  with  him  if  he  doesn't  want  me  to 
pray.  Of  course,  I've  done  both  of  these, 
but  my  job  is  to  help  him  with  his  needs, 
whatever  they  may  be.  If  he  wants  to 
paint,  then  I  try  to  get  some  paints.  Last 
year  a  woman  gave  me  $70  worth  of 
paints  to  take  to  a  CO  in  prison.  Anoth- 
er time  we  took  a  carload  of  musical  in- 
struments to  men  who  wanted  to  start 
an  orchestra.  I'm  constantly  sending 
books,  and  we  also  have  a  little  fund  to 
help  wives  and  girl  friends  who  want  to 


travel  to  visit  their  husbands  and  friends. 
We  try  to  help  the  CO  do  what  he  wants 
to  do.  If  he  wants  to  be  left  alone,  and 
once  in  a  great  while  a  man  does,  then 
we  leave  him  alone. 

Q.  Through  what  channels  does  a  con- 
scientious objector  find  himself  in  prison? 

A.  There  are  three  different  ways  a 
CO  can  be  imprisoned.  First,  if  a  man 
unalterably  opposes  conscription  and  will 
not  cooperate  with  the  Selective  System 
in  any  way.  Secondly,  if  after  beginning 
his  military  or  alternative  service  he  de- 
cides that  he  cannot  cooperate  further, 
he  will  end  up  in  prison  or  a  military  brig. 
The  third  way  is  the  one  that  I  feel  sor- 
riest about.  Sometimes  there  are  men 
who  want  to  do  alternative  service  but 
their  draft  boards  will  not  give  them  l-O 
classifications. 

Q.  Why  do  some  men  who  qualify 
for  the  l-O  classification  choose  to  go  to 


''They  are  in 
prison  because 
they  feel  that  they 
must  take  personal 
responsibility 
for  their  actions'' 


prison   instead  of  serving  in  alternative 
service  in  lieu  of  military  duty? 

A.  These  men  are  in  prison  for  pretty 
much  the  same  reasons  that  men  were 
imprisoned  in  Bible  times,  through  the 
Middle  Ages,  and  during  the  world  wars 
of  this  century.  As  Thoreau  said,  they 
hear  the  beat  of  a  "different  drummer"; 
they  live  by  a  different  set  of  principles 
and  standards.  They  are  in  prison  be- 
cause they  feel  that  they  must  take  per- 
sonal responsibility  for  their  actions. 
They  aren't  trying  to  just  stand  by  while 
the  fire  burns  —  they're  trying  to  put  out 
the  fire,  to  stop  the  war.   They  feel  that 


by  cooperating  with  the  Selective  Service 
System  they  would  be  aiding  the  military 
effort.  That  doesn't  mean  that  they 
aren't  interested  in  working  with  the  so- 
cial problems  that  many  men  in  alterna- 
tive service  are  doing.  But  they  believe 
that  their  first  responsibility  is  to  stand 
against  the  war. 

Q.  How  do  the  COs  in  prison  receive 
you  when  you  first  visit  them? 

A.  It  all  depends  upon  the  individual. 
Because  my  work  with  the  PVS  is  spon- 
sored by  five  peace  organizations  and 
two  churches,  many  men  have  heard 
about  it  and  welcome  me  openly.  Others 
who  have  had  no  acquaintance  with 
these  organizations  don't  know  me  at  all 
and  might  be  a  little  skeptical  at  first.  I 
tell  them  who  I  am  and  that  I'm  there 
to  visit  them  only  if  they  want  to  visit 
with  me.  I  will  not  force  myself  upon 
them.  I  tell  them  that  I  make  no  report 
to  the  Bureau  of  Prisons  or  the  military 
and  that  I  come  and  go  whenever  I 
please.  I  have  no  commitment  to  any- 
body except  them.  All  except  one  or 
two  men  have  been  eager  to  talk  and  let 
me  know  a  little  bit  about  themselves. 

Q.  What  are  the  conditions  of  the  fed- 
eral prisons  where  COs  are  inmates? 

A.  The  Federal  Bureau  of  Prisons  is 
a  well-run  institution  when  compared 
with  county  and  state  prisons.  Often 
they  try  to  put  a  man  in  a  prison  and 
in  the  kind  of  work  where  he  will  be 
best  fitted.  Almost  nobody  has  a  good 
word  to  say  for  any  prison  —  that  is, 
anybody  who  has  been  in  one.  But,  in 
general,  COs  in  prison  aren't  treated  with 
brutality.  Some  publicity  has  been  given 
to  incidents  in  federal  prisons  when  they 
do  happen.  For  instance,  there  was  a 
case  a  year  ago  that  received  wide  pub- 
hcity  when  a  CO  prisoner  for  reasons  of 
conscience  refused  to  do  something  he 
was  ordered  to  do.  So  the  guards  picked 
him  up  and  dragged  him  by  his  hands 
and  feet  and  skiimed  him  up  quite  badly. 
After  this  got  wide  publicity,  the  next 
time  the  guards  ordered  a  man  to  do 
something  and  he  refused,  they  picked 
him  up  very  gently,  laid  him  on  a 
stretcher,   and  then  carried  him  where 


14     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


they  wanted  him  to  go. 

Q.  How  do  COs  get  along  with  other 
inmates? 

A.  Again  it  all  depends.  If  a  prisoner 
or  a  guard  has  been  in  Vietnam  or  has 
a  son  there,  his  convictions  may  lead 
him  to  feel  resentful  toward  a  CO,  es- 
15  pecially  if  the  CO  is  well-behaved.  There 
is  nothing  so  frustrating  to  guards  or  in- 
mates as  a  CO  who  is  sincere,  well-be- 
haved, and  poUte,  because  his  behavior 
and  beliefs  often  come  into  direct  con- 
frontation with  their  own. 

Q.  Is  homosexuality  in  prisons  as 
great  a  problem  as  newspapers  and  mag- 
azines suggest  it  is? 

A.  Yes,  it's  a  significant  problem. 
However,  some  of  my  closest  friends 
(COs  in  prison)  tell  me  that  if  a  man 
lets  it  be  known  immediately  after  being 
approached  that  he  is  not  interested  in 
this  sort  of  thing,  he  is  rarely  bothered 
again.  But  he  has  to  be  very  definite, 
clear,  and  final  about  it. 

Q.  After  some  time  in  prison  does  the 
conscientious  objector  face  psychiatric 
problems  that  the  normal  prisoner  does 
not  face? 

A.  No  man  goes  into  prison  and 
comes  out  the  same,  any  more  than  a 
man  goes  into  war  and  comes  out  the 
same.  The  problems  that  a  CO  faces 
are  oftentimes  multiplied  just  because 
he  is  conscientious.  A  man  whose  story 
is  told  in  the  book  We  Won't  Go  is  a 
good  example  of  this.  His  name  is  Dave 
Mitchell  and  he  based  his  case  against  in- 
duction on  the  Nuremberg  trials.  After 
World  War  II  we  [the  United  States] 
imprisoned  and  executed  Germans  and 
said,  "We're  doing  this  because  you  fol- 
lowed Hitler  rather  than  your  con- 
science." My  friend  Mitchell  said  that 
he  was  following  his  conscience  by  not 
cooperating  with  Selective  Service.  The 
judge  sentenced  him  to  five  years  in  pris- 
on. When  a  man  has  to  go  to  prison 
because  a  nation  does  not  recognize  the 
vahdity  of  conscience  over  and  above  all 
other  human  motivations  the  psychologi- 
cal hazards  are  implicit. 

Q.  Do  COs  in  prison  have  the  support 
of  their  families? 


Robert  Horton,  PVS  prison  visitor:  "I  try  to  help  the  man  do  what  he  wants  to  do" 


A.  I  think  I  can  safely  say  that  there 
is  a  difference  in  this  respect  between 
World  War  II  and  now.  During  World 
War  II  there  was  a  much  larger  propor- 
tion of  men  who  were  disowned  by  their 
families.  But  still  it's  sometimes  hard  for 
a  Quaker  father  who  has  supported 
Civilian  Public  Service  and  alternative 
service  to  understand  his  son  who  refuses 
to  cooperate  at  all  and  goes  to  prison.  Of 
course,  the  far  worse  problem  is  the 
problem  of  infidelity,  which  is  a  heart- 
breaking one:  the  wives  on  the  outside 
who  can't  stand  the  pressure  of  separa- 
tion, the  girl  friends  who  don't  stay  by 
their  friendships. 

Q.  Have  you  ever  had  a  chance  to 
visit  the  son  of  a  man  that  you  visited 
during  World  War  H? 

A.  No,  I  regret  very  much  that  I 
didn't  even  though  I  had  the  opportunity. 
Ralph  Gait  was  a  missionary  for  the 
Congregational  Church  in  China.  I 
visited  him  in  Ashland  Federal  Prison 
during  World  War  II.  His  son,  Fran 
Gait,  was  in  prison  during  this  war  at 


Springfield,  Mo.  I  wanted  very  much  to 
visit  Fran  and  to  meet  his  wife  ludy,  but 
I  didn't  get  to  while  he  was  in  prison. 

Q.  Do  you  think  war  objectors  in  pris- 
on, Canada,  and  Sweden  will  be  granted 
amnesty? 

A.  I  don't  know.  Most  of  us  don't 
see  much  hope  in  working  for  amnesty 
until  this  particular  war  is  over.  But  that 
will  certainly  be  one  of  the  big  drives 
that  many  people  will  engage  in  as  soon 
as  the  war  is  over.  We  might  bring  back 
our  men  from  Sweden  and  Canada  and 
help  build  the  kind  of  America  that  we 
dream  about  in  which  a  man  is  not  com- 
pelled to  flee  his  country  because  of  con- 
science. This  means  that  a  whole  lot  of 
thinking,  campaigning,  and  changes  have 
to  happen  in  America.  On  the  other 
hand,  we're  a  big  nation;  we've  never 
lost  a  war.  I'm  afraid  that  most  of  us 
beUeve  that  God  is  on  our  side.  We're 
the  hardest  kind  of  nation  to  reach  with 
the  thinking  of  the  prophet  Nehemiah 
or  Jeremiah.  People  ask  how  can  you 
love  your  country  and  be  critical  of  it. 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     15 


news 


especially  when  it's  been  so  successful. 

Q.  What  can  a  concerned  individual 
do? 

A.  He  can  ask  himself  some  ques- 
tions. Is  imprisonment  an  effective  way 
to  cure  a  person?  The  best  answer  I 
know  of  is  Karl  Merminger's  The  Crime 
of  Punishment  which  tells  the  story  in 


From  behind  bars 

The  following  is  a  reading  list  com- 
piled and  selected  by  the  Prison  Visita- 
tion Service  for  persons  who  wish  to 
gain  a  better  understanding  of  men  im- 
prisoned both  for  conscience'  sake  and 
other  reasons. 

Diary  of  a  Self-Made  Convict,  by 
Alfred  Hassler.  A  World  War  11  CO 
tells  the  story  of  his  year  in  Lewisburg 
Prison.  He  is  now  executive  secretary 
of  the  Fellowship  of  Reconciliation. 

In  Solitary  Witness,  by  Gordon 
Zahn.  A  moving  account  evokes  an 
Austrian  peasant  executed  by  Nazis 
for  his  refusal  to  compromise  his  con- 
victions. 

A  Field  of  Broken  Stones,  by  Lowell 
Naeve.  An  artist  is  imprisoned  for 
conscience'  sake  during  World  War  II. 

The  Crime  of  Punishment,  by  Karl 
Menninger.  The  title  tells  all  —  prison 
is  itself  a  crime. 

My  Shadow  Ran  Fast  and  The  Sev- 
enth Step,  by  Bill  Sands.  A  prisoner 
finds  meaning  for  himself  and  others. 

The  Autobiography  of  Malcolm  X 
and  Soul  on  Ice,  by  Eldridge  Cleaver. 
Here  are  two  books  essential  to  an 
understanding  of  where  it's  at  with 
black  people. 

Behind  Bars,  distributed  by 
CADRE,  519  W.  North  Avenue,  Chi- 
cago, 111.  60610.  Recent  accounts  give  a 
favorable  bias  to  the  prison  experience 
of  war  objectors. 

In  the  Service  of  Their  Country: 
War  Resisters  in  Prison,  by  Willard 
Gaylin.  Sympathetic  and  pessimistic, 
this  new  study  by  a  psychiatrist  may 
be  distorted  by  hostility  on  the  part  of 
some  prisoners. 

Letters  of  a  CO  From  Prison,  by 
Timothy  W.  L.  Zimmer.  The  author 
wrote  these  letters  while  incarcerated 
at  Federal  Youth  Center,  Ashland, 
Ky.,  April  1967  to  March  1969. 


the  tide.  I  also  wish  we  could  organize 
people  who  would  do  exactly  what  Eliza- 
beth Fry  of  the  Quakers  did  300  years 
ago.  And  that  is  to  visit  all  of  the  people 
in  prison,  the  forgotten  ones.  One  of 
my  friends  in  prison  gave  me  quite  a  lec- 
ture on  this  a  couple  of  weeks  ago.  He 
said  that  I  ought  to  take  3  or  4  months 
off  and  do  nothing  but  organize  people 
who  would  visit  men  and  women  in  pris- 
on. If  people  are  interested  in  visiting 
prisons,  not  only  COs,  but  regular  prison- 
ers, they  should  let  their  wishes  be  known 
to  the  administration  of  the  prison  they 
want  to  visit.  This  is  not  easy.  During 
World  War  II  it  took  me  more  than  one 
trip  to  Washington  to  get  lames  Bennett, 
who  was  then  the  head  of  the  Federal 
Bureau  of  Prisons,  to  let  me  visit.  Mr. 
Bennett  told  me  that  he  couldn't  have  the 
prisons  cluttered  up  with  a  lot  of  visitors. 
You  never  take  no  for  an  answer  unless 
no  is  the  right  answer.  It  wasn't  the  right 
answer  so  I  kept  going  back.  Finally 
Bennett  said,  "Well,  all  right,  I'll  let  you 
see  your  friends  in  prison."  Of  course 
my  friends  grew;  I  got  to  know  more 
friends  on  the  outside  and  more  that 
went  to  prison.  So  about  three  different 
summers  during  and  right  after  the  war, 
I  packed  my  bag  and  hitchhiked  around 
the  country  while  my  children  were 
young  and  I  visited  men  in  CPS  camps 
and  prisons. 

Q.  Mr.  Horton,  from  what  you  have 
said  I  gather  that  you  feel  that  we  on 
the  "outside"  have  a  responsibility  to  the 
imprisoned  that  goes  beyond  the  normal 
relationship. 

A.  When  barriers  are  set  up  so  that  I 
can  go  to  you  but  you  can't  come  to  me, 
then  it  seems  to  me  that  I  have  a  moral 
obligation  to  try  to  breach  those  walls. 
Humanity  cannot  remain  fragmented 
with  some  of  the  people  forgotten.  There 
was  a  man  in  prison  in  Philadelphia 
whom  a  Mennonite  woman  wanted  Mrs. 
Horton  and  me  to  go  and  visit.  He  sent 
us  his  pass  so  that  we  could  go  together, 
but  before  the  date  arrived  he  committed 
suicide.  He  had  been  in  for  17  years. 
This  is  what  I  mean  .  .  .  WTiat  can  I  do? 
At  least  I  can  go  see  them. 


The  deadly  virus 

Lassa  has  been  a  place  familiar  to  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  for  more  than 
forty  years.  One  of  its  oldest  and  largest 
Nigerian  congregations  is  located  there. 
So  too  is  a  hospital  operated  by  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Most  recently,  however,  Lassa  has 
come  into  the  international  spotlight  as 
the  name  associated  with  a  dread  disease 
that  has  medical  authorities  baffled. 

It  was  at  Lassa  Hospital  a  year  ago 
in  January  that  Brethren  missionary 
Laura  Wine,  R.N.,  fell  gravely  ill  almost 
overnight.  She  experienced  high  fever 
and  intense  pain  and  developed  small  red 
blotches  on  her  skin  and  mouth.  She 
was  flown  to  the  Sudan  Interior  Mission 
Hospital  at  Jos,  and  there  died  within  24 
hours.  Shortly  afterwards  one  of  the 
nurses  at  Jos  who  attended  her,  Char- 
lotte Shaw,  developed  similar  symptoms 
and  died  ten  days  later.  A  third  nurse, 
Lily  Pinneo,  who  had  treated  both  vic- 
tims,   fell    sick. 

Tests:  In  March  of  1969  Miss  Pinneo 
was  rushed  from  Jos  to  Lagos  and  on 
to  New  York's  Columbia  Presbyterian 
Hospital,  while  blood  samples  taken  from 
her  and  from  Miss  Wine  and  Miss  Shaw 
were  sent  to  Yale  University's  Arbovirus 
Research  Unit.  There  scientific  investiga- 
tion began  on  the  mysteries  of  a  disease 
which  later  proved  so  virulent  that  for 
several  months  live  research  had  to  be 
abandoned.  The  name  given  it,  after 
the  place  of  discovery,  was  Lassa  Fever. 

At  Columbia  Presbyterian,  Miss  Pin- 
neo was  placed  under  the  strictest  isola- 
tion. The  doctors  came  to  rule  out  all 
known  tropical  diseases.  She  remained 
hospitalized  for  nine  weeks,  lost  28 
pounds  and  most  of  her  hair,  and  for  half 
the  time  was  fed  by  vein. 

Meanwhile  at  Yale,  researchers  studied 
the  effects  of  the  virus  on  animals.  Only 
by  inoculating  the  serum  of  victims  into 
cells  from  a  green  monkey  were  they 
able  to  show  evidence  of  a  virus  and, 
months  later,  to  confirm  that  it  was  an 
entirely  new  entity. 

Team:  The  crack  team  conducting  the 


16     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


The  only  three 
pair  of  hands 
to  work  with 
blood  samples 
of  the  three 
nurses  who 
fell  victim  to 
Lassa  Fever 
were  those  of 
Yale  scientists 
Dr.  Jordi 
Casals,  1.,  who 
later  con- 
tracted the 
disease,  Dr. 
Sonj'a  Buckley, 
and  Dr.  Wil- 
bur Dovras. 
The  new  virus 
later  proved 
so  deadly  that 
research  with 
live  animals 
was  suspended 
by  the  team 


research  at  Yale  was  Dr.  Jordi  Casals, 
Dr.  Sonja  Buckley,  and  Dr.  Wilbur 
Downs,  unit  director.  By  June  Dr.  Cas- 
als, one  of  the  world's  most  expert  virolo- 
gists, himself  had  fallen  ill  of  the  disease. 

Because  antibiotics  are  ineffective 
against  viruses,  a  therapy  common  in  the 
time  prior  to  vaccines  and  antibiotics  was 
used  to  save  Dr.  Casals'  life.  From  Miss 
Pinneo  doctors  withdrew  two  units  of 
blood  and  separated  the  plasma,  which 
contained  the  antibodies  she  had  made 
to  fight  her  infection,  and  injected  it  into 
Dr.  Casals'  veins.  The  immune  serum 
worked.  The  virus  stopped  circulating 
in  Dr.  Casals'  blood  immediately,  though 
it  continued  in  Miss  Pinneo's  untreated 
blood  for  six  more  weeks. 

Recovered,  Dr.  Casals  returned  to  the 
Yale  laboratories  to  try  to  determine  how 
prevalent  the  disease  might  be,  and  how 
it    was    transmitted.     By    mid-October, 


however,  all  live  research  was  suspended. 
Nevertheless,  some  weeks  later,  a  techni- 
cian in  an  adjacent  laboratory,  Juan 
Roman,  became  ill  and  died  on  Dec.  8 
at  York,  Pa.,  where  he  had  gone  for  the 
Thanksgiving  holiday.  Blood  samples 
from  Mr.  Roman  later  were  identified  as 
the  Lassa  Fever  virus.  No  explanation 
could  be  given  as  to  how  the  virus  was 
transmitted  to  him. 

Concern:  Another  physician  working 
closely  with  the  research  team  was  Co- 
lumbia University  professor  John  D. 
Frame,  a  specialist  in  tropical  medicine. 
Dr.  Frame  has  been  concerned  with  the 
care  of  missionaries  for  17  years  and  has 
been  struck  by  the  number  who  had  died 
especially  in  Africa  from  fever  of  un- 
known origin.  He  has  long  suspected  that 
unrecognized  viruses  might  be  the  cause. 

Dr.  Frame  arranged  for  the  research 
to  be  conducted  at  Yale.  He  also  was  in 


touch  with  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
and  received  from  World  Ministries  per- 
sonnel data  regarding  the  Lassa  area.  He 
pressed  the  National  Institutes  of  Health 
to  fund  research  costs. 

"The  discovery  of  a  new  disease  is  al- 
ways exciting,  especially  when  it  proves 
to  be  as  contagious,  lethal,  and  wide- 
spread as  Lassa  Fever,"  Dr.  Frame  told 
the  New  York  Society  of  Tropical  Medi- 
cine a  few  weeks  ago.  It  is  his  conten- 
tion that  because  many  Africans  die  in 
the  bush  without  benefit  of  hospitaliza- 
tion, the  number  of  victims  of  the  viral 
disease  could  be  far  greater  than  is  pres- 
ently known. 

Resumption:  Late  in  February  plans 
were  announced  that  live  virus  research 
would  be  reinitiated,  this  time  at  the  Na- 
tional Communicable  Disease  Center  in 
Atlanta,  Ga.  The  center  has  high  secur- 
ity facilities  to  minimize  the  risk  to  lab- 
oratory personnel. 

At  the  same  time,  the  quest  for  infor- 
mation became  ever  more  urgent.  For  in 
the  Jos  area  an  outbreak  of  the  fever  was 
reported,  the  diagnosis  confirmed  by  doc- 
tors at  Nigeria's  University  of  Ibadan. 
Church  of  the  Brethren  field  secretary 
Roger  Ingold  wrote  in  February  that  at 
least  10  Nigerians  at  the  Jos  Hospital 
were  believed  to  have  died  of  the  disease, 
as  well  as  Dr.  Jeanette  Troup,  46,  of  the 
Sudan  Interior  Mission.  Just  prior  to 
attending  the  funeral  of  Dr.  Troup,  Mr. 
Ingold  said  of  her,  "She  always  helped 
us  so  much  and  we  respected  and  loved 
her.  She  was  a  shining  star  among  mis- 
sionaries and  our  favorite  among  SIM." 

Pursuit:  Most  heartening  in  the  whole 
episode  on  Lassa  Fever  is  the  current 
involvement  of  the  two  Americans  who 
have  survived  the  disease,  Lily  Pinneo 
and  Jordi  Casals.  Nurse  Pinneo  has  re- 
turned to  her  work  in  the  Jos  hospital, 
carrying  with  her  a  small  supply  of  plas- 
ma containing  antibodies  to  counteract 
the  otherwise  untreatable  disease.  Dr. 
Casals  is  in  Jos,  too,  also  caring  for  pa- 
tients and  continuing  research  through 
the  resources  of  the  Rockefeller  Founda- 
tion and  the  facilities  of  the  University 
of  Ibadan. 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     17 


I 


'The  spirit  should  not  grow  old' 

"If  wrinkles  must  be  written  upon  our  brows,  let  them  not 
be  written  upon  the  heart.  The  spirit  should  not  grow  old." 
James  Garfield  eloquently  expressed  the  philosophy  of  the 
Fahrney-Keedy  Memorial  Home  Stay  Young  Club. 

This  group  of  fourteen  young-at-heart  oldsters  with  an 
average  age  of  81  are  currently  presenting  a  road  show,  "A 
Musical  Tribute  to  George  M.  Cohan,"  based  on  the  life  story 
of  the  author,  producer,  and  actor  who  virtually  owned  Broad- 
way at  the  beginning  of  the  twentieth  century.  The  show 
features  such  patriotic  songs  as  "Yankee  Doodle  Dandy," 
"Over  There,"  and  "Grand  Old  Flag." 

Six  weeks  of  almost  daily  rehearsals  and  approximately 
one  thousand  man-hours  spent  in  preparing  costumes  and 
scenery  have  gone  into  this  year's  production,  currently  touring 
the  Mid-Atlantic  District. 


Mrs.  Georgianna 

Randall,  77,  as 

Broadway  star  Fay 

Templeton,  gives  a 

rousing  rendition  of 

"Mary."  In  blonde 

wig  and  extravagant 

false  eyelashes,  Mri. 

Randall  is  the  hit  of 

the  production 


"Push  Me  Along  in  Your  Pushcart,"  an  early  George  M.  Cohan  show-stopper,  is  the  musical  setting  for  this  scene.    Performers 
are    Charles   Meitzler,    82;    Viola    Ritchey,    83;   Emer    Lease,    80;  Lovesse  Kretzer,   74;  Ruth  Bohn,  71;  Marigold  Staley, 
85;  Annie  Brandenburg,  82;  Mary  Rairigh,  85,  and  John  Nicodemus,  70. 


18     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


m 


Below:  Chorus  girls  Mrs.  Edith  Young,  78,  Mrs.  Annie  Brandenburg,  82,  and  Mrs. 
Mary  Rairigh,  85,  wave  a  musical  adieu.  Left:  Harvey  Rowland,  89  in  his  role 
as  E.  F.  Albee,  ogles  a  sweet  young  flag-waver,  Mrs.  Lovesse  Kretzer,  74 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     19 


[C<0]NlLC«Nii 


/i 


d 


> 


^'  r 


m®  mmm 


£ 


by  ARTHUR  J.  GOLDBERG 


Joncerned  Americans  are  joining 
with  the  Alaska  Federation  of  Natives 
in  its  peaceful  struggle  for  justice.  The 
General  Assembly  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches  has  unanimously 
adopted  a  resolution  to  support  Alaska 
native  land  rights.  Its  call  for  just  and 
equitable  setdement  of  the  native  land 
issue  by  Congress  reflects  the 
conscience  of  America. 

The  Indians,  Eskimos,  and  Aleuts  of 
Alaska  are  among  the  few  hunting 
and  fishing  societies  remaining  in  the 
world  today.  But  these  60,000  Alaska 
natives  are  threatened  with  having 
their  lands  expropriated  by  the  state 
of  Alaska. 

As  far  as  justice  is  concerned,  it  is 
all  on  the  side  of  the  natives.  They 
have  conclusive  legal  and  moral  claims 
to  most  of  Alaska's  375  million  acres. 
Since  1823,  when  Chief  Justice  John 
Marshall,  in  the  case  of  Johnson  v. 
M'Intosh,  announced  that  America's 
original  inhabitants  are  "the  rightful 
occupants  of  the  soil  with  legal  as  well 
as  just  claims  to  retain  possession  of 
it,"  the  Alaska  natives  have  neither 
sold  nor  ceded  thek  lands,  nor  have 
they  lost  them  in  war. 

When  the  United  States  acquired 
Alaska  from  Russia  in  1867,  it 
explicidy  recognized  native  land  rights. 
Then  in  1958,  when  Alaska  became 
a  state.  Congress  granted  it  the  right 
to  select  103  million  acres  of  land  from 
the  public  domain.  However,  included 
in  this  Statehood  Act  was  a 
stipulation  by  Congress  specifically 
designed  to  protect  native  land  rights: 
"The  state  and  its  people  do  agree  and 
declare  that  they  forever  disclann  all 
right  and  title  ...  to  any  lands  or  other 
property  (including  fishing  rights),  the 
right  or  title  to  which  may  be  held  by 
any  Indians,  Eskimos,  or  Aleuts." 


In  the  Organic  Act  of  1884,  which 
established  territorial  government  in 
Alaska,  Congress  further 
acknowledged  the  natives'  right  to  the 
land,  stating,  "The  Indian  .  .  .  shall 
not  be  disturbed  in  the  possession  of 
any  lands  actually  in  their  use  or 
occupancy  or  now  claimed  by  them." 

Despite  this  clear  statement,  and  in 
violation  of  the  express  intent  of  the 
Congress  to  protect  the  natives'  rights 
to  the  land,  the  Department  of 
Interior's  Bureau  of  Land  Management 
has,  since  1958,  granted  the  State 
"title"  to  six  million  acres  of  land  and 
tentatively  approved  the  transfer  of 
another  twelve  million  acres.  The  oil 
boom  currently  taking  place  in  Alaska 
threatens  to  accelerate  the 
dispossession  of  the  natives.  The 
Atlantic  Richfield  oil  strike  at  Prudhoe 
Bay  and  the  $900,000,000  sale  of  oil 
exploration  rights  on  a  portion  of  the 
North  Slope  in  September  1969  are  on 
lands  selected  by  the  state  without  due 
recognition  of  the  native  land  rights. 


Un  1966,  the  then  Secretary  of  the 
Interior,  Stewart  L.  Udall,  halted  the 
transfer  of  the  twelve  million  acres  and 
suspended  the  issuance  of  new  federal 
oil  and  gas  leases  on  native  lands 
pending  a  settlement  by  Congress  of 
the  issue  of  title  to  the  lands. 

The  present  Secretary  of  the  Interi- 
or, Walter  J.  Hickel,  was  governor  of 
Alaska  when  Secretary  Udall  halted 
these  further  transfers.  The  state  of 
Alaska,  acting  at  Governor  Hickel's 
direction,  filed  a  lawsuit  against 
Secretary  Udall  in  the  federal  district 
court  of  Alaska  seeking  to  compel 
Secretary  Udall  to  complete  the  trans- 
fer of  certain  of  the  native  lands  which 
he  had  blocked. 

In  December  1969,  the  U.S.  court  of 
appeals  for  the  Ninth  Circuit  handed 


down  an  historic  decision.  The  court 
rejected  the  state's  argument  that  lands 
used  by  natives  for  trapping,  hunting, 
and  camping  are  "vacant"  and  ruled 
that  the  state  is  prohibited  from  taking 
native-used  lands.  Whether  the  state 
will  contest  this  decision  remains  to  be 
seen. 

However,  one  thing  is  clear:  The 
natives  wiU  never  be  secure  in  the 
possession  of  their  land  until  Congress 
acts  to  grant  them  protection. 

Although  Congress,  in  the  Organic 
Act  of  1884,  promised  to  grant  tide  to 
the  natives,  it  has  failed  to  do  so  for 
close  to  a  century.  Justice  is  long 
overdue.  In  a  bill  now  before 
Congress,  the  Alaska  Federation  of 
Natives,  which  represents  the  state's 
three  aboriginal  ethnic  groups,  has 
proposed  that  title  to  forty  million 
acres  be  apportioned  among  the  many 
villages.  This  is  roughly  ten  percent 
of  the  land  which  they  claim. 

In  return  for  waiving  their  claims 
to  more  than  300  million  acres  of  land 
—  worth  tens  of  billions  of  dollars  — 
the  Federation  asks  for  cash 
compensation  in  the  amount  of  $500 
million  (about  $1.50  an  acre)  and  a 
two  percent  royalty  on  minerals,  which 
would  be  paid  to  native-owned 
villages  and  to  regional  and  statewide 
development  corporations  to  be  used 
for  self-help  programs  in  health, 
education,  housing,  employment,  and 
economic  growth. 

The  federal  government,  on  the 
other  hand,  has  offered  $500  million, 
payable  in  installments  over  a  long 
period  without  interest;  no  royalty;  and 
twelve  million  acres  of  land,  without 
mineral  rights.  The  acreage  it  proposes 
amounts  to  only  three  percent  of  the 
land,  yet  the  natives  comprise  twenty 
percent  of  the  state's  population.  This 
fails  to  do  justice  to  the  rights  and 
needs  of  the  Alaska  natives,  who 

4-23-70    MESSENGER     21 


ALASKA  /  continued 


regard  the  land  as  essential  for  their 
survival  as  a  people. 

The  land  is  not  only  the  basis  of 
their  ancient  subsistence  economy;  it 
is  the  source  of  their  social  and  cultural 
heritage,  their  spiritual  strength,  and 
their  identity.  Proud  and  self- 
sufficient,  Alaska  native  families  live 
by  hunting  and  fishing,  much  as  they 
have  for  centuries.  Settled  in  some 
200  isolated  villages,  they  range  over 
an  area  three  times  the  size  of  Texas 
in  their  search  for  food.  Conservative 
in  their  use  of  the  resources  of  the  land 
and  its  waters,  they  find  a  livelihood 
where  most  of  us  could  not  survive  for 
a  week. 

Eskimos  track  herds  of  caribou  by 


dogs  led  across  the  frozen  tundra. 
They  hunt  whale,  walrus,  and  seal 
from  skinboats  in  the  Arctic  Sea. 
Indians  on  snowshoes  stalk  moose  in 
the  spruce  forests  of  the  interior.  They 
fish  the  rivers  and  lakes  for  salmon, 
whitefish,  and  pike.  Summer  brings 
flocks  of  ducks  and  geese.  The 
importance  of  clean  air,  open  spaces, 
and  unspoiled  streams,  which  the 
natives  still  enjoy,  urban  America  is 
only  beginning  to  rediscover. 

Given  their  limited  access  to  the 
mainstream  of  American  economic  life, 
it  is  not  surprising  that  they  look  to  the 
land  for  their  present  livelihood  and 
future  well-being. 

There  is  much  in  the  condition  of 


CJ£)  o 


EH]  1 
St 


A  Committee! 

Thafs  what  we  need. 

How  else? 

In  our  intention  to  turn  to  the  world, 

how  shall  we  know  where  that  world   is? 
The  search   must  be  placed 

in  the  hands  of  some  special  few 

dedicated  to  finding   need. 

Sorry,  child,  there's  no  time  now 

to  wipe  away  your  tears; 
go  wash  your  face  — 

I'm  thinking,  thinking   hard 

of  those  committeemen. 
Some  other  time,   new-widowed  friend; 

I'm   involved   in   a  weightier  deed; 

I'm   looking  for  the  world. 
Too  bad  your  cupboard's  bare,  old   man; 

try  DPA,  or  get  a  federal  grant. 
Say,  can't  you  folks  leave   me  alone? 

Your  pleas  for  help  distract; 

I'm  turning  to  the  world. 
A  committee  —  thafs  what  we  need  .   .   . 

How  else? 


the  native  villagers  that  should  trouble 
the  national  conscience.  It  is  a  shock- 
ing fact  that  the  average  age  at  death 
of  an  Alaska  native  is  35.  Only  one 
out  of  ten  native  children  finishes  high 
school.  The  income  of  the  average  vil- 
lager, if  he  has  any  income,  is  only  one 
quarter  that  of  the  white  Alaskan.  The 
federal  government  can  take  no  pride 
in  these  findings  after  a  century  of  its 
stewardship  over  native  affairs  in 
Alaska. 

The  settlement  proposed  by  the 
Alaska  Federation  of  Natives  would 
afford  the  native  people  a  meaningful 
opportunity  for  self-determination  and 
a  viable  future.  They  live  in  delicate 
balance  with  the  land;  should  their  way 
of  life  be  destroyed,  their  insights  and 
skills  will  be  lost  to  aU  of  us,  perhaps 
never  again  to  be  recovered. 

They  hope  to  evolve  a  life-style 
unique  in  the  world  today  —  one  that 
conserves  the  riches  of  their  land  and 
their  traditional  life  and  that  benefits 
from  new  opportunities  that  industry, 
science,  and  the  arts  can  contribute  to 
their  personal  and  community 
fulfillment.  In  a  world  that  is  rapidly 
becoming  uninhabitable,  the  Alaska 
natives  can  perhaps  show  us  a  way  to 
live  in  harmony  with  the  land  and 
all  its  creatures. 

The  Senate  Committee  on  Interior 
and  Insular  Affairs,  which  is  headed 
by  Senator  Henry  M.  Jackson,  and 
the  House  Committee  on  Interior  and 
Insular  Affairs,  headed  by  U.S. 
Representative  Wayne  N.  AspinwaU, 
are  both  considering  bills  to  protect  the 
rights  of  the  Alaska  natives  (S-3041 
and  HR-14212,  respectively). 

Churchmen  of  all  faiths  have  a 
priceless  opportunity  to  see  that 
America  does  justice  to  its  first 
inhabitants,  whose  treatment  in  the 
past  reflects  little  glory  on  our 
nation.   D 


22     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


[b^  toc^  [?©00B0 


UuUy  joys  and  challenges  are  great  and  varied.  While  writing 
these  notes,  the  cold  winter  wind  is  blowing  through  the  val- 
ley; it  rattles  the  air  vents  on  my  trailer  home.  .  .  .  But  soon 
the  dogwood  will  bloom,  the  cardinals,  mockingbirds,  and 
whippoorwills  wUl  fill  the  air,  and  honeysuckle  will  scent  the 
roadside.  ..." 

The  writer  is  Rebecca  Swick,  widowed  mother  of  four 
children,  grandmother  to  17  grandchildren,  and  the  pastor, 
teacher,  and  general  engineer  for  the  Midway  Church  of  the 
Brethren  near  Sugoinsville,  Term. 

On  Sundays  Mrs.  Swick  preaches  the  sermon  and  teaches 
Sunday  school  for  the  members  of  the  Midway  congregation 
which  "rarely  exceeds  15  and  is  sometimes  less  than  10." 
She  notes  that  "Sunday  school  is  a  real  challenge  when  you 


have  so  many  different  ages  in  one  group,  yet  because  of  the 
small  size,  you  feel  close  to  each  one." 

During  the  week  Mrs.  Swick  visits  the  people  in  the  valley, 
mows  the  church  lawn,  cleans  up  the  cemetery,  and  even 
lends  a  hand  at  tobacco  grading  time  when  making  calls. 

Bert  Richardson,  the  former  executive  secretary  of  the 
Tennessee  and  Alabama  District,  noted,  "Rebecca  is  the  type 
of  woman  that  when  anything  goes  wrong,  unless  it  is  a  major 
task  of  repair,  she  doesn't  panic,  she  fixes  it."  Rebecca  re- 
lated a  story  that  confirms  just  that.    "Once   last  winter  I 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     23 


visited  my  very  dear  friend  Grandma  Utsman,  who  is  87 
years  old  and  lives  alone.  I  found  her  water  spigot  frozen 
and  split  open.  So  I  drove  my  Jeep  into  town  (15  miles  away), 
bought  a  new  one,  and  replaced  the  old  one  with  my  handy 
crescent  wrench." 

Mrs.  Swick,  who  describes  herself  as  a  "not  old;  let's  say 
elderly-middle-age  woman,"  was  a  member  of  the  Pleasant 
Hill  church  at  Johnstown,  Pa.,  when  participation  in  Mission  12 
in  spring  1966  renewed  her  commitment.  "I  realized  that  I 
could  still  be  useful."  She  apphed  for  admittance  to  Adult 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service,  was  accepted,  and  arrived  at  the 
Midway  church  in  September  1967.  Instead  of  returning  to 
Johnstown  after  her  year  was  over,  she  became  so  involved 
with  her  work  that  she  has  stayed  on  for  two  more  years. 

When  friends  ask  why  someone  would  go  500  miles  from 
home  and  struggle  to  keep  a  Sunday  school  aUve  for  such  a 


small  congregation,  Rebecca  replies,  "Why  do  ministers  preach 
God's  word  of  salvation?  Because  they  believe  in  Christ's 
commission,  'Go  ye  into  all  the  world.'  " 

Rebecca  realizes  the  future  of  the  125-year-old  Midway 
church  is  uncertain.  "Economic  pressures  have  forced  many 
people  to  move  from  the  valley  to  be  closer  to  industry,  doc- 
tors, and  hospitals.  There  has  been  some  surveying  done 
through  the  valley  for  a  blacktop  road  to  replace  the  dirt  one. 
When  this  is  completed  there  is  a  possibility  of  families'  relo- 
cating in  the  area,  as  it  is  less  than  30  miles  from  four  indus- 
tries with  large  payrolls."  But  Rebecca  is  too  busy  teaching, 
running  errands  in  her  Jeep,  and  leading  the  Midway  con- 
gregation to  worry  about  what  might  be.  She  has,  however, 
often  wondered  while  serving  at  Midway  for  the  past  two  and 
one  half  years,  "how  many  other  little  churches  are  struggling 
to  stay  alive  and  witness  to  the  love  of  God." 


[^(oidOCq  D(o)(2)[k§  Da[o), 


The  faith  of  a  Christian  is  in  God.  It  may  or  may  not 
make  a  difference  how  that  faith  is  communicated  or 
how  it  is  kept  alive.  To  each  of  us  it  is  most  important 
that  our  faith  looks  up. 

Some  believe  there  is  a  recession  in  the  life  of  the 
church,  the  one  institution  that  should  keep  faith  alive. 
The  real  interest  of  Jesus  was  in  a  way  of  life.  He  was 
the  master  teacher.  Anyone  whose  primary  interest  is 
in  other  persons  may  choose  from  a  number  of  voca- 
tions. The  minister  chooses  church  work  and  the 
teacher  chooses  school.  To  be  sure,  a  teacher  must 
know  subject  matter,  but  his  real  interest  should  be  in 
the  student  as  a  living  and  growing  individual.  Students 
sense  that  interest  quickly.  Teachers,  whether  they  ad- 
mit it  or  not,  are  greatly  influenced  by  students. 

A  student  (who  finished  high  school  in  1959)  went 
on  to  Davidson  College  and  then  took  a  law  degree  at 
Yale.  He  was  most  unusual.  He  possessed  a  remark- 
able faith  in  God.  He  served  as  chaplain  of  the  student 
body  in  his  large  high  school  when  he  was  a  junior.  He 
was  intelligent,  thoughtful,  devoted  to  every  good 
cause  —  in  short,  a  most  remarkable  young  man. 

He  lost  his  life  in  Vietnam.  His  memorial  service 
was  made  up  of  his  favorite  hymns,  sung  by  a  large 
congregation,  and  the  reading  from  the  prose  he  had 
written  from  age  sixteen  on.  He  lived  according  to  his 
convictions.  He  made  an  impact  on  youth  and  elders 


alike  because  he  was  so  genuine. 

I  am  sure  there  have  been  recessions  in  the  life  of 
the  church  in  the  past,  and  yet  our  faith  in  Christ  and 
his  church  has  survived.  My  faith  looks  up  because 
God  does  not  let  his  people  down.  We  may  let  our- 
selves down,  but  God  is  constant;  we  are  the  variable 
quantity.  My  faith  is  magnified  because  of  people, 
people  like  the  student  mentioned  above.  Faith  must 
be  personalized  and  humanized,  or  it  is  only  words. 
God  reveals  himself  through  people.  All  my  life  has 
been  spent  with  two  ministers,  my  father  and  my  hus- 
band. Also  I  have  had  contact  with  some  great  teachers 
and  a  few  very  great  teachers,  especially  in  the  field  of 
mathematics,  which  to  me  can  be  as  basic  as  our  faith 
in  the  Bible.  God  designed  this  universe;  math  is  God- 
made  and  man-discovered.  In  my  classroom  I  feel 
many  students  had  their  faith  increased  when  they 
realized  the  marvels  of  the  science  of  mathematics. 


AMY  WHITE  (Mrs.  John  B.)  was 
requested  to  teach  past  the  usual  age 
of  retirement  so  that  she  recently 
completed  fifty-one  years  of  teaching 
mathematics  in  Tennessee  and  Florida 
public  schools.  She  has  also  been 
active  in  church  work,  having  been 
a  leader  for  many  years  in 
Brethren,  Presbyterian,  and  YWCA 
camps.  A  graduate  of  Mount  Morris 
College,  she  has  been  active  in 
teachers'  organizations.  The  Whites 
recently  moved  to  Sebring,  Fla. 


24     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


m  WMmmm 


"IT 


u. 


he  church  today  seems  to  be  an  in- 
stitution in  transition,  yet  stalled  in  the 
beginning  stage  because  its  jaw  is 
dropped  in  astonishment.  Its  mouth  is 
agape  with  shock  and  unbelief.  The 
church  seems  to  be  staring  with  wide- 
eyed  amazement  at  a  changing  world 
and  asking,  "What  is  going  on  here?" 
Its  attitude  could  be  compared  with 
that  of  a  song  writer  who  told  of  vari- 
ous sudden  and  strange  happenings  and 
then  expressed  his  feelings  by  ending 
each  verse  with  the  question  "Now 
what  kind  of  deal  is  this?" 

So  many  new  and  unusual  things  are 
happening  around  us  today  that  we 
don't  seem  to  know  which  way  to  turn. 
Many  of  these  things  were  foreseen  and 
some  were  not.  Some  of  the  worst 
crises  of  the  church  and  society  were 
"backed  into"  simply  because  we  re- 
fused to  face  up  to  that  which  was  star- 
ing us  straight  in  the  face.  We  have 
refused  to  deal  with  things  like  the  race 
problem  and  its  resulting  demonstra- 
tions and  riots.  As  this  race  problem 
grew  in  leaps  and  bounds  over  the  last 
few  years,  the  church  stood  by  with  its 
mouth  open  and  said,  "Now  what  kind 
of  deal  is  this?" 


E. 


let  me  spell  out  what  "things"  I'm 
talking  about.  I'm  talking  about  con- 
tinued war  and  increasing  protest  from 
the  secular  left.  I'm  talking  about  pop- 
ulation explosion  and  threatening 
world  hunger.  I'm  talking  about  the 
moral  crisis  in  our  nation  which  many 
people  won't  admit  is  here.  I'm  talking 
about  the  knowledge  explosion  and  in- 
creasing depersonalization  of  indi- 
viduals. 

I'm  talking  about  the  withdrawal  of 


today's  youth  from  reality  because  the 
problems  and  dangers  they  face  are 
simply  too  much  for  them  without  thor- 
oughly committed  and  trustworthy 
leadership. 

Youth  are  trying  to  tell  us  in  a 
roundabout  way  that  they  simply  don't 
trust  our  religion  anymore.  Many 
young  people  have  told  me  that  they 
see  so  much  hypocrisy  and  apathy  in 
their  local  churches  and  in  their  parents 
that  they  simply  don't  believe  that 
Christianity  is  genuine.  I've  seen  many 
of  them  give  humble  and  sincere  thanks 
for  a  witness  that  they  could  believe. 
I  am  convinced  that  they  really  and 
truly  want  a  religion  that  is  real  and 
vital  and  genuine,  fUled  with  real  con- 


cern and  love  for  people  as  individuals 
and  not  so  much  for  numbers  of  bap- 
tisms and  totals  of  offerings.  These 
young  people  that  I'm  talking  about  are 
not  all  teen-agers.  They  are  college 
age  and  beyond,  young  marrieds,  fath- 
ers and  mothers.  They  are  educated 
and  thoughtful. 

Martin  Luther  said,  "Faith  is  a  most 
vivid,  active,  and  busy  thing  that  can- 
not help  doing  good  things  all  the 
time."  This  is  the  kind  of  living  faith 
young  people  are  looking  for.  But  the 
church  looks  on  with  astonishment  and 
says,  "What  kind  of  deal  is  this?  Are 
they  trying  to  tell  us  what  religion 
ought  to  be?"  Because  of  a  lack  of  true 
dialogue  the  church  feels  threatened  by 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     25 


CHURCH  IN  TRANSITION  /  continued 


the  younger  generation  and  feels  com- 
pelled to  defend  its  position. 

The  church  in  transition  is  like  this : 
Its  mouth  is  open  in  astonishment  at  its 
own  effort  to  change  so  that  it  may 
meet  the  needs  of  the  world.  This  may 
be  a  little  hard  to  picture  —  a  church 
amazed  at  itself  —  yet  this  is  true. 
Now  and  again  various  groups  within 
the  framework  of  the  church  wiU  un- 
dertake an  offensive  toward  meeting 
new  needs  with  changes  in  a  certain 
phase  of  the  church's  progress.  Much 
of  the  church's  membership  will  draw 
back  with  consternation  and  utter  that 
same  old  phrase,  "What  kind  of  deal  is 
this?" 

Many  of  our  General  Board's  pro- 
posals and  programs  meet  not  only 
with  astonishment,  but  with  genuine 
opposition.  Many  forward-looking 
moves  of  local  churches  are  con- 
demned and  scrapped  without  trial 
simply  because  they  are  new.  Many  of 
us  will  say,  "This  is  not  needed  now"  or 
"That  won't  work  here  in  this  com- 
munity." 

Most  persons  have  seen  what  we  in 
the  South  call  a  measuring  worm.  This 
is  a  small  green  worm  about  an  inch 
long  which  has  a  unique  way  of  travel- 
ing. It  raises  most  of  its  length  in  the 
air  and  has  a  good  look  around  before 
making  any  move.  It  selects  a  desired 
spot  and  stretches  itself  prone  in  its 
chosen  direction  and  then  bows  up  in 
the  middle,  drawing  its  rear  portion  up 
to  its  new  location. 

The  church  might  be  like  this,  ex- 
cept for  one  thing.  It  seems  to  remain 
in  a  stretched-out  position  but  unable 
to  drag  up  the  rear.  This  is  not  to 
speak  only  of  the  church  as  a  denomi- 
nation; even  many  local  churches  are 
in  this  position.  This  is  a  position,  too, 
where  neither  extreme  can  work  effec- 
tively. Lay  yourself  on  the  floor,  stretch 
your  arms  over  your  head  and  your 


toes  in  the  other  direction,  and  you're 
practicaUy  helpless.  You  can  do  very 
little  until  you  draw  together  to  an  ac- 
tion position. 

The  church,  too,  must  draw  together 
to  be  effective. 


I  realize  that  a  church  or  institution 
and  even  businesses  must  have  certain 
checks  and  balances  that  will  keep  it 
from  going  to  extremes  in  any  direc- 
tion. I  think  it  is  imperative  that  we 
have  liberals,  who  might  be  compared 
to  the  foremost  part  of  the  measuring 
worm,  that  part  which  is  always  strain- 
ing forward  to  new  spots,  and  that  we 
have  conservatives,  comparable  to  the 
base  or  the  rear  echelon  of  the  worm. 
I  think  it  is  a  must,  if  we  are  to  be  a 
vital  church,  that  these  liberals  and 
these  conservatives  be  active  and  confi- 
dent in  what  they  believe,  avoiding,  of 
course,  struggling  to  a  stalemate  or  to 
division. 

I  seem  to  indicate  that  the  church 
must  move  forward  and  this  is  true.  So 
why  not  give  the  liberals  free  rein  and 


let's  go  forward?  Well,  back  to  the 
measuring  worm.  Without  its  rear 
echelon  the  front  wouldn't  be  able  to 
feel  out  its  path.  It  would  simply  leap 
forward,  and  if  it  happened  to  be 
wrong,  that  would  be  just  too  bad. 
With  this  rear  echelon  of  conservatives 
to  hold  back,  to  be  a  base,  then  the 
leading  part  always  has  a  place  to  draw 
back  to  and  make  a  new  start. 

Now  how  did  we  get  into  this  over- 
stretched position?  The  very  fact  that 
things  happen  so  fast  and  furious  and 
many  so  suddenly  has  caused  the  base 
of  the  church  —  the  conservative  ele- 
ment —  to  be  so  shocked  and  so  con- 
fused that  it  has  not  been  willing  to 
follow  the  front  or  the  liberal  wing  in 
any  direction.  This  base  of  the  church, 
being  normally  and  needfully  slow  and 
deliberate  in  its  contemplation  of  things 
and  its  decision  making,  simply  has 
been  imable  to  cope  with  the  furious 
pace  of  change  in  the  world  and  its 
needs. 

The  forward-looking  part  of  the 
church,  too,  has  been  bewildered  by 
the  multitude  of  needs  and  the  direc- 
tions to  move.  It's  like  the  family  doc- 
tor, the  G.P.,  who  finds  that  there  are 
so  many  new  medicines,  so  many  new 
methods  of  treatment,  that  it  would 
take  practically  all  his  time  simply  to 
keep  up  with  the  times. 

The  forward-looking  part  of  the 
church  has  become  increasingly  frantic 
because  of  this  multitude  of  needs  and 
has  possibly  overstretched  itself  in 
some  areas  because  of  anxiety,  in  a 
"Let's  get  started  someplace  quick" 
attitude.  Thus  the  church  may  be  in  a 
prone  position  and  accompUshing  very 
little  at  the  present  time. 

What  can  be  done  to  draw  the 
church  together  for  action?  How  can 
the  two  extremes  get  a  little  closer  to- 
gether so  that  work  might  be  done  and 
results  achieved?  I  certainly  am  in  no 


26     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


[F(£]B1?[1q§  \57DDDDDQg  [?©S[o)®DQg©  ite)  ©IspQFDQDQG© 


position  and  certainly  haven't  the  abil- 
ity or  knowledge  to  attempt  to  provide 
answers,  but  I  do  have  certain  convic- 
tions that  might  be  stated  for  whatever 
they  are  worth. 

I  think  of  a  good  fire-fighting  team, 
starting  to  work  on  a  blazing  house. 
One  part  of  the  team  will  begin  on  the 
part  of  the  house  which  is  immediately 
threatened,  or  possibly  will  even  turn  to 
surrounding  buildings.  The  other  part 
of  the  team  will  go  immediately  to 
work  on  the  flames  or  the  base  of  the 
problem.  With  proper  direction  from 
those  in  authority,  the  church  might 
reemphasize  this  typ)e  of  teamwork. 
Let  the  liberal  element  go  to  battle 
agamst  social  evils  such  as  discrimina- 
tion, hunger  amid  plenty,  moral  de- 
generation. These  are  the  threatened 
areas  of  a  burning  house.  And  certain- 
ly the  conservative  element  must  work 
on  the  base  of  the  flame  —  the  prob- 
lem itself,  which  is  alienation  from 
God. 

Those  of  us  who  consider  ourselves 
a  part  of  the  conservative  base  of  the 
church  must  realize  that  the  forward 
group  is  a  vital  and  necessary  part  of 
the  church.  We  must  allow  this  group 
to  combat  the  symptoms  of  the  disease 
and  we  must  give  support  and  encour- 
agement. At  the  same  time  the  con- 
servative base  must  pick  up  its  chin 
and  be  willing  to  give  a  sound,  doc- 
trinal, and,  above  all,  a  genuine  Chris- 
tianity to  our  children  and  to  those 
who  are  alienated  from  God. 

Those  of  us  who  consider  ourselves 
to  be  a  part  of  the  forward-lookmg, 
liberal  group  must  concede  that  we  are 
dependent  on  the  base  of  the  church 
and  must  be  willing  to  move  forward 
at  a  realistic  pace  and  not  simply  try 
to  be  the  most  liberal  of  church  groups. 
Above  all,  we  must  follow  the  guidance 
of  God  the  Almighty,  who  was  never 
foimd  to  be  unrealistic  or  wrong.   D 


THE  SHAPING  OF  MODERN  CHRISTIAN 
THOUGHT,  by  Warren  F.  GrofF  and  Donald  E. 
Miller.    World,   1968.    489  pages,  $10 

In  education  today  there  is  a  deliberate 
effort  to  depart  from  the  compartmen- 
talized approach  of  the  past  and  to  em- 
phasize the  overlapping  of  various  fields 
of  study.  The  Shaping  of  Modern  Chris- 
tian Thought,  by  Bethany  Seminary  pro- 
fessors Warren  F.  Groff  and  Donald  E. 
Miller,  is  part  of  that  effort.  In  their 
sourcebook  they  have  tried  to  integrate 
history,  philosophy,  ethics,  and  theology 
in  a  survey  of  major  intellectual  devel- 
opments in  Western  Christianity  during 
the  past  three-and-a-half  centuries. 

Groff  and  Miller  have  done  an  admir- 
able job  of  selecting,  arranging,  and  in- 
terpreting representative  passages  from 
more  than  a  dozen  significant  writers. 
The  book  is  better  than  most  anthologies 
in  that  it  provides  for  considerable  depth 
of  understanding  and  a  unified  develop- 
ment of  thought  without  sacrificing  a 
truly  comprehensive  view.  There  is  some 
very  good  writing  in  the  book,  especially 
the  introduction  to  chapter  nine,  an  ex- 
cellent survey  of  the  history  of  ethical 
thought;  and  chapter  fifteen,  a  brief  but 
insightful  review  of  current  trends  in  the- 
ology. Since  the  book  will  probably  be 
used  primarily  as  a  textbook,  the  authors 
have  been  helpful  to  student  readers  by 
continually  reviewing  the  ground  pre- 
viously covered. 

The  weaknesses  of  the  book  are  rela- 
tively superficial  but  nonetheless  aimoy- 
ing,  perhaps  because  they  seem  so  unnec- 
essary. The  printed  format  makes  it 
difficult  to  distinguish  quickly  between 
primary  source  material  and  commen- 
tary. Sometimes  dots  or  spacing  are  used 
but  with  neither  clarity  nor  consistency. 
The  biographical  paragraphs  that  intro- 
duce each  writer  are  a  jumble  of  frag- 
mentary facts  and  opinions  illogically 
thrown  together.  Some  of  the  "facts" 
have  not  been  checked  for  accuracy.  On 
page  55,  for  instance,  Moses  Mendels- 
sohn, who  died  in  1786,  is  said  to  be 
the  father  of  the  composer  Felix,  who 
happened  to  be  bom  in  1809!   The  word 


givenness,  cumbersome  jargon  at  best,  is 
misspelled.  Page  84  contains  two  lines 
that  are  transposed.  These  may  seem 
like  trivial  errors,  but  they  are  unworthy 
of  an  expensive,  scholarly  book. 

In  this  book  Miller  and  Groff  have 
attempted  to  restate  the  meaning  of  faith 
in  a  way  that  combines  historical,  ethical, 
and  theological  "absolutes"  without  being 
so  rooted  to  any  one  basis  that  it  cannot 
withstand  change  —  any  change.  Thus 
the  most  specific  attribute  of  faith  is 
openness.  While  the  authors  recognize 
that  the  future  may  alter  or  disclaim  any 
current  pronouncement,  they  seem  to  be- 
lieve that  every  era  must  in  some  way 
come  to  terms  with  the  categories  of  fact, 
freedom,  and  truth.  The  book  contains 
many  descriptive  statements  about  faith 
but  avoids  an  exphcit  definition.  Yet 
from  the  book  as  a  whole  one  might 
derive  a  definition  such  as  the  following 
as  representative  of  the  authors'  view: 
Faith  is  the  willing  response  to  the  im- 
pact of  exjjerience,  both  personal  and 
historical,  in  order  to  relate  to  reality. 
Herein  can  be  seen  references  to  the 
book's  central  concerns  of  faith  and  fact, 
inclination  and  obligation  in  freedom, 
subjective  and  objective  truth. 

The  book  is  organized  into  three  sec- 
tions, each  with  a  parallel  outline.  After 
an  introduction  there  are  more  than  half 
a  dozen  substantial  readings  by  major 
philosophers  and  theologians.  Each  se- 
lection is  preceded  by  a  detailed  explana- 
tion and  followed  by  brief  critical  com- 
ments. Each  major  section  ends  with  a 
"typology"   and   "the   developing   story." 

Section  one  deals  with  the  role  of 
reason  in  faith  and  with  the  relevance 
and  reliability  of  historicity.  The  read- 
ings begin  with  Lessing  and  Kant,  in- 
clude Schleiermacher  and  Kierkegaard, 
along  with  other  nineteenth-century  writ- 
ers, and  end  with  Bultmann  and  Earth. 

The  second  section  concerns  the  philo- 
sophical basis  of  ethical  conduct  and  cen- 
ters on  the  notion  of  freedom  with  its 
problems  for  an  historical  faith.  Kant 
and  Kierkegaard  are  included  here  also, 
along   with    Freud,   Tillich,    Bonhoeffer, 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     27 


and  a  new  translation  of  Troeltsch  by 
Dr.  Miller.  Epistemological  questions 
dominate  the  last  major  section,  the  part 
which  is  most  specifically  theological.  In 
showing  the  ways  in  which  various  think- 
ers have  attempted  to  explain  how  it  is 
that  we  can  know  what  is  true,  Groff  and 
Miller  have  again  included  a  reading 
from  Kierkegaard  and  have  turned  for  a 
second  time   to   Schleiermacher,   Tillich, 

REVIEWS  /  MOVIES 


and  Barth.  Descartes  and  Heidegger  are 
added,  and  possibly  the  most  surprising 
inclusion  of  the  book  is  Jonathan  Ed- 
wards, seen  here  not  so  much  as  the  Cal- 
vinist  preacher  as  a  forerunner  of  exis- 
tentialist philosophy.  A  final  summation, 
with  emphasis  on  the  development  of  a 
meaningful  faith  in  our  day,  brings  the 
book  to  a  close.  —  Richard  A.  Living- 
ston 


ooo 


ODGboooOBdkooolJSGlk* 


Poor  Hollywood.  It  tries  so  hard  to  be 
Relevant  and  Meaningful  and  ends  up 
being  saccharine.  This  is  the  reaction  I 
have,  at  least,  after  seeing  .  .  .  tick  .  .  . 
tick  .  .  .  tick  ...  —  a  reaction  of  pity 
rather  than  anger,  which  stems  from  once 
again  seeing  a  Hollywood  film  take  a 
good  idea,  depict  it  powerfully  and  real- 
istically, and  then  retreat  in  the  last  third 
of  the  film  into  banality. 

A  Deep  South  county  has  elected  its 
first  black  sheriflF,  Jim  Price  (Jim 
Brown).  Not  a  single  white  voted  for 
him  —  already  a  note  of  unreality,  for 
how  many  Southern  counties  as  yet  have 
a  majority  of  black  registered  voters? 
Moreover,  the  whites  and  blacks  are 
thereby  established  in  black  and  white 
terms  by  screenwriter  James  Lee  Bar- 
rett in  such  a  way  as  to  make  the  even- 
tual character  change  by  a  group  of 
whites  even  more  incredible. 

Deposed  sheriff  John  Little  (George 
Kennedy,  in  an  absorbing  performance 
demonstrating  that  his  Oscar  for  Cool 
Hand  Luke  was  no  fluke)  is  bitter  about 
his  defeat,  but  his  basic  commitment  to 
law  and  order  finally  convinces  him  to 
support  the   new  sheriff.    "I'm  the  first 


victim  of  Black  Power  in  this  state," 
Little  declares  to  his  wife  in  the  begin- 
ning. But  spitting  out  pride  and  batter- 
ing down  the  taunts  of  "Chicken  Little" 
from  frustrated  whites,  he  joins  Price  as 
a  deputy  when  tensions  are  about  to 
erupt. 

For  the  first  two  thirds  of  .  .  .  tick 
.  .  .  tick  .  .  .  tick  .  .  .  my  guts  were  churn- 
ing. Director  Ralph  Nelson  (Lilies  of 
the  Field)  manages  to  build  an  appro- 
priate ambiance  of  tension  through  op- 
pressive heat,  menacing  whites  just  stand- 
ing around  as  Price  comes  to  be  sworn 
in,  the  fears  of  Price's  wife  (beautifully 
played  by  Janet  MacLachlan),  and  the 
open  hatred  of  mean-spirited  bigots. 
But  this  tension  dissipates  toward  the  end 
as  John  Little  appears  at  just  the  right 
moments  to  save  Sheriff  Price  and  Depu- 
ty Wilkes  (Richard  Elkins)  from  embar- 
rassing and  dangerous  situations.  'Very 
soon  everything  becomes  predictable,  and 
the  viewer's  guts  settle  back  into  compla- 
cence. 

The  climactic  scene  is  set  when  Price 
arrests  a  drunken  driver,  son  of  the 
most  powerful  man  in  the  next  county, 
for  killing  a  six-year-old  girl.    This  ar- 


rest includes  a  whoUy  gratuitous  chase 
sequence,  inserted  only  to  remind  us  that 
Jim  Brown  is  a  great  running  back. 
When  Price  and  Little  call  upon  white 
help  to  turn  back  the.  next-county  vigi- 
lantes, character  changes  run  rampant, 
led  by  a  leading  light  of  the  local  Ku 
Klux  Klan!  The  ending  black-and-white- 
together  sequence  is  thus  in  the  worst 
Hollywoodish  fairy-tale  tradition. 

The  best  scene  in  the  film  comes  when 
crusty  Mayor  Parks  (made  marvelously 
real  by  Frederick  March)  confronts  his 
black  servant.  Homer.  We  are  reminded 
here  of  what  we  have  learned  from  films 
like  In  the  Heat  of  the  Night:  that  the 
South  has  the  advantage  of  brutal  hon- 
esty in  black-white  tensions.  It  would  be 
difficult  for  Parks  or  Homer  to  speak  as 
they  do  if  there  were  present  a  sense  of 
ameliorating  "we  really  like  each  other." 
Unfortunately,  the  movie  as  a  whole 
does  not  capitalize  on  the  honesty  in  this 
scene. 

For,  finally,  .  .  .  tick  .  .  .  tick  .  .  .  tick 
...  is  essentially  a  Northern  whites'  film. 
It  allows  the  unaware  participant  in 
institutionalized  racism  to  rail  at  "those 
bigots."  It  gives  the  white  liberal  a  nice- 
ly sentimentalized  look  at  black  and 
white  together.  And,  most  insidious  of 
all,  it  presents  whites  once  again  as 
saviors  of  blacks.  Had  that  final  con- 
frontation at  the  bridge  not  involved  a 
cavalry-charge  of  white  supporters,  the 
film's  ending  might  have  opened  up 
some  very  real  questions  with  which  all 
of  us  have  to  deal.  About  all  a  black 
man  has  in  this  movie  is  the  massive  pres- 
ence of  Jim  Brown,  whose  acting  skill 
is  growing  and  whose  dominance  of  this 
film  is  truly  impressive.  —  Dave  Pome- 

ROY 

CLASSIFIED  ADS 

REGISTERED  nurses  and  licensed  practical  nurses 
needed  to  work  in  a  Church  of  the  Brethren 
nursing  home.  Modern  facilities,  extended  care 
certified,  with  high  quality  nursing  care  stan- 
dards. Good  Shepherd  Home,  P.O.  Box  805, 
Fostoria,    Ohio   44830. 


28     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


THERE  IS 
HOPE 
FOR  A  TREE, 
IF  IT  BE  CUT  DOWN, 
THAT  IT 
WILL 
SPROUT  AGAIN 

Job  14:7 


Celebration  of  Hope. 

A  starting  point 

for  an  Annual  Conference  exhibit 

of  posters, 

banners, 

photography. 

And  a  starting  point 

for  artists, 

or  just  plain  people  — 

children, 

youth, 

and  adults  — 

who  have  a  graphic  interpretation 

for  celebration 

and  hope. 

It's  an  open  field  — 

serigraph,  painting, 

woodcut,  montage, 

photography,  collage  — 

for  poster  people 

and  banner  creators. 

Photographers 

will  want  to  submit 

prints, 

black  and  white  or  color, 

11   by  14  inches,  minimum  size. 

No  slides,  please. 

It's  an  open  field,  too, 

for  entrants: 

anyone  related 

in  any  way 

to  Church  of  the  Brethren 

congregations, 

institutions, 

programs 

may  join  in  the 

graphic  celebration. 

Everyone  may  submit 

up  to  three  items  in  each 

classification. 

Entrants  will  receive 

recognition 

through  the  Conference  exhibit 

and  through  photographs 

of  the  work 

in  various  publications 

of  the  church. 

But  celebrate  soon.    Material 

must  be  postmarked  no  later 

than  May  26,  1970. 

Send  to: 

Office  of  Communication, 

Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 

1451   Dundee  Avenue, 

Elgin, 

Illinois 

60120. 

Celebrate  with  us! 


4-23-70    MESSENGER     29 


Uriel 


1= 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

The  executive  director  of  the  Amer- 
ican Protestant  Hospital  Association, 
John  C.  Eller,  accepted  a  citation  from 
the  United  Church  of  Christ  at  its  annual 
convention  of  the  Council  for  Health 
and  Welfare  Services.  An  ordained  min- 
ister in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Dr. 
Eller  was  associated  with  the  Bethany 
Brethren  Hospital,  Chicago,  for  twenty- 
one  years  before  assuming  his  present 
position. 

High  school  principal  C.  L.  Gottman, 
North  Manchester,  Ind.,  received  the 
Outstanding  Citizen  Award  from  the 
North  Manchester  Jaycees.  . . .  Former 
Nigeria  missionary  Clarence  Heckman, 
now  of  La  Verne,  Calif.,  suffered  a  stroke 
which  left  his  left  side  paralyzed.  He  is 
recovering  at  the  Casa  Colina  Rehabili- 
tation Hospital  at  Pomona,  Calif. 

Perry  L.  Rohrer,  71,  a  pioneer  in  the 
use  of  clinical  psychology  in  industry, 
died  March  23  at  La  Grange,  111.  A 
founder  of  Rohrer,  Hibler,  and  Rep- 
logle,  a  firm  which  offers  psychological 
services  to  business  and  industrial 
management,  Mr.  Rohrer  also  taught 
psychology  at  Bethany  Theological  Sem- 
inary and  was  chief  clinical  psychologist 
at  the  behavior  clinic  of  the  criminal 
court  for  nine  years. 

•*••**      't'      T"      "r 

United  Methodist  minister  Randolph 
Nugent,  director  of  New  York's  Metro- 
politan Urban  Service  Training,  has  been 
appointed  associate  general  secretary  for 
overseas  ministries  of  the  National  Coun- 
cil of  Churches.  He  succeeds  David  M. 
Stowe,  who  is  leaving  to  become  execu- 
tive vice-president  of  the  United  Church 
of  Christ  board  for  world  ministries. 
^      4.      ^      ^      .;. 

Our  best  wishes  go  to  couples  cele- 
brating golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Winn  Long,  Warrensburg, 
Mo.;  the  Dewey  Meadors,  Kokomo,  Ind.; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roy  Roesch,  La 
Verne,  Calif.  . .  .  Other  couples  observ- 
ing anniversaries  include  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Harry  Pyles  of  the  Rockhill/Blacklog 


parish  in  Middle  Pennsylvania,  fifty- 
four;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Whisler, 
Lowpoint,  111.,  sixty-two. 

Three  couples  are  marking  sixtieth 
wedding  anniversaries:  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Marvin  Peters,  Wenatchee,  Wash.;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Elmer  Shirk,  Ephrata,  Pa.;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chalmer  Barley,  Sebring, 
Fla. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

Ankeny,  Iowa,  pastor  David  Hykes 
has  been  elected  secretary  of  the  Iowa 
Council  of  Churches. .  .  .  Pennsylvania 
pastors  from  Church  of  the  Brethren 
and  Baptist  congregations  gathered  this 
month  at  Altoona  for  the  first  retreat  of 
its  kind  in  Pennsylvania. 

Men  from  the  Eastern  and  Southern 
districts  of  Pennsylvania  and  from  the 
North  Atlantic  District  were  licensed  re- 
cently to  the  ministry:  Jeffrey  Johnson, 
Gettysburg;  John  Leid,  Mohler;  Carl 
Greiner,  Florin;  Ronald  Boose,  Green 
Tree;  Roger  Solomon,  Lake  Ridge;  and 
Aaron  Weaver,  Spring  Grove. 

Byron  Berkey  will  leave  a  yoked  par- 
ish. Mountain  View/Leetown,  for  a 
single  congregation,  Denton,  all  in  the 
Mid-Atlantic  District.  While  serving  at 
Denton,  he  will  also  manage  Camp 
Mardela.  .  .  .  Moving  from  the  Black 
Rock  church.  Southern  Pennsylvania, 


SOdSeiSGIID 


April  27 -May  3     Mental  Health  Week 

May  3 

May  3-10 

May  7 

May    10 

May  15-17 

May   17 

May   17 

May  24 

May  30 

June   14 

June  20-21 

June  21 

June   23-28 

June  28 


Rural  Life  Sunday 

National  Family  Week 

Ascension   Day 

Mother's  Day 

District  conference.  First  Virginia 

Pentecost 

Annual   Conference  Offering 

Trinity  Sunday 

Memorial   Day 

Children's  Sunday 

Church    of    the    Brethren    General 

Board,  Lincoln,  Neb. 
Father's  Day 

Annual   Conference,   Lincoln,   Neb. 
Christian    Citizenship   Sunday 


next  September  will  be  Earl  Ziegler,  who 

has  accepted  a  call  from  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania's Mechanic  Grove  church. 

Entering  the  pastoral  ministry  on  a 
part-time  basis  is  Fern  Dunmire, 
McVeytown,  Pa.,  who  last  month  began 
serving  the  Ardenheim  congregation  in 
Middle  Pennsylvania.  . .  .  Robert 
Williard  of  Southern  Virginia  in  May 
will  begin  serving  in  a  part-time  pastorate 
at  the  Maple  Grove  church  in  that 
district. 

The  congregation  at  Altoona's  First 
church  will  welcome  its  new  pastor,  Guy 
Fern,  who  in  September  comes  to 
Altoona  from  another  Middle  Pennsyl- 
vania pastorate.  Pine  Glen.  .  .  .  Fred 
Swartz  plans  a  move  north  in  August, 
when  he  will  become  pastor  of  First 
Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Harrisburg, 
Pa.  He  has  been  serving  at  the  Summer- 
dean  church,  Roanoke,  Va. 

Early  fall  is  anticipated  for  James 
Flora's  beginning  his  pastorate  at  Long 
Beach,  Calif.,  after  resigning  at  the  Pal- 
myra church  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

Assuming  another  congregation  in  a 
yoked  parish  arrangement  will  be 
Newton  Poling,  who  will  serve  the 
Boiling  Springs  church  in  Southern 
Pennsylvania  as  well  as  the  Carlisle 
church,  where  he  is  already  full-time 
pastor. .  .  .  Leaving  Middle  Pennsyl- 
vania's Carson  Valley  congregation  in 
August  will  be  Perry  Liskey,  who  has 
accepted  a  call  from  the  Ridge  church  in 
Southern  Pennsylvania. 

POTPOURRI 

Books  for  sale:  Among  the  Giants,  by 

Bertha  M.  Neher,  may  be  had  by  con- 
tacting Mrs.  Glen  Whitehead,  Route  1, 
Warsaw,  Ind.  46580,  who  will  sell  the  re- 
printed edition  for  one  dollar  plus  ship- 
ping —  twenty-five  cents  for  one,  and 
fifty  cents  for  two  or  more.  With  any 
order  for  six  or  more,  Mrs.  Whitehead 
will  enclose  a  complimentary  copy  for 
the  church  library.  .  .  .  An  autobiography 
published  late  last  year.  Seeking  God's 
Will  for  Me,  by  Ernest  M.  Wampler, 


30     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


reveals  the  retired  Brethren  minister  and 
missionary's  search  for  God.  At  $4.50 
per  copy,  the  volume  may  be  ordered 
from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111. 
60120. 

T         **•         T*         ■**         "*• 

"To  strengthen  our  historic  Brethren 
peace  witness"  was  the  keynote  on 
which  the  Southern  Pennsylvania  Dis- 
trict Brethren  Peace  Fellowship  was 
bom  March  7.  Of  ninety  in  attendance 
at  the  organizational  meeting,  forty-two 
joined  immediately.  The  steering  com- 
mittee vows  freedom  of  individuals  to 
"give  expression  to  their  varied  interests 
and  conscientious  beliefs  about  peace," 
while  providing  resources  for  local  con- 
gregations to  use  in  draft  counseling. 


The  group  joins  others  across  the 
Brotherhood  —  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania, 
the  Mid-Atlantic  and  Shenandoah  dis- 
tricts, Northern  Indiana,  Kansas,  and  the 
Pacific  Southwest.  Steering  committee 
members  are  Jacob  Miller  Jr.,  Ralph 
Moyer,  Steve  Haller,  Janice  Custer, 
Doris  Large,  and  James  Poling. 

DEATHS 

Brumbaugh,   Jessie,    Cleveland,    Ohio,    on   March 

11,  1969.  aged  91 
Bucher,  Alta   May,   Myerstown,   Pa.,  on  Nov.    17, 

1969,  aged  67 

Bucher,   Naomi   P.,  Quarryville,   Pa.,  on  Feb.   27, 

1970,  aged  83 

Ebeisole,  John  F.,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  March  5, 

1970,  aged  84 
Grimm,   Ida  L.,   tJniontown,   Pa.,   on  March    18, 

1970,  aged  90 
Heisey,   Alice,   Neffsville,   Pa.,   on   Jan.    23,    1970, 

aged  87 


Hovatter,   Rufus,    Pitsburg,    Ohio,   on    March    8, 

1970,  aged  64 
Kempton,  George,  New  Carlisle,  Ohio,  on  March 

11,   1970,  aged  82 
Lehman,   John   D.,   Guthrie,   Okla.,   on  March  6, 

1970,  aged  92 
Metzger,  Effie,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  Feb.  20,  1970 
Moyer,  Benjamin,  Cleona,  Pa.,  on  March  9,  1970, 

aged  70 
Myers,  Ruth  Stayer,  Altoona,   Pa.,  on  March    14, 

1970,  aged  61 
Neff,  Anna  Lee,  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  on  March  20, 

1970,   aged  72 
Over,  Ruth  E.,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.,  on  Dec.  28, 

1969,  aged  67 
Reed,  Elta,  Adel,  Iowa,  on  Feb.  15,  1970,  aged  78 
Reed,  T.  U.,  Adel,  Iowa,  on  Feb.  13,  1970,  aged 

86 
Saddler,    Frank,    Cleona,    Pa.,    on    Feb.    10,    1970, 

aged  56 
Weaver,   Sallie,    Cleona,    Pa.,   on    Feb.    27,    1970, 

aged  80 
Wenger,  Annis  B.,  Fredericksburg,  Pa.,  on  March 

5,  1970,  aged  76 
Widdowson,  Mrs.  Glenn,  Penn  Run,  Pa.,  on  Feb. 

20.  1970,  aged  74 


BOOKS  FOR 


CHILDREN 


I  CAN  SEE  WHAT  GOD  DOES 

CAROLYN  MULLER  WOLCOTT  "Nobody  has  ever  seen  the  wind.  But  we 
can  see  the  things  the  wind  does."  So  Debbie's  mother  replies  to  one  of 
childhood's  many  questions.  Amid  the  pigeons  and  aging  buildings  at  the 
heart  of  the  city,  Debbie  discovers  the  same  is  true  of  God.  He  can't  be  seen, 
but  color,  sound,  broadening  discoveries,  love  expressed  by  family  and 
friends,  truth,  and  beauty  evidence  his  presence.  Concludes  Debbie,  "I'm 
glad  I  can  see  what  God  does."   Ages  5-7.  $2.50 


WHERE'S  GOD,  DADDY? 

CHARLEY  MANOS  The  author's  young  daughter  asked  him  the  question 
which  has  become  the  title  of  this  book.  Like  any  normal  father,  he  struggled 
for  a  reasonable  and  simple  answer  that  his  girl  could  understand  and  be- 
lieve. Then  he  began  to  think  that  there  must  be  many  other  little  boys  and 
girls  who  were  reaching  for  answers  —  and  the  result  was  that  he  volun- 
teered to  teach  such  youngsters  in  the  church  school.  From  his  close  relation- 
ship with  many  children  he  has  compiled  a  whole  collection  of  children's 
sayings  and  little  quips,  illustrated  by  line  drawings.  He  is  a  feature  writer 
for  the  Detroit  News.  $1.00  paper 

CHURCH   OF   THE    BRETHREN    GENERAL    OFFICES    •    Elgin    Illinois   60120 


EDITORIAL 


[?@[?g[o)©(30DW©g  ©DO  (3DQ  /i\[o)[?DD°(?(o)(o)DD§[iQ  OQDQgDag 


D 


f  you  set  aside  one  day  of  the  year  for  fools,  they  ought  to 
enjoy  it.  For  some  reason,  however,  other  duties  fall  on 
April  1  simply  because  it  is  the  first  of  the  month  or,  as  in 
this  year,  it  happens  to  be  Census  Day.  Since  the  Women's 
Liberation  Movement  has  not  yet  succeeded  in  dethroning 
husbands  and  fathers  from  some  of  their  ancient  preroga- 
tives, it  fell  to  many  of  us  to  declare  ourselves  as  "heads  of 
the  household"  and  to  provide  some  vital  information  re- 
garding each  person  living  under  our  roofs. 

Despite  the  assurance  of  the  census  officials  that  all 
answers  would  be  kept  confidential,  the  questions  them- 
selves were  rather  specific,  and  some  persons  may  have 
regarded  the  whole  business  as  an  invasion  of  their  privacy. 
After  all,  why  should  some  "big  brother"  in  Washington 
need  to  know  how  many  rooms  there  are  in  our  living 
quarters  or  whether  the  facilities  include  a  flush  toilet,  a 
shower,  or  even  a  basement? 

As  if  to  reassure  any  of  us  who  harbored  such  uncoop- 
erative thoughts,  the  Secretary  of  Commerce  observed  that 
"we  must  constantly  take  stock  of  ourselves"  and  that  every 
question  asked  in  the  1970  roundup  has  a  national  purpose. 
Maybe  so.  But  he  must  remember  that  April  1  precedes  by 
only  a  few  days  the  deadline  when  federal  and  state  income 
taxes  must  be  paid.  If  we  are  just  a  little  skeptical  of  the 
values  of  bureaucracy,  it  may  be  due  to  the  high  cost  of 
government  —  and  a  slight  suspicion  that  the  money  we 
pay  could  be  used  to  better  advantage. 

However,  there  is  merit  in  the  idea  of  "taking  stock" 
and  "standing  up  to  be  counted."  Given  a  little  time,  we 
could  probably  come  up  with  a  full-blown  rationale  for  the 
census,  if  not  for  all  the  probing  that  accompanies  it.  At 
least,  here  are  a  few  reflections  that  helped  us  see  more  than 
foolishness  in  1970's  Census  Day. 

1 .  As  much  as  we  may  dislike  replying  to  question- 
naires, they  do  remind  us  that  to  be  a  human  being  is  to  live 
in  a  particular  place  at  a  definite  point  in  history.  It  was 
in  the  year  that  King  Uzziah  died  that  Isaiah  had  a  trans- 
forming vision.  And  it  was  a  decree  from  Caesar  Augustus 
"that  all  the  world  should  be  enrolled"  (how  is  that  for  a 
universal  census?)  which  brought  Joseph  and  Mary  to 
Bethlehem  without  reservations  at  the  inn. 

By  such  means  we  know  that  Jesus  shared  some  of  the 
petty  annoyances  that  accompany  ordinary  life.  He,  too, 
had  a  name  to  be  recorded,  and  he  was  a  unit  in  the  regis- 
tration required  when  Quirinius  was  governor  of  Syria.  As 
a  statistic  he  may  have  appeared  to  be  no  more  than  an 
addition  to  the  records  kept  by  a  Palentinian  clerk,  but  the 
New  Testament  goes  to  great  length  to  suggest  how  impor- 


tant such  vital  statistics  can  be  in  the  sight  of  God. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  speculate  about  the  potential 
that  exists  in  the  census  records  that  are  now  piling  up  in 
Washington.  Who  can  predict,  for  example,  which  child 
will  devote  his  talent,  which  youth  will  declare  his  faith, 
which  woman  will  demonstrate  her  compassion  in  ways  to 
make  this  world  over  and  benefit  the  thousands  of  others 
who  are  part  of  the  impersonal  totals? 

2.  Yet  we  view  every  census  with  some  apprehension. 
We  know  that  Caesar  wasn't  especially  interested  in  register- 
ing the  birth  of  another  prophet,  even  if  he  was  less  in- 
clined than  Herod  toward  the  systematic  slaughter  of  any 
threat  to  his  power.  We  know  also  that  frequently  the 
"numbering  of  the  people"  that  receives  mention  in  the  Old 
Testament  was  for  the  purpose  of  securing  conscripts  for 
military  service  or  for  forced  labor.  One  of  the  chronicles 
suggests  that  King  David  was  "incited  by  Satan"  to  coimt 
the  people,  a  viewpoint  most  often  shared  in  our  day  by 
young  men  who  think  that  Satan  is  busily  at  work  tempting 
modern-day  government  and  military  leaders  to  use  the 
draft  for  purposes  just  as  evil. 

3.  For  our  part  we  find  New  Testament  arithmetic 
preferable  to  the  numbering  and  counting  that  derives  from 
the  days  of  Moses  and  Gideon  or  even  of  Solomon  in  all  his 
glory.  We  are  referring  to  the  mathematics  of  a  shepherd 
who  has  ninety-nine  sheep  safely  in  his  fold  but  risks  his 
life  to  secure  the  one  who  was  lost.  We  recall  the  observa- 
tion of  Jesus  that  since  God  is  knowledgeable  about  spar- 
rows he  must  be  concerned  about  a  single  individual,  who  is 
infinitely  more  valuable  than  a  bird  or  a  sheep.  We  like  his 
suggestion  that  such  things  as  love  and  forgiveness  simply 
cannot  be  measured  by  numbers. 

If  you  look  at  census  statistics  from  the  perspective  of 
the  kingdom  of  God,  they  could  prove  to  have  tremendous 
value  —  but  merely  as  an  aid  to  discovering  how  the  per- 
sons behind  the  numbers  can  be  set  free  to  be  the  creative 
spirits  which  God  intended.  We  haven't  yet  heard  of  a 
computer  that  could  estimate  what  would  happen  if  a  small 
sampling  of  Christians  learned  to  forgive  at  the  rate  of 
seventy  times  seven.  From  the  census  we  will  discover  how 
many  persons  live  below  a  subsistence  level.  But  who  will 
dare  to  calculate  what  would  happen  to  such  levels  if  some 
well-heeled  Christians  took  their  scriptures  literally  and  sold 
all  they  had  to  help  the  poor? 

That  little  exercise  we  did  for  the  government  on  April  1 
might  not  have  been  so  foolish  after  all  —  if  it  prompted  us 
to  share  just  a  little  in  the  good  Lord's  loving  concern  for 
the  hundreds  of  millions  who  make  up  the  totals.  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    4-23-70 


^"^J 


Books 


by  Anna  B.  Mow  ancI 
VernarcI  EIIer 


^:iUt^::    ■:    'r-M 


THE  SECRET  OF  MARRIED  LOVE 

Out  of  the  experience  of  being  married  for  fifty  years  to  the  same  man,  Anna  Mow  has  written  a 
book  packed  with  sage  advice  to  help  newlyweds  cope  with  problems  arising  from  emotional, 
educational,  social,  and  religious  differences.  While  marriage  requires  self-surrender,  there  can  be 
no  question  of  submerging  individuality.  Mrs.  Mow  counsels:  "The  success  of  your  marriage  will 
depend  upon  learning  when  and  where  you  are  to  be  one."  The  Secret  of  Married  Love  radiates 
the  same  qualities  of  warmth,  wisdom,  and  understanding  that  have  endeared  Anna  Mow  to  thou- 
sands of  readers  of  her  earlier  books.  She  hopes  her  new  book  will  help  those  newly  married  or 
about  to  be  "so  that  they  can  see  the  road   signs  that   lead   to  fulfillment."  $3.95 


THE  MAD  MORALITY 

Or  the  Ten  Commandments  Revisited 

Mad  Magazine  has  carefully  cultivated  an  image  as  a  magazine  with  an  unremitting  emphasis  on 
pure  "garbage/'  but  many  readers,  including  Vernard  EIIer,  have  penetrated  beneath  the  surface 
to  appreciate  Mad  for  its  fearless  stands  on  important  moral  issues.  EIIer  explicates  many  of  Mad's 
most  successful  satires  alongside  reproductions  of  the  magazine  articles,  devoting  chapters  to  each 
of  the  Ten  Commandments.  Young  readers  (and  oldsters  who  read  Mad  on  the  sly)  will  enjoy 
rereadir>g  many  of  their  favorite  pieces,  while  parents  will  be  reassured  by  Eller's  comments  — 
which,  like  Mad's,  are  sometimes  irreverent  and  satiric,  but  always  based  on  sound   moral  principles. 

$2.79  paper 

Order  these  books  now  for  shipment  on  the  publication  dates 

CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES  •  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


essen 


Like  the  Ten  Commandments,  Mad  mag- 
azine recognizes  that  many  so-called  freedoms  lead  in  fact  to  slavery.  The 
commandments  warn  against  such  freedoms;  Mad  makes  fun  of  them,  by 
Vemard  Eller.   page  2 

Parents  who  board  their  children  at  a 
school  like  Hillcrest  at  Jos,  Nigeria,  know  that  there  are  advantages  and  dis- 
advantages in  the  youngsters'  being  away  from  home.  A  houseparent  describes 
her  experiences  with  an  eye  to  both,  by  Roma  Thompson,  page  5 

Christians  know  the  agonies  and  the  hopes  which 
the  knowledge  of  the  living  Christ  imparts.  How  do  belonging  to  Christ  and 
searching  for  renewal  in  him  find  expression  in  persons?  by  M.  M.  Thomas, 
page  8 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has  "a  great  hunger 
and  a  ripeness"  for  evangelism,  according  to  a  working  paper  issued  by  the 
denominations  Parish  Ministries  staff.  The  writers  look  at  some  directions  for 
the  church,  page  12 

A  prison  visitor  re- 
flects on  his  tasks  of  counseling  and  encouraging  imprisoned  conscientious 
objectors,  by  Terry  Pettit.  page  14 

A  former  United  States  ambassador  to  the  United 
Nations  examines  the  plight  of  Alaska's  native  population  in  the  struggle  for 
land  rights,  by  Ardiur  J.  Goldberg,  page  21 

Other  features  include  suggestions  for  family  worship,  by  Ruth  and  Eldon  Shingleton 
(page  11);  a  photo  feature  on  some  yoving-at-heart  performers  at  the  Fahmey-Keedy 
Home  (page  18);  a  poem  by  Ruth  B.  Statler  (page  22);  a  report  on  the  activities  of  a 
grandmother-turned- volunteer,  by  Terry  Pettit  (page  23);  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Amy 
N.  T.  White  (page  24);  "The  Church  in  Transition,"  by  Wayne  Huntley  (page  25);  a 
review  article  of  a  recent  book  by  two  Bethany  Seminary  professors,  by  Richard  A. 
Livingston  (page  27);  and  a  critique  of  ".  .  .  tick  .  .  .  tick  .  .  .  tick  .  .  .  ,"  by  film  reviewer 
Dave  Pomeroy  (page  28). 


Anne  Albright  interviews  Dr.  and  Mrs.  R.  H.  Miller,  who  "retired'  last  year  after  serving 
a  series  of  interim  pastorates  across  the  country,  all  of  them  following  the  Manchester 
College  professor's  official  "retirement"  in  1959.  .  .  .  Michael  Daves  has  some  practical 
words  of  counsel  for  parents  who  may  he  puzzled  as  to  what  to  do  "When  Your  Teen- 
Ager  Rebels."  ...  A  special  feature  with  text  and  photos  reflects  the  thinking  of  Indian 
Americans.  .  .  .  An  appropriate  Pentecost  message  comes  from  the  presidents  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches. 


VOL  119  NO.  5 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     ^^^   5/7/70 


R.H.MUIet/And  then  the  fun  began 
News/ Shaping  the  Brethren  wit 


readers  write 


PLEASE  DESCRIBE 

Regarding  the  letter  of  Stephen  G. 
Margush,  Tyrone,  Pa.  (Feb.  26):  Please 
describe  a  "Spiritually  Sensitive"  person. 

Thank  you. 

RosELLA  Combs 
Dayton.  Ohio 

A  CURE  FOR  THE  SICKNESS 

This  is  a  plea  to  all  of  you  who  condemn 
the  so-called  "Conspiracy  7"  as  criminals 
and  misfits.  I  do  not  speak  here  of  all 
of  them.  I  speak  of  one  David  Dellinger. 
What  do  you  know  of  him?  Do  you  think 
of  him  as  a  loud-mouthed  dissident?  A  riot 
inciter?  A  communist?  He  is  none  of  these. 
While  I  will  never  condone  the  violence, 
the  name-calling,  the  profanity  with  which 
most  of  us  associate  the  whole  group,  I 
have  begun  to  take  a  more  careful  look  at 
the  basic  causes  for  which  some  are  revolt- 
ing. 

Even  while  you  loudly  proclaim  that 
"life  in  the  U.S.A.  is  good,  yea!"  if  you  are 
honest  with  yourself,  you  know  better. 
Please  don't  misunderstand.  I  love  my 
country  quite  as  much  as  ever  anyone  has. 
But  I  see  a  sickness.  When  that  which  one 
loves  is  afflicted,  one  does  not  ignore  the 
matter.  One  seeks  the  cure.  If  you  care  to 
see  that  at  which  your  eyes  look,  you  can't 
avoid  the  bigotry,  the  hypocrisy,  the  graft, 
the  basic  and  far-reaching  dishonesty  that 
have  permeated  the  fiber  of  society  today. 

Remember  when  you  were  younger  and 
were  not  too  busy  (or  too  prejudiced)  to 
see  things  as  they  are?  When  your  cher- 
ished ideals  for  making  this  a  good  world 
for  all  human  beings  were  fresh  and  strong? 
What  happened  to  those  ideals?  They  prob- 
ably faded  as  you  fitted  yourself  into 
your  niche  in  the  establishment.  Mine  have 
faded    and    have    become    badly    tarnished. 


But  all  of  a  sudden,  those  ideals  are  surg- 
ing forth  within  me  in  a  desperate  battle 
for  survival.  I  once  more  see  the  dry  rot 
that  is  consuming  this  society  of  which  I 
am  a  part.  Still  I  attempt  to  ignore  it,  for 
life  for  me  is  pretty  good.  And  why  make 
waves?  But  is  it  really  so  good? 

Then  I  see  someone  who  is  attempting  to 
effect  a  cure  for  this  malignancy.  David 
Dellinger  is  a  man  who  has  refused  to  trade 
the  ideals  of  his  youth  for  membership  in 
the  status  quo.  Do  YOU  dare  to  take  a 
better  look  at  him  and  his  cause?  Do  YOU 
dare  to  listen  to  (and  really  hear)  what  he 
is  saying?  Or  is  it  too  late  for  you?  I  hope 
not.  When  it  is  too  late  for  too  many,  it 
is  too  late  for  mankind. 

Janet  College 
Batavia,  111. 

IMPORTANCE  OF  FAITH 

The  article,  "The  Two-Child  Family 
Movement"  (Feb.  12)  raised  some  questions 
in  my  mind  which  I  would  like  to  share 
with  other   Brethren   subscribers. 

Does  not  the  advocacy  of  population 
control  contradict  the  traditional  position 
of  the  Brethren  on  the  issue  of.  ends  and 
means?  In  the  Second  World  War  we  main- 
tained a  witness  of  pacifism  even  though  it 
seemed  to  many  that  the  means  of  violence 
was  justified  by  the  goal  of  suppressing  the 
Nazis.  Are  the  means  of  population  con- 
trol —  abortion,  sterilization,  and  contra- 
ception —  so  clearly  more  acceptable  in 
the  Christian  tradition  than  "just  wars"  and 
"crusades,"  means  for  redressing  wrongs? 

Have  we  as  Christians  forgotten  the  val- 
ue of  pain  and  suff'ering  —  even  starvation? 
Do  we  value  longevity,  abundance,  and 
material  conveniences  more  than  the  crea- 
tion of  souls  to  the  glory  of  God?  Is  our 
focus    on    enjoyment    to    the    exclusion    of 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  'The  Artist  With  Her  Son  Hans,"  by  Kattie  Kollwitz,  Three  Lions  photo; 
2-7  Ed  Eckstein;  8  (bottom).  11  Dave  Cook;  12.  13,  14,  15  Don  Honick;  17  Religious  News  Service;  19 
Helene  and   Paul  Sommer;  24  H.  Armstrong  Roberts 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer.  director 
of  communication:  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  -Aug.  20.  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  .Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Ser\ice  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Ser\'ice.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Re\'ised  Standard  V^ersion. 
Subscription  rates:  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
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If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave..  Elgin.  Ill  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    May  7.   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119   No.  10 


atonement?  Was  it  only  coincidental  that 
Christ  rejected  the  establishment  of  a  Utopia 
(Matt.  4:-9)  and  chose  to  be  crucified  in 
anguish  and  disgrace? 

In  my  opinion  a  fundamental  idea  of  the 
Bible  which  the  writers  sought  to  convey  to  1 
us  is  the  importance  of  faith,  a  faith  which  | 
is  a  principle  of  the  inner  spirit  of  a  man 
but  which  is  also  to  be  seen  in  his  life  as 
one  sees  fruit  in  the  life  of  a  good  fruit  tree. 
If  Christians  are  to  advocate  the  limitation 
of  population  by  sterilization  and  contracep- 
tion, does  not  this  suggest  that  we  have 
placed  our  faith  more  in  the  comforts  of 
life  and  the  saving  grace  of  suburbia  .  .  . 
than  in  the  transcendent  God  revealed  in 
Christ? 

Jon  a.  Alexander 
Philadelphia,   Pa, 

A  MISSIONARY   IN   CALIFORNIA 

This  is  to  add  a  note  to  Terry  Pettit's 
article,  "The  Plea  of  the  Migrant  Farm 
Worker"   (Jan.   29). 

When  I  was  principal  of  a  country  school 
in  Coachella  Valley,  Calif.,  we  had,  along 
with  the  children  of  the  permanent  resi- 
dents, the  children  of  three  migrant  camps. 
They  were  Negro,  Caucasian,  and  Mexican- 
American.  There  was  not  a  week  that  1 1 
wasn't  in  the  camps  several  times. 

As  soon  as  it  was  light  enough  to  identify  i 
a  weed  from  an  onion,  we'll  say,  the  chil-  ■ 
dren   would   be    with   their   parents    in   the : 
fields.    Doesn't  California  have  child  labor  i] 
laws?    Certainly,    but   the    growers   do    not 
hire  the  children;  they  hire  the  parents,  and 
the  children  must  help  out  in  earning  their 
own   living.    They   ran   for  the   school   bus 
when   they   saw   it   coming.     They   had    no 
breakfast  and  brought  no  lunch.    At  school  i 
someone  washed  them. 

The  first  thing  they  did  when  they  got 
to  their  seats  was  to  put  down  their  heads 
and  go  to  sleep. 

We  had  no  kitchen.  To  solve  the  lunch 
situation,  interested  women  in  the  valley 
brought  kettles  of  already-cooked  beans, 
soup,  or  stew,  and  we  served  this  food  from 
bowls  on  the  children's  desks.  But  when  the 
camp  children  caught  on  that  the  others 
were  paying  and  they  were  not,  they  refused 
to  accept  the  food,  saying  that  they  didn't 
want  it  or  that  they  were  not  hungry.  We 
then  served  everybody  free,  and  a  commit- 
tee collected  from  those  who  could  pay  and 
donations   for  the   camp  children.    All  the 


liHl] 


teachers  paid  ten  dollars  a  month  toward 
this.  But  we  never  got  a  penny  from  the 
growers  who  had  the  camps.  .  .  . 

The  camp  children  were  good  pupils.  I 
/never  had  a  "problem  case"  among  them. 
They  don't  have  everything,  and  they  ap- 
preciate everything  you  do  for  them;  they 
;are  not  spoiled  brats;  they  know  how  to 
iwork;  and  they  are  glad  to  be  in  school  in- 
stead of  in  the  fields. 

1  recall  two  Negro  boys,  brothers,  who 
,came  to  me  graded  in  age,  but  only  ready 
:or  the  fourth  grade.  One  of  them  made 
ive  grades  in  two  years  and  graduated  a 
strong  eighth-grader;  the  other  made  four 
grades  in  two  years.  I  never  told  those 
boys  anything  twice;  once  was  enough. 
They  were  graduated  from  high  school  and 
are  now  finish  carpenters.  A  Caucasian  boy 
who  entered  our  school's  eighth  grade  for  a 
few  weeks  had  been  in  eighteen  different 
schools  that  year  and  hadn't  missed  a  day 
of  school.  All  his  family  was  working  in  the 
fields.  They  left  one  field  and  arrived  at 
;the  next  in  time  to  have  him  in  school  in 
jthat  area  the  next  Monday  morning.  He  was 
brilliant  and  planning  to  be  a  lawyer  so  he 
could  best  help  migrant  workers.  I  hope  he 
is  doing  just  that. 

Part  of  the  food  problem  was  the  dis- 
tance from  the  market  in  Indio,  eleven 
miles  away.  Often  the  old  car  wouldn't 
work,  but  more  urgent  was  the  time  out 
from  work  to  go  that  far. 

Of  course,  money  was  always  short.  The 
school  nurse  asked  me  to  inform  Mrs.  Del- 
gado  that  Margaret  needed  glasses.  She 
,  "Of  course,  don't  I  know  it?  She  can 
hardly  wash  dishes.  But  if  I  had  money 
for  Margaret's  glasses,  I  would  put  it  into 
milk  for  these  younger  children." 

Our  people  lived  in  one  10'  x  12'  tent, 
usually  leaking.  Coachella  'Valley  is  a  des- 
ert climate,  but  it  does  rain  sometimes. 
Inside  the  tent  three  fourths  of  the  floor 
space  would  be  covered  with  bedding.  There 
would  be  a  stove  and  a  table  which  is  a 
box  turned  upside  down  with  legs.  I  never 
did  figure  out  how  a  woman  could  manage. 
But  children  not  in  the  fields  came  to  school 
neat  and  tidy. 

Did  you  ever  see  the  home  of  a  family 
whose  only  home  was  the  back  end  of  a 
truck  without  a  top?  In  a  corner  is  a  pile 
of  rags  that  must  serve  as  bedding.  There 
may   be   no   stove   or   cupboard   that   you 

Continued  on  page  28 


Brethren 

must  listen 

to  native  Americans 


The  Brethren  began  to  take  the  American  Indians  seriously  back  in  the  1770s, 
when  thirty  Dunkard  settlers  were  killed  by  red  men  at  Morrison's  Cove, 
Pennsylvania.  One  member,  a  miller  at  Roaring  Spring,  shot  two  Indians 
and  was  eventually  excommunicated  for  his  deed  and  for  his  unrepentful 
attitude  about  it. 

The  Brethren  did  not  shoot  many  Indians  but  they  followed  closely  on 
the  heels  of  the  frontiersmen  who  did,  and  settled  the  rich  valleys  recently 
vacated  by  the  native  owners  of  many  centuries.  The  trail  of  Brethren  colonial 
expansion  is  marked  with  Indian  names  like  Delaware,  Jimiata,  Monongahela, 
Shenandoah,  Illinois,  and  Dakota.  The  forested  valleys  and  open  plains  of 
the  Indian  nomad  became  highly  productive  Brethren  farmland. 

Through  the  years,  individual  Brethren  have  taken  up  Indian  lore  hobbies 
with  the  Miamis,  the  Mayas,  and  other  tribes.  Mrs.  Ray  Sutton  of  La  Verne, 
California,  was  instrumental  in  encouraging  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to 
work  among  Indians.  Finding  Indian  artifacts  on  the  home  farm  in  Nebraska 
made  her  feel  guilty  as  a  child  because  the  land  had  been  taken  from  the 
Indians.  In  recent  years,  she  has  returned  the  land  to  the  Indians,  in  a  sense. 
She  has  deeded  the  property  of  960  acres  to  the  General  Board  to  be  used  for 
Indian  work  after  her  death. 

Mrs.  Sutton  and  the  Hanagame  family  of  New  Mexico  worked  at  local, 
district,  and  denominational  church  levels  to  influence  the  beginning  of  Breth- 
ren mission  work  among  American  Indians.  Work  was  begun  in  the  Navajo 
community  of  Lybrook,  New  Mexico,  in  the  fall  of  1953.  About  sixty  Indians 
have  been  baptized  into  the  fellowship  there  which  is  pastored  by  Henry 
Hesuse,  a  Navajo.  Mission  educational  work  has  led  to  good  public  facilities 
for  the  community:  A  federal  preschool  program  is  housed  on  the  mission's 
property  and  is  directed  by  Navajo  Eva  Platero,  and  the  local  elementary 
school  where  former  missionary  Edith  Merkey  teaches  is  part  of  the  school 
system  of  the  state  of  New  Mexico. 

Today,  the  native  American  that  we  call  Indian  is  demanding  the  right 
to  have  the  same  kind  of  opportunity  that  other  Americans  enjoy.  He  wants 
economic  security,  education,  and  a  decisive  voice  in  determining  his  own 
destiny.  He  is  deeply  dissatisfied  with  the  present  systems  which  make  all 
aspects  of  red  men's  lives  come  under  the  control  of  white  men.  The  Indian 
is  saying  to  the  white  man  as  Moses  said  to  Pharaoh,  "Let  my  people  go." 
The  Indian  wants  to  choose  his  road.  He  wants  to  keep  his  roots  and  respond 
to  his  heritage  even  while  participating  in  modern  American  life  as  an  equal 
with  the  rest  of  us.  He  wants  the  important  freedom  to  choose. 

Can  Brethren  help  enable  this  freedom?  Yes,  if  we  are  interested  in 
understanding  cultural  heritages  other  than  our  own.  But  most  important,  we 
can  listen.  There  is  no  single  voice  that  speaks  for  the  Indian  just  as  there  is 
no  single  voice  that  speaks  for  the  white  man.  But  there  is  a  common  sense 
of  the  holy  and  a  respect  for  all  life  that  all  native  Americans  can  share  with 
us.  The  time  has  come  when  understanding  must  precede  action.  Let  us 
listen.  —  Merle  Crouse 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     1 


INDIAN 


"Indian.  The  label  is  ours,  not  his.  He  has  been 
an  Indian  for  only  500  years.  For  as  many  as  twen- 
ty-five thousand  years,  he  has  been  Ottawa,  Dakota, 
Shoshone,  Cherokee  —  or  one  of  several  hundred 
distinct  people  who  controlled  this  continent."  So 
begins  the  foreword  to  the  book,  Our  Brother's 
Keeper:  The  Indian  in  White  America. 

Our  Brother's  Keeper  was  written  and  researched 


by  American  Indians  and  edited  by  Edgar  Cahn  of  I 
the  Citizens'  Advocate  Center  in  Washington,  D.C., 
a  nonprofit,  tax-exempt  organization  designed  to 
monitor  governmental  programs  and  assure  equitable 
treatment  of  all  community  organizations  in  their 
dealing  with  the  government. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren,  via  the  Fund  for 
the  Americas  in  the  United  States,  granted  $500  to 
a  group  of  Indian  representatives  from  across  the 
United  States  to  journey  to  Washington,  D.C.,  to 
air  the  concerns  of  Our  Brother's  Keeper  and  to  en- 
able them  to  engage  in  a  special  meeting  with  Spire 
Agnew  and  the  Council  on  Indian  Opportunity. 

The  task  force  statement  presented  by  the  In- 
dians to  Vice-President  Agnew  stated,  "One  of  the 
main  points  made  by  this  book  is  that,  unlike  most 
Americans,  the  Indians  have  little  or  no  forum  for 
redress  of  grievances  and  wrongs  committed  against 
them."  Another  statement  by  Browning  Pipestem, 
an  attorney  and  an  Otoe  Indian  who  spent  nearly  a 
year  working  on  Our  Brother's  Keeper,  noted,  "This 
book  differs  from  other  reports  in  the  most  funda- 
mental way:  Our  Brother's  Keeper  offers  no  recom- 
mendations about  what  American  Indians  should  do 
to  work  toward  solutions,  the  notion  being  that  the 
time  has  passed  when  non-Indians  and  professionals 
should  make  decisions  for  Indians." 

The  photographs  on  the  accompanying  pages  are 
the  work  of  Ed  Eckstein,  a  well-known  magazine 
photographer  who  traveled  throughout  the  country 
taking  photographs  for  Our  Brother's  Keeper.  The 
statements  or  perhaps  "prayers"  are  excerpts  from 
Our  Brother's  Keeper  and  are  reprinted  with  the 
permission  of  the  New  Community  Press  (Copyright 
©  1969,  New  Community  Press.)  — Terry  Pettii 


2     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


rrfe^*. 


«? '  1»?  ,-fl«!^VrK"^9«9!>p55S?»^^»'^T'r-'^-J--  '^-T'w  '-■i''6M«C; 


^--i:^ 


INDIAN 


l.The  creation 
of  man 


"The  gods  and  the  spirits  of  the' 
Sacred  Mountains  created  IVIan.  He 
was  made  of  all  rains,  springs,  riv- 
ers, ponds,  black  clouds,  and  sky. 


2.  All  that  is  holy 


"My  friend,  I  am  going  to  tell  you 
the  story  of  my  life.  ...  It  is  the 
story  of  all  life  that  is  holy  and  is 
good  to  tell,  and  of  us  two-leggeds 
sharing  in  it  with  the  four-leggeds 
and  the  wings  of  the  air  and  all 
green  things;  for  these  are  children 
of  one  mother  and  their  father  is 
one  Spirit.  .  .  .  Now  that  I  can  see 
it  all  as  from  a  lonely  hilltop,  I  know 


it  was  the  story  of  a  mighty  vision 
given  to  a  man  too  weak  to  use  it; 
of  a  holy  tree  that  should  have 
flourished  in  a  people's  heart  with 
flowers  and  singing  birds,  and  now 
is  withered;  and  of  a  people's 
dream  that  died  in  bloody  snow. 
But  if  the  vision  was  true  and 
mighty,  as  I  know,  it  is  true  and 
mighty  yet,  for  such  things  are  of 
the  spirit,  and  it  is  in  the  darkness 
of  their  eyes  that  men  get  lost.  .  .  ." 

Narrative  of  Black  Elk,  quoted  in  Jack 
D.  Forbes,  ed.,  The  Indian  in  America's 
Past. 


4     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


His  feet  are  made  of  earth  and  his 
legs  of  lightning.  White  shell  forms 
his  knees,  and  his  body  is  white  and 
yellow  corn;  his  flesh  is  of  day- 
break, his  hair  darkness;  his  eyes 
are  of  the  sun.  White  corn  forms 
his  teeth,  black  corn  his  eyebrows, 
and  red  coral  beads  his  nose.  His 
tears   are   of   rain,   his  tongue   of 


straight  lightning,  and  his  voice  of 
thunder.  His  heart  is  obsidian;  the 
little  whirlwind  keeps  his  nerves  in 
motion,  and  his  movement  is  the 
air.  The  name  of  this  new  kind  of 
being  was  'Created  From  Every- 
thing.' " 

Philip  Hyde  and  Stephen  C.  Jett,  ed., 
Navajo  Wildlands:  As  Long  as  Rivers  Shall 
Run. 


INDIAN 


"You  will  forgive  me  if  I  tell  you 
that  my  people  were  Americans  for 
thousands  of  years  before  your 
people  were.  The  question  is  not 
how  you  can  Americanize  us  but 
how  we  can  Americanize  you.  We 
have  been  working  at  that  for  a 
long  time.  Sometimes  we  are  dis- 
couraged at  the  results.  But  we  will 
keep  trying.   And  the  first  thing  we 


want  to  teach  you  is  that,  in  the 
American  way  of  life,  each  man  has 
respect  for  his  brother's  vision. 
Because  each  of  us  respected  his 
brother's  dream,  we  enjoyed  free- 
dom here  in  America  while  your 
people  were  busy  killing  and  en- 
slaving each  other  across  the 
water.  The  relatives  you  left  behind 
are  still  trying  to  kill  each  other  be- 


3.  Civilizing  the  white 

man:  A  tribute 
to  Indian  culture 


\. 


'I; 


f\^. 


cause  they  have  not  learned  there 
that  freedom  is  built  on  my  respect 
for  my  brother's  vision  and  his  re- 
spect for  mine.  We  have  a  hard 
trail  ahead  of  us  in  trying  to  Ameri- 
canize you  and  your  white  brothers. 
But  we  are  not  afraid  of  hard 
trails." 

Lucy  Kramer  Cohen,  ed.,  The  Legal 
Conscience:  Selected  Papers  of  Felix  S. 
Cohen,  pp.  315-16. 


►f 


'^'^- 


4.  The  declaration 
of  the  Five  County 
Cherokees 


"Now,  we  shall  not  rest  until  we 
have  regained  our  rightful  place. 
We  shall  tell  our  young  people  what 
we  know.  We  shall  send  them  to 
the  corners  of  the  earth  to  learn 
more.  They  shall  lead  us. 

"Now  we  have  much  to  do.  When 
our  task  is  done,  we  will  be  ready 
to  rest. 

"In  these  days,  intruders,  named 
without  our  consent,  speak  for  the 
Cherokees.  When  the  Cherokee 
government  is  the  Cherokee  peo- 
ple, we  shall  rest. 

"In  these  days,  the  high  courts  of 
the  United  States  listen  to  people 
who  have  been  wronged.  When 
our  wrongs  have  been  judged  in 
these  courts  and  the  illegalities  of 
the  past  have  been  corrected,  we 
shall  rest. 

"In  these  days,  there  are  count- 
less ways  by  which  people  make 
their  grievances  known  to  all 
Americans.  When  we  have  learned 
these  new  ways  that  bring  strength 
and  power  and  we  have  used  them, 
we  shall  rest. 

"In  these  days,  we  are  losing  our 
homes  and  our  children's  homes. 
When  our  homeland  is  protected, 
for  ourselves  and  for  the  genera- 
tions to  follow,  we  shall  rest. 

"In  the  vision  of  our  creator  we 
declare  ourselves  ready  to  stand 
proudly  among  the  nationalities  of 
these  United  States  of  America." 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     7 


In  1959  a  seventy-year-old  professor 
retired  from  college  teaching.   Immediately 
a  church  called  him  to  he  an  interim  pastor 

And  then 


8     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


the  fun  began 


BY  ANNE  ALBRIGHT 


it  was  a  snowy  winter  day  in  North 
Manchester  when  I  stopped  to  see  the 
R.  H.  Millers  in  their  home.  Through 
a  bedroom  door  I  could  see  their  suit- 
cases, packed  and  ready;  the  next  day 
they  would  drive  the  one  hundred  miles 
to  Indianapolis  and  the  home  of  their 
son,  Dr.  John  Miller,  and  his  family 
and  from  there  would  take  a  plane  to 
California  where  their  son  Robert  lives 
with  his  family. 

The  Millers  have  gone  back  and 
forth  between  California  and  Indiana 
for  a  good  many  years.  In  fact,  for  the 
past  ten  years  —  retirement  years  for 
Dr.  Miller  —  they  have  been  criss- 
crossing the  United  States  at  rather 
regular  intervals. 

"In  June  of  '59,  when  I  was  seventy, 
I  retired  from  college  teaching,"  recalls 
Dr.  Miller.  And  then  the  fun  began. 
The  Ladera  church  at  Los  Angeles, 
California,  called  the  Millers  to  fill  an 
interim  pastorate.  Since  this  church, 
formerly  the  South  Los  Angeles 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  had  been 
Miller's  first  charge  forty-three  years 
earlier,  the  Millers  were  eager  to  accept 


the  call  and  were  delighted  to  discover 
that  about  a  dozen  persons  remained 
from  those  earlier  years. 

At  the  end  of  the  year,  the  Ottumwa, 
Iowa,  church  called  the  Millers.  "We 
lived  in  the  church  and  cooked  in  the 
church  kitchen  while  the  parsonage 
was  being  built.  From  Easter  to  the 
latter  part  of  August  we  lived  in  the 
new  parsonage,"  reminisced  Mrs. 
Miller. 

The  Millers  spent  the  next  two  years 
in  Wenatchee,  Washington,  pastoring 
the  Wenatchee  congregation.  After 
their  years  in  the  Northwest,  the 
Millers  returned  to  their  home  in 
Indiana.  They  thought  they  were  re- 
turning permanently,  but  after  a  three- 
month  "vacation,"  the  York  Center 
church  issued  a  call. 

Concerning  this  call.  Dr.  Miller 
wrote  to  friends:  "After  January  1  we 
shall  be  serving  our  Bethany  Seminary 
church,  York  Center,  Northern  Illinois. 
When  I  began  teaching  in  1910,  all 
eight  grades,  only  fifteen  pupils,  I  was 
not  more  'scared'  than  I  am  now." 

During  the  eight-month  period  in 


which  Dr.  Miller  pastored  the  York 
Center  church,  he  and  Mrs.  Miller 
lived  in  one  of  the  student  apartments 
at  the  seminary. 

"We  had  good  neighbors,"  said 
Maude  Miller  of  the  seminary  couples. 
"One  group  of  students  arranged  to 
eat  dinners  together  regularly,  and  they 
included  us  in  the  group.  We  appreci- 
ated that.  Now  we  occasionally  see 
some  of  them  at  conferences." 

After  the  York  Center  pastorate,  the 
Millers  traveled  on  to  First  Central 
church  in  Kansas  City,  Kansas,  where 
they  spent  a  year.  "We  thought  it 
would  be  prairie  and  level.  If  you 
know  the  town,  you  know  how  hilly  it 


A 


year  as  interim  pastor  in  Mack 
Memorial  church  in  Dayton,  Ohio, 
came  next. 

At  this  point  in  the  recital  of  one 
pastorate  following  another,  R.  H. 
Miller  paused  and  smiled  almost  apolo- 
getically. "Telling  you  all  this  reminds 
me  of  the  part  in  the  story  that  goes. 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     9 


THEN  THE  FUN  BEGAN  /  continued 

'.  .  .  and  then  another  locust  came  and 
carried  off  another  grain  of  corn  .  .  . '." 

And  then  the  Millers  moved  on  to 
Friendship  church  at  Baltimore,  Mary- 
land. At  the  end  of  their  year  there, 
Robert  and  Maude  MiOer  packed  up 
the  accumulation  of  eight  years  — 
books,  favorite  kitchen  utensils,  and 
miscellaneous  items  —  and  sent  it  to 
Manchester  by  van. 

"On  our  last  Sunday  at  Friendship, 
we  got  a  call  to  go  to  First  church  in 
Baltimore.  Since  we  really  saw  no 
reason  why  we  should  not  accept,  we 
had  the  van  return  our  things  to  Balti- 
more." 

Dr.  Miller  continued.  "That  was 
our  last  pastorate.  The  following 
Easter  after  conducting  the  two  fore- 
noon services,  I  collapsed.  My  blood 
pressure  shot  up  and  I  was  in  the 
hospital  for  a  month.  I  was  out  of  my 
pulpit  seven  Sundays  but  returned  to 
work  until  the  end  of  July  In  1968." 

During  the  nine  years  the  Millers 
were  away  from  North  Manchester, 
their  house  was  empty,  waiting  for 
them.  "We  just  locked  the  door. 
Every  time  we  accepted  a  call,  Maude 
would  say,  'This  is  the  last  one!' 

"We  just  thought  every  year  we'd 
come  back.  At  our  age  we  knew  any- 
thing could  happen  and  we  didn't  want 
to  bother  with  a  renter.  We  found  that 
it  is  a  comfort  to  know  that  your  own 
home  is  waiting  when  you  are  away  in 
strange  places."  During  all  this  time, 
the  Miller  residence  suffered  no  vandal- 
ism. They  credit  their  good  neighbors 
and  their  daughter,  Mary  Coe,  and  her 
family  who  live  in  North  Manchester, 
for  this.  "And  we  usually  came  home 
at  least  once  a  year  at  Conference 
time." 

I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  the  two 
original  rooms  of  their  house,  a  neat 
white  frame  structure,  are  over  one 
hundred  years  old.  Former  owners  had 


made  several  additions;  the  Millers 
remodeled  the  house  between  1935 
and  1938.  The  whole  family  helped  on 
Saturdays  and  evenings  to  dig  the  base- 
ment and  make  other  improvements. 

"After  nine  years  of  being  away 
from  home,  we  were  completely  hungry 
to  get  back  into  it,"  said  Dr.  Miller. 
"That's  one  reason  why  we  are  here." 


Xn  many  ways  one  sees  the  attach- 
ment the  Millers  have  to  their  home  — 
walnut  tables  made  from  a  tree  that 
grew  in  the  yard,  framed  pictures  on 
the  wall  of  family  members  and  scenes 
taken  by  the  Millers  on  their  trip 
abroad,  lace  bedspreads  which  Maude 
knitted  in  the  intricate  raised-leaf 
design  during  their  interim  pastorates, 
and  Dr.  Miller's  study  with  its  books 
and  mementos. 

Dr.  Miller  reflected  on  the  nine  years 
they  had  been  away  from  home.  "I 
could  not  wish  that  it  were  different. 
If  we  had  quit  at  the  college  and  settled 
down  here,  we  would  have  missed 
some  of  the  things  we  both  treasure." 
Both  the  Millers  put  learning  to  know 
people  across  the  country  high  on  their 
list  of  "things  we  both  treasure." 

"Someone  said  it  must  be  hard  to 
learn  a  new  congregation  every  year. 
It  is  harder  to  leave  them  just  when 
you  begin  to  know  and  love  them. 
The  first  hardship  is  borne  by  the 
head;  the  second  by  the  heart,"  com- 
mented Dr.  Miller. 

Are  there  any  advantages  in  an  in- 
terim situation  not  present  in  the  usual 
arrangement? 

"Well,"  Dr.  Miller  grinned,  "one 
has  no  concerns  about  tenure!" 

"There  didn't  seem  to  be  any 
probationary  period,"  Mrs.  MUler 
added.  "We  were  warmly  ac- 
cepted from  the  very  beginning  in 
most  of  the  churches." 


But  Dr.  Miller  recalled  that  in  a 
few  instances  "we  sometimes  felt  like 
guests.  Not  all  people  have  complete 
confidence  in  this  species  they  call  col- 
lege professors! 

"And  there  are  other  differences," 
Dr.  Miller  said.  "While  I  was  not 
wholly  severed  from  organizational 
work,  I  was  not  totally  responsible  for 
it.  I  felt  I  was  primarily  responsible 
for  pastoral  care,  being  accessible  to 
the  people,  and  I  felt  very  strongly 
that  I  give  my  best  to  that  extremely 
sacred  hour,  eleven  o'clock  on  Sunday 
morning." 

The  Millers  decided  to  reenter  the 
pastoral  ministry  after  a  great  deal  of 
prayerful  thought. 

"I  did  have  some  doubts.  We  had 
been  out  of  the  pastorate  for  thirty 
years;  I  just  didn't  know  if  I  could  do 
it." 

R.  H.  Miller  was  reared  in  North 
Manchester.  As  a  young  man  he  went 
to  California,  first  to  teach  in  the 
Raisin  city  schools.  Later  he  became 
pastor  of  the  Los  Angeles  church. 
From  1919  until  1922,  Miller  served 
as  the  first  paid  pastor  of  the  La  Verne, 
California,  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
His  third  pastorate  was  in  North  Man- 
chester.  (Of  this  church.  Dr.  Miller 
wrote  to  friends  in  1967:  "The  dearest 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  all  the  world 
to  me  is  Walnut  Street  in  North  Man- 
chester. I  was  born  in  it.  Father  was 
its  minister  from  1882  until  his  death 
in  1 892.  I  served  in  that  capacity  from 
1922  to  1929.  We  lived  there  thirty- 
seven  years.  She  is  the  'Spiritual  Moth- 
er' of  our  children.  In  spite  of  our 
roving  church  letter,  our  deep  roots 
are  there.  .  .  .") 

"While  pastoring  the  Manchester 
church,  there  was  an  opening  in  the 
religion  department  at  the  college,  and 
Otho  Winger  asked  me  to  take  the 
position,"  remembered  Dr.  Miller.  He 


10     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


used  his  summers  and  one  leave  of 
absence  to  take  courses  at  Garrett  The- 
ological Seminary  and  Northwestern 
University  in  order  that  he  might  teach 
in  both  the  religion  and  the  philosophy 
departments  of  the  college. 

College  teaching  brought  with  it 
many  opportunities  to  preach.  Mrs. 
Miller  recalled  that  her  husband  was 
"out  over  many  weekends  to  preach  in 
churches,  to  hold  pre-Easter  meetings 
and  Bible  institutes." 


o. 


'ver  the  years,  Dr.  Miller  has  for- 
mulated some  convictions  about  the 
ministry.  "I  firmly  hold  that  corporate 
worship,  with  great  congregations  of  all 
ages,  with  music,  reading  of  substantial 
portions  of  the  Bible,  a  sermon  in 
which  the  minister  has  put  the  best  of 
head  and  heart  he  can,  is  invaluable. 
I  don't  mean  to  downgrade  small 
groups  or  the  contribution  of  the  lay- 
men, but  I  think  the  ministry  will  be 
revived.  The  man  (minister)  who  feels 
more  deeply  and  sees  farther  than  oth- 
ers must  have  an  opportunity  to  ex- 
press his  feelings  and  insights.  No,  I 
don't  think  that  the  ministry  as  prac- 
ticed by  the  prophets,  Jesus,  and  the 
apostles,  is  on  the  way  out!" 

As  for  Dr.  Miller,  he  "never  had 
any  ambition  from  childhood  up  to  be 
anything  but  a  preacher.  And  there  is 
no  difference  between  preaching  and 
teaching  —  at  its  best." 

It  occurred  to  me  that  this  eighty- 
one-year-old  gentleman  might  have 
some  health  hints  to  share. 

"I  think  maybe  I  do,"  said  Dr. 
Miller.  "As  a  youngster,  I  was  the 
family  runt.  In  fact,  I  was  so  nervous 
and  sickly  that  I  stayed  out  of  school 
a  year.  I  decided  early  in  life  to  take 
care  of  my  body.  Yes,  I've  had  some 
health  fads  which  now  I  smile  at." 

These  days  Dr.  Miller  works  through 


"fifteen  minutes  of  exercises  involving 
two  hundred  ten  rather  vigorous  physi- 
cal motions"  following  his  daily  bath  or 
shower. 

"And  my  wife  knows  how  to  cook 
good  food.  We  both  eat  well  and  sleep 
well.  We  have  had  many  happy  years 
of  living  together;  this  June  we  will 
have  been  married  fifty-four  years." 

When  I  commented  that  from  my 
vantage  point  —  about  midway  down 
the  road  of  life  —  it  seems  perhaps  the 
first  half  is  the  best  half,  both  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Miller  looked  shocked. 

Mrs.  Miller  said,  "Oh,  no,  it  isn't." 

Dr.  Miller  said,  "The  years  of  the 
first  half  and  the  years  of  the  last  half 
are  not  comparable.  Of  course,  those 
first  years  are  dear  and  precious,  the 
time  when  little  children  are  conceived 
and  hoped  for,  are  born,  and  live  in 
the  home.  But  there  are  compensations 
during  the  latter  years." 

For  the  Millers,  one  of  the  compen- 
sations is  their  happy  relationships  with 
many  friends.  And  one  of  the  things 
that  made  some  of  this  possible  has 
been  their  nine  years  of  work  since  the 


retirement  age.  In  Mrs.  Miller's  words, 
"We  have  learned  to  know  the  nicest 
people.  This  year  we  sent  about  five 
hundred  Christmas  letters  out,  and  it 
is  hard  to  keep  the  list  down." 

The  first  Miller  Christmas  letter  was 
sent  during  the  first  interim  pastorate 
from  Los  Angeles.  One  of  the  later 
letters  carried  this  observation  regard- 
ing compensations:  "On  a  college 
campus  most  of  my  life,  I've  seen  a  lot 
of  young  love.  More  beautiful  is  love 
tested  by  years,  crowned  by  parent- 
hood, worn  by  care,  deepened  by  sor- 
row, sweetened  by  humor,  often  bridg- 
ing this  world  and  the  next." 

In  another  letter.  Dr.  Miller  sum- 
marized, "Looking  back  over  these 
years  in  the  ministry,  both  teaching 
and  pastoring,  we  see  a  whole  horizon 
full  of  people,  places,  and  events  so 
good  and  joyful  we  wonder  at  times 
whether  we've  been  walking  on  earth 
or  in  heaven.  With  the  sure  hope  that 
beacons,  'What  shall  we  say  to  this?' 
(Romans  8:31).  The  most  fitting 
words  we  can  think  of  are:  Thank 
God."   D 


Now  retired  from  the  pastoral  ministry,  R.  H.  Miller  enjoys  relaxing  in  his  study 


On  shaping  the  Brethren  witness 


The  big  news  issuing  out  of  the  spring 
meeting  of  the  General  Board  ostensibly 
centered  on  matters  related  to  the 
church's  periodicals  and  to  the  draft  and 
race.  Significant  as  these  developments 
were,  it  is  probable  that  a  more  far- 
reaching  item  was  concerned  not  with 
the  specifics  of  policy  and  program,  but 
with  guidelines  and  goals  that  give  shape 
to  the  total  program. 

Consider,  for  example,  such  a  set  of 
assumptions  as  this: 

•  that  there  is  throughout  the  Broth- 
erhood a  desire  for  significant  relation- 
ships in  the  life/ faith  experience  of 
persons,  a  deep  hunger  for  meaning  and 
significance. 

•  that  many  members  of  congrega- 
tions yearn  for  a  sense  of  new  life  to 
replace  the  pervasive  feeling  that  much 
of  what  they  do  together  is  unexciting, 
restrictive,  joyless,  producing  relation- 
ships that  are  less  than  honest. 

•  that  dialogue,  openness,  partnership, 
and  joyfulness  are  integral  to  witness 
and  should  characterize  the  life  of  Breth- 
ren corporately  and  personally. 

•  that  communication  must  be  more 
than  information;  it  must  be  interchange; 
it  must  open  the  way  for  persons  to  ex- 
perience mission. 

•  that  now  is  not  the  time  for  the 
church  to  reduce  its  involvement  in  cru- 
cial world  concerns;  rather  than  re- 
trenchment, the  more  faithful  response 
is  redeployment  of  resources. 

•  that  support  is  available  for  signifi- 
cant ministries  and  persons  need  to  be 
invited  to  share  in  the  work  which  they 
as  individuals  and  congregations  cannot 
do  alone. 

•  that  the  centralized  operations  of 
the  General  Offices  must  be  as  subject 
to  evaluation  and  reform  as  any  other 
agencies  or  ministries  of  the  church. 

•  that  the  church  needs  to  extend  its 
communication   beyond   periodicals    and 

12     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


printing  to  increased  use  of  other  media. 

Agenda:  Preface  the  spring  sessions  of 
the  General  Board  and  its  commissions 
with  a  series  of  convictions  like  that, 
and  you  have  an  agenda  for  change. 

That  in  effect  is  the  tack  taken  by  the 
Goals  and  Budget  Committee,  a  group  of 
12  persons  who  comprise  the  General 
Board's  Executive  Committee  and  its  Ad- 
ministrative Council.  Its  chairman  is 
Arlo  K.  Gump,  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  insur- 
ance executive  and  vice-chairman  of  the 
General  Board.  The  broad,  limited  con- 
victions were  presented  by  his  committee 
at  the  opening  session  of  the  General 
Board,  March  17-20,  to  be  regarded  as 
base  lines  for  guiding  program  develop- 
ment next  year  and  the  years  soon  there- 
after. 

In  aspects  of  Brotherhood  planning, 
the  Goals  and  Budget  Committee  went  a 
few  steps  beyond  generality  and  pointed 
forthrightly  to  implications  for  program. 
The  following  guidelines  were  cited  by 
the  committee  as  illustrative  of  the  con- 
cerns that  might  go  into  the  final  blend 
or  mix  of  outreach  planning. 

Congregations.  In  relationships  with 
local  parishes,  face-to-face  contacts  are 
to  be  increased.  So,  too,  are  programs  of 
education  and  training  and  celebration 
and  worship.  New  efforts  in  evangelism 
and  community  witness  are  to  be  encour- 
aged. The  number  of  regular,  ongoing 
periodicals  is  to  be  reduced.  So,  too,  is 
the  servicing  of  ongoing  age  groups. 

Corporate  witness.  Each  church  is  to 
be  encouraged  to  be  the  church  of  Christ 
for  its  own  people,  nation,  and  culture. 
In  all  areas  of  witness,  partnership  is  to 
become  a  life-style.  Institutions  are  to 
be  turned  over  as  rapidly  as  possible  to 
indigenous  groups.  The  Brotherhood 
staff  should  be  internationalized,  mobile. 
Peace  is  to  have  a  high  priority. 

Interpretation.  Major  aspects  of  Breth- 
ren witness  are  to  be  made  more  visible. 


Ways  need  to  be  sought  to  communicate 
not  only  the  issues  but  also  the  process 
of  decision  making  and  means  of  partici- 
pating in  it.  A  study  is  to  be  completed 
a  year  hence  of  the  printing  operation  of 
the  church  to  determine  the  viability  of 
continuing  such  an  enterprise. 

Expenditures.  There  shall  be  no  in- 
crease of  staff  beyond  the  filling  of  pres- 
ent vacancies.  Supplemental  funds  for 
the  support  of  ministers  shall  not  be  in- 
creased but,  in  fact,  shall  move  toward 
three  to  five  years  as  the  normal  period 
for  termination.  At  the  same  time  new 
models  of  ministry  and  support  are  to  be 
developed.  A  five  percent  cut  shall  be 
made  in  the  General  Board's  appropria- 
tion to  the  Bethany  Seminary  operation 
fund:  in  all  probability,  slightly  larger 
cuts  will  appear  in  many  other  areas  of 
the  Brotherhood  program. 

Though  tentative  and  still  in  process, 
such  guidelines  as  these  are  very  live  fac- 
tors in  the  present  planning  of  budgets 
and  goals.  Already  a  number  of  actions 
during  the  spring  meeting  of  the  General 
Board  harmonize  with,  if  not  actually 
begin  to  implement,  proposals  of  the 
Goals  and  Budget  Committee. 

Restyling:  Behind  the  committee's 
deliberations  and  proposals  is  a  desire  to 


Guidelines:  Goals  and  Budget  chairman 
Arlo  Gump  points  to  program  directions 


I 


restyle  the  Brotherhood  program  ia  a 
way  that  is  responsive  to  current  realities 
and  new  priorities.  When  it  comes  to 
facing  reality,  no  small  matter  is  the 
money  available. 

To  aid  in  the  setting  of  the  coming 
year's  budget,  the  General  Board  set  its 
expectation  for  donation  income  at 
$2,000,000.  The  amount  is  an  increase 
of  $45,000  over  the  current  year's  figure, 
but  $50,000  less  than  initially  projected 
last  November. 

General  Secretary  S.  Loren  Bowman 
said  regarding  the  adjusted  figure,  "This 
is  a  reasonable  kind  of  increase,  but  we 
must  recognize  if  inflation  keeps  up  at 
the  present  pace,  we  are  not  holding  our 
own." 

The  press  of  handling  projected  rises 
in  costs  —  i>ersonnel,  printing  and  other 
materials,  transportation,  maiUng  —  fur- 
ther spells  tightening  for  budgets  of  the 
70s.  As  a  result  very  serious  scrutiny  is 
being  given  to  all  program  items,  and 
especially  to  appropriations,  supplemen- 
tal supports,  and  subsidies. 

Church  periodicals 

One  area  the  staff  and  board  zeroed  in 
on  at  the  March  meeting  was  the  peri- 
odicals now  related  to  the  Parish  Minis- 
tries Commission.  Based  on  charts  and 
graphs  at  hand,  the  projections  revealed 
plunging  circulation  and  spiraling  print- 
ing costs.  In  light  of  such  a  forecast,  it 
was  clear  that  continued  publication 
would  require  increasing  subsidization. 

This,  on  top  of  the  inclination  of  staff 
and  the  Goals  and  Budget  Committee 
toward  greater  use  of  nonprint  media, 
prompted  decisive  action  along  the  fol- 
lowing lines. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  Leader, 
which  has  gone  from  a  circulation  of 
16,500  in  1961  to  8,700  copies  today,  is 
to  be  discontinued  after  the  summer  is- 
sue. Certain  aspects  of  the  magazine  are 
to  be  incorporated  by  other  periodicals. 

The  two  teen  magazines.  Youth/ Hori- 
zons  for   senior  highs   and   Accent   for 


junior  highs,  will  continue  to  be  avail- 
able but  will  appear  after  August  30  vdth- 
out  editorial  involvement  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren.  Youth  magazine  is  pro- 
duced by  the  United  Church  of  Christ; 
its  current  circulation  of  6,330  is  about 
one  fourth  what  Horizons  once  was.  Ac- 
cent, produced  by  the  United  Methodist 
Church,  has  a  circulation  of  8,040,  down 
one  third  from  the  circulation  of  its  pre- 
decessor. Friends,   five  years  ago. 

The  two  children's  story  papers.  Jour- 
neys for  juniors  and  Tell  Me  for  prima- 
ries, will  be  discontinued  with  the  August 
30  issues.  Over  the  last  decade.  Journeys 
has  experienced  a  decline  of  33  percent 
in  subscriptions;  Tell  Me,  of  nearly  50 
percent. 

The  International  Lesson  Leaflets  will 
be  terminated  with  the  summer  quarter. 

In  the  same  action  consideration  was 
given  to  revising  and  enlarging  Messen- 
ger to  pick  up  aspects  of  the  Leader  and 
to  cover  broader  reader  interests. 

The  Adult  Quarterly  also  is  to  be  re- 
vised and  expanded,  incorporating  the  re- 
sources carried  in  the  current  Section 
Two  of  Leader. 

The  Parish  Ministries  Commission 
staff  indicated  plans  to  evaluate  and  sug- 
gest to  interested  congregations  leader- 
ship periodicals  and  story  papers  pro- 
duced by  other  sources. 

While  budgetary  factors  weighed  heav- 
ily in  the  decision  to  revamp  the  periodi- 
cal program,  other  considerations  were 
present.  Chief  among  them  was  the  de- 
sire to  free  the  Parish  Ministries  staff  to 
be  able  to  respond  creatively  to  congre- 
gations in  ways  other  than  through  the 
publishing  of  regular  periodicals. 

The  Americas  fund 

Placed  on  the  upcoming  Annual  Con- 
ference agenda  last  year  is  what  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren's  response  will  be 
in  assisting  development  projects  of  mi- 
norities and  in  furthering  race  relations 
education  among  Brethren.  The  Gen- 
eral Board  was  asked  to  launch  the  effort 


Plunge:  Earle  Fike,  graph  reveal   circu- 
lation trends  of  story  papers,  magazines 


in  the  current  year  and  to  bring  concrete 
proposals  to  Conference  regarding  the 
future  response. 

As  a  result,  the  Fund  for  the  Americas 
in  the  U.S.  was  established  with  a  1969- 
70  goal  of  $100,000.  In  accord  with 
terms  suggested  at  Conference  and  fol- 
lowed by  the  board,  half  the  money  is  to 
be  directed  to  minority  groups  engaged 
in  community  organization  and  econom- 
ic development.  The  second  half  is  to  be 
channeled  into  race  relations  education 
within  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Coordinator  Wilfred  E.  Nolen  reported 
that,  as  of  mid-March,  donations  to  the 
Americas  fund  totaled  about  $31,000. 
Still  to  come  in  at  that  time  were  con- 
tributions from  the  second  of  the  two 
special  offering  dates  suggested  to  con- 
gregations. 

Mr.  Nolen  further  indicated  that  grants 
totaling  $19,375  had  been  issued  to  11 
community  projects.  The  more  recent 
recipients  included  the  National  Welfare 
Rights  Organization,  $3,000;  the  Black 
Churchmen's  Ecumenical  Training  Fa- 
cility, Washington,  D.C.,  $2,000;  the 
United  Front  of  Cairo,  111.,  $4,500  ear- 
marked for  legal  services;  Farmworkers 
United,  Fort  Lupton,  Colo.,  $775;  the 
Crispus  Attucks  Community  Center, 
York,  Pa.,  $2,000;  and  the  Amigos  Uni- 
dos  Federal  Credit  Union,  Pharr,  Texas, 
$1,200.  He  also  reported  that  from  the 
second  portion  of  the  Fund  grants  were 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     13 


+  news 


given  to  13  districts  and  3  congregations 
which  have  held  or  are  projecting  race 
education  retreats. 

Looking  ahead:  In  preparation  for 
Annual  Conference  in  June,  the  General 
Board  assessed  where  the  church  is  now 
in  its  response  to  the  Americas  fund  and 
what  further  proposals  it  would  suggest. 
The  decision  was  to  recommend 

—  that  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  be 
continued  for  a  three-year  period,  1970- 
73,  with  a  goal  of  $100,000  per  year. 

—  that  all  contributions  to  the  Amer- 
icas fund  be  by  special  designation,  there- 
by continuing  its  operation  apart  from 
the  Brotherhood  Fund. 

—  that  the  creation  of  an  Investment 
Division  be  added  in  which  Brethren 
businessmen  and  other  donors  would 
mount  a  goal  of  from  $50,000  to  $200,- 
000  or  more,  for  lending  sums  as  high 
risk  or  seed  money  to  minority  enterprise. 

In  debating  the  proposal,  board  mem- 
bers observed  that  the  amount  recom- 
mended fell  far  short  of  the  sums  talked 
of  when  the  original  paper  was  intro- 
duced on  the  floor  of  Annual  Conference 
last  year.  Inquiries  were  made  whether 
a  means  of  identification  will  be  set  up 
to  recognize  what  congregations  and  dis- 
tricts are  doing  on  their  own  along  simi- 
lar lines. 

Most  complex  in  the  debate  were  the 
pros  and  cons  of  maintaining  the  Ameri- 
cas fund  apart  from  the  regular  Brother- 
hood Fund.  Some  spokesmen  inter- 
preted separatism  in  this  instance  as  a 
racist  act  while  others  felt  it  gave  visibil- 
ity and  priority  to  the  race  program.  The 
board  voted  strongly  to  recommend  to 
Conference  the  continuation  of  the 
Americas  fund   as  a  separate   appeal. 

On  war  and  peace 

One  of  the  very  discernible  stirrings  with- 
in the  Church  of  the  Brethren  is  a  move 
toward  a  more  aggressive  rejection  of 
war  and  a  more  demonstrative  peace 
witness.  In  recent  years  the  peace  posi- 
tion of  the  church  largely  has  been  one 
of  recommending  alternative  service  to 
its  young  men,  with  the  church  in  fact 


Resistance:  David  Eller  explains  posi- 
tion of  eight  men  on  draft,  war  issues 

complying  with  draft  laws  by  acting  as  a 
civilian  work  agency  for  the  placement 
of  conscientious  objectors. 

There  is  within  the  fellowship  today 
a  mounting  segment  which  regards  such 
a  stance  as  overly  cooperative  with  Selec- 
tive Service.  The  position  sought  by 
peace  activists  is  resistance  to,  or  non- 
cooperation  with,  the  nation's  encroach- 
ing militarism. 

On  the  docket  for  the  World  Ministries 
Commission  and  for  the  General  Board 
at  its  March  sessions  was  the  issue  of  re- 
lations with  Selective  Service  and  the 
degree  to  which  alternative  service  is 
favored.  When  the  agenda  item  came  to 
the  floor,  more  than  customary  debate 
followed. 

Support:  On  hand  was  a  group  of 
young  men  who  requested  that  the  Gen- 
eral Board  receive  their  draft  cards  or  re- 
lated Selective  Service  materials  and  for- 
ward them  to  the  U.S.  Department  of 
Justice.  "We  can  no  longer  accept  the 
legality  of  the  Selective  Service  System 
over  the  morality  of  our  consciences," 
the  eight  men  declared  in  a  prepared^ 
statement.  They  said  they  could  and 
would  have  sent  the  draft  materials  to 
Washington  on  their  own;  what  they 
sought  in  the  overture  to  the  General 
Board  was  "the  active  and  heartfelt  sup- 
port of  our  church." 

One  of  the  resisters,  Ervin  Huston  of 
Nampa,  Idaho,  a  student  at  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary,  Oak  Brook,  III., 
previously  had  been  in  alternative  service 
in  Vietnam.  He  chided  the  church  for 
not  having  made  the  stand  of  nonco- 
operation  better  known  some  years  ago. 


commenting,  "I  first  heard  of  draft  re- 
sistance in  a  U.S.O.  in  Vietnam." 

Mr.  Huston,  25,  and  four  others  in 
the  group,  Jerry  R.  Eller,  20,  of  Wichita, 
Kan.,  a  student  at  Manchester  College; 
John  F.  Kreamer,  18,  of  Elgin,  III.;  Gary 
E.  Wilson,  19,  of  Pomona,  Calif.,  work- 
ing with  the  American  Friends  Service 
Committee  in  Chicago;  and  John  P.  Zinn, 
21,  of  Houston,  Texas,  formerly  in  al- 
ternative service  in  Chicago,  turned  over 
draft  registration  cards.  Three  others, 
David  B.  Eller,  25,  of  Long  Beach,  Calif., 
a  student  at  Bethany  Seminary;  Alan  G. 
Jennings,  24,  also  of  Long  Beach,  an  al- 
ternative service  worker  in  the  Douglas 
Park  community  in  Chicago;  and  Edward 
L.  Poling,  22,  of  Carlisle,  Pa.,  a  Bethany 
Seminary  student,  submitted  related  Se- 
lective Service  materials. 

On  the  line:  The  presence  and  con- 
cern of  the  group  signal  the  serious  ques- 
tioning of  Selective  Service  and  war  in 
which  many  church  youth  and  others  are 
engaging,  observed  Wilbur  E.  Mullen, 
Brotherhood  draft  counselor.  Dale  W. 
Brown,  a  Bethany  Seminary  professor,  re- 
minded the  General  Board  that  more 
than  the  support  of  the  conscience  of 
radical  young  people  was  at  stake.  "The 
question,"  said  Dr.  Brown,  "is  whether 
we  of  the  church  are  willing  to  become 
more  radical,  to  lay  our  bodies  on  the 
line  in  a  witness  for  peace." 

Some  of  the  General  Board  members 
stated  that  while  they  did  not  concur  per- 
sonally with  the  course  of  action  taken 
by  the  eight,  they  felt  the  stand  was  con- 
sistent with  the  Anabaptist-Brethren  view 
which  puts  the  dictates  of  God  and  of 
conscience  above  the  dictates  of  the  state. 
Paul  H.  Fike,  a  pastor  from  Weyers 
Cave,  Va.,  commented,  "I  know  of  folks 
who  will  trim  their  giving  to  the  church 
more  closely  because  of  our  stand.  I 
see  our  action  sending  us  deeper  but  not 
broader.  Yet  if  I  were  not  to  support 
these  men,  I  would  need  to  add  a  para- 
graph of  confession  to  my  prayers." 

Among  those  opposed  to  the  accep- 
tance of  the  draft  materials,  part  of  the 
feeling  was  that  lengthier  reflection  was 
needed  to  arrive  at  a  decision.    Stated 


14     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


one  opponent,  Robert  M.  Keim,  an  at- 
torney from  Somerset,  Pa.,  "We  as  a 
church  are  an  imperfect  people  who  I 
think  sometimes  expect  a  perfect  gov- 
ernment." 

After  extended  discussion  the  board 
voted  16  for,  7  against,  and  one  abstain- 
ing to  transmit  the  Selective  Service 
items  offered  by  the  eight.  Retired  pas- 
tor Raymond  R.  Peters  of  North  Man- 
chester, Ind.,  a  former  chairman  and 
general  secretary  of  the  General  Board, 
termed  the  decision  "the  most  difficult" 
he  had  confronted  as  a  member  of  the 
board. 

Revisions:  In  terms  of  the  original 
agenda  item,  the  board  voted  a  proposal 
which  calls  on  Annual  Conference  to  re- 
vise the  church's  policy  statement  on  war. 
The  revisions  pledge  support  for  the  po- 
sition of  noncooperation,  give  it  equal 
status  with  alternative  service,  and  in  ef- 
fect give  greater  place  to  individual  con- 
science, including  to  persons  who  choose 
military  service  as  well  as  to  those  who 
take  the  alternative  service  or  resistance 
stands. 

In  addition,  the  board  voted  to  autho- 
rize "a  comprehensive  study"  of  the 
church's  present  ties  with  the  Selective 
Service  System.  The  task  was  placed 
with  the  Administrative  Council. 

In  still  another  action,  a  review  of  the 
federal  excise  tax  on  telephone  service, 
the  General  Board  by  a  2  to  1  ratio 
voted  down  a  motion  that  would  have 
discontinued  the  voluntary  payment  of 
the  tax.  Proponents  of  the  motion  al- 
leged that  the  tax  was  instituted  by  the 
government  to  help  cover  costs  of  the 
Vietnam  war. 

In  retrospect:  While  the  fairness, 
depth,  and  range  of  discussion  given  to 
war  issues  were  generally  heralded  as 
evidence  of  a  new  responsiveness  of  the 
board  to  the  sentiments  of  youth  and 
other  concerned  persons,  there  were 
other  assessments  of  the  action.  One  was 
that  the  door  now  is  opened  for  other 
delegations  to  come  calling  and  to  press 
their  interests  upon  the  board.  Another 
was  that  while  participatory  democracy 
was   at  work  in  this  situation,  because 


of  the  heavy  time  and  thought  invested 
on  one  item,  the  board  was  far  less  able 
to  give  its  energy  to  some  other  issues, 
in  effect  turning  to  staff  to  shape  and 
determine  far  more  autocratically  rather 
than  democratically  the  remaining  de- 
cisions at  hand. 

Random  developments 

In  more  random  actions,  the  General 
Board  and/or  its  commissions  in 
March  .  .  . 

.  .  .  engaged  in  a  discussion  of  issues 
and  plans  for  evangehsm  in  coming 
months  and  years. 

.  .  .  authorized  two  actions  aimed  at 
strengthening  the  hand  of  national  church 
leaders  abroad:  in  India,  the  naming  of 
the  Brethren  Mission  Hospital  Society, 
an  indigenous  board  to  govern  Dahanu 
Road  Hospital;  in  Ecuador,  planning  to 
shift  administrative  channels  from  a  field 
coordinator  and  treasurer  to  direct  rela- 
tionship with  the  church  and  foundation. 

.  .  .  renamed  to  the  board  of  the 
Germantown  Ministry,  Philadelphia, 
Murray  L.  Wagner  and  Franklin  J.  Cas- 


Recognition:  Leaving  the  staff  after  25 
years,  Helen  Smith  Hiteshew  displays 
gift  presented  on  behalf  of  the  General 
Board  by  the  chairman,  Stewart  Kauff- 


sel  and  increased  the  community  repre- 
sentation on  the  board  from  three  to  four 
persons. 

.  .  .  voted  to  study  the  feasibility  of 
holding  a  national  youth  conference  as 
soon  as  possible  —  the  summer  of  1971 
at  the  earliest. 

.  .  .  issued  grants  totaling  $15,000  for 
church  building  to  the  White  Hill 
church,  Shenandoah  District,  and  to 
the  Logansport  church,  Middle  Indiana 
District,  and  loans  totaling  up  to  $147,- 
000  to  the  White  Hill  and  Garbers 
churches  in  the  Shenandoah  District  and 
the  Logansport  and  Marion  churches  in 
Middle  Indiana. 

.  .  .  opened  the  Student  Rotary  Loan 
Fund  to  any  student  in  a  Church  of  the 
Brethren  college  who  meets  the  f)olicy 
guidelines. 

.  .  .  authorized  publications  of  an  En- 
glish edition  of  "Church  of  the  Brethren: 
Past  and  Present,"  a  volume  to  be 
printed  initially  in  Germany  this  year. 

.  .  .  noted  improvement  in  donation 
income  to  the  Brotherhood  Fund  during 
February  and  early  March.  The  lag  in 
giving,  compared  to  a  year  ago,  has  been 
reduced  from  12  to  7  percent. 

.  .  .  okayed  a  series  of  consultations 
on  Self-Allocation  for  this  fall,  to  evalu- 
ate with  district  and  local  representatives 
in  various  areas  the  timing,  procedures, 
and  other  aspects  of  the  program. 

.  .  .  foresaw  need  to  reduce  Brother- 
hood Fund  support  of  pastoral  programs 
and  district  executive  programs  in  light 
of  upcoming  budget  demands. 

.  .  .  reported  conversations  with  W. 
Hartman  Rice,  representing  the  Brethren 
Revival  Fellowship,  regarding  the  selec- 
tion of  special  ministries  for  support  by 
those  "who  cannot  conscientiously  sup- 
port the  total  Brotherhood  program." 
The  response,  in  part,  was  that  while 
the  board  carries  the  responsibility  for 
program  decisions,  it  "welcomes  the 
counsel  of  other  groups  or  agencies." 
The  board  reiterated  its  policy  of  hon- 
oring special  designations. 

...  set  June  20-22  as  the  next  meeting 
time,  Lincoln,  Neb.,  where  budgets  and 
goals   for    1970-71    are   to   be   finalized. 


5-7-70    MESSENGER      15 


news 


CPC's  cold  war 

The  rupture  continues  to  run  deep 
within  the  Christian  Peace  Conference. 
For  two  decades  a  vital  agent  of  dialogue 
between  Christian  church  leaders  of 
eastern  Europe  and  the  rest  of  the  world, 
the  movement  suffered  its  latest  setback 
at  the  end  of  February  in  sessions  in 
Prague,  Czechoslovakia. 

At  an  emergency  meeting  of  the  26- 
member  Working  Committee  there,  nine 
prominent  members,  among  them  W. 
Harold  Row  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, walked  out  early  in  the  proceedings 
and  indicated  they  would  return  only 
when  they  felt  assured  the  organization 
"is  ready  to  cope  with  the  challenges  of 
our  time."  A  statement  issued  by  the 
nine  protested  "events  and  methods  of 
the  past  months,"  referring  specifically  to 
the  "externally  forced  resignation  of  the 
general  secretary,  J.  N.  Ondra"  and  to 
efforts  to  gloss  over  the  internal  rift. 

Depressing:  Metropolitan  Nikodim, 
the  Russian  Orthodox  foreign  affairs  ex- 
ecutive and  a  vice-president  of  the  Chris- 
tian Peace  Conference,  is  regarded  as  a 
central  figure  in  the  conflict.  Behind  it 
are  tensions  which  led  to  the  resignation 
of  the  founder  and  president  of  the  Chris- 
tian Peace  Conference,  Josef  L.  Hro- 
madka,  prior  to  his  death  last  Dec.  26. 
The  statement  of  the  nine  appealed  to 
the  new  leadership  to  return  to  "the  same 
prophetic  way"  of  dealing  with  issues  as 
occurred  when  CPC's  previous  direc- 
tors were  in  command. 

But  in  contrast  to  an  open  forum,  the 
nine  said  they  found  "every  contribu- 
tion going  down  to  the  roots  of  the 
problem  pushed  aside  with  arguments 
that  did  not  hit  the  point." 

Currently  a  collegium  of  vice-presi- 
dents, of  whom  Metropolitan  Nikodim  is 
the  ranking  spokesman,  is  discharging 
the  duties  of  president.  Dr.  Janusz  Ma- 
kowski  of  Poland  has  been  named  in- 
terim general  secretary. 

Dissidents:  The  signators  to  the  state- 
ment included,  besides  Dr.  Row,  two 
vice-presidents  of  CPC,  Professor  Heinz 
Kloppenberg  of  West  Germany  and  Pro- 


fessor Georges  Casalis  of  France.  Still 
others  who  signed  the  protest  were  L. 
Franco  of  Italy,  H.  deGraef  of  the  Neth- 
erlands, I.  Jacoby  of  England,  J.  Kanitz 
of  West  Germany,  and  M.  Schwartz 
and  E.  Louis  of  Switzerland.  Verbal  as- 
sent to  the  statement  also  came  from  a 
Japanese  member  of  the  committee. 

Dr.  Row,  who  heads  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Washington  office  and  Inter- 
church  Affairs,  was  the  American  mem- 
ber of  the  Working  Committee  and  the 
only  representative  of  the  United  States 
regional  CPC  body  in  attendance. 

The  boycotting  members  made  clear 
that  in  their  action  they  were  not  resign- 
ing from  their  functions  in  the  move- 
ment. Until  mutual  consultation  becomes 
possible,  however,  they  said  they  would 
work  in  regional  committees. 

Openness:  Some  attempt  was  made  in 
Prague  toward  reconciliation,  Dr.  Row 
said,  but  he  added  that  no  resolution  oc- 
curred in  the  course  of  the  meeting.  He 
did  confer  two  days  later,  at  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  sessions,  with  Metropolitan 
Nicodim,  and  a  month  later  hosted  him 
at  an  ecumenical   affair  in  Washington. 

The  dissidents  said  to  their  committee 
colleagues,  "Nobody  should  interpret 
this  our  decision  as  if  we  would  abandon 
our  conviction  that  we  have  to  work  for 
peace  in  solidarity  with  the  socialist  coun- 
tries. .  .  . 

"The  credibility  of  the  Christian  Peace 
Conference  is  at  stake  as  are  its  integrity 
and  its  authority.  Therefore  we  had  to 
make  this  decision  which  you  forced  us 
to  take.  But  because  we  believe  in  the 
Holy  Spirit  we  think  that  this  will  not  be 
the  final  word  forever." 

The  uniting  church 

The  future  of  the  Consultation  on 
Church  Union  has  been  passed  from  the 
hands  of  delegates  to  the  member  church- 
es. Their  endorsement  or  rejection  will 
determine  if  a  new  25-million-member 
body  is  to  be  created,  tentatively  to  be 
called    the   Church   of   Christ   Uniting. 

At  the  1970  sessions  of  the  Consulta- 
tion in  St.  Louis,  delegates  went  line  by 


line  over  the  150-page  draft  plan  of 
union  and  made  a  few  changes.  During 
the  next  two  years  study  of  the  plan  will 
occur  in  the  nine  constituting  churches, 
along  with  some  testing  of  its  provisions, 
after  which  a  nine-member  executive 
committee  will  coordinate  discussion  and 
evaluation  of  reports.  Denominations 
likely  will  vote  before  the  mid-70s  wheth- 
er or  not  to  become  a  part  of  the  new 
church. 

In  character  with  the  proposed  name, 
other  churches  may  enter  the  Consulta- 
tion and,  eventually,  the  united  church. 

A  provision  that  the  first  presiding 
bishop  —  the  top  of  the  new  church  — 
be  black  was  dropped  from  the  draft 
plan,  largely  at  the  insistence  of  black 
churchmen.  Instead,  the  delegates  at  St. 
Louis  stipulated  that  no  racial  require- 
ment be  set  for  the  first  head  of  the 
church  but  that  each  presiding  bishop 
shall  be  of  a  race  different  from  his  pre- 
decessor. 

Parish:  Heralded  as  one  of  the  boldest 
proposals  of  the  draft  document  is  the 
idea  of  the  parish,  described  as  "the 
frontline  expression  of  church  life  where 
people  live  and  work."  The  parish  is  to 
oversee  programs,  worship,  fellowship, 
and  Christian  action  as  these  aspects  of 
life  relate  to  lives  and  communities,  not 
necessarily  geographically  defined. 

More  specifically,  the  parish  is  defined 
as  "several  congregations  and  developing 
task  groups,"  with  each  congregation  not 
automatically  expected  to  carry  on  a 
full  church  program.  Conceivably  there 
will  be  varying  models  for  rural,  urban, 
residential,   and  downtown  areas. 

"The  parish  may  not  be  made  up 
necessarily  of  contiguous  congregations; 
in  order  to  insure  racial  and  socioeco- 
nomic wholeness,  the  parish  will  include 
congregations  of  the  uniting  churches 
that  may  be  some  distance  away,  bypass- 
ing other  congregations  that  in  turn  will 
be  part  of  another  inclusive  parish." 

The  concept  of  parish  would  enable 
worship  to  take  place  in  several  congre- 
gations while  an  education  program  or 
other  activities  might  be  centered  at  one 
local  church.    The  plan  would  use  task 


16     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


groups,  functioning  for  limited  periods, 
to  organize  around  specific  ministries  and 
projects.  Parishes  may  join  in  joint  pro- 
grams or  enter  into  ecumenical  arrange- 
ments, that  is,  with  churches  outside  the 
Church  of  Christ  Uniting. 

Brethren  responses:  It  was  the  parish 
concept  that  caught  the  imagination  of 
many  delegates  and  observer-consultants 
at  St.  Louis.  In  the  latter  role  were  the 
two  representatives  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren's  Interchurch  Relations  Com- 
mittee; its  chairman,  Harold  Z.  Bom- 
berger,  pastor,  McPherson,  Kan.,  and 
Dale  W.  Brown,  professor,  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary. 

"The  parish  idea  deserves  study  by 
Brethren,"  commented  Pastor  Bomberger. 
"We  can  learn  a  great  deal  from  it." 
Professor  Brown  saw  exciting  possibili- 
ties in  the  parish  proposal;  he  also  ob- 
served that  it  could  offer  agonizing  prob- 
lems. "If  reform  is  accompanied  by  the 
freedom  of  local  congregations  to  with- 
draw, then  the  new  church  would  result 
in  new  fragmentation  in  the  body  of 
Christ.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  this  free- 
dom is  denied,  reform  will  be  accompa- 
nied by  an  enforced  unity."  Dr.  Brown 
cited  "the  lack  of  democracy  at  several 
points"  as  his  prime  misgiving  in  the 
proposals  for  polity. 

On  racial  concerns,  Pastor  Bomberger 
applauded  the  black  consciousness  of  the 
planners:  "If  the  uniting  church  becomes 
a  reality,  it  will  be  the  most  truly  inte- 
grated denomination  in  America." 


COCU's  new 

oflBcers  are, 
from  the  left, 
Charles  S. 
Spivey  of  New 
York,  Mrs. 
Ralph  Satir 
of  Milwaukee, 
George  G. 
Beazley  of  In- 
dianapolis, 
chairman,  and 
George  Mil- 
ler of  Chicago 


Role  of  laity:  Of  much  concern  to  the 
two  Brethren  observers  was  the  atten- 
tion, or  lack  of  it,  given  to  the  place  of 
laity  in  the  new  church.  Commented  Dr. 
Brown,  "The  greatest  preoccupation  was 
with  the  definitions,  tasks,  and  preroga- 
tives of  bishops  as  the  new  church  will 
have  1,500  to  2,000  men  in  this  office. 
The  entire  plan,  services  of  unification, 
and  acts  of  voting  are  based  too  much  on 
a  two-class  differentiation  between  cler- 
gy and  laity.  On  important  issues  of 
faith  and  order,  presbyters  and  deacons, 
bishops  and  laity  will  vote  separately. 
This  distinction  in  my  view  does  not  find 
strong  support  in  the  early  church  nor 
will  it  be  the  wave  of  the  future." 

"How  easy  it  is  to  give  a  disproportion- 
ate amount  of  time  to  property  con- 
cerns and  the  definition  of  clergy,"  said 
Pastor  Bomberger.  "How  hard  it  is  to  be 
open,  free,  fluid,  and  to  offer  laity  — 
particularly  youth  and  women  —  the 
place  they  deserve  in  a  church  of  the  fu- 
ture. The  Consultation  was  largely  a 
male,  clergy,  and  older  man's  conference. 
A  few  seminary  students  and  younger 
clergy  made  their  presence  felt,  but  for 
the  most  part  the  conference  and  the  plan 
of  organization  are  not  geared  to  them." 

Dr.  Brown,  in  noting  that  the  second 
greatest  amount  of  debating  time  was 
given  to  discussing  church  property,  re- 
acted, "Apart  from  the  demands  of  the 
black  bishops  for  racial  balance,  there 
was  not  much  at  St.  Louis  to  remind  one 
of  the  apocalyptic  nature  of  the  times." 


Overviews:  In  general  attitude  toward 
the  proceedings.  Dr.  Brown,  a  five-time 
observer  of  the  Consultation,  has  reser- 
vations as  to  the  fruitfulness  of  the  enter- 
prise. Nevertheless,  he  recommends  that 
"many  Brethren  will  want  to  secure  and 
study  the  details  of  the  plan  which  will 
be  debated  much  by  our  Christian  neigh- 
bors." Still  he  appeals,  "Let  us  pray  that 
American  Protestantism  will  not  get  com- 
pletely bogged  down  in  debating  organi- 
zational matters  while  the  world  goes  to 
hell." 

Harold  Bomberger,  the  moderator-elect 
of  the  denomination,  comes  out  quite 
affirmatively,  yet  has  deep  concerns.  As 
a  first-time  observer,  he  was  impressed 
by  the  enthusiasm  of  delegates  and  their 
commitment  to  see  the  creation  of  a  new 
church;  by  the  quality  of  COCU  leader- 
ship; and  by  the  willingness  of  many  to 
give  in  order  to  move  on  as  they  envision 
something  more  significant  than  their 
own  denominational  bodies.  He  found 
throughout  the  draft  plan  the  obvious 
influence  of  the  free  churches.  He  also 
felt  Brethren  will  want  to  study  the  draft 
plan  carefully  and  foresees  even  the  pos- 
sibility that  in  some  areas,  perhaps  espe- 
cially in  the  former  Western  Region, 
Brethren  congregations  might  seek  dual 
alignment  with  COCU. 

But  Dr.  Bomberger  is  bothered,  too,  by 
other  observations  he  holds:  "That  the 
plan  of  union  seems  to  run  counter  to  the 
trend  of  our  times"  .  .  .  "that  it  is  in 
danger  of  putting  more  emphasis  upon 
organization  than  mission"  .  .  .  "that  it 
was  prepared  by  older  men  for  older 
men."  He  is  hopeful  that  in  time  these 
kinks  will  be  worked  out. 

"I  am  convinced,  nonetheless,"  said 
Mr.  Bomberger,  "that  the  uniting  church 
is  something  we  must  stay  close  to. 
Whether  the  Brethren  even  will  be  inter- 
ested enough  to  participate  further,  I 
cannot  predict.  But  when  the  uniting 
church  comes  off,  whether  smaller  or 
larger  than  the  nine  constituting  bodies 
now  related,  the  new  church  will  be  a 
factor  for  us  to  reckon  with,  either  com- 
petitively or  cooperatively.  We  will  not 
be  able  to  ignore  it." 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     17 


4- news 


Alive  and  moving 

One  of  the  appeals  of  the  Brother- 
hood's recently  issued  paper  on  evange- 
lism is  for  congregations  to  assert  their 
"aliveness,"  to  affirm  hfe,  not  to  deny  it. 

Gleaned  here  are  vignettes  of  Breth- 
ren parish  involvements,  adding  to  the 
evidence  that  congregations  are  alive 
and  moving. 

Summer  schedule:  During  the  sum- 
mer months  the  principal  worship  service 
of  the  Lynnhaven  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Phoenix,  Ariz.,  will  be  on  Wednes- 
days at  7:30  p.m.  instead  of  on  Sunday 
mornings. 

By  council  vote,  the  congregation  will 
begin  on  June  2  to  follow  the  new  sched- 
ule for  a  three-month  period.  The  ra- 
tionale behind  it  is  to  free  families  to 
engage  together  in  weekend  activities  and 
still  have  the  possibility  of  group  worship 
experience  each  week. 

A  youth  worker,  Mark  Wagner  of  La 
Verne  College,  will  direct  special  events 
including  day  camps  and  trips.  Weekend 
family  and  age  group  retreats  in  the 
mountains  are  also  in  the  planning 
stages. 

D.  Eugene  Lichty  is  pastor  of  the 
Lynnhaven  congregation. 

Revolving  fund:  Seven  churches  of 
the  Waynesboro,  Va.,  area  have  formed 
the  Brethren  Housing  Assistance  Cor- 
poration. Its  aim  is  to  establish  a  revolv- 
ing capital  fund  as  a  means  of  coming  to 
grips  with  the  critical  problem  of  low- 
cost  housing  in  Augusta  County. 

The  corporation  plans  to  buy  or  re- 
pair dwellings  to  bring  them  up  to  hous- 
ing codes  and  assist  low-income  families 
in  the  purchase  or  rental  of  the  units. 
Beyond  the  provision  of  a  house,  the 
corporation  will  seek  to  relate  to  families 
through  vocational  or  occupational  train- 
ing, health  care,  or  other  special  needs. 

Involved  in  the  program  are  the  Blue 
Ridge  Chapel,  Mount  Vernon,  Barren 
Ridge,  Forest  Chapel,  Pleasant  Hill, 
White  Hill,  and  Middle  River  congrega- 
tions. The  board  has  among  its  directors 
Norman  L.  Harsh,  chairman,  and  Wen- 
dell Flory,  registered  agent.  John  H.  Ma- 


jor, a  realtor  in  Waynesboro,  was  instru- 
mental in  initiating  the  effort. 

While  the  nonprofit  agency  is  spon- 
sored by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
membership  in  the  corporation  is  not 
limited  to  Brethren. 

The  idea  for  the  program  was  an  out- 
growth in  part  of  last  year's  Church  Re- 
newal Project  in  which  some  of  the  con- 
gregations examined  their  response  to 
mission.  The  project  was  led  by  Norman 
Harsh. 

Special  education:  A  new  training 
effort  for  preschoolers  handicapped  by 
serious  physical  defects  is  being  offered 
at  the  Williamson  Road  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Roanoke,  Va.  With  em-ollment 
of  seven,  the  Neurogically  Impaired  Pre- 
school is  underwritten  in  part  by  the 
church  and  in  part  by  a  tuition  charge 
to  parents  of  children  enrolled. 

The  school  is  only  the  second  of  its 
kind  in  Roanoke  Valley.  The  aim  of  the 
program,  according  to  Pastor  Harold  S. 
Moyer,  is  to  prepare  children  who  face 
life  at  tremendous  odds  to  enter  the  pub- 
lic schools.  Meeting  two  mornings  a 
week,  the  children  receive  training  in 
muscular  coordination  or  are  helped 
with  speech  and  hearing  problems. 

Efforts  are  made  also  to  relate  the 
children  to  the  regular  kindergarten  pro- 
gram at  the  church.  Pastor  Moyer  noted. 
"They  definitely  are  not  mentally  re- 
tarded children,"  he  said;  "they  have 
very  keen  minds." 

Research  task:  The  headquarters  for 
the  nation's  biological  warfare  research 
program  has  been  Fort  Detrick  at  Fred- 
erick, Md.  Following  the  announcement 
by  President  Nixon  to  discontinue  germ 
warfare  production,  the  newsletter  of  the 
Frederick  Church  of  the  Brethren  dis- 
cussed  the   impact   upon   the    area. 

The  decision  has  had  "a  serious  effect" 
upon  some  of  the  church  families,  the 
item  stated,  mentioning  at  least  nine 
families  directly  involved.  "The  future 
of  many  others  is  most  uncertain  and  fu- 
ture cuts  will  no  doubt  affect  a  number 
of  them. 

"While  we  are  in  favor  of  the  Presi- 
dent's action,  we  do  feel  that  a  tragic 


mistake  is  being  made.  We  feel  the  tre- 
mendous pool  of  brain  power  and  the 
millions  of  dollars  of  equipment  should 
not  be  discarded  but  should  be  devoted 
to  the  peaceful  uses  of  medical  research. 

"To  release  these  men  and  to  neglect 
the  crying  need  for  medical  research  is, 
in  our  opinion,  a  tragedy  for  mankind 
and  false  economy  for  our  nation.  We 
still  hope  that  some  constructive  use 
can  be  made  of  the  Fort  Detrick  fa- 
cilities." 

Views  from  the  pew:  Something  of 
the  diversity  that  confronts  a  pastor  when 
he  stands  before  his  congregation  may  be 
gauged  from  an  episode  which  occurred 
at  the  Middletown  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  Southern  Ohio. 

Reactions  to  a  changed  worship  order 
and  setting  in  the  sanctuary  brought  this 
range  of  written  comments: 

"No,  I  do  not  like  the  present  seating 
arrangement,  but  the  worship  services 
are  good." 

"Yes,  I  like  the  seating  arrangement. 
The  worship  services  are  bad." 

"I  am  sorry,  but  to  me  it  has  been 
some  time  since  we  had  a  meaningful  re- 
ligious service.  Today  it  affected  me  so 
terrible  I  almost  left." 

"For  the  first  time  in  my  life  I  have 
experienced  a  meaningful  worship  serv- 
ice. The  seating  arrangement  helps  me 
to  feel  part  of  a  group." 

"I  prefer  a  sermon.  The  questions  are 
too  hard." 

"The  seating  arrangement  does  not 
matter.  I  come  home  from  church  feel- 
ing stepped  on.    Is  God  like  that?" 

Lay  ministry:  Conducting  Sunday  wor- 
ship services  at  a  convalescent  home  has 
become  a  regular  ministry  of  the  men's 
fellowship  of  the  First  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Virginia  Beach,  Va. 

Each  Sunday  morning  a  layman  from  i; 
the  congregation  leads  the  service  for  ;j 
Holmes  Convalescent  Home  residents  ? 
who  are  able  to  attend.  On  several  oc-  ! 
casions  the  men  have  served  communion. 

Visits  from  the  women's  fellowship 
and  presentations  by  the  church  choir 
also  are  a  part  of  the  congregation's 
outreach  to  the  elderly  at  the  home. 


18     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


PROGRAM  PERSPECTIVES 
.   .   .   first  in  a  series 


On  choosing 
to  be  changed 

by  Carl  W.  Zeigler  Jr. 

Consultant  for  Leadership  Training  Designs  and  Coordinator  of  Group  Life  Programs 


Historians  and  poets  observe  that  in 
contemporary  society  we  are  both  wit- 
nesses and  participants  in  the  advent  of 
a  new  age  (age  of  Aquarius?).  Every 
age  develops  a  style  of  life  appropriate 
to  the  genius  of  that  age,  and  now  amid 
the  changes  of  the  70s  comes  the  call 
for  the  birth  of  new  individual  and  or- 
ganizational life-styles.  The  plea  is  for 
social  awareness  as  well  as  its  spiritual 
ancestor,  self-awareness.  The  current 
emphasis  in  ecology  is  but  a  beginning 
note  in  what  will  be  increasingly  a 
planetary  imperative  to  develop  an  in- 
terdependent life-style. 

No  longer  do  we  have  the  time  grad- 
ually to  evolve  new  life-styles.  If  we 
are  passive,  we  soon  discover  that  our 
creative  freedom  atrophies  and  that  we 
are  forced  into  unwelcome  life-styles. 
In  this  age  we  need  to  choose  or  to 
be  willing  to  be  changed,  both  as  in- 
dividuals and  as  organizations.  Our  im- 
perative is  to  mobilize  our  will  for 
change. 

The  biblical  direction  of  choosing 
to  be  changed  by  the  Spirit  was  ex- 
pressed by  Paul  in  Romans  12:1-2 
(NEB) :  "Therefore,  my  brothers,  I 
implore  you  by  God's  grace  to  offer 
your  very  selves  to  him;  a  living  sacri- 
fice, dedicated  and  fit  for  his  accept- 
ance, the  worship  offered  by  mind  and 
heart.  Adapt  yourselves  no  longer  to 
the  pattern  of  this  present  world,  but 
let  your  minds  be  remade  and  your 
whole  nature  transformed." 

Pilgrims:  This  model  for  new  life 
seen  within  the  Christian  community  is 
our  plumb  line  for  reformation  of  our 
life-styles.  We  are  called  to  risk,  to 
walk  on  the  water  of  the  20th  century, 


and  to  be  the  pilgrims  of  the  70s. 

Beginning  in  the  1940s  a  group  of 
social  scientists  pioneered  in  the  field 
of  adult  education  by  developing  a 
method  to  translate  theory  and  knowl- 
edge about  human  beings  into  more 
effective  group  learning  programs. 
Their  method,  now  known  in  the  ver- 
nacular as  sensitivity  training,  is  to 
observe  and  respond  systematically  to 
behavior  occurring  in  small  face-to- 
face  groups  known  as  training  groups  or 
T-Groups.  The  process  is  known  as 
"laboratory  method,"  "training,"  or  "ex- 
perience-based learning."  This  network 
of  social  scientists  and  method  of  learn- 
ing are  under  the  auspices  of  the  Na- 
tional Training  Laboratories  based  in 
Washington,  D.C. 

Many  of  the  original  leaders  were  in 
the  field  of  adult  education,  and, 
through  cross-fertilization.  Christian  ed- 
ucators became  excited  about  the  lab 
method  as  a  way  to  revitalize  Christian 
education.  As  a  denomination  we  seek 
to  be  open  to  the  movings  of  the  Spirit, 
responsive  to  charismatic  leaders,  and 
willing  to  become  involved  in  new 
styles  of  ministry,  organization,  and 
learning.  Through  the  years  Brethren 
have  had  a  succession  of  cell  groups, 
leadership  training  schools,  hilltop  re- 
treats, spiritual  life  retreats,  see  groups 
in  BVS  and  in  church  camps.  Mission 
12,  church  and  group  life  labs,  race 
training  events,  and  theological  con- 
ferences. Now  the  time  is  ripe  for  pool- 
ing and  updating  our  best  insights  and 
seeking  the  guidance  of  the  Spirit  as 
we  reform  our  individual  and  organi- 
zational life-styles. 

Evaluation:  On  May  10-12  at  Beth- 


any Theological  Seminary  a  group  of 
thirty  persons  will  participate  in  a 
Trainer  Development  Conference,  with 
the  task  to  evaluate  the  lab  method, 
discuss  standards  and  ways  to  equip 
leaders  in  the  use  of  the  lab  method, 
and  discover  how  the  behavioral 
sciences  and  the  biblical  witness  can  be 
linked  in  reforming  and  developing 
value-centered  life-styles. 

Sensitivity  training  assists  persons 
to  be  in  touch  with  their  present  feel- 
ings and  enables  them  to  communicate 
with  other  persons.  I  want  to  support 
this  value,  but  I  want  also  to  affirm 
that  we  are  not  simply  feeling,  experi- 
encing beings;  we  also  have  the  capacity 
for  remembering  our  past  history  and 
exercising  our  will  in  creative  planning 
of  the  future.  We  need  to  live  as  both 
feeling  and  believing  Christians  —  will- 
ing and  able  to  use  faith  language  to 
describe  our  values,  history,  and  life- 
style. We  need  not  simply  to  say  "I 
feel"  but  also  "I  believe." 

When  we  choose  to  be  changed,  we 
express  our  confidence  and  trust  in  the 
capacity  of  the  Spirit  to  give  birth  to 
new  life.  We  entrust  ourselves  to  other 
persons  and  make  visible  the  values  we 
treasure. 

Community:  The  church  is  a  sup- 
portive, informed  community  of  faith 
where  persons  overcome  fear  and  new 
styles  of  life  are  born.  We  need  trusted 
leaders  equipped,  not  to  function  as  an 
elite  trainer  corps,  but  rather  to  be 
scattered  and  committed  throughout 
the  Brotherhood,  skillfully  able  and 
willing  to  assist  congregations  and  per- 
sons in  appropriating  the  Christian 
style  of  life. 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     19 


day  by  day 


Roads  to  the  interior  of  Puerto  Rico  are  renowned  for  narrow 
curves;  travel  is  calculated  in  hours  and  minutes  rather  than 
in  miles.  Because  of  the  time  factor,  we  start  most  of  our 
trips  in  the  early  hours  of  the  day.  But  there  is  plenty  of 
time  for  worship  on  the  road.  I  hesitate  to  say  worship  be- 
cause that  word  is  rarely  cormected  with  having  such  fun  as 
we  enjoy.  However,  we  feel  there  is  nothing  stuffy  about  real 
worship. 

Our  "preparation  for  worship"  sometimes  consists  of  the 
"ritual"  of  stopping  momentarily  at  the  dump  to  throw  out 
our  "garbage."  If  there  were  cross  words  in  the  rush  of  getting 
away,  impatience  and  unkindness  go  out  the  window.  If  one 
feels  grouchy  at  having  been  awakened  early,  he  goes  through 
the  motions  of  tossing  grumpiness  out  the  window.  Perhaps 
we  toss  out  tension  that  already  is  trying  to  build  up  because 
of  the  long  list  of  things  to  do,  and  maybe  we  didn't  get  off 
to  as  early  a  start  as  anticipated.  Then  during  the  day,  if 
someone  begins  to  display  something  he  discarded  earlier,  he 
is  apt  to  be  playfully  reminded,  "Hey,  you  left  that  back  at 
the  dump." 

Several  curves  down  the  road  someone  may  direct  the 
"morning  hymn."  We  keep  a  hymnal  in  the  car  to  learn 
words  and  harmony  by  heart. 

The  scripture  lesson  might  be  a  game  of  Twenty  Ques- 
tions. Gideon,  Jonah,  or  Elijah  are  quite  interesting  char- 
acters —  as  good  as  any  on  TV!  The  Old  Testament  brings  up 
some  controversial  statements  about  God,  which  children  don't 
miss.  Traveling  is  a  good  time  for  discussion  to  teach  that 
everything  is  subject  to  Jesus  —  even  the  scriptures. 

One  easily  understood  illustration  to  show  that  the  Old 
Testament  writers  did  not  know  God  as  well  as  Jesus  did  is  the 
following:  I  asked  our  three-year-old  to  take  the  tricycle  into 
the  house.  She  found  her  litde  brother  riding  it,  knocked  him 
off,  and  got  the  tricycle.  Don  saw  and  reprimanded  her,  but 
she  assured  him  that  I  had  told  her  to  do  so.  Now,  some 
years  later,  it  is  clear  to  them,  knowing  me  better  and  having 
matured  in  their  own  understanding,  that,  like  the  prophets  of 
old,  even  though  she  understood  my  "command,"  her  manner 
of  obeying  was  not  at  all  consistent  with  my  basic  nature:  my 
love  for  all  my  children.  They  can  see  that  man  has  not  al- 
ways interpreted  God's  commands  in  the  light  of  his  basic 
nature.  So  Jesus  came  to  clear  things  up.  This  discussion 
along  the  road  is  much  more  natural  after  a  game  than  in  a 
forced  situation  when  the  ball  game  or  the  river  may  be 
beckoning. 

Rush  hour  traffic  jams  are  a  good  time  for  prayer.  Not 
deep  meditation  of  course,  but  there  are  many  types  of  prayer. 
When  a  rude  driver  cuts  one  off,  it  is  tremendous  therapy  to 


say,  "Bless  you,"  instead  of  "Where  does  he  think  he's  going?" 
It  helps  everyone  relax,  whereas  the  other  causes  people  to( 
tense  up.  More  than  likely,  there  will  be  comments  as  to  whyi 
he  drives  like  that  and  whether  or  not  he  really  feels  better: 
inside  for  having  done  it.  We  can  compare  how  our  own' 
viscera  reacts  when  we  let  him  bother  us  and  when  we  blessi 
him. 

I  realize  there  are  those  who  will  fear  this  is  repressing! 
emotions,  but  we  have  found  that  life  is  basically  a  series  ofi 
responses,  usually  learned  —  and  that  learning  soon  becomes; 
a  habit.  So  if  we  are  going  habitually  to  respond  negativelyl; 
or  positively,  why  not  develop  the  habits  that  are  friendly  toi 
the  blood  pressure? 

A  few  times  we  have  pulled  off  the  road  to  watch  the  sun-i 
set,  especially  when  in  a  hurry,  to  remind  ourselves  that  beingi 
still  and  knowing  God  is  really  more  important  than  forever' 
trying  to  meet  a  schedule.    It's  like  a  benediction. 

After  a  hectic  day  in  the  hot  city,  it  is  assumed  people  ii 
will  arrive  home  all  done  in.  Once  we  obligingly  complied  i 
and  came  home  drooping,  lapping  up  such  solicitous  remarks 
as,  "My  you've  had  such  a  long  day."  Now  we  find  that  ouri 
state  of  exhaustion  is  in  direct  apposition  to  the  rate  at  which  1; 
we  put  into  practice  the  "worship  as  you  live"  principle.  • 
Don  and  Shirley  Fike 


DAILY   READING   GUIDE        May    10-23 

Sunday     Deuteronomy    6:1-9.     Worship    as    you    live:    always,    everywhere.: 

Monday     Isaiah    12.    Salvation   is   joy! 

Tuesday      Isaiah    26:3-4.     You    can    have    peace    inside    despite    turbulence* 
outside. 

Wednesday    Psalm  150.    Worship  "in  church"  and  out. 

Thursday    Psalm  84:5-7.    Strength  will  well   up  from  within. 

Friday    Isaiah  40:29-31.    Give  wings  to  every   day. 

Saturday    Psalms   96:11-13;   98:7-9.     Let   all   of   creation   bring   you   to   God.l 

Sunday    Psalm    91.     God's    protection    and    presence    is    available    to    youi 
everywhere. 

Monday     Matthew    6:25-34.     Trust    and    tension    cannot    exist    in    the    same  s 
place  at  the  same  time. 

Tuesday    Luke   11:9-13.    A  son's  worries  are  dispelled  by  the   Father's  care. 

Wednesday     Philippians    4:11-20.     Trust    God's    sufficiency    to   supply    every/ 
need. 

Thursday      2     Corinthians     6:16b-18.      Freedom     results     from     progress     in  i 

Christlikeness. 
Friday    John  4:23-24;  1   Corinthians  6:19-20.    Worship  is  a  constant  attitude,, 

not   an   occasional   activity. 
Saturday    Romans   12:1-2.    Be  alert  to  new  ways  to  let  God  "get  through."  ' 


20     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


GOD 
INFLAME 

by  Glen  Weimer 


God  is  flame  .  .  . 

Living  flame, 

Flam,ing  love; 

Like  a  tongue  of  fire,  leaping, 

reaching  upward,  outward,  inward 
consuming,  cleansing,  warning, 
warming,  burning,  creating. 


Faith  looks  up... 


God  is  the  living  flame  of  love  .  .  . 

enwrapping  each  life  as  flame  enwraps 

the  log  in  the  grate  .  .  . 
releasing  healing  light  in  life 

consumed  .  .   . 
supporting  life  with  comforting 

warmth  .   .  . 
fortifying  life  with  accepting 

forgiveness  .  .  . 
commissioning  life  to  give  itself 

without  reservation.   .   .  . 

O  God,  encircle  me  with  thy  flame 
of  love;   inflame  me  with  thy 
compassion,  until  my  life  is  a 
living  flame  of  love 
enwrapping  others  .  .  .  caringly, 

helpfully,  healingly,  tenderly, 

and  redeemingly. 
Even  in  likeness  to  Jesus.    Amen. 


A  YEAR  AGO  last  January,  when  my  husband  sat  down  to 
write  an  article  for  this  same  column,  I  had  no  thoughts 
that  I,  too,  would  want  to  share  with  my  fellow  Christians 
the  faith  I  have  found  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

In  the  months  since  the  death  of  my  husband  I  have 
experienced  the  love  of  God  in  so  many  beautiful,  sim- 
ple, and  convincing  ways.  Many  have  been  the  times  my 
heart  has  ached  really  to  know  the  Lord  and  to  be  able  to 
testify  to  the  fact  that  God  is  not  dead  but  is  very  much 
alive  within  me. 

I  have  felt  for  several  years  that  the  problem  which 
faces  the  church  is  that  no  one  testifies  what  Christ  means 
to  him  personally.  We  have  not  seen  God  in  the  little 
everyday  experiences  which  happen.  I  have  begun  to  say 
out  loud,  when  the  phone  rings,  "Thank  you,  Lord,"  or 
upon  opening  the  mailbox  and  finding  a  personal  letter, 
"Praise  the  Lord"  —  because  to  me  these  occurrences 
many  times  have  been  answered  prayers,  and  God  has 
been  working  in  the  life  of  another  to  bring  hope  and 
faith  to  my  saddened  and  discouraged  heart. 


April  25,  1969,  at  8:45  a.m.  is  a  time  to  be  remem- 
bered for  me  because  on  this  day  I  had  an  experience  of 
the  living  Christ.  The  warmth  and  love  of  the  Lord  flowed 
through  my  entire  body.  I  quickly  fell  to  my  knees  and 
I  was  praising  God  in  unknown  sounds  and  was  experienc- 
ing a  joy  never  before  known  to  me.  The  experience  of 
Pentecost  will  never  be  strange  to  me  again,  and  I  cer- 
tainly understand  why  some  said  the  disciples  were 
drunken.  What  release  it  was  for  my  sorrowful  heart 
once  again  to  be  able  to  sing  with  sincerity,  "Praise  God 
from  whom  all  blessings  flow."   Praise  God! 


CORINNE  HOFF  SIMMONS,  whose 
husband  Richard  died  a  tittle  more  than  a 
year  ago  just  after  writing  for  this 
column,  is  teaching  trainable  children 
under  special  education  in  Rockingham 
County,  Virginia,  and  caring  for  three 
sons,  11,9,  and  4.  A  graduate  of  Man- 
chester College,  she  also  directs  junior 
and  adult  choirs  at  the  Mount  Pleasant 
church. 


'•■■#**.f  """^* 


f*rr*^ 


^.-?»f'   - 


A-'-.^ 


■^ 


The  recent  publication  of 
the  Old  Testament  in  the 
New  English  Bible  offers 
an  opportunity  to  compare 
the  translations  of  familiar 
passages  in  the  most  wide- 
ly used  English  Bibles. 
NEB's  version  of  Psalm 
23  is  given  here,  along 
with  those  from  the  Re- 
vised Standard  Version, 
an  American  revision  of 
1952;  the  Jerusalem  Bible, 
translated  by  English- 
speaking  Catholics  and 
issued  in  1966;  and  the 
King  James  Version,  au- 
thorized in  1611  by  the 
king  of  England.  —  The 
Editors 


The 
Song 


Shepherd 


In  paths  of  righteousness. . . 

The  Lord  is  my  shepherd,  I  shall  not  want; 
he  makes  me  lie  down  in  green  pastures. 
He  leads  me  beside  still  waters; 

he  restores  my  soul. 
He  leads  me  in  paths  of  righteousness 

for  his  name's  sake. 

Even  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of  the 
shadow  of  death, 
I  fear  no  evil; 
for  thou  art  with  me; 

thy  rod  and  thy  staff,  they  comfort  me. 

Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me 

in  the  presence  of  my  enemies; 
thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil, 

my  cup  overflows. 
Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall 

follow  me  all  the  days  of  my  life; 
and  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of 

the  Lord  for  ever.  —  Revised  Standard  Version 


Beside  the  waters  of  peace. . . 

The  Lord  is  my  shepherd;  I  shall  want  nothing. 

He  makes  me  lie  down  in  green  pastures, 
and  leads  me  beside  the  waters  of  peace; 

he  renews  life  within  me, 
and  for  his  name's  sake  guides  me  in  the  right  path. 
Even  though  I  walk  through  a  valley  dark  as  death 
I  fear  no  evil,  for  thou  art  with  me, 
thy  staff  and  thy  crook  are  my  comfort. 

Thou  spreadest  a  table  for  me  in  the  sight  of  my  enemies; 
thou  hast  richly  bathed  my  head  with  oil, 

and  my  cup  runs  over. 
Goodness  and  love  unfailing,  these  will  follow  me 

all  the  days  of  my  life, 

and  I  shall  dwell  in  the  house  of  the  Lord 

my  whole  life  long.  —  The  New  English  Bible 


Though 

I  walk 
through 

the 

valley... 


The  Lord  is  my  shepherd;  I  shall  not  want. 
He  maketh  me  to  lie  down  in  green  pastures : 
he  leadeth  me  beside  the  still  waters. 
He  restoreth  my  soul: 

he  leadeth  me  in  the  paths  of  righteousness  for 
his  name's  sake. 

Yea,  though  I  walk  through  the  valley  of 

the  shadow  of  death, 
I  will  fear  no  evil:  for  thou  art  with  me; 
thy  rod  and  thy  staff  they  comfort  me. 

Thou  preparest  a  table  before  me  in 
the  presence  of  mine  enemies: 

thou  anointest  my  head  with  oil; 

my  cup  runneth  over. 

Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  me 
all  the  days  of  my  life: 

and  I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of  the 

Lord  for  ever.  —  King  James  Version 


My  cup  brims  over. . . 

Yahweh  is  my  shepherd, 

I  lack  nothing. 
In  meadows  of  green  grass  he  lets  me  lie. 
To  the  waters  of  repose  he  leads  me; 
there  he  revives  my  soul. 

He  guides  me  by  paths  of  virtue 
for  the  sake  of  his  name. 

Though  I  pass  through  a  gloomy  valley, 

I  fear  no  harm; 
beside  me  your  rod  and  your  staff 

are  there,  to  hearten  me. 
You  prepare  a  table  before  me 

under  the  eyes  of  my  enemies; 
you  anoint  my  head  with  oil, 

my  cup  brims  over. 

Ah,  how  goodness  and  kindness  pursue  me, 

every  day  of  my  life; 
my  home,  the  house  of  Yahweh, 

as  long  as  I  live!  —  Jerusalem  Bible 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     23 


i 


BY  MICHAEL  DAVES 


a?rom  the  cave  age  to  the  computer 
age,  teen-agers  have  rebelled.  What 
you  experience  today  with  your  teen- 
ager, your  parents  faced  with  you  and 
their  parents  with  them. 

There  are  no  easy  answers  to  the 
storm  and  stress  of  adolescence.  Noth- 
ing will  ever  completely  eliminate  the 
anxiety  and  pain  that  both  parents  and 
teen-agers  experience  during  this  peri- 
od. It's  all  a  part  of  growing  up.  But 
through  years  of  counseling  with  teen- 
agers and  parents,  I've  formed  some 
guidelines  that  may  be  helpful. 

Accept  teen-age  rebellion  as  normal. 
Your  teen-ager's  life  task  is  to  stand  on 
his  own  two  feet.  He  doesn't  want  to 
be  a  chip  off  the  old  block,  Mr.  Jones' 
son.  He  wants  independence.  He  re- 
bels, not  to  defy  or  hurt  his  parents,  but 
to  experience  his  self-identity.  Seven- 


teen-year-old Betty  wrote,  "I  want  to 
be  me.  I  don't  know  who  I  am  yet;  but 
I  am  not  going  to  find  out  by  my 
parents'  telling  me.  I've  got  to  experi- 
ence life  for  myself." 

Mrs.  S.  had  a  difficult  time  under- 
standing what  was  happening  in  her 
relationship  with  her  two  sons.  She 
mistook  their  identity  struggle  as  a 
personal  attack.  She  lamented, 
"They're  monsters.  They've  turned 
against  me  and  don't  love  me  any 
more.  I'm  about  to  have  a  nervous 
breakdown."  It  was  a  long  time  before 
she  was  able  to  see  that  her  attitude 
was  self-centered  and  unrealistic. 

Avoid  sermons  like  the  plague. 
Teen-agers  resist  being  told  what  to  do 
and  what's  good  for  them.  They  turn 
off  parents  when  we  say,  "I  know  just 
how  you  feel.  Why,  when  I  was  your 
age.  .  .  ."  They  are  angered  by  stories 
designed  to  make  us  look  good  and 
them  look  bad.  And  they  don't  believe 


these  stories  anyway.  As  one  fifteen- 
year-old  said,  "My  dad  must  really 
think  I'm  stupid.  Why,  nobody's  as 
good  as  he  says  he  was."  Parents 
who  always  pick  on  their  teen-agers  do 
inestimable  damage.  Maturity  is  never 
achieved  on  command.  Parents  need 
understanding  and  patience.  Sixteen- 
year-old  Mary  told  her  pastor,  "My 
parents  are  always  on  my  back.  I  can't 
do  anything  right.  No  matter  what  I 
do,  they  complain  about  it.  It  drives 
me  crazy."  Encouragement  does  more 
to  reinforce  constructive  behavior  pat- 
terns than  carping  about  faults.  Jesus 
knew  this  long  ago.  His  directions 
were  positive,  not  negative.  He  said 
that  he  came  to  save,  not  to  condemn. 

Be  open  about  anger.  Love  includes 
anger.  When  you  care  about  someone, 
you  get  angry  when  he  is  engaged  in 
self-destructive  behavior.  The  Apostle 
Paul  acknowledged  the  existence  of 
anger  and  suggested  that  we  ought  to 


When  your 
teen-ager  rebels 


24     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


do  something  about  it  when  he  wrote, 
"Do  not  let  the  sun  go  down  on  your 
wrath." 

Parents  and  teen-agers  will  get  angry 
at  one  another.  Don't  feel  guilty  for 
being  angry.  Don't  pretend  you're  not 
angry  when  you  are.  And  don't  hit 
below  the  belt  and  insult  your  teen- 
ager. 

Patty's  mother  had  tried  for  many 
months  to  get  her  sixteen-year-old  to 
keep  her  room  clean.  Finally,  one  Sat- 
urday afternoon  after  a  very  exhausting 
day,  she  went  into  Patty's  room  to  find 
everything  on  the  floor.  Flushed  with 
anger,  she  said,  "Patty,  what  am  I  go- 
ing to  do  with  you?  Are  you  deaf  or 
something?  I've  told  you  thousands  of 
times  to  keep  your  room  clean.  If  you 
don't  learn  to  pick  up  after  yourself, 
you'll  never  be  a  good  wife  or  mother." 
How  much  better  to  say:  "Patty,  I  am 
furious  because  you  have  let  your  room 
get  so  dirty.  It  makes  me  mad  because 
I  work  very  hard  trying  to  keep  a  clean 
house  and  you  don't  cooperate."  In 
this  latter  exchange,  Patty's  mother  was 
being  honest  about  her  feelings,  but 
not  insulting.  This  approach  did  not 
build  up  resentment  and  fear  in  Patty, 
and  it  got  the  job  done,  too! 

Give  your  teen-ager  responsible  free- 
dom. As  the  parent  of  a  teen-ager,  you 
should  try  to  work  yourself  out  of  a 
job.  Don't  strive  to  reinforce  childish 
patterns  of  dependency;  aid  your  teen- 
ager in  "putting  away  childish  things." 
As  much  as  possible  decisions  should 
be  left  to  your  teen-ager.  This  doesn't 
mean  abandoning  rules,  but  it  means 
adopting  rules  that  are  flexible,  realis- 
tic, and  workable.  It  also  means  that 
your  teen-ager  clearly  understands  that 
his  freedom  depends  on  his  responsibil- 
ity. Consider  the  father  who  told  his 
son,  "You  may  use  the  car,  but  you 
must  put  gas  in  it  and  drive  carefully." 
This  teen-ager  had  freedom  with  re- 


sponsibility, which  is  the  only  real  free- 
dom there  is. 

The  skillful  parent  gets  out  of  the 
way  and  lets  the  teen-ager  grow 
through  experience.  He  encourages  in- 
dependent behavior  with  statements 
like:  "It's  up  to  you."  "You're  the  one 
to  decide."  "You  can  do  what  you 
want  to  about  that." 

Don't  be  defensive  about  religion. 
A  smart  seventeen-year-old  boy  said, 
"Parents  are  hard  on  senior  highs  be- 
cause they  aren't  too  sure  themselves 
what  they  believe.  So  they  yell  a  little 
louder  to  keep  up  their  courage." 

Don't  let  rebelliousness  about  reli- 
gion and  the  church  throw  you  into  a 
tailspin!  If  you  are  threatened,  admit 
it.  Then  work  to  grow  as  a  Christian. 

Teen-agers'  questions  about  religion 
should  be  taken  seriously.  When  their 
faith  comes  into  conflict,  they  need  un- 
derstanding. No  teen-ager  should  be 
made  to  feel  guilty  for  his  doubts  about 
the  faith.  As  a  parent,  you  should  spell 
out  the  options  for  him.  You  should 
never  try  to  cram  one  answer  down  his 
throat.  Be  honest  about  your  beUefs, 
but  allow  for  honest  differences  in 
points  of  view. 


Qe 


le  day,  your  teen-ager  probably 
will  say  stoutly,  "I  don't  want  to  go  to 
church.  It's  just  boring."  Many  of  the 
church's  activities  are  boring  to  youth 
because  they  are  poorly  planned  and 
executed.  We  often  talk  about  the 
teen-agers'  being  tomorrow's  church. 
This  is  wrong.  They  are  the  church 
today,  and  we  need  to  give  them  more 
power  of  self-determination.  Try  to 
find  out  why  your  teen-ager  loses  inter- 
est in  church;  then  do  what  you  can  to 
restore  interest.  This  may  mean  that 
you  will  take  an  active  part  in  helping 
with  the  youth  program.  And  make 
sure  that  you  are  committed  to  the 


church.  Action  still  speaks  stronger 
than  words. 

Seek  help  for  impasses.  An  impasse 
means  there  is  no  movement  either  for- 
ward or  backward.  It  is  entrapment.  I 
have  seen  many  parents  and  teen-agers 
locked  in  impasse.  Their  situation  was 
worsening,  yet  they  were  reluctant  to 
seek  help. 

Betty  is  fourteen;  her  mother  is  her 
only  parent  and  she  has  been  ill  for 
years.  Betty  started  staying  out  late, 
going  with  older  men,  and  coming 
home  when  she  pleased.  Her  mother  is 
completely  unable  to  cope  with  her, 
but  she  doesn't  believe  in  talking  to 
others  about  her  problems.  Soon  the 
juvenile  authorities  may  force  help  on 
her. 

Seek  out  a  doctor,  minister,  family 
counselor,  psychiatrist,  social  worker, 
teacher,  or  trusted  friend.  Ask  for  ad- 
vice and  counsel.  Don't  be  embar- 
rassed. Admitting  your  need  for  help 
is  a  sign  of  your  personal  strength. 

Being  a  parent  was  never  an  easy 
task.  It  is  even  harder  in  our  fast  mov- 
ing world  of  change  and  confusion. 
The  wise  parent  will  accept  rebellion 
for  what  it  is:  a  natural  part  of  growing 
up.  You  will  use  rebellion  as  glue  to 
cement  the  parent-teen  relationship  in- 
stead of  scissors  to  cut  it  apart. 

Even  if  you're  on  the  wrong  foot 
with  your  teen-ager,  you  can  make  the 
necessary  changes  to  better  your  lives 
together. 

A  good  start  is  to  follow  these  guide- 
lines: accept  teen-age  rebellion  as  nor- 
mal; avoid  sermons  like  the  plague;  be 
open  about  anger;  give  your  teen-ager 
responsible  freedom;  don't  be  defensive 
about  religion;  and  seek  help  for 
impasses. 

In  the  midst  of  rebellion,  both  you 
and  your  teen-agers  can  grow  in  love, 
respect,  maturity,  and  faith.  Who  can 
ask  for  more?   D 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     25 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


The  significance  of  Paul  Tillich 


It  is  more  than  four  years  now  since 
Paul  Tillich  died  (October  22,  1965). 
Yet  books  continue  to  be  written  from 
his  class  lectures,  and  critiques  of  his 
work  continue  to  appear.  I  have  been 
asked  upon  several  occasions  to  assess 
the  significance  of  Tillich's  work,  and  I 
have  in  every  instance  almost  involun- 
tarily drawn  back  from  the  request. 
When  one  makes  such  an  attempt  for  a 
person  of  such  monumental  creativity, 
the  result  must  become  either  a  classic 
expression  or  sink  into  triviality. 

Frankly,  I  don't  see  how  I  can  avoid 
the  latter  in  these  few  brief  paragraphs. 
Nonetheless,  the  request  is  both  persis- 
tent and  legitimate  and  therefore  cannot 
be  avoided.  Furthermore,  one  is  buoyed 
up  by  a  central  insight  of  Tillich  (if  I 


may  paraphrase) :  Every  expressed  truth 
at  best  is  to  some  extent  a  broken  frag- 
ment, and  yet  every  fragment  has  the 
potentiality  of  becoming  a  statement  of 
profound  truth. 

There  are  many  ways  to  be  introduced 
to  Tillich's  theology.  One  of  the  best  is 
to  read  his  brief  autobiographical  state- 
ment, On  the  Boundary.  There  he  de- 
scribes the  experiences  out  of  which  he 
writes:  semirural  background,  Lutheran 
father  and  Calvinist  mother,  study  at 
various  German  universities,  despair  in 
the  trenches  during  World  War  I,  organ- 
izing the  religious  socialist  movement  in 
the  twenties,  cast  out  of  Germany  by 
Hitler,  learning  a  new  language  at  the 
age  of  forty-seven,  and  teaching  in 
America.    His  theology  is  an  attempt  to 


bring   meaning   to   these   varied,    almost 
antithetical,   experiences. 

These  can  be  found  in  his  book  Per- 
spectives on  19th  and  20th  Century  Prot- 
estant    Theology     (Harper     and     Row,  , 
1967),  posthumously  edited  by  Carl  E.  j 
Braaten.    Though  not  an  easy  book  to  i 
read,   it  gives  a  description  of  Tillich's 
mentors  in  a  way  that  cannot  be  found 
elsewhere. 

Perhaps  we  can  get  at  the  significance 
of  his  work  by  making  a  simple  observa- 
tion about  each  of  the  main  sections  of 
his  Systematic  Theology,  to  which  one 
must  finally  go  if  he  is  serious  about 
his  interest  in  Tillich.  Briefly  they  are 
(1)  revelation;  (2)  God;  (3)  Christ; 
(4)  church;  and  (5)  history.  Tillich  has 
some  remarkable  and  much  debated  as- 


ri^E^rl  MEdiTATJONS  FoR  ThE 

NOW- GENERATION 


MEDITATIONS  IN   UNI  VERSE 

with    witty    plays    on    meaning     and     intriguing    ^ 

„    ....i.     In    a    finely    balanced    relationship,    spare   verse    .. 

tion    imparl    to    each    page    a    surprising    depth    and    significance.     Whatev 
vor  page  after  page  in  this  unusual  volume. 


Paul  Monica 


1 1  k  L^> J^  dPl  A  ^  i  H  k^gll  W  I'M  •»  J  H_kJV  ■  L*.X*J kf i 


lis  first  book,  To  Believe  in  God,  is  one 

f  Joseph  Pinlauro  uses  his  brilliant  ai 

■       '  '      ■■  "■       'Srant  book  is  i 

'  the  great  abs 

F  Christian  realism,  the  poet  deals  with 


by  dosepK  pintauro 


nl  and  hope.    Through  the 
n  part  in  the  circus  of  life 


of  life.    In  a  lyrical 


CHURCH   of  the   BRETHREN   GENERAL  OFFICES  Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


26     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


sertions  to  make  under  these  headings. 
Let  us  then  take  each  of  the  five  in  turn. 

•  Genuine  faith  always  includes  an 
element  of  honest  doubt.  Faith  is  often 
thought  to  exclude  all  doubt,  but  Tillich 
proposes  that  the  deepest  faith  is  born  in 
the  midst  of  our  doubts.  In  his  very 
readable  Dynamics  of  Doubt  (Fortress 
Press,  1966)  Arne  Unhjem  makes  a  per- 
suasive case  that  here  is  Tillich's  parallel 
to  Luther's  simul  Justus,  simul  pecator. 
Roughly  translated,  Luther's  expression 
means  that  we  are  justified  by  God  even 
while  we  are  yet  sinners.  In  Tillich's 
terms  we  might  say  that  God's  truth 
comes  to  us  even  while  we  yet  doubt. 
Tillich  was  convinced  that  to  accept 
honest  doubt  is  a  basic  condition  of  faith. 
Genuine  questions  about  God  are  more 
faithful  than  an  apparent  belief  that 
hides  unexpressed  reservations. 

•  The  sacred  and  the  secular  are  not 
essentially  antagonistic,  even  though  ac- 
tual antagonism  is  never  fully  overcome. 
In  the  great  debate  today  about  the  re- 
lationship of  the  sacred  and  the  secular, 
there  are  those  who  find  the  secular  to 
be  the  enemy  of  faith,  while  the  others 
see  in  "the  secular  city"  the  maturity  of 
an  outgrown  faith.  To  the  end  of  his 
career  Tillich  believed  that  the  sacred 
and  the  secular  belong  to  one  another. 
This  is  evident  in  the  very  provocative 
collection  of  essays,  the  last  he  ever 
wrote,  under  the  title  The  Future  of  Re- 
ligion. (These  essays  can  be  better  ap- 
preciated after  one  has  gained  some  fa- 
miliarity with  Tillich's  work.) 

The  relationship  between  the  sacred 
and  the  secular  corresponds  to  that  be- 
tween the  infinite  and  the  finite,  God 
and  the  creation.  The  infinite  is  both 
present  in  and  separated  from  all  of  life. 
He  is  present  as  the  creative  potential, 
as  the  "power  to  be  in  spite  of  the  threat 
of  nonbeing."  He  is  separated  in  that 
the  finite  can  never  fully  grasp  the  in- 
finite. Of  even  more  significance  than 
the  limits  of  human  finitude  is  the  pres- 
ence of  distortion  and  alienation  in  aU 
life.  Our  understanding  of  God  reflects 
both  intentional  and  unintentional  mis- 
conceptions. Secular  life  needs  to  recover 


the  sacred  if  it  is  to  have  orientation,  sig- 
nificance, and  meaning.  The  sacred  must 
be  open  to  the  secular  if  it  is  to  avoid 
meaningless  encrusted  form  or,  even 
worse,  demonic  domination.  In  TUIich's 
often  quoted  phrase,  "Culture  is  the 
form  of  religion,  and  religion  is  the  depth 
of  culture."  Neither  of  these  truths  can 
be  lost  without  the  dechne  of  human 
life. 

Tillich's  significance  is  largely  due 
to  the  way  he  has  helped  so  many  to 
catch  a  vision  of  the  relationship  between 
the  sacred  and  secular  realms  of  life. 
He  has  opened  the  way  to  affirm  seculari- 
ty  without  becoming  lost  in  it.  One  of 
the  best  sympathetic  interpretations  of 
this  vantage  point  is  Carl  J.  Armbruster's 
The  Vision  of  Paul  Tillich   (Sheed  and 


Ward,  1967).  In  an  extensive  but  read- 
able study  Armbruster  interprets  all  of 
Tillich's  work  around  the  idea  of  a  the- 
ology of  culture. 

•  At  the  center  of  life,  healing,  whole- 
ness, and  reconciliation  are  overcoming 
separation,  division,  and  alienation.  Til- 
lich's concern  for  all  of  life  picks  up  a 
strand  of  Brethren  belief  that  is  present 
even  with  those  who  have  separated 
themselves  from  the  world.  If  guilt  and 
evil  fatedness  pervade  all  life,  even  more 
profoundly  healing  and  centeredness 
come  to  all  life.  Even  the  most  extreme 
evil  cannot  remove  life  from  the  healing 
power  at  its  center. 

What  may  not  have  been  evident  be- 
fore now  becomes  quite  clear.  Jesus  as 
the  Christ  is  the  center  of  Tillich's  faith. 


must  confess . . . 
...  the  vocation  of  a  housewife  —  is  not  my  cup  of  tea  . . ." 
. . .  "other  women  might  really  get  a  kick  out  of  scrubbing  floors  . .  ."^ 
. . .  "other  aspects  I  do  enjoy, . . .  like  sleeping  with  a  husband  who 

still  makes  me  feel  like  a  bride;  having  babies  and  watching  them 

grow . . ." 

This  is  "Rings  and  Things"  by  Grace  Russell,  giving  meditations  of  a 
man's  wife . . .  from  wedding  ring  to  doorbell  ring.  Warm,  stirring, 
Inspirational,  timely.  A  delight  for  every  wife  (and  for  husband,  too) 
$1.50  each,  ten  or  more  for  $1.30  each.  Order  from 

The  Upper  Room 

1908  Grand  Avenue  •  Nashville,  Tennessee  37203 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     27 


REVIEWS  /  continued 


The  phrase  "Jesus  as  the  Christ"  shows 
that  "Jesus  Christ"  is  an  affirmation  of 
faith  rather  than  a  name.  It  affirms  that 
Jesus  is  the  Christ,  the  Messiah,  the 
chosen  one  of  God.  There  are  various 
symbols  by  which  the  New  Testament 
designates  the  power  and  significance  of 
Jesus  for  us.  They  all  point  to  the  fact 
that  in  him  we  find  the  ultimate  threat 
to  life  overcome.  In  him  we  find  that  the 
healing  power  of  the  New  Being  has 
conquered  death  and  all  that  it  signifies 
for  life.  In  him  we  find  that  the  power 
and  significance  of  our  own  lives  shine 
through  the  guilt,  meaninglessness,  and 
despair.  In  a  famous  phrase  from  Tillich, 
we  are  accepted  even  though  we  are  un- 
acceptable. 

Guyton  B.  Hammond  in  The  Power 
of  Self-Transcendence  (Bethany  Press, 
1966)  suggests  that  Tillich  is  at  once  "a 
child  of  modern  life  and  a  Christian.  He 
must,  and  he  does,  bring  the  two  per- 
spectives into  productive  relationship." 
Tillich  stands  between  the  conservative, 
with  his  emphasis  upon  human  sin,  and 
the  liberal,  with  his  concern  about  mod- 
ern ways  of  thinking.  The  healing  image 
of  the  atonement  is  a  very  persuasive  one 
to  those  who  recognize  the  extent  of  ill- 
ness, individual  and  social,  in  our  day. 
(Hammond's  book  is  an  excellent  rela- 
tively nontechnical  introduction  to  Til- 
lich's  thought). 

•  The  church  is  a  spiritual  commu- 
nity of  faith  and  love  that  must  continu- 
ally be  broken  in  behalf  of  the  world. 
Tillich  believed  that  love  is  the  ultimate 
answer  to  the  ethical  dilemmas  of  man- 
kind. Herein,  of  course,  he  simply  relates 
the  historic  conviction  of  most  Chris- 
tians. Love  brings  together  the  absolute 
moral  worth  of  every  individual  and  the 
circumstances  of  the  given  moment.  In 
love  the   absolute   and  the   relative   are 

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joined.  Concern  for  our  fellowman, 
which  never  changes,  finds  expression  in 
our  own  circumstances,  which  are  always 
changing. 

In  love  and  faith  the  church  finds  its 
being.  Since  both  are  potentially  pres- 
ent in  all  life,  the  church  is  more  or  less 
"latent"  in  all  life.  Where  they  are  ac- 
knowledged in  the  name  of  Christ,  there 
the  church  becomes  manifest.  Tillich  ap- 
preciated the  need  for  the  church  to  be 
renewed  through  constant  criticism  and 
protest  —  "the  protestant  principle."  Be- 
cause of  its  divine  claims,  the  church  is 
more  subject  than  are  other  institutions 
to  demonic  distortion.  It  can  be  saved 
only  by  constant  criticism  and  renewal. 
However,  again,  only  protest  in  the  name 
of  universal  faith  and  love  is  genuine  — 
"the  whole  substance."  Herein  Tillich 
stands  between  a  sectarian  and  churchly 
view,  every  institution  having  qualities  of 
both. 

The  "protestant  principle"  is  best  set 
forth  in  an  earlier  work.  The  Protestant 
Era  (University  of  Chicago,  1957),  trans- 
lated by  James  Luther  Adams.  Adams 
has  also  written  the  best,  most  technically 
adequate  introduction  to  Tillich's  work, 
Paul  Tillich's  Philosophy  of  Culture, 
Science,  and  Religion  (Harper  and  Row, 
1965).  At  the  same  time,  it  will  not  be 
easy  for  the  uninitiated  to  read.  One  of 
the  briefest  useful  introductions  I  know 
is  by  J.  Hey  wood  Thomas,  entitled  Paul 
Tillich  (Knox  Press,  1966).  In  a  few 
pages  it  accurately  summarizes  Tillich's 
basic  ideas. 

•  The  kingdom  of  God  comes  at  the 
"appropriate  time"  (kairos)  in  which 
men  respond  to  the  powerful  new  mani- 
festations of  the  Spirit  in  our  midst.  Til- 
lich as  much  as  anyone  has  appreciated 
the  historical  awareness  of  modem  men. 
Change  is  the  keynote  of  our  time.  Tech- 
nology, population  explosion,  and  urban- 
ism  are  signs  of  changes  yet  to  come. 
Every  generation  lives  in  a  new  time,  a 
time  separated  from  that  of  its  parents. 

Tillich  saw  the  kingdom  of  God  as 
the  answer  to  man's  hope  for  justice. 
While  we  can  foresee  the  shape  of  the 
new  world  only  in  visions  and  dreams, 


we  know  that  God's  time  comes  again 
and  again  to  us.  We  know  also  that  our 
individual  destinies  are  joined  together 
with  the  people  to  whom  we  belong.  The 
kairos  time  is  the  opportune  moment  for 
us  to  respond  to  the  new  order  that 
God  is  bringing  into  the  world. 

There  are  many  problems  with  Til- 
lich's views;  he  was  the  first  to  acknowl- 
edge that.  His  understanding  of  God 
may  prove  to  be  inadequate  for  our  time 
—  I  suspect  that  it  will.  However,  his 
work  was  to  the  end  that  modem  man 
might  believe,  and  many  have  believed. 
Those  people  are  most  unsettled  by  Til- 
lich who  have  some  kind  of  ultimate 
dualism  running  through  their  faith, 
whether  it  be  between  sacred  and  secu- 
lar, God  and  man,  church  and  sect,  good  i 
and  evil.  For  Tillich,  God  is  the  tran-  " 
scendent  One  who  in  his  imminence  is 
overcoming  all  such  divisions.  He  is  not 
only  the  source  of  all  being,  but  also  the 
"new  being"  reconciling  all  unto  him- 
self in  spite  of  the  ever  continuing  resis- 
tance of  evil.  The  struggle  between  hope 
and  despair  goes  on  in  every  heart,  but 
the  victory  is  on  the  way  —  indeed  has 
already  occurred.  —  Donald  E.  Miller 


READERS  WRlTE/continued 

can  see,  but  you  can't  miss  the  seven-  or 
eight-year-old  girl  taking  care  of  the  baby. 
The  parents  and  other  children  are  in  the 
nearby  field.  Report  to  the  school  at- 
tendance officer,  and  by  that  time  they  have 
moved  on  into  the  next  field. 

Did  you  ever  have  a  seventeen-year-old 
girl  tell  you  what  it  is  like  to  never  have 
had  any  home  save  a  truck?  The  only 
thing  Jean  asked  of  life  was  to  sleep  some- 
place —  anyplace  —  and  live  in  a  house  — 
any  house,  or  any  kind  of  a  house. 

I  was  once  a  missionary  in  India.  My 
husband  was  a  doctor,  and  we  saw  India  in 
cross-section,  because  anybody  can  get  sick. 
Also  we  made  medical  trips  into  the  jungle. 
But  I  must  say  that  I  felt  more  like  a  mis- 
sionary in  Coachella  and  Imperial  valleys  in 
California  than  I  ever  did  in  India.  The 
need  seemed  greater. 

Betty  Fox  Solberg 
La  Verne,  Calif.  \ 


28     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


I  am  not  a  mother 


I  am  not  a  mother.  But  I  am  a  woman. 

I  have  never  felt  the  warmth  of  the  unborn  near  my 
heart. 

Nor  the  pain  of  giving  birth,  or  the  tired  joy  of  hearing 
the  cry  of  the  newborn. 

I  have  never  gazed  in  amazement  at  a  squirming,  yawn- 
ing, red-fisted  baby  and  saw  features  that  resembled  me. 

I  have  never  heard  the  anguished  cry  of  pain  and  then 
kissed  the  scratched,  fat  little  hand  of  one  who  called  me 
"Mother." 

I  have  never  been  awakened  in  the  night  by  the  feverish, 
faint  cry.  .  .  "Mother." 

Neither  have  I  been  awakened  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
by  the  call,  "Mom,  I  want  a  drink  of  water." 

I  have  never  "mothered"  the  measles,  chicken  pox, 
whooping  cough,  or  an  uncontrollable  nose. 

Never  have  I  been  involved  in  a  neighborhood  meeting 
to  settle  the  problem  as  to  how  Johnny's  new  baseball  glove 
disappeared,  for  those  meetings  are  just  for  "Mothers." 

My  home  has  never  known  the  laughter,  giggling,  or 
wrestling  of  those  who  have  stubborn  hair  like  mine.  .  .  . 
Nor  have  the  rafters  rung  as  the  cry  of  distress  rose  when 
"Melody  Ann"  stepped  on  the  scales.  .  .  .  You  see,  she 
inherited  her  mother's  metabolism. 

I  have  never  brushed  back  a  tear  on  the  first  day  of 
school  or  sat  and  watched  with  pride  on  graduation  day. 

Never  have  I  put  cotton  in  my  ears  during  practice  ses- 
sions .  .  .  or  found  a  frog  in  my  washing  machine,  snails 
and  snakes  in  pockets. 

I  have  lost  no  sleep  because  of  a  daughter's  "first  date," 
never  scolded  her  for  being  late. 

I  have  not  seen,  through  misty  eyes,  a  wedding  gown  at 
the  altar,  a  girl  whose  "I  do"  frightens  me  because  the  voice 
sounds  so  much  like  mine. 

I  have  never  babied  a  sick  husband  .  .  .  or  made  excuses 
for  his  childishness  to  my  parents.  I  haven't  bragged  about 
his  manliness  and  strong  characteristics. 


-L  am  not  a  mother.  But  I  am  a  woman.  Yes,  I  am  a 
privileged  woman,  for  mothers  who  have  given  physical  life 
are  multitude;  but  women  who  bear  the  gospel  that  brings 
forth  eternal  life  are  few  and  special. 

I  have  known  the  travail  of  prayer  that  brings  forth  the 
new  birth,  a  new  creation. 


I  have  felt  the  pain  of  seeing  the  newborn  not  grow  nor- 
mally. 

I  have  suffered  the  anguish  of  sleepless  nights  because  of 
a  wayward  child  of  God. 

I  am  not  a  mother.  I  am  a  woman  —  gladly,  humbly, 
and  willingly  for  I  have  been  chosen  of  God  to  bear  the 
gospel  message  that  produces  eternal  life.  —  Doris  M. 
Brumbaugh 


Coming  in  IVIay- 
Volumes  2  and  9 


The?? 


"to  guide 
Christian,, 

®  faith" 
The  Broadman 
Bible  Commentary 


Is  based  on  the  conviction  that 
the  Bible  is  a  uniquely  inspired 
revelation  from  God,  to  guide 
your  Christian  faith  and  prac- 
tice. 

Printed  in  the  Revised  Stan- 
dard Version,  it  outlines  each 
Bible  book,  gives,  a  paragraph- 
by-paragraph  interpretation, 
and  includes  introductory  ma- 
terial to  each. 

Each  Volume  $7.50 

Ask  your  book  store  dealer  how  to  get  the  last  two  of  the  twelve- 
volume  set  FREE. 

Already  published:  Volume  1  (General  Articles,  Genesis,  Exodus)  and 
Volume  8  (General  Articles,  Matthew,  Mark) 

Available  at  your  book  store 


Broadman  Press 


Volume  2  contains: 

Leviticus— R.  E.  Clements 
Numbers— J.  J.  Owens 
Deuteronomy— Jotin  D.  W. 
Watts 

Joshua— William  H.  Morton 
Judges— Edward  R.  Dalglisti 
Ruth— J.  Hardee  Kennedy 

Volume  9  contains: 

Luke— Malcolm  0.  Tolbert 
John-William  E.  Hull 


FOR  CONFERENCEGOERS 

No  plans  are  being  made  by  the 
General  Offices  for  a  chartered  plane  to 
Annual  Conference,  but  persons  flying 
to  Lincoln  from  areas  where  Allegheny 
Airlines  is  available  may  wish  to  check 
into  the  possibility  of  ten  or  more  per- 
sons traveling  on  the  same  flight.  Alle- 
gheny offers  a  20%  (one-way)  to 
33'/3%  (round  trip)  savings  at  any  time 
for  groups  of  ten  or  more  departing  on 
the  same  flight.  The  return  need  not  be 
together.  Allegheny  does  not  fly  into 
Lincoln,  so  a  cormecting  flight  would 
need  to  be  made  at  Chicago-O'Hare  or 
at  some  other  point.  There  are  only  four 
flights  daily  from  O'Hare  to  Lincoln. 
When  making  reservations  on  any  airline 
to  Lincoln,  ask  the  airline  or  your  travel 
agent  about  savings  available  through  the 
family  plan,  excursion  rates,  and  student 

fares. 

4.     .[.     4.     ^     4. 

The  Capitol  Association  for  Retarded 
Children  will  provide  day-care  services 
for  physically  and  mentally  handicapped 
children  during  the  Lincoln  Annual  Con- 
ference. Interested  families  may  contact 
the  Annual  Conference  Manager,  1451 
Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120,  for  in- 
formation or  inquire  at  the  information 
desk  at  Conference. 


9El[liilii>:Giia 


May  7      Ascension   Day 
May   10     Mother's  Day 
May  15-17      District  conference,   First  Virginia 
May   17      Pentecost 
May   17      Annual   Conference  Offering 
May  24      Trinity  Sunday 
May  30      Memorial   Day 
June   14      Children's  Sunday 
June   20-21      Church     of    the     Brethren     General 
Board,  Lincoln,   Neb. 
June  21      Father's  Day 
June   23-28      Annual   Conference,   Lincoln,   Neb. 

June  28      Christian    Citizenship    Sunday 
July    16-19      District  conference.  Southern  Plains, 

Waica,  Texas 
July   17-19      District    conference.    Northern    Indi- 
ana, Goshen   College 
July   17-19      District       conference,       Iowa       and 
Minnesota,  Cedar  Falls 


BYLINES 

Among  contributors  to  this  issue 
are  church  development  consultant  for 
the  World  Ministries  Commission, 
Merle  Crouse,  who  joined  the  Brother- 
hood staff  after  eleven  years  in 
Ecuador  working  with  the  Theologi- 
cal Study  Center.  .  . .  Fort  Wayne, 
Ind.,  is  the  home  of  Anne  Albright, 
whose  husband  David  is  pastor  of 
the  Beacon  Heights  Church  of  the 
Brethren  there.  .  .  .  Glen  Weimer  of 
Urbana,  Ohio,  a  retired  pastor,  has 
contributed  poetry  and  articles  to 
other  Messengers.  .  .  .  United 
Methodist  minister  Michael  Daves 
has  authored  several  books  and 
magazine  articles,  among  the  latter 
a  feature  for  an  earlier  Messenger. 
.  .  .  Associate  professor  of  Christian 
education  and  ethics  Donald  E. 
Miller  teaches  at  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary's  Oak  Brook,  111.,  campus. 
.  .  .  Pastor  of  the  Christian  Church, 
Southington,  Ohio,  is  Doris  M. 
Brumbaugh. 


Standing  committee  June  23  will  hear 
concerns  or  interests  that  individuals  or 
groups  wish  to  raise,  according  to  Annual 
Conference  Moderator  A.  G.  Breiden- 
stine.  The  morning  experience  will  occur 
because  Conference  officers  have  indi- 
cated their  eagerness  to  give  to  persons 
desiring  to  be  heard  opportunity  to  ex- 
press themselves.  Groups  and  individuals 
who  wish  to  participate  in  the  session 
may  notify  the  Annual  Conference  Of- 
flce,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120, 
prior  to  June  1 . 

All  singers  are  invited  to  join  the 
Annual  Conference  choir,  announces 
director  Doris  Coppock.  Because  of  the 
shortness  of  rehearsal  time,  good  music 
readers  and  leaders  of  sections  are  urged 
to  participate.  Rehearsals  are  planned  so 
as  to  make  possible  wide  participation  in 
other  aspects  of  the  Conference  program. 
Choir  music  packets  may  be  ordered  in 
advance  from  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 


\ 


General  Offices,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  El- 
gin, 111.  60120,  or  purchased  for  $2.70 
at  the  Conference  sales  exhibit. 

PASTORS   AND   PARISHES 

Celebrating  sixty  years  in  the  ministry 
recently  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Herman  B. 
Heisey,  residents  of  the  Neffsville,  Pa., 
Brethren  Home  and  members  of  the 
Lititz  congregation. 

Ten  Church  of  the  Brethren  pastors 
participated  in  an  advanced  pastoral 
seminar,  hosted  in  April  by  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary  at  its  Oak  Brook 
campus:  Paul  C.  Lantis,  Argos,  Ind.; 
Ross  L.  Noffsinger,  Leola,  Pa.;  Jacob  F. 
Replogle,  Mount  Joy,  Pa.;  Clarence  D. 
Sink,  Elkhart,  Ind.;  Virgil  D.  Weimer, 
Lena,  111.;  Jay  J.  Johnson,  Quinter, 
Kansas;  Paul  E.  Miller,  Fresno,  Calif.; 
Edgar  G.  Petry,  Roanoke,  Va.;  Clarence 
H.  Rosenberger,  East  Petersburg,  Pa.; 
and  L.  John  Weaver,  Lebanon,  Pa. 

August  will  signal  L.  Gene  Bucher's 

move  to  the  Hatfield  congregation  in 
Eastern  Pennsylvania.  He  leaves  the 
Virginia  Beach  church  in  First  Virginia. 
.  .  .  Richard  Saviile  went  to  the  District 
of  West  Marva  this  month,  accepting  a 
call  from  the  Danville  congregation. 

The  Naperville  Church  of  the  Brethren 
has  called  Kenneth  Frantz  as  full-time 
pastor.   He  goes  to  the  Illinois:  parish 
from  the  Stover  Memorial  church,  Des 
Moines,  Iowa.  .  .  .  Assuming  responsi- 
bilities of  a  yoked  parish  in  March  was 
Eldon  Morehouse,  who  is  continuing  as 
pastor  at  Union  Grove  and  now  serving 
also  at  Antioch,  both  in  Southern  Indiana. 

The  Mechanicsburg  congregation  will 
welcome  William  Gould  in  September, 
who  comes  to  that  Southern  Pennsyl- 
vania church  from  the  Codorus  church 
in  the  same  district.  .  .  .  Middle  Indiana's 
Hickory  Grove  church  loses  Robert 
Heeter  in  the  summer,  when  he  will  go 
to  the  Silver  Creek  congregation  in 
Northern  Ohio. 

Center  congregation  in  Northern  Ohio 
has  issued  a  call  to  Bruce  Rosenberger, 
who  will  go  to  Center  in  July  from 


I 


30     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


I  another  Northern  Ohio  congregation, 
Owl  Creek.  .  .  .  Leaving  the  Pacific 
Northwest  pastorate  at  Olympia,  Wash., 
last  month  was  Lyie  Klotz,  who  became  a 
full-time  chaplain  and  counselor  at  Pano- 
rama City,  a  senior  citizen  homes  com- 
plex in  Olympia. 

Remaining  in  Pennsylvania  but  going 
I  to  a  new  pastorate  will  be  John  Keiper, 
!  who  has  accepted  the  call  of  the  Augh- 
wick  congregation  in  Middle  Pennsyl- 
vania and  has  resigned  at  the  Geiger 
church  in  the  Western  District.  .  .  . 
Clyde  Lehman^  resigning  from  the 
Green  Hill  church  in  First  Virginia, 
will  assume  pastoral  responsibilities  for 
the  Red  Hill  congregation  beginning  in 
September. 


Four  men  were  licensed  recently  to 
the  ministry:  Carl  L.  Greiner,  Lancaster, 
Pa.;  Richard  F.  Shreckhlse,  Weyers 
Cave,  Va.;  Michael  Morris,  Williamson 
Road  church,  Roanoke,  Va.;  and  Alan 
Miller,  Raven  Run  church.  Middle 
Pennsylvania. 

Frances  Shenefelt,  pastor  of  the 
Bethel  church  near  Carleton,  Nebr., 
died  March  25,  1970,  at  age  64.  He 
had  been  at  the  Bethel  pastorate  since 
1 967  and  held  other  pastorates  in 
Kansas  and  Iowa. 

Another  Church  of  the  Brethren 
minister,  Ralph  E.  White,  died  Dec. 
19,  1969,  at  his  home  in  Frederick,  Md. 
He  was  73.  He  served  as  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  Frederick's 


Counseling  Services,  Inc.,  and  as  chair- 
man of  the  board  of  Monocacy  Valley 
Goodwill  Industries.  Both  organizations 
honored  him  with  memorials. 

AGORA 

Quilts,  dolls,  hand-quilted  pillows, 
and  other  handmade  items  are  for  sale 
by  the  Maco  Craft  Mutual  Association, 

56  E.  Main  St.,  Franklin,  N.C.  28734. 
A  nonprofit  group,  Maco  Crafts  is  a 
self-help  project  committed,  in  the  words 
of  coordinator  Betty  Jo  Warstler,  a 
former  BVSer,  "to  helping  low-income 
people  achieve  a  greater  measure  of 
their  potential."  Quilts  can  be  delivered 
within  three  or  four  weeks,  according 
to  Mrs.  Warstler;  pillows  can  be  shipped 
immediately. 


''Goo 
CHURCNl 


ANNUAL  CONFERENCE  OFFERING 

"THANK  GOD  FOR  THE  CHURCH!" 

So  would  say  the  child  in  Haiti  who  receives  medicine  and 
milk;  the  woman  in  India  whose  eyes  are  being  opened  to 
the  printed  word;  the  student  in  Ecuador  who  receives 
scholarship  aid;  the  young  church  leader  in  Nigeria  who 
prepares  for  pastoral  service;  the  young  man  in  the  States 
facing  the  draft  who  finds  his  church  ready  to  help;  the 
person  of  whatever  color,  location,  circumstance,  who 
discovers  the  church  an  ally  in  his  search  for  justice. 

Support  the  Brotherhood  Fund  wath  your  special  contribu- 
tion. Each  gift,  whatever  it  may  be,  will  strengthen  the 
church's  ministry.  Give  to  the  ANNUAL  CONFERENCE 
OFFERING  today.    Help  others  to  say, 


THANK  GOD  FOR  THE  CHURCH! ' 

Amount 

Name 

St./RFD 

Citv 

State                          Zip 

Congregation 


District 


(Please  complete  this  form  and  send  with  your  gift  to  the 
General  Board,  Chiu-ch  of  the  Brethren  General  Offices, 
Elgin,  Illinois  60120.) 


5-7-70    MESSENGER     31 


Message  from  the  presidents 

of  the  World  Council  of  Churches 


To  know  and  not  to  know 


w 


hat  will  happen  next?  None  of  us  knows.  We  do  not 
know  what  is  coming  to  any  one  of  us  with  our  next  hour 
or  our  next  day.  We  do  not  know  what  new  problems  will 
be  thrust  at  all  of  us  by  tomorrow's  new  discovery.  We 
do  not  know  whether  the  powers  of  the  scientists  to  predict 
and  control  the  future  will  be  used  to  make  us  happier  or 
to  deepen  our  frustrations.  We  do  not  know  whether  our 
failures  to  relieve  hunger,  injustice,  and  squalor  will  lead 
to  a  violence  that  no  one  can  control  for  us  or  whether 
our  increasing  efforts  to  face  these  problems  will  be  suf- 
ficient to  allow  peaceful  progress  towards  a  more  just  world. 
Many  men,  women,  and  children  do  not  know  if  they  will 
have  strength  for  tomorrow,  food  for  tomorrow,  hope  for 
tomorrow.  Nor  do  we,  who  are  Christians,  know  what  is 
happening  to  the  church  or  even  what  will  happen  to  our 
faith.   And  with  our  uncertainty  goes  fear. 

We  are  right  to  face  our  ignorance.  We  are  free  to  face 
our  fear.  Especially  at  this  time  of  Pentecost.  For  we  know 
that  the  Spirit  of  him  who  raised  up  Jesus  Christ  from  the 
dead  (Romans  8:11)  is  given  to  the  men  and  women  who 
follow  this  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God 
whose  life  is  love  and  whose  power  is  often  hidden  but  al- 
ways undefeated.  This  we  know  because  we  have  seen  his 
life  and  his  love,  his  power  and  his  victory,  in  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Lord. 

The  power  and  the  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  were  the 
power  and  the  presence  of  God.  So  miracles  were  done, 
evil  and  sickness  were  defeated,  men  saw  authority,  and 
some  men  began  to  have  faith.  But  nonetheless  Jesus  was 
forsaken,  he  suffered  powerlessness  at  the  hands  of  those 
in  power,  and  he  endured  death.  Then  it  was  given  to  his 
disciples  to  know,  as  it  is  given  to  us  to  know,  that  God 
had  raised  him  up. 

This  life  of  his  is  the  life  of  God  in  the  world  for  us 


men  and  for  our  salvation.  This  knowledge  of  God's  power 
and  God's  presence  given  in  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ 
was  sealed,  and  is  sealed,  by  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
So  we  know  that  we  are  not  left  alone  in  our  lack  of  knowl- 
edge, that  we  are  not  forsaken  in  our  fearfulness,  that  we 
are  not  abandoned  in  our  weakness. 

We  are  right  to  face  our  ignorance.  We  are  free  to  face 
our  fear.  We  are  free,  too,  to  confess  our  failures  as  Chris- 
tians and  as  churches  to  be  true  to  what  God  has  given  us. 
For  it  is  God  who  gives;  it  is  Jesus  Christ  who  suffered  and 
rises  again;  it  is  the  Spirit  who  works,  suffers,  and  renews 
within  us. 


i3o,  at  Pentecost,  we  call  you  to  face  ignorance,  fear,  and 
failure  and  to  rejoice.  For  what  we  have  truly  to  face  in  the 
questions  we  cannot  answer,  in  the  facts  that  cause  us  fear 
and  in  the  failures  which  have  frustrated  our  witness,  is  the 
Holy  Spirit  of  the  living  God,  the  very  life  and  presence  of 
Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  reality  of  God  made  flesh  to  be  with 
us  and  for  us.  This  is  the  Holy  Spirit  who  gives  us  strength 
to  do  new  work;  to  discover  new  hopes;  and  to  take  new 
steps  towards  justice,  peace,  and  living  to  the  full.  So  we 
confidently  remind  you  of  the  apostolic  words,  "Be  renewed 
in  the  spirit  of  your  mind,  and  put  on  the  new  man,  which 
after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness" 
(Ephesians  4:23f).  —  The  Presidents  of  the  World 
Council  of  Churches:  Rev.  Dr.  W.  A.  Visser  'T  Hooft, 
Geneva,  Switzerland;  Patriarch  German  of  Serbia,  Bel- 
grade, Yugoslavia;  Rev.  Dr.  Ernest  A.  Payne,  Pitsford, 
England;  Bishop  Hanns  Lilje,  Hanover,  Germany;  Rev. 
Dr.  John  C.  Smith,  A^ew  York;  Rev.  Dr.  D.  T.  Niles, 
Atchuvely,  Ceylon;  Bishop  A.  H.  Zulu,  Eshowe,  South 
Africa 


32     MESSENGER    5-7-70 


300KS  EVERY  MODERATE 

should 
read 


OUR  BROTHER'S  KEEPER 

The  Indian  in  White  America 

EDGAR  S.  CHAN,  editor      The  many  injustices  the  American  Indian 
has  suffered  at  the  hands  of  the  white  man  are  documented  in  this  power- 
ful and  moving  book.  A  critical  look  at  the  Bureau  of  Indian  Affairs  — 
our  brother's  keeper  —  reveals  our  failure  to  chart  a  policy  toward  Indians 
that  is  either  workable  or  humane.  $2.95  paper 

GOD'S  LOST  CAUSE 

JEAN  RUSSELL      Here  is  a  book  whose  conclusion  is  less  optimistic 
than  many  of  the  books  which  offer  "solutions"  to  the  race  problem.  One 
by  one  it  considers  the  theological  attitudes  held  throughout  the  history 
of  America,  beginning  with  Puritanism,  and  analyzing  revivahsm,  the 
social  gospel,  and  neoorthodoxy.  In  each  case,  the  author  shows  what  has 
made  it  possible  to  ignore  the  problem  of  racism.   She  concludes  that  no 
theological  persuasion  has  come  to  grips  with  racism,  but  rather  each  one 
has  provided  an  escape.  $2.50  paper 

THANK  GOD  FOR  THE  RED,  WHITE  AND  BLACK 

JEANETTE  STRUCHEN      In  her  new  collection  of  deeply  personal, 
plain-talk  prayers,  Mrs.  Struchen  reminds  us 

.  that  in  a  time  of  crisis  for  the  nation  "an  eye  for  an  eye  leads  to 

blindness,  not  better  vision" 
.  that  the  poor  may  be  with  us  but  so  is  our  dread  of  "withdrawal 

pains  from  affluence" 
.  "that  crucifixion  may  be  accomplished  over  the  telephone  or  back 

fence  as  well  as  on  a  cross" 
.  that  there  never  was  a  time  when  the  generation  gap  didn't  show  — 

and  "at  least  one  rebellious  Youth  was  crucified" 
.  that  "holy  communion  is  possible  with  coffee  and  donuts  as  long  as 

it's  love  in  operation  $2.50 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Indian.  Excerpts  from  the  hook  Our  Brother's  Keeper:  The  Indian  in  White 
America  point  to  the  impact  of  the  hook:  that,  unlike  most  Americans,  Indians 
have  little  or  no  forum  for  redress  of  grievances  and  wrongs  committed  against 
them,  photography  by  Ed  Eckstein,  page  2 

And  Then  the  Fun  Began.  Robert  and  Maude  Miller  can  look  hack  over 
fipy-nine  years  of  ministry.  But  they  insist  that  the  forward  look  is  more  to 
their  liking,  by  Ann  Albright,  page  8 

On  Shaping  the  Brethren  Witness.  Spring  meetings  of  the  General 
Board  yielded  actions  on  church  periodicals,  the  draft,  and  race.  But  more 
significant  than  specific  program  planning  was  the  setting  of  goals  and  guide- 
lines that  shape  program,    page  12 

On  Choosing  to  Be  Changed.  In  the  first  of  a  new  series,  a  Brotherhood 
staffer  explores  directions  the  church  could  take  in  determining  new  life-styles 
in  the  Christian  Community  for  the  seventies,  by  Carl  W.  Zeigler  Jr.  page  19 

When  Your  Teen-Ager  Rebels.  There  are  no  easy  answers  to  the  storm 
and  stress  of  adolescence.  How  can  parents  cope?  Here  are  some  helpful 
guidelines,   by  Michael  Daves,   page  24 

The  Significance  of  Paul  Tillich.  A  hook  review  article  defines  one  be- 
ginning point  and  some  resources  for  the  study  of  the  theologian,  by  Donald 
E.  Maier.  page  26 

Other  features  include  an  assertion  from  Merle  Grouse  that  "Brethren  Must  Listen 
to  Native  Americans"  (page  1);  news  features  spotlighting  "CPC's  Cold  War"  (page 
16),  "The  'Uniting  Church'"  (page  16),  and  activities  in  the  Brotherhood  at  large 
(page  18);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Don  and  Shiiley  Fike  (Page  20);  a  poem,  "God  Is 
Flame,"  by  Glen  Weimer  (page  21);  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Corinne  Ho£F  Simmons 
(page  21 ) ;  "The  Song  of  the  Shepherd,"  a  comparison  of  four  translations  of  Psalm 
23  (page  23);  "I  Am  Not  a  Mother,"  by  Doris  M.  Brumbaugh  (page  29);  and  "To 
Know  and  Not  to  Know,"  a  message  for  Pentecost  from  the  presidents  of  the  World 
Council  of  Churches  (page  32). 

COMING  NEXT 

T.  Wayne  Rieman  is  well-auMre  of  many  of  the  reasons  for  current  pessimism  about 

the  state  of  the  world  as  well  as  the  state  of  the  church  and  persons  in  the  church. 

But  he  insists  on  emphasizing  the  grounds  for  hope  that  should  be  real  for  a  Christian, 

as  he  says,  "Let  Me  Dissent  From  Despair."  .   .   .  David  J.  Wieand  offers  a  careful 

examination  of  the  now  complete  New  English  Bible.  .  .  .  La  Vernae  J.  Dick  considers 

the  hostilities  and  disagreements  that  comprise  so  much  of  a  person's  life,  but  she  offers  mmr%    ^i/> 

a  way  of  discovering  that  "Conflicts  Are  for  GrouAng."  VOL.    119    NO. 


messenger 

ruilDru    OB   TUP    RRPTHREN    ^^  5/21/70 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 


readers  write 


A  STATEMENT  OF  FAITH 

I  am  a  Christian  under  the  scriptural 
name  Brethren.  Christ  said  these  are  my 
brethren  —  those  that  do  the  will  of  my 
Father  —  so  I  could  not  be  a  Communist. 
Many  leaders  of  the  churches  say  we  must 
render  unto  Caesar  the  things  that  belong 
to  God  as  well  as  the  things  that  are 
Caesar's.  I  remember  when  many  of  the 
churches  believed  in  the  Ku  Klux  Klan, 
and  their  pastors  belonged.  I  know,  be- 
cause I  was  sworn  in  by  two  leading  minis- 
ters here  (not  Brethren). 

Churches  seem  to  think  that  when  a 
thing  is  popular  it  is  no  longer  sin.  Many 
leaders  say  we  must  kill  and  war  to  pre- 
serve the  way  of  our  flesh,  but  Christ  says 
we  are  not  his  unless  we  are  willing  to  lay 
down  our  lives  for  him  and  other  human 
beings,  to  pray  for  our  enemies,  and  to 
feed  them  when  they  hunger,  not  destroy 
them  that  we  might  live  a  little  longer  in 
the  flesh  and  the  way  of  this  world.  The 
way  of  the  world  is  enmity  to  God.  (War 
is  sin.)  It  is  contrary  to  everything  that 
Christ  taught.  He  said  render  good  for 
evil,  go  the  second  mile. 

Many  leaders  say  we  must  be  subject 
to  all  government  authorities  in  all  things. 
So,  consequently,  if  the  Communists  were 
to  take  over  and  become  our  ruling  powers, 
these  same  leaders  would  be  the  first  to 
sanction  sending  our  young  men  out  to  do 
their   warring    and   evil    deeds. 

The  instruments  of  war  are  carnal  and 
of  the  flesh.  Our  sword  is  the  Word  of 
God.  They  fight  for  life  in  the  flesh.  We 
war  against  Satan  for  the  salvation  of  the 
souls  of  men  that  they  may  live  eternally 
with  God.  Christ  said  that  flesh  and  blood 
would  have  no  part  in  his  eternal  spiritual 
kingdom.  He  will  destroy  all  flesh  and 
things  of  this  world  and  spiritually  pre- 
serve all  the  believers  in  Christ.  Christ 
also   said   when   this   kingdom   comes,    and 


he  becomes  complete  ruler,  that  all  strife 
and  war  will  cease  and  everything  will  be 
in  the  will  of  God  the  Father  and  in  his 
love. 

Victor  L.  Baughman 
Bartlesville,  Okla. 

WELCOME  ANTIDOTE 

In  this  day  of  super  specialization  and 
fancy  fads,  permit  me  to  endorse  Edward 
K.  Ziegler's  eloquent  plea  for  the  solid 
"general  practitioner"  ministry  ("Fire  Still 
in  My  Bones,"  Feb.  26). 

Pastor  Ziegler's  thoughtful  balance  be- 
tween the  eternal  verities  and  new  realities 
is  a  welcome  antidote  to  the  galloping 
cynicism  which  often  pursues  novelty  for 
its  own  sake  and  sometimes  affirms  the 
absurd   to   attract   an   audience. 

Ernest  W.  Lefever 
Chevy  Chase,  Md. 

AN   INVISIBLE   FENCE 

The  Feb.  26  issue  burned  me  up!  On 
page  two  I  read  the  article,  "Hunger  Is  ...  " 
and  then  on  page  twenty-four  I  found 
"Parishes  and  Space."  What  a  contrast! 
Will  we  ever  be  able  to  convince  the  world 
that   we    are    really    interested    in    poverty? 

Nine  of  the  churches  spent  about 
$1,200,000  for  their  edifices,  and  what  is 
the  end  result?  They  have  built  an  invisi- 
ble fence  around  their  churches  that  will 
as  effectively  keep  out  the  poor  as  a  locked 
door.  The  question  isn't  whether  we  would 
welcome  them,  but  rather  would  they  feel 
at  ease  if  they  came.  The  poorer  people 
to  whom  I  showed  the  pictures  stated 
unanimously  that  they  would  not  feel  com- 
fortable in  any  of  those  churches. 

The  Fund  for  the  Americas  gives  many 
of  us  the  opportunity  to  ease  our  consciences 
for  $13  per  member.  But  the  problem  it 
seeks  to  solve  can  be  handled  only  through 
personal  encounter  with  the  underprivileged. 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  Gerald  Mease;  2.  23  De  Wys,  Inc.;  5  Robert  McGovem;   13  Jane  Bergheim  for 
Tom  Stack  and  Associates;    16-17,  19  Don  Honick;  22  Edward  Wallowitch 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  I,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  $3.60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  $3,00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  hfe  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife,  $75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave..  Elgin,  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    May  21,   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119   No.  11 


What  they  need  is  our  personal  acceptance, 
sympathy,  understanding,  and  guidance. 
Two  of  the  biggest  needs  of  many  of  them 
are  motivation  and  counseling  on  how  to 
handle  what  they  have,  and  this  must  be 
accomplished  through  intimate  and  con- 
cerned relationships  with  them.  The  Fund 
for  the  Americas  is  too  short  on  these 
qualities  to  succeed. 

Our  grandparents  were  very  much  con- 
cerned with  the  sin  of  pride.  Can  we  admit 
that  it  has  us  hooked? 

Wesley  Brubaker 
Westville,  Ind. 

ONLY  PARTLY  TRUE 

You   stated   that   research   into   the   mys-  ', 
teries  of  Lassa  Fever  (In  Brief,  March  26) 
was   so  deadly  that   American  doctors  had   1 
stopped   research.     That   is   true,   but    only 
partly    true.     According    to    Science    News 
(March    21,    1970,    p.    288),    research   will 
continue    at    the    National    Communicable 
Disease   Center   in   Atlanta.     A   worker    at   i 
Yale   had  contracted  the   disease   and   died  l| 
from  it. 

At  the  NCDC  doctors  Robert  E.  Kissling 
and  Brian  Henderson,  along  with  tech- 
nologist George  W.  Gary,  will  work  with 
the   virus   under   maximum   precautions. 

Eldon  L.  Morehouse 
Muncie,  Ind. 

REMOVE  THE  VIOLENCE 

Congratulations  for  reprinting  the  article 
"The  Road  to  Songmy,"  by  Norman  Cousins 
(March  12).  Would  that  more  would  take 
his  stand  and  put  an  end  to  the  violence 
to  which  our  children  are  exposed!  We 
could  change  the  headlines  of  our  news- 
papers so  filled  with  vandalism,  stealing, 
bombing,  drug  abuse,  and  many  other 
crimes  charged  to  youth. 

I  am  a  first-grade  teacher,  and  I  saw 
this  past  week  a  glaring  example  of  the 
beginning  of  the  very  things  Cousins  dis- 
cussed. Our  entire  elementary  school,  in- 
cluding the  kindergarten,  was  shown  the 
color  film  The  Pathfinder.  .  .  .  The  children 
clapped  and  laughed  when  someone  was 
shot  and  killed  and  the  blood  ran  red.  My 
blood  ran  cold,  and  chills  ran  up  and 
down  my  back. 

I  had  playground  duty  for  two  recesses 
later  in  the  day.  I  had  scarcely  reached 
the  playground  when  a  child  came  running 
to  tell  me  that  someone  had  hit  him,  then 
another  and  another,  and  all  over  the  play- 


Page  one... 


ground  they  were  running  at  each  other 
with  sticks  or  their  hands  as  if  they  had 
guns.  I  think  I  went  a  little  berserk  my- 
self, and  in  no  uncertain  terms  I  let  them 
know  that  all  fighting  was  to  stop  at  once 
and  that  offenders  were  to  stand  at  the 
edge  of  the  playground.  I  suggested  that 
they  use  the  playground  equipment.  The 
message  got  across,  and  not  too  many  had 
to  stand  still. 

During  the  second  recess  I  had,  there 
were  only  five  who  forgot,  and  I  took  them 
by  the  shoulder  and  marched  them  to  the 
place  they  were  to  stand  and  said  nothing 
to  them.  One  of  my  own  pupils,  who  is 
extremely  aggressive  and  can't  play  without 
hitting  and  fighting,  was  actually  on  a 
swing,  and  as  I  walked  by  him,  he  called 
me  by  name  and  asked  if  he  was  doing 
all  right.  I  said  he  was  and  asked  him  if 
he  didn't  feel  better  and  he  agreed  that  he 
did.  f  h»d  recess  duty  two  times  later  in 
the   week  and  it  was  almost   perfect. 

My  point  is  that  if  we  removed  the 
violence  in  movies,  on  television,  in  comic 
books,  afid  constructively  fill  those  gaps 
with  good,  we  would  soon  have  a  different 
world.  There  are  so  many  good  things 
to  do  that  there  is  no  reason  for  any 
child's  life  to  be  so  barren  arnl  boring  that 
he  feek  he  must  rebel,  fight,  and  experi- 
ment with  sex  or  drugs  to  fill  his  hours. 
What  a  rewarding  project  it  would  be  for 
us  all  —  parents,  teachers,  grandparents, 
and  friends  —  to  interest  some  child  in 
something  to  fill  his  life  wholly. 

To  be  fair,  I  should  also  say  that  several 
years  ago  the  school  showed  a  movie  of 
the  Easter  story  just  before  dismissal;  the 
children  were  very  quiet  and  reverent. 
They  asked  many  questions  as  we  prepared 
to  go  home.  Even  the  bus  drivers  remarked 
how  quiet  they  were  on  the  bus  that  after- 
noon, in  contrast  to  the  usual  noise  and 
disorder 

I  hope  you  continue  to  print  similar 
articles  and  impress  upon  us  all  the  urgency 
of  the  task  if  we  are  "to  find  the  road 
back." 

Joy  U.  Hamstead 
Greenwood,  Del. 

MEDITATE  ON   THE  WONGfilS 

I  was  thriHed  when  I  read  an  article  in 
the  Feb.  12  Messenger  entitled  "Faith 
Looks  Up,"  written  by  Howard  J.  Burnett. 

I  reoaM  a  Sanday  morning  some  years 
Continued  on  page  29 


At  least  one  Messenger  staflF  member  is  panicking  each  time  he  glances 
harriedly  at  the  calendar.   Annual  Conference  looms,  glowering  as  it  were 
with  all  its  time-eating  demands,  at  a  time  when  other  pressures  of  magazine 
publication  do  not  permit  many  thoughtful  moments.  At  this  point  in  time, 
with  only  two  magazines  to  see  through  before  the  Lincoln  gathering. 
Conference  officers  rush  to  the  editor  with  notices  to  be  published  in  the  In 
Brief  or  news  sections;  the  Conference  treasurer  indicates  that  a  note  about 
insurance  must  appear  in  an  issue  preceding  the  Conference;  marketing 
personnel  want  to  advertise  books  to  be  exhibited  at  Lincoln.   And  time, 
according  to  the  cliche,  marches  on. 

There  is  hope,  however.   At  least,  that's  what  Annual  Conference  is  all 

about  this  year  —  a  celebration  of 
hope.   At  this  moment  we  can  cele- 
brate the  certainty  that  the  calendar 
will  move  no  faster  than  one  day  at 
a  time;  that  Messenger  will  meet 
its  deadlines;  that  editors  will  reach 
Lincoln  intact.  And  Office  of 
Communication  staff  indicate  that 
there  is  hope,  also,  for  the  success 
of  the  graphic  arts  exhibit,  for  which  entries  are  arriving  daily. 

One  of  the  first  appears  on  this  issue's  cover.   Of  the  print,  photog- 
rapher Gerald  Mease,  pastor  of  the  Baptist-Brethren  Churches  of  Fred- 
ericksburg, Iowa,  writes:  "The  inspiration  was  Michelangelo's  portrayal  of 
creation  [see  insert].  Today  man  reaches  up,  out  of  the  darkness  of  his  fears 
and  insecurities  and  failures  .  .  .  and  God  reaches  down  ...  to  meet  man 
where  he  is  and  to  lift  him  up  to  the  light  of  a  new  day  of  brotherhood." 

Poster  people,  banner  makers,  and  photographers  who  have  not  joined 
the  celebration:  The  deadline  draws  nearer —  May  26  is  the  closing  date  for 
postmarking  entries.  The  three  categories  leave  an  open  field  for  entrants  to 
express  their  feelings  about  the  Conference  theme.  Need  more  information? 
Mail  inquiries  and  entries  to  the  Office  of  Communication,  1451  Dundee 
Avenue,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120. 

Persons  hesitating  to  participate  in  the  exhibit  because  the  human 
condition  seems  hopeless  may  find  inspiration  in  T.  Wayne  Rieman's  dissent 
from  despair  in  this  issue.  Tim  is  chairman  of  Manchester  College's  philos- 
ophy and  religion  department  and  author  of  other  articles  for  Messenger. 

Suburban  Minneapolis  homemaker  and  mother  of  three  Marlene 
Daehlin  attends  the  Shepherd  of  the  Hills  Lutheran  Church.  She  has 
authored  Hearts  Aglow,  a  prayer  autobiography.  ...  A  dozen  years  in  the 
Congo  as  an  evangelism-journalism  missionary  gave  Levi  Keidel  his 
unstinting  desire  to  return  there.  Currently  he  free-lances  and  manages  the 
General  Conference  Mennonite  Church  bookstore  at  Newton,  Kansas. 

A  longtime  association  with  Bethany  Theological  Seminary  has  marked 
the  career  of  Alvin  F.  Brightbill,  now  professor  emeritus  of  speech  and  fine 
arts  in  religion.  Though  he  "retired"  in  1968,  he  continues  to  work  on  study 
and  research  concerning  the  human  voice. 

David  ].  Wieand  claims  a  number  of  years  on  the  Bethany  faculty  as 
well.    The  son  of  one  of  the  seminary's  founders  and  professor  of  biblical 
literature  and  Greek  joined  the  staff  there  in  1939. 

To  be  graduated  from  Oregon  College  of  Education  this  spring  is 
La  Vernae  J.  Dick,  a  contributor  to  other  issues  of  Messenger.  She 
anticipates  writing  social  studies  textbooks. 

McPherson  College  assistant  librarian  James  E.  Weaver  is  a  recent 
graduate  of  Bethany  Theological  Seminary.  —  The  Editors 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     1 


The  author  and  her  husband,  like  other  Christians,  said, 
"What  can  we  do?"   The  answer  confronted  them: 


"Are  ^u  Willing  to  Give 


^ur  Lives?" 


by  MARLENE  DAEHLI 
astoldtoLEVIKEIDE 


It  was  late  at  night.  I,  a  white  woman, 
was  at  a  community  center  operated 
by  "black  militants"  on  Miimeapolis' 
near  north  side.  A  strange  black 
woman  caught  me  by  the  arm  and 
said,  "I  want  to  show  you  something." 

I  could  see  she  had  been  crying 
and  was  unsteady  on  her  feet.  But 
by  this  time  I  had  begun  to  see  people 
in  terms  of  their  needs.  She  pulled 
me  into  a  back  room  and  showed  me 
open  sores  which  appeared  to  be  the 
results  of  advanced  syphilis. 

"You've  got  to  go  to  the  hospital," 
I  said. 

"I  can't.  They'll  kill  me  there." 
"But  the  hospital  can  help  you." 
"All  they  think  of  is  how  to  care 
for  whites.  They'll  kill  me  there." 

For  twenty  minutes,  between  her 
sobbing  from  fear  and  excruciating 


pain,  I  talked.  Center  leaders  refused 
to  allow  me  to  go  with  her  because 
of  her  bad  reputation;  but  I  felt  so 
deeply  for  her  that  I  wept  with  her. 
She  literally  opened  her  soul  to  me, 
and  I  felt  so  powerless  to  help.  Finally 
she  agreed  to  allow  a  man  she  knew 
to  take  her  to  the  hospital.  She  died 
there  about  ten  days  later. 

It  hasn't  been  easy  to  establish  this 
kind  of  identity  with  the  black  com- 
munity. In  my  case  it  all  began  un- 
expectedly with  a  serious  automobile 
accident. 

Both  cars  were  demohshed.  WhUe 
recuperating  in  a  hospital,  my  husband 
Ted  and  I  concluded  that  God  must 
have  had  a  very  special  purpose  in 
allowing  us  to  live. 

Had  we  really  been  using  our  lives 
as  he  wanted  us  to?  Three  years 


earlier  we  had  adopted  a  mixed-blood 
Negro  child.  Had  we  done  our  best 
to  help  him  find  an  identity  in  the 
world  in  which  he  would  have  to  Uve? 
If  we  so  risk  our  Uves  every  time  we 
get  into  a  car,  why  shouldn't  we  be 
willing  to  risk  our  lives  to  do  some- 
thing really  worthwhile? 

At  that  point  Ted  and  I  were  able 
to  abandon  ourselves  without  fear  to 
whatever  purpose  God  might  have  for 
us.  And  in  really  resolving  the  death 
problem,  we  were  enabled  by  his 
Spirit  to  do  things  which  we'd  never 
dared  to  before. 

Then  Martin  Luther  King  Jr.  was 
assassinated.  Almost  everybody  was 
distressed.  People  in  the  churches 
were  saying,  "What  can  we  do?  How 
can  we  help?"  Ted  and  I  shared  their 
feelings.  We  said,  "If  there  is  an 


I        I 


'fm  ::.gmm^ 

—             (• '.',' 

naiiiii 

i.^^   I. 


llkMM    »^       - 


a«^_  ' 


opening  for  us  to  do  something,  we're 
going  to  do  it." 

Then  it  came.  The  Way  Com- 
munity Center  on  the  city's  near  north 
side  ministers  to  the  more  revolu- 
tionary blacks.  Few  other  centers  will 
admit  these  so-called  "hard-core 
troublemakers."  Way  Center's  leaders, 
who  are  referred  to  as  "black  mili- 
tants," sent  an  invitation  to  the  white 
community.  "If  you  really  want  to 
do  something,  are  you  willing  to  give 
your  lives?"  they  asked.  "If  so,  we 
will  meet  with  you." 

This  came  as  kind  of  a  shock. 
People  felt  crusaderish  but  weren't 
sure  they  wanted  to  go  quite  this  far. 
Leaders  at  the  center  set  up  dates  for 
training  sessions.  About  300  whites 
showed  up.  Ted  and  I  were  there. 

Soon  the  group  began  to  dwindle. 
Some  persons  couldn't  take  sitting 
and  waiting  for  an  hour  before  the 
training  sessions  began  and  all  that 
went  with  them.  But  some  of  us 
began  to  see  that  there  was  much  to 
learn  in  this  waiting  thing.  We  began 
to  absorb  what  was  going  on  around 
us:  the  boisterous  noise,  the  vindictive 
insults,  the  four-letter-word,  ghetto 
language,  the  nauseating  stench  of  un- 
collected garbage,  the  frightening 
darkness  and  intolerable  oppression  of 
night  in  the  ghetto. 

We  learned  that  insults  hurled  at  us 
were  not  meant  to  be  personal.  Blacks 
were  lashing  out  against  a  system  and 
a  color  —  actually  the  kind  of  white- 
ness that  had  put  them  where  they  are. 
The  ghetto  language  was  shocking. 
But  we  discovered  that  by  long  use, 
these  words  had  been  drained  of  much 
of  their  ugly  connotations  and  had 
become  simply  their  means  of  com- 
munication. It  had  become  so  much 
a  part  of  them  that  knocking  their 
language  was  taken  as  a  personal 
attack  against  them. 


Of  the  original  300,  thirty  of  us 
were  determined  to  stick  it  out.  They 
named  us  the  "Soul  Force." 

The  world  we  were  introduced  to  at 
weekly  training  sessions  was  so  differ- 
ent we  couldn't  believe  it.  When  it 
came  time  for  us  to  get  our  assign- 
ments, we  understood  why  they  had 
asked  us  if  we  were  willing  to  give 
our  lives.  We  were  to  stand  watch  on 
street  comers  during  the  late  night  and 
early  morning  hours  when  there  is 
the  greatest  likelihood  of  violence.  We 
were  to  report  potential  troublemakers 
by  radio  to  center  headquarters,  in  an 
effort  to  rout  them  out  of  the  ghetto 
area.  Troublemakers  don't  like  people 
who  break  up  their  plans.  Because  we 
could  be  shot  at,  some  called  our 
task  "Operation  Sitting  Duck." 

While  we  were  quite  ignorant  about 
all  that  was  going  on  around  us,  we 
did  want  to  show  the  blacks  that  we 
were  with  them.  I  developed  a  warm 
friendship  with  Eunice,  a  woman  in 
her  forties.  To  help  better  identify 
with  her,  I  adopted  her  style  of  cloth- 
ing and  dressed  as  she  did  —  in  a 
bright  striped,  long  and  wide  legged 
one-piece  jump  suit  and  sandals. 
Later  I  wore  a  contemporary  cross 
pendant  with  the  word  life  written 
across  it  as  a  sort  of  silent  witness. 

We  were  given  black  armbands 
with  "Way  Soul  Force"  imprinted  in 
white.  Each  watch  team  was  given  a 
small  transceiver.  It  was  a  little  black 
box  with  a  long  antenna  and  had  a 
long  strap  so  that  we  could  carry  it 
slung  over  the  shoulder.  Each  team 
was  given  a  different  code  number 
which  had  to  be  used  if  we  wanted  to 
contact  Way  Center  headquarters. 

Because  of  Ted's  first  aid  training, 
he  was  given  a  Red  Cross  armband 
and  was  always  stationed  in  front  of 
Way  Center  to  be  on  instant  call.  Each 
of  us  white  women  was  assigned  to  a 


very  stalwart  man,  and  each  team  of 
two  was  assigned  its  street  comer. 
Crisscrossing  the  area  all  night  long 
was  a  Black  Patrol  of  young  men  from 
the  ghetto  area,  keeping  an  eye  on  the 
comer  teams  and  tuned  in  on  our 
wavelength.  If  there  was  threat  or 
danger  to  any  of  us,  they  would  come 
immediately  to  help  us. 

Then  I  discovered  that  we  were  not 
standing  guard  against  troublemakers 
from  within  the  ghetto  community; 
most  disturbances  were  provoked  by 
intruders  from  the  outside :  white  men 
from  the  suburbs  coming  into  the 
ghetto  to  look  for  black  flesh;  suburban 
teen-agers  racing  in  their  cars  down 
the  streets  shooting  at  Negro  kids  for 
kicks;  or  the  kind  of  policeman  who 
seems  to  hunt  an  occasion  to  be  bmtal. 

On  the  street  comer  we  recorded 
the  license  number  of  every  car  com- 
ing into  the  area  more  than  once. 
When  that  number  appeared  several 
times,  we  would  turn  the  transceiver 
volume  up  high  and  broadcast  this 
number.  Often  when  the  occupants 
of  a  car  heard  their  license  number 
reported,  they  would  turn  tail  and  run. 

Incidents  greatly  decreased  on 
nights  when  the  Soul  Force  was  on 
duty.  But  violence  and  attacking  the 
black  community  greatly  increased  on 
our  off-duty  nights.  This  indicated 
that  outsiders  had  learned  our  schedule 
and  were  planning  their  strategy  ac- 
cordingly. 

So  we  would  schedule  solid  night 
duty  over  a  whole  weekend.  Then 
trouble  would  erupt  just  hours  before 
or  after  we  regularly  were  on  duty. 
So  we  staggered  our  hours  to  keep 
troublemakers  off  guard.  Keeping 
irregular  night  schedules  was  rough, 
particularly  for  the  white  men  on  the 
Soul  Force  like  Ted,  who  had  their 
regular  daytime  jobs. 

It  took  us  awhile  to  absorb  the 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     3 


reality  of  this  whole  thing.  At  first  I 
thought  the  blacks  were  being  over- 
dramatic  in  their  reaction  to  danger. 
One  night  there  was  gunfire.  A  shot 
came  so  close  that  I  heard  the  zing  of 
the  bullet.  My  teammate  threw  me 
against  the  wall  and  said,  "Are  you 
dumb?  It  ain't  fun  to  be  shot  at." 
Another  night  Eunice  grabbed  me  and 
pulled  me  down  behind  a  car.  The 
man  driving  by  had  made  a  slight 
move.  Moments  later  the  Black  Patrol 
reported  the  police  were  looking  for 
this  man.  The  ghetto  black  person  has 
a  sixth  sense  for  danger  which  triggers 
a  reflex  of  action  for  his  survival. 
Soon  I  came  to  respect  it. 

Then  came  a  traumatic  experience 
which  showed  me  that  they  really 
cared  about  me.  Black  leaders  would 
often  ask  us  to  take  young  people 
home  between  eleven  p.m.  and  morn- 
ing. About  one  a.m.  I  was  asked  to 
take  a  girl  to  south  Minneapolis.  I 
had  never  driven  alone  in  the  city  at 
night  up  to  that  time.  As  I  went,  I 
tried  to  make  mental  note  of  land- 
marks so  I  could  find  my  way  back 
again. 

I  started  to  return  the  same  way, 
and  hit  a  one-way  street.  In  trying  to 
bypass  it,  I  ended  up  on  the  freeway 
and  had  no  idea  where  I  was.  You 
don't  even  stop  at  a  gas  station  to  ask 
directions  that  time  of  night. 

Then  I  thought,  "This  is  no  prob- 
lem; I  have  my  transceiver.  I'll  pull 
off  the  road  and  radio  Way  Center  for 
directions."  I  did,  but  couldn't  get 
my  signal  through  for  anything. 

I  heard  the  girl  at  headquarters 
checking  everybody  on  patrol  for  my 
whereabouts.  It  was  as  if  the  whole 
group  were  in  the  car  talking  about 
how  they  were  going  to  find  me.  I 
felt  so  helpless.  Finally  I  heard  the 
girl  say,  "I've  checked  all  points,  and 
can't  find  her." 


Author  Marlene  Daehlin  chats 

with  a  friend  at  the  Green  Lake  Writers' 

Conference,  Green  Lake,  Wisconsin 


I  pulled  onto  the  road  and  drove 
again,  praying  like  everything.  Finally, 
I  mustered  courage  to  stop  at  a  gas 
station  where  there  were  some  young 
people  standing.  When  I  got  back  to 
headquarters,  the  whole  black  force 
turned  out  to  welcome  me,  as  if  I  had 
returned  from  the  dead. 

When  blacks  showed  such  attitudes 
of  caring  for  us,  there  was  little  con- 
demnatory attitude  left  among  the 
members  of  the  Soul  Force.  We  felt 
that  by  quiet  love  we  could  give  these 
people  something  they  were  looking 
for  and  something  that  would  help 
them  get  out  of  this  jungle.  And  we 
of  the  Soul  Force  who  are  deeply  com- 
mitted Christians  knew  that  the  most 
powerful  force  to  help  them  was  the 
love  of  Jesus. 

But  we  also  knew  that  we  could  talk 
Jesus  with  them  until  we  were  blue 
in  the  face;  but  it  wouldn't  mean  a 
thing  unless  they  had  first  seen  him  in 
our  actions.  And  now,  having  risked 
their  lives  with  us,  and  having  been 
convinced  of  our  sincerity,  they  began 
to  ask  questions.  It  happened  again 
and  again.  Someone  would  ask  me 
what  the  special  thing  was  that  I  had 
in  my  life. 

A  twelve-year-old  girl  who  had 
spent  most  of  her  life  in  and  out  of 
reformatories  asked  me,  "Do  you  go 
to  church  or  sumpin'?" 

"Yes." 

"How  can  you  believe  in  a  God  you 
can't  see?" 

"You  can  see  him  in  people  who 
love  him." 

Later  she  came  back  to  me  and  said, 
"I've  been  thinking  a  lot  about  what 
you  said.  I  know  what  you  mean 
now." 

One  young  man  at  the  Center  had 
grown  up  in  Watts.  Anytime  a  white 
person  entered  his  presence,  he  showed 
an  ugly  mixture  of  fear  and  hate.  I 


made  it  a  point  to  say  "Hi"  to  him 
every  time  I  saw  him,  but  he  always 
replied  with  a  stony  glare. 

I  was  determined  to  get  through  to 
this  young  man.  Other  times  when  I 
would  pray  to  God  for  opportunity  to 
reach  someone,  I'd  find  opportunities 
galore.  But  this  man  was  a  special 
problem.  Finally  one  evening  when  I 
was  ready  to  go  to  the  Center,  I  said, 
"God,  this  has  to  be  the  night.  You've 
got  to  show  me  a  way  to  get  through 
to  him." 

I  was  in  charge  of  the  radio  at  the 
Center  that  night.  When  I  arrived,  I 
smiled  and  greeted  him  by  name.  I 
got  the  same  old  stare.  A  little  later 
he  came,  and  for  the  first  time  said 
something  to  me. 

"Where's  my  list?"  he  asked  gruflSy. 

This  was  the  roster  list  of  those  who 
were  standing  watch  on  the  comers 
that  night.  The  lady  before  me  had 
forgotten  to  tell  me  about  it.  After  a 
scrambling  search,  I  said,  "I'm  sorry, 
but  I  just  don't  have  it." 

"You'd  better  get  it,"  he  said 
threateningly. 

Afterwards  I  found  it,  and  laid  it 
out  for  him;  but  he  never  did  pick  it 
up.  Later  that  evening,  when  my  re- 
placement had  come,  I  was  in  a  back 
room  watching  kids  play  ping  pong. 
He  came  in  with  a  sandwich,  said  to 
me,  "Are  you  hungry?",  stuffed  the 
sandwich  into  my  hand,  and  walked 
on.  I  looked  at  the  sandwich  im- 
believingly  and  choked  up. 

One  day  I  was  working  in  the  home 
of  a  young  militant  leader.  I  was  on 
a  ladder,  painting  a  mural  on  their 
kitchen  wall.  His  wife  was  watching 
me.  We  had  gotten  into  intimate  con- 
versation. Finally  she  said,  "I  didn't 
know  what  it  meant  before,  but  now 
I  know  what  this  being  Christlike 
means.  It  means  the  willingness  even 
to  lay  down  your  life  for  another."  Q 


4     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


hat  kind  of  person  are  you?  How  do  you  look  at 
ife?  How  do  you  read  the  times  in  which  we  live? 


LET  ME  DISSENT 
FROM  DESPAIR 


by  T.WAYNE 
RIEMAN 


Wa 


mat  determines  what  we  see? 
Does  the  Christian  faith  sharpen  our 
vision,  or  is  it  an  opiate?  Is  the  Chris- 
tian more  hopeful  and  joyous,  or  is  he 
more  aware  of  the  painful  disparity 
between  what  is  and  what  ought  to  be 
and  consequently  living  in  despair? 
Does  he  call  these  the  "best  of  times" 
or  the  "worst  of  times"? 

Mankind  can  be  divided  into  three 
classes: 


One,  those  who  live  in  despair. 
They  simply  cannot  find  grounds  for 
hope  in  man  and  the  human  situation, 
and  God  seems  to  be  hidden  or  very 
far  away.  Berthold  Brecht  speaks  for 
some  of  them:  "He  who  laughs  has 
simply  not  heard  the  terrible  news." 
They  have  been  rubbed  raw  —  galled 
by  injustices,  inequities,  and  dehuman- 
izations.  Many  are  sensitive  people  of 
integrity  who  look  out  upon  the  world 
and  see  that  for  the  teeming  millions 
"life  is  misery"  and  "misery  is  life." 
Tragedy  is  what  they  see.  Happiness 
and  joy  are  affronts  amidst  the  de- 
formities of  our  society. 

Two,  those  who  are  morally  insensi- 


tive and  unconcerned.  Millions 
seemed  to  live  more  or  less  contentedly 
through  the  agonies  of  the  sixties, 
largely  untouched  by  our  brutal  and 
blundering  wars,  immunized  against 
racial  injustice  and  the  hell  of  slow 
murder  called  starvation.  They  have 
callouses  where  they  feel,  cataracts 
where  they  see,  and  cotton  where  they 
hear.  Engaging  in  a  rat-racing  "pur- 
suit of  happiness,"  they  ignore  the 
casualties  and  leave  the  scenes  of 
accidents,  misery,  dispossession,  and 
exploitation  with  no  qualms  of  con- 
science. 

Three,  those  who  live  with  hope. 
They  have  a  talent  for  joy  in  the  worst 

5-21-70    MESSENGER     5 


LET  ME  DISSENT  FROM  DESPAIR  /  continued 


of  times.  They  may  live  in  the  depth 
of  agony  and  suffering.  But  in  the 
worst  of  times,  they  are  able  to  say, 
"This  too  shall  pass,"  and  affirm  that 
this  is  a  good  age  in  which  to  live. 

They  live  hopefully,  not  because  of 
what  is  but  because  of  what  ought  to 
be  and  because  of  the  indeterminate 
possibilities  for  good  in  every  situation. 

It  is  possible  for  despair  to  become 
a  way  of  life,  and  I  fear  that  it  has  for 
many.  Cries  of  doom  and  gloom 
abound.  The  skies  are  gray.  Many  a 
man  concludes  that  these  are  the 
"worst  of  times."  The  modern  novel, 
continental  existentialism,  the  daily 
news  columns,  the  average  sermon, 
contemporary  artistic  images  of  man, 
the  typical  classroom  lecture  are  not 
inspiring!   Despair  stalks  the  land. 

To  this  I  want  to  dissent!   My  single 
purpose  is  a  dissent  from  despair.  So 
many  live  in  joylessness  and  glumness. 
With  cowlike  docility  they  accept 
doom  and  gloom  as  the  way  life  is. 
/  want  to  dissent  from  despair!  It's  a 
good  time  to  be  alive!   With  lip-smack- 
ing gusto  we  can  face  each  new  day 
and  situation. 

I  want  to  point  to  men  of  courage, 
joy  and  hope  —  simply  to  point  and 
say:  "There,  that's  the  way  it  is!  Look 
at  them!"  Let  me  make  a  series  of 
simple  affirmations  and  in  each  case 
point  to  a  convincing  life.  Look  at  the 
life,  not  at  my  argument! 


Affirmation  J^     Despair   is  not 
the  final  word 

Viktor  Frankl  spent  three  grim 
years  in  Auschwitz  and  other  Nazi 
prison  camps.  Life  was  a  daily 
struggle  for  food,  warmth,  health,  and 
sense  of  purpose.  Hunger,  humilia- 
tion, disease,  injustice,  and  the  threat 
of  death  were  the  daily  fare.  Frankl 
was  stripped  down  to  naked  existence 


—  everything  gone  —  possessions, 
family,  his  profession,  his  future.  But 
in  the  midst  of  these,  strategies  to  pre- 
serve his  and  other  lives  emerged  — 
though  the  survival  chances  were  slim. 
All  about  him  men  were  in  despair  and 
dying  like  flies.  He  found  a  secret. 
Discovering  a  strong  will  to  live,  he 
learned  how  to  weave  the  tangled 
threads  of  life  into  patterns  of  meaning 
and  responsibility.  Nietzsche  spoke  to 
him :  "He  who  has  a  why  to  live  can 
bear  with  almost  any  how."  Even  in 
the  concentration  camp  there  remains 
"the  last  of  human  freedoms"  —  the 
ability  to  "choose  one's  attitude  in  a 
given  set  of  circumstances." 

My  heroes  —  the  men  who  speak  to 
me  —  Martin  Luther  King,  Tom 
Dooley,  Albert  Schweitzer,  ReinJiold 
Niebuhr,  Helen  Keller,  Marian  Ander- 
son, Dag  Hammarskjold,  Robert  Ken- 
nedy, George  Washington  Carver, 
Malcolm  X  —  are  not  men  of  despair. 

The  tough  realities  didn't  immobi- 
lize them.  It  took  bullets  to  stop  some 
of  them.  Cancer,  war,  discrimination, 
blindness,  gigantic  world  problems 
were  their  lot. 

They  had  hope  in  both  the  present 
and  the  future.  They  believed  in  man 
as  redeemable,  as  a  creature  of  worth, 
dignity,  and  tremendous  possibilities. 
Faith  was  their  "thing."  Living  be- 
tween the  is  and  the  ought  to  be  they 
gambled  their  lives  on  the  latter.  They 
acted  out  their  hopes.  What  is  greater 
than  this? 


Affirmation^  We  must  accept 
the  givenness  of  life 

He  who  accepts  the  givenness  of  life 
does  not  live  in  despair!  William 
Faulkner's  The  Sound  and  the  Fury 
gives  us  a  glimpse  of  the  grandeur  of 
existence  where  the  givenness  is  ac- 
cepted.  In  this  novel,  we  see  the 


Compson  family  in  the  deep  South. 
They  were  a  proud  lot,  but  things  have 
gone  awry.  The  plantation  has  been 
reduced  to  nothing  as  plot  after  plot  is 
sold  off.  The  old,  square,  paintless 
house  with  rotting  portico  is  slowly  dis- 
integrating, though  not  as  rapidly  as 
the  human  life  within  it. 

We  get  a  picture  of  sin,  alienation, 
and  moral  decadence.  Mrs.  Compson 
is  a  sniveling  hypochondriac  wallow- 
ing in  crippling  egocentricity.  Caddy, 
a  daughter,  losing  her  innocence,  hon- 
or, and  purity,  runs  away.  Quentin,  off 
to  Harvard  by  the  sale  of  the  last  plot 
of  ground,  is  an  important  dreamer,  a 
seeker  of  security  and  of  a  moral  order 
which  does  not  exist;  he  ends  in  suicide 
—  waiting  until  the  end  of  the  semes- 
ter so  that  he  gets  his  money's  worth! 
Jason,  the  only  wage  earner,  lives  in 
the  ruthless,  man-eat-man  world  of 
business  as  an  exploiter  and  manipu- 
lator, viciously  insensitive  to  human 
values.  Benjy,  a  thirty-three-year-old 
idiot,  can  only  drool  and  communicate 
through  tears  and  lamentations.  That's 
the  way  it  was!  And  Dilsey,  a  black 
servant,  was  given  this. 

Dilsey  runs  the  household,  gives  a 
semblance  of  order  to  an  impossible 
family,  is,  indeed,  the  vertebral  column 
that  holds  things  up.  She  accepts  each 
member  of  the  family,  the  agony,  bick- 
ering, and  degeneracy  of  human  life, 
and  the  sheer  hell  of  human  existence 
where  love  has  fled. 

Dilsey  is  a  servant,  nearly  a  slave, 
but  in  the  face  of  strong  deterministic 
bondage,  she  exercises  freedom.  Rea- 
sons for  despair  abound.  She  is  ugly, 
despised,  rejected,  without  form  or 
comeliness.  But  she  is  free  because 
she  alone  accepts  the  givenness  of  life 
while  the  whole  family  refuses  to  ac- 
cept it. 

The  novel  ends  on  Easter  Day.  We 
see  Dilsey  at  the  Negro  church,  with 


6     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


driveling  Benjy,  the  idiot,  by  her  side. 
The  visiting  preacher  speaks  to  her 
condition;  she  "sees"  more  clearly 
what  she  has  always  known,  the  "be- 
ginning and  the  end,"  the  resurrection 
and  the  light,  and  what  Jesus  had  done 
to  give  her  life.  Dilsey  weeps!  Then 
leaving,  with  Benjy's  hand  in  hers,  she 
makes  no  sound;  her  face  does  not 
quiver  though  the  tears  flow;  she  walks 
away  with  her  head  up,  as  befits  a 
creature  made  in  the  image  of  God! 
She  accepts  the  givenness  of  life, 
because  she  accepts  acceptance.  She  is 
accepted!  She  is  the  meek  who  shall 
inherit  the  earth. 

AfTirmation^    We   must  cultivate 
joy  and   hope 

Felix  Frankfurter  had  a  talent  for 
joy."  He  had  the  courage  to  be  whole 


// 


Law  School,  a  brilliant  journalist 
whose  editorials  stung  the  conscience 
of  thousands,  a  distinguished  justice 
of  the  Supreme  Court,  an  exciting 
teacher,  distinguished  lecturer,  adviser 
of  the  President,  and  so  on.  But  it  is 
not  for  these  that  he  is  best  remem- 
bered. 

"The  distinction  of  his  life,  the  qual- 
ity that  above  aU  others  distinguished 
it  was  its  happiness  —  not  its  extraor- 
dinary success,  not  its  good  fortune, 
its  offices,  its  honors,  but  its  hap- 
piness." 

And  the  amazing  thing  is  that  his 
joy  was  achieved  in  our  age!  It  was 
not  because  of  events  and  circum- 
stances, but  despite  them!   "His  life 
was  happy  ...  in  the  old,  high,  noble, 
classic  sense.  Which  means,  in  the 
deliberate  sense,  in  the  conscious 
sense :  a  happiness  well  aware  of  the 


It  is  possible  for  despair 
to  become  a  way  of  life.  .  .  . 
To  this  I  want  to  dissent! 


and  happy  in  a  tragic  age.  He  rose 
from  immigrant  boy  with  not  a  word 
of  English  to  the  most  exalted  court  in 
our  land  —  nearly  unequaled  in  our 
history. 

One  can  speak  at  length  of  his  ac- 
complishments: an  articulate  jurist,  a 
famous  dialectician  in  the  Harvard 

'  Archibald  MacLeish,  "A  Talent  for 
Joy,"  Saturday  Review,  November  27,  1965, 
pp.  25-26.  The  essence  of  the  statement 
about  Frankfurter  comes  from  this  article. 


// 


risks  of  happiness." 

No  one  has  dared  to  think  of  him 
as  an  insensitive,  thoughtless,  unthink- 
ing man  who  lived  contentedly  through 
brutal  and  blundering  wars  and  threats 
to  civilization.  No! 

He  knew  what  it  was  he  was  going 
through!  He  knew  that  he  was  an  in- 
tended victim  of  man's  most  horrifying 
inhumanity.  Yet  he  still  believed  in 
life,  in  humankind,  and  delighted  in  his 


work,  his  world,  his  friends,  his  coun- 
try. This  happiness  is  not  deformity, 
defect,  or  complacency.  It  is  great- 
ness. 

His  life  was  not  happy  in  all  circum- 
stances and  events.  Failures  and  dis- 
appointments there  were  aplenty.  His 
death  was  difficult  as  were  the  long 
sufferings  that  preceded  it  —  inhibition 
of  movement  and  speech. 

This  man  gave  himself  to  many 
things:  justice,  intelligence,  courage, 
and  love;  but  beyond  these  he  gave 
himself  to  the  enlargement  of  human 
life.  He  was  preoccupied  with  the 
well-being  of  man  in  this  world  of  tre- 
mendous possibilities,  the  world  of 
promise  which  America  has  opened  to 
man. 

Affirmation^^  Dive  in,  get  involved, 
take  the   leap  of  faith 

Dag  Hammarskjold  did  just  that. 
He  was  born  of  Swedish  aristocracy  — 
privileged,  cultured,  refined,  educated. 
Brilliant  he  was,  studious,  broadly  edu- 
cated in  economics  and  also  in  art, 
literature,  and  music.  He  was  re- 
served, shy,  quiet,  and  not  at  home  at 
cocktail  parties.  He  loved  the  out- 
doors and  made  mountain  climbing  a 
hobby. 

The  crucial  thing  was  his  tremen- 
dous sense  of  vocation,  a  life  task,  a 
calling.  In  his  diary  he  confessed:  "I 
am  being  driven  forward.  .  .  .  My 
destiny  is  to  be  used  and  used  up." 
But  he  also  lived  in  the  anguish  of 
meaninglessness,  and  he  was  direly 
tempted  by  suicide,  and  out  of  this 
mood  he  wrote : 
What  I  ask  for  is  absurd:  that  life  have 

meaning. 
What  I  strive  for  is  impossible:  that 

life  shall  acquire  a  meaning. 

Give  me  something  to  die  for.  .  .  . 

And  that  was  given  to  him!  One  of 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     7 


LET  ME  DISSENT  FROM  DESPAIR  /  continued 


the  toughest  jobs  in  the  world  —  the 
Secretary  General  post  of  the  United 
Nations.  Something  very  significant 
happened  to  him  just  a  few  months 
before  this  job  was  offered  to  him.  He 
said  yes  to  Hfe. 

He  died  in  line  of  duty,  while  he  was 
on  a  mission  of  reconciliation.  What 
a  tremendous  life!   Living  within  the 
nitty-gritty  is  of  the  here  and  now;  he 
died  for  what  ought  to  be,  without 
despair! 

Affirmation  ^  We  must  learn  to 
read  the  signs  of  hope 

Some  years  ago  when  Leland  Foster 
Woods  was  chairman  of  the  family  life 
division  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  he  was  asked:  "What's  go- 
ing on  in  your  field?  Tell  us  what  is 
happening."  Anticipating  some  note 
of  despair  and  a  possible  statement 
about  divorce  and  the  breakdown  of 
home  and  family  life,  the  questioner 
was  taken  back  when  Woods  said: 
"Ah,  there's  good  news!  So  many 
marriages  are  succeeding.  There  are 
many,  many  good  homes,"  and  he 
swept  his  hand  toward  a  huge  area  of 
middle  class  homes  of  suburbia. 
"There  and  there  and  there!   I'm  full 
of  hope!" 

Dick  Gregory  points  to  signs  of 
hope.  Going  from  campus  to  campus 
he  is  encouraged  to  find  thousands  of 
young  people  who  have  found  a  con- 
science —  a  conscience  against  war 
(authorized  murder),  against  poverty 
(preventable  in  the  U.S.),  against  ex- 
ploitation of  minorities,  against  afflu- 
ence which  has  so  frequently  (but  not 
necessarily)  become  raw  materialism. 
It  is  one  of  the  greatest  moral  gains  of 
the  century.  It  is  a  sign  of  hope. 

Everywhere  the  issue  of  law  and 
order  is  uppermost.  Let  us  praise  God 
for  those  uncounted  millions  who  have 


high  regard  for  man-made  law  and 
who  faithfully  obey  it,  so  that  our 
society  may  have  order  and  structure. 
It  is  a  sign  of  hope! 

In  many  places  there  is  concern 
about  unjust  laws.  Let  us  praise  God 
for  uncounted  thousands  who  try  to 
change  unjust  laws  and  who,  if  unable 
to  change  such  laws,  have  the  courage 
to  break  them  when  all  other  recourse 
fails!   What  a  vast  array  of  noble  men : 
Moses,  Jeremiah,  Amos,  Jesus,  Peter, 
John,  Luther,  Gandhi,  Rosa  Parks, 
Martin  Luther  King,  Cesar  Chavez, 
and  others.  Let  us  be  grateful  for 
those  who  know  that  they  must  obey 
God  rather  than  man.  It  is  a  sign  of 
hope! 

In  South  Africa,  that  desperate 
place  where  discrimination  is  not  only 
practiced  but  is  official  and  is  ap- 
proved by  the  state  and  dominant 
church,  one  woman  legislator  has 
voted  steadily  against  these  policies. 
She  is  alone  —  nearly  always  alone! 
But  she  is  right.  She  runs  all  kinds  of 
risks  to  do  it!   It  is  a  sign  of  hope! 

In  the  summer  of  1968  the  Poor 
Peoples"  Campaign  occurred  in  Wash- 
ington. It  fell  far  short  of  its  goals,  but 
because  of  it  millions  of  school  chil- 
dren are  eating  nutritious  lunches, 
millions  of  units  of  housing  were  au- 
thorized by  Congress,  and  a  long  series 
of  lesser  reforms  were  wrought,  includ- 
ing wage  raises  for  white  and  black 
garbage  collectors  and  hospital  em- 
ployees in  southern  cities.  But  more 
than  these,  America  now  knows  it  has 
poverty;  America  knows  it  has  two  to 
three  million  starving  and  seven  to 
eight  million  malnourished  people.  To 
know  this,  to  let  it  bore  into  our  con- 
sciousness —  these  are  signs  of  hope. 

Within  the  past  few  years  we  see 
some  gains  in  the  racial  struggle:  sev- 
eral black  mayors  have  emerged  in 
major  cities,  (Gary,  Cleveland,  Wash- 


ington), a  black  quarterback  held 
forth  in  pro  football,  a  Wack  university 
president  was  chosen,  and  thousands 
of  schools  and  colleges  recognized  that 
black  history  is  American  history. 
Signs  of  hope! 

What  a  marvelous  event  in  history 
that  the  major  leaders  in  the  racial 
revolution  have  been  committed  to 
nonviolence:  Martin  Luther  King, 
Ralph  Abernathy,  Jesse  Jackson,  Dick 
Gregory,  Charles  Evers,  James  Farm- 
er, Whitney  Young,  Andy  Young,  and 
a  host  of  others.  Good  news!  Signs  of 
hope! 

Since  October  25,  1969,  two  flags 
fly  over  the  Union  Building  at  a  small 
college  in  Indiana:  The  flag  of  the 
United  States  has  flown  there  for  some 
years,  and  recently  the  flag  of  the 
United  Nations  was  unfurled.  Students 
raised  $1,450  for  a  second  flagpole, 
that  they  might  declare  not  only  their 
allegiance  to  the  USA  (which  is  quite 
fitting  and  proper)  but  might  point  to 
a  still  larger  loyalty  to  one  hundred 
nations  of  our  planet  who  are  united 
to  promote  peace,  world  order,  health, 
human  rights,  and  economic  opportu- 
nity for  the  whole  family  of  man!   It  is 
a  sign  of  hope! 

Since  October  29,  1969,  the  Su- 
preme Court  has  ruled  it  unconstitu- 
tional for  thirty  school  districts  in 
Mississippi  to  run  segregated  schools. 
It  was  a  unanimous  decision!  It  is  a 
sigH  of  hope. 

It  appears  that  every  morally  ear- 
nest person  lives  between  the  is  anti  the 
oughi  to  be.  R  is  a  painful  place  to 
be  at  times  —  so  painful  t^at  some 
have  taken  to  despair  as  a  way  of  life. 

There  are  reasons  for  despair,  valid 
ones;  but  there  are  also  reasons  fer 
hope.  The  Christian  faith  is  hopeful, 
always  hopeful.  That's  the  reason  why 
Christianity  is  itself  a  "dissent  frcwn 
despair."   Q 


8     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


We  have  the  knowledge  to  amplify  our  voices  a  thousandfold  by  electronic 

wizardry 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  speak  words  of  true  meaning  and  worth. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  build  gleaming  edifices  of  worship 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  make  them  houses  of  prayer  for  all  people. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  manufacture  color  TV  sets  in  French  Provincial 

styling 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  provide  wholesome  and  edifying  programs. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  fly  commercial  jets  1,000  miles  per  hour 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  know  life's  goals  and  directions. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  write  articles,  essays,  books  on  theology  and 

ethics 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  apply  the  teachings  of  Jesus  to  our  hearts  and  lives. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  build  skyscrapers  of  glass,  steel,  and  concrete 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  provide  decent  housing  for  the  poor. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  analyze  the  causes  of  juvenile  and  parental 

delinquency 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  provide  godly  homes  for  our  children. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  discover  and  utilize  atomic  energy  and  nuclear 

fission 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  live  at  peace  with  other  nations. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  psychoanalyze  human  behavior 

But  lack  the  wisdom  to  discover  the  secrets  of  inner  calm  and  peace. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  kill  bacteria  and  to  combat  disease  of  the  body 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  accept  Christ's  cleansing  from  sin  and  guilt. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  obey  laws  enabling  us  to  travel  to  planets 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  obey  laws  of  interpersonal  relations. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  air-condition  our  homes 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  cool  our  tempers. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  cope  with  the  atmosphere  of  outer  space 

But  lack  the  wisdom  to  clear  up  the  pollution  of  air  and  water  here  on  earth. 

We  have  the  knowledge  to  understand  good  and  evil 
But  lack  the  wisdom  to  choose  life  and  not  death. 

Alvin  F.  Brightbill 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     9 


Undoubtedly  the  most  important  publishing  event  in  1970  will 

prove  to  be  the  printing  of  the  New  English  Bible.   The  New 

Testament  section  appeared  in  1961.  Nine  years  later,  the 

Old  Testament  and  the  Apocrypha  have  come  from  the  press 


THE  NEW 

ENGLISH 

BIBLE 


byDAVIDJ.WaEAND 


In  the  short  time  the  complete  New  English  Bible  has 
been  in  the  hands  of  reviewers,  it  has  received  such  ac- 
colades as  "one  of  the  great  translations,"  "a  noble  product 
of  modem  scholarship,"  "The  New  English  Bible  may  well 
be  the  most  notable  effort  in  centuries,"  and  "the  most 
successful  modern-language  version  I  have  seen."  This  is 
high  praise  indeed.  Is  it  deserved?  This  review  will  attempt 
to  give  you  a  modicum  of  data  on  which  you  can  begin  to 
form  your  opinion. 

The  New  English  Bible  is  a  culmination  of  twenty-four 
years'  work  of  the  best  known  Bible  scholars  in  Britain, 
called  together  at  the  request  of  major  Protestant  churches 
and  societies  there.  Conceived  in  1946  following  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  Revised  Standard  Version  of  the  New 
Testament,  "it  was  [at  least  originally]  not  intended  ...  for 


reading  in  church.  .  .  .  The  public  in  view"  was  rather 
nonchurch  people,  young  people  "for  whom  the  Bible,  if  it 
is  to  make  any  impact,  must  be  contemporary,"  and  a 
"considerable  number  of  intelligent  people  who  do  attend 
church  and  for  whom  the  traditional  language  is  so  familiar 
that  its  phrases  slide  over  their  minds  almost  without 
stirring  a  ripple"  (The  Story  of  the  New  English  Bible). 

To  capture  this  public  the  joint  committee  decided  upon 
these  formative  principles  among  others: 

1 .  The  work  is  to  be  a  new  translation,  not  a  revision, 
avoiding  all  archaic  words  and  forms  of  expression  save 
thou  in  addressing  God.   (Many  will  agree  with  this  review- 
er that  they  should  not  have  made  this  exception  either. ) 

2.  Native  English  idiom,  contemporary  language,  and 
freedom  of  construction  are  to  be  "in";  Hebraisms  and 


10     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


un-English  expressions  are  "out." 

How  thoroughly  the  translators  have  followed  their 
principles  may  be  illustrated  from  the  book  of  Ruth.  Here 
are  some  of  the  kinds  of  freedoms  they  have  taken: 

1.  Inserting  of  an  implied  subject:  "Naomi"  is  added  in 
1:13. 

2.  Adding  to  the  original:  For  example,  an  extra  "no" 
is  added  in  1:13. 

3.  Omitting  a  place  name:  1:6. 

4.  Inserting  what  is  implied:  1:9,  "her  husband"  be- 
comes "a  new  husband";  1:12,  "hoping"  becomes  "hope  of 
a  child." 

5.  Avoiding  Hebraisms:  1 :9,  "lifted  up  their  voices  and 
left"  becomes  "cared  for";  1:13,  "the  hand  of  the  Lord" 
becomes  "the  Lord." 

6.  Improving  on  the  style  of  the  original:  "She  set 
forth,  and  went  and  gleaned"  becomes  "so  Ruth  went 
gleaning." 

7.  Translating  the  idea  of  the  context  rather  than  the 
literal  meaning:  1 :  19,  "took  notice"  becomes  "kindly  took 
notice." 

8.  Changing  direct  quotations  to  indirect  quotations: 
2:21. 

9.  Occasionally  being  less  clear  than  the  original:  1:22, 
"lest  you  be  molested"  becomes  "let  no  one  catch  you  in 
another  field." 

10.  Omitting  a  personal  name:  2:23,  "maidens  of 
Boaz"  becomes  "his  girls." 

11.  Changing  questions  to  interpretative  statements: 
3:1,  "Should  I  not  seek  a  home  for  you?"  becomes  "I  want 
to  see  you  happily  settled." 

12.  Statements  may  become  questions:  3:12,  "It  is  true 
that  I  am  a  near  kinsman"  becomes  "Are  you  svue  that  I  am 
next  of  kin?" 

Other  kinds  of  changes  include  changing  the  order  of 
words,  phrases,  and  clauses  (example,  Jeremiah  24: 1) ; 
reducing  Hebraisms  to  prosaic  language  as,  for  example,  in 
Jeremiah  1 :  20  where  "trees  of  the  field"  and  "the  fruit  of 
the  ground"  become  "trees  and  crops";  eliminating  poetic 
parallelism,  as  in  Habakkuk  1:2;  rearranging  of  verses  and 
paragraphs  as,  for  example.  Job  29  where  verses  21  to  25 
are  inserted  between  10  and  11.  The  most  extensive  rear- 
rangements are  found  in  chapters  1 1  to  14  of  Zechariah. 
The  translators  have  also  omitted  the  headings  of  the 
Psalms  as  found  in  the  Hebrew  Bible  as  not  original  and 
often  unintelligible.  In  contrast,  in  the  Song  of  Songs  the 
designation  of  speakers  has  been  inserted  into  the  text. 
While  the  translators  state  that  they  have  adopted  the  text 


of  Kittel's  third  edition  of  the  Hebrew  Bible,  a  careful  study 
of  The  New  English  Bible  will  show  that  the  translators 
have  not  hesitated  to  depart  from  the  Hebrew  text  in  the 
direction  of  precanonical  stages  of  transmission  —  so  much 
so  that  James  Sanders  can  state  in  The  Christian  Century, 
"In  many  passages  the  actual  text  of  the  NEB  is  as  exciting 
and  provocative  as  translations  made  by  individuals." 

Genesis  1:1-2  ("In  the  beginning  of  creation,  when 
God  made  heaven  and  earth,  the  earth  was  without  form 
and  void,  with  darkness  over  the  face  of  the  abyss,  and  a 
mighty  wind  that  swept  over  the  surface  of  the  waters" )  sets 
the  tone  of  the  entire  translation.  It  reflects  present-day 
scholarly  discussion  and  at  the  same  time  the  desire  of  the 
translators  to  come  up  with  something  new.  G.  R.  Driver, 
convener  of  the  Old  Testament  panel  and  joint  director,  is 
quoted  in  Time  as  stating,  "We  wanted  to  make  it  clear 
from  the  start  that  we  were  giving  the  reader  a  fresh  start." 
The  traditional  rendering  of  1 : 1  is  in  the  margin. 

The  literary  quality  of  the  NEB  is  excellent.  Freedom 
from  the  shackles  of  close  adherence  to  text  and  idiom  has 
permitted  the  translators  under  the  able  direction  of  a  panel 
of  literary  advisers  to  polish  their  style  to  a  fine  point.  This 
reviewer  feels  this  is  especially  true  in  the  Old  Testament, 
where  often  the  style  is  definitely  superior  to  that  of  the 
RSV.   Consider  this  passage  from  Job: 

Listen,  Job,  to  this  argument; 

stand  still,  and  consider  God's  wonderful  works. 

Do  you  know  how  God  assigns  them  their  tasks, 

how  he  sends  light  flashing  from  his  clouds? 

Do  you  know  why  the  clouds  hang  poised  overhead, 

a  wonderful  work  of  his  consummate  skill, 

sweating  there  in  your  stifling  clothes, 

when  the  earth  lies  sultry  under  the  south  wind? 

Can  you  beat  out  the  vault  of  the  skies,  as  he  does, 

hard  as  a  mirror  of  cast  metal? 

Teach  us  then  what  to  say  to  him; 

for  all  is  dark,  and  we  cannot  marshal  our  thoughts. 

Can  any  man  dictate  to  God  when  he  is  to  speak? 

or  command  him  to  make  proclamation? 

At  one  moment  the  light  is  not  seen, 

it  is  overcast  with  clouds  and  rain; 

then  the  wind  passes  by  and  clears  them  away, 

and  a  golden  glow  comes  from  the  north. 

But  the  Almighty  we  cannot  find;  his  power  is  beyond 
our  ken, 

and  his  righteousness  not  slow  to  do  justice. 

Therefore  mortal  men  pay  him  reverence, 

and  all  who  are  wise  look  to  him.  —  Job  37:14-24 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     11 


NEW  ENGLISH  BIBLE  /  continued 

Beautiful!  Yet  one  must  not  be  overwhelmed  by  beauty 
but  have  the  courage  to  put  in  a  caveat!  If  there  is  any  truth 
in  the  statement  that  there  is  theology  in  Hebrew  tenses  and 
in  the  imagery  of  Hebrew  thought  forms,  then  the  attempt  to 
eliminate  the  Hebraic,  while  possibly  a  gain  in  bald  clarity, 
is  a  loss  in  comprehensive  understanding. 

Is  it  more  than  a  coincidence  that  the  Apocrypha  has 
been  issued  at  the  same  time  as  the  Old  Testament?  I  think 
not.  While  the  feeling  about  the  Apocrypha  has  been 
changing  in  this  country  during  the  last  decade,  the  climate 
in  England,  especially  in  the  Anglican  church,  has  been  so 
favorably  inclined  toward  the  Apocrypha  that  it  was  con- 
sidered a  part  of  the  Bible  by  the  translators  of  the  King 
James  Version  and  included  in  the  lessons  to  be  read  during 
the  church  year.  This  made  its  translation  as  a  part  of  the 
Bible  essential  from  the  beginning  of  the  NEB  project. 

In  this  country,  by  way  of  contrast,  it  took  a  special 
request  from  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  to  get  the 
Revised  Standard  Version  committee  to  translate  and  issue 
the  Apocrypha  after  the  Bible  had  been  translated  and 
issued.  In  my  copies  of  the  RSV,  the  Apocrypha  appears  at 
the  end  of  the  Bible,  that  is,  following  the  New  Testament. 
In  the  New  English  Bible,  however,  the  Apocrypha  appears 
between  the  Old  and  the  New  Testaments. 

The  Apocrypha  consists  of  books  which  are  in  the 
Greek  Old  Testament  (known  as  the  Septuagint)  but  not  in 
the  Hebrew  Bible.  While  Luther  considered  these  books  as 
"useful  for  reading"  though  of  inferior  quality,  he  gathered 
them  together  from  the  various  places  they  were  distributed 
in  the  Greek  Old  Testament  and  inserted  them  between  the 
testaments.  Calvin  and  his  followers  rejected  the  Apoc- 
rypha. His  influence  is  still  seen,  even  in  the  RSV  editions 
which  include  the  Apocrypha,  for  it  is  placed  almost  as  an 
addendum  following  the  New  Testament.  In  the  Jerusalem 
Bible,  a  noteworthy  translation  by  Roman  Catholic  schol- 
ars, the  Apocrypha  is  found,  as  in  the  Greek  Bible,  scat- 
tered within  the  Old  Testament. 

The  NEB  1970  includes  the  second  edition  of  the  NEB 
New  Testament,  which  is  called  by  the  editors  "a  careful 
revision"  of  the  first  edition  which  appeared  in  1961  — 
"making  changes  in  rather  more  places  than  they  had 
expected  .  .  .  [but]  none  .  .  .  really  extensive."  Some  of 
these  involved  consistency  between  the  gospels  or  harmoni- 
zation of  Old  Testament  passages  quoted  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment. However,  although  Professor  Filson  counted  some 
375  differences  between  the  first  edition  and  the  second,  few 
seem  to  affect  substantially  the  meaning  of  the  passage.  It  is 
interesting  that  the  introducion  of  the  second  edition  omits 


the  following:  "But  in  no  passage  of  doubtful  meaning  does 
a  rendering  adopted  represent  merely  the  preference  of  any 
single  person." 

This  writer  has  the  impression  that  the  translators  felt  a 
need  to  be  different  and  that  their  renderings  at  times  tend 
to  be  explanatory,  paraphrasic  to  some  degree,  of  superior 
literary  quality,  superior  even  to  that  of  the  original  Greek 
or  Hebrew. 

One  really  wonders  whether  changing  the  Beatitudes 
was  not  so  much  an  attempt  to  be  different  as  to  improve 
the  translation.  Is  "how  blessed"  really  an  improvement  on 
"blessed"?  Is  John  1 : 1  an  attempt  to  parallel  Genesis  1:1? 
Does  not  the  smooth  translation  of  Galatians,  for  example 
1:1-2,  lose  something  of  the  ruggedness  of  Paul  and  his 
feeling  for  the  Galatian  brethren?  Can  "lower  nature" 
really  be  an  adequate  rendering  of  the  Pauline  concept  of 
"flesh"?  While  one  could  easily  raise  many  such  questions 
and  advocate  that  now  that  the  Bible  has  been  put  into 
contemporary  English,  Shakespeare  should  be  next  —  as 
Art  Buchwald  and  others  have  suggested,  making  a  modest 
start  with  Hamlet's  soliloquy  which  now  begins,  "Should  I 
or  shouldn't  I?  That  is  the  question"  —  it  is  more  to  the 
point  to  offer  an  overall  evaluation  of  the  New  English 
Bible. 

Let  me  make  the  following  points : 

1 .  Without  a  doubt  the  translators  have  produced  a 
brilliant,  free  rendering  of  the  Bible  in  contemporary 
English  that  is  free-flowing,  understandable,  exciting,  and 
eminently  usable. 

2.  If  Marshall  McLuhan  is  right  that  the  medium  is  the 
message,  one  wonders  whether  the  NEB  by  its  freedom  has 
not  lost  some  of  the  genuine  character  of  the  ancient  scrip- 
tures, such  as  the  distinct  flavor  of  Hebrew  thought  and 
culture.  Is  not  something  of  the  message  lost  in  the 
process? 

3.  The  very  freedom  the  NEB  suggests  that  the  church 
cannot  dispense  with  the  RSV.  While  the  RSV  could  well 
be  retouched  in  many  places,  in  a  real  sense  it  should  be  the 
Bible  of  the  churches. 

4.  At  the  same  time,  the  NEB  meets  the  modem  mood 
for  contemporaneity,  brilliance,  newness,  color,  lucidity, 
punch,  and  readability.  Thus  the  NEB  could  well  capture 
the  imagination  of  our  age  which  places  such  a  high  pre- 
mium on  change,  variety,  and  impact.  It  will  likely  become 
a  favorite  of  many  and  find  frequent  use  in  pulpit  and 
study.  As  someone  said  of  the  NEB  New  Testament  first 
edition,  it  will  prove  to  be  "a  sharp  sword  of  the  Lord." 
Buy  it,  read  it,  use  it.    D 


12     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


day  Oy  day 


Many  times  during  our  lives  we  feel  defeated  and  overcome 
by  circumstances.  Some  are  of  our  own  doing;  others  we  have 
no  choice  about.  It  is  important  that  we  share  with  our  chil- 
dren the  fact  that  we  all  have  times  of  discouragement  and 
sorrow.  A  child  somehow  feels  that  he  is  the  only  one  who 
stumbles  and  falls,  both  physically  and  spiritually,  in  the  round 
of  daily  living.  As  a  child  I  vividly  remember  thinking  my 
parents  and  other  adults  were  perfect. 

We  can  help  our  children  to  see  that  everyone  is  human 
and  that  all  people  have  high  points  and  low  points,  but  that 
the  most  important  thing  is  to  learn  how  to  handle  these  situa- 
tions as  they  arise.  With  the  power  Christ  has  given  us  through 
his  Holy  Spirit  we  can  be  overcomers  and  begin  even  as  chil- 
dren to  live  the  victorious  life. 

Sometimes  we  can  help  our  children  most  by  conversing 


and  praying  with  them  at  appropriate  times  when  the  family  is 
all  together.  The  evening  meal  is  a  good  time  for  our  family 
to  visit  and  talk  about  the  day's  activities.  Perhaps  you  have  a 
junior  high  who  has  had  a  bad  day;  his  peers  have  laughed  at 
him,  or  nothing  he  did  seemed  right.  What  a  perfect  opportu- 
nity to  look  at  ways  a  junior  high  can  be  an  overcomer  of 
circumstances.  Begin  by  praying  together  for  help.  Then  as 
God  gives  you  answers,  act,  do  what  he  tells  you,  and,  perhaps 
not  this  very  minute,  but  in  the  days  to  come,  the  junior  high 
can  begin  to  see  he  is  victorious  over  that  problem  or  circum- 
stance. 

At  this  point,  our  faith  as  parents  is  vital;  as  1  John  5:4 
says:  "This  is  the  victory  that  overcomes  the  world,  our  faith." 
Faith  is  something  that  grows  by  being  used  and  practiced,  &st 
on  something  that  may  seem  small,  then  on  something  a  little 
bigger  and  a  little  bigger,  then  when  some  real  crisis  comes 
along,  we  will  have  built  a  solid  foundation  of  faith  to  carry 
us  forward.  In  other  words,  if  we  don't  help  our  children's 
faith  to  grow  into  an  assurance  that  God  will  help  them  over- 
come problems  and  circumstances  when  they  are  in  elementary 
school,  then  we  can't  expect  them  suddenly  to  have  great  faith 
and  power  to  overcome  when  they  are  confronted  with  the 


drug  and  sex  scene  in  junior  and  senior  high  school. 

Especially  in  our  fast-paced  twentieth-century  living  do  we 
need  to  start  the  solid  foundation  of  victorious  living  in  our 
children.  This  means  that  we  as  parents  need  to  do  some 
searching  and  practicing  of  our  faith.  God  is  the  only  one  who 
can  give  us  faith;  we  cannot  muster  it  up  ourselves,  as  Matthew 
8:7  tells  us:  "Ask  and  you  will  receive,  seek  and  you  will  find, 
knock  and  it  will  be  opened  to  you." 

I  remember  a  few  years  ago  when  our  eleven-year-old 
daughter  started  first  grade.  School  was  an  absolute  terror  to 
her.  She  cried  every  morning  when  she  left  and  came  home 
crying  at  night.  The  school  she  attended  had  somewhere  near 
1,200  pupils  in  grades  one  through  six,  and  everything  was  big 
and  scary.  After  about  a  month  of  school,  mother,  father,  and 
daughter  were  ready  for  a  nervous  breakdown. 

One  day  a  dear  friend  asked  me  if  I  had  prayed  with  Cindy 
and  if  together  as  a  family  we  had  asked  the  Lord's  help.  Well, 
this  seemed  a  bit  far  out  to  me;  after  all  she  was  only  six  years 
old,  and  what  can  you  expect  from  such  a  young  child?  I'm 
sorry  to  say  this  tells  you  something  about  my  faith  at  that 
point.  Then,  as  so  often  happens,  as  a  last  resort  we  decided  to 
try  praying  together,  asking  Jesus  to  go  with  Cindy  and  help 
her  throughout  the  day.  Not  only  did  Mom  and  Dad  pray, 
but  Cindy  also  prayed  through  her  tears  for  help.  Nothing 
happened  at  first,  but  soon,  just  as  we  were  beginning  to  feel 
discouraged,  Cindy  arrived  at  the  door,  smiling.  From  this 
point  on,  our  faith  began  to  grow  little  by  little,  and  by  the 
time  a  month  had  passed,  we  were  sending  her  ofl"  to  school 
with  a  smile. 

Praise  the  Lord  for  this  beginning  stone  in  the  foundation 
of  our  faith.  Since  that  time,  the  Lord  has  added  many  stones 
to  that  foundation,  some  big,  some  small,  each  fitting  together 
in  a  way  that  strengthens  us  for  the  next. 

Begin  now  to  pray  expectantly!  Begin  now  to  live  vic- 
toriously! —  Norman  and  Kay  Long 

DAILY  READING   GUIDE        May   24 -June  6 

Sunday   John    1:1-5.     Victory    and    light   (Jesus)   triumph    over   darkness    (sin 

and   circumstances). 
Monday     John    16:29-33.     Rejoice,    Jesus    overcame    the    world! 
Tuesday     Romans    12:14-21.     Overcome    evil    with    good. 
Wednesday     1    John  5:1-5.    Victory   is   ours  through   our   faith    in   Jesus. 
Thursday     Matthew    7:7-12.      Ask,    believing;    God     answers. 
Friday     Matthew     17:14-21.     What    happened     because    of     lack    of    faith? 
Saturday     Mark    11:20-26.     Have    faith    in    God. 
Sunday     Luke    8:22-25.     Fear    is    the    result    of    a    lack    of    faith. 
Monday     Romans    10:14-17.     Faith    comes    from    hearing. 
Tuesday    2   Corinthians   5:6-10.     Walk   by   faith. 

Wednesday    Galatians  2:20-21.    Live  and  walk  by  faith   in  the  Son  of  God. 
Thursday    Galatians  6:7-10.    Remember,  what  you  sow  you  also  shall   reap. 
Friday  Galatians  3:1-5.    Foolish   Galatians!    You   were   bewitched! 
Saturday     Ephesians    3:14-19.     Be    strengthened    through    the    Spirit. 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     13 


Saying 'no' to  war 

In  Flint,  Mich.,  the  item  was  posted  as 
a  Good  Friday  message  on  the  doors 
of  125  of  the  city's  churches.  At  Palmy- 
ra, Pa.,  it  was  broadcast  several  times  as 
a  radio  meditation.  In  the  Shenandoah 
Valley  as  in  Minot,  N.D.,  Brethren  and 
Mennonites  together  signed  as  sponsors. 
In  newspapers  far  and  wide,  from  Wil- 
mington, Del.,  to  San  Diego,  Calif.,  and 
large  and  small,  from  the  Washington 
Post  to  the  West  Milton  (Ohio)  Record, 
Brethren  during  Lent  publicly  declared 
their  stance  on  one  of  the  still  hottest 
issues  of  the  day,  the  Vietnam  war. 
Dealing  with  the  nation's  anxiety  over 
the  atrocities  of  American  military  men, 
the  statement  was  headlined  "Who's  on 
Trial?"  and  in  bold  type  replied: 

/   reel    at    the   atrocities    in    Vietnam 
Yet  the  atrocity  is  war  itself. 

I  shudder  at  killing  villagers  one  by 

one, 
Yet  bombers  do   whole   villages  at  a 

time. 

I  cringe  and  say  "no"  to  war. 
Yet  my  taxes  pay  for  it. 

1  would  put  an  end  to  war. 
Yet  my  children  play  it. 

Who  is  on  trial?    I  am. 

I  am  on  trial  for  a  war  crime. 

The  final  line,  as  revised  by  one  con- 
gregation, San  Diego,  in  ads  placed  in 
the  Union  and  the  Evening  Tribune,  took 
on  a  broader  indictment: 

/  am  on  trial  for  the  crime  of  war. 

In  most  instances  the  advertisement 
included  a  second  block  of  copy,  in  much 
smaller  print,  which  in  simple  terms  am- 
plified on  the  church's  rationale  for 
speaking  out.    The  paragraph   read: 

We  believe  that  God  is  the  Father  of 
all.  If  this  be  so,  then  all  war  is  be- 
tween brothers  and  all  war  is  wrong.  The 
present  mood  is  to  Vietnamize  the  war, 
but  a  Vietnamized  war  is  still  war.    His- 


torically, we  have  said  "no"  to  war.  Say 
"no"  with  us.  —  The  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

Tag  line:  Sometimes,  as  in  the  Lafay- 
ette, Ind.,  Journal  and  Courier,  the  tag 
line  of  Church  of  the  Brethren  was  de- 
leted and  there  appeared  instead  a  list 
of  consenting  individuals,  in  this  instance 
members  of  the  Pittsburg  and  Lafayette 
congregations.  In  the  Fresno,  Calif., 
Bee,  it  was  the  Koinonia  Class,  with  17 
signatures,  which  appeared  as  sponsor. 
In  the  Lebanon,  Pa.,  Daily  News,  the 
credit  was  simply  "Concerned  Members 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,"  inclu- 
sive of  persons  from  several  congrega- 
tions. In  Pennsylvania's  Morrison's  Cove 
Herald,  the  declaration  appeared  under 
the  auspices  of  a  cluster  of  Brethren 
congregations  in  the  Martinsburg  area; 
in  the  Dayton,  Ohio,  Daily  News  and  the 
Journal  Herald,  the  Bear  Creek,  Brook- 
ville.  Mack  Memorial,  Happy  Comer, 
and  Prince  of  Peace  congregations  were 
named  as  backers. 

Elsewhere,  the  ad  was  slated  to  appear 
also  in  the  Baltimore  Evening  Sun  and 
five  area  newspapers,  the  Harrisonburg, 
Va.,  Daily  News-Record,  the  Palmyra, 
Pa.,  Palm-Advertiser,  Freeport,  111.,  Jour- 
nal Standard,  the  Fostoria,  Piqua,  Troy, 
and  Tipp  City  papers  in  Ohio,  and  the 
Etownian   of  Elizabethtown   College. 

The  distribution  of  a  poster-type  blow- 
up of  the  first  part  of  the  ad  tO'  the 
city's  churches  in  Flint  was  carried  out 
by  the  Area  Peacewatch,  in  which  sev- 
eral Brethren  are  active. 

Inside  look:  Despite  the  scattered 
public  airing,  however,  one  of  the  great- 
er values  of  the  statement  came  in  its 
impact  upon  Brethren  themselves. 

This  was  the  observation  of  Harold  I. 
Bowman,  assistant  pastor  of  the  Pal- 
myra church.  "In  the  process  of  cir- 
culating the  ad  through  the  adult  church 
school  classes  for  support,  two  of  the 
groups  became  involved  in  a  discussion 
on  'peace'  which  lasted  the  full  hour," 
he  reported.  "This,  I  feel,  is  worth  more 
than  having  the  ad  in  the  local  press." 

Mr.  Bowman's  counsel  to  the  Brother- 


hood staff  members,  who  created  the  ad, 
was  to  circulate  more  such  statements, 
with  emphasis  placed  upon  discussion  by 
adults. 

Public  forum:  In  the  heavily  Brethren- 
populated  area  of  Morrison's  Cove, 
Pa.,  the  ad  resulted  in  letters  to  the  lo- 
cal paper,  pro  and  con.  One,  signed  by 
"a  Brethren  who  says  'no'  to  surrender," 
commented  that  "this  unpatriotic  stuff" 
should  have  been  refused  by  the  editor. 
Another  wondered  about  the  reaction  of 
his  son  in  Vietnam  when  he  would  read 
that  his  own  church  feels  "it's  wrong 
for  him  to  be  there." 

Among  responses  to  the  critics  was  a 
letter  by  Floyd  H.  Mitchell,  Martinsburg 
pastor  who  acknowledged  that  not  only 
do  Brethren  differ,  but  they  are  not  re- 
quired to  agree,  since  freedom  of 
conscience  is  basic  to  the  church's  be- 
liefs. But  he  further  observed,  "Strange 
that  some  who  are  so  opposed  to  any 
criticism  of  what  the  goverrmient  says 
and  does  about  Vietnam  are  often  the 
loudest  in  their  condemnation  of  what 
the  government  says  and  does  in  other 
areas." 

In  Pastor  Mitchell's  terms,  "The 
church  is  not  here  to  support  the 
government  unless  she  sees  that  the 
government  is  doing  the  will  of  God." 
He  described  speaking  to  government, 
and  in  judgment  of  government,  as  one 
of  the  functions  of  the  church,  in  fulfill- 
ment of  the  biblical  role  of  prophet. 
"Whenever  the  church  ceases  to  speak 
out  on  the  issues  of  the  time,  she  ceases 
to  be  the  church." 

Sequels?  H.  Lamar  Gibble  and 
Thomas  Wilson,  who  sparked  the  first  ef- 
fort to  broaden  the  church's  communica- 
tion through  the  medium  of  advertising, 
and  Richard  N.  Miller,  who  composed 
the  copy  for  "Who's  on  Trial?"  are  among 
staff  members  who  would  like  to  see  more 
"position"  messages  prepared  for  adapta- 
tion and  use  by  congregations. 

They  see  the  response  of  the  initial 
effort  as  suggesting  that  at  least  a  seg- 
ment of  congregations  are  interested  in 
speaking  up  and  out. 


14     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


The  route  to  reform 

Can  an  alternative  to  violence  be 
found  as  a  means  of  challenging  the 
status  quo  in  Latin  America?  Is  not  the 
tyranny  with  which  a  few  so  long  have 
held  sway  over  the  masses  a  foremost 
example  of  violence  itself? 

These  are  questions  being  asked  by  a 
growing  number  of  Christians  in  Latin 
America  today.  Even  some  noted 
churchmen  are  among  the  advocates  of 
radical  upheaval  as  the  only  route  to 
substantial  reform.  For  other  Chris- 
tians, many  of  whom  may  not  champion 
violence,  the  need  for  total  change  of 
the  political,  economic,  social,  and  reli- 
gious structures  is  so  urgent  that  they 
will  submit  to  any  means  of  effecting 
that  change,  violence  included. 

The  issue  is  pressing,  then:  Is  there 
any  approach  other  than  violence  that 
will  bring  sweeping  reform? 

Introduction:  This  was  the  matter 
opened  up  at  a  seminar  at  Quito,  Ecua- 
dor, a  seminar  which  introduced  the 
concept  of  nonviolence  as  a  possible  in- 
strument of  social  change.  In  addition  to 
guest  leader  Glen  Smiley,  involved  were 
labor  leaders,  university  students,  and 
Protestant  and  Cathofic  churchmen, 
among  them  persons,  from  the  United 
Evangelical  Church  of  Ecuador  and  the 
Brethren  mission  community. 

A  major  speaker  who  helped  set  the 
tone  of  the  seminar  was  the  Roman 
Catholic  Bishop  of  Buenaventura,  Co- 
lumbia, Gerardo  Valencia  Cano.  "I  can- 
not imagine  an  authentic  Latin  American 
Christian  who  does  not  feel  Wmself  im- 
mersed in  a  world  of  convulsion,"  the 
bishop  declared.  The  basis  of  the 
revolution,  he  averred,  is  not  the  demo- 
graphic explosion,  nor  the  progress  of 
technology,  nor  the  eruption  of  plural- 
ism, nor  the  secularization  of  the  world. 
"I  do  not  find  any  reason  other  than 
sin:  that  attitude  of  man  that  causes  him 
to  think  more  highly  of  himself  than 
he  does  of  his  brother." 

Describing  the  martyrs  of  the  new 
era  as  those  "who  have  confessed  and 


loved  the  incarnate  Christ  in  the  poor, 
in  the  oppressed,  and  in  the  unjustly 
condemned,"  the  Catholic  priest  asserted 
that  the  only  acceptable  title  of  Chris- 
tian nobility  is  that  of  servant.  "When 
religion  is  translated  into  love  for  the 
neighbor  to  the  point  of  sacrifice,  there 
ceases  to  be  justification  for  the  stigma 
of  'religion  is  the  opiate  of  the  people,' 
which  so  many  times  has  been  the  criti- 
cism of  Christianity,"  the  bishop  said. 

"Even  while  we  feel  the  necessity  and 
the  urgency  to  sensitize  the  people  to 
their  real  needs  and  to  the  struggle  in 
which  they  must  participate,  we  are  con- 
vinced that  the  change  which  the  world 
seeks  can  come  about  only  through 
armies  of  ajjostles  who  are  able  to  live 
to  perfection  the  watchwords  of  Christ 
.  .  .  [and]  when  the  apostles,  like  Paul, 
having  understood  on  one  side  the 
destiny  of  man  and  on  the  other  the 
failure  of  naturalistic  systems,  deliver 
themselves  joyfully  to  the  chains,  to 
martyrdom,  and  to  death  for  the  redemp- 
tion of  their  brethren." 

Cautions:  Another  participant,  labor 
leader  Eduardo  Garcia  of  Venezuela, 
supported  nonviolence  as  the  best 
strategy  for  change  yet  personally  did 
not  rule  out  violent  revolution  as  some- 
times necessary.  Three  warnings  he 
pointed  up  to  the  seminar  were: 

•  The  importance  of  not  presenting 
the  nonviolent  movement  as  a  new  form 
of  resignation.  "In  Latin  America  we  are 
sick  and  tired  of  hearing  that  it  is  neces- 
sary to  resign  ourselves." 

•  The  suspicion  and  rejection  that 
will  occur  if  the  movement  is  viewed  as 
an  import  from  the  outside. 

•  The  need  to  shift  the  concept  of 
nonviolence  from  a  simple,  philosophical 
outlook  to  a  forward  action  movement. 

Further  views  on  the  seminar  were 
reported  in  El  Tiempo,  a  Quito  news 
daily,  under  the  headline,  "Valuable 
Conclusions  Come  Out  of  Sleminar  of 
Nonviolence."  The  news  account  stated: 

"Mrs.  Elena  de  Gangotena,  a  uni- 
versity student,  when  questioned  about 
the  results  of  the  seminar,  explained  that 


nonviolence  is  a  state  of  maturity  to 
which  one  arrives  after  an  intense  pro- 
cess of  preparation.  'It  is  not  just  to 
cross  your  arms  and  sit  back,'  she  said, 
'but  rather  it  is  pressure,  protest,  study, 
and  training.' 

"The  general  coordinator  of  the 
event.  Dr.  Ulises  Hernandez,  explained 
that  'among  the  participants  in  the 
seminar,  there  has  been  born  the  deep 
desire  to  extend  this  movement  among 
all  who  believe  that  it  is  possible  to  bring 
about  social  change  and  radical  change 
in  social  structures  in  the  Christian 
sense.' 

"The  priest,  Anibal  Nicolaide,  ex- 
plained that,  before  taking  part  in  the 
course,  he  felt  nonviolence  meant 
passivity  but  that  now  he  is  convinced 
that  this  concept  means  strength,  con- 
stant struggle,  and  a  'using  of  every  pos- 
sible method  to  bring  about  the  revolu- 
tion and  the  changes  which  the  world  is 
insisting  upon  but  avoiding  the  spilling 
of  blood.'  " 

Workable:  Ecuador  field  coordinator 
George  M.  Kreps,  while  stressing  that 
he  saw  nonviolence  as  a  method  and  not 
as  an  end  in  itself,  also  declared  that  he 
sees  nonviolence  as  the  only  method 
that  can  really  work  in  producing  change 
in  Latin  America. 

"Violence  only  engenders  more  vio- 
lence, and  that  usually  gives  the  conserv- 
ative forces  more  excuses  to  become 
more  oppressive,"  he  said.  "I  am  pessi- 
mistic enough  to  think  that  the  conserva- 
tive forces,  economic,  social,  and  politi- 
cal in  Latin  America,  aided  by  the  poli- 
cies at  the  U.S.  State  Department  and 
the  Pentagon,  are  not  going  to  permit 
any  new  ideas  to  penetrate  into  their 
thinking  and  action,  and  they  have  the 
necessary  force  to  squash  any  new  move- 
ment that  uses  violence. 

"Therefore,  for  me  the  method  of 
nonviolence  interpreted  fully  in  the 
Spanish  language  and  Latin  context  is 
the  only  practical  way  of  bringing  about 
changes  that  wUl  bring  freedom  to  peo- 
ple as  well  as  being  an  integral  part  of 
Christianity." 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     15 


news 


The  scene  from  the  human  side 


The  Douglas  Park  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren is  located  in  a  racially  mixed  com- 
munity on  Chicago's  West  Side.  The 
church  building  itself  faces  California 
Avenue,  bordered  on  the  opposite  side 
by  a  large  city  park  from  which  the 
community  derives  its  name.  Often 
there  is  no  one  in  the  park.  For  various 
reasons  most  mothers  do  not  allow  their 
younger  children  to  chance  crossing 
California  Avenue. 

Fabricio  Guzman  is  the  pastor  of  the 
Douglas  Park  church,  which  serves  a 
community  that  is  predominantly  Latin 
with  minority  groups  of  blacks,  English 
speaking  whites,  and  a  few  older  Rus- 
sian families  that  settled  in  Douglas 
Park  nearly  seventy  years  ago. 

Since  1964  the  church  has  been  try- 
ing to  meet  some  of  the  needs  of  the 
local  community  by  making  its  pastor 
available  to  community  action  organiza- 
tions and  by  offering  its  own  recreational 
and  educational  programs. 

Regularly  scheduled  classes  in  wood- 
craft, cooking,  and  sewing  are  now  in 
operation  for  children  at  convenient, 
after-school  hours.  The  classes  are  taught 
by  Kathrin  Braun,  Alan  Jennings,  and 
Robert  Skrocki,  three  Brethren  Volun- 
teer Service  workers  who  wdth  Pastor 
Guzman  are  continually  visiting  families 
and  helping  with  problems  when  asked. 

Office  of  Communication  correspon- 
dent Terry  Pettit  recently  visited  and 
interviewed  Kathrin,  Alan,  and  Robert 
on  project  in  Douglas  Park.  Pettit 
noted,  "I  don't  think  you'll  find  three 
people  as  different  from  each  other  any- 
where. They  don't  even  like  the  same 
kinds  of  food.  And  yet,  as  different  as 
they  are,  they  continually  look  upon 
themselves  as  a  team.  Their  commit- 
ment to  their  work  seems  to  be  rein- 
forced by  their  shared  joys,  frustrations, 
and  differences.  What  these  volunteers 
have  to  say  is  extremely  relevant  to  the 
rest  of  us.  It  is  only  a  matter  of  time 
before  all  of  us  may  be  faced  with  the 
dynamics  of  Douglas  Park." 

Q:    Was  your  training  helpful  in  pre- 


paring you  for  your  actual  work  at 
Douglas  Park? 

ALAN:  At  the  time  of  my  training, 
the  concentration  was  mainly  upon  the 
group  process  of  the  unit.  I  would  have 
to  say  that  this  wasn't  very  helpful  in 
terms  of  the  specific  skills  we  need  in 
our  work  here  at  Douglas  Park.  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  is  sort  of  an  unrealistic 
place  to  train  for  the  city.  However, 
the  value  of  one's  training  experience  de- 
pends a  great  deal  upon  the  particular 
unit. 

ROBERT:  I  feel  that  volunteers 
destined  for  irmer  city  projects  should 
have  more  time  to  study  the  city  and  its 
problems.  It  takes  months  tO'  become 
sensitive  to  problems  unless  preliminary 
training  teaches  you  what  to  look  for. 
And  there  is  no  time  to  study  when  on 
project!  I  did  have  several  good  training 
experiences,  though.  During  the  last 
week  of  our  unit  we  went  to  Baltimore 
Pilot  House,  where  we  listened  to 
mothers  living  on  welfare  checks,  dis- 
cussed the  role  of  white  volunteers  in 
the  inner  city,  and  confronted  the  ques- 
tion of  whether  the  "band-aid"  help 
usually  provided  by  a  BVSer  should  or 


could  be  replaced  by  active  work  for 
social  change.  Another  week  spent  on 
a  practice  project  at  McKim  [a  church- 
oriented  community  center  in  Baltimore] 
gave  me  a  "feel"  for  inner  city  work  and 
made  me  face  the  problems  of  restricted 
travel  at  night  in  the  city. 

Q:  What  is  the  relationship  between 
the  Douglas  Park  Church  of  the  Brethren 
and  your  projects? 

ALAN:  We  are  employed  by  the  local 
church,  under  the  Witness  Commission, 
to  work  in  the  community.  It's  unfor- 
tunate, but  a  dichotomy  exists  between 
the  church  and  the  local  community. 
We  have  found  it  difficult  to  find  ways 
in  which  the  congregation  can  partici- 
pate (other  than  financially)  in  our 
work,  and  few  residents  in  the  commu- 
nity are  members  of  the  congregation. 
We  are,  however,  grateful  for  the  gener- 
ous financial  support  of  the  congregation 
and  their  concern  for  our  well-being. 

Q:  Have  you  been  able  to  develop  a 
trust  relationship  with  members  of  the 
local  community? 

KATHRIN:  To  a  certain  degree,  yes. 
These  relationships  are,  for  the  time  be- 
ing,   still   on   a   rather   personal,   one-to- 


The  volunteers 
at  work  in 
Douglas  Park 
are  a  trio 
with  distinctly 
different  back- 
grounds and 
tastes.   None- 
theless, they 
are  very 
much  a  team 


Alan  Jennings,  24,  a  member  of  the 
Long  Beach,  Calif.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  is  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Redlands  with  a  degree  in  mu- 
sic. His  interests  include  organ,  peace 
action,  and  reading.  Alan  entered  BVS 
because  "I  thought  I  would  be  doing 
something  useful  while  having  a 
chance  to  think  more  about  my  life 
and  at  the  same  time  fulfill  what  I  be- 
lieved was  my  obligation  to  Selective 
Service."  Last  Feb.  12,  with  less  than 
a  year  to  go  as  a  1-W,  Alan  sent  his  Selective  Service  card  to 
the  Illinois  director.  He  ended  an  accompanying  letter  by  stat- 
ing, "However  great  my  'no'  is  to  you,  I  am  saying  an  even 
louder  'yes'  to  life,  freedom,  and  joy.  Let  it  be  known  that 
rather  than  death,  it  is  life  that  I  affirm.  .  .  .  Let  the  sun  shine, 
let  the  sunshine  in!" 


JENNINGS 


16     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


r 


f  the  street 


one  basis.  I  would  like  to  see  them  de- 
velop further  and  become  a  stimulus 
for  a  more  fruitful  community  life.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  people  around  us  are 
aware  of  our  temporary  nature  as  BVSers 
who  will  be  leaving  soon,  and  this  limits 
us  a  great  deal. 

ROBERT:  Although  we  have  warm 
relationships  with  some  parents  and 
officials  with  whom  we  work  closely,  it 
is  difficult  to  determine  whether  the 
majority  of  parents  trust  us,  because 
they  are  so  polite  and  often  hide  their 
real  feelings. 

Q:  What  are  your  goals  in  community 
work,  and  how  do  these  differ  from  past 
goals? 

KATHRIN:  Every  long-range  goal  is 
only  realized  step  by  step.  Every  BVS 
team  builds  upon  the  accomplishments 
of  the  preceding  one.  Former  teams 
were  more  concerned  with  organizing 
the  after-school  program  and  were  busy 
with  repairing  or  setting  up  the  facilities. 
Because  of  this  work  done  in,  the  past, 
we  can  now  put  more  emphasis  on 
reaching  out  to  the  neighborhood  as  a 
whole.  We  try  to  discover  and  encourage 
local  leadership.    The  long-term  goal  is 


community  participation  in  decision 
making  and,  later,  control  of  the  pro- 
gram. However,  we  are  still  far  away 
from  that  development.  I  also  have  a 
rather  Utopian  vision  of  reconciliation 
between  the  different  ethnic  groups 
which,  for  the  time  being,  live  against 
rather  than  with  each  other. 

Q:  What  value  is  there  in  working 
with  a  child  in  the  woodshop  or  kitchen? 

ROBERT:  I  occasionally  ask  myself, 
"Are  we  irrelevant  do-gooders,  babysit- 
ting for  the  kids?"  But  after  some 
thought  the  good  in  what  we  are  doing 
seems  apparent  to  me.  The  kids  are 
participating  in  creative,  joyful,  and 
skill-developing  activities.  We  keep  them 
off  the  streets  and  through  personal  con- 
tact provide  adult  models.  We  gain  in- 
sight into  youth  problems  for  future  at- 
tempts to  deal  with  these  problems.  The 
parents  seem  to  appreciate  what  we  do 
and  often  welcome  us  into  their  homes. 
But  I  wonder  if  we  shouldn't  concen- 
trate our  efforts  on  changing  the  system 
which  produces  problems,  rather  than 
trying  to  alleviate  the  symptoms. 

KATHRIN:  I  see  value  in  offering 
the   kids  a  rather  free  and   nonauthori- 


tarian  frame  in  which  they  can  spend 
part  of  their  spare  time  as  an  alternative 
to  a  very  rigorous  school  life  and  in 
some  cases  a  strict  home,  too.  Our  class- 
es are  as  much  oriented  toward  creating 
personal  relationships  and  a  group  spirit 
as  to  develop  skills  in  various  subjects. 
Furthermore,  the  kids  open  a  way  for 
us  to  meet  and  develop  relationships  with 
their  parents. 

Q:  Robert,  earlier  you  said  that  the 
service  usually  provided  by  a  BVSer  was 
"band-aid"  help.    What  did  you  mean? 

ROBERT:  By  the  time  the  volunteer 
is  in  the  community  long  enough  to 
build  trust  relationships,  he  must  leave. 
Therefore,  the  volunteer  never  has  a 
stake  in  the  community,  as  the  residents 
do  —  he  can  leave  anytime.  By  trying 
to  make  peoples'  lives  a  little  happier,  he 
acts  as  an  opiate  and  allows  an  unjust 
system  to  survive.  In  many  cases  the 
jobs  he  does  could  be  done  better  by 
people  in  the  community. 

KATHRIN:  Service,  as  I  see  it,  is  still 
legitimate  to  meet  immediate  human 
needs  in  various  situations.  However, 
it  can  be  dangerously  misleading  when 
it  provides  a  superficial  answer  and  pre- 


Kathrin  Braun,  a  member  of  the  Re- 
formed Church  of  Switzerland,  lived 
in  Berne,  Switzerland,  before  coming 
to  the  United  States  to  work  in  Breth- 
ren Volunteer  Service.  At  28,  Kathrin 
is  competent  in  many  languages,  has 
studied  in  France,  and  has  done  vol- 
unteer work  in  the  Middle  East.  "I 
joined  BVS,"  she  explained,  "because 
I  thought  it  would  be  a  good  opportu- 
nity to  find  out  what  the  United  States 
and  her  people  are  like.  I've  enjoyed 
myself."  And  people  enjoy  Kathrin.  Interviewer  Pettit  re- 
marked, "You  can't  walk  down  the  street  with  Kathrin  without 
hearing  several  children  shouting  for  her  attention.  If  she  is 
afraid  —  and  there  is  reason  for  a  young  woman  to  be  afraid 
in  the  city  —  then  she  doesn't  show  it.  She  just  walks  right  up 
and  assumes  that  you'll  be  her  friend." 


BRAUN 


Robert  Skrocki,  23,  is  from  De- 
troit and  is  a  member  of  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  Church.  He  was 
graduated  from  Wayne  State  Uni- 
versity with  a  major  in  physics.  He 
decided  to  become  a  CO  while  a 
college  junior,  "when  I  became 
more  responsive  to  the  teachings  of 
Christ."  Besides  his  work  at  Doug- 
las Park,  he  is  a  trainer  for  the 
Nonviolent  Training  and  Action 
Center.  "We  lead  weekends  of  role 
playing,  guerilla  theater,  and  quick  decision  analysis.  Alan 
and  I  also  work  with  others  in  a  newly  formed  Lawndale 
Draft  Counseling  and  Education  Program."  Robert  enjoys 
dancing,  hard  rock,  and  reading.  He  plans  to  enter  law 
school  when  his  alternative  service  is  completed,  hopefully 
in  Chicago  so  he  can  continue  part  time  at  Douglas  Park. 


SKROCKI 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     17 


1 


vents  a  person  from  seeing  the  deeper 
roots  of  a  problem.  Services  often  only 
maintain  the  status  quo.  Therefore  it 
would  be  inexcusable  not  to  work 
simultaneously  for  social  change  on  a 
broader  basis.  I  am  glad  tOi  see  that 
BVS  is  shifting  its  priorities  from  social 
service  to  social  action  projects. 

Q:  What  are  the  needs  of  the  com- 
munity as  you  see  them,  and  how  are 
you  moving  to  meet  them? 

ALAN:  We're  not  really  in  the  ex- 
treme ghetto  situation  here  that  is  often 
typical  of  the  inner  city.  But  there  are 
real  needs  here:  smaller  school  classes, 
more  help  for  slow  learners,  more  recrea- 
tional facilities,  and  better  housing.  If 
any  of  these  needs  is  going  to  be  met  on 
a  long-term  basis,  it  will  be  because  local 
leadership  is  developed  and  assumes 
control.  In  terms  of  real  needs,  other 
than  children's  recreation  after  school 
and  some  relationships  that  develop 
there,  we  don't  meet  many  needs.  And 
when  one  realizes  how  much  is  needed, 
that  isn't  very  much. 

KATHRIN:  Most  important  is  the 
need  for  better  communication  among 
the  residents  of  the  community  so  that 
they  can  begin  taking  action  together. 
We  try  to  work  as  mediators  or  enablers 
between  individuals,  groups,  organiza- 
tions, and  institutions.  That  sounds  a 
bit  presumptuous,  considering  the  little 
we  are  really  able  to  do.  But  we  keep 
trying  to  move  in  this  direction. 

Q:  How  could  your  project  be  more 
effective? 

ROBERT:  The  vacant  position  of 
community  minister  at  the  Douglas  Park 
church  needs  to  be  filled.  He  could  pro- 
vide the  necessary  continuity  (as  volun- 
teers come  and  go),  direction,  and  ob- 
jective evaluation  of  our  work.  Spanish- 
speaking  BVSers  should  be  recruited.  As 
the  staff  expands,  a  detached  youth 
worker  could  be  hired  to  work  with 
teens  on  the  street,  and  a  minibus  is  bad- 
ly needed  for  various  uses. 

ALAN:  I  believe  I  could  be  more 
effective  here  if  I  could  really  identify 
with  the  people  and  they  with  me.  But 
since  I'm  not  a  property  owner,  or  black 


or  Latin,  and  don't  speak  Spanish,  this  is 
extremely  difficult.  An  interested  Latin 
person  in  my  position  would  hkely  be 
more  effective.  I  also  find  that  it's 
difficult  to  bring  people  to  responsibility 
and  control  if  they  have  never  had  that 
opportunity  before. 

Q:  What  are  the  rewards  and  frustra- 
tions of  your  work? 

ROBERT:  The  work  with  the  children 
is  very  fulfilling.  Receiving  their  affec- 
tion, wrestling  with  them,  and  walking 
down  the  streets  and  hearing  them  greet 
you.  .  .  .  Although  not  typically  true, 
our  project  is  blessed  with  a  compatible 
BVS  team  —  very  close  knit  —  and  we 
really  enjoy  the  sharing  of  our  experi- 
ences and  work.  We  laugh  and  cry  at 
our  mistakes  and  like  to  tell  each  other 
stories  about  the  clowning  of  our  kids. 

I've  received  a  tremendous  education 
in  local  politics.  I've  also  learned  a  lot 
about  myself,  seeing  how  far  I  will  go  in 
loving  and  serving  others  and  surprising 
myself  as  to  how  insensitive  and  weak 
I  often  am. 

ALAN:  The  rewards  have  been  great 
here:  the  broad  experience  of  working 
with  children  of  all  ages,  thriving  on 
their  enthusiasm  and  seeking  the  patience 
to  cope  with  their  energy;  the  direct 
encounter  with  people  and  problems  of 
the  city;  the  building  of  lifetime  relation- 
ships with  my  co-workers.  I  guess  my 
main  frustration  is  that  we  don't  get 
much  beyond  the  work  with  children. 

KATHRIN:  It  is  hard  to  know  wheth- 
er our  being  here  has  made  a  difference 
in  this  community.  ...  I  often  find  my- 
self impatient  about  the  fact  that  any 
change  in  individuals  or  institutions 
takes  place  too  slowly  or  not  at  all. 
Once  in  awhile  I  am  discouraged  about 
a  bad  class  or  when  the  kids  seem  im- 
possible to  handle.  It  is  sad  to  admit, 
but  a  racial  barrier  does  exist.  But  it  is 
joy  when  somebody's  trust  is  won  or 
when  real  understanding  happens.  There 
is  relevance  in  feeling  that  I  grow  in 
working  my  way  through  various  diffi- 
culties. The  affection  of  the  kids  makes 
up  for  disappointment  with  adults.  It 
is  happiness   for  me  to  experience  the 


warmth  of  some  Latin  homes  and 
pleasure  to  listen  to  the  sound  of  the 
colorful  Negro  language  being  sung.  I 
guess  I  appreciate  most  the  freedom  we 
have  as  a  team  to  structure  our  own 
work  and  to  determine  the  nature  of  our 
involvement. 

Q:  How  has  working  in  the  Douglas 
Park  Community  affected  your  outlook 
on  life? 

KATHRIN:  My  stay  here  has  deep- 
ened my  dedication  to  keep  working  for 
a  world  where  there  is  life  and  under- 
standing instead  of  death,  indifference, 
and  prejudice.  More  than  ever  before 
I  realize  how  everyone  needs  to  develop 
a  sensitivity  toward  every  fellowman  if 
society  is  to  be  human.  I  feel  the  need 
to  gather  with  concerned  persons  in 
order  to  stand  up  against  injustice  and 
profit-oriented  forces  and  to  create  and 
live  an  alternative  to  whatever  threatens 
our  ideals.  The  interdependence  of  struc- 
tures has  become  very  apparent  to  me. 
Douglas  Park  is  part  of  Chicago;  this 
city  is  part  of  the  USA,  which  repre- 
sents a  great  part  of  the  Western  world. 
What  happens  in  Chicago  can  be  com- 
pared to  what  happens  between  indus- 
trialized countries  and  the  Third  World 
on  a  larger  level:  There  are  a  few  who 
live  in  abundance  at  the  expense  of  many 
who  are  kept  underprivileged.  The  power 
structure  needs  shifting. 

ALAN:  My  stay  at  Douglas  Park  has 
had  a  profound  influence  upon  my  life. 
For  here,  I  have  continued  to  read  what 
we  as  a  nation  are  doing  abroad  with 
our  bombs  and  napalm,  and  I've  ob- 
served and  lived  firsthand  what  we  as  a 
nation  are  not  doing  at  home.  I  have 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  service 
under  the  Selective  Service  System,  as  it 
is  an  integral  part  of  the  system  that 
makes  war  possible,  contributes  to  this 
problem  of  grossly  misaligned  priorities. 
To  make  way  for  someone  who  I  hope 
can  work  here  more  effectively,  I  will 
be  leaving  this  project  a  few  months 
early.  This  will  allow  me  time  to  help 
white  people  understand  the  critical 
issues  of  our  day  —  work  that  I  believe 
I  can  do  more  appropriately. 


18     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


"  .   .   .  everyone  needs  to  develop  a  sensitivity 
toward  his  fellowman  if  society  is  to  be  human" 


Top  left:  Robert  Skrocki  teaches  woodshop  but  occasionally  asks  himself,  "Are  we 

irrelevant  do-gooders,  babysitting  for  the  kids?"   Top  right:  Kathrin  Braun,  BVSer 

from  Berne,  Switzerland,  makes  a  suggestion  to  one  of  her  sewing  students.  Bottom  left: 

Alan  Jennings  supervises  the  kitchen  crew's  cupcake  efforts.   Bottom  right:  the 

BVS  team  meets  with  Douglas  Park  pastor  Fabricio  Guzman  for  a  planning  session 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     19 


Field  of  choices 

Beyond  the  general  sessions,  the  planned 
and  unplanned  agendas,  and  the  plethora 
of  luncheons,  dinners,  and  sidewalk  con- 
versations which  make  up  Annual  Con- 
ference, an  important  highlight  has  come 
to  be  the  special  interest  events.  Listed 
in  the  Conference  Booklet  as  Insights 
70's,  the  events  this  year  at  Lincoln  are 
more  varied  than  ever. 

The  selection  of  topics  was  based  on 
findings  or  pivotal  concerns  which  grew 
out  of  Brotherhoodwide  discussions  on 
Mission  in  the  Seventies,  according  to 
Wilbur  E.  Mullen,  chairman  of  the  staff 
committee  planning  the  series.  Others 
on  the  committee  are  Merle  Crouse, 
Matthew  M.  Meyer,  Ronald  D.  Petry, 
and  Clyde  E.  Weaver. 

Specifically  on  the  docket  for  the  In- 
sights sessions  June  23-28  are: 

Evangelism.  Tuesday,  "Talk-Back 
with  Myron  S.  Augsburger";  Russell  V. 
Bollinger,  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  chair- 
man. Wednesday,  Olden  D.  Mitchell, 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  chairman;  Gordon  W. 
Bucher,  Hartville,  Ohio,  Phyllis  Carter, 
Bryant,  Ind.,  Jay  Fifer,  Frederick,  Md., 
and  Albert  L.  Sauls,  Oakton,  Va. 
Thursday,  Edward  K.  Ziegler,  Bakers- 
field,  Calif.,  chairman;  Frederick  Hol- 
lingshead,  Mt.  Morris,  111.,  William  W. 
Longenecker,  Mt.  Joy,  Pa.,  W.  Hart- 
man  Rice,  Columbia  City,  Ind.,  and 
Charles  F.  Rinehart,  Campobello,  S.C. 

Bible  Study  Talk-On.  A  follow-up  to 
the  morning  Bible  study.  Wednesday, 
Eugene  F.  Roop,  Claremont,  Calif.; 
David  K.  Hykes,  Ankeny,  Iowa,  chair- 
man. Thursday,  Floyd  E.  Bantz,  Roar- 
ing Spring,  Pa.;  Ronald  K.  Wine,  Kings- 
port,  Term.,  chairman.  Friday,  Allen  C. 
Deeter,  North  Manchester,  Ind.;  Mervin 
A.  Cripe,  Cleveland,  Ohio,  chairman. 
Saturday,  Ronald  K.  Morgan,  Dayton, 
Ohio,  and  Vernard  Eller,  La  Verne, 
Calif.;  Marvin  W.  Thill,  Adel,  Iowa, 
chairman. 

Issues  Facing  Congregations.  Wednes- 
day, "Will  Change  Destroy  Our  Faith?" 
John  W.  Hunter,  Modesto,  Calif.,  chair- 
man;  Kenneth  W.  Holderread,  Empire, 


Calif.,  and  Kerby  Lauderdale,  Oakland, 
Calif.  Thursday,  "How  Free  Can  a  Re- 
sponsible Christian  Be?"  Donald  L. 
Robinson,  Reading,  Pa.,  chairman; 
Charles  M.  Bieber,  Hummelstown,  Pa., 
and  Kenneth  L.  Gibble,  Harrisburg,  Pa. 
Friday,  "Polarization  in  the  Local 
Church  —  A  Blessing  or  a  Curse?"  Ver- 
non F.  Miller,  Arlington,  Va.,  chairman; 
Warren  M.  Eshbach,  Linthicum  Heights, 
Md.,  and  Roy  A.  Johnson,  Westminster, 
Md.  Saturday,  "Where  Is  My  Faith  Lead- 
ing Me/ Us?"  Irven  F.  Stem,  Hutchin- 
son, Kansas,  and  Sarah  May  Brunk,  Mc- 
Pherson,  Kansas. 

Listening  to  Other  Voices.  Wednes- 
day, "Roman  Catholic,"  Raymond  B. 
Hain,  Lincoln,  Neb.;  Donald  H.  Shank, 
Elgin,  111.,  chairman.  Thursday,  "Men- 
nonites  in  the  70s,"  William  Keeney, 
Newton,  Kansas;  W.  Harold  Row,  Wash- 
ington, D.C.,  chairman.  Thursday, 
"Hispanic  American,"  Fabricio  Guzman, 
Lombard,  111.;  Merle  Crouse,  Elgin,  111., 
chairman.  Friday,  "Rap  Session  With 
Youth,"  open  mike;  Dianne  Petry,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  moderator.  Friday, 
"Crisis  in  Black  and  White,"  Covenant 
Players;  Annie  Carter,  Chicago,  III., 
chairman.  Saturday,  "Gringo  in  Latin 
America  Today,"  Lemuel  C.  Nascimento, 
Nashville,  Tenn.;  George  M.  Kreps, 
Quito,  Ecuador,  chairman.  Sunday, 
"Overseas  Church,"  CarroU  M.  Petry, 
North  Manchester,  Ind.,  and  P.  D.  Ra- 
wate,  Allahabad,  India;  Charles  M. 
Bieber,  Hummelstown,  Pa.,  chairman. 
Sunday,  "An  American  Indian  Speaks," 
Jess  Sixkiller,  Chicago,  111.;  Galen  R. 
Snell,  McPherson,  Kansas,  chairman. 

Recreation,  Arts,  Camping.  Wednes- 
day, Thursday,  Friday:  Volleyball,  ping- 
pong,  painting.  Saturday,  "Current 
Trends  in  Church  Camping,"  Robert 
Tully,  Bloomington,  Ind.;  James  N. 
Poling,  York,  Pa.,  chairman. 

Celebrative  Acts.  Wednesday,  "New 
Forms,"  and  Thursday,  "New  Life  in 
Old  Forms,"  Dean  M.  Miller,  Lombard, 
111.;  Wilfred  E.  Nolen,  Elgin,  111.,  chair- 
man. Friday,  "Folk  Songs  and  Folk 
Hymns,"  Matthew  M.  Meyer,  Elgin,  111. 
Saturday,  "Choir  Directors'  Workshop." 


Sunday,    "The    Church    School    Class,"  •• 
Donna    Forbes,    Lombard,    111.;    Donald 
R.    Jordan,    Lafayette,    Ind.,    chairman. 
Sunday,  "Congregational  Singing,"  David 
W.  Albright,   Fort  Wayne,  Ind. 

Issues  Facing  the  Laity.  Wednesday, 
"Theology,  Sex,  and  the  Movies,"  James 
Wall,  Elmhurst,  111.;  C.  Wayne  Zunkel,  I 
Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  chairman.  Wednes-  . 
day,  "My  Credit  Card  Life,"  Gerald  M. 
Flory,  Elgin,  111.,  chairman;  Esther 
Eichelberger,  Lombard,  111.,  Ralph  Hei- 
sey,  Denver,  Pa.,  and  Galen  Snyder, 
Roaring  Spring,  Pa.  Thursday,  "Sex 
Education  in  the  Public  Schools," 
Gerald  Sanctuary,  New  York,  N.Y.; 
Gladys  Weaver,  College  Park,  Md., 
chairman.  Saturday,  "My  Business  I 
Ethics,"  Wayne  F.  Geisert,  Bridgewater,  I 
Va.,  chairman;  Earl  Brubaker,  Rocky 
Ford,  Colo.,  Wilfred  W.  Clannin,  Den- 
ver, Colo.,  and  Galen  Quakenbush, 
Wichita,  Kansas.  Saturday,  "Living 
With  Conflict,"  Richard  Bollinger,  To- 
peka,  Kansas;  Lyle  Roth,  Redondo 
Beach,  Calif.,  chairman.  Sunday,  "The 
Automobile:  The  Unguided  Missile," 
Richard  J.  Winsor,  Chicago,  111.;  Clyde 
E.  Weaver,  Villa  Park,  111.,  chairman. 
Sunday,  "Family  Life-Styles,"  Wesley 
Veatch,  Indianapolis,  Ind.;  Kenneth 
Holderread,  Empire,  Calif.,  chairman. 

Structures,  Relationships.  Thursday, 
"Communication  Gaps  in  the  Congrega- 
tion," C.  LeRoy  Doty  Jr.,  Long  Beach, 
Calif.,  chairman;  D.  Conrad  Burton, 
Panorama  City,  Calif.,  James  Durn- 
baugh,  Pontiac,  Mich.,  and  Anna  B. 
Mow,  Roanoke,  Va.  Saturday,  "Congre- 
gation— -District  —  Elgin  (Trust  Gap)," 
Joseph  M.  Mason,  Huntingdon,  Pa., 
chairman;  Ralph  G.  McFadden,  EUi- 
cott  City,  Md.,  Richard  N.  Miller,  Elgin, 
111.,  W.  Clemens  Rosenberger,  Lititz, 
Pa.,  and  Eleanor  Weaver,  North  Man- 
chester, Ind.  Sunday,  "How  We  Work: 
Styles  of  Leadership,"  Earle  W.  Fike  Jr., 
Elgin,  111.,  chairman;  representatives  of 
the  General  Board  and  staff. 

Film  Workshop.  Friday,  "Language 
of  Films";  film,  "Occurrence  at  Owl 
Creek  Bridge."  Saturday,  "Planning  With 
Film";  film,  "Phoebe."   Sunday,  "  'Hope' 


20     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


as  a  Filmic  Theme."  Resource  person 
throughout,  John  G.   Fike,  Elgin,  111. 

International  Concerns.  Wednesday, 
"Vietnam  Tomorrow,"  H.  Lamar  Gibble 
and  Joel  K.  Thompson,  Elgin,  111. 
Thursday,  "The  Problem  of  Power," 
1970-71  mission  study  film  on  Latin 
America;  Stanley  L.  Davis  Jr.,  Chicago, 
111.;  John  D.  Metzler  Jr.,  Nappanee,  Ind., 
chairman.  Thursday,  "New  Patterns  in 
Health  Care  for  Developing  Nations," 
Mary  Dadisman,  Nigeria,  and  Louise 
Sayre,  India;  Paul  S.  Hoover,  Windsor, 
Pa.,  chairman.  Friday,  "Missions:  The 
Myth  and  the  Reality,"  Howard  Ogburn, 
Nigeria,  chairman;  Chalmer  E.  Faw, 
Nigeria,  and  Shantilal  P.  Bhagat  and 
Merle  Crouse,  Elgin,  111.  Sunday, 
"Christian  Response  to  World  Hunger," 
Lila  McCray,  Nappanee,  Ind.;  Kenneth 
E.   McDowell,   Elgin,   III.,   chairman. 

Ecology.  Friday,  "Our  Choices:  Pol- 
lution or  Survival,"  Marianne  Pittman, 
Champaign,  111.,  chairman;  John  H. 
Burkholder,  and  Gilford  J.  Ikenberry 
Jr.,  McPherson,  Kansas.  Sunday,  "Popu- 
lation Explosion,"  Robert  T.  Neher,  La 
Verne,  Calif.;  William  R.  Eberly,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  chairman. 

Concerns  on  Peace.  Wednesday, 
"Reconciling  in  an  Estranged  Land," 
Robert  Mueller,  Chicago,  111.;  B.  Wayne 
Crist,  Pomona,  Calif.,  chairman.  Fri- 
day, "Anabaptist  Thought  Today,"  Ar- 
thur Gish,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  Harold 
S.  Martin,  York,  Pa.;  Donald  F.  Durn- 
baugh,  Lombard,  111.,  chairman.  Friday, 
"Draft  Counseling  Workshop,"  Wilbur 
E.  Mullen,  Elgin,  111.,  chairman;  William 
Copenhaver,  Detroit,  Mich.,  Jeremy  H. 
Mott,  Chicago,  111.,  and  Wilbur  J. 
Stump,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.  Sunday, 
"Biblical  Basis  for  a  Peace  Witness," 
Robert  H.  Miller,  North  Manchester, 
Ind.,  chairman;  Warren  M.  Eshbach, 
Linthicum  Heights,  Md.,  Kerby  Lauder- 
dale, Oakland,  Calif.,  J.  Herbert  Miller, 
Hershey,  Pa.,  and  Sara  Lou  Weaver,  Oak 
Brook,  111. 

Social  Justice.  Wednesday,  "Poverty 
—  USA,"  Paul  Brumbaugh,  Champaign, 
111.,  and  Melvin  Gray,  Chicago,  111.; 
William   R.    Faw,   Los   Angeles,   Calif., 


To  guide  biblical  study  of  hope,  1.  to  r.:  F.  Bantz,  A.  Deeter,  E.  Roop,  R.  Morgan 


chairman.  Sunday,  "Women's  Rights," 
Phyllis  Carter,  Bryant,  Ind.,  and  Nancy 
Peters,  Elgin,  111.  Sunday,  "Minorities 
and  Sharing  Power,"  Ralph  G.  McFad- 
den,  Ellicott  City,  Md.,  and  Larry  K. 
Ulrich,  Gaithersburg,  Md.;  C.  Richard 
Pogue,  Washington,  D.C.,  chairman. 

Drama  and  Discussion.  Saturday,  "Es- 
pecially for  Youth,"  and  Sunday,  "Espe- 
cially for  Adults,"  both  sessions  with 
Covenant  Players;  Theodore  E.  Whit- 
acre,  Woodbridge,  Md.,  chairman. 

Guest  Leaders.  Among  guest  leaders 
in  the  above  list  from  outside  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  are  Myron  S.  Augs- 
burger,  president  of  Eastern  Mennonite 
College  and  Seminary;  Raymond  B. 
Hain,  chairman  of  the  Lincoln  Roman 
Catholic  Diocesan  Committee  on  Ecu- 
menism; William  Keeney,  chairman  of 
the  peace  section,  Mennonite  Central 
Committee;  the  Covenant  Players,  a 
drama  group  from  Encino,  Calif.; 
Lemuel  C.  Nascimento,  on  the  staff  of 
the  Board  of  World  Missions,  Presby- 
terian Church  in  the  United  States. 

Also  P.  D.  Rawate,  professor  of  the 
Allahabad  Agriculture  Institute  in  India 
and  a  graduate  student  at  the  University 
of  Nebraska;  Jess  Sixkiller,  former  ex- 
ecutive for  the  American  Indians  United; 
James  Wall,  film  critic  and  editor  of  the 
United  Methodist's  Christian  Advocate; 
Gerald  Sanctuary,  executive  director  of 
Sex  Information  and  Education  Council 
of  the  United  States  (SIECUS). 

Also  Richard  J.  Winsor,  director  of 
the  Religious  Activities  Department,  Na- 
tional Safety  Council;  Wesley  Veatch, 
director  of  family  education.  Disciples  of 
Christ;  and  William  Mueller,  executive 
secretary.  West  Side  Christian  Parish. 

The  sessions  Tuesday  through  Saturday 
are  slated  for  8:45  to  10  p.m.,  and  the 
Sunday  sessions  for  8:30  to  9:45  a.m. 


The  essence  of  hope 

To  DEEPEN  UNDERSTANDING  of  the  bibli- 
cal derivation  of  the  theme,  "Celebra- 
tion of  Hope,"  a  period  of  Bible  study 
will  open  each  of  the  four  full  days  of 
Annual  Conference,  June  24-27.  Each 
day's  presentation  will  deal  with  a  speci- 
fic scriptural  passage,  and  on  two  of  the 
occasions  reactors  will  share  their  own 
assessment  of  the  study. 

"The  Embodiment  of  Hope:  The 
Resurrection"  will  be  the  theme  de- 
veloped by  Eugene  F.  Roop  on  Wednes- 
day morning.  The  text  is  Mark  16:1-8. 
Mr.  Roop  is  an  alumnus  of  Manchester 
College  and  Bethany  Seminary  and.  is 
now  a  graduate  student  at  the  School  of 
Theology,  Claremont,  CaUf. 

"Hope  and  the  Social  Order"  will  be 
the  topic  of  the  Thursday  study,  based 
on  Luke  4:16-21.  The  major  presenta- 
tion will  be  by  Floyd  E.  Bantz,  pastor  of 
the  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Reactions  to  the  study  will 
be  offered  by  Kent  E.  Naylor,  pastor  of 
the  South  Waterloo  church  in  Iowa. 

"Hope  and  the  Moral  Life,"  drawing 
on  Matthew  25:1-13,  will  be  the  topic 
treated  by  Allen  C.  Deeter,  associate 
professor  of  religion  at  Manchester  Col- 
lege, in  the  Friday  morning  study. 

"Hope  and  Celebration"  is  the  subject 
of  the  final  study  hour,  on  Saturday, 
centered  on  Luke  14:15-24.  The  pre- 
senter will  be  Ronald  K.  Morgan,  pastor 
of  the  Mack  Memorial  church,  Dayton, 
Ohio.  The  reactor  will  be  Vernard 
Eller,  professor  of  religion  at  La  Verne 
College. 

During  the  evening  Insights  70s  series, 
as  indicated  in  the  preceding  article,  a 
Bible  Study  Talk-on  will  enable  con- 
ferencegoers  to  join  in  discussion  of  each 
day's  presentation. 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     21 


Conflicts 


by  La  Vernae  J.  Dick 


loday  Earl  Jackson,  an  eighteen-year- 
old  youth,  is  dead. 

A  year  ago  he  dreamed  of  settling 
conflicts  with  talk  rather  than  with  fists 
and  weapons  and  of  living  a  decent 
life.  He  said  that  he  was  tired  of 
fighting. 

Earl  was  raised  on  the  city  streets  of 
North  Philadelphia.  He  was  a  member 
of  a  teen-age  gang  who  lived  by  a  code 
of  violence.  About  a  year  ago  he 
decided  that  there  was  a  better  way  to 
live.  That  way  was  to  settle  conflicts 
by  talking.  His  mother,  neighborhood 
groups,  clergymen,  and  a  civic  organi- 
zation all  tried  to  help  Earl  turn  his 
dream  into  reality.  He  was  able  to 
persuade  fourteen  of  his  friends  to 
think  the  way  he  had  come  to  think.  It 
wasn't  long  until  this  group  began  to 
meet  at  one  another's  homes  to  talk 
things  over,  instead  of  meeting  on 
street  corners  to  fight. 

Last  night,  after  midnight,  Earl  and 
his  friends  sat  talking  on  the  porch  of 
his  home.  Two  shots  rang  out.  Earl 
clutched  his  chest  and  fell  to  the 
ground  dead,  the  victim  of  violence. 


I 


Can   conflict  be  settled   by  talk? 

Webster  says  that  conflict  is  dis- 
agreement. Conflict  might  also  be 
described  as  native  feelings  between 
two  people  arising  out  of  differing 
needs  or  goals.  Pat  and  Myra  are 
neighboring  mothers.  Their  chUdren 
play  together  constantly.  Pat  feels  that 
it  is  a  mother's  duty  to  protect  her 
children  when  they  are  being  treated 
unfairly  by  other  children.  Myra  feels 
differently.  She  thinks  that  children 
grow  best  by  learning  to  solve  their 
own  problems.  Because  these  two 
mothers  have  different  opinions  about 


\re  for  Growing 


raising  children,  the  battleground  has 
been  set  when  Pat  begins  to  telephone 
Myra  to  complain  about  the  children's 
quarrels. 

Conflict  is  not  bad.  It  is  a  neces- 
sary, fundamental  characteristic  of 
existence  and  begins  as  a  reflection  of 
action  and  vitality  of  living.  What  is 
bad,  however,  is  that  most  of  us  have 
great  difficulties  in  solving  conflicts. 
We  do  not  seem  to  have  faith  that  we 
will  prove  adequate  to  the  resolution  of 
conflict  in  a  peaceable  way. 

Conflict  is  a  theme  which  has  oc- 
cupied the  thinking  of  man  more  than 
any  other,  save  God  and  love.  The 
paradox  is  that,  in  all  its  abundance 
and  despite  the  massive  scrutiny  it  has 
endured  since  the  beginning  of  time, 
conflict  remains  as  difficult  to  solve  as 
if  its  presence  had  not  yet  been 
detected  by  man.  We  are  not  getting 
much  closer  to  an  era  of  peaceful 
interpersonal  relations.  This  suggests 
to  us  that  man  has  profited  very  little 
from  his  awareness  of  the  costly  les- 
sons of  conflict  in  history. 

Should  this  discourage  us  from  try- 
ing to  resolve  oiu"  conflicts  in  ways 
other  than  with  violence?  I  have 
a  strong  feeling  that,  while  it  is  true 
that  conflict  is  both  painfxil  and  not 
easUy  resolved,  people  can  learn  to 
face  it  squarely  and  settle  it  amiably. 
If  that  is  so,  why  are  people  so  afraid 
to  engage  in  conflict?  Why  do  we  deny 
its  existence? 


Why  do  people  cover  up  conflicts? 

Perhaps  there  are  some  very  vital 
reasons  why  people  tend  to  cover  up  a 
conflict  and  pretend  that  it  doesn't 
exist  until  it  becomes  such  an  explosive 
matter  that  violence  takes  over. 

Many  people  have  a  great  deal  of 
uncertainity  about  belonging  some- 
where. Everyone  needs  the  assurance 


that  somewhere  he  belongs,  is  wanted, 
and  is  valued  for  himself.  If  we  take 
the  risk  of  coming  into  conflict  with 
any  other  person,  the  number  and 
potentialities  of  things  that  may  hap- 
pen to  us  at  any  minute  are  beyond 
our  knowing.  This  helplessness  causes 
many  people  to  be  subservient.  The 
fear  of  abandonment  is  strong  in  all  of 
us. 

Another  risk  involved  in  conflict  is 
that  of  being  hurt.   Most  of  us  are 
basically  afraid  to  be  hurt.    Symbolic 
injury  and  psychological  pain  are 
much  more  excruciating  than  simple 
physical  hurts.   And  if  we  do  get  hurt 
in  a  conflict,  our  feelings  are  very 
difficult  for  us  to  express.   We  are, 
instead,  likely  to  be  withdrawn  and 
repressive. 

Sometimes  the  real  reason  for  not 
entering  into  conflict  or  for  denying  its 
existence  is  the  fact  that  a  person  has 
made  a  virtue  of  not  being  aware  that 


he  has  any  normal  feelings  of  hostility. 
This  is  especially  true  of  persons  who 
consider  themselves  Christians. 

Jim,  a  very  devoted  Christian,  al- 
ways has  a  smUe,  no  matter  what  is 
said  to  him.  He  says  that  he  never  gets 
angry  about  anything.  But  after  being 
around  him  for  awhile,  one  begins  to 
notice  that  even  though  he  always 
smiles  and  never  lets  his  voice  get  out 
of  hand,  his  hostile  feelings  are  shown 
in  other  ways.  Besides  being  very 
tense,  he  is  continually  wiping  the 
perspiration  from  his  forehead.  Con- 
flict, whether  it  be  a  verbal  or  physical 
fight  or  simply  little  acts  of  angry 
behavior,  makes  our  bodies  respond. 
The  worst  thing  we  can  do  to  it  is  to 
repress  our  feelings  of  conflict. 

This  leads  us  to  another  point.  Too 
often  in  life  there  are  problems  about 
which  we  make  the  unconscious  as- 
sumption that  in  order  to  have  har- 
mony we  must  also  have  agreement. 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     23 


CONFLICTS  ARE  FOR  GROWING  /  continued 


Perhaps  this  arises  from  the  necessity 
to  be  approved  of  by  everyone.  If  this 
is  the  way  we  feel,  then  we  are  refusing 
to  be  truthful  and  honest  with  our- 
selves and  others.  A  healthy  relation- 
ship does  not  always  have  to  be  an 
agreeing  one. 

J.  Sidlow  Baxter,  a  famous  lecturer 
and  writer,  was  talking  about  his  work 
as  the  pastor  of  a  chapel  in  Edinburgh, 
Scotland.  "You  know,"  he  said,  "the 
people  who  helped  me  the  most  in  that 
church  were  not  the  ones  who  always 
said  yes.  It  was  the  ones  who  some- 
times said  no  when  I  proposed  a  new 
program  or  idea.  This  gave  me  the 
opportunity  to  go  back  and  reevaluate 
what  I  was  doing.  Sometimes  I  needed 
that  extra  look  because  I  was  wrong." 


What  happens  if  conflicts  are 
denied   or  covered   up? 

Kathleen's  grandmother  died  when 
she  was  three  years  old.  Her  parents 
felt  that  she  was  too  young  to  under- 
stand, so  they  just  never  talked  about 
Grandma  anymore.  Kathleen  soon 
learned  not  to  talk  about  her,  too. 

Months  later  Kathleen  was  standing 
at  the  window  when  she  saw  Grand- 
dad's car  come  into  the  driveway. 
Seeing  two  people  in  the  car,  she  raced 
outside.  "Grandma,"  she  shouted, 
"you've  come  back!" 

Then,  discovering  that  the  passenger 
wasn't  her  grandma  after  all,  Kathleen 
turned  and  walked  slowly  back  to  the 
house.  Inside,  she  complained, 
"Mother,  I'm  sick." 

Conflict,  especially  that  which  is 
denied,  makes  our  bodies  respond.  As 
a  result,  a  person  may  develop  psycho- 
somatic complaints  which  actually 
make  him  physically  ill,  as  Kathleen 
was. 

It  is  not  only  our  bodies  which  re- 
spond to  conflict.  Our  emotions 


respond  as  well. 

Lee  and  Jim  were  working  on  a 
project  which  took  much  close  collab- 
orating. One  day  Jim  upset  Lee  by 
something  he  said.  However,  Lee  re- 
fused to  let  Jim  know  that  he  was 
upset.  The  next  several  times  they 
were  to  work  on  the  project,  Lee  re- 
fused to  see  Jim,  saying  that  he  was 
too  busy. 

What  happened  in  a  situation  such 
as  this  one?  Jim  perceived  that  some- 
thing was  wrong,  but  he  didn't  know 
what  it  was.  He  was  puzzled  and  con- 
fused because  when  he  left  that  day, 
Lee  was  talking  about  how  well  the 
project  was  going.  But  he  was  express- 
ing something  different  in  his  feelings. 
Consequently,  Jim  was  not  able  to  gain 
a  realistic  view  of  himself  in  the  situa- 
tion. If  it  is  true  that  a  person  is  al- 
ways in  a  state  of  development,  then 
situations  such  as  this  one  keep  him 
from  perceiving  the  limits  which  he 
must  maintain  over  his  hostility  and 
over  the  approved  form  for  expressions 
of  conflict.  This  increases  his  difficulty 
in  creating  more  workable  patterns  of 
behavior  in  interpersonal  relations  with 
others. 

Lee,  on  the  other  hand,  probably 
felt  guilty  because,  somewhere  within 
him,  he  knew  that  his  behavior  did  not 
accurately  reflect  his  belief.  It  led  to 
so  much  tension  that  he  was  unable  to 
face  Jim  for  their  usual  appointments. 

Put  these  two  factors  together  and 
the  end  result  is  likely  to  be  a  far  more 
violent  and  dramatic  episode  than 
would  have  had  to  happen  if  Lee  and 
Jim  had  faced  their  conflict  honestly. 

This  kind  of  conflict  can  be  com- 
pared with  the  healing  of  a  broken 
arm.  Merely  not  admitting  that  con- 
flict has  developed  is  like  treating  a 
broken  arm  by  simply  favoring  it  and 
expecting  it  miraculously  to  heal  itself. 
It  won't.  A  broken  arm  must  be 


straightened  out  and  carefully  reset. 
So  does  a  relationship  in  which  a  con- 
flict has  developed.  This  will  be  un- 
derstandably painful,  but  it  is  neces- 
sary because  broken  relationships  • 
which  haven't  mended  probably  won't 
be  able  to  stand  very  much  pressure. 

A  person  can  never  have  a  true  and 
lasting  relationship  with  another  until 
he  is  able  to  fight  with  him.  When  we 
are  able  to  show  that  we  are  angry, 
that  we  are  afraid,  that  we  can  be  hurt, 
and  also  that  we  can  trust,  then  we  can 
love.  Limits  are  a  part  of  loving.  We 
are  more  comfortable  in  a  setting  in 
which  the  limits  are  recognized  as  real. 

Closely  related  to  covering  up  con- 
flict is  getting  on  the  emotional  merry- 
go-round.  Then  we  feel  so  many  feel- 
ings at  once  that  we  don't  express  any 
of  them  adequately  enough  to  commu- 
nicate to  the  other  person.  Instead  we 
offer  only  confusion. 

Another  way  that  people  handle 
conflicts  is  with  "one  hand  on  the 
doorknob."  The  true  feelings  slip  out, 
but  the  person  is  ready  to  run  the 
instant  anyone  reacts  to  him. 

Marge  found  a  rather  handy  way  to 
handle  conflicts  in  this  manner.  If  she 
felt  strongly  about  something,  she  re- 
pressed it  until  she  got  home.  Then 
she  wrote  a  letter  to  the  other  person 
involved  in  the  conflict  and  vented  all 
of  her  feelings  of  hostility.  In  this  way 
she  assured  herself  of  safety  because  it 
was  very  likely  that  the  other  person 
would  be  cooled  off  by  the  time  he 
responded. 

Conflicts  do  not  need  to  be  viewed 
with  discomfort  or  even  horror.  Con- 
flicts are  for  growing;  they  give  us  the 
opportunity  to  explore  and  learn. 
Therefore,  responding  to  conflicts  face 
forward  can  serve  as  a  vital  function 
for  continuing  growth.  We  learn  noth- 
ing more  important  than  the  art  of  be- 
coming a  more  independent  person. 


24     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


Looking  for  reference  books? 


This  is  true  even  though  the  skills  we 
learn  in  handling  conflict  are  gained 
through  a  lifetime  of  painful  lessons  at 
the  hands  of  others. 


Hew  can   we   handle   our  conflicts 
more   realistically? 

The  ideal  way  of  resolving  conflicts 
is  to  approach  them  as  problems  to 
solve  and  to  effect  the  best  compromise 
available. 

The  purpose  of  a  conflict  should 
never  be  to  win  but  to  express  one's 
whole  self  in  conflict.  There  are  al- 
ways two  reasonable  points  of  view 
being  expressed  in  a  conflict.  These 
points  really  exist  inside  ourselves  and 
the  other  person. 

In  a  conflict  we  should  give  evidence 
to  support  our  viewpoint  and  express 
our  feelings  as  directly  as  possible.  It 
is  also  just  as  important  to  listen  to  the 
other  person's  point  of  view.  This  may 
be  an  opportunity  which  will  extend 
our  knowledge  about  the  other  person, 
or  it  may  replace  an  outworn  assump- 
tion which  we  have  about  him. 

By  being  willing  to  be  involved  in  a 
conflict,  we  can  learn  to  appreciate  the 
differences  in  others.  Our  readiness  to 
consider  the  other  person's  views  and 
goals  and  our  willingness  to  discuss 
personal  problems  rationally  will  lead 
to  a  quicker  solution  of  conflicts.  Con- 
fronting conflict  can  be  an  exciting 
experience.  It  may  help  us  to  set  new 
geak  for  ourselves  and  refine  our  own 
s&nse  of  va}\ies  because  we  are  being 
motivated  in  some  direct  way  to  im- 
prove ourseWes. 

It  is  important  ttiat  after  hearing 
each  rebutt^  and  counterrebuttal  that 
we  keep  talking  until  each  person  feels 
better.  This  takes  time,  but  it  is  worth 
it.  It  has  been  said  that  a  good, 
finished  argument  is  better  than  a 
sleeping  piU.    D 


CHRISTIAN  WORD  BOOK,  by  J.  Sherrell  Hendricks 

et   al.     Abingdon,    1969.     320    pages,   $3.95 
FIFTY    KEY    WORDS    IN    PHILOSOPHY,    by    Keith 

Ward.      John     Knox,     1969.      85     pages,     $1.65 

paper 
A     CHRISTIAN'S     DICTIONARY:      1,600     NAMES, 

WORDS,  AND   PHRASES,  by  James  S.  Kerr  and 

Charles  Lutz.    Fortress  Press,   1969.     178  pages, 

$4.50  cloth,  $2.95  paper 
WHO'S   WHO    IN   CHURCH   HISTORY,   by   William 

P.   Barker.     Revell,   1969.    319   pages,   $6.95 

Now  THAT  we  Brethren  are  taking  a 
look  at  our  theologies  in  church  school, 
we  would  do  well  if  we  had  at  hand  at 
least  one  good  reference  book  to  which 
we  might  turn  for  explanation  of  terms 
like   myth,  existentialism,  baptism. 

Christian  Word  Book,  by  J.  Sherrell 
Hendricks  and  others,  provides  in-depth, 
readable  treatments  of  such  terms.  Fifty 
Key  Words  in  Philosophy  by  Keith 
Ward  provides  more  technical  treatment 
of  philosophical  terms  which  impinge 
upon  Christian  thought.  A  Christian's 
Dictionary,  by  James  S.  Kerr  and  Charles 
Lutz,  places  thumbnail  sketches  of 
groups,  persons,  concepts,  and  "church 
utensils"  at  our  fingertips.  Who's  Who  in 
Church  History,  by  William  P.  Barker, 
gives  what  its  author  believes  to  be  the 
salient  emphases  of  persons  effectively 
connected  with  the   church. 

The  Christian  Word  Book  has  been 
written  and  compiled  with  the  many  new 
theology-centered  curriculums  in  use  by 
or  being  planned  for  most  denominations 
in  mind.  This  book  "is  meant  to  provide 
a  fairly  comprehensive  review  of  terms 
from  the  Christian  tradition  to  supple- 
ment and  support  the  student's  normal 
resources  for  study." 

By  following  the  referrals  at  the  end  of 
a  given  article,  one  may  discover  most 
aspects  of  his  topic.  This  referral  sys- 
tem, combined  with  the  "see"  references, 
makes  Christian  Word  Book  an  excellent 
reference  tool  for  the  church  or  home 
library. 

The  articles  are  arranged  alphabetically 
word  by  word.  Each  article  consists  of 
the  pertinent  information  and  cross  ref- 
erences and  has  the  initials  of  the  ar- 
ticle's author.  Exceptionally  long  articles 
have  a  summary  at  their  beginning.   Pro- 


nunciations are  also  given.  Christian 
Word  Book  may  fulfill  your  needs  for 
informative  help  when  studying  church 
school  lessons. 

Ward's  Fifty  Key  Words  in  Philosophy 
put  at  hand  philosophical  terms  which 
bear  upon  one  point  or  another  of  Chris- 
tian thought.  This  little  volume  provides 
explanations  of  ninety-four  words  "which 
are  used  both  in  specialist  works  and  in 
ordinary  life."  The  reference  aid  is  part 
of  the  Fifty  Key  Word  Books  series  by 
John  Knox  Press  dealing  with  theology, 
Bible,  church,  philosophy,  and  sociology. 

There  are  fifty  basic  articles,  each 
numbered.  The  remaining  forty-four 
terms  are  listed  in  an  index  with  the 
numbers  of  the  articles  in  which  they 
are  treated.  For  example  ontology  is 
treated  in  article  27,  "Metaphysics." 
This  numbering  system  provides  the 
means  for  cross-referencing:  After  each 
article  is  the  number  or  numbers  of  re- 
lated article  (s). 

Ward  provides  a  list  of  philosophers 
he  has  mentioned  in  the  text.  This  list, 
chronologically  arranged,  gives  the  page 
numbers  where  each  philosopher  is  men- 
tioned. Such  an  arrangement,  combined 
with  the  cross-referencing  system,  makes 
of  this  paperback  reference  tool  a  handy 
introduction  to  philosophy. 

Of  the  ninety-four  terms  treated  by 
Ward,  A  Christian's  Dictionary  by  Kerr 
and  Lutz  treats  nineteen.  Illustrating  the 
difference  in  treatment  is  the  term  cos- 
mology: Ward  uses  almost  two  pages  to 
describe  the  importance  of  the  term; 
Kerr  and  Lutz  say,  "Any  view  of  the 
universe  as  an  ordered  system  (from 
cosmos,  Greek  for  'vsjorid')" 

Such  a  difference  in  treatment  demon- 
strates the  difference  in  putfioses.  Kerr 
and  Lutz  aim  "to  help  the  layman  under- 
stand the  words  which  form  the  church's 
distinctive  language"  by  providing  a 
"popular  dictionary"  to  that  language. 

As  a  popular  treatment  of  names, 
words,  and  phrases  in  common  parlance 
in  the  church  A  Christian's  Dictionary  is 
successful.  The  treatment  of  funda- 
mentalism leaves  something  to  be  desired. 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     25 


REVffiWS  /  continued 

whereas  treatment  of  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  Dunkard  or  Dunker  pro- 
vides fair,  even  challenging,  descriptions 
of  what  we  have  been  and  are  about. 

For  fuller  information  about  persons 
historically  significant  to  the  church,  how- 
ever, one  must  turn  to  Barker's  Who's 
Who  in  Church  History.  If  the  person 
for  whom  one  is  looking  consciously 
thought  of  himself  as  part  of  the  church, 
had  some  effect  upon  its  ministry,  and  is 
no  longer  living,  then  he  will  be  found  in 
Barker's  book. 

Brethren  may  wonder  though.  Conrad 
Beissel  makes  the  group  covered,  but 
Mack,  Nead,  Brumbaugh,  and  other 
German  Baptist  leaders  are  not  to  be 
found.  This  raises  a  point  of  criticism: 
Has  Barker  ignored  the  smaller  denomi- 
nations and  sects?  He  has  the  Brethren; 
perhaps    he    has    ignored    other   smaller 

REVIEWS  /  RECORDS 


groups. 

There  is  valuable  and  quite  readable 
information  in  Who's  Who.  .  .  .  This 
work  becomes  necessary  for  those  who 
have  no  other  larger  or  similar  work 
nearby.  Barker  does  include  such  men 
as  Barth,  Tillich,  Martin  Luther  King, 
and  others  who  have  died  recently, 
thus  being  relatively  up-to-date. 

These  four  reference  books  would  be 
good  additions  to  any  church  library  as 
well  as  to  a  personal  library.  Just  over 
seventeen  dollars  will  put  all  four  in 
your  library.  If  your  budget  is  more 
limited,  and  all  you  want  is  a  brief  treat- 
ment of  significant  terms  and  persons, 
then  begin  with  Kerr  and  Lutz.  And  if 
you  want  solid  treatment  of  terms  used 
in  particular  ways  by  the  church,  then 
Christian  Word  Book  should  fill  your 
needs.  —  James  E.  Weaver 


Music  for  Listening -New  and  Old 


REQUIEM:  Biber  (Telefunken)  repre- 
sents, in  a  way,  the  contribution  of  the 
tiny  principality  of  Liechtenstein  to 
sacred  music,  for  it  was  the  archbishop 
of  that  miniature  state  who  commis- 
sioned this  and  other  works  by  Heinrich 
Biber  in  the  late  seventeenth  century. 
They  combine  courtly  grace  with  robust 
folk  tunes  and  an  original,  individual 
imagination.  Besides  the  Requiem  we 
hear  two  Latin  cantatas  and  a  striking 
St.  Polycarp  Sonata  for  eight  trumpets 
and  bass.  The  whole  genial  offering  is 
presided  over  by  the  sensitive  conductor 
Nikolaus  Harnoncourt,  leading  a  group  of 
period  instruments,  and  Hans  Gills- 
berger,  conducting  the  Vienna  Boys 
Choir  and  Chorus  Viennensis. 

SYMPHONY  NO.  2:  Mahler  (Deutsche 

26     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


Grammophon)  finds  Rafael  Kubelik  well 
on  the  way  to  completing  his  version  of 
the  nine  Mahler  symphonies.  As  we 
have  come  to  expect,  his  version  of  this, 
the  pensive  and  ultimately  joyous  Resur- 
rection Symphony,  is  among  the  best  — 
full-bodied  and  a  mite  more  vigorous 
than  Klemperer's  (Angel),  and  with  so- 
prano Edith  Mathis  and  alto  Norma 
Procter  nicely  edging  their  top  com- 
petitors. The  only  fault  is  the  manual 
sequence  of  this  set,  which  means  one 
more  side  to  turn. 

THE  YOUTH'S  MAGIC  HORN:  Mah- 
ler (Columbia)  was  the  composer's  first 
major  work.  Taking  a  group  of  folk 
poems,  he  gave  them  orchestral  settings 
of  strength  and  deep  feeling.  Only  one 
of  the  extant  recordings   (featuring  the 


incomparable  voices  of  Schwarzkopf  and 
Fischer-Dieskau  on  Angel)  beats  this 
one,  or  even  competes  with  it.  In  certain 
respects  the  present  one,  conducted  by 
Leonard  Bernstein,  is  unique,  for  there 
are  some  songs  in  which  mezzo  Christa 
Ludwig  and  baritone  Walter  Berry  are 
heard  together  —  songs,  that  is,  which 
call  for  alternate  male  and  female  parts. 
Further  insight  into  these  wonderful 
songs  comes  through  a  bonus  disk  on 
which  Bernstein  and  the  singers  run 
through  them  once  more,  substituting 
Mahler's  original  piano  version  for  the 
full  score  as  played  by  the  New  York 
Philharmonic.  And  whether  pianist  or 
conductor,  Bernstein  shows  himself  once 
more  a  Mahlerian  among  Mahlerians. 

THE  CARMEN  BALLET:  Shchedrin 
(RCA)  infuses  new  life  into  one  of  the 
most  familiar  warhorses  of  the  nine- 
teenth-century middlebrow  repertoire. 
Redien  Shchedrin,  a  thirty-eight-year-old 
Soviet  composer  of  proven  gifts  (The 
Humpbacked  Horse;  Mischievous  Melo- 
dies) takes  flirtatious  liberties  with  the 
familiar  lady  of  the  bullring  and  comes 
up  with  a  spry  delight  that,  for  my 
money,  beats  the  original  Bizet  score 
hands  down.  Shchedrin's  liberties  go  so 
far  as  the  use  of  a  xylophone  to  put  an 
edge  of  wit  on  the  Toreador  song,  and 
the  interpolation  of  the  most  familiar 
section  of  Bizet's  Arlesienne  Suite. 
Shchedrin  never  tries  to  demolish.  Em- 
bellish would  be  truer,  for  he  alternately 
spoofs  and  extracts  lush  beauty  from 
the  operatic  score.  Arthur  Fiedler  does 
the  honors,  with  the  Boston  Pops.  Tired 
businessmen  and  others:  This  is  your 
dish.   It  asks  little  and  gives  much. 

NEW  MUSIC  OF  CHARLES  IVES 
(Columbia)  consists  of  seventeen  first  re- 
cordings of  vocal  and  choral  works  dat- 
ing from  about  1895  to  1920.  Side  one 
begins  with  a  powerful,  dissonant  "Let 
There  Be  Light,"  undergirded  by  craggy 
organ  chords,  and  is  followed  by  setting 
of  Psalms  14,  54,  25,  and  135.  These 
alone  would  justify  the  issue  of  this  rec- 
ord, a  companion  to  the  earher  Charles 


Ives:  Music  for  Chorus.  Both  records 
feature  the  Gregg  Smith  Singers.  Side 
two  of  New  Music  contains  a  dozen 
songs,  some  employing  chamber  orches- 
tra and  many  featuring  soloists.  A  few, 
at  least,  such  as  "The  Children's  Hour," 
have  previously  been  issued  in  voice-and- 
piano  versions.  Others  include  "Toler- 
ance," "Walt  Whitman,"  and  the  fasci- 
nating "On  the  Antipodes."  A  major 
addition    to    both    America's    and    the 


church's  musical  heritage. 

SYMPHONIES  No.  6  and  No.  8: 
Vauglian  Williams  (RCA)  finds  Andre 
Previn  once  again  at  the  helm  of  the 
London  Symphony.  Pop-jazz  pianist 
Previn  is  no  slouch  with  the  classics,  and 
he  shows  remarkable  insight  into  the 
two  most  dissonant  and  complex  of 
Vaughan  Williams'  symphonies,  dating 
respectively  from  1948  and  1956.   These 


works  are  not  difficult  to  hear,  but  it 
takes  a  firm  baton  to  balance  potentially 
unwieldly  elements  as  a  large  percussion 
battery  pitted  against  the  rest  of  the  or- 
chestra in  the  Eighth.  Young  Previn's 
versions  will  bear  comparison  with  the 
excellent  ones  of  veteran  Sir  Adrian  Boult 
on  Angel,  but  RCA's  engineers  have 
somehow  fitted  the  Sixth  onto  one  side, 
making  Previn's  the  bargain  to  buy.  — 
William  Robert  Miller 


Faith  looks  up... 


My  faith  looked  up  and  I  was  thrilled  when  I  first  read 
of  the  new  Educational  Plan  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  the  subsequent  preparation  of  the 
Educational  Guide.  I  am  happy  to  be  a  part  of  a 
denomination  that  says,  "The  local  congregation  has 
both  the  right  and  the  responsibility  to  determine  what 
its  educational  program  is  to  be."  I  am  grateful  that 
there  were  well-conceived  and  well-conducted  plans  to 
help  congregations  face  that  right  and  that  responsibil- 
ity. The  day  of  a  national  Church  of  the  Brethren 
curriculum  is  over. 

The  challenge  of  Church  of  the  Brethren  Christian 
education  is  before  us.  It  must  grow  and  glow  in  the 
local  congregation  where  its  objectives  must  be 
established,  its  methods  refined,  and  its  program 
evaluated.  From  the  Elgin  Office  support  and  encour- 
agement will  come.  But  the  Holy  Spirit  must  move  on 
the  local  congregation  front,  through  lay  people,  or 
Christian  education  will  not  take  place  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren. 

My  faith  looked  up  and  again  I  was  thrilled  in 
Louisville  when  delegates  from  and  on  the  floor 
struggled  with  the  Fund  for  the  Americas.  I  am  glad 
this  didn't  come  from  one  concerned  individual  in  a 
semiconcerned  congregation,  through  the  chaimels  of  a 
"pass  the  buck,"  pass  it  to  someone  else  (the  Board) 


for  recommendation  ("Thus  I  will  escape  at  home"). 

It  is  difficult  to  think  clearly  in  terms  of  love, 
compassion,  and  commitment  when  there  are  a 
Manifesto,  threats,  and  clenched  fists  before  the  eyes  or 
a  threat  to  the  pocketbook  and  the  political  ideal  that 
promises  to  keep  that  pocketbook  full.  I  have  a  feeling 
that  it  was  difficult  years  ago  to  love,  have  compassion, 
and  keep  a  commitment  while  wearing  a  mocking 
purple  robe,  a  thorn  crown,  and  carrying  a  death- 
dealing  cross  before  a  jeering  crowd. 

My  faith  looks  up  because  these  are  the  real  testing 
days  of  being  Christian  in  a  land  of  affluence,  because 
being  Christian  and  being  Brethren  are  being  handed  to 
persons,  lay  and  ministerial,  to  work  out  at  the  local 
level.  This  is  no  time  to  wait  for  the  voice  of  recom- 
mendation from  afar  off:  it  must  come  from  within. 


ROBERT  W.  TULLY  is  a  professor  in  the 
department  of  recreation  and  parli  admin- 
istration at  Indiana  University.   He  and  his 
wife,  the  former  Ruth  Weaver,  sponsor  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  student  fellowship 
at  Bloomington,  Ind.,  where  they  live,  but 
they  are  also  active  in  the  Northview 
church  in  Indianapolis.  Bob  carries  dis- 
trict and  community  responsibilities  related 
to  education  and  services  to  the  aging. 
The  Tullys  have  two  sons,  Robert  C,  dean 
of  men  at  Manchester  College,  and  Rich- 
ard, a  graduate  student  at  I.U. 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     27 


REVIEWS  /  MOVIES 


IDEAS  FOR  FAITH  AND  LIFE 


THE  URGENT  NOW 

James  Armstrong.  How  do  you  reach  people  more  attuned 
to  the  "Today  Show"  than  the  eleven  o'clock  service?  An- 
swers to  this  and  other  vital  questions  confronting  the  church 
are  sought  in  thirteen  timely  sermons.  $3.75 

CHRIST'S  SUBURBAN  BODY 

Wilfred  Bailey  and  William  McElvaney.  The  suburban  church 
should  play  an  important  role  in  the  future  of  America's  life 
style.  Two  young  ministers  propose  exciting  innovations  for 
utilizing  its  full  potential.  $4.95 

HANDBOOK  OF  DENOMINATIONS 
IN  THE  UNITED  STATES 

Frank  S.  Mead.  The  New  Fifth  Edition  contains  the  latest 
data  available  on  over  250  religious  bodies  in  the  United 
States.  Revisions  include  facts  about  mergers  among  and 
changes  in  denominations.  $3.95 

BECAUSE  IT'S  HERE 

Jone  A^erchant.  Over  100  poems  based  on  the  thought  that 
though  man  has  traveled  to  the  moon,  the  earth  remains, 
for  most  of  us,  the  greatest  source  of  wonder,  because  it's 
here.  $3.50 

SNAPPY  BULLETIN  BITS 

Paul  E.  Holdcraft.  For  busy  ministers  and  church  workers, 
a  collection  of  thought-provoking  quotes  for  the  church 
bulletin,  calendar,  or  bulletin  board.  Arranged  under  appro- 
priate  headings   for   easy   reference.    Paper,    $1.25 

OFF  TO  A  GOOD  START 

Ada  A.  Ingram.  Fifteen  installation  services  adaptable  to 
all  occasions.  All  church  groups  and  classes  will  find  that 
unique  themes,  simple  props,  and  detailed  instructions  aid 
in  presenting  a  memorable  service.  Paper,  95^ 

JOHN  CELEBRATES  THE  GOSPEL 

Ernest  W.  Sounders  presents  a  stimulating  study  guide 
answering  the  questions:  What  is  the  unique  contribution 
of  the  Fourth  Gospel?  What  were  the  special  concerns  of 
its  author?  Paper,  $1.95 

At  your  local  bookstore 

Abingdon  Press 


Marooned 


Twenty  years  ago  a  nicely  crafted  little 
film,  Destination  Moon,  helped  make 
many  of  us  aware  of  the  technical  and 
moral  questions  which  might  become  a 
part  of  manned  space  flight.  Now,  twen- 
ty years  later  we  have  Marooned  — •  ba- 
sically an  up-dated  Destination  Moon, 
but  without  the  guts  of  the  earlier  film. 

Marooned  does  show  how  far  we  have 
come    technologically    in    these    twenty 
years.   Indeed,  its  strongest  feature  is  the  i 
semidocumentary  ambiance  of  the  earlier  i 
portions,  as  the  viewer  comes  to  feel  that  ' 
he  is  a  part  of  NASA.   Dialogue  is  crisp, 
computers  are  computing,  machines  and 
the  cold  logic  of  mathematics  are  in  con-  • 
trol.    Fine.    Through  the  camera  we  are  t 
once  again  —  as  we  were  last  summer  — 
caught  up   in  the   technology  of  man's  i 
greatest  adventure. 

But     then     plot     intrudes     and     Ma- 
rooned becomes  standard  suspense  fare. 
On  the  return  trip  from  five  months  in  i 
an  artificial  satellite  the  retro-rockets  on  i 
Ironman  I  do  not  fire,  and  three  astro-  • 
nauts  are  left  stranded.  The  "book"  (log-  • 
ic)  says  nothing  can  be  done.    Emotion  i 
(and  j>olitics)   says  jerryrig  a  rescue  op-  ■ 
eration  in  the  face  of  a  hurricane.    Add  I 
teary-eyed  wives,   a  stolid  NASA  com-  ■ 
mander   who   doesn't   flinch   under   any 
kind  of  pressure,  an  increasingly  schizo- 
phrenic astronaut,  and  what  began  as  a  i 
technically  fine  film  submerges  into  trite- 
ness. 

Which  fact  is  really  unfortunate  be- 
cause Marooned  poses  two  moral  ques- 
tions of  true  import  but  then  cops  out 
on  dealing  with  them  in  favor  of  a  taste- 
less plot. 

The  first  question  is  that  posed  by  the 
parasitic  relationship  of  man  and  ma- 
chine. If  the  machines  do  not  find  the 
answers  to  their  own  insufficiencies,  is 
there  still  a  role  for  the  inviolability  of 
human  spirit?  Commander  Keith  (Greg- 
ory Peck)  would  seem  to  be  saying  "No," 
yet  he  is  finally  caught  up  by  the  emo- 
tionalism of  Ted  Dougherty  (David  Jans- 
sen),  who  is  resolved  to  effect  the  rescue. 
But  the  film  cops  out  in  the  form  of  a 
Russian  cosmonaut,  introduced  at  the 
eleventh   hour,   who   reaches   the   astro- 


28     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


Wliich 

Jesus? 


nauts  before  Dougherty  can.  Moreover, 
we  never  do  learn  vt^hy  the  retro-rockets 
didn't  fire,  and  thus  the  man/machine 
questions  remain  quite  unresolved. 

The  second  —  and  potentially  more 
significant  —  moral  question  is  that  of 
life  and  death  in  a  situation  where  one 
man's  death  can  make  the  difference  of 
life  for  others.  (As  this  is  being  written 
during  Holy  Week,  my  mind  clings  to 
the  parallel  with  Caiaphas'  enigmatic  as- 
sertion about  Jesus:  "It  is  expedient  for 
you  that  one  man  should  die  for  the 
people.  .  .  .")  With  Dougherty  on  his 
;way,  there  is  enough  oxygen  to  keep  two 
men  alive  but  not  three.  The  astronauts 
!  begin  to  deal  with  this  dilemma,  but  here 
j  again  the  resolution  is  unsatisfactory,  for 
I  the  actions  of  Jim  Pruitt  could  be  con- 
jceived  of  as  either  self-sacrifice  or  acci- 
Ident.  Commander  Keith  prefers  the  lat- 
ter explanation,  thus  blunting  the  moral 
implications  this  situation  might  have. 

Of  the  actors  only  Gene  Hackman  as 
the  somewhat  schizoid  Buzz  Lloyd  man- 
i  ages  any  real  depth  to  his  character. 
Peck  and  Janssen  jut  their  chins  a  lot 
and  are  simply  wooden.  Richard  Crenna 
and  James  Franciscus  as  the  other  two 
astronauts  are  one-dimensional  —  in- 
deed, one  of  the  problems  in  becoming 
involved  with  these  marooned  men  is  that 
we  are  not  given  enough  characterization 
to  feel  much  along  with  them. 

The  advent  of  that  Russian  cosmonaut 
gives  director  John  Sturges  an  opportu- 
nity to  say  a  meaningful  word  about  in- 
ternational cooperation.  But  he  blows  his 
chance  by  maintaining  U.S.A.  technical 
superiority:  The  cosmonaut  is  still  tied 
to  his  ship  by  an  umbilical  cord  while  the 
astronauts  use  back  packs  to  move 
through  space. 

Much  of  the  camera  technique  is  very 
well  done,  especially  the  zero-gravity  se- 
quences. 

In  sum,  Marooned  —  on  the  basis  of 
its  premises  —  could  have  been  a  master- 
ful addition  to  film  science-fiction;  but  it 
bypasses  its  opportunities  and  thus  offers 
us  just  one  more  example  of  space-opera. 
—  Dave  Pomeroy 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued 

ago  when  my  wife  and  I  were  in  Rapid 
City,  S.D.  It  was  our  intention  to  go  to 
church  somewhere  in  that  city,  but  we 
changed  our  minds  and  drove  on  to  Mount 
Rushmore.  I  must  say  we  felt  a  sense  of 
guilt  for  not  attending  church  services.  But 
upon  reaching  Mount  Rushmore,  we  had  a 
change  of  attitude.  Folks  who  were  there 
seemed  to  be  in  a  spirit  of  worship.  Those 
shrines  were  carved  out  by  the  hand  of 
man.  But  the  solid  rock  was  created  by 
the  hand  of  God.  As  we  drove  on  through 
the  majestic  mountains  of  Colorado,  we 
still  reveled  in  the  greatness  of  God's  cre- 
ation. 

I  do  not  want  to  minimize  the  im- 
portance of  Sunday  morning  church  at- 
tendance. But  if  we  do  not  take  time  to 
meditate  upon  the  many  wonders  of 
God's  creation,  we  are  missing  great 
moments    in    our    Christian    lives. 

George  A.  Garber 
Oakley,  111. 

ABOLISH   THE  DRAFT 

Members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
of  which  I  am  a  member,  have  long  pro- 
fessed to  be  a  group  of  pacifists.  It  seems 
to  me  that  each  of  us  could  immediately 
express  our  opinions  to  President  Nixon, 
Defense  Secretary  Melvin  Laird,  and  to 
our  congressmen  and  representatives  on 
the  matter  of  abolishing  the  draft  and 
settling  for  a  professional,  voluntary  mili- 
tary force. 

One  comprehensive  study  now  on  the 
President's  desk  says  we  can  and  should  ef- 
fect such  a  change  now.  Will  you  please 
encourage  readers  of  Messenger  to  support 
this  move? 

Ida  Eller 
Princeton,  W.  Va. 

A  THANK-YOU   NOTE 

I  wish  to  thank  all  the  people  who  have 
contributed  or  will  contribute  to  the  Fund 
for  the  Americas  in  the  United  States  in 
this  current  church  year.  Because  of  this 
giving,  I  had  the  opportunity  to  be  a  part 
of  a  workshop  on  racism  in  the  Western 
Plains  District.  It  was  helpful  to  me,  and 
I  only  hope  others  could  receive  a  similar 
benefit  from  this  Fund. 

This  is  just  one  of  the  many  benefits  that 
church  people  and  others  can  receive  from 
this  kind  of  concern. 

James  E.  Tomlonson 
McPherson,  Kansas 


/JESUS 


Jesus:  Man  for  Today 

T.  RALPH  MORTON  •  In  this  enlightening 
study   of  J 


Rrst  explores 
aditional  titles  given  to  Jesus  in  the  pi 


'ithin  the  church  that  obscures 
d    what    the    churc' 
alee  Je 
ingful.  $3.95 

Which  Jesus? 

JOHN  WICK  BOWMAN  •   In  spite  of  the 


ntific 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 
GENERAL  OFFICES, 
Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


5-21-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Rotary  International  has  selected 
Hobart  Blair,  Virden,  111.,  to  go  to  Japan 
as  a  group  leader  for  a  study  exchange 
team.    A  member  of  the  Virden  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  Mr.  Blair  was  a  district 
governor  of  Rotary  in  1969. 

Idaho's  Mother  of  the  Year  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  at 
Bowmont.  Minnie  Keim  will  compete 
this  month  for  national  honors.  .  .  .  Greg 
Schumacher,  West  Milton,  Ohio,  will  go 
to  India  as  one  of  his  county's  delegates 
to  the  Children's  International  Summer 
Village. 

A  former  treasurer  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  General  Board  received  an 
Award  of  Teaching  Excellence  at  West- 
ern Michigan  University,  Kalamazoo. 
Dr.  Edwin  Grossnickle,  professor  of 
finance  and  a  member  of  the  faculty  for 
thirteen  years,  is  a  Manchester  College 
alumnus. 

Manchester  College  alumnus  and 
graduate  of  Bethany  Theological  Sem- 
inary Eugene  Roop  will  soon  complete 
his  doctoral  studies  at  Claremont  in 
California.  While  a  student  Mr.  Roop, 
a  member  of  the  Lincolnshire  church  at 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  has  been  teaching 
New  Testament  at  the  Earlham  Graduate 
School  of  Theology,  Richmond,  Ind. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples  who 
have  recently  celebrated  golden  wedding 
anniversaries:  the  Henry  C.  Millers, 
Myerstown,  Pa.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  Blaine 
Rotz,  Chambersburg,  Pa.;  the  Lloyd  E. 
Cranes,  Ottumwa,  Iowa;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J. 
Allen  Rhodes,  McVeytown,  Pa.;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Virgil  Hopkins,  Nokesville,  Va.; 
and  the  Earl  Dissingers,  Annville,  Pa. 

Other  couples  marking  wedding  anni- 
versaries are  the  John  D.  Burkholders, 
Carlisle,  Pa.,  fifty-three;  the  G.  A.  W. 
Stouffers,  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  sixty;  the 
Bruce  Bards,  Chambersburg,  Pa.,  sixty; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elmer  Shirk,  Ephrata,  Pa., 
sixty;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ora  Blickenstaff, 
Lima,  Ohio,  sixty-one. 

FOR  CONFERENCEGOERS 

Accident  insurance  will  be  provided 
for  church  members  attending  Annual 


Conference.  Coverage  will  be  effective 
from  12:01  a.m.  (CST)  June  13  until 
12:01  A.M.  (CST)  July  6,  1970.   Any 
personal  injury  sustained  during  this 
period  is  covered,  provided  the  injured 
person  is  attending  Annual  Conference 
or  is  on  the  way  to  or  from  the  Lincoln 
Conference  when  the  injury  occurs. 
Members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
and  their  small  children  are  covered. 
Nonmembers  attending  Conference  are 
covered  within  the  above  period,  but 
effective  only  after  they  complete  their 
official  registration. 

^     ^     ^     ^     ^ 

Benefits  payable  are:  $1,000  for  ac- 
cidental loss  of  life  or  loss  of  any  two  — 
hands,  feet,  or  eyes;  $500  for  loss  of  one 
arm,  leg,  or  eye;  $500  reimbursement  for 
that  portion  of  expenses  actually  incurred 
for  physician,  surgeon,  hospital,  ambu- 
lance, X  ray,  and  nurse,  licensed  or  grad- 
uate, which  is  not  collectible  from  any 
other  insurance. 

This  insurance  is  automatic  for  the 
period  and  persons  stated  above.  The 
coverage  is  for  accidental  injury  and  does 
not  include  sickness  or  illness.   All  types 
of  travel  are  covered,  except  nonsched- 
uled  air  flights.   Claims  should  be  re- 
ported immediately  to  the  Annual  Con- 
ference Treasurer,  1451  Dundee  Ave., 
Elgin,  111.  60120,  or  at  the  Conference 
office.   It  is  not  necessary  to  contact  him 
about  this  insurance  except  to  report  a 
claim. 


iiaiasGiio 


May  24     Trinity  Sunday 
May  30     Memorial   Day 
June   14      Ciiildren's  Sunday 
June   20-2t      Churcli     of    the     Bretliren     General 
Board,  Lincoln,   Neb. 
June  21      Father's  Day 
June   23-28     Annual   Conference,   Lincoln,   Neb. 

June  28      Christian    Citizenship    Sunday 
July    16-19      District  conference.  Southern  Plains, 

Waka,  Texas 
July    17-19      District    conference.    Northern    Indi- 
ana, Goshen   College 
July   17-19      District       conference,       Iowa       and 
Minnesota,  Cedar  Falls 


POTPOURRI 

"Man's  Environment  in  Jeopardy"  set 
the  pace  for  four  Sunday-evening  dis- 
cussions at  the  Twenty-eighth  Street 
church,  Altoona,  Pa.  Problems  con- 
fronted were  overpopulation;  pollution 
of  the  water,  air,  and  land;  birth  con- 
trol and  abortion;  and  violence  and 
crime.  ...  A  carry-in  dinner  and  after- 
noon fellowship  will  mark  the  annual 
BVS  alumni  reunion  of  the  Northern 
Indiana  District  June  7,  hosted  by  the 
West  Goshen  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Former  BVSers  wishing  more  informa- 
tion about  the  activity  may  contact  Mrs. 
Howard    Bixler,    203    Sycamore    Dr., 
Goshen,  Ind.  46526. 

A  new  extrusion-type  baler  for  cloth- 
ing has  been  installed  at  the  New  Wind- 
sor, Md.,  Service  Center.  Combined  with 
an  automatic  strapping  machine,  the 
baler  will  process  a  one  hundred-pound, 
five-cubic-foot  bale  of  clothing  or 
blankets  in  less  than  sixty  seconds.  .  .  . 
Members  of  the  Dixon,  III.,  Church  of 
the  Brethren  canvassed  the  cities  of 
Dixon  and  Franklin  Grove  May  17, 
distributing  copies  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment in  the  American  Bible  Society's 
Good  News  for  Modern  Man  edition. 
Six  thousand  Bibles  were  ordered,  and 
volunteers  expected  to  give  a  Bible 
to  each  family  in  each  city. 

4-     +      +     +     + 

Ministers  and  laymen  participated  in 
two  Bible  study  conferences  sponsored 
by  the  Southern  Permsylvania  District. 
Leadership  came  from  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary,  Elizabethtown 
College,  and  congregations  in  the  dis- 
trict. .  .  .  Mack  Memorial  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Dayton,  Ohio,  hosted  a 
community-wide  Sacrificial  Meal  for 
Peace  April  14.  Proceeds  were  used  for 
artificial  limbs  of  Vietnamese  civilians. 

A  festival  of  the  arts  occurred 
May  17-18  at  the  Frederick,  Md., 
church.  Winning  entries  in  various 
media  will  be  made  a  part  of  a  traveling 
exhibit  available  to  congregations  of 


30     MESSENGER    5-21-70 


the  Mid-Atlantic  District. .  .  .  The 
Woodbridge  Church  of  the  Brethren 

in  Virginia  has  opened  its  doors  to 
Alcoholics  Anonymous,  Al-Ateens,  and 
AI-Anons.  ...  A  youth-sponsored 
coffeehouse  at  the  Good  Shepherd 
church,  Kensington,  Md.,  attracted 
some  200  neighborhood  young  people 
and  netted  $  107  for  the  Fund  for  the 
Americas. 

Shenandoah  District's  Mill  Creek 
church  anticipates  May  24  rededication 
and  homecoming  services,  with  James 
Flora,  Palmyra,  Pa.,  as  guest  spteaker. 
The  activities  will  celebrate  the  remodel- 
ing of  the  fifty-year-old  sanctuary  and 
basement. 

The  Cajon  Valley  Church  of  the 
Brethren  reports  an  error  in  the  Year- 


book's listing  of  its  address.  The  cor- 
rect address  is  1101  S.  Mollison,  not 
1011.  Our  apologies. 

The  Marion,  Ind.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  participated  in  May  17  dedica- 
tion services  for  a  new  church  building. 
General  Secretary  of  the  General  Board 
Loren  Bowman  spoke  at  the  special 
services. 

American  Council  on  Education  chair- 
man Arthur  Fleming  will  address  the 
commencement  audience  at  Elizabeth- 
town  College.  ...  At  Bridgewater 
College,  a  new  campus  center  was  dedi- 
cated early  last  month  as  the  Kline 
Campus  Center,  honoring  the  memory 


of  Elder  John  Kline  and  John  M.  and 
Hattie  E.  Kline  of  Manassas,  Va.,  who 
supported  the  college  in  early  years,  and 
recognizing  the  larger  Kline  family  which 
has  been  identified  with  the  college 
throughout  its  history.  .  .  .  Accepting  a 
bequest  from  the  estate  of  the  late  E.  J. 
Frantz,  Conway  Springs,  Kansas,  is 
McPherson  College,  McPherson,  Kan- 
sas. The  bequest  has  been  placed  in  the 
college's  endowment  fund,  the  income 
of  which  will  be  used  for  college  needs, 
with  the  principal  remaining  intact. 

Elsie  S.  Wolf  is  looking  for  a  copy  of 
the  Flora-Brubaker  Family  Tree  Book. 

Readers  who  have  extra  copies  may 
contact  Miss  Wolf  at  1318  Dakota  Ave., 
Modesto,  Calif.  95351. 


JH^NKf 

CHURCH 


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facing  the  draft  who  finds  his  church  ready  to  help;  the 
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5-21-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITOBIAL 


A  Time  to  Keep  Silence— and  a  Time  to  Speak 


XLarth  Day  has  come  and  gone.  We  are  all  better  informed 
about  environmental  dangers.  As  our  awareness  of  pollu- 
tion increases,  we  hear  almost  daily  of  some  new  poison 
to  the  air  we  breathe  or  the  water  we  need  or  the  soil  from 
which  we  derive  our  sustenance. 

If  you  live  in  a  city  or  close  to  one,  you  are  sensitive 
to  another  kind  of  pollution.  It  hits  your  ears  in  a  rising 
crescendo  of  sound,  as  various  noises  created  by  transporta- 
tion, industry,  and  entertainment  continue  to  add  up, 
decibel  by  decibel.  This  assault  upon  your  ears  has  already 
reached  the  level  of  annoyance,  if  not  what  some  experts 
have  called  a  threshold  of  pain. 

Listening  to  jets  taking  off  from  an  airport,  being 
awakened  each  Saturday  morning  by  your  neighbor's  power 
mower,  watching  a  new  building  rise  to  the  accompaniment 
of  rivets  and  pneumatic  hammers,  hearing  the  roar  of 
sports  cars,  trucks,  and  buses,  not  to  mention  an  occasional 
thunderstorm,  explosion,  or  sonic  boom,  you  may  quickly 
agree  with  Yehudi  Menuhin  that  "silence  is  one  of  the 
principal  needs  of  man  —  quiet,  silence,  the  opportunity 
to  meditate  —  because  we  cannot  bring  forth  anything  of 
value  when  we  are  constantly  pounded  with  noise." 

As  a  concert  artist,  violinist  Menuhin  recognizes  that 
music  must  be  kept  within  tolerable  limits  or  it  too  can 
threaten  individual  freedom.  Therefore  he  has  asked  the 
International  Music  Council,  of  which  he  is  chairman,  to 
study  ways  of  promoting  what  he  calls  "the  rights  of  man 
for  the  freedom  of  his  ears."  Some  parents  we  know 
would  Ifke  to  see  legal  limits  placed  on  the  volume  of  sound 
that  a  neighborhood  rock  group  can  produce  with  electric 
guitars  and  drums.  There  often  develops  a  conflict  of  wills 
between  those  who  want  freedom  to  make  music  and  those 
who  suffer  from  hearing  it.  It  may  take  more  than  an 
international  council  to  arbitrate  their  differences. 

We  agree  with  Yehudi  Menuhin.  We  claim  a  right  to 
keep  silence,  believing  that  not  only  our  physical  well-being 
but  our  development  as  spiritual  creatures  requires  a  time 
for  meditation,  a  time  to  be  spared  the  intrusion  of  noise 
and  the  interrupting  of  voices.  We  would  even  argue  for 
a  brief  period  of  silence,  after  the  manner  of  the  Quakers, 
in  our  worship  services,  so  that  we  might  learn  to  be  still, 
to  hear  the  voice  of  God  as  well  as  the  voices  of  our  own 
hearts.  After  the  earthquake,  wind,  and  fire,  we  would 

32     MESSENGER    5-21 -7& 


welcome  a  chance  to  hear  the  "still  small  voice  of  calm." 

And  yet,  precious  as  silence  may  seem,  it  is  not  always 
a  blessing.   If  there  is  a  time  to  keep  quiet,  there  is  also 
a  time  to  speak.  Indeed,  one  very  good  reason  for  keeping 
still  is  to  prepare  yourself  for  the  time  when  you  must 
speak  up.  No  amount  of  noise  pollution  can  excuse  a  man 
from  responding  openly  and  directly  to  issues  that  con- 
front him  and  the  day  in  which  he  lives.  It  is  cowardly 
and  unchristian  to  claim  the  merits  of  silence  when  you 
should  stand  up  publicly  for  the  values  in  which  you  believe 

Several  years  ago,  in  a  lecture  given  at  Bethany  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  Martin  NiemoUer  confessed  to  fellow 
Christians  that  he  realized  almost  too  late  that  Christians 
must  speak  out.  He  has  been  quoted  quite  recently  in  a 
similar  vein:  "In  Germany,  the  Nazis  first  came  for  the 
Communists,  and  I  did  not  speak  up  because  I  was  not  a 
Communist.  Then  they  came  for  the  Jews,  and  I  did  not 
speak  up  because  I  was  not  a  Jew.  Then  they  came  for 
the  trade  unionists,  and  I  did  not  sf)eak  up  because  I 
was  not  a  trade  unionist.  Then  they  came  for  the  Catholics 
and  I  was  a  Protestant,  so  I  did  not  speak  up.  Then  they 
came  for  me  .  .  .  and  by  that  time  there  was  no  one  to 
speak  up  for  anyone." 

To  Martin  Niemoller's  credit  it  should  be  added  that, 
while  he  may  have  gotten  off  to  a  late  start,  he  has  con- 
tinued to  speak  openly  and  prophetically  at  great  personal 
risk.  His  warning,  however,  applies  to  all  of  us  who  prefer 
to  remain  silent  when  we  should  speak  out.  Jesus  defended 
those  disciples  who  were  criticized  for  speaking.  He  said 
the  stones  would  shout  aloud  if  their  voices  were  stilled. 
Peter  and  John,  even  after  being  ordered  to  refrain  from 
public  appearances  said,  "We  cannot  but  speak  of  what 
we  have  seen  and  heard." 


G 


christians  today  —  and  all  who  are  deeply  concerned 
about  the  drifting  tides  that  sweep  us  toward  more  involve- 
ment in  destruction  and  death  —  must  be  ready  and  will- 
ing to  speak  out.  Yes,  there  must  be  a  time  and  a  place 
to  be  still  and  to  be  quiet.  But,  having  reflected  and  thought 
and  prayed,  who  can  keep  still  when  God  says  it  is  time  ta 
speak?  —  K.M. 


M 

IN  THE 

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books 
For 

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JNQUiRER 


THE  FUTURE  OF  GOD 

by  CARL  E.   BRAATEN 


I 


Here  is  a  new  understanding   of  Godf 
not  "above  us"  (as  in   Barth),  nor  "beyond   us" 
(as  in  death-of-God   theologians),   but  "ahead   of  us." 
At   a   critical   time  when   many   are   wondering   about   the   future   of   faith    in    a   secular   age,    the   author 
calls    for    the    believers'    participation     in     God's     activity     in     the     future    tense.      The     thrust     of    this 
theology   of  the   future   is   an   ethic   of   revolutionary   change,   derived    from    the   Christian    vision    of   the 
kingdom    of    God.     The    eschatological    faith    of    Christianity    has    a    close    connection    with    the    revolu- 
tionary   concern    in    the    modern    world,    both    as    the    sponsor    of    its    driving    images    and    as    a    com- 
panion  in  the  struggle  for  realization.  $5.95 

GOD  IN  THE  NEW  WORLD 

by  LLOYD  GEERING 

Here  is  a  positive,  compreliensive  statement  of  Christian  belief  that  challenges  the  validity  of  older 
expressions  of  the  faith.  The  author  has  examined  the  literary,  historical,  and  scientific  criticisms  that 
have  been  levied  against  Christian  traditions,  and  in  light  of  these  has  written  a  lucid,  new  exposition 
for  the  secular,  scientific  age.  Because  of  his  views  he  was  tried  for  heresy  by  the  Presbyterian 
Church  of  New  Zealand.  Although  the  formal  charges  were  dismissed,  the  controversy  continued, 
and  Dr.  Geering  has  set  forth  his  views  in  this  book,  which  has  been  written  not  for  professional 
theologians,  but  for  all  readers.  $2.95  paper 

WE  BELIEVE  IN  GOD 

Edited  by  RUPERT  E.  DAVIES 

Here  eleven  writers  who  firmly  believe  in  God  give  grounds  for  their  belief.  Their  faith  comes  out 
of  deep  conviction,  grounded  in  both  sound  reason  and  personal  experience.  These  writers  come  from 
very  different  educational  and  social  backgrounds  and  from  different  religious  traditions,  yet  their 
central  affirmations  are  remarkably  similar.  Their  experiences  will  strengthen  the  faith  of  many  and 
may  well  disturb  the  doubts  of  others.  Writers  are:  Wiiliam  Barclay,  Anthony  Bloom,  Thomas  Corbish- 
ley,  Donald  Hudson,  Hywel  D.  Lewis,  Pauline  Webb,  Colin  Brown,  Elsie  Chiamberlain,  Rupert  E.  Davies, 
John   Lawrence,  Harold   Loukes.  $2.25  paper 


CHURCH     of     the     BRETHREN      GENERAL     OFFICES,      Elgin,      Illinois     60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


'Are  You  Willing  to  Give  Your  Lives?"  The  author  and  her  husband 
were  asked  to  stand  watch  on  street  corners  during  the  night  when  violence 
was  most  likehj  to  occur.  Was  this  the  ministry  to  which  their  Christian 
commitment  had  led?   by  Marlene  Daehlin,  as  told  to  Levi  Keidel.   page  2 


Let  Me  Dissent  From  Despair.  Over  against  the  predictions  of  gloom  and 
doom  stand  the  examples  of  men  who  live  by  courage,  joy,  and  hope.  Here 
are  some  of  the  affirmations  that  guide  them,  by  T.  Wayne  Rieman.   page  5 


The  New  English  Bible.  The  new  translation  has  been  called  brilliant  and 
exciting,  but  some  scholars  may  ask  whether  the  genuine  character  of  the 
original  has  been  nmintained.   by  David  J.  Wieand.   page  10 


The  Scene  From  the  Human  Side  of  the  Street.  Three  young  volun- 
teers, in  responding  to  an  interviewers  questions,  comment  on  strengths  and 
limitations  in  their  part  of  one  church's  ministry  to  comtnunity  needs,  page  16 


Conflicts  Are  for  Growing.  Some  persons  try  to  conceal  every  evidence 
of  conflict  in  their  relationships,  but  such  struggles  can  be  resolved  construc- 
tively. They  nmy  even  provide  one  way  by  which  Christians  can  grow,  by 
La  Vemae  J.  Dick,    page  22 


Other  featubes  include  a  confession,  "We  Have  Knowledge  But  Lack  Wisdom," 
by  Alvin  F.  Brightbill  (page  9);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Norman  and  Kay  Long  (page  13); 
"Field  of  Choices,"  a  listing  of  dozens  of  special  interest  events  planned  for  the  Lin- 
coln Annual  Conference  (page  20);  "Looking  for  Reference  Books?"  a  review  ar- 
ticle by  James  E.  Weaver  (page  25);  reviews  of  recent  recordings,  by  William  Robert 
Miller  (page  26);  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Robert  W.  Tully  (page  27);  and  a  review 
of  the  film  "Marooned,"  by  Dave  Pomeroy  (page  28). 


COMING  NEXT 


At  the  beginning  of  a  new  decade  the  moderator  of  Annual  Conference  might  be 
expected  to  do  some  thinking  about  the  shape  of  the  church  in  the  future.  A.  G. 
Breidenstine  does  exactly  that  and  offers  a  summary  of  his  findings  in  a  brief  article. 
.  .  .  Certainly  the  church  can  expect  to  support  some  new  kinds  of  ministries.  How 
that  works  out  in  a  shopping  center,  for  example,  and  in  other  corners  of  the  market- 
place is  described  in  an  interview  and  report  by  Linda  Beher.  .  .  .  C.  Wayne  Zunkel 
is  more  concerned  about  the  potential  for  the  church  and  its  witness,  which  often 
misses  the  mark  because  church  members  neglect  the  sources  of  power  that  are  avail- 
able through  prayer  and  petition.  VOL. 


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readers  write 


A   LEHER  TO   PRESIDENT  NIXON 

Preparing  our  income  tax  form  and 
realizing  that  about  sixty-six  percent  of  our 
tax  will  go  for  purposes  of  war,  past, 
present,  and  future,  force  us  to  examine  our 
values. 

For  the  past  two  years  we  have  refused 
voluntary  payment  of  our  U.S.  income  tax. 
We  wish  this  year  to  reaffirm  our  previous 
stance  and  to  emphasize  even  more  em- 
phatically ( 1 )  our  abhorrence  of  mass  mur- 
ders in  Vietnam  and  other  places  in  the 
world  in  the  name  of  freedom;  (2)  our 
opposition  to  the  widespread  fear  generated 
by  promotion  of  the  ABM  system;  and  (3) 
our  disappointment  in  the  neglect  of  hunger, 
housing,  and  education. 

We  also  wish  to  affirm  that  governmental 
authority  is  within  the  will  and  plan  of  God. 
We  regret  that  our  government  refuses  to 
accept  the  God-given  authority  and  chooses 
instead  the  authority  of  power  and  the  "al- 
mighty" dollar. 

We  urge  you  to  help  our  government  to 
place  more  emphasis  on  humanizing  efforts 
and  much  less  on  the  dehumanization  of  the 
war  effort.  We  desire  that  our  funds  be 
used  for  human  development.  It  is  possible 
to  choose  not  to  participate  in  the  Social 
Security  program,  a  program  helpful  to 
many  persons.  Why  not  also  the  opportunity 
of  choice  in  supporting  the   military? 

Paul  and  Dorothy  Brumbaugh 
Champaign,  111. 

ANOTHER   LETTER  TO  THE   PRESIDENT 

We  had  hoped  that  you  would  be  the  one 
to  restore  peace  in  Vietnam.  But  now,  with- 
out consent  of  Congress  or  the  American 
people,  you  have  sent  our  beloved  sons  into 
still  another  jungle  to  die.   For  what  cause? 

You  speak  of  pride,  of  our  nation's  honor, 
of  protecting  freedom.    We  seriously  ques- 


tion whether  honor  or  freedom  will  ever 
be  born  out  of  the  kind  of  hell  to  which  the 
poor  Vietnamese  people  and  our  boys  are 
being  subjected. 

Mr.  President,  when  will  it  ever  end?  You 
ask  us  to  persevere  and  to  be  patient.  Nine 
long  years  we  have  waited.  With  every  act 
of  escalation  we  have  been  assured  that  with 
just  a  little  more  killing  soon  there  will  be 
less  killing.  Mr.  President,  please  stop  listen- 
ing to  the  generals  and  start  listening  to  the 
American  people.  For  God's  sake  and  our 
children's  sake,  stop  the  madness. 

With  great  concern  and  alarm! 

Ninety-one  Members  of  the 
Nappanee  Church  of  the 
Brethren 
Nappanee,  Ind. 


NECESSARY  STEPS 

"If  Peace  Is  Our  Cause,"  a  letter  by  Jack 
Farrell  Sr.  (March  26)  states  a  message  I 
believe  in.  As  I  see  it,  the  peace  position 
is  the  one  reason  for  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  to  remain  a  separate  denomina- 
tion. I  think  it  has  something  to  offer  to 
the  world  in  that  position. 

War  is  the  measure  of  man's  inhumanity 
to  man.  Atheists  only  know  the  way  of 
force  against  an  enemy,  but  Christians  have 
a  better  way.  But  we  haven't  practiced  that 
better  way  very  far.  In  a  crisis  situation  we 
let  the  atheist  and  politician  set  the  direction 
of  action;  then,  "protestingly,"  we  follow 
along.  It  is  high  time  that  when  a  crisis 
situation  arises,  we  take  positive  action 
BEFORE  a  negative   situation   is  produced. 

Draft  card  burners  and  protest  marchers 
are  negative  actionists,  which  stirs  up 
animosity  and  does  more  harm  than  good 
to  the  cause.  But  listen  to  their  cause. 
They   are   thinking  and   acting.    They   need 


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Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17.  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  .Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
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week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave..  Elgin,  111!  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    June  4,  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  12 


positive  direction.  Our  leadership  has  been 
lacking  in  this  direction  because  no  one  hagi 
gone  this  way  before.  May  we,  with ' 
prayer,  boldly  reach  out  into  this  frontier 
and  show  the  world  that  Christianity  works 
in  crisis. 

I  propose  four  steps  that  are  necessary 
for  individual  or  church  to  face  our  world 
today: 

•  Purpose :  to  know  why  and  what  we  > 
are  here  for. 

•  Responsibility:  to  accept  our  part  in 
the  world. 

•  Discipline:  physical,  mental,  moral, 
spiritual. 

•  Full  commitment:  Christ  first  in  our 
lives. 

Ronald  Gordley 
Lititz,  Pa. 

DEMONSTRATION   OF  RACISM 

The  Don  Martin  cartoon  and  the  Vernard 
Eller  article  (April  23)  which  it  illustrates 
are  a  shocking  demonstration  of  American 
middle-class  insensitivity  and  racism.  The 
sick,  racist  humor  of  the  cartoon  plays  upon 
some  of  the  most  ingrained  myths  of  white 
America.  Presented  as  good  humor,  the 
cartoon  is  not  only  insensitive  to  the  real 
plight  of  millions  of  Americans,  but  it 
preaches  a  broad  racist  message.  It  under- 
girds  what  many  whites  have  "known"  all 
along  and  are  now  eager  to  reconfirm.  That 
myth,  now  supported  anew,  states  that  the 
Black  moves  with  the  most  disreputable 
elements  of  society,  that  he  is  militant  and 
violent,  that  he  takes  what  is  not  his  by 
force  or  stealth,  and  that  in  society  he  is  a 
destructive  force  dedicated  to  bombing 
rather  than  law.  To  suggest  that  somehow 
the  message  of  the  cartoon  is  related  to 
alcohol  demonstrates  how  desperately  we 
in  the  church  seek  reassurance  in  the  popular 
media.  If  anything,  the  facial  expressions 
in  the  cartoon  suggest  that  it  is  delicious 
stuff. 

Mr.  Eller  suggests  that  good  humor  (with 
this  cartoon  as  illustration)  helps  people 
"rise  above  the  pettinesses,  the  stupidities, 
and  the  injustices  that  threaten  to  enslave 
them."  While  that  may  be  true,  the  sug- 
gestion that  the  cartoon  selected  does  that 
is  a  ludicrous  demonstration  of  how  theo- 
logical word  games  can  remove  us  from  the 
crushing  and  tragic  realities  of  injustice  in 
our  midst. 

The  racism  of  the  humor  is  expanded  by 
the  gratis  suggestion  that  the  Hebrews  had 


:t  much  harder  than  the  American  slaves 
iver  did.  Again,  a  popular  American  racist 
nyth  is  supported,  a  myth  that  slavery  was 
iomehow  kind  and  benevolent  or,  at  worst, 
lot  really  intolerable.  Quite  the  contrary 
true.  American  slavery  cannot  be 
separated  from  the  brutal  and  inhumane 
system  of  obtaining  slaves.  That  system  was 
responsible  for  the  slaughter  of  far  greater 
(numbers  of  people  than  lived  in  all  of  Egypt 
at  the  time  of  the  Hebrew  enslavement, 
jthe  Hebrews  included!  Black  blood  was 
jcheap  then  and  evidently  remains  so  today. 
lit  forcibly  denied  family  structure  and  did 
mot  hesitate  ruthlessly  to  crush  resistance, 
Iwith  hundreds  of  noble  names  mutely  test- 
ifying to  the  terror.  American  slavery  not 
lonly  spawned  brutality  at  every  level  of 
American  society;  it  was  a  vast  experiment 
iin  human  breeding  and  attempted  to  demon- 
istrate  with  inhuman  calculation  that  certain 
Iraces  were  by  nature  inferior. 

The  pages  of  Messenger  were  not  en- 
riched by  the  Martin  cartoon  nor  by  the 
remarks  which  lifted  it  up  as  a  "beautiful" 
demonstration  of  truth.  Tragic  mythologies, 
built  upon  a  fundamental  disregard  for 
human  values,  were  strengthened. 

David  A.  Waas 
North  Manchester,  Ind. 

ENLARGE  BY  ADOPTION 

Regarding  Readers  Write  (April  23):  It 
is  nice  that  Mrs.  Crist  is  so  proud  of  her 
three  children,  but  it  is  my  hope  that  her 
three  will  be  enough  concerned  about  their 
fellowman  that  they  will  limit  their  own 
families  to  only  two  children.   .   .   . 

Also,  regarding  Pat  Wright's  letter  con- 
cerning God's  concept  of  "family":  ...  It 
seems  to  me  that  all  too  often  we  "put 
words  in  God's  mouth"  and  convince  our- 
selves that  our  own  genes  are  so  precious 
that  the  world  could  not  survive  were  it 
not  for  the  grand  and  glorious  contribu- 
tions passed  on  to  civilization  through  our 
charming  and  talented  four  or  five  or  more 
offspring. 

Personally  I  feel  that  it  is  very  un- 
christian and  selfish  to  have  more  than 
two  children  —  biologically.  My  heart  fills 
with  admiration  when  I  see  a  couple  with 
two  children  of  their  own  blood  who  have 
then  enlarged  their  family  by  adoption  or 
by  being  foster  parents.  These  people  are 
living  examples  of  Christian  love  —  they 
are  so  concerned  and  caring  about  their 
Continued  on  page  28 


Page  one. 


One  question  about  Messenger  editorial  policy  arises  more  frequently 
than  any  other.  It  runs  like  this:  "Do  you  print  all  the  letters  you  receive? 
It  not,  how  many,  and  on  what  basis  do  you  select  them?" 

The  answer  is  fairly  simple,  but  it  may  need  some  amplifying.  We 
try  to  use  as  many  as  possible  of  the  letters  that  are  intended  for  publication. 
That  includes  most  of  them.  Some  persons  prefer  that  their  letters  not  be 
published.  We  honor  their  request.  If  we  are  not  certain  a  letter  is  intended 
for  publication,  we  write  to  the  correspondent  indicating  our  interest  in 
using  at  least  portions  of  the  letter  in  Readers  Write.  The  letter  writer  can 
veto  our  plans  if  he  wishes. 

But  even  though  we  are  eager  to  provide  a  way  for  all  readers  to 
write,  if  they  wish,  there  are  a  few  limitations  —  and  a  few  ground  rules. 
One  limitation  is  space.  We  often  extend  the  letter  page  as  needed.  But 
obviously  we  can't  devote  several  pages  to  just  one  feature.  So  we  reserve 
the  right  to  use  only  portions  of  most  letters,  and  we  especially  need  to 
shorten  the  longer  ones.  We  try  to  indicate  clearly  where  we  omit  sections 
from  the  original.  We  do  very  little  editing,  only  the  most  obvious  changes 
in  spelling  and  grammar.  We  make  an  earnest  effort  to  avoid  changing 
the  substance  or  intent  of  a  letter. 

Messenger  respects  the  honest  convictions  of  its  readers,  no  matter 
how  different  they  are  from  our  own.  We  try  to  provide  an  opportunity  for 
opinions  to  be  stated  freely.  But  we  must  refuse  to  carry  attacks  on  per- 
sons, especially  if  they  are  libelous.  We  see  no  value  in  using  the  letter 
coltmin  to  air  one-sided  views  of  a  situation  in  a  local  church.  Sometimes, 
also,  we  refuse  letters  that  contain  many  facts  and  documentation  on  one 
side  of  a  controversy,  because  we  would  be  unable  to  extend  equal  space  to 
such  a  detailed  display  for  the  other  side.  And  sometimes,  after  we  have 
printed  quite  a  few  letters  on  one  topic,  we  simply  have  to  say,  "That's 
enough  for  now." 

In  saluting  contributors  to  this  issue,  we  note  that  three  writers  serve 
on  the  General  Board  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  In  addition  to  her 
assignment  with  the  Board,  Anna  B.  Mow  has  written  six  books,  conducts 
retreats  and  religious  institutes  throughout  the  U.S.  and  Mexico,  and  has 
authored  several  articles  for  Messenger.  She  and  her  husband,  Baxter, 
live  at  Roanoke,  Virginia.  C.  Wayne  Zunkel,  chairman  of  the  Parish  Min- 
istries Commission  of  the  Board,  lives  at  Elizabethtown,  Pennsylvania, 
where  he  is  pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Moderator  of  Annual 
Conference  A .  G.  Breidensdne,  an  ex  officio  member  of  the  General  Board, 
served  in  the  public  school  system  of  Pennsylvania,  retiring  several  years 
ago  from  a  position  as  deputy  superintendent  of  public  instruction  for  the 
state. 

Another  Virginian,  A  Ibert  L.  Sauls,  serves  as  pastor  of  the  Oakton 
church  and  as  chairman  of  the  commission  on  witness  for  the  Mid-Atlantic 
District. 

Of  the  four  poets  writing  for  this  issue.  La  Vonna  Howell  attends 
Southwestern  State  College  at  Weatherford,  Oklahoma.  Author  of  two 
novels  about  her  Quaker  origins,  Elizabeth  H.  Emerson  lives  at  Elon 
College,  North  Carolina.  Annabelle  Wagner  Bergjeld  lives  with  her  famUy 
in  Bricktown,  New  Jersey,  and  James  L.  Ovall  Sr.  resides  in  Danville, 
Illinois.  —  The  Editors 


6-4-70   MESSENGER     1 


Only  giving-love  can  take 
two  people  out  of  different 
backgrounds  and  create  a 
real  union  in  which  each 
personality  is  preserved  and 
strengthened 

Communication  is  never  brought  into 
a  marriage  ready-made;  it  is  rather 
the  art  of  the  marriage  process.  Dur- 
ing dating  days  you  spent  leisure  hours 
together.  You  listened  to  many  thmgs 
together,  but  the  greatest  joy  was  in 
being  together.  After  marriage  you  are 
together,  but  the  new  question  is  "Are 
you  listening  together?" 

One  young  man  took  his  girl  to 
the  opera  because  she  loved  opera. 
She  did  not  know  that  he  was  bored 
and  that  he  went  only  to  please  her. 
She  went  with  him  to  ball  games 
without  complaint  and  never  told 
him  she  understood  so  little  about  the 
game.  It  was  enough  then  for  them 
to  be  together.  Each  rejoiced  in  the 
other's  joy.  But  after  marriage  they 
were  together  all  the  time,  and  the 
matter  of  the  leisure  hours  was  now  a 
different  story. 

If  you  each  now  want  to  settle 
down  to  your  own  individual  likes, 
you  may  be  able  to  make  an  adjust- 
ment, but  if  you  attempt  a  reeducative 
process  of  your  mate's  likes,  you'd 
better  be  careful!  There  is  a  place  in 
the  midst  of  a  Hindu  wedding  cere- 

From  the  book  The  Secret  of  Married 
Love:  A  Christian  Approach,  by  Anna  B. 
Mow.  Copyright  ©  1970  by  Anna  B.  Mow. 
Reprinted  by  permission  of  J.  B.  Lippincott 
Company. 


Out  of  TWI 

Backgrounds:. 
A  Future! 
Together 


mony  when  the  priest  cries  out  a  warn- 
ing: "Beware!  Beware!"  We  need  cau- 
tion signs  in  every  new  home  that 
warn  of  possible  dangers.  One  sign 
might  say,  "Don't  start  out  by  trying 
to  change  your  mate  to  your  way  of 
thinking!"  Signs  that  give  direction 
could  say,  "Appreciate  your  mate's 
interests"  and  "Give  your  mate  free- 
dom for  difference  in  interest." 

When  it  comes  to  a  matter  of 
reeducation,  it  is  much  better  —  and 
safer  —  to  ask  your  mate  to  reedu- 
cate you.  This  way  neither  one  is  put 
on  the  defensive,  and  each  one  is  free 
to  learn  from  the  other.  Who  knows, 
the  time  might  come  when  you  can 
truly  go  together  to  opera  and  sports. 

Sometimes  the  difference  in  inter- 
ests is  too  great  to  be  changed.  This 
may  be  especially  true  in  musical  and 
dramatic  tastes.  This  difference  may 
hit  you  daily  in  your  choices  of  radio 
and  television  programs.  If  your 
favorite  or  desired  programs  come 
on  at  the  same  tune,  you'd  better 
have  two  radios  or  two  television  sets. 
But  the  main  point  is  the  attitude  to 
the  other's  special  interest  or  taste. 
Being  disdainful  is  very  unkind  and 
thoughtless.  One  couple  had  their 
conflict  over  radio  news  and  music  at 
the  evening  hour.  He  would  come 
in  and  turn  her  music  off,  and  if  she 
came  in  during  the  news  hour,  she 
would  turn  it  off  to  get  her  music. 
After  she  came  home  from  a  retreat, 
she  turned  his  news  on  as  soon  as  he 
came  in.  He  was  so  surprised  he 
asked,  "Why  did  you  do  that?"  She 
said  she  did  not  want  him  to  miss  his 
news.  Then  he  turned  the  radio  back 


by  ANNA  B.  MO\^ 

to  her  music  and  said,  "You  may  have 
your  music.  I'll  listen  to  the  news 
later." 

There  are  other  habits  which  signal 
danger  ahead.  One  prominent  woman 
grew  up  in  a  home  where  sisters 
shared  everything  and  never  seemed 
to  need  privacy.  This  woman  married 
a  man  who  was  very  reserved,  who 
felt  a  need  for  personal  privacy,  and 
who  had  an  inborn  sense  of  order. 
Imagine  his  consternation  when  he 
found  her  toiletries  and  hair  rollers 
scattered  all  through  his  personal 
things.  He  had  known  before  mar- 
riage that  she  was  not  always  punctual,! 


but  he  never  dreamed  how  careless 
she  could  be.  I  heard  them  tell  from 
the  same  platform  with  great  glee 
how  they  worked  out  their  difference 
in  temperament  and  habits.  They 
truly  needed  a  his  and  hers  in  their 
bedroom.  They  each  had  a  mature 
sense  of  humor,  so  they  could  talk 
the  situation  over.  Two  bureaus  and 
two  closets  helped  them  to  live 
together  graciously.  She  learned  to 
discipline  herself  into  more  orderly 
habits,  and  he  learned  to  be  more 
patient.  By  the  time  I  heard  them 
tell  this  story,  it  had  become  only  a 
humorous  incident  in  their  lives. 

There  are,  of  course,  many  minor 
things  which  may  turn  into  major 
issues:  open  or  closed  windows  at 
night;  warm  or  cold  bedroom  in 
winter;  night  owls  or  late  sleepers;  big 
breakfasts  or  small  breakfasts;  itching 
for  excitement  or  a  desire  for  quiet; 
use  of  the  telephone;  and  a  host  of 
other  daily  matters.  If  these  issues  are 
not  solved  or  graciously  compromised, 


2     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


*■»- 

i^ 


(* 
t- 


»  -4 


n 


A  FUTURE  TOGETHER  /  continued 

you  may  come  to  feel  that  your  four 
walls  are  not  a  haven  but  a  prison. 

A  fun-loving  Irish-American  girl 
married  a  reserved  European  research 
scientist  who  taught  in  the  university 
near  her  home.  At  first  he  was  enter- 
tained by  her  outgoing  ways,  and  she 
felt  a  security  in  his  dignified  quiet- 
ness. The  years  passed,  and  her  con- 
stant chatter  became  an  interruption 
to  his  needed  time  for  study,  and  his 
quiet  ways  became  an  irritation  to  her. 
She  wanted  to  have  conversation  or  go 
out  in  the  evenings,  and  he  wanted  to 
be  alone  in  his  office.  She  finally 
applied  for  a  divorce  and  then  came 
to  the  retreat  where  I  met  her.  She 
told  me  her  story  one  day  with  tears 
of  self-pity.  When  I  asked  her  how 
her  husband  felt  about  all  this,  she 
started  talking  about  him  from  their 
wedding  time  on.  Then  she  began  to 
think  how  hard  it  had  been  for  him 
—  coming  home  with  a  lot  of  studying 
to  do  and  a  talkative  wife  who  was 
always  interrupting  him.  As  she 
talked  about  him,  she  realized  that 
she  still  loved  him.  Now  she  knew 
about  true  love  —  she  was  ready  to 
love  him.  She  canceled  the  divorce 
application  and  went  home  with  joy 
and  hope  for  a  real  marriage. 

The  attitude  toward  affairs  of  the 
home  can  become  important  items  in 
life  together.  Some  men  come  from 
homes  where  all  the  work  in  the 
house  is  "women's  work."  My  first 
introduction  to  this  strict  division  of 
labor  was  in  the  first  year  of  our 
marriage.  My  husband  served  a 
church  in  the  mountains  of  Virginia. 
We  started  housekeeping  there  in  a 
log  cabin  with  five  rooms  and  a  "path." 
My  dear  Baxter  carried  our  water 
from  our  spring.  Not  so  our  neigh- 
bor! To  him  carrying  water  was  a 
woman's  work.  Their  spring  was 
downhill  from  their  house,  and  I  was 


horrified  to  see  that  tiny  little  woman 
go  down  the  hill  with  an  empty  bucket 
and  struggle  up  again  with  her  full 
bucket  while  her  big  strong  husband 
sat  and  watched.  She  didn't  seem  to 
mind.  Her  background  was  the  same 
as  her  husband's. 

Then  there  are  husbands  who  "take 
over"  in  the  house.  Division  of  respon- 
sibility is  desired.  Helping  is  appre- 
ciated, especially  if  the  wife  also  works 
outside  the  home;  but  a  woman  needs 
a  place  where  she  has  full  responsi- 
bility. I  have  known  several  instances 
where  the  husband  never  shared  with 
his  wife  the  responsibility  for  their 
home  or  money.  The  man  did  all  the 
grocery  buying  and  even  wanted  to 
buy  all  his  wife's  clothes.  Not  being 
permitted  to  have  special  responsibility 
is  as  hard  for  a  wife  in  the  home  as  it 
would  be  for  her  husband  if  this  were 
done  to  him  at  his  work. 

For  some  years  there  was  a  popular 
philosophy  of  togetherness.  Husbands 
and  wives  were  supposed  to  do  every- 
thing together.  Many  did  this 
conscientiously  and  sentimentally  until 
they  discovered  they  were  getting  into 
each  other's  way.  This  was  the  era 
when  men  were  roped  into  helping 
with  the  dishes  in  the  name  of 
togetherness.  One  man  protested,  but 
his  wife  said  she  could  prove  by  the 
Bible  that  it  was  all  right  for  a  man 
to  wipe  dishes.  He  took  the  challenge 
and  then  she  read  to  him,  "I  will  wipe 
Jerusalem  as  a  man  wipeth  a  dish, 
wiping  it,  and  turning  it  upside  down" 
(2  Kings  21: 13  KJV).  He  should 
have  known  enough  to  get  another 
version  which  does  not  say  "man"! 
Anyway  this  man  had  enough  humor 
to  yield  to  helping  with  the  dishes. 
Now  the  automatic  dishwasher  has 
taken  care  of  that  problem.  Together- 
ness is  not  necessarily  the  same  as 
sharing,  and  it  is  not  the  same  as 


genuine  concern  for  the  other  in  1 

giving-love. 

Sometimes  there  is  a  wide  gap  in 
social  backgrounds.  I  know  a  girl  who 
was  engaged  to  marry  a  young  man 
reared  in  a  very  wealthy  "society" 
home.  Although  this  girl  was  quite 
beautiful  and  knew  how  to  dress 
attractively  on  a  small  budget,  she 
often  felt  ill  at  ease  with  him  in  public, 
because  he  was  so  meticulous  about 
so  many  details  of  behavior.  She  had 
enough  imagination  to  realize  what 
difficulties  they  would  face  after  mar- 
riage, so  she  wisely  broke  off  the  en- 
gagement. They  both  seemed  relieved, 
although  they  were  grieved  for  the 
time  being. 

There  are  enough  adjustments  to 
be  made  in  any  marriage  without  hav- 
ing too  many  extra,  built-in  difficulties 
that  come  from  too  great  a  difference 
in  background.  Some  can  make  the 
adjustment,  and  others  can't.  When 
the  differences  are  very  great,  it  is  all 
the  more  important  that  each  person 
be  mature  enough  to  have  imagination 
to  be  able  to  think  of  the  other  person 
and  to  have  the  capacity  for  true  giv- 
ing-love. 

Several  years  ago  in  London,  an 
American  professional  woman  met  an 
Indian  surgeon  whom  she  later  mar- 
ried. She  is  a  devout  Christian,  and 
he  is  a  devout  Hindu.  He  told  me 
that  his  wife's  devotion  to  her  faith 
was  what  first  attracted  him  to  her. 
And  she,  a  nurse,  was  first  attracted 
by  his  infinite  kindness  to  children. 
He  said  she  would  always  have  his 
fullest  encouragement  to  be  true  to  her 
faith.  She  will  have  many  adjust- 
ments to  make  when  they  go  to  India 
and  she  becomes  part  of  a  larger 
family  there,  but  they  are  ready  to 
face  that,  for  they  know  giving-love. 

A  difference  of  educational  back- 
ground may  certainly  be  a  barrier. 


4     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


One  couple  did  not  expect  any  prob- 
lem since  they  were  both  college 
graduates,  but  she  grew  up  with 
books  and  was  a  constant  reader 
while  he  came  from  a  home  where 
books  were  scarce  and  work  was  all 
important.  He  became  very  impatient 
with  her  reading,  even  though  her 
interest  in  books  was  in  line  with  his 
work.  She  soon  had  to  hide  her 


books  and  began  to  feel  cheated  and 
penned  in.  Fortunately  a  crisis  came 
into  their  relationship  which  shook 
them  loose  from  their  different  back- 
grounds and  helped  them  both  to  face 
their  future  together. 

Sometimes  the  educational  gap  de- 
velops after  marriage.  One  man  was 
less  educated  than  his  wife  when 
they  were  married.  People  wondered 


why  she  married  him.  Now  he  has  so 
far  surpassed  her  that  people  ask, 
"Why  did  he  ever  marry  her?"  His 
real  interests  now  are  far  beyond  her 
comprehension,  and  for  a  time  he  felt 
trapped,  but  he  has  grown  in  the 
discipline  of  love,  and  her  sweet  ways 
have  won  his  real  appreciation. 

When  people  come  from  different 
church  backgrounds,  it  is  very  im- 
portant for  them  to  be  able  to  center 
on  what  their  basic  faith  is.  Most 
Protestant  churches  have  more  in 
common  than  most  church  members 
realize.  The  differences  are  usually  in 
the  way  the  faith  is  practiced.  One 
couple  solved  the  problem  by  choosing 
a  third  church  near  their  new  home. 
The  change  for  each  one  meant  a  new 
emphasis  on  the  deeper  things  of  their 
faith. 

The  greatest  difficulty  comes  when 
a  religiously  devout  person  marries  an 
agnostic,  an  atheist,  or  one  completely 
indifferent  to  God.  It  becomes  very 
difficult  to  discover  that  one's  greatest 
values  are  ignored  or  even  ridiculed 
by  a  loved  one.  A  couple  may  have 
started  out  together  with  no  special 
faith,  then  later  one  of  them  comes 
into  an  experience  of  God.  If  each 
has  respect  for  the  other  as  a  person, 
the  new  faith  should  not  break  their 
love  for  one  another.  In  fact,  it 
should  increase  the  love  of  the  one 
who  has  become  a  Christian,  so  that 
a  new  concern  for  the  other  turns 
human  love  into  real  agape-love. 
Silent  witnessing,  not  forcing  your 
beliefs  on  the  other,  is  the  hardest, 
but  it  is  often  worth  a  thousand 
words. 

Only  giving-love  can  take  two  peo- 
ple out  of  different  backgrounds  and 
create  a  real  union  in  which  each  per- 
sonality is  preserved  and  strengthened. 
Such  a  union  of  love  is  worth  any 
cost.   D 

6-J-70   MESSENGER     5 


The  Shape 
of  the 
Future  Church 


by  A.  G.  BREIDENSTINE 

If  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
wants  to  do  its  part  within 
this  "secular"  century,  it 
must  redouble  its  efforts 
on  behalf  of  its  own  nurture 
and  on  behalf  of  the  world 
which  needs  its  ministry 
so  sorely 

To  attempt  to  describe  what  the 
church  will  be  like  in  the  future  in- 
volves some  risky  forecasting.  But  we 
must  run  that  risk,  even  if  we  turn  out 
to  be  only  fifty  percent  correct. 

All  churches,  except  those  com- 
munions which  by  their  deUberate  ac- 
tions exclude  themselves,  are  in  a  pil- 
grimage toward  unity.  Such  unity 
does  not  necessarily  mean  merger,  but 
it  does  mean  that  denominational  lines 
will  become  less  and  less  meaningful. 

Today  the  churches  are  coming  of 
age.  They  are  generally  sadder  but 
wiser,  less  brash,  less  confident,  more 
mature  in  charity,  willing  to  jeopardize 
cherished  forms,  of  a  humble  spirit, 
and  capable  of  self-criticism. 

Shortly  it  will  be  a  common  ex- 
perience for  churches  which  are  basi- 
cally very  different  to  witness  and  wor- 
ship together  occasionally;  cooperate 
usually  in  specialized  tasks;  be  less 
absorbed  with  administrative  and  or- 
ganizational matters. 

Churches  will  focus  upon  the  secular 
society  about  them.  They  will  be  seri- 
ous about  their  own  realistic  ap- 
praisals. They  will  frankly  admit  that 
they  are  never  perfectly  renewed,  never 
really  purified.  Those  who  are  less 
realistic  and  pursue  a  policy  of  waitmg 
and  hesitation  will  never  be  renewed 


until  they  join  the  celestial  church. 

From  now  on  the  churches  will 
make  less  lavish  provision  for  their 
own  internal  Ufe,  even  if  not  neglecting 
their  needful  nurture,  and  focus  efforts 
more  and  more  upon  local  civic,  state, 
national,  and  international  life. 

But  what  should  be  the  shape  of 
the  future  for  Brethren?  Theologically 
we  should  assess  ourselves  as  a  cove- 
nant community:  an  extension  of  the 
incarnation;  followers  of  our  Lord  to- 
day who  is  the  Lord  of  Galilee.  With 
these  basic  beliefs  we  must  free  our- 
selves of  legalism  and  adopt  the  servant 
role.  We  will  be  a  community  and  not 
a  code.  Within  we  will  have  all  shades 
of  beliefs,  all  strata  of  man,  different 
ages,  and  varied  backgrounds.  To- 
gether we  wUl  listen  to  the  proclama- 
tion, join  ourselves  in  worship,  and 
serve  as  a  Brethren  faith-community 
without  the  tension  of  human  censor- 
ship. Only  the  life  and  spirit  of  our 
common  Lord  will  be  our  norm. 

The  pastoral  ministry  of  Brethren 
will  undergo  major  changes.  It  will 
take  on  many  forms.  We  will  have 
greater  and  greater  needs  for  ordained, 
high-quality,  professional  ministers. 
These  must  be  of  considerable  stature 
but  humble  of  spirit.  Within  the  parish 
they  will  serve  as  leaders  of  leaders 
rather  than  traditional  prophets, 
priests,  and  kings. 

I  say  they  will  be  "leaders  of  lead- 
ers" because  serving  with  them  wiU 
be  many  honorary  ministers  who  act 
in  secular  positions  but  who  have 
also  accepted  professional  church 
ministries.  Some  of  these  will  be  as- 
signed to  counseling;  others  to  church 
education;  some  to  budgeting  and 
finance;  many  to  social  welfare  serv- 
ices; some  to  industrial  missions  re- 


lated to  money  management,  insurance, 
housing,  and  poverty  remedies.  A 
cadre  under  expert  leadership  wiU  de- 
vote considerable  time  to  planning  and  ; 
forecasting.  I 

All  of  these  ministers  will  strive  to     ' 
find  the  mind  of  Christ  for  this  day,  and 
whether  in  a  team  within  the  secular 
world,  or  within  other  faith-commu- 
nions, wUl  not  be  considered  crucial. 
These  ministers,  however,  will  consider 
themselves  charged  to  inject  the  leaven 
of  Christ  into  the  world,  and  they  will 
do  so  humbly  and  without  ostentation. 

As  Brethren  plan  to  serve  the  world, 
they  will  overcome  thek  prejudicial 
views  of  suburbia,  of  the  ghetto,  of 
other  divisional  designations.  With 
other  communions  they  will  strive  to      ] 
serve  an  entire  territory.  No  one  wUl     1 
remain  without  the  ministry  of  the 
churches. 

With  other  churches  our  vision  of  a  1 
territory  will  be  a  whole  city  or  an         ' 
entire  county  or  all  of  a  town  or  other 
community. 

In  such  efforts  we  wUl  be  forced  to 
team  up  with  other  brethren,  whether 
of  the  Alexander  Mack  variety  or  not. 
As  a  church  we  will  plan  strategies  to 
cover  the  territory  and  influence  its 
life  and  render  the  necessary  services 
to  church  education,  youth  work,  chap- 
laincies, government,  industry,  recrea- 
tion. 

At  the  home  base  within  our  church 
buildings  we  wUl  conduct  seminars;  of- 
fer special  classes  of  instruction  as 
needed;  sponsor  friendship  gatherings; 
worship;  and  frequently  celebrate  our 
joy  in  a  common  Lord. 

Specifically,  we  will  cooperate  with 
other  churches  in  our  offering  of  such 
programs  as  Head  Start,  day-care 
nurseries,  scouting,  instruction  in  lay 


6     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


theology.  In  all  of  these  ministries, 
coordination  will  be  the  role  of  the 
pastor  who  always  wUl  be  first  among 
equals. 

Not  only  wUl  our  servant  role 
change,  but  there  will  also  develop  new 
forms  of  worship  and  celebration. 
Quite  different  from  earlier  nineteenth- 
century  forms  there  wQl  be  an  attempt 
to  create  new  dramas  and  new  celebra- 
tions. We  will  not  again  retreat  into 
the  old  world  or  attempt  to  recreate 
early  Christian  forms.  Our  young  peo- 
ple will  help  the  church  to  create  forms 
as  needed  to  renew  our  faith  and  to 
celebrate  the  Lordship  of  Christ.  Some 
certainties  are  already  evident  —  more 
corporate  participation;  new  musical 
forms;  drama;  choral  reading;  panto- 
mime; and  direct  representations  of  the 
cause  or  concern  of  the  day.  Our  cele- 
brations will  relate  more  and  more  to 
the  "here  and  now." 

Our  ordinances  will  fulfill  their 
basic  purposes:  Baptism,  in  addition 
to  all  of  its  meaning  and  tradition,  will 
be  seen  as  a  rite  to  receive  children, 
young  people,  and  adults  into  the  faith- 
community.  Love  feast  and  holy  com- 
munion will  commemorate  the  death 
and  resurrection  of  our  Lord  and  new 
flexibilities  of  administration  will  allow 
us  to  share  these  great  moments  with 
the  homebound,  the  sick  in  hospitals, 
the  aged  in  homes  for  the  aging,  the 
young  people  in  youth  clubs,  and 
wherever  these  celebrations  can  be 
helpful. 

Inspired  preaching  and  teaching  wiU 
still  be  in.  WhUe  dialogue  sermons, 
song-sermons,  and  other  creative  forms 
may  be  developed,  the  centrality  of 
being  led  in  worship  wUl  endure. 

Surely  some  of  our  ministers  vrill 
have  a  speciality  in  church  education 


of  which  Sunday  schools  wiU  be  but  a 
small  part.  In  addition  to  classes  on 
Sunday  there  will  be  seminars,  special 
Bible  classes,  home  and  family  life 
discussion  groups,  book  clubs,  confer- 
ences, leadership  training  programs, 
and  such  other  classes  as  wUl  be  re- 
quired to  meet  the  needs  of  the  people 
within  the  prescribed  church  territory. 
But  the  classes  wUl  not  be  additional 
forums  for  pulpit  oratory.  They  wUl  be 
small,  about  fifteen  to  twenty  persons, 
and  led  by  knowledgeable  and  qualified 
teachers,  often  professionals,  who 
know  the  social  dynamics  of  conduct- 
ing discussions.  Within  the  give-and- 
take  of  minds  wrestling  with  problems 
will  new  light  break  forth  and  new 
ideas  be  implanted. 

But  churches  wiU  join  forces  at 
some  carefully  chosen  retreat  site  for 
week-long  lay  theology  discussions, 
for  spiritual  conferences  of  many  types, 
and  particularly  for  planning,  forecast- 
ing, and  long-range  programming  and 
budgeting.  In  a  fast-moving  age,  year 
by  year  planning  will  be  too  short- 
sighted to  be  effective. 

In  aU  of  these  educational  endeavors 
we  will  share  freely  our  teachers,  fa- 
cihties,  and  programs  with  our  neigh- 
bors, regardless  of  their  Christian  af- 
filiations. 

I  mentioned  earlier  that  the  Brethren 
turned  toward  the  world  only  recently. 
May  I  add  at  this  point  that  they  did 
so  in  a  selective  manner.  Brethren 
have  yet  to  learn  how  to  express  Chris- 
tian love  and  gracious  affection  toward 
black  people,  nonbelievers,  and  per- 
sons of  other  faiths.  All  too  often  we 
have  failed  as  Brethren  to  recognize 
our  Jewish  brothers. 

Within  local  congregations  we  wiU 
strive  to  create  unity  out  of  deeply 


divided  classes,  races,  cultures,  and 
generations. 

Somehow  we  as  Brethren  will  con- 
vince ourselves  that  just  as  changes 
within  our  communion  "rocked"  our 
foundations  in  earUer  times,  newer  and 
more  drastic  changes  to  come  wiU  do 
so  again  and  again.  But  we  will  not 
despair  because  we  wUl  claim  the 
promises  of  God  given  to  his  people. 

Instead  we  will  strive  to  follow  our 
Lord  of  Galilee,  knowing  that  he  is 
the  Lord  of  the  church.  We  will  learn 
of  him  within  the  school  of  discipleship 
in  the  church  and  serve  him  in  the 
school  of  apostleship  in  the  world.   D 


6-4-70   MESSENGER     7 


Whatever 
You  Ask 

by  C.  WAYNE  ZUNKEL 

Sensitive,  concerned, 
caring  people  who  have 
caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
ethical  implications  of  the 
gospel  often  miss  the  part 
about  the  power  which  is 
available  to  give  life 
strength  and  meaning 


About  a  century  and  a  half  ago,  when 
the  first  American  steamboat,  Robert 
Fulton's  Clermont,  was  scheduled  to 
make  its  trial  run  on  the  Hudson  River, 
a  crowd  of  spectators  gathered  to 
watch.  One  of  the  onlookers  was  an 
old  farmer  who  predicted,  "They'll 
never  start  her."  But  the  steamboat  did 
start.  Its  speed  increased.  Faster  and 
faster  it  went.  The  crowd  went  wild 
with  enthusiasm. 

The  old  farmer  turned  away,  shak- 
ing his  head,  hardly  able  to  believe 
what  he  saw.  "They'll  never  stop  her!" 
he  declared. 

This  response  might  well  have  been 
given  of  the  first-century  church. 
When  it  started  out  with  its  little  hand- 
ful of  people,  it  seemed  so  weak  and 
frail.  But  it  gathered  such  momentum, 
it  must  have  seemed  there  was  no 
stopping  it. 

Power  is  an  important  word  in  the 
New  Testament.  "For  thine  is  the 
kingdom,  the  power,  and  the  glory," 
an  unknown  monk  added  to  our  Lord's 
prayer.  The  very  word  for  church, 
kyros,  means  power.  Jesus'  parting 
words  to  his  disciples  were  the  instruc- 
tion "not  to  depart  from  Jerusalem, 
but  to  wait  for  the  promise  of  the 
Father.  . .  .  You  shall  receive  power," 
he  told  them. 

But  many  of  us  do  not  know  what 
power  is  all  about.  How  sad  it  is  to  see 
sensitive,  concerned,  caring  people 


who  have  caught  a  glimpse  of  the 
ethical  implications  of  the  gospel  but 
have  somehow  missed  the  part  about 
the  power  which  is  available.  Their 
ears  have  heard  the  impossible  im- 
perative, their  minds  are  consumed  by 
the  dream,  the  vision.  They  know  what 
Christ  wants  in  terms  of  their  fellow- 
men  and  our  world,  but  they  have  not 
caught  the  part  about  the  vast  re- 
sources which  are  theirs  for  the  claim- 
ing. They  know  the  second  command- 
ment about  loving  their  neighbor.  But 
somehow  they  missed  the  first  one 
about  letting  God  consume  their  hearts 
and  mind  and  strength. 

It's  like  an  Amish  man  who  was 
riding  to  town  in  his  buggy  and  his 
horse  stopped  and  refused  to  move. 
The  man  cracked  the  reins.  He 
shouted  orders.  After  all  his  attempts 
failed,  he  finally  stood  up  in  rage  and 
issued  his  ultimatum :  "Get  up,  Dob- 
bin, or  I'll  drive  right  over  you." 

I  know  a  young  college  professor 
who  was  a  great  inspiration  to  me  in 
both  high  school  and  college.  One 
night  at  a  campfire  he  said,  "I  spent  the 
years  which  the  Lord  God  gave  my 
youth  attempting  impossible  things." 
And  he  had.  He  went  to  areas  of  need 
and  hurt  in  the  world.  He  had  suffered 
miserable  abuse  for  his  faithfulness 
to  the  best  he  knew. 

But  it  was  aU  in  his  own  strength. 
And  he  grew  bitter.  His  lofty  dreams 
turned  to  ashes.  Today  he  is  a  shat- 
tered man.  How  like  so  many  others 
he  is  who  have  a  large  part  of  the 
vision  but  without  having  it  in  the  con- 
text of  God's  larger  will  and  purposes 
which  can  give  strength  and  meaning. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
been  setting  long-term  goals  for  the 
70s.  Many  sounding  conferences  have 
been  held  as  various  combinations  of 
people  —  youth,  laymen  and  women, 
pastors  —  are  brought  together  to 


share  their  ideas  and  concerns.  One 
of  the  concerns  which  gets  voiced  more 
than  any  other  is  a  concern  for  evange- 
lism. "The  church  is  not  evangelistic  as 
it  ought  to  be,"  many  people  are  say- 
ing. 

Dean  Crouse,  a  Brethren  pastor  in 
Philadelphia  who  also  has  done  some 
work  at  depth  research  on  motivation, 
has  been  interviewing  people  across 
denominational  lines  —  Brethren, 
Presbyterian,  Episcopal,  Methodist  — 
trying  to  discover  exactly  what  people 
mean  when  they  use  the  word  evange- 
lism. Is  evangelism  a  set  of  words 
which  they  want  used  —  "redemp- 
tion," "forgiveness,"  "sin,"  "the  blood 
of  Jesus,"  "the  cross,"  "salvation," 
"atonement"?  Is  it  an  emotional  ex- 
perience they  crave?  Or  is  gaining  more 
members  most  important  to  them? 

Pastor  Crouse  feels  from  early  sam- 
plings that  it  may  be  something  more 
basic  and  personal  than  any  of  these. 
D.  T.  Niles  of  India  defined  evangelism 
as  "one  starving  beggar  telling  another 
where  to  find  food." 

Dean  said  he  has  only  trends  so  far, 
nothing  of  substance.  But  he  has  been 
surprised.  First,  he  has  found  that 
seventy-five  percent  of  those  he  has  in- 
terviewed to  date  do  not  feel  that  God 
is  a  reality  in  their  own  lives.  But, 
interestingly,  most  of  them  do  feel  they 
see  evidence  that  God  is  real  and  alive 
in  others. 

Secondly,  in  terms  of  meaningful 
encounters  with  other  Christians  and 
the  sharing  of  joys  and  problems, 
eighty  percent  of  those  interviewed 
across  denominational  lines  do  not 
feel  they  have  meaningful  conversation 
or  sharing  with  other  Christians.  They 
feel  very  much  alone  in  the  things  that 
matter  most.  But  they  are  hungry  to 
know  of  others'  experience  of  God. 

The  kinds  of  rehgious  books  they 
most  want  to  read  are  those  telling  of 


6^-70    MESSENGER     9 


WHATEVER  YOU  ASK  /  continued 

something  happening  in  the  lives  of 
other  persons. 

They  feel  God  was  real  in  the  past. 
And  they  feel  he  will  be  active  in  the 
future.  But  the  now  in  which  they  live 
is  a  gray  area. 

"God  is  active,"  many  say.  They 
see  him  at  work  in  others.  "But 
nothing  is  happening  to  me." 

I  raised  the  question  as  to  whether 
this  is  reaUy  anything  new.  As  a  boy 
I  remember  prayer  meetings  which  I 
occasionally  attended  with  my  parents. 
When  it  came  to  sharing  experiences 
of  God,  so  often  people  talked  of  ex- 
periences which  happened  ten  or  more 
years  ago.  Seldom  did  they  talk  about 
today  or  this  week  or  even  this  month. 
And  the  few  times  I  went  I  soon 
learned  by  heart  the  experiences  which 
some  of  them  repeated  every  week. 

A  faith  centered  on  things  experi- 
enced long  ago  is  a  powerless  faith.  It 
is  not  alive  and  real  today  for  very 
many  people.  One  reason  may  be  that 
we  are  reluctant  to  speak  about  what 
does  happen.  In  a  previous  generation, 
sex  was  not  a  topic  of  polite  conversa- 
tion. But  today  "God"  or  "religion"  in 
any  personal  or  meaningful  way  is 
taboo.  We're  ashamed  to  talk  about  it. 

I  talked  recently  with  a  pastor  who 
said  he  has  begun  to  set  up  opportuni- 
ties to  eat  lunch  one  at  a  time  with  the 
men  of  his  church.  He  said  they  are 
different  people  alone  than  they  are  at 
work  or  at  church  or  even  in  their  own 
homes  in  the  presence  of  their  wives  or 
families.  Privately  some  of  them  will 
speak  haltingly  and  in  an  embarrassed 
way  but,  nevertheless,  with  great  joy 
and  conviction  about  the  working  of 
God  in  their  own  lives.  God  is  at  work 
within  many  of  them,  but  they  are 
ashamed  to  talk  about  it,  even  in  their 
own  homes. 

It  may  be  that  one  mark  of  a  mature 
person  is  the  ability  to  begin  to  talk 


without  embarrassment  about  God  and 
our  own  experience  of  him. 

The  New  Testament  is  lavish  in  the 
promises  it  makes.  "Whatever  you  ask 
in  my  name  the  Father  will  give  you," 
Jesus  said.  "Everyone  who  asks  re- 
ceives. He  who  seeks  finds.  To  him 
who  knocks  it  shall  be  opened." 

There  is  nothing  magic  in  this.  The 
great  Quaker  writer  Rufus  Jones  put  it 
quite  simply.  "If  you  hold  a  straw 
parallel  to  the  movement  of  the  current 
in  the  gulf  stream,  the  gulf  stream  wUl 
flow  through  it." 

If  you  get  your  life  in  line  with  the 
power  and  purpose  of  the  universe,  that 
power  and  purpose  can  flow  through 
you.  And  the  key,  of  course,  to  the 
promises  were  Jesus'  little  qualifying 
phrases,  "in  my  name"  or  "within  the 
will  of  the  Father."  God  gives  good 
gifts  to  his  children.  All  we  need  to 
do  is  have  our  lives  in  line  and  claim 
the  power  there. 

There  is  much  misunderstanding 
about  what  can  be  ours.  There  is  much 
misunderstanding  about  where  the 
power  and  resources  lie.  We  put  so 
much  of  the  burden  on  ourselves.  And 
God  does  expect  us  to  stand  on  our 
own  two  feet. 

Gordon  Scott,  the  tall  and  husky 
movie  actor,  arrived  in  Kenya  to  play 
the  title  role  in  a  jungle  picture,  "Tar- 
zan  the  Magnificent."  A  group  of  small 
African  boys  gathered  around  him, 
all  asking  to  carry  his  luggage.  He 
chose  as  porter  one  skinny  little  fel- 
low who  stared  up  at  him  with  awe. 
"You  big!"  said  the  boy.  Scott  nodded. 
"You  big  like  tree,"  the  boy  said. 
"You  got  arms  like  tree  trunks."  Scott 
smiled  modestly.  "You  must  be  strong 
as  lion,"  the  boy  said.  Scott  beamed 
proudly  and  admitted  that  he  was 
quite  strong.  The  boy  turned  and 
walked  away,  saying,  "You  carry  your 
own  luggage." 


Sometimes  God  says  to  us,  "You 
carry  your  own  luggage."  Sometimes 
when  we  face  what  seem  impossible 
problems,  God  says,  "Stay  with  it  for 
awhile."  As  we  ask  for  something, 
sometimes  his  answer  to  prayer  must 
surely  be  firm  words  to  us,  "Do  it  your- 
self." He  gave  us  minds  and  he  ex- 
pects us  to  use  them.  He  gave  us 
bodies  and  a  wiO  and  he  expects  us  to 
grow  up  and  mature  in  our  own  finding  | 
of  the  way. 

But  we  are  not  alone.  And  the  far- 
ther we  go,  the  more  we  know  we 
cannot  go  through  life  alone. 

Some  years  ago,  Edward  R.  Mur- 
row,  a  CBS  newscaster  during  World 
War  II  and  following,  spent  some  days  t 
with  J.  Robert  Oppenheimer,  Albert 
Einstein,  and  some  other  great  mathe- 
maticians and  scientists  of  our  day  in 
their  laboratories  in  the  institute  for 
advanced  studies  at  Princeton  filming 
an  interview  for  a  television  special.  As 
Murrow  came  away,  the  one  overriding  i 
impression  he  had  was  that  never 
in  such  a  short  span  of  time  had  he  so 
often  heard  the  phrase,  "I  don't  know." 
True  greatness  always  seems  to  issue  in  : 
a  sense  of  humility  and  teachableness. 

What  we  are  talking  about  is  not 
quite  what  Norman  Vincent  Peale 
means  when  he  speaks  of  the  power  of 
positive  thinking.  There  is  power  in 
negative  thinking,  too.  And  it  may  be 
as  important  to  learn  how  to  say  "no" 
as  always  to  say  "yes,  yes"  in  a  pagan 
culture. 

Many  an  artist,  musician,  composer, 
writer,  mother,  inventor,  administrator, ', 
laborer,  student,  feel  what  some  call 
inspiration,  insight,  a  bolt  out  of  the 
blue.  A  white  light  dawns  as  ideas  or 
a  mood  or  a  new  understanding  sweeps  . 
over  them  which  is  not  of  their  own 
doing. 

As  a  pastor,  I  often  feel  inadequate 
to  my  job.  Every  Sunday,  however 


10     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


hard  I  may  have  worked  on  the  sermon 
and  the  larger  worship  experience,  I 
feel  that  what  I  have,  even  though  it 
may  be  the  best  I  can  do,  is  inadequate. 
And  on  most  Sundays  I  pray  a  little 
prayer:  "Lord,  it's  all  yours.  There 
are  things  which  need  to  be  said  which 
I  believe  are  your  message  for  this 
hour.  But  in  myself  I'm  not  adequate 
to  the  apathy,  to  the  built-in  resistance, 
to  all  the  defenses  and  cynicisms  of  the 
critics  who  sit  back  daring  you  to  reach 
them,  to  the  needs  and  problems  even 
of  the  eager.  If  this  message  is  worth 
getting  through,  I  need  your  help." 

One  of  the  lines  of  the  hymn,  "Lord, 
speak  to  me,  that  I  may  speak,"  is  often 
my  prayer:  "And  wing  my  words,  that 
they  may  reach  /  The  hidden  depths  of 
many  a  heart." 

The  truth  is,  we  aren't  adequate  to 
our  responsibilities.  Nor  are  we  ade- 
quate to  life.  The  magnitude  of  life 
and  death  is  overwhelming.  But  we 
don't  stand  alone. 

In  time  of  death  we  never  need  to 
stand  alone.  John's  gospel,  which, 
more  than  a  history,  is  John's  expres- 
sion of  what  Jesus  meant  personally 
to  him,  says  it  is  his  faith  that  Christ  is 
there  with  us  at  death  to  sustain  us.  "If 
I  go  I  will  come  again  to  receive  you 
unto  myself."  He  was  trying  to  say, 
"You  are  not  alone,  not  even  in  the 
hardest  of  life's  moments." 

In  times  of  sickness,  give  thanks  for 
aU  the  skills  of  medical  science.  Give 
thanks  for  trained  physicians  and  for 
alert,  dedicated  nurses.  Give  thanks 
for  medical  technology.  But  know  that 
above  and  beyond  all  that,  no  doctor 
heals.  AU  the  doctor  ever  does  is  pre- 
pare the  conditions  by  which  healing 
will  be  possible.  He  sets  the  bone  or 
stitches  the  cut  or  removes  the  tumor. 
But  the  healing  powers  of  God  are  at 
work  before,  during,  or  after  any  doc- 
tor, however  skilled,  does  his  part. 


When  you  face  impossible  problems 
—  hard,  basic  choices,  temptations 
which  are  too  great  to  resist,  discour- 
agement, despair,  heartache  —  know 
that  there  is  one  in  whom  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being  who  cares 
more  about  you  than  you  can  possibly 
care  about  yourself.  And  know  what 
resources  he  has  placed  at  our  disposal. 

"Whatever  you  ask,  the  Father  will 
give  you."  The  power  of  the  universe 
is  at  your  disposal  if  you  get  yourself 
together  and  get  things  straight  —  in 
line. 

We  do  not  pray  to  change  the  mind 
of  God.  He  doesn't  need  to  be  con- 
vinced. Prayer  is  getting  our  thinking 
straight.  And  prayer  is  more  than  that. 
It  is  joining  our  will  with  the  will  of 
God  in  a  world  where  the  mind  and 
emotions  and  will  do  play  a  role  in 
what  happens. 

So  it's  not  simply  whatever  we  may 
ask  for.  There  is  so  much  more  that 
God  wants  to  give  than  we  are  ready  to 
receive  —  so  much  more  than  we  even 
dream  about  asking  for. 

Thank  God  for  prayers  unanswered. 
I  remember  hearing  a  man,  a  leader  in 
his  profession,  tell  of  tramping  through 
a  field,  hunting.  It  was  raining  and  he 
stopped  at  a  farmhouse.  The  woman 


who  came  to  the  door  looked  familiar. 
He  discovered  that  this  was  the  person 
he  had  dated  in  college  and  had  wanted 
to  marry.  He  had  prayed  to  God  to 
make  the  girl  change  her  mind.  As  he 
stood  in  the  doorway  and  saw  her  — 
fat,  sloppy,  and  in  the  background  a 
very  dirty  house  —  as  he  heard  her 
scream  at  her  runny-nosed  children,  he 
breathed  a  prayer  of  thanks  to  God 
for  unanswered  prayer.  "Your  father 
knows  what  you  need  before  you  ask 
him,"  Jesus  said. 

An  old  minister  in  London  said  to  a 
young  man  who  faced  many  problems, 
"In  every  town  in  England,  no  matter 
how  small,  in  every  village  or  hamlet, 
though  it  be  hidden  in  the  folds  of  the 
mountain  or  wrapped  round  by  the  far- 
off  sea,  in  every  clump  of  farmhouses, 
you  can  find  a  road  which,  if  you  fol- 
low it,  will  take  you  to  London." 

And  so  it  is  in  life.  The  pathway 
lies  near  at  hand.  There  is  beauty 
around  us.  There  is  glory  above  us. 
There  is  healing  for  the  sick  and 
strength  for  the  weak.  Hope  for  the 
discouraged.  New  life  for  those  to 
whom  life  has  become  twisted  and 
marred. 

Don't  settle  for  half  a  life.  Dare  to 
reach  out  and  claim  it  all!    D 


Upside  Down 

by  JAMES  L.  OVALL  SR. 

With  consternation  I  apply  what  I  have  read 
to  man,  as  to  a  simple  pyramid, 
the  form  of  which  is  not  as  now  renown, 
for  the  pyramid  I  seek  is  upside  down. 

And  at  the  apex  of  this  lowly  peak 

is  man,  afraid,  unwise,  and  weak. 

And  flowing  infinitely  upward  in  its  spread 

is  God,  and  things  unknown,  unsaid. 


64-70    MESSENGER     11 


Marketplace 
Ministries 


I 


by  LINDA  BEHER 

In  a  new  version  of  the 
storefront  mission.  Agora 
helps  to  meet  the  needs  of 
thousands  of  "parishioners" 
with  endless  varieties  of 
problems 

Oakbrook  Center  —  One  hundred 
twenty-five  acres  of  department  stores, 
"little"  shops,  offices  —  sprawls  be- 
tween blacktop  parking  complexes  near 
a  fashionable  western  suburb  of  Chica- 
go. Deftly  landscaped  gardens  hold 
bright  flowers  and  shrubbery  in  season, 
and  well-tended  plots  of  grass  curve 
about  pools  and  fountains.  Except  on 
Sundays,  when  only  one  or  two  stores 
are  open,  Oakbrook  Center  teems  with 
shoppers  —  expensively  dressed  ma- 
trons, panted  teen-agers,  casually  at- 
tired young  housewives,  nattily  turned- 
out  junior  executives,  children.  In  the 
cool  impersonality  of  clipped  grass  and 
gray  concrete  and  stone,  shoppers' 
eyes  do  not  meet.  Or,  if  they  do,  one 
senses  an  embarrassed  flicker,  a  turning 
away,  a  masking  of  expression.  And 
in  the  shops,  salespersons'  practiced 
smiles  accompany  the  inevitably  cool, 
polite  "May  I  help  you?" 

But  if  you  walk  down  concrete  stairs 
to  the  Mall,  in  at  least  one  place  there 
will  be  eyes  that  aren't  afraid  to  meet 
yours  and  smiles  that  are  more  than 
accoutrement.  The  place  is  Agora, 
conceived  in  1964  by  the  United 
Church  of  Christ  as  one  of  a  legion  of 
experimental  ministries  —  airport 
chaplaincies,  for  example,  and,  like 
Agora  (Greek  for  marketplace),  shop- 
ping center  ministries. 

In  Agora's  Danish  modem  setting, 
employees  of  the  Center's  sixty  stores 
and  score  of  offices  —  and  sometimes 
someone  who  just  "comes  by"  —  can 
talk  to  a  friendly  listener  about  their 


frustrations,  their  griefs,  their  longings, 
their  discontents.  "People  who  have  no 
church  home  come  here  for  counsel- 
ing," notes  Donald  Kelly,  untU  Sep- 
tember 1969  director  of  Agora  and 
now  a  graduate  student  at  George  Wil- 
liams College  near  Chicago.  "He 
doesn't  know  where  to  go  or  where  to 
look  for  a  referral."  On  the  other 
hand,  the  "pillar  of  a  local  congrega- 
tion" may  seek  help  at  Agora,  where 
he  can  feel  less  uihibited  than  with  his 
own  pastor. 

Even  so,  "We  don't  consider  our- 
selves as  a  substitute  for  the  local 
church,"  Don  indicates.  "We  think  of 
ourselves  more  as  an  expression  of  the 
church.  And  our  plug-in  point  is  the 
dimension  of  ethics  and  value  expres- 
sion: asking  the  'for  what'  and  the 
'why'  kinds  of  questions."  In  that 
framework,  he  goes  on.  Agora  has 
"tried  to  pull  together  people  who 
would  ask  those  questions."  He  grins. 
"We're  in  the  people  business  here." 
With  five  thousand  or  more  "pa- 
rishioners" the  number  of  persons  with 
problems  poses  endless  varieties  of 
counseling  situations.  "One  advantage 
to  a  marketplace  ministry  is  that  we 
have  a  chance  here  to  talk  about  some 
things  that  are  back  home  in  addition 
to  on-the-job  things  that  might  come 
up,"  Don  says.  "For  example,  we  have 
put  families  in  touch  with  Family  Serv- 
ice or  an  Alcoholics  Anonymous  chap- 
ter. I  remember  one  man,  a  salesman 
who  works  in  one  of  the  stores  here  at 
the  Center.  He  had  some  personal 
adjustment  problems  of  his  own,  with 
working  full  time  here  and  half  time 
at  another  job. 

"In  addition,  there  was  some  friction 
between  himself  and  his  wdfe.  And  the 
school  system  apparently  felt  that  their 
son  might  be  retarded;  at  least  he  was 
having  some  emotional  problems  ad- 
justing to  school. 


"Over  a  period  of  two  years,  some- 
times by  appointment,  sometimes  in- 
formally, the  salesman  would  stop  by, 
occasionally  with  his  wife  and  boy. 
Through  referral  I  put  them  in  touch 
with  Family  Service  to  work  a  little 
bit  on  their  problems,  continued  to  see 
him,  and  at  the  same  time  tried  to  ar- 
range through  psychologists  some  test- 
ing for  the  boy  to  find  out  where  he's 
at." 

Another,  more  typical,  situation 
arises  when  employees  at  the  Center 
must  cope  with  problems  for  which 
there  are  no  easy  or  pat  solutions. 
"One  employee  knows  that  another, 
for  example,  is  routing  his  commission 
—  undercutting  sales  by  substituting  on 
the  sales  ticket  his  number  for  the 
man's  who  actually  made  the  sale," 
muses  Don.  "Working  out  relation- 
ships with  fellow  salespersons  is  one  of 
the  real  problems  here,  since  most 
stores'  paying  their  personnel  on  a 
commission  basis  tightens  the  sense  of 
competition." 

Oakbrook  Center  seemed  a  logical 
place  in  which  to  establish  an  "expres- 
sion of  the  church"  like  Agora.  There 
was  the  plethora  of  employees  in  mer- 
chandising jobs  —  a  work  community. 
The  suburban  area  itself  had  attracted 
research  firms,  computer  people,  busi- 
ness consultant  firms,  industrial  de- 
velopers —  a  professional  community. 
Add  to  this  the  mushrooming  com- 
munity of  high-rise  apartment  build- 
ings, condominiimis,  and  duplexes, 
with  their  mix  of  highly  mobile  families 
and  singles,  and  the  result  was  a  pot- 
pourri of  multiple-family  dwellings  and 
striplight  industry,  with  nothing  but 
proximity  to  tie  the  communities  to- 
gether. "Whether  or  not  Agora  could 
serve  as  that  kind  of  bridge,  we  weren't 
sure,"  Don  Kelly  says.  "But  the  people 
here  in  the  residential  community  were 
really  all  split  up,  and  everybody  kind 


i 


12     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


of  did  their  own  thing." 

In  addition,  the  western  suburbs  are 
commuting  societies.  'I've  been  sur- 
prised at  how  far  some  of  the  em- 
ployees at  the  Center  commute,"  com- 
ments Don,  explaining  that  after  Oak- 
brook    was    built,    many    companies 
manned  their  new  stores  with  sales- 
people, buyers,  and  personnel  man- 
agers from  downtown  Chicago  stores, 
£md  people  did  not  move  but  rather 
began  driving  the  greater  distance. 

Counseling  has  not  been  Agora's 
only  attempt  to  supplant  the  subse- 
quent aUenation  of  persons  from  one 
another.  Communications  seminars,  a 
series  of  marathons  —  nonstop  sensi- 
tivity training  — ,  leadership-training 
laboratories  for  clergy  and  lay  persons, 
case  study  programs,  and  book  discus- 
sion groups  have  occupied  Agora's 
space  in  the  Oakbrook  Mall  at  one 
time  or  another  since  1964.  "We've 
had  much  freedom  here  to  experiment 
with  a  number  of  different  things,"  Don 
points  out.  "For  example,  one  of  the 
most  moving  times  I  had  was  during 
our  discussion  of  A II  the  King's  Men," 
Robert  Penn  Warren's  Nobel  Prize- 
winning  story  of  a  Southern  politician's 
brutal  rise  to  power. 

"We  spoke  in  profoundly  human 
terms  about  some  life  themes  that 
come  out  in  the  book  —  renewal,  suf- 
fering, death,  joy,  hope.  .  .  .  Our  faith 
and  our  commitments  came  up,  but 
not  in  the  usual  parish  ways.  .  .  .  The 
God  question  was  never  far  from  the 
scene." 

In  the  case  study  program,  business- 
men were  asked  to  outline  their  value 
systems.  "Often  a  man  would  refer  to 
religious  values  in  some  way.  And 


then  we  would  help  him  examine  those 
values  and  hold  them  up  to  his  work-a- 
day  decisionmaking."  And,  probably 
whether  the  businessman  knew  it  or 
not,  he  then  began  to  embark  on  what 
Don  Kelly  calls  a  "doing  theology"  — 
making  his  words,  and  the  Word,  come 
alive. 

It  is  difficult  to  remember  Don's 
words  of  caution,  "Agora  is  not  a  re- 
placement for  the  church,"  after  hear- 
ing of  so  many  instances  in  which  the 
language,  the  thinking,  the  concerns  of 
the  church  manifest  themselves.  But 
Don  insists,  "There  has  to  be  some 
kind  of  intentional  community  in  order 
for  the  church  to  be  the  church." 
While  he  speaks  warmly  of  the  tra- 
ditional parish  setting,  he  applauds  the 
kinds  of  experimentation  occurring  in 
ecumenical  groups,  in  the  underground 
church,  and  in  local  parishes  which 
have  departed  from  the  old  patterns  of 
Christian  education  and  worship. 

What  does  the  future  of  Agora  hold? 
"The  whole  matter  of  liturgy  and  cele- 
bration is  not  present  here,  at  least  in 
such  forms  as  contemporary  ways  of 
celebrating  the  Lord's  Supper,"  Don 
says.  And  apparently  a  "gathered 
community"  would  not  be  an  impossi- 
bility to  envision  at  Agora.  Still,  "The 
biggest  single  thing  in  all  that  is  re- 
quired now  for  the  local  church  is  this 
matter  of  commitment,"  Don  declares. 
"If  Agora  were  to  move  in  the  direction 
of  intentional  community,  it  would  re- 
quire much  more  in  the  way  of  com- 
mitment so  that  there  would  be  no  so- 
called  'nominal  members'  [as  exist  in 
many  local  parishes] .  The  commit- 
ment would  have  to  be  much  more 
direct  and  accountability  to  one  an- 


other much  stronger.  There  would  be 
a  real  concern  and  a  caring  for  one  an- 
other built  in  by  being  caught  up  to- 
gether by  the  Spirit." 

Other  shopping  center  ministries 
have  moved  in  directions  not  yet  ex- 
plored by  Agora,  for  example,  a 
theater-in-the-square  program  at  an 
Alexandria,  Virginia,  shopping  center. 
Coordinated  by  the  United  Presby- 
terian and  the  United  Methodist 
churches,  the  theater  fills  a  cultural 
void  and  provides  springboards  for 
theologically  oriented  discussions.  A 
child-care  center  for  shoppers  and 
apartment  dwellers  is  another  service 
offered  by  the  sponsoring  denomina- 
tions at  the  same  shopping  center.  Says 
a  developer  of  the  Alexandria  program, 
"Market  Place  Ministries  is  not  in- 
tended to  produce  a  typical  congrega- 
tion but  an  'action'  in  which  highly 
mobile  people  can  participate  in  a  dis- 
ciplined way  over  a  manageable  period 
of  time." 

Other  experimental  ministries  have 
burgeoned  outside  the  marketplaces. 
In  three  West  Coast  cities,  Los  An- 
geles, San  Francisco,  and  San  Diego, 
clusters  of  persons,  linked  by  common 
feelings  of  alienation  and  dissatisfac- 
tion, are  working  as  the  New  Adult 
Community  to  forge  new  life-styles. 
The  ministry  began  in  1966,  enabled 
by  an  ecumenical  group  including 
United  Methodists,  Presbyterians,  and 
Episcopalians,  with  its  task  of  reaching 
out  to  "new"  adults,  who  cannot  accept 
inherited  systems  and  values,  who  sense 
fragmentation  of  persons  because  of 
the  mechanized  nature  of  their  culture, 
who  admit  their  frustration  with  the  in- 
stitutional church,  and  who  experience 


6-4-70    MESSENGER     13 


MARKETPLACE  MINISTRIES  /  continued 


outrage  at  social  injustices. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has 
joined  the  funding  of  NAC  in  Southern 
California  by  contributing  $3,500  a 
year  to  the  Joint  Metropolitan  Strategy 
and  Action  Coalition  (JMSAC),  an 
umbrella  group  which  sponsors  new 
ministries  in  Los  Angeles,  among  them, 
NAC.  R.  Truman  Northrup,  executive 
secretary  of  the  Pacific  Southwest  Con- 
ference and  a  member  of  JMSAC's 
board,  estimates  that  in  Los  Angeles 
four  or  five  hundred  young  adults  are 
participating  in  exploring  some  genuine 
new  possibilities  for  ways  of  feeling, 
thinking,  and  living. 

Aiding  in  the  explorations  are  such 
specific  opportunities  as  community 
comprehension  groups  —  gatherings 
of  persons  seeking  information  and 
communication  in  a  common  area  of 
interest  —  and  urban  plunges  —  ex- 
posure education  which  literally 
plunges  persons  into  an  intensive  ex- 
perience of  "making  it,"  as  racial  and 
economic  minorities  must,  in  the  urban 
ghettos. 

"Making  it"  in  the  city  is  a  concern 
also  of  Urban  Young  Adult  Action,  a 
loosely-knit  organization  which  assists 
local  groups  to  arrange  ministries  for 
young  adults  in  the  urban  setting. 
Funded  by  the  United  Methodist 
Church,  the  United  Church  of  Christ, 
and  both  branches  of  the  Presbyterian 
church,  UYAA  has  enabled  ministries 
in  all  sections  of  the  country.  Projects 
in  Dallas,  Texas,  are  illustrative  of  the 
scope :  an  orientation  center  for  young 
adults  coming  to  Dallas  to  work  or  at- 
tend school;  a  coffeehouse  and  artists' 
center;  a  mental  health  team  involved 
with  counseling  young  persons  having 
trouble  adjusting  to  the  urban  scene;  a 
bookstore  where  persons  can  gather  to 
talk  of  common  concerns;  and  com- 
munication with  the  homophile  com- 
munity. 


In  Wichita,  Kansas,  staff  persons  at 
The  Ecstatic  Umbrella,  an  old  house  on 
Topeka  Street,  receive  runaway  teen- 
agers, encourage  them  to  inform  their 
l)arents  of  their  whereabouts,  and  feed 
and  care  for  them  while  acting  as 
agents  of  reconciliation  across  the  gen- 
eration gap. 

In  St.  Louis,  Urban  Young  Adult 
Action  is  assisting  a  local  group  to  de- 
velop, with  contemporary  use  of  media, 
a  day  on  the  youth  culture  for  high 
school  principals. 

The  Metropohtan  Young  Adult 
Ministry  ui  Miimeapolis-St.  Paul, 
Minnesota,  has  conducted  ethics 
courses  in  area  trade  schools  and  has 
participated  in  orientation  of  young 
"emigrants"  referred  by  rural  churches. 

In  Denver,  Colorado,  neighborhood 
organizations  in  both  the  black  and 
Spanish-speaking  communities;  an  in- 
formation center  for  housing,  jobs,  rec- 
reation, and  counseling;  and  the  Turn- 
style  Youth  Crisis  Center  for  runaways, 
drug  hangups,  and  other  teen-age 
crises  have  all  been  established  by  the 
Metro  Young  Adult  Council  with  the 
assistance  of  UYAA. 

Family  life,  as  well  as  the  youth  cul- 
ture, is  receiving  scrutiny  from  new 
ministries.   At  the  First  Baptist  Church 
of  Rochester,  New  York,  teaching 
minister  Margaret  M.  Sawin  has  de- 
veloped the  concept  of  family  clusters. 
"In  considering  styles  of  family  living 
and  their  outcomes,  the  church  still 
seems  to  be  upholding  a  schedule  and 
philosophy  based  on  the  social  needs  of 
the  well-integrated  rural  community 
and  rugged  individualism  of  pioneer 
experiences,"  Dr.  Sawin  contends. 

But  today's  families,  who  are  seldom 
together  except  on  weekends  and  who 
often  do  not  see  the  various  family 
members  in  work  and  school  routines, 
need  support  from  the  church  to  es- 
tablish priorities  and  to  develop 


strength  within  themselves. 

And  so,  family  clusters :  One-parent 
families,  families  of  older  adults,  single 
person  families,  and  couples  without 
children  gather  to  learn  communication 
skills,  develop  family  histories,  inter- 
pret various  art  forms,  create  forms  of . 
celebration,  role-play,  and  have  fun 
together.  Groupings  include  three  to 
four  families  each,  who  participate  in 
determining  the  cluster's  own  style  of 
questioning,  rituals,  and  activities,  to 
the  end  that  persons  will  gain  convic- 
tion of  self-worth  in  their  roles  as 
family  members. 

On  other  fronts,  FISH  has  attracted 
Church  of  the  Brethren  congregations 
in  a  joint  effort  with  other  Christians 
to  form  local  organizations  ready  to 
help  neighbors  with  babysitting,  trans- 
portation, referral  for  professional 
help,  and  other  emergency  services 
(see  Messenger,  Jan.  15).  CON- 
TACT, a  telephone  ministry  begun  in 
1966,  responds  to  persons  whose  calls 
for  information,  for  an  accepting  listen- 
er, or,  occasionally,  for  help  to  prevent 
a  suicide  "pour  in  by  the  thousands," 
according  to  a  Dallas-based  volun- 
teer. 

Such  experimental  ministries,  in  Don 
Kelley's  words,  are  all  "possible  tools, 
like  audio-visuals,  that  the  church  can 
use"  in  its  mission  in  the  world  to  bring 
the  good  news  alive. 

Don  smiles.  "To  see  people  come 
alive  —  and  I  have  seen  that  —  you 
know  it  is  good  news."  A  note  from 
Don  Kelly's  secretary  underscores  the 
significance  of  ministries  like  Agora: 
"Dave  says  to  tell  you  he  will  be  avail- 
able for  any  help  you  might  be  looking 
for  in  your  work.  He  still  likes  what 
you're  involved  in"  —  the  people  busi-  1 
ness,  in  a  setting  where  people  some-      " 
times  lose  their  identity  to  the  imper- 
sonality of  stone  walkways  and  prac- 
ticed smiles.   D 


14     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


n  was  Not  Much 


Explorallon 


by  LA  VONNA  HOWELL 

It  was  not  much; 

it  was  a  reasonable  thing, 

to  ask  for  four  years 

of  the  beardless,  fearless, 

not  yet  of  age  to  vote, 

and  hand  them  green  uniforms 

and  heavy  guns  and  lumpy  grenades. 

It  is  not  much; 

twenty  miles  of  marching  today 

straight  up  a  jagged  mountain 

or  crawling  through  dark, 

insect-infested  swamps, 

or  to  lie  all  night 

in  a  foxhole: 

hands  frozen  to  gun, 
guts  frozen  with  fear, 
buddy  frozen  with  death, 
one  inch  from  elbow. 

It  is  not  much; 

it  was  a  small  victory 

but  a  worthy  cause, 

the  television  says. 

And  the  numbers  say 

four  of  their  dead 

equal  one  of  ours. 

Four  to  one  is  not  much  to  ask. 

It  was  not  much; 

but  it  was  an  honorable  thing, 

the  ceremony,  the  medals, 

the  flag-wrapped  coffin, 

the  press,  the  president's  letter. 

It  is  not  much  to  ask,  a  life,  a  life, 
a  life,  a  life,  a  life,  a  life,  a  life, 
a  life,  a  life,  a  life,  a  life,  a  life, 
a  life,  a  life,  a  life,  a  life,  a 


The  mind  of  man  has  turned  his  light  < 

into  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 

below  the  deep  floor  of  the  sea.  | 

He  has  ridden  the  open  spaces 
up  into  the  star-strewn  sky.  i 

Tireless  he  has  looked  within  his  body,        > 
magnified  his  sight,  until 

he  reads  the  fine  print  on  his  blood; 
and  now  he  peers  within  —  the  secret 
of  life  itself .  What  next?  What  next? 

A  new  frontier  awaits  exploring, 
new,  yet  old  as  Cain  and  Abel; 
old  as  wars  of  Arab  and  Jew; 
frontier  as  rugged  as  Matterhorn, 
more  treacherous  than  any  glacier. 

O  let  me  join  with  God  himself 
to  help  bring  concord  among  men; 
make  peace  between  warring  nations. 
May  I  walk  bravely  into  the  frontier 
where  the  world  cries  bitterly  for  peace. 


Ambivalence 


by  ANNABELLE  WAGNER  BERGFELD 

Sentiment  and  satire 
Are  never  far  apart; 
Each  must  build  its  future 
Over  someone's  heart. 

Each  comes  stealing  softly 
When  the  winds  are  raw; 
Satire  bears  a  needle. 
Sentiment,  a  claw. 


Sentiment's  red  scratches 
Can  scar  as  deeply  as 
Satire's  barbed  derision 
Ever  can  —  and  has. 


6-4-70   MESSENGER     15 


Encounter  at  Germantown 


Cheap  chitlings  (not  the  kind  you  pur- 
chase at  a  frozen-food  counter)  will  taste 
rubbery  unless  they  are  cooked  long 
enough.  How  soon  can  you  quit  cooking 
them  to  eat  and  enjoy  them? 

(a)  45  minutes 

(b)  2  hours 

(c)  24  hours 

(d)  1  week  (on  a  low  flame) 

(e)  1  hour 

The  above  question  was  taken  from 
the  "Dove  Counterbalance  General  In- 
telligence Test"  (a  Measure  of  Cultural 
Involvement  in  the  Poor  Folks'  and  Soul 
Cultures),  which  is  sometimes  referred  to 
as  the  Chitling  Test.  The  test  was  de- 
signed to  help  whites  become  sensitive 
to  what  they  don't  know  about  black 
culture.  Most  whites  do  about  as  well 
on  the  questions  as  you  just  did. 

Myths,  realities:  The  chitling  test  is 
one  of  many  resources  —  movies,  books 
authored  by  blacks,  discussions,  and  role 
playing  —  used  by  the  Germantown 
Church  of  the  Brethren  Ministry  in  its 
weekend   encounters,   "Confrontation   in 


Black  and  White."  Under  the  leadership 
of  Ronald  G.  Lutz,  director,  and  black 
trainers  from  the  local  community,  the 
encounters  are  striving  to  help  groups 
from  local  churches  and  individuals 
struggle  with  the  feelings,  ideas,  myths, 
and  realities  that  evolve  around  racism 
in  America. 

Commented  Ron  Lutz:  "Our  weekend 
encounters  are  designed  to  give  churches 
an  opportunity  to  grapple  with  some  of 
the  issues  at  the  center  of  the  black-white 
confrontation.  Many  Brethren  often  do 
not  have  extensive  or  direct  contacts  with 
black  people.  The  Germantown  commu- 
nity is  blessed  with  an  abundance  of 
blacks  well  qualified  and  willing  to  dis- 
cuss with  whites  the  issues  on  race. 
Hence  Germantown  is  an  ideal  location 
for  this  kind  of  confrontation;  not  only 
because  of  the  historical  aspect  of  Ger- 
mantown (groups  can  come  here  and 
learn  something  about  the  Mother 
Church  of  the  Brethren)  but  at  the  same 
time,  they  can  learn  from  and  share  with 
skilled  black  individuals." 


Search:  Why  does  someone  partici- 
pate in  a  black-white  encounter?  Debby 
Wright  was  one  of  thirteen  members  of 
the  Drexel  Hill  congregation  who  at- 
tended the  first  weekend  encounter  this 
past  February.  Debby  is  a  freshman  at 
Swarthmore  College  where  she  plans  to 
major  in  engineering.  She  also  tutors 
young  blacks  in  Chester,  Pa.  "I  partici- 
pated," Debby  explained,  "because  I 
come  from  a  town  where  the  black-white 
problem  is  mainly  white  prejudice,  and 
the  blacks  are  fighting  for  equal  rights. 
At  Swarthmore  I  was  shocked  to  see  the 
blacks  on  campus  living  and  advocating 
separatist  ideas.  I  couldn't  understand 
why,  after  years  of  fighting  for  integra- 
tion, blacks  now  wanted  segregation  ini- 
tiated by  themselves.  I  could  appreciate 
the  Black  Brotherhood,  but  I  couldn't 
understand  all  of  the  feelings  and  ideas 
involved.  And  everytime  I'd  try  to  talk 
with  a  black  about  it  I  got  the  same  line 
—  'I  just  couldn't  be  expected  to  under- 
stand because  I  was  white.'  I  came  to 
the  confrontation  to  try  to  find  some 
answers." 

Others  came  for  diflierent  reasons:  "to 
learn  more";  "to  understand  black  people 


Debby  Wright  came  "to  try  to  find  some  answers" 


Norman  Kiracofe  dislikes  being  categorized  as  "they" 


18     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


i  better";  "to  become  acquainted  with  the 
•  Germantown  community";  and  "to  over- 
come my  racism." 

Reversal:  Not  everyone  had  all  of 
their  questions  answered,  nor  did  they 
find  the  weekend  encounter  exactly  as 
i  they  thought  it  would  be.  Some  people 
wished  there  were  more  blacks  present, 
others  expected  to  be  told  off.  Norman 
Kiracofe,  a  graduate  student  in  biology, 
was  frustrated  because  "She  (Mattie 
Humphrey,  a  black  trainer)  put  all 
whites  and  all  men  into  groups,  and  then 
began  to  refer  to  those  groups  as  'they.' 
Of  course  this  is  what  we  have  been  do- 
ing to  blacks  for  years,  but  it  made  me 
furious  when  a  black  did  it  to  me." 

Many  of  the  participants  were  equally 
surprised  and  frustrated  to  discover  that 
the  so-called  black-white  problem  is 
much  more  than  racial  differences;  it  also 
includes  the  priorities  that  an  individual 
sets  for  his  life.  Sherry  Kiracofe,  Nor- 
man's wife  and  a  high  school  language 
teacher,  noted,  "Mattie's  main  message 
was  that  we  are  so  bound  up  in  our  ma- 
terialism that  it  is  difficult  for  us  to  see 
the  human  values  in  life.  Because  we  are 
steeped   in   middle-class   values,   we   fail 


to  recognize  that  we  too  are  oppressed. 
It's  just  harder  for  us  to  realize  because, 
unlike  the  blacks,  we're  not  physically 
oppressed." 

Follow-up:  For  the  group  from  Drexel 
Hill  the  weekend  encounter  was  just  a 
beginning.  All  but  two  of  the  partici- 
pants made  a  commitment  to  each  other 
to  meet  regularly  to  share  and  confront 
each  other  on  the  subject  of  white  rac- 
ism. The  weekend  was  not  a  cure-all, 
and  some  of  the  participants  felt  that  not 
enough  creative  conflict  had  taken  place 
for  genuine  growth.  But  they  unani- 
mously agreed  that  the  church  should 
encourage  its  members  to  participate  in 
these  kind  of  experiences. 

Sherry  Kiracofe  noted,  "There  seems 
to  be  a  great  deal  of  racism  in  the  church 
today.  People  are  eager  to  give  money 
away  but  when  it  comes  to  an  encounter 
with  the  actual  problems,  they  get  cold 
feet." 

And  Debbie  Wright,  who  went  to  the 
encounter  wondering  about  the  con- 
sistency of  the  blacks  at  Swarthmore 
came  away  from  the  weekend  thinking: 
"I'm  seeing  more  of  myself  now  than  I 
did   before;   I'm   beginning   to   realize   a 


gap  between  ideologies  and  actions  that 
I've  wanted  to  ignore." 

If  you  are  interested  in  how  long  you 
should  cook  chitlings  or  in  working  at 
white  racism  .  .  .  Germantown,  as  be- 
fore, is  a  beginning. 

Moments  of  truth 

"Several  surprised  lay  persons  of 
First  and  Southern  Virginia  heard  it  like 
it  was  from  those  who  know  it  as  it  is. 
Their  eyes,  their  ears,  and  hopefully  their 
hearts  were  opened  by  a  group  of  black 
brethren.  .  .  ." 

This  is  how  Dorothy  Murray  of  Ro- 
anoke, Va.,  began  recounting  an  experi- 
ence engaged  in  this  winter  by  an  equal 
number  of  whites  and  blacks.  The  whites 
were  nine  representatives  of  the  two  dis- 
tricts who  determined  that  if  they  were 
to  make  recommendations  to  their  fellow 
church  members  on  racial  ministries, 
they  first  needed  to  be  more  fully  in- 
formed regarding  the  black  community. 
The  blacks  present  were  friends,  mostly 
professional  people,  invited  to  share  open- 
ly and  honestly  in  a  one-to-one  ratio. 

The  blacks  leveled.    They  made  clear 


Mattie  Humphrey  emphasizes,  "We  are  all  oppressed" 


A  weekend  of  struggling  ends  with  commitment 


6-4-70    MESSENGER     19 


+  news 


that  for  them  "separatism"  was  not  the 
answer  as  it  was  for  some  black  mili- 
tants. But  they  also  pointed  up  that 
though  middle-aged  and  older  Negroes 
may  sincerely  strive  to  resolve  racial  ten- 
sions, the  mood  of  many  younger  Ne- 
groes was  such  that  it  may  already  be  too 
late  for  constructive  efforts  to  accomplish 
much  good. 

A  successful  black  businessman  said 
with  some  emphasis,  "You  white  people 
have  it  fixed  so  your  preachers  and  proph- 
ets don't  dare  speak  out  on  anything 
you  don't  want  to  hear.  If  they  begin  to 
insist  on  racial  justice  and  racial  equality 
from  your  pulpits  you  just  quietly  ar- 
range to  have  them  removed  as  your 
spiritual  leaders.  We  don't  have  it  like 
that.  Our  black  preachers  can  tell  it  like 
God  wants  it  told  and  they  do.  Your 
white  preachers  have  to  tell  it  like  you 
want  it  told  —  or  else!" 

The  exchange  did  not  end  with  that 
meeting;  the  same  group  convened  twice 
since  and  plans  future  encounters  as  it 
presses  for  concrete  directions  to  com- 
mend to  the  churches  of  the  districts. 

Self-discernment:  Elsewhere,  in  re- 
treats both  at  local  and  district  levels, 
similar  kinds  of  encounters  are  occurring 
across  the  country.  To  assist  Brethren 
m  such  training  events  is  half  the  thrust 
of  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  program. 
No  small  part  of  this  educational  effort 
is  aimed  at  helping  whites  discern  for 
themselves  the  attitudes,  both  subtle  and 
blatant,  which  contribute  to  a  racist 
society. 

In  Middle  Indiana,  a  race  lab  brought 
adults,  pastors,  youth.  Brotherhood  staff 
representatives,  four  trainers  from  New 
York's  Metropolitan  Urban  Service 
Training  (MUST),  and  four  black  con- 
sultants from  Fort  Wayne  together  on 
two  weekends  to  focus  on  race  relations. 
The  agenda  at  the  outset,  said  Eel  River 
pastor  Carroll  M.  Petry,  a  former  Ni- 
geria missionary,  was  to  define  racism 
but  the  hidden  agenda  was  to  "admit  our 
own  racism  and  treat  the  infection." 

Pastor  Petry  observed  that  early  in  the 
sessions  the  comments  ran:  "I  don't  have 
any  prejudice  whatsoever";  "I  don't  have 


a  problem.  It's  their  problem."  As  the 
process  continued,  new  expressions  were 
voiced:  "I'm  racist,  and  the  bad  thing 
is,  I'm  not  sure  I'm  sorry";  "I  didn't  real- 
ize that  these  innocent-seeming  things 
(flesh-colored  band-aids,  always  white 
flesh-colored)  were  signs  of  racism." 

By  the  first  Saturday  night,  Mr.  Petry 
added,  the  defensive  pretenses  began  fall- 
ing away:  "About  90  percent  of  our 
group  were  convinced  and  convicted  not 
by  outsiders  but  by  our  own  conversa- 
tions and  feelings,  our  own  talking  and 
listening."  Myths  topple  fast,  he  noted, 
in  experiences  of  close  living  with  mem- 
bers of  another  race. 

"Then  the  first  weekend  finished.  The 
MUST  trainers  left,  not  to  return,  as  did 
the  consultants  from  Fort  Wayne.  Was 
there  a  relief?  Why?  Do  we  feel  more 
comfortable  'with  our  own  kind'?  (Tom's 
not  really  black.  He  belongs  to  our 
church.") 

The  second  weekend  the  lab  partici- 
pants met  as  area  groups  to  look  at  ac- 
tion steps,  asking:  Where  is  the  major 
problem  in  our  area?  What  can  be  done 
about  it?  Where  can  we  get  help?  Are 
we  wiUing  to  commit  ourselves  to  do 
something? 

In  reflection,  Mr.  Petry  concluded  that 
the  call  is  for  concerned  and  dedicated 
Christians  who  are  sensitized  to  others 
to  lead  the  way:  "That's  what  the  lab 
was  all  about.  If  we  want  to  be  Christ's 
people  in  today's  world,  this  is  one  place 
where  the  action  is.  I  hope  we  can  be 
there  as  change  agents  for  good." 

His  daughter  Dianne,  a  high  school 
senior,  reported  as  one  of  her  strong  im- 
pressions the  fact  that  "all  of  us,  youth 
and  adults,  let  age  barriers  slip  into  the 
background  as  we  examined  a  problem 
that  will  be  conquered  only  with  the  co- 
operation of  all  ages."  Never  before,  she 
said,  had  she  seen  so  many  adults  in  one 
place  questioning  their  actions  and  atti- 
tudes. "I  feel  a  deeper  respect  for  those 
adults  than  I  feel  for  some  more  self- 
assured  ones,"  she  said. 

Happening:  At  Wichita,  Kan.,  a 
workshop  on  racism,  with  five  trainers 
from    the    Metropolitan    Urban    Service 


Training  facility  in  New  York  City  and 
consultants  from  the  local  area,  drew 
some  80  Brethren  from  the  Western 
Plains  district.  William  Cave,  pastor  at 
Lincoln,  Neb.,  described  the  workshop 
as  "a  significant  educational  happening." 

The  most  difficult  of  the  three  goals 
set  for  the  workshop,  Mr.  Cave  stated, 
was  uncovering  personal  attitudes  rooted 
in  racism.  "The  process  of  examining 
and  unveiling  one's  innermost  feelings 
and  ideas  is  a  painful  experience  under 
any  circumstances,"  he  said.  "But  it  is 
seemingly  even  more  so  when  done  in 
the  context  of  a  workshop  on  racism. 
Perhaps  this  is  so  because  as  whites  we 
are  all  victims  of  a  system  of  exploitation 
which  we  unwittingly  perpetuate." 

Suddenly  to  become  aware  that  racism 
is  a  "white  problem"  and  to  see  one's 
part  in  it  can  be  depressing,  observed 
Pastor  Cave,  adding,  "I  almost  came 
away  hating  myself  for  being  white." 
But  he  noted  further  that  he  had  a  "larg- 
er feeling,"  one  of  appreciation  for  ex- 
posure in  a  personal  setting  to  the  core 
of  the  problem,  and  an  assurance  that 
the  black  people  there,  even  while  clari- 
fying the  problem,  respected  him  as  a 
human  being.  The  effect  for  him,  he 
said,  "was  a  positive  feeling  of  having 
been  challenged  to  seek  ways  of  chang- 
ing attitudes  among  my  white  brothers." 

Institutional  stance:  In  a  training 
event  for  the  Mid-Atlantic  District 
Board,  the  guest  leaders  included  a  black 
psychiatrist.  Pilot  House  director  Warren 
Miller,  and  an  interracial  couple,  Ted 
Robinson,  an  American  Friends  Service 
Committee  regional  director,  and  his 
wife  Jolee.  One  of  the  points  of  real  en- 
counter came  when  the  leaders  chal- 
lenged: "We  don't  believe  you  are  really 
convinced  that  there  is  institutional  rac- 
ism. You  don't  feel  it." 

As  the  board  members  probed  the 
charge,  they  came  to  realize  that  a  re- 
sponse to  the  racial  crisis  in  personal 
terms  was  not  answer  enough  and  that, 
as  one  person  commented,  "We're  cap- 
tives of  a  system  that  works  to  my  ad- 
vantage and  not  to  the  advantage  of  the 
Continued  on  page  22 


20     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


^ 


Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the  U.S. 


REPORT  OF  GRANTS  ISSUED 


As  REVEALED  by  the  Kemer  Commis- 
sion, there  are  two  Americas:  "One 
black,  one  white  —  separate  and  un- 
equal." It  is  to  both  Americas  that  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren's  Fund  for  the 
Americas  is  targeted,  to  the  blacks  and 
other  minorities  for  community  organi- 
zation and  economic  development,  to 
the  whites  for  education  on  racism  as 
described  in  the  preceding  pages. 

The  Fund  was  launched  at  the  1969 
Annual  Conference  as  a  symbol  of 
commitment  by  individuals,  parishes, 
districts,  and  the  General  Board  to  de- 
velop an  appropriate  witness  in  racial 
reconciliation.  Since  then  Fund  coor- 
dinator Wilfred  E.  Nolen  reports  grants 
have  been  issued  to  14  minority  proj- 
ects, selected  from  a  field  of  38  applica- 
tions, for  an  amount  totaling  $24,275. 

The  programs  funded  to  date   are: 

Northwest  Tenants  Association,  Phil- 
adelphia, $1,000.  The  grant  was  for 
incorporation  of  the  agency,  giving  it  a 
firmer  base  from  which  to  confront 
slum  landlords  who  neglect  mainte- 
nance and  upkeep  of  rental  property. 
Tenants  are  permitted  by  law  to  with- 
hold rent  and  place  it  in  escrow  until 
the  promises  of  the  owner  are  met.  The 
association  is  located  in  the  German- 
town  area  of  Philadelphia. 

American  Indians  United,  Chicago, 
$1,500.  Two  grants  were  issued,  the 
first  to  assist  a  delegation  to  attend  a 
mobilizing  conference  in  San  Francisco, 
the  second  to  enable  representatives  to 
meet  with  administrative  officials  and 
others  in  Washington,  D.C.,  reporting 
findings  in  the  documentary  book.  Our 
Brother's  Keeper:  The  Indian  in  White 
America. 

Bethany  Community  Health  Center, 
Chicago,  $1,000.  Begun  as  an  adjunct 
of  Bethany  Brethren  Hospital,  the 
health  center  is  an  indigenous  effort  to 
serve  residents  of  the  city's  near  West 
Side.  While  the  services  of  the  center 
are  in  great  demand  and  are  gradually 


becoming  self-supporting,  additional 
monies  are  sought  for  expansion  of 
facilities. 

South  Texas  Association  of  Commu- 
nity Organizations,  San  Juan,  Texas, 
$1,200.  The  funds  underwrote  for 
three  months  a  radio  program,  "The 
Voice  of  the  Farm  Worker,"  a  vital  link 
of  communication  and  organization  for 
the  Spanish  Americans  in  the  lower  Rio 
Grande  Valley. 

National  Welfare  Rights  Organiza- 
tion, Washington,  D.C.,  $3,000.  The 
grant  was  to  help  publish  the  national 
monthly,  Welfare  Fighter.  Also,  ex- 
plorations have  been  opened  up  regard- 
ing a  tie  between  NWRO  units  and 
Brethren  in  local  communities  (see 
Dayton  item  following). 

Black  Churchmen's  Ecumenical 
Training  Facility,  Washington,  D.C., 
$2,000.  The  program  in  Washington 
represents  one  of  the  most  thorough 
and  highly  organized  efforts  in  the 
country  enlisting  clergy  and  the  laity 
of  the  black  churches  to  work  for  com- 
munity and  institutional  change. 

United  Front,  Cairo,  III.,  $4,500. 
The  grant  was  channeled  through  the 
United  Front  and  earmarked  for  legal 
services  of  the  Lawyers  Committee  for 
Civil  Rights.  In  recent  months  the 
Lawyers  Committee  has  begun  to  work 
through  an  unbelievable  backlog  of 
court  cases,  bringing  some  semblance 
of  justice  to  minorities  in  Cairo. 

Farm  Workers  United,  Fort  Lupton, 
Colo.,  $775.  The  agency  seeks  to  or- 
ganize seasonal  and  interstate  migrants 
around  the  concerns  of  wages,  housing, 
and  education.  It  also  assists  transients 
in  taking  up  permanent  residence.  The 
Western  Plains  District  added  $500  in 
support  of  its  own. 

Crispus  Attucks  Center,  York,  Pa., 
$2,000.  The  grant  will  assist  with  the 
relocation  of  the  center,  seen  as  provid- 
ing a  major  cultural  and  organizing  role 
for  the  black  citizens  of  York. 


Amigos  Unidos  Federal  Credit  Un- 
ion, Pharr,  Texas,  $1,200.  A  new  ven- 
ture with  marked  success  in  its  first  year 
of  operation,  the  credit  union  serves  the 
Spanish  Americans  in  southern  Texas. 
The  grant  was  basically  seed  money  to 
cover  administrative  costs. 

Fairyland  Day  Care  Center,  Sebring, 
Fla.,  $1,200.  The  center  is  to  enable 
mothers  in  minority  family  and  low-in- 
come situations  to  take  employment, 
providing  care  and  training  for  chil- 
dren. Additional  funding  up  to  $1,200 
has  been  committed  subject  to  matching 
amounts  by  the  Sebring  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

Greater  Dayton  Welfare  Rights  Or- 
ganization, Dayton,  Ohio,  $1,500. 
Along  with  an  equal  amount  from  the 
Southern  Ohio  District,  the  money  is 
to  help  establish  a  cooperative. 

La  Raza  Unida,  Union  City,  Ohio, 
$2,500.  Also  in  joint  action  with  the 
Southern  Ohio  District,  which  has 
matched  funds,  this  program  is  an  in- 
digenous, statewide  efl'ort  of  Spanish 
Americans  centered  on  legal  aid,  school 
registration,  voter  education,  and  estab- 
lishment of  health  clinics. 

National  Tenants  Organization,  Chi- 
cago, $800.  The  grant  is  in  support  of 
a  three-day  conference  designed  to  give 
impetus  to  the  Midwest  branch  and  to 
train  black  community  workers  in  over- 
coming local  housing  problems. 

In  determining  grants.  Coordinator 
Nolen  and  staff  colleagues  act  in  accord 
with  guidelines  clearly  spelled  out.  Ap- 
plicant agencies  are  required  to  state 
objectives  and  the  means  of  achieving 
them,  to  be  indigenously  controlled,  to 
be  located  within  the  United  States,  and 
to  be  committed  to  promoting  "no  phy- 
sical injury  to  persons  nor  destruction 
of  property." 

In  some  instances,  the  criteria  have 
been  relaxed  in  order  to  encourage  the 
movements  where  they  are,  in  the  early 
stages  of  development. 


6-4-70    MESSENGER     21 


news 


Continued  from  page  20 
blacks."  Stated  district  executive  Ralph 
G.  McFadden,  "Empathy  alone  is  of 
little  help  if  there  is  no  perception  of 
the  power  that  the  institutional  system 
has  on  blacks. 

"We  asked  ourselves  institutional  ques- 
tions, such  as:  Where  does  the  district 
and  the  local  church  buy  its  supplies? 
Does  the  bank  with  whom  we  have  our 
accounts  give  loans  to  black  institutions? 
Do  we  have  any  influence  on  banks?  We 
discovered  in  asking  questions  about  the 
system  and  about  the  institution  we  can- 
not ask  the  system  to  help  us  change  the 
system,  because  inevitably  when  asked 
what  needs  to  be  done  the  system  blames 
the  victim. 

"The  more  the  relative  power  of  the 
church  was  discussed  and  the  hope  that 
is  to  be  found  in  it,  the  more  we  recog- 
nized that  we  could  not  give  up,"  Mr. 
McFadden  observed.  "It  is  easy  to  be 
despondent.  In  fact,  part  of  racism  is 
sometimes  despondency." 

The  district  board  is  pursuing  means  by 
which  similar  questions  are  faced  by  con- 
gregations and  individuals. 

Local  lab:  In  still  another  type  of  race 
training  experience  a  local  church,  the 
York  Center  congregation  in  Illinois, 
conducted  a  lab  for  18  participants  plus 
two  trainers.  Ruth  Epp  recalled  one  ex- 
ercise in  which  whites  and  nonwhites 
listed  first  how  they  thought  the  other 
group  viewed  them,  then  how  they 
viewed  themselves. 

"While  we  thought  the  nonwhites 
viewed  us  as  powerful,  many  statements 
from  our  'self-views'  indicated  feelings  of 
helplessness,  frustration,  guilt,  and  de- 
spair over  the  racial  problem,"  Mrs.  Epp 
said.  "While  I  share  these  feelings,  I  have 
come  to  realize  that  I  must  get  beyond 
them.  I  need  to  recognize  I  am  a  person 
strong  enough  to  influence  others  and  to 
be  an  instrument  of  change." 

Kim  Yamasaki,  a  York  Center  mem- 
ber of  Japanese  descent,  said  it  came  as 
a  shock  to  discover  as  a  nonwhite  that 
"I  too  was  infected  by  the  prevailing 
racial  mores  and  myths  that  our  society 
lives   by."    He   said   he   could   not  help 


but  wonder  whether  such  sessions  as 
these  would  change  anything,  whether 
the  resources  would  not  better  be  de- 
ployed in  direct  help  to  blacks,  and 
whether  church  members  really  want  to 
be  confronted.  "Our  churches  are  only 
a  microcosmic  reflection  of  the  larger 
white  society  whose  stakes  in  the  social 
structure  as  it  is  are  too  great;  [the 
churches  are]  not  willing  to  make  the 
sacrifices.  Or,  more  directly,  may  not 
even  want  the  changes." 

"This  is  the  moment  of  truth  for  the 
church,"  Mr.  Yamasaki  responded.  "I 
hope  and  pray  that  we  wiU  rise  to  the 
challenge." 

Commitment:  The  second  half  of  the 
Fund  for  the  Americas  program  is  in- 
tended to  facilitate  what  the  York  Cen- 
ter layman  called  for  —  helping  Breth- 
ren pursue  the  moment  of  truth:  that  is, 
coming  to  grips  with  racist  attitudes,  val- 
ues, and  practices  in  their  personal  and 
institutional  lives.  Beyond  the  deepening 
of  awareness,  the  objectives  are  to  seek 
commitment  to  change  and  to  build  skills 
to  implement  change. 

Besides  the  race  retreats  in  the  Mid- 
Atlantic,  Middle  Indiana,  and  Western 
Plains  districts  described  earlier,  eight 
other  districts  are  to  have  engaged  in 
similar  sessions  by  Annual  Conference 
time:  Pacific  Southwest,  Eastern  Pennsyl- 
vania, Shenandoah,  Southern  Ohio,  Mid- 
dle Pennsylvania,  Northern  Indiana,  and 
Illinois-Wisconsin.  Three  other  districts, 
Iowa-Minnesota,  Northern  Ohio,  and 
Southeastern,  have  projected  plans  for 
1971-72. 

Guest  leadership  for  the  retreats  is  re- 
cruited in  cooperation  with  Action  Train- 
ing Coalition,  made  up  of  21  agencies 
for  social  change.  Carl  Siegenthaler  of 
Chicago's  Urban  Training  Center  is  the 
liaison. 

The  retreats  are  financed  in  part  by 
the  Fund  for  the  Americas,  with  planning 
carried  out  in  harmony  with  guidelines 
suggested  by  the  program. 

In  addition  to  the  local  retreat  at  York 
Center,  three  other  congregations  have 
retreats  scheduled  and  approved  for 
financial  assistance   from  the   Fund  for 


the  Americas  —  $200  each.  Similar  as- 
sistance is  available  to  other  congrega- 
tions. 

Local  action:  One  of  the  intentions  of 
the  educational  thrust  of  the  Fund,  ac- 
cording to  Wilfred  E.  Nolen,  coordina- 
tor, is  to  transfer  emphasis  from  district 
to  local  churches  as  soon  as  possible. 
He  cited  as  other  aims  the  development 
of  a  cadre  of  qualified  Brethren  trainers 
and  the  devising  of  new  methods  for  i 
working  at  white  racism. 

One  district,  Mid-Atlantic,  is  centering 
the  training  in  a  number  of  local  church- 
es in  lieu  of  a  large  districtwide  event. 
Still  other  approaches  include  the  listen- 
ing and  fellowship  meetings  in  First  and 
Southern  Virginia,  last  winter's  Youth 
Seminar  on  "Racial  Justice  and  You," 
and  participation  by  Brethren  in  the  Na- 
tional Training  Laboratories'  Special  i 
Training  Program  to  Reduce  Individual 
and  Organizational  Racism. 

The  Fund's  future 

The  future  of  the  Fund  for  the  Amer- 
icas will  be  a  key  item  before  delegates 
at  the  Lincoln  Annual  Conference  June 
23-28. 

The  recommendation  of  the  General 
Board  is  for  a  three-year  extension  of 
the  Fund  with  an  annual  goal  of 
$100,000.  The  amount  is  to  remain  out- 
side or  beyond  the  ongoing  Brotherhood 
Fund. 

The  delegates  also  will  review  the  pur- 
poses, guidelines,  and  activities  which 
have  evolved  for  the  Americas  Fund 
since  its  inauguration  at  last  year's  An- 
nual Conference  at  Louisville.  Consider- 
ation is  to  be  directed  further  to  the  cre- 
ation of  an  investment  division  in  which 
resources  contributed  by  Brethren  busi- 
nessmen are  to  be  invested  as  high  risk 
seed  money  in  the  economic  development 
of  minority  groups.  A  minimum  goal  of 
$50,000  is  proposed. 

The  new  recommendations  carry  an 
intent  to  place  primary  emphasis  on 
funding  minority  programs  "in  Brethren 
areas  —  hopefully,  at  least  one  project  in 
every  district." 


22     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


17th-century  pipe  organ  awaits  restoration 

Henry  Kurtz,  a  German  immigrant,  is  known  in  Brethren 
history  as  the  founder  of  the  Gospel  Visitor,  now  the  Messen- 
ger. But  he  held  some  other  distinctions,  too,  one  being  that  he 
was  among  the  earliest  Brethren  to  possess  a  pipe  organ. 

Actually  Henry  Kurtz  and  his  organ  were  fellow  travelers 
well  before  he  joined  the  German  Baptist  Brethren  in  1828.  He 
brought  the  instrument  with  him  when  he  left  Germany  in  1814. 

Even  after  baptism,  Mr.  Kurtz  kept  the  organ  in  his  room- 
office.  The  instrument  was  powered  by  either  one  foot  pedal  or 
a  hand  pump.  The  organ  has  a  single  manual  with  48  wooden 
keys  and  three  ranks  of  pipe,  two  of  wood  and  one  of  metal. 

A  barely  legible  inscription  notes:  "On  .  .  .  day  forenoon, 
September  23,  1698,  I,  Johan  Christoph  Harttman,  organ  maker 
of  Niirttingen,  firmly  closed  this  small  wind  chest.  May  God 
grant  that  many  beautiful  and  spiritual  psalms  and  songs  may 
be  played  and  struck  on  this  work  to  His  name's  honor.  This 
was  made  for  Mr.   (Mayor?)   ...  at  Tubingen." 

Stored  until  several  years  ago  in  an  old  barn  near  Kurtz's 
home  area  of  Poland,  Ohio,  the  console  and  pip)es  came  to  the 
church  through  interested  descendants. 

Supervising  the  organ's  restoration  is  Gwendolyn  Bobb,  staff 
member  and  secretary  of  the  Brethren  Historical  Committee. 
Two  steps  await,  however:  consultation  with  antiquaries  in  the 
field  of  organs  and  procurement  of  funds. 

Upon  restoration,  the  17th-century  work  will  be  prominently 
exhibited  in  the  church's  General  Offices  in  Elgin. 


Clockwise,  from  top: 
Miss  Bobb  with  the 
console  and  pipes; 
the  inscription;  the 
plain  wooden  keys; 
some     metal     pipes 


6-4-70    MESSENGER     23 


news 


The  ecumenical  scene 

Welfare  reform:  Broad  interreligious 
support  is  shaping  up  for  a  bill  aimed  at 
reforming  long-standing  welfare  abuses 
in  the  country. 

Toward  this  end,  June  5-7  has  been 
designated  by  three  religious  bodies  as 
Welfare  Reform  Weekend.  Observances 
in  churches  and  synagogues  will  highlight 
the  extent  to  which  present  welfare  pol- 
icies dehumanize  the  poor  and  are  re- 
pugnant to  Judaeo-Christian  thought. 

The  National  Council  of  Churches,  the 
U.S.  Catholic  Conference,  and  the  Syna- 
gogue Council  of  America  have  all  pub- 
lically  endorsed  the  principle  of  welfare 
reform  contained  in  pending  legislation, 
H.R.  16311.  The  measure  is  designed  to 
implement  proposals  in  the  Family  As- 
sistance Plan  advanced  last  August  by 
President  Nixon. 

The  proposed  measure  will  set  national 
eligibility  standards,  keep  intact  those 
families  getting  aid,  establish  a  minimum 
federal  floor  under  family  income,  and 
for  the  first  time  provide  help  for  the 
working  poor,  a  joint  statement  of  the 
three  bodies  declared. 

The  statement  also  cited  a  series  of 
shortcomings  in  the  measure  but  still 
viewed  it  as  a  significant  step  toward  cor- 
recting some  of  the  "colossal"  inade- 
quacies of  the  present  system. 

Youth  representation:  Two  steps  have 
been  initiated  in  the  Christian  Church 
(Disciples  of  Christ)  to  give  young  peo- 
ple a  greater  voice  in  the  operations  of 
the  church. 

Four  young  men,  the  oldest  of  them 
20,  are  being  hired  by  the  United  Chris- 
tian Missionary  society  as  national  staff 
members.  Eventually  to  total  five,  the 
"youth  consultants"  will  be  part  of  a 
one-year  experimental  program  in  which 
they  will  travel  widely,  listening  and 
talking  to  youth  and  their  pastors. 

In  a  second  step,  each  of  the  church's 
39  regions  has  been  asked  to  double  its 
voting  representation  with  at  least  half 
of  the  new  delegates  to  be  between  the 
ages  of  15  and  25.  The  plan,  if  acted 
upon    by    the    denomination's    general 

24     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


board,  could  enable  up  to  300  additional 
youth  voters  to  attend  the  next  General 
Assembly  in  Louisville  in  October  1971. 

Avowed  candidate:  In  an  unprece- 
dented move,  a  Berkeley,  Calif.,  theology 
professor  announced  his  candidacy  for 
the  presidency  of  the  2.5  million-member 
American  Lutheran  Church. 

Keith  Bridston,  professor  at  Pacific 
Lutheran  Theological  Seminary  and 
former  World  Council  of  Churches  and 
World  Christian  Student  Federation  staff 
member,  offered  himself  as  a  possible 
successor  to  Dr.  Fredrik  A.  Schiotz,  who 
will  retire  late  this  year. 

The  46-year-old  theologian  said  he 
agreed  to  allow  friends  to  submit  his 
name  for  nomination  because  he  is  con- 
vinced that  the  politics  of  the  church 
"should  be  as  open  and  as  honest  as 
possible." 

In  the  past.  Dr.  Bridston  said,  most  of 
the  political  processes  in  churches  have 
been  "hidden."  In  his  recent  book. 
Church  Politics,  he  suggested  that  they 
be  brought  out  in  the  open. 

After  having  written  the  book,  he  de- 
cided he  had  "better  be  willing"  to  do 
something  about  the  principles  he  had 
advanced  and  therefore  agreed  to  an- 
nounce for  the  presidency. 

Dr.  Bridston  said  his  objective  was  to 
"strip  away"  some  of  the  "religious 
mystique"  that  surrounds  the  selection 
of  church  leaders. 

Some  persons  might  regard  such  ac- 
tivity as  inappropriate,  he  said,  but 
"others  will  see  it  is  fulfilling  a  spiritual 
responsibility." 

"I  am  trying  to  make  the  priesthood 
of  all  believers  a  political  reality,"  he 
declared. 

Anglican  immersion:  In  what  is  be- 
lieved to  be  a  first  in  the  worldwide  An- 
glican communion.  Holy  Cross  Episcopal 
church  at  Castaiier,  Puerto  Rico,  has  in- 
stalled an  immersion  tank  for  the  bap- 
tizing of  new  members. 

First  used  last  Easter  Sunday,  the 
facility  was  explained  by  Vicar  Sterling 
Rayburn  in  these  terms;  "In  the  renewal 
of  the  rites  of  Christian  initiation  there 
has  been  much  discussion  of  the  merits 


Castaner  .  .  .  Episcopalians  adopt  immer- 
sion mode  of  their  neighboring  churches 

of  immersion.  .  .  .  When  the  opportunity 
came,  we  simply  put  theory  into  prac- 
tice." 

He  added  further  that  the  step  was  re- 
inforced not  only  by  conviction  but  "by 
the  presence  of  three  immersing  churches 
in  our  community  —  Baptist,  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  and  Pentecostal." 

Immersion  is  a  form  of  baptism  ap- 
proved but  seldom  used  in  Anglicanism. 

Population  controls:  The  General 
Conference  of  the  United  Methodist 
Church  this  spring  placed  the  denomina- 
tion on  record  as  favoring  legalized  abor- 
tion and  voluntary  sterilization  as  a  par- 
tial solution  to  the  world's  population 
crisis. 

After  a  debate  lasting  several  hours, 
the  950  clerical  and  lay  delegates  meeting 
in  St.  Louis  adopted  a  resolution  calling 
on  the  states  to  remove  abortion  from 
the  criminal  codes  and  place  it  under  reg- 
ulations relating  "to  standard  medical 
practice. 

In  the  same  resolution,  they  urged  the 
states  to  remove  the  remaining  legal  and 
administrative  restrictions  on  voluntary 
sterilization. 

The  criterion  for  abortion  would  be 
that  it  be  available  only  upon  the  request 


I 


of  the  person  most  directly  concerned  — 
the  pregnant  woman.  For  sterilization, 
the  individual  man  or  woman,  after 
counseling,  "should  be  given  the  right  to 
decide  concerning  his  or  her  own  sterili- 
zation." 

"The  quality  of  our  lives  is  increasing- 
ly threatened  as  the  exploding  population 
growth  places  staggering  burdens  upon 
societies  unable  to  solve  even  their  pres- 
ent growth  problems,"  the  resolution 
said. 

The  church  is  asked  to  underscore  the 
moral  necessity  of  adopting  the  small 
family  norm  "as  an  essential  principle  for 
establishing  the  size  of  population  and 
thus  protecting  the  quality  of  life." 

"Families  with  more  than  two  children 
contribute  to  the  population  explosion," 
the  statement  contended. 

It  also  urged  the  church  to  engage  in 
education  and  action  programs  to  alert 
people  to  the  nature  of  the  population 
threat. 

The  General  Conference  further  asked 
the  federal  government  to  create  major 
executive  and  congressional  agencies 
which  would  deal  solely  with  the  popu- 
lation crisis. 

Vietnam  aid:  The  Mennonite  Central 
Committee,  which  last  January  1  turned 
administrative  control  of  the  Vietnam 
Christian  Service  over  to  Church  World 
Service,  is  negotiating  to  provide  relief 
services  in  North  Vietnam. 

This  development  was  reported  through 
a  Washington  Post  interview  with  Wil- 
liam T.  Snyder,  MCC  executive  secretary, 
Akron,  Pa.  According  to  the  article,  Mr. 
Snyder  was  not  optimistic  about  getting 
Mennonite  personnel  into  North  Vietnam 
soon,  perhaps  not  even  until  or  unless 
there  is  a  settlement  of  the  war.  "But 
we  want  to  be  ready,  we  want  to  have 
laid  the  groundwork,"  the  Post  quoted 
him  as  saying. 

Mr.  Snyder  observed  that  while  Men- 
nonites  are  strongly  opposed  to  the  war, 
they  will  not  break  the  law  to  gain  ad- 
mission to  North  Vietnam.  His  contacts 
with  North  Vietnamese  officials  to  date 
have  occurred  through  embassies  in  Eur- 
ope and  Asia. 


And  IVe  got  a  lot  to  live? 


My  society  says  I'm  free,  and  then 
tells  me  how  to  act.  I  am  approaching 
age  19  in  an  era  of  war  when  govern- 
ments use  the  lives  of  their  youth  for 
"debate."  Scientists  say  I'm  using  the 
last  pure  air  and  clean  water.  They 
write  me  off  as  a  dangerous  excess:  I'm 
a  fourth  child.  And  I've  got  a  lot  to 
live? 

Recently  I  was  in  Berkeley  at  the  uni- 
versity for  a  high  school  Model  United 
Nations.  One  evening  a  group  of  us 
gathered  in  the  midst  of  giant  eucalyp- 
ti, marveling  at  their  beauty  and  se- 
renity. As  a  Czechoslovakian  delegate, 
I  was  contemplating  the  oppression  of 
Czechoslovakia's  people,  deeply  admir- 
ing their  nonviolent  opposition.  It  was 
so  good  to  sit  staring  at  the  sky  and 
trees,  enjoying  my  freedom.  Suddenly 
we  were  not  alone.  Five  policemen  en- 
circled us  —  tranquillity  shattered.  One 
officer  forced  me  to  stare  into  a  bright 
light,  blinding  me,  insulting  me,  accus- 
ing me. 

"What  have  you  been  drinking?" 

"Nothing." 

"What  have  you  been  smoking?" 

"Nothing  —  I  don't  play  with  my 
mind." 

He  would  not  believe.  And  I've  got 
a  lot  to  live? 

Before  World  War  II,  America  con- 
demned Germany.  She  had  a  mon- 
strous military-industrial  complex  — 
how  horrible!  She  had  a  draft  system 
—  how  oppressive!  She  "told"  small 
countries  how  to  act  —  how  aggressive! 

I  am  a  pacifist  watching  a  military- 
industrial  complex  enforce  a  draft  for 
getting  men  to  "tell"  a  small  country 
how  to  act.  This  is  not  Germany  before 
World  War  II;  this  is  America  before 
World  War  III!  And  I've  got  a  lot  to 
live? 

Late  in  the  afternoon,  I  take  my 
Saint  Bernard,  Heidi,  for  a  walk,  run- 
ning, sniffing,  and  breathing  deeply  in 
God's  world.  We  start  down  the  road 
looking  for  fun,  but  most  of  the  time 
we  spend  avoiding  the  glass  which  lies 
shattered  on  the  roadside.  We  leave  the 
road,  running  happily  across  the  fields. 


She  licks  my  face,  barking,  challenging 
me  to  a  wrestling  match.  Just  then  a 
crop  duster  flies  overhead  dumping  his 
noxious  load.    It  stings  the  eyes. 

We  walk  down  to  the  canal,  and  Hei- 
di gets  a  drink.  I  study  her  strong, 
massive  body  that  looks  so  healthy  and 
alive.  A  dead  fish  floats  by.  I  pull 
Heidi  from  the  water  and  she  doesn't 
understand;  I  wish  I  did.  Going  home, 
we  watch  the  sunset  glowing  pink, 
orange,  and  then  red,  blood  red.  They 
say  smog  makes  it  that  way.  We  stare 
at  the  blood-red  sun  that  prophesies  the 
death  of  all  life  and  sit  quietly,  mourn- 
ing.   And  I've  got  a  lot  to  live? 

Sometimes  man's  foolishness  makes 
living  futile,  worthless.  But  this  is  why 
I  keep  going  on  living,  loving.  I  must 
live  freely  and  recognize  all  men  as  my 
brothers  who  need  help.  I  must  not 
destroy  man  by  destroying  nature.  For 
as  a  living  being  I  have  a  responsibility 
to  all  life,  the  responsibility  to  make  life 
worth  living.  And  I  live  for  the  day 
that  every  man  will  understand  that 
truth.  I've  got  a  lot  to  live!  —  Dan 
Hunter 

(The  author,  member  of  the  Modesto, 
Calif.,  Church  of  the  Brethren,  won 
first  place  with  the  above  essay  at  his 
local  high  school.  The  theme  was  in 
response  to  a  nationwide  Pepsi-Cola 
contest.) 

Dan  Hunter:  A  responsibility  to  all  life 


day  hy  day 


Our  family  recently  visited  the  Booker  T.  Washington 
National  Monument,  about  twenty  miles  from  Roanoke, 
Virginia.  There  we  learned  more  about  him  and  were 
impressed  by  his  diligence  and  constant  application. 
Booker  T.  Washington,  born  in  slavery  on  a  Virginia 
plantation,  was  very  young  at  the  time  the  slaves  were 
freed.  He  moved  to  West  Virginia  and  worked  in  a  coal 
mine  and  salt  furnace.  He  had  a  burning  desire  to  read 
and  very  soon  learned  to  recognize  the  number  eighteen 
on  his  production  crates.  He  finally  found  someone  willing 
to  instruct  him  and  later  started  to  school  after  agreeing 
with  his  employer  to  work  from  4  a.m.  through  9  or  10  P.M. 
and  go  to  school  during  the  middle  part  of  the  day.  He 
came  to  Hampton  Institute  in  Virginia  and  worked  his 
way  through.  Booker  T.  Washington  diligently,  consis- 
tently, and  purposefully  applied  himself  to  reaching  a  goal 
and  made  his  mark  on  the  pages  of  history.  He  founded 
Tuskegee  Institute  and  served  as  adviser  to  three  presidents. 

We  finite  beings  tend  to  believe  that  in  this  day  of 
technologically  easy  answers,  diligent  application  on  our 
part  is  not  necessary.  But  we  must  keep  in  mind  that  the 
very  nature  of  our  being  calls  us  constantly  to  be  at  some- 
thing which  will  give  us  a  sense  of  purpose  and  direction. 
Our  Lord  certainly  exemplified  this  basic  ingredient  of 
human  life.  He  knew  of  his  work  very  early  and  stead- 


J 


fastly  set  his  face  toward  the  accomplishment  of  his  goal. 
After  his  work  was  done,  when  he  prayed  in  Gethsemane, 
he  expressed  a  sense  of  accomplishment.  There  is  some- 
thing divine  about  human  accomplishment.  We  are 
charged  of  God  to  be  master  of  the  created  order.  When 
a  person  gathers  his  abilities  and  resources  and  applies 
himself  to  a  disciplined  exercise  which  results  in  a  con- 
tribution to  the  ongoing  lives  of  persons,  God's  creation 
finds  the  fulfillment  for  which  it  groans. 

Suggested  activities 

1 .  Select  a  monument,  historical  marker,  or  any  at- 
traction designating  the  mark  made  on  the  world  by  one 
or  more  persons  who  applied  themselves  consistently  to- 
ward a  goal  and  accomplished  it. 

2.  Take  a  family  field  trip  and  learn  the  history  and 
significance  of  the  place  chosen.  Learn  especially  the  quali- 
ties of  character  which  lead  to  accomplishment. 

3.  Discuss  together  the  significance  of  the  marker  and 
the  quality  of  character  and  then  let  each  member  of 

the  family  think  about  and  share  how  these  qualities  might 
apply  to  each  one's  seriousness  for  specific  tasks. 

4.  Agree  to  a  daily  surveillance  of  one  another  so  that 
all  will  continue  to  grow  toward  their  accomplishments. 

5.  Study  the  daily  lessons  from  the  Bible  and  learn  of 
the  qualities  of  character  there  and  apply  these  individually. 

We  are  indeed  grateful  for  the  many  styles  of  life  and 
manners  of  work  which  characterize  the  American  way. 
Of  course,  we  want  to  respect  one  another  in  our  callings 
and  we  want  to  make  the  best  contribution  we  can  possibly 
make  to  our  varied  form  of  life.  Regardless  of  what  our 
"thing"  is,  we  are  blessed  by  doing  it  with  integrity,  honor, 
and  a  sense  of  accomplishment.  —  Ruth  and  Eldon 
Shingleton 


DAILY  READING   GUIDE       June   7-20 

SUNDAY     Luke   9:51.     A   goal   is   set. 

MONDAY     Philippians    3:12-16.     Strain    forward    to    what    lies   ahead. 
TUESDAY     Philippians   4:4-7.     Let   men    know   your   forbearance. 
WEDNESDAY    Philippians   4:8-9.     Think   about   the   honorable,   the   just,   are 

the  gracious. 
THURSDAY     Proverbs    6:6-11.     Consider   the    ways    of    the    ant. 
FRIDAY    Proverbs  31:24-28.    A  good  woman  is  diligent   in   her  daily   work. 
SATURDAY    Proverbs   30:24-28.     Even   the   smallest   has   his    contribution    to  ; 

make. 
SUNDAY    2   Thessalonians   3:10-13.     Do   not  be  weary. 
MONDAY     1    Corinthians   9:24-27.     Run   with    a    purpose. 
TUESDAY    2   Timothy   2:1-7.     Take   your    share   of   hard   work. 
WEDNESDAY    2   Timothy   2:15.     A   workman    need    not   be    ashamed. 
THURSDAY    Genesis   29:15-20.     Work   for   the   sake    of   someone   you    love. 
FRIDAY    John    17:1-5.     His   work   is   accomplished. 
SATURDAY     Matthew   20:29-34.     His    work    is    a    blessing    to    many. 


26     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


REVIEWS  I  BOOKS 


IIS  Ihe  Real  Thing 


BREAKTHROUGH:  REDISCOVERY  OF  THE  HOLY 
SPIRIT,  by  Alan  Walker.  Abingdon  Press, 
1969.    92   pages,   $2.75 

THE  WIND  OF  THE  SPIRIT,  by  James  S.  Stewart. 
Abingdon    Press,    1968.     191     pages,    $3.95 

'We  live  in  the  "now  generation."  Youth 
'and  adults  aUke  clamor  not  for  a 
j  knowledge  of  history  nor  for  the  forecast 
of  a  nebulous  future;  they  search  instead 
to  feel  reality.  Sometimes  advertisers 
I  catch  up  the  right  slogan  to  express  the 
j  longing  of  the  hour.  In  this  case  it's  the 
I  Coca  Cola  people  who  have  come  up 
I  with  "It's  the  real  thing." 
i  The  world  awaits  new  birth  in  "the 
inow."  The  reality  of  the  present  shocks 
us  into  looking  for  new  life  in  change. 
I  It  is  in  this  kind  of  world  that  Alan 
Walker  relates  the  coming  of  the  Spirit. 
Alan  Walker  is  known  throughout  the 
world  as  an  outstanding  evangelist  and 
as  founder  of  the  famous  Life  Line  Cen- 
tre in  Sydney,  Australia.  Dr.  Walker  has 
traveled  extensively  and  has  been  a  fre- 
quent lecturer  in  the  United  States. 

Walker's  contention  is  that  the  Holy 
Spirit  of  God  is  present,  working  in  and 
through  the  life  of  man  within  and  with- 
out the  church.  There  is  but  one  answer 
to  the  prevaiUng  mood  of  the  world  and 
the  church  —  it  is  to  come  face-to-face 
with  a  relevant,  involved,  present  God. 
This  is  another  way  of  saying  "finding 
faith  in  the  Holy  Spirit."  The  real  mean- 
ing of  the  doctrine  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
that  God  is  where  the  action  is. 

This  book  is  very  helpful  to  the  reader 
who  is  frustrated  in  choosing  between  a 
faithfulness  to  the  traditional  church  and 
its  approach  in  the  midst  of  a  changing 
world.  Walker  suggests  a  both-and  ap- 
proach to  dealing  with  truth  as  it  relates 
to  social  action.  The  power  to  believe 
and  act  is  in  the  Holy  Spirit.  Persons 
who  revel  in  what  is  called  "individual 
pietism"  need  conversion  in  the  Spirit  to 
feel  a  ringing  call  to  alleviate  poverty, 
racial  injustice,  and  war.  While  persons 
who  are  bent  on  alleviating  human  suffer- 
ing "in  spite  of  the  church"  may  very 
well  come  to  realize  a  renewed  church, 
bathed  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit,  leading 


a  lost  world  to  the  savior.  However,  a 
pessimistic,  noninvolvement  in  the  world 
is  not  the  answer.  We  should  remember 
it's  God's  Spirit  that  renews  the  church. 
Walker's  book  is  refreshing  and  invit- 
ing to  the  reader  in  its  approach  involv- 
ing a  central  message  of  hope.  He  states, 
"Too  many  of  us  have  today  lost  our 
nerve.  Negativism,  despondency,  despair 
[characterize]  the  prevailing  mood  of 
larger  sections  of  the  church.  The  de- 
featist factory  is  working  overtime." 
This  author  suggests  the  answer  comes 
not  in  the  limitations  of  man,  not  in  the 
strength  of  secular  society,  but  in  the 
immense,  infinite,  inexhaustible  resources 


of  God. 

This  little  book  is  food  for  thought  to 
those  who  feel  that  God  has  not  brought 
the  Christian  church  safely  across  the 
centuries  to  allow  it  suddenly  to  become 
irrelevant  as  a  prelude  to  extinction. 

James  Stewart,  in  The  Wind  of  the 
Spirit,  gives  us  a  book  of  sermons  that 
seek  to  aid  in  recapturing  the  Spirit  of 
God  in  dealing  with  life's  problems.  This 
famous  Scottish  preacher  is  known  for 
his  forceful  sermons. 

He  once  delivered  the  Lyman  Beecher 
Lectures  at  Yale  University.  Unlike 
Walker,  who  relates  the  movement  of 
the  Spirit  in  more  evangelistic  terminol- 


cAil  Old-FaSliioiied 
Summer 

^xtravagaiiza ! 

Take  advantage  of  new 
titles,  old  favorites,  our  spe- 
cial Grab  Bag  offer  of  4 
books  for  $1 .00,  a  free  book 
with  the  purchase  of  one  at 
regular  price  ...  all  during 
our  Old  Fashioned  Summer 
Book  Extravaganza! 
Write  for  free  folder  listing 
titles  of  these  devotional 
books  and  special  offers  TO- 
DAY. Address 

The  Upper  Room 

1908  GRAND  AVENUE 
NASHVILLE,  TENNESSEE  37203 


6-4-70    MESSENGER     27 


REVIEWS  /  continued 

ogy,  Stewart  talks  of  the  mystery  sur- 
rounding the  activity  of  God.  Says  Stew- 
art, "Some  want  to  eliminate  the  element 
of  mystery  and  the  dimension  of  trans- 
cendence. They  would  prefer  to  have 
the  Father-in-Heaven  image  replaced  by 
a  statement  about  human  awareness." 

With  homiletic  astuteness  the  author 
develops  a  more  biblical-historical  basis 
for  belief  in  the  Holy  Spirit  and  his  ac- 
tivity in  the  modem  church.  Sermons 
dealing  with  frustration,  grace,  gratitude, 
worship,  faith,  and  witness  entice  the 
reader  to  see  the  "living  Spirit"  at  work 
in  the  believer's  life. 

In  one  sermon  entitled  "Why  Go  to 
Church?"  Stewart  gives  unique  insights 
as  to  what  could  happen  in  worship 
through  community.   This  sermon  should 

ADVERTISEMENT 


be  read  by  all  pastors.  The  Wind  of  the 
Spirit  should  speak  helpfully  to  struggling 
churches  and  pastors  who  dream  of 
brighter  tomorrows. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  assuredly  saying 
some  radical  things  to  the  churches  to- 
day. There  is  a  striving  in  the  life  of 
all  the  churches  which  means  God,  the 
Holy  Spirit,  is  speaking  to  those  who 
have  ears  to  hear.  He  is  the  real  thing! 
—  Albert  L.  Sauls 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued 

fellowman  that  they  can  accept  another 
person's  child  and  love  that  child  as  their 
own. 

It  doesn't  really  require   much   of  us  to 
produce  a  child  biologically,  so  maybe  the 


WHAT  DO  YOU  KNOW  ABOUT  THE 
BRETHREN  REVIVAL  FELLOWSHIP? 

During  the  past  year,  you  have  noticed  several  news  items 
in  the  Messenger  about  the  Brethren  Revival  Fellowship.  Now 
you  are  invited  to  send  for  free  literature  published  by  the 
BRF: 

The  Trustworthiness  of  the  Bible 

The  Christian  and  Nonresistance 

Romans  13  and  Civil  Disobedience 

Faithfulness  in  Change 

What  Is  the  BRF  Doing? 

Is  the  World  Moving  Into  a  Promised  Land? 

The  Bible  Account  of  Creation 
The  Brethren  Revival  Fellowship  aims  to  make  an  effective 
witness  for  evangelical  Christianity  luithin  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  It  is  endeavoring  to  proclaim  Scriptural  truths,  to 
discuss  vital  issues,  to  sound  the  alarm  about  unscriptural 
trends,  and  to  deepen  appreciation  for  our  Anabaptist  heritage 
with  respect  to  Christian  experience,  transformed  life,  and 
Biblical  authority. 

Request  the  free  literature  by  writing  to: 

BRETHREN  REVIVAL  FELLOWSHIP 

P.  O.  Box  8 

Spring  Grove,  Pa.  17362 


I 


next  time  you  ask  God  about  the  size  of 
your  family,  why  not  really  open  your 
heart  and  give  your  love  to  a  child  who 
is  already  here,  ready  and  hoping  that 
maybe,  just  maybe,  someone  will  someday 
want  him. 

Mrs.  Carolyn  Bricker 
Rocky  Ford,  Colo. 

BECOME   PART  OF  THE  SOLUTION 

You  have  finally  given  your  readers  some 
reason  for  considering  the  whole  essential 
subject  of  ecology.  We  should  be  thank- 
ful for  people  like  Ben  Hansen  (Feb.  12) 
of  Baltimore,  who  is  enlightened  on  the 
subject  of  overpopulation  and  who  comes 
to  the  attention  of  Messenger.  Much  has 
been  written  —  and  more  media  sources 
should  write  —  on  this  subject.  The  back- 
ground of  Hansen's  education  on  the  point 
is  a  good  human  interest  story.  Unfor- 
tunately, most  Americans  of  today  will  not 
have  an  opportunity  to  step  over  the  bodies 
of  children  who  have  starved  to  death  in 
the  streets  of  China  and  thereby  be  helped 
along  in  their  convincement  of  the  need 
to  limit  their  families  and  help  stabilize 
population. 

Yet  it  is  essential  that  every  American 
and,  in  fact,  every  member  of  the  human 
family  somehow  become  aware  of  our 
acute  situation  to  the  point  of  doing  some- 
thing about  it  NOW!  A  recently  published 
report  prepared  for  the  American  Friends 
Service  Committee,  entitled  "Who  Shall 
Live?"  says:  "The  increasing  demands  of  a 
constantly  growing  population  make  it 
diflScult  even  to  maintain  the  inadequate 
standards  of  the  past,  much  less  to  save  for 
the  future."  Later,  the  same  report  states: 
"Much  of  the  world's  unrest  and  tension 
can  be  traced  to  the  rising  expectations  [of 
the  world's  people]  and  to  our  inability  to 
equate  population  and  resources."  Much  of 
the  devastation  x)f  our  environment,  some 
beyond  repair,  can  be  traced  directly  to  a 
burgeoning  and  uncontrolled  population. 

A    couple    of   attitudes,    on   the    part    of 
Western     man    especially,     must     also     be 
blamed    for   the    environmental    destruction 
we  are  witnessing.    One  is  that  the  world 
and   nature   belong   to   us   to   conquer   and  : 
control.    In  an  article  in  Science  (March  7, 
1967)    Lynn  White  Jr.,  writer  and  church- 
man, says:   "By  destroying  pagan  animism, 
Christianity    made    it    possible    to    exploit  I 
nature    in   a   mood   of   indifference    to   the  : 
feelings    of   natural   objects."     Paul    Eriich, 


28     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


jioted  author  and  lecturer  on  the  subject, 
iays  basic  changes  are  needed,  perhaps  more 
jf  the  type  exempUfled  by  the  "hippie" 
novement.  Most  of  its  rehgious  ideas  are 
idopted  from  the  non-Christian  East  — 
Zen  Buddhism,  with  its  love  of  nature, 
physical  love,  and  a  disdain  for  material 
\f/ea.\th.  He  suggests  that  this  movement 
Should  be  paid  a  great  deal  of  attention  and 
that  we  should  recognize  that,  at  the  very 
least,  "they  are  asking  the  proper  questions." 
[Professor  White  lays  the  responsibility 
{squarely  on  the  church  when  he  says:  "Since 
he  roots  of  our  trouble  are  so  largely  reli- 
ious,  the  remedy  must  also  be  essentially 
jreligious,  whether  we  call  it  that  or  not." 

Another  attitude  is  that  science  is  our 
jsavior  and  can  do  no  wrong.  Only  recently 
Ihave  we  become  aware  of  the  evidence  that 
man  is  only  a  part  of  a  very  delicately 
balanced  environment  and  that  we  interrupt 
that  balance  at  our  peril.  Only  recently 
have  we  begun  to  see  that  man  is  made  to 
pay  definite  penalties  for  every  technological 
advance  made  in  the  name  of  progress. 
One  of  the  "must"  readings  for  anyone  who 
wishes  to  see  what  overpopulation  really  is 
doing,  especially  in  the  United  States,  is 
Moment  in  the  Sun,  by  Robert  and  Leona 
Rienow.  How  often  have  we  heard  such 
statements  by  thoughtful  persons  as  "Oh, 
Science  will  fix  that  up  for  us";  or  "Science 
will  find  an  answer"?  This  idolatrous 
affirmation  of  the  myth  of  scientific  in- 
fallibility, the  Rienows  say,  is  "a  convenient 
way  of  evading  civic  responsibility."  They 
go  on  to  say  that  the  greater  the  scientist, 
the  more  readily  will  he  admit  the  almost 
boundless  scientific  ignorance  in  the  field  of 
environmental  science.  The  answer  is  not  to 
"let  science  work  it  out"  but  rather  for  us 
as  citizens  and  as  persons  concerned  with 
survival,  or  at  least  with  the  quality  of  life 
while  we  do  exist,  to  direct  science  to  help 
overcome  our  problems. 

It  is  up  to  us  to  become  a  part  of  the 
solution  now  by  limiting  our  own  families 
before  the  issue  comes  to  light  in  the 
political  field  as  a  choice  between  regimented 
and  strictly  enforced  limitation  of  popula- 
tion or  extinction.  In  other  words,  if  we 
do  not  prefer  that  the  numbers  of  children 
we  may  produce  be  legislated  for  us,  we 
MUST  do  it  now,  voluntarily.  May  there 
be  more  Ben  Hansens.  Two  per  family  is 
enough. 

Marie  Ingerman 
Corte  Madera,  Calif. 


possible  that 
sex  technique 

is  not  the  o 
answer  r 

Today  there  are  more     lution  to  the  problems  of  modern 
marriage  manuals  and  more      marriage? 
divorces  than  ever  before.                 "This  simply  written  book 
Shouldn't  we  look  for  a  new  so-      affectingly  discourses  on  the  re- 

ality  of  love  and  marriage  as  a 

^^                -'saa^                 continuing  process  in  which  a 

_^^^                       ^^^s*-::^-^          couple  achieves  genuine   mar- 

1 

\    SECRET  OF 
\                 %>OVE 

I            A  Christian  Approach 
\                                  Anna  B.  Mow 

riage  and  that  elusive  thing 
called  happiness  only  through  a 
shared   deep  commitment  out- 
side of  themselves  .  .  .  Readers 
seeking  marital  guidance  within 
a  Christian  context  will  find  re- 
warding pleasures  in  this  slender 
and  warm-spirited  book." 

—Publishers'  Weekly 
THE  SECRET  OF 
MARRIED  LOVE 

A  Christian  Approach 

by  Anna  M.  Mow 

$3.95  at  bookstores  or  from 

Lippincott 

1         B  J.  B.  Lippincott  Company 
East  Washington  Square 
Phila.,  Pa.  1910S 

6-4-70    MESSENGER     29 


Uriel 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Still  in  intensive  care  at  a  Ravenna, 
Ohio,  hospital  is  Dean  Kahler,  20,  a 
member  of  the  Center  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  one  of  the  Kent  State  Uni- 
versity students  shot  May  4  by  Ohio  Na- 
tional Guard  troops.  His  doctors  have 
ascertained  a  complete  severance  of  his 
spinal  cord  which,  causing  paralysis 
now,  may  cripple  him  for  life.  Dean,  a 
first-semester  student  at  Kent  State,  was 
a  football  player  for  East  Kent  High 
School  and  participated  in  youth  activ- 
ities at  the  Center  church. 

Joe  Reeves,  Boise,  Idaho,  received 
the  first  outstanding  Christian  layman 
citation  from  the  Boise  Junior  Chamber 
of  Commerce.  A  McPherson  College 
graduate,  Joe  is  a  member  of  the  Moun- 
tian  View  Church  of  the  Brethren.  .  .  . 
Returning  to  his  alma  mater  as  assistant 
business  manager  is  Bill  Wagoner,  who 
was  graduated  from  La  Verne  College. 
He  held  similar  positions  at  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary,  at  a  public  school, 
and  in  private  business. 

Dr.  A.  van  den  Doel,  former  mission- 
ary-teacher in  Nigeria  and  for  the  past 
four  years  pastor  of  an  English-speaking 
church  in  the  Caribbean,  has  been  ap- 
pointed professor  of  philosophical 
anthropology  and  moral  philosophy  at 
The  Hague  School  for  Social  Research. 

Named  chairman  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren's  historical  committee  was 
Roger  E.  Sappington,  a  member  of  the 
committee  since  1956.  .  .  .  Author  of  a 
major  English-language  work  on  Spanish 
humanist  Juan  de  Valdes  is  Jose  C. 
Nieto,  assistant  professor  and  chairman 
of  the  department  of  religion  at  Juniata 
College.  The  400-page  volume,  Juan  de 
Valdis  and  the  Origins  of  the  Spanish 
and  Italian  Reformation,  published  in 
Switzerland,  is  the  first  work  to  utilize 
unpublished  records  of  the  Spanish 
Inquisition  as  background  on  the  six- 
teenth-century writer  and  instigator  of 
the  Reformation  in  both  Spain  and  Italy. 

La  Verne  College  awarded  a  distin- 


guished service  citation  to  Wilbur  and 
Violet  Liskey,  now  in  pastoral  service  at 
Laton,  Calif.  "You  have  always  served 
with  enthusiastic  dedication  to  people, 
with  sincere  devotion  to  the  church,  and 
with  an  inspiriting  outlook  beyond  and 
above  sectarianism  or  narrow  provin- 
cialism," the  citation  read  in  part. 

Newly  appointed  as  youth  director  of 
the  Frederick,  Md.,  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren is  Kenneth  McArthur,  Lakeland, 
Fla.  He  has  attended  Adams  State  Col- 
lege in  Colorado  and  will  continue  in 
classes  at  the  community  college  in 
Frederick,  while  serving  in  a  full-time 
capacity  as  youth  director. 

W.  Steve  Watson  Jr.,  Atlanta,  Ga., 
will  join  the  Bridgewater  College  faculty 
in  September  as  assistant  professor  of 
philosophy  and  religion.  The  candidate 
for  the  doctoral  degree  in  philosophy 
from  Atlanta's  Emory  University  suc- 
ceeds William  G.  Willoughby  on  the 
faculty. 

A  serious  automobile  accident  in  April 
hospitalized  Norman  F.  Reber,  editor  of 
the  Pennsylvania  Farmer  and  subject  of 
a  feature  in  Messenger's  May  12,  1966, 
issue.   He  is  recovering  in  his  Pennsyl- 
vania home.  .  .  .  Announcing  plans  to 
retire  from  the  directorship  of  CROP'S 
West  Coast  office  is  R.  Dale  Ferris,  who 
has  been  in  ill  health  the  past  year. 

Our  best  wishes  go  to  couples  who 


SoaSGllISEIID 


June  14      Children's  Sunday 
June  20-21      Church    of    the    Brethren    General 
Board,  Lincoln,  Neb. 
June  21      Father's  Day 
June  23-28     Annual   Conference,   Lincoln,   Neb. 

June  28     Christian    Citizenship   Sunday 
July   16-19      District  conference.  Southern  Plains, 

Waka,  Texas 
July   17-19      District    conference.    Northern    Indi- 
ana, Goshen   College 
July    17-19      District       conference,       Iowa       and 

Minnesota,  Cedar  Falls 
July  23-25     District    conference,     Southern    Vir- 
ginia,  Winston-Salem,    N.C. 
July  24-26     District      conference,     Shenandoah, 
Bridgewater  College 


have  celebrated  golden  wedding  anni- 
versaries: the  David  Smoots,  Woodstock, 
Va.;  the  Albert  Ruhls,  Annville,  Pa.;  the 
Harry  Emericks,  Salamonie  church, 
Middle  Indiana;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Stewart 
Berkebile,  Hooversville,  Pa.;  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  O.  L.  Tannreuther,  Waterloo, 
Iowa. 

In  the  Ecuador  mission  field,  Andres 
Guaman  left  Quito  during  April  for  the 
meetings  of  the  Union  of  Latin  American 
Evangelical  Youth  in  Montevideo, 
Uruguay.  .  .  .  Other  April  meetings  took 
Fernando  Guiterrez  and  Ricardo  Guaria 
to  Colombia  where  stewardship  work- 
shops were  being  held.  .  .  .  Members  of 
the  George  Kreps  family  united  in  the 
States  in  May.  Their  return  to  Ecuador 
has  been  set  for  August. 

AGORA 

Contributors  and  daughters  of  con- 
tributors to  the  1911  Inglenook 
Cookbook  are  being  invited  to  an 
Annual  Conference  tea  honoring  au- 
thors of  newly  published  books.  They 
may  contact  personnel  at  the  sales 
exhibit  for  more  information  regarding 
the  tea.  The  first  reprinting  in  thirty 
years  of  the  1911  book,  to  which  hun- 
dreds of  Brethren  women  contributed 
recipes  and  cooking  secrets,  will  be  on 
sale  at  Annual  Conference. 

The  Morrison  Cove  Home  for  the 
Aging  Auxiliary  offers  cookbooks  for 
sale.  The  auxiliary  project  is  in  its  fifth 
printing.  Cookbooks  may  be  ordered 
by  mail  from  the  Home,  Martinsburg, 
Pa.  16662,  at  $1.75  per  copy  or  bought 
at  the  Home  for  $  1 .50  per  copy. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES  \ 

Celebrating  his  fiftieth  year  in  the 
ministry  is  Homer  Hess,  Johnstown,  Pa. 
An  open  house  at  the  Morrellville 
Church  of  the  Brethren  saluted  Mr.  Hess 
in  April.  .  .  .  Arthur  L.  Rummel  marked 
his  fiftieth  year  of  ministry  recently.  He 
is  pastor  of  the  Natrona  Heightsi  church. 
Western  Pennsylvania. 

Lincolnshire  congregation's  Olden  D. 
Mitchell  was  elected  president  of  the 


30     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


I 


Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  ministerial  associa- 
tion. .  .  .  President  of  the  Southern  Cali- 
fornia Council  of  Churches  and  former 
Pacific  Southwest  executive  secretary 
Glenn  H.  Bowlby  is  conducting  a  radio 
program  on  Sundays  and  Mondays. 

Dale  Aukerman,  who  has  been  with 
the  Brethren  Action  Movement,  has  gone 
to  the  Sunfield,  Mich.,  congregation  as 
a  part-time  pastor.  .  .  .  Leaving  his 
Michigan  parish  at  Battle  Creek  in  Sep- 
tember will  be  Lloyd  StaufFer,  who  has 
accepted  the  call  of  the  Woodworth  con- 
gregation in  Northern  Ohio. 

Taking  pastoral  responsibilities  for  the 
Agape/ Cedar  Creek  yoked  parish  in 
Northern  Indiana  is  Robert  Knechel  Sr., 
who  has  resigned  from  the  pastorate  at 
Western  Pennsylvania's  Walnut  Grove 
church.  .  .  .  Moving  from  Milledgeville, 
111.,  in  September  will  be  Glen  Shively, 
who  will  go  to  the  Fort  McKinley  con- 
gregation, Dayton,  Ohio. 

Charles  Bieber  announces  his  ac- 
ceptance of  a  call  to  the  Black  Rock 
church  in  Southern  Pennsylvania  after 
a  tenure  at  the  Big  Swatara  church. 
Eastern  Pennsylvania.  .  .  .  Taking  a  full- 
time  pastorate  at  the  Eden  congregation 
in  Northern  Ohio  is  Willis  Stehman.  He 
will  leave  his  present  pastorate.  Sugar 
Creek,  in  August. 

Lee  Weaver  anticipates  a  September 
beginning  at  the  Pine  Glen  church  in 
Middle  Pennsylvania.  He  has  been  serv- 
ing the  Curryville  congregation  in  the 
same  district.  .  .  .  Remaining  in  the  same 
district  also  is  V.  Enos  Griffith,  who  has 
resigned  at  the  Pleasant  Valley/ Laurel 
Branch  yoked  parish  to  go  to  the  Coul- 
son  church,  all  in  Southern  Virginia. 

The  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  congregation 
will  welcome  Howard  Miller  in  Sep- 
tember, who  comes  to  the  Shenandoah 
District  from  Dixon,  111.  .  .  .  Earl  Zigler 
will  relinquish  his  Pleasant  View/Sharps- 
burg  parish  in  the  Mid-Atlantic  District 
for  a  pastorate  at  the  Johnson  City, 
Term.,  church  in  the  Southeastern 
District. 


Two  men  were  licensed  recently  to 
the  ministry:  John  P.  Kreps,  interim 
pastor  of  the  Wabash  church,  Middle 
Indiana,  and  Valentine  Johnson, 
Roanoke,  Va.,  licensed  as  minister  to  the 
deaf  fellowship.  .  .  .  Pastor  of  the 
Bachelor  Run  church  and  public  school- 
teacher David  McCracken  was  ordained 
to  the  ministry  by  the  Middle  Indiana 
District. 

POTPOURRI 

The  District  of  Southern  Indiana  has 
issued  an  invitation  to  conferencegoers 
to  make  use  of  the  facilities  at  Camp 
Living  Waters  en  route  to  and  from  the 
Conference  at  Lincoln,  Neb.  Camp 
Living  Waters  is  located  between  In- 
dianapolis and  Marion,  near  State  Route 
37.  For  more  detailed  information 
campers  may  contact  Carl  H.  Fry,  presi- 
dent camp  committee,  P.  O.  Box  294, 
Frankton,  Ind.  46044,  telephone 
317-754-7820. 

^     ^     ^     ^     ^ 

An  enthusiastic  teen-ager  and  an 
equally  enthusiastic  octogenarian  in 
Richland  County,  Illinois,  have  proved 
that  there  can  be  cooperation  between 
generations  for  a  common  purpose. 
Dow  Ridgely,  a  minister  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  veteran  promoter 
for  CROP,  together  with  Karen  Roth- 
rock,  high  school  senior,  raised  the 
largest  amount  of  any  of  the  townships 
in  the  county  for  contributions  to  CROP. 

A  scholarship  fund  at  Juniata  College 
has  been  established  in  the  name  of 
Alexander  Mack.  The  income  will  pro- 
vide financial  assistance  to  students  who 
are  members  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. 

Members  of  the  Natrona  Heights 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Pennsylvania 
celebrated  an  end  to  their  mortgage  with 
special  ceremonies  May  24.  ...  At 
Toledo,  Ohio,  the  Heatherdowns  con- 
gregation broke  ground  May  10  for  a 
new  sanctuary. 

Elizabethtown  College's  new  consti- 
tution creates  a  community  congress,  re- 
sponsible for  making  all  academic,  pro- 


fessional, and  social  policy,  subject  to 
review  by  the  board  of  trustees.  The  new 
document  gives  students  and  administra- 
tors greater  voice  in  campus  government. 

Educator  Leon  M.  Lessinger  of 
Georgia  State  University  will  deliver  the 
commencement  address  to  the  graduat- 
ing class  of  La  Verne  College  this  month. 

DEATHS 

Baugher,   Lillian   M.,   Heishey,    Pa.,   on  Nov.    16, 

1969,  aged   79 

Blouch.  Allen  D.,  Heishey,  Pa.,  on  Nov.  11,  1969, 

aged  90 
Boales.  Rick,  .\shland,  Ohio,  on  March   11,   1970, 

aged   1 6 
Bowman,  Ora  C.  Sacramento,  Calif.,  aged  80 
Caster,  Lorena,  Sycamore,  111.,  on  March  24,  1970 
Clingenpeel,  Marvin  E.,  Smithville,  Ohio,  on  April 

1,  1970.  aged  69 
Delozier,  Ira  S.,  Williamsburg,  Pa.,  on  March  30, 

1970,  aged  76 

Eckard,  E.  P.,  Bridgewater,  Va.,  on  Feb.  27,  1970, 

aged  76 
Fisher.  Jesse  L.,  Bradford,  Ohio,  on  Jan.  26,  1970, 

aged  74 
Hawbecker,  George,  Franklin  Grove,  111.,  on  Feb. 

21.   1970,  aged  95 
Hawke,  Walter  E.,   New   Carlisle,   Ohio,   on   Feb, 

24,  1970,  aged  77 
Hollen,  Elizabeth,  Bridgewater,  Va.,  on  March  28, 

1970.  aged  86 
Kaufman,  Wayne  E.,  Peru,  Ind.,  on  Feb.  14,  1970, 

aged  22 
Kessel,  Gwendolyn,   Franklin  Grove,  111.,  on   Feb. 

27,    1970,   aged   59 
Landis.  Harvey,  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  on  Feb. 

13,    1970 
McQuate,  Samuel,  Ephrata,  Pa.,  on  Feb.   16,  1970 
Miller,  Claude,  Lima,  Ohio,  on  Feb.  24,  1970,  aged 

79 
Miller,    Roy    W.,    Peru,    Ind.,    on    April    5.    1970, 

aged  69 
Mohler,  William,  Ephrata,  Pa.,  on  Feb.   16,   1970 
Moomaw,   Ella  M.,  La  Verne,   Calif.,  on  Dec.    1, 

1969,  aged  81 

Moore,  Earl  G.,  Ashland,  Ohio,  on  March  5,  1970, 

aged  84 
Myers,  Arlene  Wise,  Hershey,  Pa.,  on  Feb.  2,  1970, 

aged  41 
Owen,  Percy,  Bridgewater,  Va.,  on  March  11,  1970, 

aged  63 
Perrin,   Clara   I.,  Williamsburg,   Pa.,   on   Feb.    21, 

1970,  aged  80 

Shaver,    Emma,    Bridgewater,    Va.,    on    Dec.    24, 

1969,  aged  83 
Smeltzer.    Maude,    La   Verne,    Calif.,    on   Jan.    18, 

1970 
Smith.  Jason   D.,  Lima,   Ohio,   on   Oct.    16,    1969, 

aged  54 
Sowers,  Swanson  G.,  Floyd,  Va.,  on  Jan.   19,  1970, 

aged  64 
Stutsman,   H.   V.,   Girard,   111.,  on   Feb.   21,    1970, 

aged  80 
Woodard,   John,    La   Verne,    Calif.,    on    Sept.    15, 

1969.  aged  87 

Wrightsman,    Helen,    Virden,    111.,    on    March    6, 

1970,  aged  75 


6-4-70   MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


< 


A  Fateful  Decision  lo  Widen  the  war 


I 


lor  several  years  this  magazine  has  opposed  the  war  in 
Vietnam,  warning  against  each  new  escalation  of  U.S.  in- 
volvement in  the  conflict  there.  We  have  tried  to  reflect  the 
basic  convictions  regarding  war  that  Brethren  have  stated 
rather  consistently  for  more  than  250  years.  We  have 
sought  also  to  point  out  how  a  policy  such  as  the  one  fol- 
lowed in  Southeast  Asia  can  lead  only  to  more  killing,  more 
hatred,  and  the  loss  of  freedom  even  for  those  it  presumes  to 
liberate. 

We  have  not  identified  the  war  as  Mr.  Kennedy's  war  or 
Mr.  Johnson's  war  or  Mr.  Nixon's  war,  partly  because  its 
roots  go  back  to  situations  and  policies  over  which  a  par- 
ticular president  had  little  control  but  also  because  we  could 
see  little  difference  in  the  position  taken  on  the  war  by  the 
two  major  parties  or  their  candidates.  In  October  1968,  in 
the  middle  of  the  campaign,  we  seriously  questioned  whether 
voters  really  did  have  any  choice  with  regard  to  the  conflict 
in  Vietnam. 

And  now,  just  as  we  objected  in  1964  to  the  aggressive 
moves  taken  by  Mr.  Johnson  following  the  Gulf  of  Tonkin 
incident  (moves  that  are  still  being  questioned  as  to  their 
legitimacy),  so  we  must  vigorously  object  to  the  decision  by 
Mr.  Nixon  to  escalate  the  war  by  ordering  troops  into 
Cambodia.  We  question  the  wisdom  and  the  legitimacy  of 
moving  into  a  neutral  country  (and  informing  its  leaders 
after  the  action  is  under  way)  without  consultation  with  the 
U.S.  Congress.  No  matter  what  the  president's  good  inten- 
tions may  be,  we  regard  his  action  as  widening  the  war  in 
Asia,  miming  the  risk  of  precipitating  another  world  war, 
weakening  the  role  we  have  traditionally  given  to  our  elected 
representatives  in  Congress  to  advise  and  restrain  the  ad- 
ministration. We  believe  his  action  has  given  impetus  to 
even  greater  unrest  and  frustration  among  the  vast  numbers 
of  American  youth  who  believe  this  war  is  absolutely  con- 
trary to  the  Christian  and  humanitarian  principles  that 
Americans  claim  to  live  by. 

At  this  writing  it  appears  that  the  mood  of  the  Congress 
is  quite  different  from  what  it  was  in  1964,  when  only  two 


senators  went  on  record  against  the  Gulf  of  Tonkin  resolu- 
tion. In  fact  some  of  the  senators  who  then  voted  for  that 
resolution  are  now  supporting  an  attempt  to  repeal  it.  We 
note  that  the  challenge  to  the  president's  arbitrary  action  is 
sponsored  by  respected  legislators  from  both  major  parties. 
We  hope  they  succeed  in  limiting  and  changing  the  danger- 
ous course  upon  which  the  administration  has  embarked. 
We  hope  also  that  the  constitutional  issue  —  as  to  whether 
the  president  and  the  Pentagon  alone  determine  our  foreign 
policy  —  is  raised  so  that  such  grave  decisions  will  be 
shared  with  those  who  represent  us  in  Congress  and  who 
feel  directly  responsible  to  their  constituents. 

It  is  those  constituents  who  pay  the  taxes  expended  so 
wastefully  and  murderously  for  war.  It  is  those  constituents 
also  whose  sons  are  drafted  for  the  dirty  work  of  killing.  It 
is  those  constituents  also  whose  hearts  are  troubled  by  the 
contradiction  between  what  we  as  Americans  profess  and 
what  we  do. 


S 


ome  high  officials  in  the  present  administration  have 
used  strong  language  to  castigate  youthful  protestors  who 
challenge  the  draft  and  the  war.  These  leaders  rightfully 
deplore  the  temptation  for  dissenters  to  resort  to  violence  in 
making  their  point.  But  if  violence  is  wrong  on  the  streets 
of  our  cities  and  on  university  campuses,  it  is  also  wrong  in 
Cambodia  —  and  Vietnam  —  and  anywhere  else  a  reckless 
administration  may  decide  to  open  up  a  new  battleground. 

We  would  even  venture  to  predict  that  a  totally  different 
climate  could  develop  on  high  school  and  college  campuses 
and  wherever  youth  gather  if  our  leaders  would  immediately 
repudiate  the  "search  and  destroy"  tactics  that  are  in  vogue 
now  and  devote  our  resources  to  a  "search  and  save"  pro- 
gram geared  to  improving  the  quality  of  life  for  persons  all 
around  our  globe.  But  until  that  kind  of  revolution  comes 
along.  Christians  must  continue  to  stand  up  and  speak  up, 
saying,  "In  the  name  of  God  stop  the  killing.  Give  peace 
a  chance!"  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    6-4-70 


posinve 
Reufiion 

REVOlPrgf^ 

ERie  CRUST 


► 


religiwn 

Positive  Religion  in  a  Revolutionary  Time 

by  ERIC  C.  RUST 

What  does  it  mean  to  be  a  religious  man  in  a  secular  age?  Is  religion  outmoded?  These 
questions  raise  the  issues  of  the  nature  of  the  religious  consciousness,  the  validity  of  describ- 
ing Christianity  as  a  religion,  and  the  relation  of  Christianity  to  other  world  religions.  In 
answer,  Dr.  Rust  traces  the  current  debate  back  to  its  origin  in  the  19th  century.  His  book 
reads  like  a  Who's  Who  of  modem  religious  thinkers  —  Schleiermacher,  Ritschl,  Troeltsch, 
Otto,  Tillich,  Feuerback,  Barth,  the  "death  of  God"  thinkers,  the  secular  theologians,  Toyn- 
bee,  the  process  theologians,  Teilhard  de  Chardin,  and  the  theology-of-hope  thinkers.  Dr. 
Rust  holds  that  religion  is  an  essential  part  of  man's  structural  consciousness,  and  concludes 
by  defining  the  kind  of  transformation  which  the  religious  expression  of  Christianity  must 
undergo  to  meet  the  challenge  of  a  secular  age.  $3.65  paper 

The  Magnificent  Frolic 

by  RARRY  WOOD 

A  paradox  of  a  book  —  part  poetry,  part  mythology,  part  reason  —  celebrates  the  sense  of 
joyous  mystery  underlying  all  the  religions  of  the  world.  A  synthesis  of  perceptions  from 
current  physics,  linguistics,  process  philosophy.  Eastern  mysticism  (especially  Zen),  and  early 
Christianity,  it  provides  a  new  and  coherent  view  of  reality  for  the  "now  people"  —  in  their 
own  intrinsic  emotional  and  intellectual  idiom.  This  book  is  for  the  young  and  old  — 
anyone  who  has  ever  questioned  the  purpose  of  life,  the  validity  of  religion,  the  limitations 
of  language  and  thought;  anyone  who  has  ever  longed  for  the  ultimate  in  truth  and  personal 
freedom  —  intellectually,  spiritually,  and  physically.    The  author  is  a  29-year-old  Canadian. 

$4.95  cloth,:  $2.45  paper 

Stranger  in  the  Pew 

by  KENNETH  W.  CONNERS 

The  author  uses  the  form  of  letters  to  a  friend  who  has  become  disenchanted  with  religion 
and  the  church  to  show  how  fading  faith  can  be  renewed.  Writing  in  an  informal,  personal 
style,  Mr.  Conners  relates  how  his  own  spiritual  experience  was  deepened  by  his  participa- 
tion in  group  life.  He  demonstrates  how  the  group  experience  can  deepen  faith  and  open 
ways  of  service  in  the  community.   The  introduction  is  written  by  Robert  Raines.  $3.95 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES    •    Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Out  of  Two  Backgrounds:  A  Future  Together.  Can  a  marriage  succeed 
if  the  partners  bring  to  it  strikingly  different  experiences,  tastes,  and  under- 
standings? It  takes  " giving-love"  to  create  a  union  in  which  each  personality 
is  preserved  and  strengthened,  a  chapter  from  a  new  book  by  Anna  B.  Mow. 
page  2 

The  Shape  of  the  Future  Church.  In  broad  outlines  the  moderator  of  An- 
nual Conference  delineates  some  of  the  directions  the  church  must  take  if  it 
is  to  fulfill  its  calling  in  this  century,  by  A.  G.  Breidenstine.   page  6 

Whatever  You  Ask.  Many  sensitive  persons  try  to  obey  the  imperatives  and 
follow  the  visions  set  forth  in  the  Christian  message,  but  they  neglect  the  re- 
sources of  power  that  are  also  a  part  of  Christ's  gospel,  by  C.  Wayne  Zunkel. 
page  9 

Marketplace  Ministries.  ISIot  a  replacement  for  the  church  but  an  expression 
and  an  extension  of  the  church  —  this  is  the  way  a  number  of  experimental 
ministries  (in  shopping  centers,  airports,  urban  areas)  are  viewed  by  those  who 
sponsor  them,  by  Linda  Beher.   page  12 

Encounter  at  Germantown.  A  new  development  in  the  Germantown  min- 
istry brings  together  individuals  and  groups  from  local  churches  and  black 
leaders  in  a  time  of  learning  and  sharing,  page  18 

It's  the  Real  Thing.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  saijing  some  radical  things  to  churches 
today.  Here  are  reviews  of  two  recent  books  suggesting  how  the  eternal  Spirit 
can  bring  reality  and  meaning  to  this  generation,  by  Albert  L.  Sauls,  page  27 

Other  features  include  poems  by  James  L.  Ovall  Sr.  (page  11),  La  Vonna  Howell, 
Elizabeth  H.  Emerson,  and  Annabelle  Wagner  Bergfeld  (page  15);  a  new  poster  by 
Wilbur  E.  Bi-umbaugh  (page  16);  a  survey  of  participation  in  race  sensitivity  work- 
shops (page  19);  pictures  of  the  pipe  organ  that  once  belonged  to  Henry  Kurtz,  pioneer 
editor  (page  23);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Ruth  and  Eldon  Shingleton  (page  26);  and  an 
editorial,  "A  Fateful  Decision  to  Widen  the  War"   (page  32). 


COMING  NEXT 


Now  that  the  civil  conflict  in  Nigeria  has  ended,  in  what  ways  can  the  church  there,  a 
church  that  Brethren  have  aided  in  its  growth  and  development,  best  fidfill  its  ministry? 
Helpful  directions  are  set  forth  in  an  article  by  Emmanuel  Urhobo,  a  Nigerian  Christian 
official,  entitled  "The  Role  of  the  Church  in  Postwar  Nigeria.".  .  .  Christians  should 
show  respect  for  the  laws  of  the  land,  even  to  the  extent  of  being  subject  to  some  higher 
powers  they  may  not  admire.  But  what  of  those  circiim.^tances  wfien  the  same  Christians 
"ought  to  obey  God  rather  than  man"?  Warren  Shoemaker  deals  constructively  with 
the  thorny  issue  of  civil  disobedience.  ...  A  number  of  persons,  under  labels  such  as 
fundamental,  liberal,  radical,  and  patriotic,  claim  to  represent  the  church  in  its  ministry, 
but  a  pastor  looking  at  the  witness  of  all  .luch  groups  finds  them  wanting.  Peter  Ediger 
asks  "The  Real  Christ  —  Where  Is  He?" 


VOL   119  NO.  1 


essenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     *^   6/18/70 


readers  write 


FOR   CONSCIOUSLY   LrMITING  POPULATION 

I  am  writing  as  a  future  parent,  in  sup- 
port of  the  Two-Cfiild  Family  Movement. 
Only  through  consciously  limiting  our  pop- 
ulation will  we  be  able  to  grant  everyone 
the  rights  of  food  and  shelter,  which  I  feel 
should  be  basic  goals  in  our  Christian  living. 

With  the  present  population  rate,  thou- 
sands go  hungry  in  Chicago  and  millions 
starve  in  India.  Increasing  that  rate  or  even 
continuing  it  can  do  no  more  than  increase 
starvation,  not  to  mention  the  decrease  in 
living  space.  I,  as  a  future  parent,  cannot 
have  more  than  two  children  of  my  own, 
knowing  that  my  third  child  is  helping  to 
thwart  progress  toward  the  goals  for  which 
I  am  working.  Please  remember  that  a  two- 
child  family  does  not  mean  necessarily 
limiting  your  family  to  two  children,  but 
merely  to  two  children  from  your  own  flesh. 

Ruth  Ann  Frantz 
Manchester  College 
North  Manchester,  Ind. 

A  WONDERFUL  BLESSING 

We  are  happy  for  the  article  entitled 
"Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Corinne  Hoff  Sim- 
mons (May  7)  and  for  the  wonderful  ex- 
perience of  Pentecost  she  has  had,  how  that 
the  Lord  moved  on  her  and  touched  her  as 
he  promised  he  would,  according  to  his 
Word. 

We  also  have  had  this  experience  and 
also  in  the  year  1 969.  This  is  a  wonderful 
blessing  from  the  Lord,  and  we  would  never 
want  to  go  back  and  live  without  the  bless- 
ing of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  this  way,  for  as 
the  scriptures  have  promised,  our  joy  has 
been  full,  for  the  nearness  and  presence  of 
the  Lord  are  ever  with  us. 

Our  hearts  pour  out  in  prayer  for  those 


around  us  and  those  we  love,  that  they  may 
see  their  need  according  to  the  Word  of 
God  for  this  blessed  experience,  for  we 
know  there  are  many  people  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  who  are  truly  hungry  for  a 
closer  walk  with  the  Lord,  for  this  fact 
exists  wherever  we  go:  through  this  experi- 
ence we,  too,  have  learned  how  to  praise 
the  Lord. 

Mary  and  Linford  Cassel 
Harleysville,  Pa. 

A  MORE  POSITIVE   RESPONSE 

I  am  in  alternative  service  at  the  Chris- 
tian Center  at  Bloomington,  Ind.,  and  read 
with  great  interest  the  report  (May  7)  about 
the  eight  young  men  advocating  noncooper- 
ation  with  the  draft  as  consistent  with  their 
consciences.  The  church  should  support 
young  men  moved  by  religious  convictions 
and  conscience,  provided  it  can  be  consistent 
with  the  New  Testament. 

A  vital  point,  however,  was  not  discussed. 
In  my  personal  experience  with  those  (most- 
ly non-Brethren)  of  various  shades  of  draft 
resistance,  I  have  found  that  accompanying 
their  views  are  the  twin  notions  of  an  in- 
tolerance of  less  radical  views  and  a  self- 
righteous  arrogance  that  theirs  is  the  only 
tenable  view.  How  did  these  young  men 
feel  about  those  of  us  who  conscientiously 
feel  that  alternative  service  can  be  and 
should  be  a  more  positive  response? 

Richard  W.  Zimmerman 
Bloomington,  Ind. 

ME?    OR  SOMEONE   ELSE? 

Ben  Hansen's  "Two-Child  Family  Move- 
ment" (Feb.  12)  may  or  may  not  be  right. 
But  if  my  mother  had  not  announced  when 
she  got  married  that  she  was  going  to  have 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover,  3-5.  7  Augusta  Lucas;  1213  Dave  Miller;  16  Fran  Nyce;  17  Religious  News 
Service;  18  courtesy  of  the  Kent  (Wash.)  News-Journal:  19  (top)  courtesy  of  the  Elgin  Daily  Courier-News; 
(lower  right)   Indiana  Council  of  Churches 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor:  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaiigh,  associate  editor:  Howard  E,  Rover,  director 
of  communication:  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  .\ug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  .Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Ser\ice  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Ser\ice.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  §3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife,  $75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  I45I  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111.    June  18.  1970.  \ 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  1970.    Vol.  119   No.  13 


ten  children,  who  would  I  be?  I  was  the  last! 

Alfred  Alling 
Cabool,  Mo, 

MORE   PERSONAL   INFORMATION 

I   am   very   critical   of   your   giving   space 

—  a  two-page  spread  —  to  the  senior  group, 
of  men  and  "chorus  girls"  concerning  their 
production  of  a  George  M.  Cohan  musical 
(April  23).  ... 

The  "One  Day  Last  Summer"  cartoon' 
page  and  the  "Tick  .  .  .  Tick  .  ,  ,  Tick"* 
movie  review!    The  extremely  mod  drawing) 

—  what  is  it?  Oh,  it  says  a  tree  stump!) 
Why?  Why?  Why?  .  .  .  Why  not  use  thati 
space  for  some  personal  information  con-l 
cerning  the  383  missionaries  and  Brethrens 
Service  workers  we  are  sponsoring  and  thei 
countries  and  people  they  are  serving?  It 
would  be  interesting  to  know  who  they  are; 
[this]  would  encourage  us  all  in  supporting 
our  Church  of  the  Brethren  outreach.   .  .  . 

Rowena  W.  Mishler 
Dayton,  Ohio 

ABOUT  THAT   COVER   .   .   . 

I  am  very  much  surprised  and  hurt  to  see 
a  picture  on  the  front  of  our  church  paper: 
(April  23).  ...  It  is  no  wonder  our  church! 
is  losing  membership.  ...  I  will  not  stopi 
taking  Messenger,  as  I  want  to  know  whati 
the  church  is  doing. 

A  Concerned  Brother 

■  If  I  wanted  to  see  a  Hollywood  star.i 
I'd  have  bought  a  Hollywood  magazine.  .  .  . 

Elkhart,  Ind. 

■  We  think  the  cover  picture  is  terribly 
out  of  good  taste. 

EusTis,  Fla. 

■  It  is  fine  for  oldsters  to  "stay  young  i 
in  spirit"  and  go  on  the  road,  but  that 
picture  does  not  belong  on  the  front  cover 
of  Messenger,  .  .  . 

Johnstown,  Pa. 

■  The  good  old  Gospel  Messenger  should  i 
never  have  been  changed. 

Glendora,  Calif. 

■  Why?  Why?  Such  a  picture  for  our 
church  Messenger.  Surely  you  can  do  bet- 
ter than  that. 

Craigville,  Ind. 

■  I  can  no  longer  be  quiet.  .  .  .  Our 
church  is  becoming  too  mixed  up  with  the 
world.    The  Bible  says,  "Be  not  conformed 


to  this  world,  but  be  transformed  by  the 
renewing  of  your  mind."  Too  often  Holly- 
wood and  its  associates  are  glamorized.  I 
would  like  to  see  more  quotes  from  the 
Bible  and  Christian  magazines,  rather  than 
from  non-Christian  magazines. 

COLLEGEVILLE,    Pa. 

i  ■  Good  as  the  play  is,  and  I  saw  it  and 
enjoyed  it  thoroughly,  your  selection  is  in 
bad  taste.  .  .  .  Not  all  who  see  it  will  read 
the  article  and  thereby  [will]  get  a  different 
impression  from  that  intended. 

Washington,  D.C. 

■  It  sure   is  a  disgrace  to  have  such  a 

picture   on   a   religious   or   Christian   paper. 

It  certainly  is  for  the  underworld.    I  have 

to  keep  it  covered.    I  wouldn't  want  any  of 

y  Christian  friends  to  see  it. 

Wenatchee,  Wash. 


Page  one... 


A  picture  of  a  "show  girl"  should 
[have  no  place  on  the  cover  or  on  the  in- 
Jside,  either.  I  thought  Messenger  was 
supposed  to  be  a  Christian  magazine,  tell- 
ing of  the  work  our  denomination  is  doing 
jfor  the  Lord,  such  as  mission  work,  .  .  and 
(also  have  some  inspirational  messages.  It 
says  on  the  cover  that  "the  spirit  should 
not  grow  old."  What  kind  of  a  spirit  is  it 
talking  about?  The  Holy  Spirit  doesn't 
grow  old. 

Astoria,  III. 

■  I  and  many  other  members  of  our  de- 
nomination are  so  sick  and  tired  of  the 
hideous,  unmeaningful,  ugly  covers  and 
pictures  in  the  Messenger,  which  "some" 
refer  to  as  art,  that  unless  decent,  attractive 
covers  and  illustrations  are  used,  many  of 
us  have  decided  to  definitely  cancel  our 
subscriptions. 

NORRISTOWN,    Pa. 

■  The  picture  on  the  front  of  [the] 
current   issue   was  the   last   straw. 

Collegeville,  Pa. 

■  After  a  long  period  of  dissatisfaction 
with  the  so-called  "Gospel  Messenger,"  I 
am  finally  moved  to  write  in  protest.  .  .  . 
Now,  with  springtime  bringing  the  beauties 
of  God's  world,  was  that  [cover]  the  best 
you  could  do? 

Collegeville,  Pa. 

■  Recently  one  hears  much  about  X- 
rated  movies.  Imagine  the  disgust  to  find 
an  X-rated  magazine  in  our  mail  this  week. 

LiTiTZ,  Pa. 


Contrary  to  the  old  adage,  apparently  many  of  our  readers  still  believe 
that  it  is  quite  possible  to  judge  a  book  by  its  cover,  as  witness  the  letters 
about  ours  of  April  23  (see  Readers  Write). 

The  letters  —  and  we  have  excerpted  pertinent  comments  from  all 
but  two  or  three  —  express  reactions  ranging  from  shock  at  our  poor 
taste  to  complete  disenchantment  with  the  magazine  (and  its  editors). 

Whether  for  or  against,  letters  such  as  these  give  graphic  testimony 
to  the  power  of  a  picture  in  our  visually  oriented  world.  The  images 
come  on  strong,  and  so  do  the  responses.  To  remint  another  phrase,  a 
picture  can  prompt  a  thousand  words,  whether  it  is  worth  it  or  not. 

Recognizing  the  differences  in  taste  among  our  readers,  we  know  that 
we  cannot  please  all  of  them,  and  sometimes  we  will  offend  even  if  we 
don't  intend  to.  Also,  we  sometimes  have  afterthoughts,  and  we  hope  to 
learn  from  the  responses  that  come  to  us. 

Several  illustrations  in  this  issue  may  not  be  to  everyone's  taste,  but 
we  honestly  expect  a  more  positive  response  to  the  pictures  of  African 
life  included  on  pages  three,  five,  and  seven.  In  a  modern  version  of  a 
very  old  method  of  printing,  the  woodcut,  Augusta  Lucas  portrays  some 
of  the  visual  images  that  struck  her  while  working  as  an  illustrator  for  an 
adult  literacy  program  for  the  Peace  Corps  in  Africa.  She  now  holds  the 
position  of  part-time  scientific  illustrator  for  the  University  of  California 
at  Berkeley. 

In  saluting  other  contributors  to  this  issue,  we  note  that  Emmanuel 
Urhobo  serves  with  the  Christian  Council  of  Nigeria  as  director  of  its 
commission  on  relief  and  rehabilitation.  Roger  Ingold,  who  has  been  field 
secretary  for  the  World  IVIinistries  Commission  in  Nigeria,  currently  serves 
as  Mr.  Urhobo's  assistant  in  a  rehabilitation  project.  A  recent  automobile 
accident,  in  which  both  men  were  involved,  claimed  the  life  of  one  of 
Mr.  Urhobo's  children  and  injured  another. 

Pastor  W.  Warren  Shoemaker  invited  worshipers  at  the  Prices  Creek 
church  to  write  down  questions  which  they  would  like  him  to  answer. 
One  wrote:  "Thou  shalt  not  kill.  But  doesn't  the  Bible  teach  that  we 
should  still  respect  the  laws  of  our  land?  What  about  burning  our  draft 
cards?"  The  query  prompted  the  presentation  appearing  in  this  issue. 
Following  Warren's  sermon,  the  Southern  Ohio  congregation  participated 
in  open  discussion. 

Mennonite  pastor  Peter  J.  Ediger  serves  at  the  Arvada,  Colorado, 
Mennonite  Church  and  on  his  denomination's  commission  on  home  min- 
istries. 

Waynesboro,  Pennsylvania,  is  the  home  of  Samuel  H.  Flora  Jr.,  who 
pastors  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  there  and  chairs  the  Southern  District's 
ministry  and  evangelism  commission.  —  The  Editors 


6-18-70   AAESSENGER     1 


The  Role  of  the  Church  in  Postwar  Hlgert 


by  EMMANUEL  URHOBO 


Concerns  from  a  Nigerian 
Christian  about  the  un- 
happy consequences  of  the 
failure  of  the  church 
to  relate  the  gospel  to 
the  lives  of  its  members 

When  I  speak  of  the  church,  I  am 
not  trying  to  salve  the  consciences  of 
laymen  or  to  launch  an  attack  on  the 
clergy.  I  feel  the  church  today  should 
be  understood  primarily  in  terms  of  the 
active  participation  of  its  lay  mem- 
bers rather  than  that  of  its  clergy.  The 
church  today  is  either  weak,  strong,  or 
vigilant,  depending  on  whether  the 
laity  accepts  or  shirks  its  responsibili- 
ties. I  am  convinced  that  the  church 
can  be  more  meaningful  in  this  nuclear 
age  if  it  is  directed  and  strengthened 
by  its  lay  members  and  if  the  gospel  of 
Christ  is  stripped  of  all  man-made 
prejudices  and  is  related  directly  to 
every  aspect  of  human  life.  This  is 


crucial  if  our  ministry  to  the  present 
generation  is  to  have  any  lasting  im- 
pact. The  alternative  is  for  the  church 
to  become  an  exclusive  club  for  the 
faithful  and  end  up  the  opposite  of 
what  Christ  commanded:  "Go  ye  . .  . 
and  teach  all  nations." 

To  discuss  the  role  of  the  church 
in  postwar  Nigeria,  it  is  essential  to 
touch  upon  some  of  the  areas  of  its 
failure,  not  merely  to  indulge  in  self- 
criticism  or  to  blame  the  past  on 
European  missionaries  or  colonial 
governments,  but  to  try  to  discover 
how  it  can  learn  from  its  past  mistakes 
and  develop  itself  and  society  as  a 
whole. 

Take  education,  for  example.  The 
church  had  led  even  governments  in 
providing  education  in  many  parts  of 
the  world.  But  too  often  the  products 
of  the  church-related  schools  desert  the 
church  and  become  hostile  toward  it. 
They  take  positions  in  government 
and  industry  and  the  teachings  of 
Christ  are  not  manifest  in  the  conduct 


of  their  private,  business,  or  political 
lives.  j 

Nigeria  is  a  predominantly  Muslim    j 
and  pagan  country.  Although  less 
than  fifteen  percent  of  the  population 
is  Christian  or  has  Christian  back- 
ground. Christians,  by  reason  of  their 
education,  occupy  almost  exclusively 
the  positions  of  authority  and  influence 
in  the  country.  In  spite  of  this 
phenomenon,  however,  the  country  has 
been  run  in  an  unchristian  and  god- 
less manner,  and  the  seeds  of  the 
present  conflict  were  sewn  by  Chris- 
tians. 

Where  has  the  church  failed?  Why 
has  the  impact  of  Christianity  not  been 
felt  in  the  public  and  private  affairs  of 
the  rulers  and  the  ruled  in  this  coxmtry? 

We  must  examine  the  old  theologi- 
cal position  which  restricts  Christianity 
to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  and  the 
conversion  of  the  soul  but  fails  to  give 
clear  guidance  or  to  take  a  positive 
stand  against  the  evils  of  society,  in 
Continued  on  page  six 


2     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


THE  BOATMAN  /  AUGUSTA   LUCAS  © 


yw:l  r^7:?> 


*■? 


im    ^^ , 


"■■  ^f'-  '■''  ri 


4     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


6-18-70    MESSENGER     5 


POSTWAR  NIGERIA  /  continued 


the  forms  of  tribal  hatred,  corruption, 
moral  degeneration,  family  instability, 
poverty,  and  social  injustice.  Is  this 
an  honest  or  an  expedient  position  in 
the  present  age?  Man  is  exposed  to 
other  ideologies  in  a  permissive  society, 
with  its  insatiable  lust  for  material 
possessions.  Does  the  Christian  today 
not  require  a  positive  guide  on  which 
to  base  his  set  of  values  other  than 
the  recital  of  the  Ten  Commandments 
and  the  pronouncement  of  God's 
judgment? 

Are  we  not  also  being  discrimina- 
tory in  answering  the  call  of  Christ 
to  "go  and  teach,"  if  we  continue  to 
choose  to  speak  in  the  language  under- 
stood only  by  the  few  in  the  present 
generation  or  if  we  limit  our  witness 
to  the  spiritual  aspect  only,  while 
ignoring  the  equally  real  earthly  prob- 
lems with  which  man  has  daily  to 
battle  —  the  solution  of  which  should 
help  him  to  become  not  only  a  good 
Christian  but  a  useful  citizen  of  this 
world? 

I  think  it  will  help  us  to  understand 
where  we  have  failed  if  we  reexamine 
our  responsibilities  in  the  light  of  some 
basic  principles  found  in  the  Bible. 

Are  we  today  not  like  Cain?  Do 
we  not  kill  our  brothers  or  oppress 
them? 

Do  we  encourage  self -development? 
Is  the  church  not  part  of  society  which 
organizes  political  and  trade  structures 
of  the  world  in  such  a  way  that  the 
rich  grow  still  richer  and  the  poor  lose 
what  little  they  have?  Are  those 
Christians  in  positions  of  authority, 
even  in  poor  or  developing  countries, 
directing  their  governmental  and  busi- 
ness interests  with  any  considerations 
for  the  plights  of  those  who  are  less 
fortunate? 

Why  was  Christ's  life  full  of  com- 
passion for  the  weak,  for  the  poor,  and 
for  sinners  generally?  What  is  the 


basis  for  Christian  charity  which  does 
not  include  the  training  of  engineers 
or  agricultural  experts,  managers  or 
doctors,  politicians  or  lawyers  or  in- 
volvement in  the  economic  and  po- 
litical development  of  the  total  man? 

What  is  the  impact  of  the  church 
on  Nigerians  after  a  century  or  more 
of  Christianity,  if  members  of  the  same 
church  are  not  constrained  by  con- 
science from  killing  or  maiming  their 
fellow  members  or  from  stealing  or 
destroying  their  properties  because  of 
political  and  tribal  disagreements? 

Do  we  not  see  it  as  a  failure  of  the 
church  that  it  is  so  divided  on  the  one 
hand  between  Roman  Catholicism 
and  Protestantism  and  on  the  other 
by  the  divisions  within  the  Protestant 
church  itself? 

WhUe  I  agree  that  we  must  preserve 
our  faiths  as  we  see  them,  is  there  not 
a  case  today  that  even  different  de- 
nominations and  faiths  should  cooper- 
ate in  the  fields  of  development,  educa- 
tion, medical  work,  and  other  projects, 
so  that  the  church,  together  and  with 
other  institutions  —  private,  govern- 
mental and  international  —  can  help 
to  develop  the  total  man  with  all  the 
resources  at  its  disposal,  in  the  most 
efficient  way? 


I  he  next  question,  then,  is:  How 
can  the  church  be  involved  in  the 
development  of  the  total  man?  I 
have  not  tried  to  answer  why  it  should 
be  involved.  I  believe  that  question 
was  answered  2,000  years  ago.  The 
problem  has  always  been  that  we  do 
not  see  clearly  the  extent  to  which 
we  should  be  involved  in  development. 

Involvement  is  based  on  the  biblical 
belief  that  "all  men  are  created  in  the 
image  of  God,  are  equal  before  him, 
and  are  each  entitled  to  a  share  of  the 
world's  wealth  according  to  their 


needs,  and  are  stewards  of  the  same." 
God  is  concerned  with  the  total  man. 
His  coming  into  the  world  in  the  form 
of  human  flesh  was  a  positive  identifi- 
cation with  man  in  human  history, 
to  share  the  life  of  man  and  to  free 
him  from  the  scourge  of  sin,  including 
conditions  which  create  imbalance  in 
the  political,  economic,  and  social  de- 
velopment of  human  society.  The 
unity  of  the  human  personality  makes 
it  obligatory  for  the  church  to  empha- 
size not  only  the  spiritual  needs  of 
man  but  also  his  material  weU-being. 

Will  the  witness  of  Christ  not  be 
strengthened  by  a  distribution  of 
churches  and  houses  of  prayer  where 
the  spiritual  needs  are  greatest,  rather 
than  by  building  expensive  cathedrals 
in  strategic  places  in  competition  with 
other  denominations?  Are  these  ca- 
thedrals and  expensive  buildings  rele- 
vant at  all  to  our  age?  Is  there  any 
charity  or  blessing  in  raising  millions 
of  dollars  to  build  cathedrals  (monu- 
ments to  God?)  today,  when  we  refuse 
to  provide  a  few  dollars  to  feed  the 
starving  or  to  establish  a  farm  to  help 
the  poor  to  support  themselves? 

Is  it  not  a  primary  duty  of  the 
church  in  Nigeria  to  play  the  role  of 
reconciler  today  and  to  emphasize  the 
unity  of  the  church  under  the  Lord- 
ship of  Christ  and  the  universal  broth- 
erhood of  man?  Should  the  church 
not  preach  more  of  confession  of  sin 
and  forgiveness  than  it  is  doing  now? 
Is  that  not  surely  the  most  crucial 
responsibility  of  which  the  church 
today  has  yet  to  commit  itself? 

The  church  represents  a  moral  and 
spiritual  force  which  must  have  its 
effect  on  human  life.  It  is  important 
that  the  church  take  into  account  the 
specific  situation  in  any  given  country 
and  unitedly  contribute  toward  the  so- 
cial development  of  man.  The  notion 
that  the  "poor  church"  must  wait  only 


I 


6     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


6-18-70    MESSENGER     7 


^1 


POSTWAR  NIGERIA  /  continued 

for  the  charity  of  others  must  now  be 
rejected. 

Let  us  direct  education  at  making  all 
men  fully  responsible  human  beings. 
This  means  the  church  needs  to  replan 
its  educational  policy  and  to  contribute 
to  total  education,  with  adult  education 
a  primary  concern.  Communication  is 
another  great  concern,  since  it  is  our 
experience  that  differences  in  language 
and  custom  impede  rather  than  pro- 
mote Christian  understanding,  fellow- 
ship, and  social  growth.  While  de- 
nominational institutions  are  not  al- 
together outdated  in  Nigeria,  the  trend 
now  should  be  towards  interdenomina- 
tional and  state-related  institutions  of 
learning.  Secondary  schools  should  be 
interdenominational.  The  church 
should  have  a  positive  role  in  higher 
education  at  the  university  level.  The 
educational  policy  of  the  church  should 
in  itself  have  no  religious  bias,  but  it 
ought  to  promote  the  principles  of 
modern  living  as  they  are  practicable 
in  Africa.  It  must  aim  at  making  each 
member  self-reliant,  able  to  fulfill  his 
economic  and  political  roles. 

There  must  be  a  change  of  policy 
on  winning  souls  through  education. 
If  Christian  religion  were  taught  as  a 
subject  to  those  who  wish  to  be  ex- 
posed to  it  in  educational  institutions, 
the  church  could  go  back  to  its  first 
ministry  of  witnessing  directly  to  man 
in  public  and  in  his  home.  The  need 
to  strengthen  the  family  institution  is 
vitally  important  to  the  church. 

Moreover,  the  church  must  accept 
the  fact  that  Africa  is  exposed  to  much 
of  the  evils  of  Western  civilization. 
The  church  lives  also  in  a  changing 
political  ferment  in  which  it  is  seen  as 
a  conservative  force  which  continues 
to  impose  what  many  Africans,  er- 
roneously but  passionately,  believe 
are  foreign  doctrines  which  alienate 
the  loyalty  of  the  people  from  the 

8     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


state.  The  church  must  therefore  be 
aware  of  this  development  in  Africa 
and  find  its  rightful  place  in  the  ever- 
changing  scene.  It  must  eagerly  en- 
courage self-development,  responsi- 
bility, and  independence  in  the  Afri- 
can, even  within  the  hierarchy  of  the 
church. 

I  do  not  wish  to  add  more  to  my 
opening  statements  about  the  failure  of 
the  church  in  the  political  area  except 
to  express  the  view  that  the  church 
must  recognize  that  political  parties, 
like  trade  unions  and  other  organiza- 
tions, both  national  and  international, 
are  a  means  of  creating  a  greater  free- 
dom, a  truer  justice,  an  effective  de- 
mocracy, and  conditions  of  lasting 
peace.  Whether  given  situations  in 
Africa  confirm  or  deny  this  hope  today 
is  totally  irrelevant. 

The  church  as  an  institution  should 
not  involve  itself  in  the  political  strug- 
gles of  a  nation  or  align  itself  with  any 
government  of  the  day  or  even  be  seen 
as  preserving  the  old  but  discredited  or- 
der. It  has  a  task  of  preparing  Chris- 
tians to  participate  fully  in  the  political 
life  of  their  own  country,  and  indeed 
of  encouraging  them  to  do  so.  At  the 
same  time  the  church  must  never  recoil 
from  its  prophetic  vocation  to  exercise 
a  critical  role  in  relation  to  the  human 
order  by  denouncing  that  which  is  con- 
trary to  the  well-being  of  nations  and 
encouraging  that  which  is  for  their 
good. 


I  he  church  has  existed  and  even 
thrived  for  two  centuries  under  eco- 
nomic structures  which  are  the  very 
opposite  of  the  values  laid  down  by 
Christ  and  his  aposdes.  It  is  significant 
that  while  international  organizations 
which  favor  development  take  de- 
cisions on  development,  their  imple- 
mentation faces  a  setback  because  of 


the  moral  and  spiritual  structure  erf 

society  which  is  tied  to  a  long  tradition 
of  exploitation.  The  church  is  part  of 
this  society.  As  an  institution,  it  some- 
times sees  itself  as  having  no  responsi- 
bility for  improving  the  conditions  of 
man,  while  its  individual  members  in 
both  the  developing  and  developed 
nations  either  feel  the  same  or  see  their 
role  as  a  charitable  one  only. 

The  church  must  find  a  new  ethic 
and  a  new  basis  for  participating  in 
development.  While  it  is  important  that 
the  church  itself  should  initiate  eco- 
nomic projects,  it  is  more  important 
that  it  should  pool  its  material,  per- 
sonnel, and  other  resources  to  produce 
and  to  implement  projects  aimed  at  im- 
proving the  living  conditions  of  people, 
in  conjunction  with  or  complementary 
to  national  development  programs. 
This  means  that  the  old  basis  of  "char- 
ity" must  disappear.  It  will  take  an 
educational  revolution  within  the 
church  itself  to  achieve  this.  Without 
it,  however,  the  church  will  lose  its 
rightful  place  in  the  developing  world. 

The  issue  of  development  is  a  critical 
one  in  our  age,  second  only  to  man's 
salvation.  It  means  also  that  our  priests 
should  be  relieved  of  their  adminis- 
trative and  other  time-consuming  roles 
and  specialize  in  areas  of  either  politi- 
cal, economic,  or  social  development. 
Let  us  help  them  not  only  to  witness 
about  Christ  to  man  but  to  make  life 
more  meaningful  and  complete,  for  the 
faithful  and  for  their  non-Christian 
neighbors.  The  church  must  therefore 
extend  the  nature  of  its  ministry  to 
training  specialists  to  participate  in 
developing  the  total  man. 

I  hope  that  I  have  raised  sufficiently 
a  few  burning  questions  that  will  lead 
to  a  useful  debate  on  the  role  of  the 
church  in  postwar  Nigeria.   D  I 

From    The   Nigerian   Christian,    Vol.    4, 
No.   1,  January  1970.    Used  by  permission. 


I 


Respect  for  the  Laws 
of  ttie  Land 


The  Bible  says,  "Thou 
shalt  not  kill."    But 
doesn't  the  Bible  also 
teach  that  we  should  still 
respect  the  laws  of  our 
land?  How  about  burning 
draft  cards? 

by  W.  WARREN  SHOEMAKER 


The  above  question  was  handed  in 
following  a  Sunday  service.  It  is  a 
good  question  and  one  which  deserves 
some  serious  consideration.  I  suppose 
it  was  prompted  by  the  growing  preva- 
lence of  the  practice  among  young  men 
of  burning  their  draft  cards  as  hap- 
pened last  summer  at  our  Annual 
Conference. 

There  were  varied  reactions  among 
the  Brethren  at  Louisville  and  later.  I 
am  sure  there  were  quite  a  few  per- 
sons present  who  approved  of  the  draft 
card  burning  as  was  witnessed  to  by  the 
number  of  people  who  stood  with  the 
protester  to  indicate  their  moral  sup- 
port. Others  walked  out  of  the  audi- 
torium in  disgust  at  such  a  show  of 
disrespect  for  the  laws  of  the  land. 
Others  were  inclined  to  walk  out  but 
on  second  thought  decided  against 
this  kind  of  action. 

One  of  the  delegates  from  my  home 
church  went  so  far  in  protest  as  to 
remove  her  membership  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Still  others, 


probably  like  myself,  were  caught 
somewhere  in  the  middle  —  for  I 
found  myself  in  agreement  with  the 
young  man's  protest  to  the  war  in 
Vietnam  but  also  felt  uneasy  because 
of  his  breaking  the  law  of  the  land. 
I  was  not  sure  that  this  was  the  proper 
way  to  protest. 

The  question  of  obeying  and  respect- 
ing the  laws  of  our  land  is  dealt  with 
in  the  Bible.  Jesus,  when  he  was  ques- 
tioned about  paying  taxes,  said,  "Ren- 
der to  Caesar  the  things  that  are  Cae- 
sar's, and  to  God  the  things  that  are 
God's."  Thus  Jesus  was  indicating 
that  we  are  to  show  respect  to  our  na- 
tion. But  perhaps  the  most  outspoken 
scripture  in  this  regard  and  the  one  to 
which  most  people  turn  is  the  follow- 
ing from  Romans  13:1-5: 

"Everyone  must  obey  the  state  au- 
thorities; for  no  authority  exists 
without  God's  permission,  and  the 
existing  authorities  have  been  put 
there  by  God.  Whoever  opposes  the 
existing  authority  opposes  what  God 


has  ordered;  and  anyone  who  does 
so  will  bring  judgment  on  himself. 
For  rulers  are  not  to  be  feared  by 
those  who  do  good  but  by  those  who 
do  evil.  Would  you  like  to  be  un- 
afraid of  the  man  in  authority?  Then 
do  what  is  good,  and  he  will  praise 
you.  For  he  is  God's  servant  work- 
ing for  your  own  good.  But  if  you 
do  evil,  be  afraid  of  him,  for  his 
power  to  punish  is  real.  He  is  God's 
servant  and  carries  out  God's  wrath 
on  those  who  do  evil.  For  this  rea- 
son you  must  obey  the  authorities  — 
not  just  because  of  God's  wrath,  but 
also  as  a  matter  of  conscience" 
(Today's  English  Version). 

Since  you  and  I  had  nothing  at  all 
to  do  with  where,  in  what  country,  or 
when,  in  what  period  of  the  world's 
history,  we  were  bom,  I  would  like 
to  have  you  suppose  with  me  that  you 
had  been  born  in  Germany  about  1920 
and  that  you  were  a  sincere  adult 
Christian  m  Germany  in  the  years 
1939-1945.  Often  we  American  Chris- 
tians tend  to  forget  that  the  Bible  is  the 
book  to  which  Christians  of  all  nations 


6-18-70    AflESSEMGER     9 


RESPECT  FOR  LAWS  /  continued 

look  for  guidance  in  the  affairs  of  their 
own  personal  lives  and  the  affairs  of 
their  own  nation.  Therefore,  read  care- 
fully the  same  scripture  as  you  would 
have  read  it  had  you  been  a  German 
Christian,  in  those  years,  seeking  di- 
rection as  to  your  relationship  with  the 
German  government: 

"Everyone  must  obey  the  state  au- 
thorities; for  no  authority  exists  with- 
out God's  permission,  and  the  exist- 
ing authority,  Hitler,  has  been  put 
there  by  God.  Whoever  opposes  the 
existing  authority  opposes  what  God 
has  ordered;  and  anyone  who  does  so 
will  bring  judgment  on  himself.   For 
rulers  are  not  to  be  feared  by  those 
who  do  good,  but  by  those  who  do 
evil.  Would  you  like  to  be  unafraid 
of  the  man.  Hitler,  in  authority? 
Then  do  what  is  good,  and  he  will 
praise  you.   For  Hitler  is  God's  serv- 
ant working  for  your  own  good.   But 
if  you  do  evil,  be  afraid  of  him,  for 
his  power  to  punish  is  real.   He  is 
God's  servant  and  carries  out  God's 
wrath  on  those  who  do  evil.   For  this 
reason  you  must  obey  Hitler  —  not 
just  because  of  God's  wrath,  but  also 
as  a  matter  of  conscience"  — 
Romans  13:1-5  (a  paraphrase). 

Do  you  still  agree  with  Paul?  Or 
does  this  shock  and  disturb  you?  Yet, 
this  is  the  way  a  German  Christian 
would  have  had  to  read  Romans  1 3 : 
1  -5  in  the  years  of  Hitler's  reign. 

We  face  a  real  dilemma  here,  for 
if  you  had  been  a  German  Christian 
and  had  taken  this  scripture  literally 
and  applied  it  to  all  the  specific  actions 
of  your  government,  you  would,  out  of 
necessity  as  a  Christian,  have  had  to 
support,  without  question,  the  exter- 
mination of  6,000,000  Jews  in  the 
death  camps  of  Auschwitz  and  Buchen- 
wald.  Or  if  you  had  been  a  Japanese 
Christian  and  had  taken  this  scripture 
literally  and  applied  it  to  all  the  specific 
actions  of  your  government,  you  would, 
out  of  necessity  as  a  Christian,  have 
had  to  support,  without  question,  the 

10     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


bombing  of  Pearl  Harbor  on  December 
7,  1941. 

When,  therefore,  we  look  at  Romans 
13:1-5  in  the  eyes  of  Christians  of 
various  nations,  we  can  readily  see  that 
if  we  take  it  literally  in  all  the  specific 
actions  of  all  our  governments,  we  have 
some  very  real  problems,  for  there 
would  be  no  brakes  applied  to  any- 
thing the  governments  do  or  want  to  do 
and  we  would  live  in  a  world  of  utter 
chaos  and  anarchy. 

Ilather,  as  I  see  it,  Paul  was  speak- 
ing in  Romans  1 3  in  a  general  way  — 
painting,  as  an  artist  says,  with  a  broad 
brush.   Yes,  we  should  support  our 
government  and  its  leaders;  yes,  we 
should  obey  and  respect  the  laws  of 
the  land.  But  let  every  Christian  rec- 
ognize that  there  is  a  higher  law  —  the 
law  of  God  —  by  which  the  law  of  any 
land  must  be  judged.  The  early  Chris- 
tians had  long  since  decided  that  in 
those  situations  where  the  rights  of 
conscience  were  invaded  the  state  must 
be  resisted,  but  in  all  other  matters  the 
Christian  must  accept  and  discharge 
the  obligations  of  his  citizenship. 

It  was  for  this  very  reason,  when  the 
governing  authorities  told  Peter  and 
John  that  they  must  refrain  from 
speaking  about  Christ,  that  they  said 
with  no  uncertainty,  "We  must  obey 
God  rather  than  men." 

And  it  is  for  this  very  same  reason 
that  many  of  our  young  men  are  burn- 
ing their  draft  cards,  that  some  are  re- 
fusing to  register,  and  that  others  are 
refusing  induction. 

Many  of  our  young  men  see  what  we 
are  doing  in  Vietnam  —  fighting  an 
undeclared  war  against  an  undeveloped 
nation  that  many  top  military  men 
say  could  not  possibly  threaten  the 
security  of  the  United  States  —  as  con- 
trary to  their  understanding  of  God's 


will  for  their  lives.  They  believe,  fur- 
ther, that  it  is  both  illegal  and  immoral 
for  our  government  to  send  them  to 
Vietnam  to  do  something  there  for 
which  they  would  be  imprisoned  for 
life  or  executed  if  they  did  the  same 
here  at  home. 

Our  problem  as  adults  is  that  we  too 
often  think  that  draft  card  burners  and 
others  who  resist  the  military  in  what- 
ever way  they  choose  are  all  unshaven, 
unwashed,  drug-addicted  hippies  who 
have  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  church 
and  religion;  and  so  we  turn  them  off 
and  don't  hear  what  they  are  saying 
to  us. 

But  this  is  not  true.  Some  of  them 
may,  indeed,  be  in  this  category,  but  a 
great  many  of  them  are  young  people 
who  were  raised  in  Christian  homes 
and  were  brought  up  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  or  in  other  churches  and 
both  in  their  homes  and  churches  were 
taught  such  things  as  these  from  the 
lips  of  Jesus:  "Do  not  resist  one  who 
is  evil"  or  as  another  version  says  it: 
"Do  not  take  revenge  on  someone  who 
does  you  wrong."  Or  again:  "Love 
your  enemies,  and  pray  for  those  who 
mistreat  you."  Or  these  words  from 
the  pen  of  Paul:  "Ask  God  to  bless 
those  who  persecute  you;  yes,  ask  him 
to  bless,  not  to  curse.  ...  If  someone 
does  evil  to  you,  do  not  pay  him  back 
with  evil.  .  .  .  Do  everything  possible, 
on  your  part,  to  live  at  peace  with  all 
men.  Never  take  revenge,  my  friends, 
but  instead  let  God's  wrath  do  it.  .  .  . 
Instead,  as  the  scripture  says:  'If  your 
enemy  is  hungry,  feed  him;  if  he  is 
thirsty,  give  him  to  drink"  (Romans 
12:14-21). 

These  are  the  things  that  our  chil- 
dren have  heard  us  tell  them,  but  then 
when  they  grow  to  draft  age  and 
begin  to  apply  these  same  teachings 
to  our  international  situation, 
we  —  the  same  adults  who  taught 


I 


I 


them  the  words  of  Jesus  —  begin  to 
say,  "But  this  isn't  really  what  I 
meant  when  I  taught  you  that,  and 
after  all  this  isn't  really  what  Jesus 
meant  either,"  and  we  turn  against 
them  and  call  them  cowards,  or  un- 
patriotic, and  maybe  even  traitors. 

Some  months  ago  I  read  a  letter  to 
an  editor  by  a  Christian  mother  whose 
son  disobeyed  the  law  of  the  land  by 
refusing  to  register  and  was  imprisoned 
because  of  it.  His  mother  wrote  to  him 
in  prison  and  said:  "My  son,  where 
did  I  fail  you  as  a  mother?  I  must 
have  failed  someplace  to  have  you  do 
what  you  did."  And  the  son  wrote 
back  and  said:  "Mother,  you  didn't 
fail  me  unless  you  think  you  failed  by 
teaching  me  what  Jesus  said,  because 
I  just  took  seriously  what  you  taught 
me  about  loving  my  enemy." 

Perhaps  in  the  church  we  had  either 
better  quit  teaching  to  our  children 
what  Jesus  said,  or  else  be  ready  to 
accept  them  in  love  when  they  take 
seriously  what  we  have  taught  them. 

Une  of  our  Bible  school  teachers 
several  years  ago  shared  with  me  her 
deep  concern  about  a  lesson  which 
she  was  to  teach  the  children  in  her 
class,  a  lesson  entitled  "Love  Your 
Enemies."  She  said,  "I  offered  to 
teach  Bible  school  this  year,  but  I 
don't  know  if  I  really  can  teach  the 
material.  I  don't  think  it's  fair  to  the 
kids  to  teach  the  lessons  before  me,  be- 
cause if  they  take  me  seriously  then 
they  are  in  for  a  lot  of  grief  in  their 
lives  —  always  labeled  a  sympathizer 
with  the  enemy  —  whoever  that  may 
be. 

"Furthermore,"  she  went  on,  "I 
don't  feel  that  we  should  teach  to 
children  what  can't  be  taught  to  adults. 
I  feel  that  this  war  is  a  real  test  to  see 
how  many  Christians  really  do  be- 


To  My  Mother  and  Father 
on  Their  25th  Anniversary 

They  mate  for  life. 

These  geese  that  glide  before  me, 

Leaving  a  line 

That  rounds  and  returns  again. 

And  now  they  turn, 

These  two  whose  lives  are  woven, 

Somewhere  behind 

The  wake,  the  ripple,  the  same. 

by  Terry  Pettit 


lieve  in  Christ's  teachings.  So  many 
times  the  very  people  who  speak  the 
loudest  about  the  need  of  faith  seem 
to  have  very  little  faith  in  his  teachings 
put  into  practice. 

"I  don't  believe  that  I  ought  to  teach 
to  small  children  what  can't  be  taught 
to  them  when  they  are  older,  or  what 
will  be  untaught.  Maybe  a  lot  of 
churches  ought  to  meet  in  council  and 
decide  that  some  of  Christ's  teachings 
just  should  not  be  permitted  in  the 
curriculum,  at  least  until  the  present 
international  situation  clears  up." 

Many  of  our  young  people  are  so 
conscience-stricken  by  what  they  are 
required  to  do  that  they  take  almost 
any  way  out,  even  to  the  ultimate 
point  as  an  acquaintance  of  ours  did 
recently:  He  took  his  own  life,  because 
he  saw  no  way  out  of  the  dilemma  he 
faced  when  called  to  go  to  Vietnam. 

There  are  undoubtedly  sharp  dif- 
ferences of  opinion  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  on  this  subject:  Some 
young  people,  and  perhaps  some  adults 
as  well,  feel  that  it  is  their  Christian 
duty  to  resist  by  refusing  to  obey  the 
law  of  the  land.  Others  feel  that  they 
should  register  as  conscientious  ob- 
jectors and  thus  do  something  con- 
structive in  a  broken,  needy,  divided 
world.  Others  feel  that  they  should 


enter  the  military  in  noncombatant 
service.  Still  others  feel  that  their  re- 
sponsibility is  to  go  into  straight  mili- 
tary service. 

Whatever  personal  opinions  we  have 
on  this  subject  and  however  we  would 
personally  react,  the  words  of  one  of 
the  actions  of  Annual  Conference  last 
summer  should  be  our  guide  when  it 
says: 

"In  such  controversial  situations 
members  of  the  church  should  re- 
spect and  appreciate  the  sincerity  and 
commitment  of  those  who  differ  in 
their  understanding  of  the  kind  of 
action  called  for  by  obedience  to 
God.   Members  should  endeavor  to 
'listen"  and  to  'hear'  one  another  in 
continuing  brotherly  encounter  as  to 
what  constitutes  obedience.  Whether 
they  are  in  the  majority  or  the  minor- 
ity on  any  question,  Christians  should 
avoid  being  self-righteous,  judg- 
mental, or  resentful  toward  any  who 
do  not  take  their  position.   In  mature 
Christian  fellowship  members  love 
and  respect  one  another  even  when, 
in  seeking  to  obey  God,  some  de- 
liberately disobey  a  law  while  others 
support  it." 

It  would  seem  to  me  that  if  we  truly 
are  the  followers  of  Jesus  Christ  and 
truly  have  God's  love  in  our  lives,  then 
we  can  do  no  less  than  this  within  the 
fellowship  of  the  church.    Q 


6-18-70    MESSENGER      11 


Toward  ending  the  war 


"Don't  forget  to  take  out  your  con- 
tacts," said  one  student  as  he  handed 
out  muhicolored  scarves  to  the  rest  of 
the  group  sitting  on  the  wet  grass  beside 
him.  "How  about  vaseline?"  asked  an- 
other. "No,  that's  only  good  for  mace, 
and  make  sure  that  your  scarves  aren't 
wet  because  water  reacts  with  tear  gas." 
A  young  girl  pressed  a  ball-point  pen 
against  her  wrist,  writing  down  the  legal 
aid  number  in  green  ink,  then  passed  the 
pen  to  others  who  waited  slung  with 
canteens,  cameras,  scarves,  and  an  occa- 
sional helmet.  The  paraphernalia,  the 
deliberate  morning,  the  young  faces  — 
none  of  it  revealed  the  anguish  with 
which  this  country  has  lived  for  the  past 
few  weeks. 

By  10  A.M.,  two  hours  before  the  rally 
would  begin,  there  were  several  thousand 
people  sunning  themselves  on  the  Ellipse, 
the  large  park  situated  between  the 
White  House  and  the  Washington  Monu- 
ment. It  was  already  impossible  to  sit 
near  the  stage  that  had  been  constructed 
earlier  by  the  U.S.  Army.  A  long  row  of 
city  buses  had  been  strategically  placed 
between  the  Ellipse  and  the  White 
House.  Several  people  were  surprised 
by  both  the  congeniality  and  the  in- 
genuity of  the  D.C.  police. 

A  continual  stream  of  cars,  each  with 
a  community  in  its  back  seat,  swarmed 
Constitution  Avenue  looking  for  a  park- 
ing place  that  they  would  not  find  until 
they  were  several  blocks  past  the  Capitol. 
Everywhere  people  were  flashing  the 
peace  sign:  students,  newsmen,  straights, 
and  even  some  traffic  cops,  to  the  delight 
of  themselves  and  everyone  else. 

Rhetoric:  Only  the  rhetoric  at  the  rally 
itself  was  disappointing.  "  'Power  To 
The  People'  and  'Kill  Fascist  Pigs'  aren't 
any  more  insightful  than  'America  — 
Love  It  Or  Leave  It,'  "  commented  one 
dismayed  onlooker.  The  100,000  people, 
approximately  one  fourth  the  number  of 
Americans  in  Vietnam,  who  sat  on  the 


Ellipse  pouring  water  on  their  heads, 
careful  not  to  step  on  one  another,  did 
not  expect  more,  but  they  would  have 
gratefully  received  it. 

They  knew  how  the  Black  Panthers 
felt  ("Free  Bobby  Scale");  they  knew 
how  Dr.  Spock  felt;  and  most  of  all  they 
knew  how  they  felt;  they  knew  that 
despite  what  he  had  repeatedly  said. 
President  Nixon  did  not  really  want  the 
same  things  that  they  did:  the  immediate 
withdrawal  of  American  soldiers  from 
Indochina.  They  were  under  no  illusions 
as  to  what  eff'ect  this  rally  would  have 
on  the  country  or  the  administration's 
policy  in  Indochina  —  and  yet  pushed 
by  their  reactions  to  the  Kent  State  kill- 
ings and  seeming  to  get  a  second  wind 
of  hope  from  possible  legislative  action 
from  Congress,  they  came,  and  many 
of  them  stayed. 

Even  before  the  rally  ended  late  Sat- 
urday afternoon  the  Senate  office  build- 
ings were  crowded  with  students  wearing 
suits  and  ties  or  fraternity  jackets.  (One 
student  told   me  when  you  start   seeing 


fellows  in  frat  jackets  at  rallies,  that's  a 
real  indication  of  how  much  the  move- 
ment has  spread  in  the  last  year.)  Some  !' 
of  them  represented  their  universities  or 
student  governments,  others  just  them- 
selves. For  the  most  part  the  legislators 
seemed  eager  to  see  them.  Even  if  the 
students'  political  assessment  of  our  in- 
volvement in  Southeast  Asia  did  not 
mirror  the  feelings  of  a  majority  of  i 
Americans,  it  at  least  reflected  the  na- 
tion's concern  and  frustrations. 

Deadline:  Most  of  the  students  were  ; 
calling  upon  their  senators  to  support, 
and  if  possible  to  co-sponsor,  the  Mc- 
Govern-Hatfield  Amendment  to  the  Mil- 
itary Procurement  Authorization  Act. 
The  amendment,  often  referred  to  as  the 
End  the  War  Amendment,  would  pro- 
hibit funds  for  military  use  in  Indochina 
(Vietnam,  Cambodia,  and  Laos)  after 
December  31,  1970.  By  May  15,  22 
senators  were  co-sponsoring  the  amend- 
ment which  only  a  few  weeks  before  had  . 
had  fewer  than  a  handful  of  backers.        | 

By  the  time  this  story  is  in  print,  the    | 
McGovern-Hatfield      Amendment      will 
have  already  been  voted  upon.    But  as 
of  this  writing  no  one  was  making  any 


Brethren  representatives   gather   in   Washington,   B.C.,   to   discuss   a   peace   strategy 


12     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


1  predictions.  For  the  bill  to  pass,  several 
i  key  Republican  senators  would  have  to 
!  go  against  the  administration's  wishes, 
but,  as  the  defeat  of  the  Carswell  nom- 
ination clearly  proved,  that  was  possible. 
Even  if  the  bill  with  the  McGovern- 
Hatfield  Amendment  or  the  weaker 
Church-Cooper  Amendment  was  passed 
by  the  Senate,  it  would  probably  be 
defeated  in  the  much  more  conservative 
House.  When  and  if  that  happened  the 
Armed  Services  Committees  of  both 
houses  would  select  a  committee  to  work 
out  some  agreement,  and  no  one  knew 
what  would  happen  there. 

The  support  of  the  McGovern-Hatfield 
Amendment  by  several  influential  sen- 
ators did  indeed  seem  significant.  What 
was  even  more  surprising  was  the  action 
being  taken  by  students,  church  leaders, 
and,  perhaps  most  important,  local  con- 
gregations to  encourage  their  senators 
and  congressmen  to  support  the  amend- 
ment. Representative  groups  composed 
of  students  and  faculty  from  hundreds 
of  colleges  and  universities  were  "button 
holing"  their  legislators  and  often  were 
accompanied  by  their  administrators, 
such  as  Kingman  Brewster  Jr.,  president 


of  Yale  University,  and  1,100  Yale  stu- 
dents. 

Campus  actions:  The  following  item 
appeared  in  a  story  in  The  Washington 
Post  on  May  12  headlined  "Students 
Take  Protest  to  Hill"; 

"Delegations  appeared  from  a  tiny 
Church  of  the  Brethren  school  in  In- 
diana, from  nine  eastern  Pennsylvania 
colleges,  from  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia and  the  University  of  Minnesota, 
among  other  places." 

The  tiny  Church  of  the  Brethren 
school  in  Indiana  is  Manchester  College. 
Following  the  initiative  of  its  students 
and  Community  Council,  Manchester 
College  sent  a  delegation  of  three  stu- 
dents and  three  faculty  members  to 
Washington  to  meet  with  appropriate 
members  of  the  Senate  and  the  Nixon 
administration.  Other  Manchester  stu- 
dents came  on  their  own,  supported  by 
friends  who  could  not  make  the  trip. 

Almost  without  exception  the  Breth- 
ren colleges  had  a  significant  number  of 
students,  faculty,  and  administration 
who  were  actively  involved  in  nonviolent 
demonstrations,  memorial  services  for 
the  Kent  State  victims,  symposiums,  and 


lobbying  or  at  least  serious  discussions 
of  recent  political  events,  especially  the 
invasion  of  Cambodia. 

The  faculty  of  La  Verne  College  re- 
wrote and  adopted  a  "Resolution  of  Con- 
cern" which  earlier  had  been  approved 
by  the  church  board  of  the  La  Verne 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  The  resolution 
called  for  "a  withdrawal  from  Cambodia 
and  accelerated  withdrawal  from  Viet- 
nam." The  resolution  also  called  for 
"an  end  to  the  use  of  violence,  both  on 
the  part  of  students  and  police  agencies. 
We  cannot  condone  the  militant  provoca- 
tions and  destruction  of  property  on  the 
part  of  students.  We  find  inexcusable 
the  killing  of  students." 

In  a  letter  to  alumni  and  friends  of 
Juniata  College  President  John  Stauffer 
reported  that  Juniata  would  be  closed 
until  further  notice.  President  Stauffer 
said  the  action  was  necessary  "for  the 
safety  of  our  students  in  light  of  some 
potentially  dangerous  situations  in  re- 
sponse to  Vietnam  and  Cambodia."  The 
college  expected  to  resume  classes  some- 
time during  the  following  week. 

McPherson  College  students  held  a 
memorial  service  for  the  Kent  State  vic- 


Manchester  students  Gale  Whiteneck  and  Bob  Ely  talk  with  one  of  Sen.  Hartke's  aides  while  students  Usten  to  a  New  Mobe  marshal 

6-18-70    MESSENGER     13 


news 


tims.  Four  Elizabethtown  students 
traveled  to  Washington,  D.C.,  to  share 
their  concerns  at  a  Brethren  strategy 
meeting  on  May  12.  The  students,  all 
non-Brethren,  asked  if  Brethren  would 
support  them  in  their  efforts  to  strength- 
en the  "traditional"  Brethren  peace  wit- 
ness at  Elizabethtown.  A  week  earlier  a 
delegation  of  students  and  faculty  mem- 
bers had  called  on  President  Morley  J. 
Mays,  quoting  from  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Statement  on  War  and  urging 
cancelation  of  visits  by  military  recruiters 
on  the   Elizabethtown  campus. 

Congregational  actions:  Some  of  the 
real  action  was  taking  place  in  local 
congregations.  The  Ladera  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  Los  Angeles,  Calif.,  had 
already  collected  5,000  names  to  sup- 
port the  McGovern-Hatfield  Amend- 
ment. Pastor  Leland  Nelson  reported 
that  a  large  number  of  the  names  were 
personal  letters,  and  that  there  were  still 
1,500  petitions  out,  each  of  which  would 
contain  20  to  25  names.  Several  pastors 
and  congregations  across  the  Brother- 
hood issued  statements  denouncing  the 
escalation  of  the  war  and  called  for  a 
recommitment  by  all  Christians  to  princi- 
ples of  nonviolence. 

The  Administrative  Council  at  the 
General  Offices  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  responded  to  the  current  situa- 
tion by  establishing  the  Brethren  End  the 
War  Task  Team  (BEWTT),  to  formulate 
strategy  and  bring  about  a  coalition  of 
concerned  persons  across  the  Brother- 
hood to  focus  on  concrete  action. 

On  May  12,  members  of  the  BEWTT 
task  team  met  with  representatives  from 
the  Brethren  colleges,  Bethany  Theologi- 
cal Seminary,  Brethren  peace  groups, 
the  Brethren  Revival  Fellowship  and 
three  eastern  districts  at  the  Methodist 
Building  in  Washington,  D.C.  The  pur- 
pose of  the  meeting  was  to  report  cur- 
rent Brethren  end-the-war  activities, 
give  a  briefing  on  current  legislative  ef- 
forts to  limit  the  war  in  Indochina,  and 
plan  support  for  legislative  measures. 

While  some  strategy  grew  out  of  that 
meeting,  it  was  also  evident  that  many 
Brethren   feel   strongly  about  undergird- 

14     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


ing  any  political  action  on  a  biblical  or 
theological  basis.  The  task  team  was 
primarily  interested  in  mobilizing  for  the 
immediate  issue,  while  representatives  of 
the  various  Brethren  groups  were  calling 
for  a  more  long-range  effort  with  a 
stronger   emphasis    on    peace   education. 

Everyone  seemed  to  agree  that  the 
place  where  the  most  significant  move- 
ment should  take  place  is  at  the  local 
church  level.  Several  persons  felt  that 
the  church  must  look  to  a  grass  roots 
movement  among  congregations. 

Crux:  But  was  there  time?  An  emer- 
gency convocation  on  the  war  in  Indo- 
china was  called  for  May  26-27  by  a 
coalition  of  religious  leaders,  among 
them  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Mod- 
erator A.  G.  Breidenstine.  Representa- 
tives of  congregations  and  groups  were 
urged  to  come  to  Washington  for  the 
interreligious  venture,  to  engage  in  visits 
with  legislators,  and  to  join  in  rallies. 

But  was  there  time?  The  committee 
on  religious  activities  of  the  Student 
Mobilization  of  Franklin  and  Marshall 
College  was  calling  for  "A  National  Day 
of  Thought"  on  May  31  "to  encourage 
American  citizens  to  examine  United 
States  policies  concerning  the  Indochina 
War  and  related  activities." 

But  was  there  time  .  .  .  and  would 
the  efforts  of  thousands  of  students,  con- 
cerned citizens,  senators,  and  churchmen 
make  any  difference?  And  if  the  effort 
didn't  affect  present  foreign  policy,  would 
these  people  who  were  placing  all  their 
energies  in  this  one  legislative  action  turn 
against  the  system  violently  or  withdraw 
into  complete  noninvolvement? 

The  toll:  In  the  first  weeks  of  the  war 
in  Cambodia  several  hundred  Americans 
and  several  thousand  Vietnamese  and 
Cambodians  were  killed.  Over  300  col- 
leges were  closed  and  six  students  at  two 
colleges  lay  dead.  Construction  workers 
in  New  York  City  had  turned  to  violent 
protests  against  college  students.  The 
Senate  was  debating  an  amendment  that 
might  end  the  war.  The  President  had 
retreated  from  Washington  for  a  week- 
end rest  in  Florida  and  the  Bahamas. 

Pray  for  peace.  —  Terry  Pettit 


I 


Conferring  ii 


When  an  estimated  1,025  delegates 
meet  June  23-28  in  Lincoln,  Neb.,  for 
the  184th  recorded  Annual  Conference, 
the  planned  agenda  will  include  the  fol- 
lowing business  items: 

Fund  for  the  Americas:  In  follow-up 
to  referrals  made  by  last  year's  Annual 
Conference,  the  General  Board  will  re- 
port on  purposes  and  guidelines  set 
forth,  monies  received,  and  projects 
funded  for  assisting  minority  develop- 
ment and  for  engaging  Brethren  in  an 
examination  of  racism.  Recommenda- 
tions by  the  General  Board  on  the  fu- 
ture of  the  Fund  propose:  (a)  its  con- 
tinuation for  three  more  years,  at  a 
yearly  goal  of  $100,000;  (b)  its  con- 
tinued separation  from  the  ongoing 
Brotherhood  Fund;  and  (c)  the  crea- 
tion of  an  Investment  Division  in  which 
funds  designated  by  businessmen  and 
others  are  used  as  high-risk  seed  money 
to  assist  economic  enterprises  of  mi- 
norities. 

Recruitment  of  minorities:  The  con- 
cern is  that  doors  be  opened  for  recruit- 
ing, training,  and  placing  persons  from 
minority  groups  in  the  Brethren  minis- 
try. The  query  originated  with  the  York 
Center  church  in  Illinois  and  was  ap- 
proved by  the  Illinois-Wisconsin  District 
Conference.  The  study  was  referred  to 
the  General  Board,  which  will  distribute 
a  written  report  to  delegates  at  Lincoln. 

The  above  two  items  are  the  only 
matters  of  unfinished  business  before 
the  delegates.  Docketed  as  "new"  busi- 
ness are  the  following  items. 

Statement  on  war:  Amendments  to 
the  Statement  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  on  War,  a  position  paper  up- 
dated by  the  Conference  last  year,  are 
recommended  by  the  General  Board.  In 
brief,  the  proposed  revisions  pledge  sup- 
port for  the  position  of  open  nonco- 
operation  with  the  draft  and  confer 
upon  this  stance  the  same  support  given 
by  the  church  to  alternative  service.  In 
upholding  youth  who  for  the  sake  of 
conscience  choose  noncooperation,  con- 
gregations are  urged  to  offer  sanctuary 


incoln:  The  business  in  brief 


and  spiritual  support.  The  proposed 
change  declares  further,  "The  church 
will  seek  to  use  its  influence  to  abolish 
or  radically  restructure  the  system 
which  conscripts  persons  for  military 
purposes." 

Pension  Plan:  A  recommendation 
from  the  Pension  Board  alters  the  Pen- 
sion Plan  at  two  points.  On  member- 
ship, the  plan  is  to  be  opened  to  lay 
church  employees  upon  beginning  em- 
ployment, without  the  now-prescribed 
delay  of  one  year.  On  terminating 
membership  on  the  Plan  and  withdraw- 
ing one's  personal  accumulation,  a  stip- 
ulation which  now  compels  clergymen 
to  resign  ordination  would  be  dropped. 

Project  Equality:  A  query  from  the 
Western  Plains  District  Conference 
commends  Project  Equality  as  an  organ- 
ization which  enables  religious  bodies 
to  invest  capital  and  expend  funds  for 
goods  and  services  through  firms  which 
support  fair  employment.  The  query 
asks  Annual  Conference  to  "investigate" 
endorsing  Project  Equality  and  to  con- 
sider its  implications  for  the  General 
Board  and  cooperating  agencies,  Beth- 
any Theological  Seminary,  Brethren  col- 
leges and  retirement  and  nursing  homes, 
and  all  congregations. 

Procedures  on  merger:  A  query 
from  the  board  and  district  conference 
of  Southern  Ohio  asks,  in  light  of  the 
actions  taken  by  the  districts  of  Canada 
and  India,  for  Annual  Conference  to 
clarify  or  to  establish  procedures  where- 
by districts  or  congregations  may  merge, 
unite,  or  federate  with  other  denomina- 
tional units  or  with  new  churches  being 
formed. 

Health,  welfare  concerns:  Reacting 
that  the  General  Board  restructuring  has 
not  made  provision  at  the  national  level 
for  coordinating  health  and  welfare 
concerns  and  institutions,  a  query  asks 
that  exploration  be  given  to  staffing  such 
a  program.  The  query  was  originated 
by  the  trustees  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  Home,  Windber,  Pa.,  and 
passed    by    the    Western    Pennsylvania 


District  Conference. 

The  rural  church:  Observing  that 
"60  percent  of  our  churches  are  rural 
and  in  small  town  areas"  and  that  the 
problems  of  pastoral  and  lay  leadership 
in  these  churches  are  crucial,  a  query 
petitions  for  a  study  of  means  by  which 
rural  churches  and  urban  churches  can 
join  in  performing  "a  united  creative 
ministry."  The  source  of  the  query  is 
the  Middlebury  church  in  Indiana  and 
the  Northern  Indiana  District  Confer- 
ence. 

Church  year:  A  plea  from  the  Som- 
erset church  in  Pennsylvania  and  the 
Western  Pennsylvania  District  Confer- 
ence asks  for  a  General  Board  study  on 
the  feasibility  of  one  common  year  for 
the  church,  rather  than  the  present  dif- 
fering dates  for  the  beginning  of  the 
pastoral  year  and  the  fiscal  year. 

Ministerial  recruitment:  Steps  toward 
"inducting"  500  persons  into  the  Chris- 
tian ministry  from  across  the  Brother- 
hood are  urged  in  a  query  from  the 
French  Broad  church  in  Tennessee  and 
the  Southeastern  District.  Implementa- 
tion is  suggested  through  the  General 
Board,  district  conferences  and  boards, 
and  local  churches. 

Emergency  fund:  To  compensate 
pastors,  missionaries,  and  other  church 
workers  upon  the  loss  of  a  job  or  pro- 
longed illness,  the  Southeastern  District 
Board  and  Conference  propose  the  cre- 
ation of  a  special  emergency  fund,  to 
be  administered  by  such  an  agency  as 
perhaps  the  Pension  Board.  Contribu- 
tions would  come  from  the  minister  and 
his  employer. 

Reports:  Also  on  the  agenda  for 
Lincoln  are  refjorts  from  the  General 
Board,  representatives  to  the  World  and 
the  National  Councils  of  Churches,  An- 
nual Conference  Central  Committee, 
Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations, 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  Pension 
Board,  and  Bethany  Brethren  Hospital 
Nursing  Education  Council.  Audits  of 
the  General  Board,  Annual  Conference, 
Pension  Board,  and  Bethany  Seminary 


also  will  be  open  to  review. 

Features:  Among  special  activities 
during  the  four  days  of  business  ses- 
sions will  be  hearings  on  two  items,  the 
Fund  for  the  Americas  and  noncoopera- 
tion  with  the  draft,  on  Wednesday  after- 
noon; "Close-Up"  sessions  to  personal- 
ize specific  issues  and  directions  in  Gen- 
eral Board  planning,  at  four  times 
throughout  the  week;  and  greetings 
from  overseas  churches  and  fraternal 
visitors. 

Elections:  Offices  to  be  filled  include 
those  of  moderator-elect;  one  member 
to  the  Annual  Conference  Central  Com- 
mittee (Joseph  M.  Long,  term  expir- 
ing) ;  nine  members  to  the  General 
Board  (Earl  J.  Brubaker,  Stanley  L. 
Davis  Jr.,  Norman  L.  Harsh,  Paul  S. 
Hersch,  Nevin  H.  Zuck,  John  Metzler 
Jr.,  Everett  Mishler,  Clyde  R.  Shallen- 
berger,  all  with  terms  expiring;  Stewart 
B.  Kauffman,  resigning;  Harold  Z.  Bom- 
berger  to  become  ex  officio  as  moder- 
ator); two  members  to  the  Committee  on 
Interchurch  Relations  (M.  Guy  West,  J. 
Benton  Rhoades,  terms  expiring);  and 
three  electors  to  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary  (A.  G.  Breidenstine,  Guy  E. 
Wampler  Jr.,  the  late  Perry  L.  Rohrer, 
terms  expiring). 

For  each  vacancy,  the  nominating 
committee  must  bring  to  the  Standing 
Committee  four  names.  Members  of 
the  nominating  committee  are  Dean  H. 
Miller,  chairman,  Mrs.  Bayard  Adding- 
ton,  J.  Calvin  Bright,  Fred  Driver,  Glen 
Harris,  Earl  H.  Kurtz,  and  Edgar  S. 
Martin. 

Officers:  Presiding  over  business 
proceedings  will  be  A.  G.  Breidenstine, 
layman  and  noted  educator  and  admin- 
istrator in  Pennsylvania's  public  schools 
and  universities.  Other  elected  officers 
include  Harold  Z.  Bomberger,  McPher- 
son,  Kan.,  moderator-elect,  and  William 
R.  Eberly,  secretary.  North  Manchester, 
Ind. 

The  Conference  Booklet,  containing 
the  detailed  reports,  queries  and  audits 
and  program  information,  was  distrib- 
uted to  delegates  in  mid-May 


news 


Polish  unit  arrives 

A  NEW  CONTINGENT  of  Polish  agricultUF- 

ists  have  commenced  a  year  of  research 
and  professional  work  in  the  United 
States,  under  auspices  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren. 

Following  an  orientation  period  in 
April  at  New  Windsor,  Md.,  an  initial 
group  of  14  specialists  took  assignments 
as  follows: 

Henryk  Dabek,  Crumpacker  orchard- 
ing operation  and  neighboring  dairy  farm, 
Roanoke,  Va. 

Stanislaw  Drzymala,  Penn  State  Uni- 
versity, University  Park,  Pa. 

Henryk  Kaminski,  Mrs.  Halina  No- 
wacka,  and  Bogumil  Szerszen,  Michigan 
State  University,  East  Lansing,  Mich. 

Kajetan  Lewandowski,  Van  Well  Nur- 
series, Wenatchee,  Wash. 

Selim  P.  Kryczynski,  Cornell  Uni- 
versity, Ithaca,  N.Y. 

Stefan  Lukasik,  Cornell  University  Ag- 
ricultural Experiment  Station,  Geneva, 
N.Y. 

Mrs.  Hanna  Maria  Medynska-Rabin- 
ska.  University  of  Missouri,  Columbia, 
Mo. 

Kazimierz  Michalak,  Mrs.  Paul's  Com- 
pany, Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Kazimierz  Pruszynski,  Washington 
State  University,  Prosser,  Wash. 

Miss  Barbara  K.  Wierzbicka,  Univer- 
sity of  Wisconsin,  Madison,  Wis. 

Zbigniew  Czyrek,  Pierson  Orchards, 
Inc.,  Orleans,  Mich. 

Jan  Olszewski,  Sunnyside  Farms, 
Phelps,  N.Y. 

Placement:  Because  placement  of  the 
specialists  in  university  research  programs 
has  become  increasingly  difficult,  due 
largely  to  diminished  funds  available  to 
the  schools  from  state  and  federal  bud- 
gets, not  all  the  Polish  agriculturists  nom- 
inated this  year  were  accepted  for  assign- 
ment. Besides  the  14  who  arrived  in 
April,  two  others  were  to  arrive  soon 
upon  procurement  of  passports,  and  two 
more  were  to  come  later  if  sponsors  could 
be  found. 

In  facilitating  the  exchange,  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  arranges  for  the 


Polish  agri- 
culturists 
Barbara  K. 
Wiezbicka  and 
Henryk  Ka- 
minski present 
gift  to  ex- 
change direc- 
tor H.  Lamar 
Gibble  at 
New  Windsor 


placement  of  specialists  in  the  United 
States,  provides  hospitality  and  travel, 
services  each  exchangee  in  terms  of  visas 
and  insurance,  and  maintains  an  active 
person-to-person  interest  throughout  the 
year. 

Each  host  institution  or  firm  provides 
a  program  of  research  or  work  opportu- 
nity related  to  the  exchangee's  area  of 
specialization.  It  also  provides  an  income 
adequate  for  self-maintenance. 

Most  of  the  exchangees  come  with 
both  doctoral  or  post-graduate  degrees 
and  practical  experience  in  their  fields  of 
sf)ecialization. 

H.  Lamar  Gibble,  international  affairs 
consultant  for  the  World  Ministries  staff, 
is  director  of  Brethren  Service  Exchange 
Programs.  Last  month  he  consulted  with 
educators  and  statesmen  in  several  Euro- 
pean countries  regarding  the  exchange 
program. 

Bridges:  The  number  of  exchangees 
brought  to  the  United  States  in  the  13- 
year  history  of  the  program  has  exceeded 
260.  During  the  past  year  the  exchange 
involved  37  agriculturists  from  behind 
the  Iron  Curtain,  from  Czechoslovakia 
and  Bulgaria  as  well  as  Poland. 

In  turn  Brethren  Volunteer  Service 
workers  periodically  have  engaged  in 
teaching  or  special  programs  at  agricul- 
tural institutions  in  Poland  and  Czecho- 
slovakia. 

Behind  the  effort  is  the  church's  desire 
for  building  bridges  of  understanding,  for 
sharing  agricultural  insights,  and  for  wag- 
ing war  against  hunger  on  a  broad  inter- 


national scope. 

Among  guest  participants  in  the  New 
Windsor  orientation  in  April  were  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrzej  Kozera,  who  arrived  in 
the  United  States  just  three  weeks  ahead 
of  the  exchangees.  Mr.  Kozera  is  scien- 
tific and  cultural  attache  to  the  Polish 
Embassy  in  Washington,  D.C.  In  Poland, 
according  to  the  exchangees,  he  was  a 
popular  television  news  reporter. 

Assessing  the  crisis 

The  first  step  toward  peace  in  the  Mid- 
dle East  rests  with  Israel  and  its  with- 
drawal from  territories  occupied  in  the 
June  1967  war  with  the  Arabs.  Other 
necessary  actions  are  Arab  recognition 
of  Israel  and  Big  Four  support  of  a  peace 
settlement. 

Developments  such  as  these  are  crucial 
in  resolving  the  "emotionally  charged  at- 
mosphere" of  the  Middle  East,  a  study 
of  the  American  Friends  Service  Com- 
mittee recently  declared. 

The  report,  labeled  "Search  for  Peace 
in  the  Middle  East,"  represents  an  effort 
by  Quakers  in  the  United  States,  Britain, 
and  Canada  to  bring  "objective  assess- 
ment" to  the  crisis  situation.  The  agency 
said  its  concern  stemmed  from  22  years 
of  involvement  with  both  Arabs  and  Is- 
raelis. 

Disengagement:  A  major  factor  in 
the  present  enmity,  the  study  noted,  is 
"the  Arab  paranoia  over  the  prospects  of 
unlimited  Israeli  territorial  expansionism 
.  .  .  matched  by  a  Jewish  paranoia  toward 


16     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


I 


the  prospects  of  unceasing  Arab  de- 
termination to  destroy  Israel  and  to 
slaughter  the  Jews." 

In  this  situation,  Israel  is  asked  to 
abide  by  the  Nov.  22,  1967  resolution  of 
the  United  Nations  Security  Council 
which  stipulates  withdrawal  from  areas 
occupied  in  the  June  War. 

Arab  nations  are  urged  to  "declare 
their  acceptance  of  the  fact  of  Israel's 
existence  as  a  sovereign  state  and  .  .  . 
make  clear  their  willingness  to  live  in  a 
condition  of  nonbelligerence  with  Israel." 

Next,  the  Big  Four  powers  are  urged 
to  "underwrite  a  peace  settlement  agreed 
upon  by  Israel,  Jordan,  and  Egypt  and 
negotiated  in  consultation  with  the  Pales- 
tinian Arabs." 

Deescalation:  The  second  step  pro- 
posed by  the  Quaker  study  is  a  deescala- 
tion of  military  conflict.  Among  the  pro- 
posals are  the  establishment  of  United 
Nations  emergency  peace  keeping  forces, 
a  United  Nations  commission  to  super- 
vise a  cease-fire  and  reduction  of  arms 
flow  into  the  area. 

Toward  working  out  a  lasting  political 
arrangement,  the  Quakers  suggested 
launching  a  United  Nations  Trusteeship 
for  Palestinian  Arabs  (those  made  refu- 
gees by  creation  of  Israel  or  by  the  June 
War)  and  recognition  of  the  right  of  Pal- 
estinian self-determination. 

Free  access  to  Jerusalem  of  Jewish, 
Christian,  and  Moslem  religions  is  asked 
and  the  right  of  all  shipping  to  proceed 
through  the  Suez  Canal  and  Gulf  of 
Aquaba. 

The  Quaker  study  does  not  see  a  redi- 
vision  of  Jerusalem  as  it  was  before  June 
1967  as  a  feasible  solution,  nor  does  it 
favor  undivided  Israeli  control. 

Development:  Another  step  is  called 
"peace  development,"  including  a  greater 
role  for  international  economic  aid,  a 
Middle  East  Bank  for  Development,  and 
a  Human  Resources  Institute. 

According  to  the  study,  Israel  should 
agree  to  admit  the  return  of  an  annual 
maximum  number  of  Arab  refugees  "will- 
ing to  live  at  peace  with  their  Jewish 
neighbors"  and  who  would  receive  com- 
pensatory provisions  for  reestablishment. 


Other  Western  nations  should  join  Is- 
rael in  helping  to  pay  compensation  to 
Palestinians,  said  the  study.  Jews  evicted 
from  Arab  lands  were  also  found  eligible 
for  redress. 

The  study  contends  that  there  are 
"moderate"  Palestinian  voices  who  do  not 
agree  with  the  "Al  Fatah  Dream"  of  "the 
dissolution  of  the  present  state  of  Is- 
rael." These  moderates  should  be  heard, 
the  Quaker  committee  states,  and  inter- 
national action  taken  to  "recognize  in 
practical  form  of  a  way  to  build  the  com- 
munity and  to  establish  the  political 
rights  of  the  Palestine  people." 

Hard  line:  Within  the  U.S.,  the  inves- 
tigators say,  they  found  that  many  leaders 
of  the  "Jewish  establishment  .  .  .  identify 
themselves  with  the  more  hard-line  ele- 
ments inside  the  Israeli  cabinet,  to  'out- 
hawk  the  hawks,'  and  to  ignore  or  dis- 
count the  dissident  elements,  in  and  out 
of  the  Israeli  government,  that  are  search- 
ing for  more  creative  ways  to  solve  the 
Middle  East  problems." 

Pressures  from  pro-Israeli  groups  have 
sometimes  inhibited  "calm  public  discus- 
sion of  the  issues  in  the  Arab-Israeli  con- 
flict," said  the  study.  The  Quakers 
warned  that  such  an  approach  has  on 
occasion  caused  public  officials  to  endorse 
policies  "likely  to  be  counterproductive 
for  Israel."  The  danger  of  an  "anti- 
Semitic  backlash"  was  held  to  be  possible. 

Dr.  Landrum  R.  Boiling,  president  of 
Earlham  College,  Richmond,  Ind.,  edited 
the  study  which  is  being  published  in 
book  form. 

First    step:    Return    of    areas    by    Israel 


Tax  exemption  OK'd 

By  a  vote  of  7-1,  the  U.S.  Supreme 
Court  last  month  upheld  the  principle  of 
tax  exemption  on  property  used  ex- 
clusively for  religious  purposes. 

In  the  majority  opinion,  Chief  Justice 
Warren  Burger,  noting  that  a  complete 
separation  of  church  and  state  is  impos- 
sible, said  the  most  important  aspect  is 
that  there  exists  "no  real  connection" 
between  tax  exemption  and  the  establish- 
ment of  religion. 

He  said  that  tax  exemptions  are  not 
the  type  of  sponsorship  of  religion  pro- 
hibited by  the  First  Amendment  of  the 
Constitution. 

Sponsorship:  The  lone  dissenter  was 
Justice  William  O.  Douglas,  who  held 
that  while  the  current  involvement  of 
government  in  religion  may  seem  negli- 
gible, he  expressed  fear  that  tax  ex- 
emption is  "a  long  step  down  the  path" 
to  government  establishment  of  religion. 

"The  grant  of  a  tax  exemption,"  con- 
tended Chief  Justice  Burger,  "is  not  spon- 
sorship since  the  government  does  not 
transfer  part  of  its  revenue  to  churches 
but  simply  abstains  from  demanding  that 
the  churches  support  the  state." 

The  Chief  Justice  allowed  that  church 
exemptions  do  "afford  an  indirect  eco- 
nomic benefit."  But  he  reasoned  that  if 
the  state  taxed  churches,  it  would  be  in 
a  less  than  neutral  position  toward  them. 

The  decision  centered  on  an  appeal 
by  Frederick  Walz,  a  New  York  attorney, 
who  held  that  his  property  carries  an 
unfair  tax  burden  because  of  tax  ex- 
emptions granted  to  religious  bodies.  He 
said  this  is  a  violation  of  his  right  of 
"religious  freedom." 

Exception:  While  the  Walz  case  was 
opposed  by  numerous  religious  organiza- 
tions, including  the  National  Council  of 
Churches,  the  NCC  and  the  National 
Conference  of  Catholic  Bishops  jointly 
are  on  record  as  favoring  the  taxing  of 
church  properties  which  are  "income  pro- 
ducing"  and   therefore  commercial. 

The  Supreme  Court  decision  pertained 
to  facilities  used  only  for  religious  pur- 
poses. 

6-18-70    MESSENGER     17 


+  flews 


In  the  Brotherhood 

Rare  scriptures:  Pages  from  12  an- 
tique Bibles  were  received  unsolicited  by 
the  Covington  Community  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Kent,  Wash.  After  some 
weeks,  the  church  learned  the  pages  were 
the  gift  of  Stanley  S.  Slotkin  of  Los 
Angeles,  a  multimillionaire  who  believes 
in  spreading  his  collections  out  where 
others  may  enjoy  them  rather  than  re- 
taining them  on  dusty  shelves. 

The  pages  received  by  the  Covington 
Brethren  were  from  Bibles  published 
from  the  15th  through  18th  centuries. 
One  is  from  a  work  of  unknown  origin 
dating  to  1496.  Sources  of  other  pages 
are  Hebrew,  Greek,  Dutch,  Singhalese, 
Scottish,  and  Catholic  Bibles  issued  in  the 
17th  and  18th  centuries.  Still  another 
excerpt  came  from  the  "Breeches  Bible," 
of  which  only  a  few  were  printed  in  1594, 
in  which  the  word  breeches  was  used  in 
place  of  clothed  in  leaves,  presumably  all 
for  the  sake  of  modesty. 

Attached  to  each  page  was  a  copy  of 
the  frontispiece  from  the  Bible  and  a 
background  statement  on  its  origin.  Ac- 
cording to  Mrs.  Duane  Wells,  chairman 


of  the  Christian  Education  Commission, 
the  Covington  church  will  frame  the 
pages  for  display. 

Breakfast  club:  A  "preschool"  activ- 
ity for  teens  —  that  is,  an  event  before 
school  on  Thursday  mornings  —  during 
the  past  16  months  has  become  a  thriv- 
ing venture  at  the  Green  Hill  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  Roanoke  County,  Va. 

From  7:30  to  8:30,  thirty  or  more 
youth  from  the  West  Salem  community 
attend  a  breakfast  hosted  by  the  church, 
eating,  praying,  singing,  and  informally 
witnessing  to  their  friends.  The  teens 
come  from  several  congregations.  West 
Salem  Presbyterian,  West  Salem  Baptist, 
Fort  Lewis  Baptist,  and  Locust  Grove 
Methodist  in  addition  to  the  Green  Hill 
Brethren. 

Participants  contribute  toward  the 
cost  of  the  meal  but  the  remainder  of  the 
tab  is  covered  by  the  sponsoring 
churches. 

Brethren  minister  Clyde  B.  Lehman 
works  with  other  pastors  in  coordinating 
the  program.  The  morning  hour  was  se- 
lected because  the  schedules  of  the  teen- 
agers seemed  to  preclude  their  coming 
together  at  evening  hours. 


Displaying 
pages  ex- 
cerpted from 
early  Bibles  is 
Mrs.  Duane 
Wells  of  the 
Covington 
church  in 
Washington. 
The  sheets  and 
data  on  the 
Bibles  from 
which  they 
were  taken 
came  to 
the  church 
unsolicited 


Preschoolers:  While  church-sponsored 
kindergartens  or  day  care  activities  today 
have  become  rather  widespread,  one 
Church  of  the  Brethren  congregation  has 
conducted  such  a  program  for  16  years. 

The  Lynnhaven  church,  Phoenix, 
Ariz.,  in  announcing  plans  for  next  fall's 
two  kindergarten  classes,  reiterated  the 
premise  that  has  guided  its  community- 
oriented  thrust  through  the  years. 

"The  school  is  neither  secular  nor 
parochial  in  its  approach  to  matters  of 
religious  belief  and  curriculum  con- 
tent," the  statement  declared.  "It  rec- 
ognizes religion  as  a  vital,  existing,  and 
inescapable  part  of  life  and  encourages 
living  by  spiritual  principles.  Formal  re- 
ligious training  is  not  included  in  its 
curriculum  program  because  of  the  great 
diversity  of  religious  backgrounds  repre- 
sented in  the  student  body.  As  religion 
enters  into  one's  daily  life,  so  does  it 
naturally,  informally,  and  proportionately 
enter  into  the  program  and  activities  of 
the   Lynnhaven  Kindergarten." 

Two  well-experienced  teachers  staff 
the  program,  working  on  pupil  readiness 
in  close  cooperation  with  the  teachers  of 
a  nearby  elementary  school.  The  maxi- 
mum class  enrollment  is  21.  The  opera- 
tion is  licensed  by  the  state. 

Devastation:  The  Edge  Coflfeehouse 
Ministry,  sponsored  by  a  number  of  sub- 
urban churches  in  the  original  building 
of  the  York  Center  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, Lombard,  III.,  was  subjected  to 
severe  vandalism  last  month.  Intruders 
flooded  the  basement,  threw  Church 
World  Service  clothing  about,  broke  win- 
dows, and  slashed  the  set  for  The  Edge 
Community  Theater,  which  then  was  per- 
forming Shaw's  "Candida." 

The  Edge  Coffeehouse  Ministry,  for 
post-high  youth,  was  begun  in  January. 

Peace  thrusts:  Newly  organized  peace 
programs  have  been  launched  by  Breth- 
ren in  two  additional  areas. 

At  Modesto,  Calif.,  33  persons  from 
the  area  have  begun  a  "peace  center"  de- 
voted to  draft  counseling,  peace  educa- 
tion, and  draft  repeal.  Individuals 
pledged  $5,680  for  the  program. 

At  York,  Pa.,  the  Brethren  Peace  Fel- 


18     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


lowship  of  Southern  Pennsylvania  was 
initiated  by  some  90  persons.  The  steer- 
ing committee  is  comprised  of  James 
Poling,  Doris  Large,  Steve  Haller,  Ralph 
Moyer,  Janice  Custer,  and  Jake  Miller. 

At  a  glance:  When  Emmanuel  Church 
of  the  Brethren  in  Huber  Heights,  Day- 
ton, Ohio,  dedicated  its  multipurpose 
community  building  last  month,  partici- 
pants in  the  service  included  representa- 
tives of  10  community  programs  and 
agencies  with  which   the  church  works. 

Meeting  jointly  for  worship  services  in 
July  and  August  will  be  the  Rochester 
Community  Church  of  the  Brethren  and 
the  Second  Presbyterian  Church  of  To- 
peka,  Kan.  Recently  Brethren  Pastor 
Richard  Landrum,  and  Presbyterian  Pas- 
tor Donnelly  exchanged  pulpits.  During 
their  summer  vacations,  each  will  cover 
the  parish  of  the  other. 

A  film  festival,  billed  as  "a  new  kind 
of  Christian  education  program  through 
fun  experience,"  was  conducted  by  the 
Four  Mile  and  Richmond  churches  in 
Southern  Indiana. 

A  mortgage  burning  ceremony  was  held 
by  the  Community  United  Church  of 
Erie,  Pa.,  a  congregation  dually  affiliated 
for  the  past  18  months  with  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  the  United  Church 
of  Christ.  The  united  congregation  uti- 
lizes facilities  completed  by  the  Brethren 
three  years  ago. 

In  beginning  work  on  new  facilities, 
some  130  members  of  the  Calvary 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Winchester,  Va., 
pulled  a  plow  for  the  breaking  of  ground, 
signifying  unity  of  commitment  and  pur- 
pose. The  site  is  one  mile  south  of  Win- 
chester on  Route  522. 

Mt.  Zion  church,  Luray,  Va.,  is  broad- 
casting a  weekly  devotional  program  on 
Sundays  at  9  a.m.  over  WRAA.  Pastor 
Cecil  L.  Haycock,  in  focusing  on  prac- 
tical help  for  daily  questions  and  prob- 
lems, emphasizes  the  Christian  faith  as 
the  power  that  makes  life  worth  living. 
He  indicates  that  the  response  of  many 
older  and  more  conservative  listeners 
seems  to  reveal  that  some  contemporary 
forms  of  communication  are  able  to 
speak  to  older  persons  as  well  as  youth. 


Man  of  the  Half  Century  ttYi.v  the  title  hcxtowcd  upon  S.  C.  Miller,  .second  from  right, 
by  Kiwanians  of  Elgin,  III.,  upon  their  club's  50th  anniversary.  A  50-year  member 
of  the  club,  Mr.  Miller  first  came  to  Elgin  in  1911  from  McPherson,  Kan.,  to  edit 
a  Brethren  periodical,  "The  Inglenook."  He  later  became  an  Elgin  public  school 
administrator.  Conferring  the  honor  were  Kiwanis  president-elect  James  Renz,  l., 
area  Kiivains  governor  Marvin  Himmcl,  and  school  superintendent  Paul  Lawrence,  r. 


Neic  president  of  the  Indiana  Council  of 
Churches  is  Raymond  R.  Peters,  r.,  former 
chairman  and  general  secretary  of  the  Gen- 
eral Board.  Pictured  with  him  is  retiring 
president  Charles  W.  Battle  and  Mrs.  D. 
Joe  Henrickson,  recipient  of  the  Indiana 
Council's   annual    Christian    Service    Citation 


Honored  by  the  American  Protestant 
Hospital  Association  at  its  50th  anni- 
versary convocation  was  Omer  B. 
Maphis,  r.,  president  of  Florida 
Brethren  Homes  and  past  adminisira- 
tor  of  Chicago's  Bethany  Hospital.  At 
left  is  APHA  president  Wade  Mountz 


6-18-70    MESSENGER      19 


The  Real  Christ:  Where  Is  He? 


by  PETER  J.  EDIGER 


It  came  to  pass 

that  in  the  early  70s  of  the  twen- 
tieth century, 
Jesus  was  moving  around  on  the  earth, 
searching  for  his  identity. 
Who  am  I? 

Where  is  my  identity  in  this  world? 
Will  the  real  Christ  please  stand  up? 

And  a  group  of  people  said. 

Here  we  are, 

we  are  your  church. 

We  are  the  fundamental  Christians. 

We  are  careful  to  believe  all  things 

the  Bible  says, 
and  we  insist  that  everyone  should 

do  the  same. 
If  only  everyone  were  just  like  us. 

And  Jesus  looking  on  them  said, 

I  hear  your  words 

and  some  of  them  I  recognize, 

but  I  do  not  know  you; 

I  cannot  find  myself  in  you 

because  you  have  not  found  yourself 

in  me. 
Am  I  not  the  Word  made  flesh  —  the 

Word  made  body  —  the  Word 

made  deed? 


Where  is  your  flesh  —  where  is  your 
body  —  where  is  your  deed? 

I  cannot  find  myself  in  you, 

and  I  daresay, 

if  I  would  live  among  you, 

you  would  rather  quickly  label 
me  unorthodox 

and  that  would  mean  another  cross 
for  me. 

But  the  fundamental  Christians 
did  not  hear  the  words  of  Jesus. 
They  were  too  busy  speaking  of  him 
to  do  any  hearing. 


Hnd  Jesus  continued  the  search  for 
his  identity. 

And  another  group  of  persons  said. 

Here  we  are, 

we  are  your  church. 

We  are  the  liberal  Christians, 

very  tolerant  of  all  beliefs; 

we  know  it  really  doesn't  matter  what 
a  man  believes. 

We're  all  heading  for  the  same  goal, 

and  we'll  all  get  there  eventually, 

even  though  we're  traveling  dif- 
ferent roads. 


if  only  all  men  were  as  broadminded 

as  we. 

And  Jesus  said, 

I  see  some  forms  in  you  resem- 
bling mine, 

but  I  cannot  find  myself  in  you. 

And  you  have  not  found  yourself 
in  me. 

I  don't  know  your  smooth  and  spine- 
less sayings. 

I  don't  dig  your  roads-all-leading-to- 
the-same-goal  philosophy. 

There  are  roads  that  lead  to  hell's 
destruction, 

and  if  you  want  to  find  Life, 

you'd  better  find  an  exit. 

Take  another  look  at  that  road  map 

and  turn,  around. 

And  I  daresay 

if  I  were  to  come  to  live  among  you 

you  would  find  my  call  to  come  and 
follow  me 

too  demanding  for  your  soft  marsh- 
mallow  faith. 

But  the  liberal  Christians 
were  so  preoccupied  with  every  new 
sign  along  the  way 


20     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


that  Jesus'  words  were  lost 
in  the  winds  of  current  voices 
and  the  waves  of  current  views. 


And 


id  Jesus  continued  the  search  for 

his  identity. 
And  another  group  of  persons  said 
Here  we  are, 
we  are  your  church. 
We  are  the  solid  middle-of-the-road 

respectable  Christians. 
We  go  neither  to  the  left  nor  to 

the  right. 
We  are  the  silent  middle-class  majority 
who  live  decent  lives  and  are  the 

pillars  of  the  church. 
If  only  all  men  were  as  we  — 
hard-working,  law-abiding  citizens, 

abhoring  violence  and  lawlessness. 

And  Jesus  said,  respectability  has 

its  place, 
but  I  cannot  find  myself  in  you. 
Your  law-and-order  decency  comes 

not  from 
my  kingdom  and  my  righteousness. 
It  is  the  fruit  of  affluence,  greed, 

and  fear. 


And  in  a  world  of  unjust  laws 
and  demonic  systems, 
my  spirit  will  express  itself 
in  a  disturbing  challenge  to  the 

status  quo. 
I  really  cannot  find  myself  in  you, 

respected  Christians, 
and  I  daresay 
if  I  were  to  come 
to  your  respectable  churches  and 

nice  communities 
you  would  soon  call  me  an  agitator 
and  get  rid  of  Me. 

But  the  solid  middle-of-the-road 
respectable  Christians  were  too  busy 
reading  the  Reader's  Digest 
to  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus. 


Hnd  Jesus  continued  the  search  for 

his  identity. 
And  another  group  of  persons  said, 
Here  we  are, 
we  are  your  church. 
We  are  the  patriotic  American 

Christians. 
We  believe  in  God  and  Country  and 

the  two  belong  together. 


America  can't  make  it  without  God, 

and  God  can't  make  it  without  us. 

So  we  stand  up  to  atheistic  communism 

wherever  we  find  it 

and  we  find  it  everywhere. 

We  pray  for  victory  in  Vietnam, 

and  if  we  have  to  bomb  those 

communists 
all  the  way  to  China, 
we'd  better  do  it  now, 
before  they  get  the  bomb. 
If  only  all  Christians  were  as  we  — 

truly  patriotic. 

And  Jesus  said. 

Your  zeal  is  overwhelming 

and  your  concern  for 

God  commendable, 
but  I  cannot  find  myself  in  you, 
and  you  surely  have  not  found  yourself 

in  me. 
Yours  is  the  road  to  hell, 
the  fiery  hell  of  bombs  and  guns 

and  napalm. 
He  who  cannot  love  his  enemy 
cannot  truly  love  his  country 

or  himself. 
Love  knows  no  boundaries  of  nation, 

creed,  or  color. 


6-18-70    MESSENGER     21 


THE  REAL  CHRIST  /  continued 


He  who  lives  by  love,  by  love  will  live; 

and  he  who  takes  the  bomb, 

will  perish  by  the  bomb. 

I  daresay, 

if  I  came  to  your  patriotic  Christianity, 

you  would  either  find  or  make  a  law 

charging  me  with  treason. 

But  the  patriotic  Christians 
were  too  busy  flying  flags 
to  hear  the  voice  of  Jesus. 


Hnd  Jesus  continued  the  search  for 

his  identity, 
and  another  group  of  persons  said, 
Here  we  are, 

we  are  the  church  that's  not  a  church. 
We  have  rejected  all  institutions  of 

society. 
We  disregard  established  ways  and 

values; 
we  do  our  own  thing. 
Make  love  not  war! 
Drop  out,  tune  in,  turn  on! 

And  Jesus  said, 

I  find  some  kindred  spirits  here. 

I,  too,  rejected  values  and  traditions 
of  my  day. 

I,  too,  withdrew  into  the  desert. 

I  share  your  dream  of  finding  life  in 
more  than  things. 

Man  does,  indeed,  not  live  by 
bread  alone. 

I  share  your  passion  for  express- 
ing love. 

"Make  love  not  war" 

is  similar  to  slogans  of  my  own. 

Dut  how  does  one  make  love 

and  bring  birth  to  truth  and  righteous- 
ness and  peace  for  all  mankind? 

I  cannot  find  myself  in  your  escapes; 

your  drugs  turn  me  off,  not  on. 

Your  cop-out  may  be  needed  for 
a  season; 


retreat  into  the  hills  can  be  a  beauti- 
ful experience, 

but  there  are  people  in  the  valleys  and 
the  cities  — 

people,  people,  people, 
people,  people  — 

people  crying  to  find  love  and  life, 

and  they  need  us, 

and  we  need  each  other. 

And  I  daresay, 

if  I  were  to  come  into  your  commune, 

my  call  for  service  and  involvement 

would  frustrate  you  in 
your  contemplations. 

But  the  beautiful  people 

were  on  a  trip 

and  oblivious  to  the  words  of  Jesus. 


Hnd  Jesus,  continuing  the  search  for 

his  identity,  said. 
What  about  you? 
Who  do  you  say  that  I  am? 
Where  in  the  world  will  I  find  myself? 

And  a  host  of  people  with  many 

different  labels 
from  all  around  the  world  said, 
You  are  the  Christ,  the  Son  of  the 

living  God. 
And  Jesus  answered, 
Good  for  you. 
Yours  is  the  faith  on  which  the 

church  lives. 
You  are  the  ones  in  whom  I 

find  myself, 
and  you  are  the  ones  in  whom  others 

will  find  me. 
And  we  will  go  to  Fresno  and  to 

Denver  and  to  Washington 
and  to  Saigon  and  to  Moscow 

and  Peking, 
and  suffer  many  things 
at  the  hands  of  the  authorities  of 

church  and  state. 
And  some  of  us  will  die; 
but  from  that  death, 


new  days  of  resurrection  life  will  come. 
And  some  of  the  faithful  took  Jesus 

aside  and  said. 
Cool  it,  Jesus,  cool  it. 
Such  things  shall  never  happen  to  us. 
And  Jesus  looked  at  them  and  said. 
Cut  that  kind  of  talk, 
you  sons  of  the  devil. 
Your  thoughts  are  men's  thoughts, 

not  God's. 
If  anyone  wants  to  go  with  me  in 

this  world, 
he  must  forget  himself,  carry  his  cross, 
and  follow  me. 
For  the  man  who  wants  to  protect 

his  life  will  lose  it; 
but  the  man  who  loses  his  life  for  my 

sake  will  find  it. 
Will  a  man  gain  anything  if  he  wins  the 

whole  world  but  loses  his  life? 


Hnd  Jesus  looked  around  again, 
And  he  saw  people  working  hard  to 

feed  the  hungry; 
and  he  saw  people  giving  drink  to 

those  with  thirst; 
and  he  saw  people  building  houses 

for  the  homeless; 
and  he  saw  people  giving  clothing 

for  the  naked; 
and  he  saw  people  visiting  the  sick; 
and  he  saw  people  loving  those  in 

prison. 
And  Jesus  said, 
Here  I  am. 

I  have  found  my  identity  in  this  world. 
And  the  serving  people  were  surprised 

and  said. 
You  mean  to  say,  Jesus,  you've  been 

around  all  this  time 
and  we  were  unaware  of 

your  presence? 
And  they  went  right  on  with 

their  ministries 
and  Jesus  came  alive  anew  in 

the  world.    D 


I 


Reprinted   by   permission   from    The  Me 


22     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


""Let's  hear  it  again 

for  the  six  colleges... 

m 

Hip. 

Hip " 

JDGEWATER 

ELIZABETHTOWN 

JUNIATA  COLLEGE 

LA  VERNE  COUEGE 

MANCHESTER 

Mcpherson  college 

ALLEGE 

COLLEGE 

COLLEGE 

esident 

President 

President 

President 

President 

1 

President 

ayne  F.  Geisert 

Morley  J.  Mays 

John  N.  Stauffer 

Leland  B.  Newcomer 

A.  Blair  Helman 

J.  Jaclt  Melhorn 

ridgewater. 

Elizabethtown, 

Seventeenth  and 

1950  Third  Street 

North  Manchester, 

1600  East  Euclid 

rginia  22812 

Pennsylvania  17022 

Moore  Streets 

la  Verne, 

Indiana  46962 

McPherson, 

Huntingdon, 

California  91750 

Kansas  67460 

Pennsylvania  16652 

REVIEWS  /  RECORDS 


Summery  Music 

A  worthy  successor  to  the  oratories  of 
Handel  and  Bach  is  Michael  Tippett's 
A  Child  of  Our  Time  (Argo).  Com- 
pleted in  1942,  it  was  inspired  by  the 
Nazi  persecution  of  the  Jews  in  1938 
and  after.  Of  more  than  passing  interest 
is  the  English  composer's  use,  in  this 
context,  of  the  Afro-American  spiritual 
"Nobody  Knows  the  Trouble  I've  Seen" 
—  just  one  clue  to  the  universality  of 
this  profound  yet  readily  accessible  work, 
which  is  performed  by  outstanding  solo- 
ists and  the  Liverpool  Philharmonic  un- 
der John  Pritchard.  Side  four  is  given 
over  to  the  ritual  dances  from  Tippett's 
1955  opera,  The  Midsummer  Marriage. 
"If  winter  comes,  can  spring  be  far 
behind?"  In  July,  spring  may  indeed  seem 
far  behind.    All  the  more  reason,  then. 


for  a  backward  glance  at  Hans  Werner 
Henze's  Ode  to  the  West  Wind  (Deutsche 
Grammophon) ,  a  fresh  and  vernal  "mu- 
sic for  cello  and  orchestra"  inspired  by 
Shelley's  familiar  lines.  It  is  a  subtle 
blend  of  instrumental  colorings  in  which 
composition  and  orchestration  are  in- 
dissolubly  mixed.  This  1953  opus  is 
paired  with  Henze's  craggier  Violin  Con- 
certo of  1948,  a  remarkably  mature 
product  of  the  composer's  twenty-second 
year.  Cellist  Siegfried  Palm  and  violinist 
Wolfgang  Schneiderhan  are  splendid 
soloists,  with  Henze  conducting  the 
Symphony  Orchestra  of  the  Bavarian 
Radio. 

More  fresh  air  is  evoked  in  Aaron 
Copland's  Ati  Outdoor  Overture,  a  sum- 
mery enough  piece  from  1938.  Don't  tell 


anyone,  however,  that  it  was  written  for 
a  midwinter  concert  and  premiered  in- 
doors, because  it  certainly  doesn't  sound 
that  way.  Also  on  this  "Copland  Con- 
ducts Copland"  disk  (Columbia)  are 
Two  Pieces  for  String  Orchestra  (1928), 
the  film  score  from  Thornton  Wilder's 
Our  Town,  and  music  for  Irwin  Shaw's 
play,  Quiet  City  —  both  from  1940  and 
both  virtual  classics  after  three  decades. 
If  you  know  Copland  only  as  the  com- 
poser of  such  ballets  as  Billy  the  Kid, 
this  recording  will  take  you  into  other 
parts  of  the  American  landscape,  and 
you'll  see  why  Copland  ranks  as  our 
greatest  living  composer. 

While  roving  the  American  scene, 
hearken  to  Joan  Baez'  One  Day  at  a  Time 
(Vanguard).    The  title  song,  as  well  as 


for 


,  poetry 
lovers    ' 


TO  RELIEVE  IN  MAN 

by  JOSEPH  PINTAURO  and  CORITA  KENT  •  The  poet  and  artist  who  created  the  best- 
selling  TO  BELIEVE  IN  GOD  blend  talents  to  portray  the  adventure  of  man.  Color,  won- 
der, sensitivity,  love  flow  through  these  pages  of  free  verse  by  Joseph  Pintauro.  The  poetry 
captures  the  dark  violence  that  mars  life  and  the  green  hope  that  springs  up  in  absurd  places, 
always.  Pintauro 's  words  impart  luminous  meaning  to  the  most  ordinary  objects.  Corita,  using 
water-color  technique  in  a  book  for  the  first  time  and  also  employing  photographs  and  prints, 
provides  illustrations  subtle  in  color  and  handsome  in  design.  $3.95 

BECAUSE  ITS  HERE 

by  JANE  MERCHANT  •  Over  100  poems  are  included  in  Miss  Merchant's  newest  collection 
—  based  on  the  thought  that  though  man  has  traveled  to  the  moon,  the  earth  remains,  for 
most  of  us,  the  greatest  source  of  wonder  —  because  it's  here.  The  poems  are  divided  into 
four  sections:  "Because  It's  Here"  explores  the  earth  around  us;  "This  Much  Space"  expresses 
thoughts  about  people,  pets,  and  daily  living;  "Book  Review"  is  a  Merchant's-eye  view  of 
writers,  words,  and  writings;  "Of  Light  and  Shade"  casts  various  shadows  of  emotion  and 
experience.  $3.50 

CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES  •  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


24     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


"A  Song  for  David"  (Joan's  imprisoned 
war-resister  husband,  David  Harris), 
makes  this  a  very  personal  album. 
Among  the  other  offerings  are  "Joe  Hill," 
"Ghetto,"  and  "Sweet  Sunny  South,"  and 
sweet  sunny  Joan  sings  them  all  with 
inimitable  poignancy. 

Several  American  performers  interpret 
three  very  English  song  cycles  by  Ralph 
Vaughan  Williams  (Desto),  none  of 
them  previously  available  —  Chaucer's 
"Merciless  Beauty"  and  Housman's 
"Along  the  Field,"  both  from  the  early 
1920s,  and  "Ten  Blake  Songs."    Written 

REVIEWS  /  MOVIES 


il  Man  called  Horse 

After  many  years  of  consistently  stereo- 
typing the  Red  Man  in  countless  West- 
erns, Hollywood  has  a  debt  to  discharge 
on  behalf  of  the  image  of  the  Indian  it 
has  perpetrated.  A  Man  Called  Horse 
does  not  quite  fulfill  that  obligation, 
but  let  this  film  stand  as  a  partially  com- 
pensatory oblation  until  that  movie  is 
produced  which  testifies  in  truth  to  the 
heritage  of  Indians  in  America. 

Horse  is  a  strange  picture:  compelling 
yet  unsatisfying.  It  is  the  most  violent 
movie  I  believe  I  have  ever  seen,  yet, 
until  the  climactic  raid  of  the  Sioux  vil- 
lage by  Shawnee,  the  violence  is  not  ir- 
relevant to  the  film's  purpose.  That  raid, 
though,  is  melodramatic  bloodletting, 
the  sole  purpose  of  which  appears  to  be 
killing  off  all  the  main  characters  so  the 
white  hero  will  be  free  to  leave.  Despite 
its  GP  rating,  I  would  not  recommend 
Horse  to  persons  who  feel  they  get 
enough  violence  on  TV  newscasts. 

But  Horse  is  also  a  compelling  film 
because  director  Elliot  Silverstein  takes 
seriously,  and  forces  us  to  take  seriously, 
the  life  of  this  Sioux  village.  Perhaps 
eighty  percent  of  the  dialogue  would  not 


during  four  days  in  1958,  the  year 
Vaughan  Williams  died,  the  latter  were 
commissioned  for  a  film,  The  Vision  of 
William  Blake.  The  poems  chosen  are 
among  Blake's  best,  and  the  composer 
treated  them  accordingly,  with  unusual 
scoring  for  tenor  and  oboe.  For  un- 
known reasons,  it's  not  a  tenor  but  bari- 
tone John  Langstaff  who  is  heard  here, 
but  I  find  nothing  to  complain  of.  The 
Blake  settings  alone  make  this  disk  a 
must,  and  the  earlier  songs  are  a  wel- 
come addition.  —  William  Robert  Mil- 


be  understood  by  non-Sioux  speaking 
members  of  the  audience.  Moreover,  the 
film  is  basically  concerned  with  ritual  as 
a  sustainer  of  community  life,  and  while 
we  may  deplore  the  rituals  used  (a  moth- 
er cutting  off  one  of  her  fingers  at  the 
death  of  a  son;  bartering  for  wives),  we 
cannot  escape  some  of  the  implications 
for  our  understanding  of  the  role  ritual 
plays  in  our  own  lives. 

Silverstein  here  uses  a  heavy-handed 
seriousness  to  get  at  what  it  took  to  be 
a  Man  in  the  nineteenth-century  Ameri- 
can West.  Previously,  he  had  used  satire 
toward  the  same  end  in  Cat  Ballou. 
Neither  picture  is  really  successful,  but 
Silverstein  shows  enough  flashes  of  both 
comic  and  dramatic  directorial  brilliance 
to  indicate  that  in  some  picture  he  is  go- 
ing to  put  it  all  together. 

The  surface  story  of  Horse  is  rather 
mundane:  English  nobleman  John  Mor- 
gan (Richard  Harris),  bored  with  his 
laconic  existence,  is  captured  by  Sioux 
while  on  a  hunting  trip  in  the  Northwest 
Territory.  To  break  his  spirit  they  treat 
him  as  a  horse. 

However,     through     his     indomitable 


A  man  who  travels  has  a  special  need, 
in  far  off  places  and  away  from  home, 
to  take  his  Bible  with  him.  It  will 
be,  day  after  strenuous  day,  his  guide, 
his  solace,  his  courage  and  his  strength. 

A  Cambridge  Bible  has  behind  it  a 
tradition  of  centuries  of  craftsmanship. 
The  printing  of  Bibles  is  held  by 
Cambridge  University  to  be  at  once 
a  duty  and  a  privilege,  undertaken 
and  maintained  with  a  full  sense 
of  responsibility. 


AT  ALL  BOOKSTORES 


6-18-70    MESSENGER     25 


REVIEWS  /  continued 


spirit  Morgan  retains  his  self-respect  — 
in  contrast  to  French-Indian  Batise  (Jean 
Gascon),  a  five-year  captive  of  the  Sioux 
conveniently  on  hand  for  translation  pur- 
pHJses.  Morgan  displays  his  courage  by 
killing  two  Shawnee,  seeks  the  chief's 
sister  (newcomer  Corinna  Tsopei)  in 
marriage,  and  thus  is  led  to  endure  the 
truly  terrifying  Vow  to  the  Sun  ritual. 

This  ritual  (outlawed  by  the  U.S. 
government  in  the  1820s  according  to  a 
preface)  is  as  blunt  a  piece  of  sado- 
masochism ever  put  on  the  screen.  Ex- 
pertly depicted  by  Silverstein,  the  Vow 
offers  parallels  to  crucifixion  and  in- 
cludes a  stunningly  filmed  psychedelic 
hallucination. 

Yet,  as  is  true  with  most  of  the  film,  the 


Vow  is  basically  a  means  to  proving  man- 
hood through  violent  physical  courage. 
Among  the  many  things  the  crucifixion 
teaches  us,  one  certainly  is  that  physical 
courage  is  only  a  miniscule  part  of  true 
humanness  (the  Zealots  would  have  pre- 
ferred in  Jesus  the  kind  of  physical  cour- 
age which  would  have  led  him  to  become 
a  military  commander).  Horse  rises  be- 
yond this  level  only  once  —  when  Mor- 
gan shows  compassion  for  his  aged  moth- 
er-in-law after  her  son  is  dead  in  con- 
tradistinction to  tribal  customs  —  and 
thus  the  movie  is  anachronistic  in  a  time 
when  being  human  calls  for  much  more 
than  being  violent. 

There  are  many  superb  scenic  shots  of 
wilderness    and    cruelty    in    the    animal 


world,  which  give  the  viewer  a  sense  of 
having  to  cope  with  brutal  nature  and 
violent  enemies  —  that  necessity  of  cop- 
ing which  formed  the  Sioux  ethos. 

Of  the  actors  Harris  gives  a  fine,  con- 
trolled performance.  Dame  Judith  An- 
derson —  horribly  miscast  as  the  shrew- 
ish Indian  mother  —  comes  across  bril- 
liantly without  a  word  of  EngUsh  dia- 
logue. Manu  Tupou  as  Chief  Yellow 
Hand  is  expressive,  but  the  rest  of  the 
cast  range  from  adequate  to  poor. 

A  Man  Called  Horse  is  inadequate, 
anachronistic,  and  dehumanizing;  but  it 
is  never  boring,  and  it  is  certainly  dis- 
turbing. For  all  its  imperfections  it  is  a 
step  toward  dealing  adequately  with  the 
first  Americans.  —  Dave  Pomeroy 


Faith  Looks  Up 


Was  it  thirty-eight  years  ago  or  was  it  just  yesterday 
that  I  first  heard  the  amazing,  wonderful,  good  news 
that  was  to  change  my  miserable  life  to  a  glorious  won- 
der? I  had  been  invited  to  church  by  a  girl  at  school. 

I  remember  washing  my  faded  dress  and  ironing  it 
with  a  flat  iron.  I  rolled  my  hair  on  brown  paper  cut 
in  strips.  I  scrubbed  my  feet  and  knees  with  lye  soap 
and  wished  that  I  had  shoes  to  wear. 

The  church  was  the  Spray  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
It  was  a  small  church,  but  to  me  it  wasn't  small  at  all. 

Mrs.  H.  W.  Peters  was  the  teacher  that  Sunday 
morning  in  September  1930.  It  seemed  she  was  talking 
just  to  me. 

She  told  me  that  Jesus  Christ  loved  me  so  much 
that  he  went  willingly  to  the  cross  and  died  that  I 
might  live  forever.  "He  arose  the  third  day  and,  after 
instructing  us  to  be  witnesses  for  him,  went  to  prepare 
a  home  for  us  to  live  with  him  forever  and  ever." 

I  f  oimd  the  love  of  Jesus  Christ  through  the  people 
in  that  church  and  it  has  reached  across  the  years  to  me, 
always  strong  and  faithful. 

When  I  have  been  discouraged,  the  people  have  said 
to  me,  "Remember?"  I  have  fallen  along  the  way  many 


times  and  expected  to  be  rejected  but  instead  they  put 
loving  arms  around  me  and  say,  "You  belong  to  Jesus 
Christ  and  nothing  can  separate  you  from  his  love  or 
ours." 

Sometimes  I  long  to  go  back  to  the  church  in  Spray 
which  is  now  Eden,  North  Carolina,  and  settle  down 
there  for  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  know  this  caimot  be. 
The  love  I  found  there  must  be  shared  by  me  with 
others  wherever  I  am.   The  story  of  Jesus  Christ  must 
be  told  over  and  over. 

I  am  convinced  that  the  only  way  for  renewal  to 
come  to  persons  —  and  to  the  world  —  is  love,  love, 
love! 


MOLLIE  PRIDDY  (Mrs.  Paul  M.)  is 
the  author  of  a  book  of  fiction  entitled 
"The  Grand  Finale,"  published  recently 
by  Carlton  Press.  The  Priddys  live  near 
King,  North  Carolina,  and  they  are 
members  of  the  Fraternity  church. 
They  have  a  daughter  and  a  son  and 
five  grandchildren.  Paul  is  director  of 
social  services  in  Stokes  County  and 
also  serves  as  a  supply  pastor  when 
needed. 


26     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


REVffiWS  /  BOOKS 


Devotions  lor  Aclivists  of  All  Ages 


GRACE      ABOUNDING,      by      Georgia      Harkness. 
Abingdon   Press,   1969.    192   pages,  $3.75 

THE  PERSON   I  AM,  by  Glenn   H.  Asquith.    Abing- 
don  Press,   1969.     144  pages,  $3 

GOD  IS  NO  FOOL,  by  Lois  A.  Cheney.    Abingdon 
Press,  1969.    176  pages,  $3.75 

PASSPORT  TO  LIFE  CITY,  by  Sherwood  Eliot  Wirt. 
Harper   and    Row,    1969.     207   pages,   $4.95 

Books  for  personal  devotion  may  lack 
popularity  in  a  day  of  pressing  social  is- 
sues, or  they  may  be  too  popular  with 
those  who  wish  to  avoid  the  social  strug- 
gles. There  is  risk  that  the  activist  may 
ignore  books  that  offer  greater  personal 
strength  just  as  there  is  risk  that  some 
will  defend  themselves  from  the  world  by 
stockpiling  "personal  experience"  books. 

The  introduction  to  Grace  Abounding 
speaks  of  a  world  of  unrest,  violence,  and 
change,  and  quickly  adds,  "We  shall  not 
have  the  kind  of  reconstructed  society 
for  which  thoughtful  persons  long  and 
many  labor  without  a  recovery  of  the 
inner  fabric  of  its  people's  lives.  We  need 
desperately  an  inner  confidence  and  a 
sense  of  life's  meaning."  A  good  devo- 
tional book  will  give  the  activist  strength 
and  faith  and  draw  the  personal  experi- 
ence advocate  into  the  world.  Grace 
Abounding  has  both  dimensions  in  a 
series  of  fifty  autobiographical  medita- 
tions. Early  selections  recall  the  heritage 
of  home,  community,  church,  and  per- 
sons who  influenced  Dr.  Harkness'  life. 
In  later  pages  the  words  Vietnam,  black, 
ghetto,  prejudice,  and  poverty  appear. 
The  whole  is  a  witness  to  the  abounding 
grace  of  God  in  human  life  and  in  the 
world. 

Each  selection  has  scripture,  an  orig- 
inal poem  (she  believes  in  poems  that 
rhyme!),  a  prose  meditation,  and  a 
prayer.  This  longtime  teacher  of  theology 
and  religion  writes  devotional  material 
from  devotional  experience  and  looks 
at  today's  social  movements  as  one  who 
has  been  a  part  of  social  movements.  She 
feels  that  needed  change  can  come  with- 
out violence,  four-letter  words,  and  ex- 
ploitation of  sex. 

The  Person  I  Am  is  a  series  of  prose 
meditations,      scripture     readings,      and 


prayers  for  use  by  older  persons.  So  who 
is  older?  The  book  is  for  those  whose 
children  are  grown,  who  are  aware  of 
living  in  bodies  no  longer  young,  who 
approach  retirement  or  are  retired,  and 
who  have  a  little  more  time  to  get  ac- 
quainted with  self  and  a  need  to  get  ac- 
quainted again  because  life  has  changed 
and  is  changing.  A  mature  Christian  — 
pastor,  writer,  counselor  —  blends  bibh- 
cal  truth,  personal  experience,  common 
sense,  a  deep  faith,  and  psychological 
insight  into  a  good  book. 

The  Person  I  Am  is  a  person  inside 
(spirit,  emotion,  soul),  a  person  outside 
(a  body  with  hungers,  weaknesses, 
strengths),  a  person  among  persons 
(none  of  us  lives  to  himself),  and  a 
person  eternal  (questioning  the  future 
but  sensing  permanency).  The  brief 
prayers  are  well  done.  "O  Lord,  may  the 
hungers  of  my  body  always  be  my 
friends  and  not  my  enemies."  "May  I 
never  grow  so  callous.  Lord,  that  I  can- 
not sympathize  and  struggle  with  others." 
"There  are  fragments.  Lord,  that  need 
fitting  into  my  life.  May  I  see  where  the 
pain  goes." 

A  less  conventional  "book  of  devotions" 
is  God  Is  No  Fool.  These  meditations 
are  not  patterned  with  scripture,  poetry, 
prose,  and  prayer.  They  are  designed 
to  set  the  mind  in  motion  as  they  probe 
the  ego  with  humor  and  satire.  They  are 
open-ended,  prompting  the  reader  to 
think  further  on  his  own.  Man  seeks  God 
and  seeks  to  avoid  God  and  stumbles 
no  matter  which  he  is  doing.  And  the 
great  God  of  wisdom  and  judgment  and 
love  is  always  there. 

This  book  by  a  teacher  of  speech  re- 
flects both  her  profession  and  her  faith. 
Words  are  simple  and  precise  and 
phrases  are  thrifty.  Understanding  of 
scripture  and  Christian  conviction  are 
present  in  every  thought.  Scripture  ref- 
erences are  missing,  but  the  Bible  is 
there!  Although  designed  for  private 
meditation,  these  writings  are  excellent 
for  group  worship.  In  many  of  the 
ninety-nine  meditations  the  barb  of  truth 
arrives  in  an  "O.  Henry"  ending.    Thus: 


There  was  a  place 

Where  the  unbelief  was  so  great 

That  Jesus 

Jesus,  the  Son  of  God, 

Could  not  heal  and  help 

And  so  he  left  them. 

Has  anyone  seen  Jesus  lately? 

Passport  to  Life  City  is  a  rewriting  of 
John  Bunyan's  classic  Pilgrim's  Progress. 
Like  its  ancestor,  this  modern  version  is 
a  story  of  man's  journey  in  search  of 
God.  Dr.  Wirt,  who  edits  Billy  Graham's 
magazine.  Decision,  has  written  an  im- 
aginative book  retaining  the  allegory  and 
basic  plot  of  Pilgrim's  Progress.  Persons, 
places,  and  problems  are  renamed.  Chris- 
tian becomes  Christian  (Chris)  Anders 
(Anders  signifies  man);  Evangelist  be- 
comes Ernie  van  Gelst  or  E.  van  Gelst; 
Hill  Diflficulty  becomes  Poopout  Hill; 
City  of  Destruction  becomes  Doomsdale; 
and  Chris  sets  out  to  Life  City  (rather 
than  Celestial  City)  in  a  yellow  Mustang. 

Chris,  like  Christian  before  him,  trav- 
els from  a  life  of  problems  through  a 
series  of  problem  experiences,  and  hav- 
ing found  at  last  a  satisfying  faith  re- 
turns home  to  apply  that  new  faith  in  his 
family  and  community.  The  temptations 
of  the  "flesh"  and  "worldliness"  enroute 
are  much  the  same  as  for  the  seventeenth- 
century  pilgrim.  The  religious  barriers 
encountered  by  the  twentieth-century 
pilgrim  include  situation  ethics,  death  of 
God,  teachers  who  have  religious  theories 
but  little  personal  experience,  demytholo- 
gizing,  and  ministers  who  read  "Playgirl" 
to  be  relevant. 

The  writer's  traditional  theology  fea- 
tures personal  salvation  and  piety  with 
some  implications  for  social  responsi- 
bility. If,  as  some  will  think,  this  book 
oversimplifies  the  Christian  faith,  it  may 
be  helpful  as  a  reminder  that  the  per- 
sonal faith  response  can  be  made  to  ap- 
pear too  complicated. 

A  good  devotional  book  will  give  the 
activist  strength  and  faith  and  draw  the 
personal  experience  advocate  into  the 
world.  Each  of  these  has  this  devotional 
potential.  —  Samuel  H.  Flora  Jr. 


6-18-70    MESSENGER     27 


daymrdair 


^ 


"Do  YOU  WANT  a  worthwhile  career  of  lasting  satisfaction? 
Do  you  want  a  good  paying  job,  with  early  retirement  benefits? 
If  you  are  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  twenty-five,  then 
this  announcement  is  for  you.  Enlist  in  the  army  today.  It 
needs  you.  Your  country  needs  you.  Enlist  now  and  join  the 
many  other  young  men  who  have  made  a  worthwhile  career  in 
the  U.S.  army." 

This  was  a  commercial  that  blared  over  the  television  as  a 
Brethren  family  were  listening  to  their  favorite  program.  "The 
militarists  certainly  make  their  way  sound  attractive,  don't 
they,"  said  Dad.  To  this  all  the  family  members  agreed.  "Yes," 
chimed  in  nineteen-year-old  Susan,  who  had  just  returned  from 
a  year's  experience  in  Germany  as  an  exchange  student.  "And 
we  have  to  teach  and  popularize  the  way  of  peace  and  non- 
violence equally  as  well.  For  a  peace  church,  we  Brethren  have 
so  much  to  offer,  yet  I  wonder  how  well  we  are  teaching  peace 
and  demonstrating  it.  We  haven't  talked  about  it  here  in  our 
family  as  much  as  we  should  have.  What  are  we  doing  for 
peace?  Joe,  I  wonder  what  you're  going  to  do  about  the  draft 
when  you  reach  your  eighteenth  birthday?" 

"Oh,  I'll  face  that  when  the  time  comes,"  said  Joe,  sixteen. 
"But  most  of  my  buddies  will  go  straight  into  the  military.  It's 
the  popular,  patriotic  thing  to  do.  Each  year  we  have  career 
day  in  our  school  and  always  there's  some  former  army  man  or 
legionnaire  man  there  to  lift  up  the  glories  of  army  life,  just 
like  the  commercial  we  just  heard.  Even  though  I  know  might 
is  not  right  and  that  my  church  believes  in  peace,  I'm  caught 
today  in  a  lot  of  social  pressure,  like  other  young  men.   It  seems 


DAILY  READING   GUIDE      June  21  -July  4 

Sunday    Zechariah  4:1-6.    Might  and  power  are  not  the  answer. 

Monday    Micah  4:1-5;  6:8.    A  prophet  dreams  of  peace. 

Tuesday    Isaiah  9:6.    The  prophet  describes  character   of  the   coming   Prince 
of    Peace. 

Wednesday    Luke  15:1-7;  Ephesians  4:6.    The  fatherhood  of  God  is  impartial. 

Thursday    Matthew  5:23-24.    Peaceful  relations  are  essential  for  worship. 

Friday    Romans    12:14-21.    Attack   disharmony   by   powers   of  the   soul. 

Saturday     Matthew   22:34-40.     Love    of   God   and   neighbor   are   inseparable. 

Sunday    John  18:36.    The  kingdom  of  God  is  different  in  character  than  that 
of  the  world. 

Monday    Matthew  5:43-48.    Love  and  pray  for  our  enemies. 

Tuesday  Matthew  18:15-18.    The  Brethren  have  a  way  of  reconciliation. 

Wednesday    Matthew  18:21-22.    Forgiveness  is  unlimited. 

Thursday    Matthew  7:12.    Practice  the  Golden  Rule. 

Friday    Gatatians    6:1.     Love    is    redemptive   toward    a   fallen    brother. 

Saturday    Matthew  5:9.    Peacemakers  are  the  children  of  God. 


easier  just  to  sign  up  for  the  army  when  your  time  comes,  do 
your  stint  of  service,  and  get  it  over  with." 

Do  you  have  teen-agers  in  your  home  who  vtdll  soon  be 
facing  this  same  glaring  problem?  We  have  in  our  home.  As 
Brethren  families,  what  can  we  do  to  educate  and  to  help  our 
youth  to  take  the  way  of  peace  and  nonviolence  that  they've 
heard  the  church  teach? 

Suggested   activities 

1.  Set  aside  regular  times  for  play  or  "game  night"  in  the 
home,  possibly  a  night  a  week.  Then  note  the  response  of 
members  of  the  family  when  they  lose  in  a  game.  Are  they 
irritable?  Why?  Why  do  we  always  want  to  win?  Can  we  be 
good  losers?  Discuss  this. 

2.  At  times  when  gifts  are  bought  in  the  home,  at  birthdays, 
for  example,  or  at  Christmas,  let  the  parents  explain  the 
reasons  why,  as  Christian  parents,  they  have  not  bought  their 
children  war  toys. 

3.  As  a  family,  listen  to  some  of  the  less  desirable  TV  pro- 
grams where  there  is  actual  violence.  Discuss  them  as  a  family. 
You  may  wish  to  choose  sides  and  have  a  debate.  The  results 
could  well  be  shared  by  sending  them  to  the  TV  network. 

4.  Encourage  the  children  to  have  "pen  pals"  from  other 
races  or  countries. 

5.  Assign  to  each  member  of  the  family  a  character  who  < 
has  made  a  mark  for  peace  and  nonviolence  in  the  world  and  1 
let  each  report  to  the  family  his  findings.    Discussion  might  I 
center  on  such  persons  as  Ghandi,  John   Kline,   John  Naas, 
Martin  Luther  King,  M.  R.  Zigler,  Dan  West,  and,  of  course, 
Jesus  Christ. 

6.  Expose  your  children  to  other  cultures  by  opening  your 
home  to  an  exchange  student  from  abroad  for  a  year. 

7.  Undertake  some  service  project  together  as  a  family: 
befriending  a  black  family,  assisting  a  poor  family  with  blan- 
kets,  clothing,   shoes;   possibly   helping  someone   to   find   fair  ■ 
housing  or  a  paying  job. 

8.  Explain  to  the  children  how  much  of  our  government 
spending  goes  for  military  purposes.  Protest  this  by  letters  to 
the  president,  congressmen,  and  to  the  Internal  Revenue  Service 
when  you  send  in  your  income  tax  papers,  or  by  talking  to 
legislators  at  a  Brethren  Washington  seminar. 

9.  Study  literature  of  the  peace  position  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren:  "Statement  of  the  Church  on  War"  drafted  at 
the  1957  Annual  Conference;  Seventy  Times  Seven  or  The 
Church  of  the  Brethren  and  War,  by  Rufus  Bowman;  Peace  Is 
Our  Business,  by  Harry  K.  Zeller. 

10.  Include  a  prayer  for  peace  in  the  daily  family  prayers. 
—  L.  Byron  and  Zola  Miller 


28     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


Threads 
of 

divine 
guidance 


UNVANQUISHED 

Alice  Armstrong  Ward  with 
A.  Dudley  Ward.  A  living 
testimony  to  the  joy  and 
beauty  of  life  and  to  the  fact 
that  God,  through  the  Holy 
Spirit,  leads  in  ways  not 
always  understood  or  recog- 
nized. Alice  Ward's  coura- 
geous account  of  her  spiritual 
triumph  over  pain  and  death 
will  seem  almost  unbeliev- 
able to  some — an  anchor  of 
hope  for  others.  A  moving 
epilogue  by  her  husband 
adds  a  final  triumphant  note 
to  one  of  the  most  unusual 
books  you  may  ever  read.  $5 


THE  STORY 
F  THE  BIBLE 

Walter  Russell  Bowie  tells  the 
Bible  story  in  a  fascinating,  sincere, 
easy-to-understand  manner.  This 
new  edition  of  an  old  favorite 
includes  eight  full-color  Hammond 
maps  and  a  time  chart  on  the 
end  sheets.  §5.95 

A  BURDEN 

AND  AN  ACHE 

Clarence  McConkey's  vivid  word- 
portraits  portray  the  people  of 
the  Inner  City  ...  the  sick,  the 
poor,  the  hungry  ...  the  lonely.  An 
excellent  chance  for  you  to  see 
and  to  understand.  Paper,  |1.65 

JESUS: 

MAN  FOR  TODAY 

T.  Ralph  Morton.  What  name  do 
we  call  him  now?  Dr.  Morton 
contends  that  the  world  is  long 
overdue  for  serious  discussion 
on  the  nature  of  Jesus  and  his 
meaning  to  modern  man.  §3.95 


THE  COMING  FAITH 

Carlyle  Marney  believes  the  time 
is  ripe  for  the  emergence  of  a 
new  faith.  He  views  it  as  Judaeo- 
Christian  universalism  as  found 
in  the  writings  of  Paul  and  shows 
that  what  was  new  for  Paul  is  still 
new  for  our  time.  |4 


THE  DYNAMICS 
OF  GRIEF 

David  K.  Switzer  provides  knowl- 
edge and  understanding  of  the 
dynamics  of  grief,  offers  improved 
means  for  helping  the  bereaved, 
and  suggests  conscious  preparations 
for  grief  before  it  begins.  |5.50 

THE  MAD  MORALITY: 
Or  the  Ten 
Commandments  Revisited 

MAD  MAGAZINE  has  cultivated 
an  image  as  a  magazine  with 
an  emphasis  on  pure  "garbage." 
I'ernard  Eller  shows  that  MAD  has 
not  really  been  peddling  "trash," 
but  has  actually  been  selling 
its  own  brand  of  old-fashioned 
morality  based  on  the  Ten 
Commandments.  Paper,  §2.79 

THE  POLITICS 
OF  DOOMSDAY 

Erling  Jorstad.  A  historical  study  of 
the  rise,  appeal,  and  influence 
of  the  ultrafundamentalists  and 
the  merging  of  the  ultrafunda- 
mentalist  theology  with  the 
political  ideology  of  the  far 
right  in  the  United  States.  |4.95 


At  your  local  bookstore 

abingdon  press 


6-18-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

A  member  of  the  White  Hill  congre- 
gation at  Stuart's  Draft,  Va.,  has  been 
elected  to  the  board  of  Church  Women 
United  in  Virginia.   She  is  Mrs.  Jane 
Desper.  .  .  .  David  Graybill  of  the 
Sunnyslope  church  in  Washington  State 
was  one  of  six  students  elected  to  the 
board  of  control  of  the  associated  stu- 
dents at  the  University  of  Washington. 
The  board  is  the  governing  body  for  all 
student  organizations  at  the  university. 

*i*       "r       *i*       *r       "i" 

Two  poems  by  Robert  Allen,  a  Beth- 
any Seminary  student  whose  work 
appeared  in  the  Feb.  12  issue  of 
Messenger,  will  be  published  in  the 
1970-71  edition  of  Seminary  Artists' 
Poetry  and  Prose  publication,  an 
anthology  to  be  printed  this  summer. 

Pastor  of  Stone  church,  Huntingdon, 
Pa.,  current  chairman  of  the  General 
Board,  and  from  1955-1960  director  of 
ministry  and  evangelism  for  the  Brother- 
hood, Stewart  B.  KaufFman  will  become 
director  of  special  gifts  beginning  Sept.  1. 
.  .  .  The  World  Ministries  Commission 
has  enlisted  Elmer  Fike,  FlagstaflF,  Ariz., 
for  one  year's  work  in  a  dual  assignment. 
He  is  directing  the  Lybrook  Navajo 
Mission  and  engaging  in  research  on 
effective  Christian  ministries  among 
American  Indians.   He  is  a  field  worker 
with  the  National  Council  of  Churches 
Indian  program. 

Manchester  College  alumnus  and 
teacher  at  Michigan  City,  Ind.,  Rene 
Calderon  returned  with  his  family  to  his 
native  Ecuador  this  month  to  direct  that 
country's  Alfalit  literacy  program.  .  .  . 
Ronald  E.  Keener,  until  recently  Bridge- 
water  College's  public  information  di- 
rector, last  month  joined  the  Brotherhood 
staff  as  news  director. 

I-W  worker  David  Knepper,  on  as- 
signment in  Nigeria,  is  engaged  in  relief 
work  in  East  Central  State  for  a  four- 
month  period.  .  .  .  Participating  in  an 
innovative  training  program  in  which 
third-  and  fourth-year  medical  students 
work  three  months  in  developing  nations, 


Larry  Bieber  and  his  wife  left  June  1  for 
Garkida  Hospital  in  Nigeria.   A  student 
at  the  new  Penn  State  Hershey  Medical 
School,  Mr.  Bieber  spent  much  of  his 
boyhood  in  Nigeria,  the  son  of  mission- 
ary parents,  the  Charles  M.  Biebers  of 
Hummelstown,  Pa. 

Carl  C.  Beckwith,  former  mission 
treasurer  in  Nigeria  and  since  1966 
manager  of  the  Modesto,  Calif.,  service 
center,  will  transfer  to  the  New  Windsor, 
Md.,  center  in  mid-July.   He  will  become 
coordinator  of  center  program  and 
assistant  center  director. 

A  great-great-great-great  grandson  of 
Alexander  Mack  died  Jan.  25,  1970.  He 
was  Leonard  R.  Holsinger,  who,  at  the 
time  of  his  death  at  87,  had  been  living 
at  the  Morrison's  Cove  Home.   A  Church 
of  the  Brethren  minister,  he  served  as 
pastor  of  churches  at  New  Bethlehem, 
Pottstown,  Roaring  Spring,  and  Stoners- 
town,  all  in  his  native  Pennsylvania,  and 
for  twenty  years  pastored  the  congrega- 
tion at  East  Akron,  Ohio. 

Our  best  wishes  go  to  couples  who  are 
celebrating  golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Dwight  Christy,  Panorama 
City,  Calif.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence 


^mw&m 


June 

20-21 

Ju 

ne  21 

June 

23-28 

Ju 

ne  28 

July 

16-19 

July 

17-19 

July 

17-19 

July  23-25 

July 

24-26 

Augu 

St  7-9 

August 

14-15 

August 

14-16 

Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Board,  Lincoln,  Neb. 

Father's  Day 

Annual  Conference,   Lincoln,   Neb. 

Christian  Citizenship  Sunday 

District  conference.  Southern 
Plains,    Waka,   Texas 

District  conference.  Northern  Indi- 
ana, Goshen  College 

District  conference,  Iowa  and 
Minnesota,  Cedar  Falls 

District  conference.  Southern  Vir- 
ginia, Winston-Salem,  N.C. 

District  conference,  Shenandoah 
Bridgewater  College 

District  conference.  Middle  Indi 
ana,  Manchester  College 

District  conference.  Southern  In 
diana 

District  conference.  Southern  Mis- 
souri and  Arkansas,  Wynne, 
Ark. 


Krall,  Cerro  Gordo,  III.;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Virgil  Hopkins,  Nokesville,  Va.;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clyde  Broadwater,  Lanark, 
111. 

Other  couples  observing  wedding  an- 
niversaries include  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
P.  W.  Beard,  Westminster,  Md.,  fifty- 
three;  the  W.  W.  Gishes,  McPherson, 
Kansas,  fifty-five;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  C.  C. 
Frantz,  Sebring,  Fla.,  fifty-seven;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Perry  B.  May,  Catlett,  Va., 
sixty;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Isaac  T.  Byer, 
Guthrie,  Minn.,  sixty-one;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Irvin  Hostetter,  Hanover,  Pa.,  sixty- 
three;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sam  Powers, 
Mount  Morris,  III.,  sixty-five. 

Three  couples  are  marking  fifty-ninth 
anniversaries:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Perry  Dick, 
New  Paris,  Pa.;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Earl 
Brubaker  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ben  Buck- 
ingham, all  of  Prairie  City,  Iowa. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

Two  Church  of  the  Brethren  pastors 
from  York  County,  Pa.,  will  participate 
in  a  British-American  preachers"  ex- 
change this  summer.  William  L.  Gould, 
pastor-elect  of  the  Mechanicsburg  church 
and  currently  pastor  at  the  Loganville 
congregation,  will  go  to  Great  Britain 
during  July.   In  August  Elmer  Q.  Gleim, 
former  pastor  of  the  Madison  Avenue 
church,  will  be  in  Great  Britain.  Spon- 
sored jointly  by  the  National  Council 
of  Churches  of  Christ  in  America  and 
the  British  Council  of  Churches,  the  ex- 
change will  involve  ten  ministers  from 
each  country. 

Pastor  and  Mrs.  Paul  Miller,  who 
serve  the  Fresno  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, traveled  to  Nigeria  in  May  to  visit 
their  son  and  his  wife,  teachers  at  Waka, 
and  to  view  Church  of  the  Brethren 
mission  projects. 

Dean  Kagarise  has  accepted  the  call 
of  the  South  Bend,  Ind.,  Prince  of  Peace 
congregation.   He  leaves  the  Pipe  Creek 
church  in  the  Mid-Atlantic  District,  suc- 
ceeding Clarence  Fike  at  South  Bend. 
Mr.  Fike  will  go  to  the  Turkey  Creek 
church  in  Northern  Indiana. 


30     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


Another  South  Bend  congregation, 
Crest  Manor,  has  called  Leonard 
Carlisle  as  pastor.   He  has  resigned  from 
pastoral  duties  at  the  Staunton  church 
in  the  Shenandoah  District. 

Leaving  the  Prairie  City  church  in 
Iowa  in  September  will  be  B.  D.  Hlne- 

:  gardner,  for  a  pastorate  at  English  River 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  the  same 
district.   He  replaces  Berwyn  Oltman, 
who  will  serve  in  a  pastoral  capacity  at 
the  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  Stover  Memorial 

11  church. 

j  ^     ^     ^     ^     ^ 

'      Moving  to  Illinois  to  accept  the  pas- 
torate at  the  Allison  Prairie  church  in  the 
Illinois-Wisconsin  District  will  be  Darrell 
Fryman,  currently  pastor  at  the  Front 
Royal  church  in  the  Shenandoah  District. 
•  .  .  Richard  Deemy  returns  to  a  Church 
of  the  Brethren  pastorate  in  September 
when  he  will  begin  serving  the  Brooklyn 
congregation  in  Iowa. 

Forrest  GroflF  will  relinquish  his  asso- 
ciate pastorate  at  the  Long  Beach,  Calif., 
church  for  a  full-time  position  at  the 
Santa  Ana  church,  also  in  the  Pacific 
Southwest  Conference.  .  .  .  The  White 
Branch  congregation  in  Southern  Indiana 
will  lose  Leonard  Lutz,  who  will  serve 
in  the  South  Whitley/ Pleasant  View 
yoked  parish  in  Middle  Indiana. 

The  Eden  congregation  in  Southern 
Virginia  will  welcome  Robert  D.  Hoover 
in  September,  presently  pastor  at  the 
Pontiac,  Mich.,  church. 

September  will  bring  William  Burgess 
to  Dixon,  111.,  where  he  will  serve  as 
pastor  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
there.  .  .  .  Remaining  in  Northern  Indi- 
ana, Michael  Hodson  has  accepted  a 
pastoral  position  at  the  Pine  Creek 
church.  He  has  been  serving  at  the 
Cedar  Creek  church. 

Eleven  pastors  participated  in  an  ad- 
vanced pastoral  seminar  during  May  at 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary's  Oak 
Brook,  111.,  campus:  Herman  L.   Baliles, 
New  Creek,  W.  Va.;  Raymond  R. 
Boose,  Oaks,  Pa.;  J.  Robert  Boyer, 
Bourbon,  Ind.;  James  V.  D'Amico, 


Greensburg,  Pa.;  Monroe  C.  Good, 
Baltimore,  Md.;  J.  Weldon  Myers,  Cov- 
ington, Ohio;  Kent  E.  Naylor,  Waterloo, 
Iowa;  Earl  D.  Rowland,  Aimville,  Pa.; 
Emory  C.  Smith,  Flint,  Mich.;  Richard 
D.  Speicher,  Youngstown,  Ohio;  and 
David  K.  Webster,  Fairplay,  Md. 

POTPOURRI 

Peace  Church  of  the  Brethren  at 

Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  invites  conference- 
goers  to  worship  and  visit  there.   Persons 
from  the  congregation  will  be  available 
for  tours  of  the  church,  indicates  Pastor 
Dale  E.  Shenefelt.  The  church,  located 
at  2605  Avenue  E,  is  ten  blocks  south 
and  one  west  of  the  Twenty-fifth  Street 
exit  of  Interstate  29. 

The  Martinsburg  congregation  in 
Middle  Pennsylvania  this  year  celebrates 
one  hundred  twenty-five  years  of  service. 
Throughout  1970  the  congregation  will 
engage  in  activities  to  mark  the  occasion, 
including  the  production  in  April  of  an 
original  play,  A  Rumor  of  Innocence,  by 
Gary  Rowe,  Bethany  Theological  Sem- 
inary student.  The  drama  was  based  on 
occurrences  in  the  Martinsburg  area 
during  the  Civil  War. 

Oregon's  Springfield  church  has  made 
its  facilities  available  for  a  hot  breakfast 
program  for  the  neighborhood's  under- 
nourished children. 

Persons  in  the  Southeastern  District 
are  contributing  to  the  Chandler  S. 
Edwards  World  Peace  Memorial  Fund, 
begun  in  1 969  at  the  death  of  former 
BVSer  Chandler  Edwards,  killed  in  Laos 
while  serving  with  International  Volun- 
tary Service  on  a  rural  development 
program.   In  1969  more  than  $600  was 
received  for  the  fund,  divided  between 
the  Southeastern  District's  draft  counsel- 
ing program  and  the  Zigler  Hall  building 
project  at  New  Windsor,  Md.,  where  he 
received  BVS  training. 

Nearly  400  youth  gathered  in  April  at 
Bridgewater  College  for  the  regional 
youth  roundtable  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  The  two-day  convocation  took 
its  cue  from  "TLC"  —  Talk,  Listen, 


Communicate.  Clyde  E.  Weaver,  con- 
sultant in  lay  ministries  and  family  life 
for  the  Brotherhood,  acted  as  resource 
person. 

Southern  Indiana's  New  Haven 
church  has  been  sold  on  contract  to  the 
Faith  Evangelical  Tabernacle,  Jefferson- 
ville,  Ind.,  after  several  years  of 
struggling  to  keep  the  church  open. 
Some  members  have  moved  their  mem- 
berships to  the  New  Hope  church,  fifty 
miles  away. 

Brethren  will  join  American  Baptists 
at  the  combined  conference  of  that  de- 
nomination's Men/Ministers'  Counsel 
luly  18-25  at  Green  Lake,  Wis.   Infor- 
mation and  registration  forms  may  be 
obtained  from  Raymond  Classen,  Amer- 
ican Baptist  Men,  Valley  Forge,  Pa. 
19481.  .  .  .  Former  students,  teachers, 
and  friends  of  Mount  Morris  College 
will  gather  at  Mount  Morris,  111.,  Aug. 
2,  1970,  for  a  reunion,  which  will  in- 
clude a  basket  dinner  in  the  fellowship 
hall  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  a 
short  program,  and  time  for  visiting. 

DEATHS 

Barnhart,  Elbert  F..  Rocky  Mount.  Va..  on  March 

16,    1970,   aged    75 
Bechtel.    Elmer,    Owl    Creek,    Northern    Ohio,    on 

Sept.  26,   1969 
Lape.   Daniel  J..   Boswell.   Pa.,  on  Jan.    14,    1970, 

aged  72 
Lape,    Sarah    Pearle,    Boswell,    Pa.,    on    Jan.    13, 

1970,    aged    71 
Miller,  Adam,  Lebanon,   Pa.,   on   April   15,    1970, 

aged    70 
Miller,  Victoria,  Rockwood,  Pa.,  on  Feb.  25,  1970, 

aged  75 
Neer.    Horace,    Lewistown,    Ohio,    on    March    21, 

1970,  aged  71 
Nicklow,   Emma,   Uniontown,   Pa.,   on   March   26, 

1969,  aged   62 

Pecht,    Hazel,    McVeytown,    Pa.,    on    March    31, 

1970,  aged  64 

Peck,   Ada,    Rockwood,    Pa.,   on    March    29,    1970, 

aged   78 
Peckover,    Walter    E,    Jr.,    San    Diego,    Calif.,    on 

Dec.  24,  1969,  aged  46 
Penrose,   Alexander,    El   Cajon,    Calif.,    on    March 

2,  1970,  aged  73 
Ritchey,    Marvin    S.,    Lititz,    Pa.,    on    March    18, 

1970,   aged   73 
Smith,    Mettie,    Englewood,    Ohio,    on    March    10, 

1970.    aged    91 
Stahl,  Austin  M.,   Maple  Spring  church.  Western 

Pennsylvania,   on   Dec.   31,    1969,   aged  63 
Ullom,  Mrs.  Clayton,  Harmony,  Minn.,  on  March 

1,    1970,   aged   68 
Vaniman,  Clara  Neher,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  March 

23,   1970,  aged  83 


6-18-70    MESSENGER     »1 


EDITORIAL 


! 


f 


HOW  Many  Deaths  Will  It  Take? 

May  is  such  a  lovely  month.  It  ought  to  be  the  happiest 
time  of  the  year.  The  cold  hand  of  winter  can  leave  its 
mark  on  the  face  of  April.  But  when  May  comes,  the  scars 
are  no  longer  visible.  A  series  of  steady  showers  will  turn 
lawns  into  rich  green  carpets.  You  can  almost  see  the 
growth  explosion  that  takes  place  when  trees  leaf  out,  then 
bud,  then  blossom,  showering  your  neighborhood  with  un- 
expected beauty  and  a  faint  fragrance.  You  marvel  at 
honeysuckle  hedges  and  lanes  of  lilacs,  and  you  think  of 
merry  dances  around  a  maypole  or  you  remember  com- 
mencements on  a  college  campus  green. 

How  shall  we  recall  May  1970?  All  of  the  lovehness 
was  here.  But  something  else  was  present.  A  Brethren 
church  school  teacher  in  Ohio  happened  to  be  among  a 
group  changing  classes  when  the  shooting  occurred  at  Kent 
State  University.  Because  of  the  tear  gas,  this  student 
stayed  behind,  but  her  classmate,  Sandy,  was  one  of  the 
four  students  killed.  A  Brethren  boy  was  seriously  injured, 
perhaps  to  be  paralyzed  for  an  indefinite  period.  Those 
who  died  were  unarmed.  They  were  not  even  among  stu- 
dents who  threw  stones.  But  some  nervous  guardsmen 
were  armed.  And  the  shots  that  were  fired  could  not  be 
recalled. 

The  sound  of  that  volley  reechoed  on  many  college  and 
university  campuses  in  May.  Far  from  dancing  around  a 
maypole,  students  restlessly  sought  ways  to  protest  the 
escalated  war  in  Vietnam.  For  many  of  them  a  routine 
commencement  would  be  meaningless  if  they  were  to  be 
denied  any  opportunity  to  try  to  influence  legislators  and 
modify  a  foreign  policy  they  felt  to  be  morally  wrong. 
Some  campuses  were  shut  down.  Others  remained  open 
for  students  to  complete  the  term.  But  many  graduations 
would  be  different.  A  theological  seminary  in  New  York 
redesigned  its  commencement  to  offer  "the  expression  of 
our  anguish  and  mourning,  our  anger  and  criticism,  our 
sympathy  and  hope."  The  faculty  and  students  put  aside 
their  bright-colored  robes  and  hoods  and  dressed  only  in 
black. 

Black  for  mourning?   And  with  good  reason.    On  May 

32     MESSENGER    6-18-70 


I 


14  in  Jackson,  Mississippi,  during  a  disturbance  in  which 
a  dump  truck  was  set  afire  and  at  least  one  object,  a 
dustpan,  was  hurled  at  police,  state  and  local  policemen 
marched  on  a  woman's  dormitory  and  fired  into  a  crowd 
and  into  the  windows  of  the  building,  killing  two  black 
students  and  wounding  nine  others.  One  of  the  victims 
was  a  high  school  boy  walking  home  from  work  behind 
the  police  line.  The  other  was  a  medical  student,  active 
in  his  local  Methodist  church.  Two  U.S.  senators  who 
visited  the  scene  termed  it  "an  American  My  Lai  mas- 
sacre." 

May  is  such  a  lovely  month.  But  this  year  we  recalled 
the  words  of  John  Bright  in  a  speech  before  the  House  of 
Commons  in  1855  when  he  referred  to  Britain's  involve- 
ment in  the  Crimean  War.  He  said,  "The  Angel  of  Death 
has  been  abroad  throughout  the  land;  you  may  almost  hear 
the  beating  of  his  wings."  And  we  kept  thinking  also  about 
the  haunting  question  in  Bob  Dylan's  popular  song:  "How 
many  deaths  will  it  take"  before  some  of  us  at  last  realize 
"that  too  many  people  have  died?" 

loo  many  young  Americans  (217  in  a  recent  week) 
have  died  in  combat  in  Vietnam.  Too  many  Vietnamese, 
north  and  south.  Christian  and  Buddhist  (will  we  ever 
know  how  many?)  have  died.  Too  many  policemen,  often 
poorly  trained  for  their  proper  role  in  maintaining  law  and 
order,  have  died.  Too  many  Black  Panthers,  convinced 
they  must  resort  to  violence,  have  been  met  with  violence 
and  have  died.  Too  many  black  people  (like  the  six  in 
Augusta,  Georgia,  who  were  shot  in  the  back)  have  died. 
Too  many  soldiers.  Too  many  civilians.  Too  many 
agitators.  Too  many  innocent  bystanders.  Too  many  hu- 
man beings  created  in  the  image  of  God  —  created  for 
life,  not  for  death. 

In  May  just  past,  that  lovely  month  of  promise,  we 
could  not  help  but  hear  the  beating  of  the  wings  of  death. 
Do  you  agree  that  too  many  people  have  died?  Or  must 
Jesus  weep  and  die  again  because  we  lack  the  courage  to 
live  for  life?  —  k.m. 


I 


I  r^ 


InglenooK 
ook  Boo 


Over  1400  cherished  recipes  of  Dunker  sisters 
whose  tradition  placed  high  value  on  culinary  ex- 
cellence. Also  included  are  menus  for  Sunday  and 
weekdays,  Thanksgiving,  and  Christmas;  sug- 
gested food  for  the  sick;  home  remedies;  and  an 
interesting  table  of  measures. 

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CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN   GENERAL  OFFICES 


)R  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


I 


The  Role  of  the  Church  in  Postwar  Nigeria.  A  primary  duty  of  the 
church  in  'Nigeria  is  to  he  a  reconciler  and  to  become  a  moral  and  spiritual 
force  concerned  not  only  for  conversion  hut  for  the  total  man.  by  Emmanuel 
Urhobo.    page  2 


Respect  for  the  Laws  of  the  Land.  How  does  a  Christian  reconcile  scrip- 
tures urging  him  to  "obey  the  authorities"  with  others  that  affirm  that  "we 
must  obey  God  rather  than  man"  or  still  others  that  command  one  to  love 
his  enemies?  by  W.  Warren  Shoemaker,  page  9 


Toward  Ending  the  War.  Congregational  representatives,  college  youth, 
and  church  leaders  were  among  persons  who  visited  Washington  in  May, 
both  to  witness  to  their  peace  concerns  and  to  plan  together  for  joint  action 
for  peace,   by  Terry  Pettit.   page  12 


Conferring  in  Lincoln:  The  Business  in  Brief.  In  summary,  here  are 
capsule  statements  describing  the  specific  issues  expected  to  confront  more 
than  a  thousand  delegates  gathering  next  week  in  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  for  the 
184th  recorded  Annual  Conference,  page  14 


The  Real  Christ:  Where  Is  He?  Today  various  groups,  identifiable  by  slo- 
gans and  the  causes  they  espouse,  claim  to  be  the  church  of  Christ.  But 
would  Jesus  recognize  them?  They  imitate  him  in  some  aspects,  but  depart 
from  him  in  others.  Where  are  the  ones  who  resemble  him  most?  by  Peter 
J.  Ediger.   page  20 


Other  features  include  a  poem  by  Terry  Pettit  (page  11);  a  round-up  of  news  of  the 
church  in  action  on  the  international  front  (page  16)  and  in  a  variety  of  congregational 
activities  (page  18);  reviews  of  recorded  music  (page  24)  and  of  a  recent  film  (page  25); 
"Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Molly  Priddy  (page  26);  a  review  article  by  Samuel  H.  Flora  Jr., 
assessing  four  recent  books  for  devotional  reading  (page  27);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Byron 
and  Zola  Miller  (page  28);  and  an  editorial,  "How  Many  Deaths  Will  It  Take?"  (page 
32). 


COMING  NEXT 

A  major  section  of  the  July  2  issue  will  feature  "Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies,"  an 
interpretation  of  some  of  the  themes  and  concepts  that  must  be  dealt  with  in  the 
church's  planning  for  this  decade.  Influential  in  the  choice  of  the  series  of  focal  themes 
have  been  the  General  Board's  surveiy  efforts  through  consultations,  polls,  and  listening 
conferences  devoted  to  "Mission  in  tihe  Seventies." 


VOL.   119  NO.   II 


essenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     *^    7/2/70 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


Identity-  ^^.^ 

Celebration... 

J^^rtnershlp. , 
Communication. . . 


J^edepJi 


oyment . . 


readers  write 


A   CONCRETE   CHALLENGE 

There  is  more  than  an  abstract  testimony 
in  the  article  "Are  You  Willing  to  Give 
Your  Lives?"  (May  21) — there  is  a  con- 
crete challenge. 

I'm  afraid  that  only  as  whites  join  blacks 
in  taking  up  the  nonviolent  cross  in  the 
name  of  Christ  and  willingly  shed  some 
redemptive  blood  will  the  racial  hostilities 
be  cooled  in  our  country. 

How  many  of  us  are  willing  to  follow  the 
Spirit  who  inspired,  led,  and  empowered 
the  missionaries  who  returned  to  the  Auca 
Indians  after  five  were  killed?  This  respon- 
sive and  redemptive  Spirit  of  God  must 
prevail  in  our  lives  —  not  our  own  reactive 
and  revengeful  inhuman  spirits.  This  also 
means  that  our  motivation  must  spring 
more  from  our  love  for  Christ  than  from 
our  desire  to  save  our  country. 

I  wonder  what  the  Holy  Spirit  would  do 
if  a  dozen  of  us  would  give  our  lives  as  the 
Daehlins  in  a  couple  dozen  major  cities  in 
the  United  States.  We  would  likely  be 
shocked  that,  though  the  hostilities  of 
some  blacks  are  dangerously  high,  more 
people  would  die  because  of  bullets  coming 
from  guns  in  the  hands  of  whites. 

Yet  we  should  remember  that  our  Savior 
and  Lord  absorbed  the  blows  of  the  whole 
human  race.  Didn't  Jesus  warn  his  follow- 
ers to  expect  some  similar  treatment?  How 
costly!  But  it  is  Christ's  way  of  forgiveness 
opening  into  new  life. 

Roger  Eberly 
Lima,  Ohio 

PROFIT   IN   OIL 

What  do  we  do  when  a  test  tanker  rup- 
tures on  a  trial  Arctic  passage? 

•  Keep  the  details  from  the  public. 

•  Go  on  with  your  plans.  Some  oil  will 
get  through.  Enough  to  pay. 

•  Continue  underwater  production  with- 
out using  your  safety   devices.       Maximum 


profit  is  the  one  rule. 

•  If  another  nation  protests,  rattle  your 
rockets.  Get  noisy  individuals  off  into  a 
side  room. 

•  Be  sure  to  keep  government  men  in 
line.  Spend  for  corruption  if  you  expect  to 
maintain  pollution. 

•  Stand  firmly  behind  Connally  Amend- 
ment defiance  of  the  World  Court. 

•  Be  sure  that  the  United  Nations  has 
no  actual  authority,  or  world  laws,  or  world 
police. 

•  Insist  on  this  profit  program  at  all 
costs.  Better  die  than  modify.  If  we  all 
die,  then  God  planned  it  that  way. 

Roy  White 
Citronelle,  Ala. 

ENOUGH   MINISTERS   AVAILABLE 

A  good  many  persons  in  the  Brotherhood 
feel  that  we  have  a  problem  with  the  small 
churches.  But  haven't  our  small  churches 
been  our  strength?  The  establishing  of  new 
fellowship  groups  and  eventually  new  con- 
gregations led  to  the  calling  of  men  to 
pastoral  duties  and  the  development  of 
teachers  and  leaders. 

We  are  told  that  today  there  is  a  shortage 
of  ministers,  or  those  willing  to  do  pastoral 
work.  In  our  Northern  Ohio  District  we 
have  fifty-eight  churches,  eighty  ordained 
ministers,  and  seven  licensed  ministers.  Cer- 
tainly a  number  of  these  are  retired  minis- 
ters, many  others  are  in  some  other  kind  of 
work,  and  some  of  the  licensed  ministers 
are  in  school.  Yet  there  are  enough  minis- 
ters available  to  serve  all  the  churches, 
provided  the  congregation  and  the  minister 
can  agree  on  the  terms  in  relation  to  work 
and  salary. 

Some  congregations  want  a  minister  to  be 
twenty-five  to  thirty-five  years  old  with  a 
wealth  of  experience  and  training,  but  they 
set  his  salary  by  the  income  of  the  poorer 
families  in  the  congregations.    On  the  other 


PHOTO  CREDITS:    1.  4,  6,   12  Edward  Wallowhch;    9.   17,   18   Don   Honick;    16  John   Horning 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor:  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor:  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication:  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20.  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17.  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  I,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Ser\'ice.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  arc  from  the  Revised  Standard  \'crsion. 
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If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  ai 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  1451  Dundee  .\ve.,  Elgin.  Ill  60120 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  III.    July  2,   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119   No.  14 


hand,  some  of  our  most  recent  salary  scale 
suggestions  are  unreasonable  demands,  too. 
Certainly,  it  would  be  nice  if  every  pastor 
received  $8,000-$  12,000  per  year,  or  if  every 
other  family  in  America  received  that  much 
But  this  is  far  above  the  poverty  or  welfare 
level,  and  many  families  exist  at  this  lower 
level.  Ministers  can  live  comfortably  for 
less  than  the  upper  figures,  even  with  infla- 
tion. They  do  while  they  are  in  seminary 
and  other  training. 

But  I  want  also  to  suggest  that  there  are 
few  congregations  which  cannot  afford  a 
full-time  pastor,  even  in  these  days.  It 
should  be  possible  for  ten  tithing  families 
to  pay  the  support  and  salary  for  a  pastor. 
The  question  is  whether  our  church  families 
want  a  pastor  enough  to  become  serious 
about  this.  Then,  another  ten  tithing  fami- 
lies in  that  church  could  contribute  enough 
to  care  for  other  church  expenses  for  a 
small  church.  It  doesn't  require  160  fami- 
lies to  make  a  church  or  to  support  a  pastor. 
And  if  a  pastor  earnestly  endeavors  to  serve 
the  community,  that  pastor  can  find  fulfill- 
ment serving  a  church  of  forty  to  sixty 
families. 

Dean  Kindy 
Creston,  Ohio 

FULL  GOSPEL  OR   PARTIAL  GOSPEL 

I  am  not  sure  what  to  suggest,  but  1 
would  like  to  answer  the  letter  of  Brother 
Harold  Lawrence  (Jan.  29).  I  am  con- 
cerned not  for  his  sake  but  because  I  have 
read  many  books  on  the  speaking  in  tongues, 
declaring  that  this  is  the  way  —  and  the  only 
way  —  to   receive   God's  Holy   Spirit! 

In  these  books  I  have  noticed  that  single  • 
verses  are  taken  out  of  context.  I  have  seen 
these  authors  give  their  own  highly  evaluated 
credentials,  declaring  that  they  are  the  only 
ones  in  two  thousand  years  who  have  been 
able  to  understand  and  interpret  the  Word. 
This  in  itself  is  not  especially  bad  if  they 
themselves  wish  to  believe  it,  but  when  they 
disillusion  many  who  are  searching  for  the 
truth,  we  must  answer  and  answer  clearly. 

I  feel  it  is  urgent  to  answer  this  principle 
which  has  discouraged  many  and  made 
others  turn  from  the  church  in  disgust.  I 
feel  that  we  must  find  a  way  to  encourage 
individuals  to  study  and  evaluate  for  them- 
selves what  Jesus  teaches  and  what  the 
Holy  Spirit  can  do  for  us. 

Everett  Groff 
Castaner,   Puerto  Rico 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


Identity. . . 


You  look  in  a  mirror,  and  you  ask,  "Wiio  am  I?" 
Everywhere  you  turn  you  iiear  answers: 

"/  am  an  American.  And  proud  of  it.  Living  in  this 
great  country,  enjoying  its  freedoms,  defending  its 
future  —  that's  what  makes  me  fee!  important." 

"/  am  a  farmer.  My  life  is  sometimes  hard,  but  I 
can  be  my  own  boss.  I  like  living  close  to  the  earth, 
cooperating  with  it  and  with  the  good  Lord  who  made 
it.  As  a  farmer  I'm  needed  —  and  that's  important." 

"/  am  a  wife  and  mottier.  I  don't  apologize  for 
being  a  homemaker.  It's  my  relationships  —  to  hus- 
band and  children  —  that  make  my  life  significant. 
I  have  all  the  career  I  want." 

"/  am  an  individual.  Like  nobody  else.  You  don't 
need  to  know  my  occupation,  my  race,  my  denomina- 
tion, my  income,  or  my  political  party.  Accept  me 
as  a  person.  That's  how  I  find  meaning  in  life." 

"/  am  a  Cfiristian.  I  use  the  word  deliberately.  I 
see  in  Jesus  what  I  was  meant  to  be.  I  follow  him 
as  best  I  can.  I  believe  he  chose  and  called  me. 
His  kingdom  gives  me  a  purpose  to  live  for." 

Everywhere  you  go  someone  has  advice  to  help 
you  find  yourself. 

The  church  has  counsel  too,  but  it  has  more  than 
that  to  offer  you.  The  church  is  concerned  about 

—  the  values  you  choose 

—  the  style  of  life  you  follow 

—  the  commitments  you  make 

—  the  relationships  you  establish 

—  your  opportunities  to  grow  as  a  person 

The  church  invites  you  to  share  a  history  and  a  heri- 
tage with  which  you  can  identify  and  to  learn  from 
the  Bible  how  God  sees  you  and  how  you  can  be 
yourself. 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     1 


Identity,,. 


OUR  PEOPLE  ARE  REALLY  TURNED  ON 

Was  it  an  experience  of  Pentecost?  A  few  persons  in  the 
Pacific  Northwest  were  inclined  to  think  so.  Perhaps  they 
were  tempted  to  exaggerate.  But  there  was  no  question 
that  the  church  school  teachers  who  attended  were  enthusi- 
astic.   Listen  to  a  few  of  their  reactions: 

"I  could  have  stayed  until  midnight." 

"All  the  years  I  have  been  teaching,  I've  been  doing  so 
many  things  all  wrong.  I'm  going  to  do  something  about 
it  now." 

"We  are  never  going  to  be  the  same  again." 

"The  one  central  issue  of  faith  is  that  God  loves  me 
as  a  pei-on." 

"A  lot  of  our  fears  were  knocked  down!" 

All  of  these  comments  refer  to  a  two-day  workshop 
on  Christian  education  attended  by  thirty  persons  from  a 
cluster  of  churches  in  Washington  and  Oregon.  The  work- 
shop focused  on  concerns  that  were  raised  by  participants 
as  they  sought  to  develop  a  more  effective  teaching  ministry 
in  their  congregations. 

Ercell  Lynn,  a  member  of  the  Parish  Ministries  Com- 
mission staff,  served  as  resource  leader  working  in  coopera- 
tion with  the  district  Christian  education  commission.  He 
says,  "The  workshop  emphasized  the  role  of  the  teacher  — 
his  key  resource  being  himself,  his  ability  to  understand 
his  students  and  relate  to  them."  Participants  were  en- 
couraged to  establish  a  climate  for  learning  that  includes 
trust,  honesty,  and  willingness  to  accept  others  and  to  allow 
for  differences  in  beliefs  and  behavior. 

This  encouragement  was  not  merely  verbal,  for  part 
of  the  workshop  time  was  devoted  to  developing  under- 
standing, trust,  and  acceptance  among  the  teachers  them- 
selves. It  was  something  they  experienced.  The  resource 
leader  observed  that  "the  relationship  that  teachers  are 
hoping  to  establish  with  small  groups  in  a  classroom  is 
really  like  the  koinonia  [fellowship]  described  in  the  New 
Testament." 

But  what  about  techniques,  methods  of  teaching,  and 
planning  units  of  study?  These,  too,  had  their  place  in 
laboratory-type  sessions.  The  teachers  considered  the  use 
of  art  in  teaching.  They  discussed  the  factors  that  can 
facilitate  —  or  block  —  effective  group  learning.  They 
thought  about  "crossing  points,"  ways  of  relating  the  gospel 
to  issues  and  concerns  already  felt  by  students.  They 
planned  sessions  and  units  of  study. 

What  happened  when  they  went  home  to  their  church- 
es? Within  a  few  days  the  Christian  education  commission 
of  one  church  decided  to  do  away  with  their  long  tables 


1 

and  to  get  more  flexible  furniture  and  a  carpet  for  the 
classroom.  But  teachers,  according  to  several  reports,  were 
as  busy  rearranging  their  ideas  as  they  were  changing  their 
rooms.  An  associate  pastor  said  a  few  weeks  later,  "Our 
people  here  .  .  .  are  really  turned  on." 

At  the  present  time  the  Washington-Oregon  District 
is  making  tentative  plans  for  a  follow-up  workshop  in 
September.  It  will  not  only  bring  teachers  together  at  a 
central  place  for  a  laboratory  training  event  but  provide 
also  for  a  series  of  consultations  in  congregations  about 
their  educational  programs.  Ercell  Lynn  thinks  that  a  vari- 
ation to  this  approach  might  be  followed  in  other  districts. 
If  this  should  happen,  instead  of  mourning  the  demise  of 
the  church  school.  Brethren  could  be  well  advised  to  see 
it  as  an  opportunity  for  a  Pentecost. 

[ 
A  LOT  MORE  OUT  OF   LIFE  j 

A  few  weeks  after  Kathy  attended  the  first  two  week-  ! 
ends  of  a  Mission  Twelve  retreat  (she  was  one  of  the 
youngest  persons  present),  she  wrote  a  letter  to  her  D-  '< 
group  leader.  "I've  been  thinking  a  lot  about  Mission 
Twelve  since  I  got  home.  .  .  .  Our  discussions  on  openness 
have  helped  me  in  school.  ...  I  tried  being  more  open 
and  honest  and  now  all  my  friends  seem  so  much  closer. 
It's  a  two-way  street." 

You  can  sum  up  Kathy's  response  to  Mission  Twelve 
in  her  words,  "I  get  a  lot  more  out  of  life  now."    Other  ,, 
missioners,  reflecting  on  a  similar  retreat,  have  used  the  I 
more  conventional  language  of  the  church  to  describe  what  I 
to  them  has  been  a  spiritual  experience.  I 

A  pastor,  for  example,  said,  "I  was  about  to  give  up  » 
the  ministry.  It  was  hard  to  preach  as  expected  and  not 
have  any  response  from  what  was  being  shared.  Apathy, 
ill  feelings,  and  jealousies  of  long  standing  seemed  to  have 
taken  over.  But  when  my  group,  which  included  me, 
returned  from  our  first  two  retreat  experiences  and  we 
sensed  a  change  among  us  and  the  possibility  of  such 
freedom  in  dialogue  and  openness  becoming  the  inner  spirit 
of  a  local  church,  I  had  a  new  vision  of  what  the  pastoral 
ministry  could  mean.  I  am  fully  committed  to  stay  in  the 
ministry." 

Kathy  and  many  others  whose  letters  could  be  quoted 
are  among  the  nearly  5,000  persons  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  who  have  participated  in  the  more  than  fifty  Mis- 
sion Twelves  held  across  the  country  since  the  program 
was  launched  in  1964.  Already  649  congregations  have 
been  involved,  sending  missioners  to  a  series  of  three 
retreats  planned  by  district  or  area  personnel  and  utilizing 


2     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


local  and  national  leadership. 

No  one  can  accurately  assess  just  what  Mission  Twelve 
has  meant  to  the  persons  who  have  shared  in  it,  but  it 
is  obvious  that  the  personal  benefits  have  been  tremendous, 
for  many  of  the  missioners  testify  that  their  lives  have  been 
changed.  They  went  back  to  their  congregations  feeling 
better  equipped  to  know  and  be  themselves  —  and  also 
to  become  involved  in  the  mission  of  the  church. 

Will  Mission  Twelve  continue?  Yes.  Already  several 
districts  have  set  the  dates  for  missions  in  1970-71.  The 
program  is  being  evaluated  and  some  modifications  are 
being  considered  to  better  equip  persons  for  Christian  mis- 
sion. Carl  W.  Zeigler  Jr.  of  the  Parish  Ministries  Com- 
mission points  out  that  districts  which  have  had  heavy 
participation  in  Mission  Twelve  are  encouraging  local  vari- 
ations of  the  retreat  idea  or  sponsoring  advanced  programs. 

MY  PAN   IS   FULL 

Mission  Twelve  is  but  one  of  a  series  of  activities  — 
cell  groups,  hilltops,  spiritual  life  retreats,  leadership  train- 
ing schools,  camps  —  which  Brethren  have  sponsored 
through  the  years  to  provide  growth  opportunities  for  mem- 
bers of  the  church.  For  those  who  want  more  intensive 
training,  various  Group  Life  labs  have  been  offered  in 
recent  years,  and  a  recent  conference  at  Bethany  Seminary 
was  planned  to  develop  and  equip  leaders  in  the  use  of 
the  lab  method  (see  Carl  W.  Zeigler  Jr.'s  article  in  Messen- 
ger, May  7). 

Perhaps  not  everyone  who  attends  a  Life  Lab  will  be 
as  positive  about  its  values  as  the  minister  who  said,  "I  hit 
a  gold  mine,  and  my  pan  is  full."  But  such  group  life 
experiences,  scheduled  between  1959  and  1970,  have  pro- 
vided a  way  to  learn,  within  a  covenant  community,  how 
to  trust,  to  appropriate  human  values,  and  to  love;  how 
to  deal  with  fear,  despair,  and  confusion.  A  lab  can  pro- 
vide a  matrix  within  which  a  person  is  empowered  for 
change  and  sustained  in  his  values.  Carl  Zeigler  Jr.  points 
out  that  it  is  not  enough  for  persons  to  be  freed  and  their 
human  potential  to  be  released.  "This  only  makes  sense 
when  they  are  freed  to  function  meaningfully  within  the 
new  corporate  identity  (wider,  deeper,  and  more  fulfilling 
than  an  individual  identity)  in  Christ"  He  quotes  Colos- 
sians  3:16,  "Let  the  message  of  Christ  dwell  among  you 
in  all  its  richness"  (NEB). 

A  BRETHREN   IDENTITY  CRISIS? 

What  happens  when  a  denomination  suffers  from  an 
identity  crisis?   Concluding  a  study  book  entitled  Heritage 


and  Promise:  Perspective  on  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Emmert  F.  Bittinger  observes  that  "partly  as  a  result  of 
rapid  change  and  partly  as  a  result  of  sophisticated  modes 
of  thought  which  have  entered  into  the  lifestream  of  the 
church,  we  are  no  longer  entirely  sure  as  to  who  and  what 
we  are  as  a  denomination." 

Dr.  Bittinger's  recent  book,  published  in  January  of 
this  year,  makes  a  significant  contribution  toward  helping 
Brethren  recover  some  "confidence  and  certainty  about 
our  denomination's  identity  in  today's  world  and  its  role 
in  the  world  of  the  future."  Heritage  and  Promise  offers  a 
contemporary  look  at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  the 
light  of  its  history.  Writing  as  a  sociologist  who  is  well 
informed  in  church  history,  the  author  outlines  the  origins 
and  growth  of  the  Brethren  in  the  context  of  European 
church  developments  and  in  the  setting  of  a  changing  soci- 
ety. Along  with  institutional  growth  and  progress  he  de- 
scribes basic  beliefs  and  styles  of  life  among  Brethren. 

Heritage  and  Promise  is  the  most  recent  in  a  series 
being  developed  by  the  Parish  Ministries  Commission  to 
provide  new  Brethren  materials  for  the  Library  of  Re- 
sources. So  far  two  books,  both  attractively  designed  as 
paperbacks  for  use  by  youth  and  adults,  have  appeared. 

Two  other  Brethren  study  books  for  youth  and  adults 
are  scheduled  for  publication  in  1970.  Dale  Brown,  pro- 
fessor of  theology  at  Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  has 
prepared  a  manuscript  concerned  with  "Brethren  and  Pac- 
ifism." Ronald  Morgan,  pastor  of  the  Mack  Memorial 
church  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  is  dealing  with  theological  affirma- 
tions of  faith  as  viewed  from  a  Brethren  perspective. 

Dale  Brown's  book  reflects  the  pilgrimage  of  one 
student  and  teacher  who  has  reexamined  not  only  his  Breth- 
ren heritage  but  also  the  biblical  and  theological  bases  of 
peacemaking  as  a  guide  for  radical  action  today.  In  one 
chapter  the  Bethany  professor  discusses  the  various  parties 
and  movements  which  Jesus  knew  and  with  whom  he  might 
have  identified:  the  Sadducees,  the  Pharisees,  the  Essenes, 
and  the  Zealots.  Then,  having  noted  the  modern  counter- 
parts of  these  groups,  he  asks,  "What  should  be  our  posture 
in  our  contemporary  revolutionary  atmosphere?"  He 
writes,  "If  then  we  are  not  to  be  the  modem  Sadducees, 
the  defenders  of  the  status  quo,  or  the  modern  Pharisees, 
the  hypocritical  liberals,  or  the  modern  Essenes,  the  drop- 
outs of  various  kinds,  or  the  Zealots,  the  violent  rebels, 
where,  then,  are  we  to  be?  The  traditional  answer  for 
Brethren  should  be  —  we  will  be  with  Jesus  and  his  com- 
munity, joining  those  who  express  his  revolutionary  life- 
style wherever  it  forms." 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     3 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


« 


^ 


Evangelism. . . 


"If  I  take  your  hand,  will  you  come  with  me?" 

No  one  ever  finds  the  way  completely  alone. 
Along  the  road  someone  must  speak, 
or,  better  yet,  someone  must  reach  out  to  you 
to  show  you  why  he  cares 
and  then  you  know  that  God  cares, 
that  God  believes  in  you,  loves  you  enough. 
He  puts  his  own  life  on  the  line 
so  that  you  may  live. 

Evangelism  is  caring, 
caring  enough  to  reach  out  your  hand  to  another 


at  the  risk  of  being  rejected  or  slapped  down, 
caring  enough  to  love  and  be  loved  in  return. 

Evangelism  is  bearing, 
lifting  someone  else's  load  along  with  your  own, 
and  knowing  that  God's  arms  support  you  both. 

Evangelism  is  sharing, 
sharing  the  great  good  news  that  Jesus  Christ  lives 
in  the  hearts  of  those  who  walk  his  way 
and  his  kingdom  is  forever. 

"If  I  take  your  hand,  will  you  come  with  me?" 


i 


4     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


Evangelism.  The  word  has  as  many  meanings  as  there  are 
occasions  to  define  it.  If  you  want  to  start  an  argument, 
just  put  your  definition  over  against  another  one.  People 
take  up  sides  almost  immediately.  If  you  insist  that  the 
church  generally,  and  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  specifical- 
ly, is  not  sufficiently  evangelistic,  you  can  get  agreement. 
But  try  to  decide  what  to  do  next,  and  you  soon  get  in- 
volved in  a  continuing  debate. 

At  the  risk  of  intensifying  that  debate,  but  seriously 
hoping  that  Brethren  could  think  about  evangelism  at  a 
different  level,  two  members  of  a  special  task  team  left  the 
Elgin  offices  shortly  after  Easter  and  headed  for  a  series 
of  evangelism  encounters  at  area  meetings  in  Iowa  and 
Minnesota.  Matt  Meyer  had  already,  in  his  capacity  as  one 
of  the  planning  counselors  for  the  Parish  Ministries  Com- 
mission, prepared  a  working  paper  on  evangelism  (see 
Messenger,  April  23,  p.  12)  which  was  currently  being 
"worked  over"  by  colleagues  and  pastors.  And  Matt,  as  a 
pastor  for  thirteen  years  in  Glendale,  California,  had  def- 
inite convictions  about  the  evangelistic  potential  of  congre- 
gations. Having  just  left  a  successful  business  career  to 
join  the  general  staff,  Clyde  Weaver  identified  easily  with 
laymen  and  spoke  their  language. 

The  286  persons  who  participated  in  the  five  evening 
sessions  had  also  done  some  homework.  Three  short  dra- 
mas, each  pointing  to  some  aspect  of  evangelism,  had  been 
written  by  persons  in  the  district,  and  they  were  presented 
by  local  talent.  The  format  of  the  meetings  had  little  re- 
semblance to  a  traditional  evangelistic  crusade.  Matt's 
guitar  provided  accompaniment  for  group  singing.  Record- 
ings and  slides  invited  participation,  and  everyone  present 
was  encouraged  to  produce  spontaneously  a  poster  or  ad- 
vertisement illustrating  some  means  of  sharing  the  Christian 
faith.  The  mood  was  one  that  invited  everyone  to  relax,  to 
consider  what  he  and  the  church  had  that  was  worth  shar- 
ing, to  enjoy  the  experience  of  being  together,  and  to  be  as 
creative  as  possible  in  discovering  ways  to  communicate 
his  own  enthusiasm  and  to  invite  others  to  join  in  his  ad- 
venture. 

Looking  back  over  a  week  of  this  kind  of  barnstorming, 
Lyle  Albright,  district  executive  secretary  for  Iowa  and 
Minnesota,  sensed  what  he  called  "a  genuine  search  for 
life  that  blends  joy  and  integrity  in  the  Christian  witness." 
He  noted  that  participants  were  saying  that  "something 
special  is  happening  in  the  life  of  our  church."  If  nothing 
else  happened,  the  morale  of  churches  in  one  district  was 
boosted  at  a  time  when  churches  generally  are  experiencing 
discouragement.    But  there  was  evidence  of  something  far 


more  significant.  Some  churches  were  bound  to  let  their 
excitement  and  joy  spill  over  in  ways  that  would  help  other 
churches  and  other  persons  to  come  alive. 

Messenger  asked  Matt  and  Clyde  to  comment  on  their 
Iowa-Minnesota  experience,  but  with  an  eye  open  to  the 
rest  of  the  Brotherhood  as  well.  Their  responses  can  be 
summarized  as  follows: 

1.  People  everywhere  are  hungry  for  life.  This  ob- 
servation is  so  obvious  that  it  might  almost  be  taken  for 
granted.  The  focus  in  area  meetings  was  not  on  the  needs 
of  the  world  but  on  the  potential  within  the  church  for 
relating  to  those  needs. 

2.  The  church  has  a  lot  to  give.  Matt  and  Clyde  came 
down  heavily  on  the  side  of  what  the  church  already  has 
to  share.  Matt  noted  that  "people  do  sense  a  personal  rela- 
tionship to  God  and  often  can  'practice  the  presence  of 
God'  as  they  make  choices  and  decisions."  The  rich  beauty 
of  their  faith  and  commitment  is  something  to  celebrate. 
Christians  do  love  one  another,  and  despite  storms  in  some 
areas  of  congregational  life,  fellowship  and  concern  for  one 
another  are  positive  values.  Both  observers  were  impressed 
with  the  creativity,  the  talent,  the  native  ability  that  can  be 
found  among  church  members.  Clyde  noted  the  way  in 
which  common  concerns  leap  over  generational  bartiers, 
for  both  youth  and  adults  contributed  to  the  success  of  the 
Iowa  discussions.  And  he  was  struck  by  the  willingness  of 
Brethren  generally  —  both  pastors  and  laymen  —  to  be 
innovative. 

3.  But  Christians  must  lose  some  of  their  inhibitions. 
Some  attitudes  and  traditions  hold  people  back  from  shar- 
ing what  they  have.  "The  freeing  process,"  says  Matt,  "is 
sometimes  a  slow  and  painful  one."  Both  men  noted  a 
tendency  for  "negative  spirits"  within  a  congregation  to 
dominate  the  atmosphere.  "Too  often  we  box  ourselves 
in  by  disavowing  the  blessings  that  are  ours  or  by  limiting 
our  vision  of  what  might  be."  Clyde  observed  that  churches 
should  spend  more  time  on  feeding  the  hungry  and  less 
on  debating  the  menu. 

4.  Denominational  resources  can  help,  but  local  initia- 
tive is  essential.  The  greatest  needs  in  the  congregation  are 
in  learning  how  to  express  the  faith  and  the  hope  that 
"turns  people  on."  Resources  in  various  media  must  be 
made  available,  new  types  of  ministry  must  be  explored, 
ideas  and  experiments  must  be  shared  so  that  Brethren 
working  locally  will  venture  into  new  ways  of  relating  their 
faith  to  the  "experiential  world"  where  people  live. 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     5 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


Celebrate  is  what  families  do  with  birthdays,  and 
couples  do  with  anniversaries,  and  groups  of  persons 
do  with  holy  days  and  holidays. 

Celebration  has  to  do  with  remembering, 
commemorating,  retelling,  proclaiming.  It  has  to  do 
with  speaking  and  singing  and  dancing  and 
picturing  and  symbolizing. 


Celebration  has  sometimes  to  do  with  joy 
and  praise,  sometimes  with  solemnity  and  a  thank- 
fulness that  runs  deep.  It  has  to  do  with  sharing, 
with  food  to  eat,  with  a  cup  to  drink,  with  refraining 
from  business  as  usual. 

It  is  hard  to  do  alone,  perhaps  impossible.  Without 
one  other  person,  there  is  not  much  reason  to  cele- 
brate and  not  much  way  to  do  it. 

Celebrate  is  what  you  do  with  another  on  those 
really  important  days. 


Celebration... 


6     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


Celebration  is  one  of  the  four  words  around  which  the 
Parish  Ministries  Commission  is  wrapping  itself:  Identity, 
Celebration,   Evangelism,   Participation. 

As  a  Parish  Ministries  goal  statement,  celebration  is 
"assisting  persons  and  congregations  in  sharing  their  joy 
in  who  they  are  and  what  they  are  becoming." 

If  the  last  half  of  the  statement  sounds  to  you  as  if 
it  grows  out  of  Identity  (the  search  for  meaning  in  Christ), 
you're  right. 

If  it  suggests  the  enthusiasm  of  Evangelism's  "telling 
the  story  of  how  life  is  meaningful  (and  inviting  others  to 
share  in  fellowship  and  commitment  to  Christ),"  you're 
right  again. 

If  it  drives  you  to  consider  Participation's  involvement 
in  the  integration  of  life  and  faith,  you've  got  the  point. 

The  four  words  are  interrelated.  An  exploration  of 
one  leads  to  the  others.  Each  word,  big  enough  to  include 
aspects  of  the  other,  does  so  in  its  own  way. 

For  Brethren,  celebration  is  sharing  our  joy  in  who  we 
are  and  what  we  are  becoming  in  really  important  occa- 
sions, like  Aimual  Conference,  like  Sunday  mornings, 
like  .   .   . 

THE  SEVENTH  SEAL 

"We  were  impressed  with  the  freshness  and  enthusiasm  of 
a  group  of  youth  in  presenting  biblical  texts  that  speak  with 
an  unmistakable  urgency  to  the  basic  problems  of  our 
time."  That  was  the  comment  of  Paul  J.  Schulze,  director 
of  the  Center  for  Urban  Encounter,  upon  participating  with 
his  teen-age  daughter  in  a  program  called  "The  Seventh 
Seal"  at  Peace  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Portland,  Oregon. 

"There  were  more  than  a  hundred  young  people  in 
the  audience,"  Schulze  continued,  "whose  spontaneous  re- 
sponse indicated  that  this  was  a  relevant  ministry  not  only 
for  those  who  presented  the  celebration  but  for  all  those 
who  shared  in  it." 

The  basic  concept  of  M.  Andrew  Murray,  pastor  at 
Peace  Church,  in  assisting  the  production  is  that  "it  is  both 
possible  and  desirable  to  relate  the  learning  and  mission 
tasks  of  youth  to  their  creative  and  proclaiming  tasks." 

The  dream  is  to  develop  a  troupe  of  thirty  young  people 
who  will  work  in  small  groups  on  understanding  current 
social  problems  and  their  relationship  to  biblical  message, 
expressing  their  understanding  through  the  form  of  multi- 
media celebration. 

One  commentator  noted  that  "technically  the  program 
was  somewhat  rough  in  spots,  but  the  ideas  and  methods 
of  communication  offer  a  great  deal  of  potential  in  putting 


forth  the  Christian  gospel." 

The  celebration  was  later  televised  on  the  Portland 
NBC-TV  affiliate  in  a  half-hour  condensed  version  June  2 1 . 

Patterned  after  the  vision  of  John  in  Revelation  8  — 
22,  "The  Seventh  Seal"  attempts  with  sight  and  sound  to 
relate  the  scriptures  to  today.  It  presents  not  only  visions 
that  are  frightening,  but  also  John's  vision  of  "a  new  heaven 
and  a  new  earth." 

The  Parish  Ministries  Commission  has  granted  $1,500 
for  the  purchase  of  equipment  and  the  development  of  this 
dream  for  more  meaningful  celebration. 

"SUNDAY  MORNING  IS  DULL!" 

That,  like  the  others  that  follow,  is  a  quote  from  a  group 
of  twelve  Virginia  youth  participating  in  a  sounding  con- 
ference to  test  out  the  need  of  an  emphasis  on  celebration. 

"They  [the  local  church  establishment]  don't  like  what 
we  like:  informality,  joy,  social  concern,  celebration,  par- 
ticipation, movement.  What  they  don't  like  most  is  our 
kind  of  music." 

"Sure,  if  we're  lucky,  they  give  us  one  Sunday  out  of 
fifty-two  to  plan  the  worship  service  the  way  we  want  to, 
but  many  of  those  who  feel  we  need  to  be  involved  in  their 
worship  service  don't  show  up  for  ours." 

"Our  pastor  starts  announcing  four  weeks  in  advance 
that  such  and  such  a  Sunday  is  going  to  be  youth  Sunday. 
He's  saying  that  those  who  can't  take  it  shouldn't  come 
and,  also,  that  he's  not  responsible  for  what  happens  that 
Sunday." 

"If  we  are  part  of  the  church,  why  is  our  kind  of  mu- 
sic (folk,  guitar)  restricted  to  just  one  Sunday?" 

"If  you  grew  up  in  the  church  and  realize  you  don't 
have  any  say-so,  you  wouldn't  get  very  excited  about  in- 
viting others  into  it.  That's  the  way  I  feel."  —  Twelve 
Virginia  youth,  1970 

ARTS  AND  MEDIA  MINISTRY 

"It  is  my  personal  conviction,"  states  Gary  R.  Rowe,  a 
1970  Bethany  Theological  Seminary  graduate,  "that  the 
arts  represent  a  way  toward  self -fulfillment." 

Beginning  in  July,  he  will  have  the  opportunity  "to 
help  persons  be  more  fully  themselves"  in  what  he  calls 
"an  appeal  to  the  latent  artistry  within  each  person"  as 
Specialized  Minister  in  the  Arts  and  Media. 

Supported  by  a  $1,000  grant  from  the  Parish  Ministries 
Commission,  $2,000  from  the  District  of  Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin, and  a  $3,000  grant  from  the  United  Church  of 
Christ,  Mr.  Rowe  will  work  with  the  Community  of  Christ 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     7 


Celebration... 


the  Servant,  an  experimental  parish  sponsored  by  the  Lu- 
theran Church  in  America  and  located  near  the  seminary. 

The  ministry  will  tie  in  to  all  aspects  of  the  liturgical, 
social,  and  educational  work  of  the  parish  and  the  geo- 
graphical vicinity. 

Specific  responsibilities  will  be  enumerated  by  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Community  of  Christ  the  Servant  parish  to  fulfill 
needs  in  such  areas  as  family  and  child  Christian  education, 
and  development  of  creative  structures  to  allow  persons  to 
fulfill  themselves  in  artistic  endeavors,  and  meaningful  ways 
to  relate  the  Christian  life  to  the  church-at-large  and  to  the 
world. 

Already  proposed  are  theater  programs  for  all  age 
groups;  a  summer  film  making  workshop  for  children; 
regular  educational  programs  in  game  and  improvisational 
techniques  to  augment  the  Christian  education  program; 
and  production  work  in  the  development  of  television  pro- 
grams in  family  Christian  education  for  syndication  on  a 
nationwide  basis. 

As  sponsor,  the  Brethren  will  have  access  to  Gary's 
work  for  publication.  He  will  serve,  also,  as  a  consultant 
in  celebrative  ministry. 

Brethren  at  Annual  Conference  at  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky, witnessed  his  dramatic  work.  The  one-act  play 
"Edward,  Edward"  featured  Gary  as  actor  as  well  as  au- 
thor. This  year  he  was  commissioned  to  do  a  full-length 
play  for  the  Martinsburg,  Pennsylvania,  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  "A  Rumor  of  Innocence"  is  now  in  the  process 
of  publication  by  Parish  Ministries  and  the  Brethren  Press. 

ART   IS  A  MINISTRY 

"Art  should  be  a  ministry  of  the  church,  just  as  music  is," 
asserts  Mrs.  Mary  Ann  Hylton,  director  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  Art  School  in  Frederick,  Maryland. 

She  points  out  that  artistic  expression  was  one  of  the 
most  effective  means  of  communication  and  education  in 
the  early  church. 

Although  original  art  has  been  used  very  little  in  past 
centuries,  it  is  Mrs.  Hylton's  conviction  that  the  church 
throughout  the  world  is  now  experiencing  a  rebirth  of 
interest  in  art  and  an  appreciation  for  its  potential  con- 
tribution to  its  work. 

It's  true  in  Frederick  where  two  years  ago  the  school 
was  founded  with  twenty-five  students.  Classes  have  since 
expanded  to  include  persons  from  ages  nine  to  sixty-five 
with  a  wide  range  of  background,  interests,  and  occupa- 
tions. 

"Art  is  their  common  language,  their  reason  for  being 

8     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


together,  their  ambition  and  hobby  and  therapy  and  love  — 
and  the  church  is  their  meeting  ground,"  explains  Mrs. 
Hylton. 

The  present  schedule  includes  a  Monday  evening  class 
for  adults  and  teens,  a  Wednesday  morning  adult  class,  and 
a  Saturday  morning  class  for  children. 

Instruction  is  given  in  drawing,  painting,  pastel,  collage, 
and  other  media,  according  to  each  student's  interest  and 
ability.  Tours  of  area  museums  and  special  art  exhibits 
occur  frequently.  Visiting  artists  have  demonstrated  special 
skills,  and  slide-illustrated  lectures  on  art  have  been  shown 
to  augment  the  study  program. 

The  second  anniversary  of  the  school  was  climaxed  this 
year  with  a  two-day  Festival  of  the  Arts,  drawing  persons 
from  a  four-state  area. 

The  schedule  of  events  included  exhibits  by  guests  as 
well  as  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  Art  School  and 
featured  a  religious  art  competition. 

LET'S  CELEBRATE!  i 

In  the  July/ August  issue  of  Leader,  T.  Wayne  Rieman  of  ' 
Manchester  College  shares  a  celebration  he  authored.  It 
begins: 

Reader.-  To  affirm  in  the  midst  of  death  that  life  is  here 
and  with  us  always. 
To  affirm,  despite  despair  and  frustration  that  it 

is  better  to  be  than  not  to  be. 
To  affirm  that  love  and  hope  are  stronger  than 
war  and  hatred  and  fear, 
People  :  Then  we  can  celebrate. 
Reader:  To  know 

that  the  many  are  one, 
To  know  that  life  is  good  because  every  situation 
is   filled   with   indeterminate   possibilities  for 
good. 
To  know  that  God  loves  us  and  that  he  loves  the 
whole    big,     buzzing,     blooming,     confusing 
world. 
People:   Then  worship  becomes  celebration. 
Reader:  To  discover  that 

we  don't  have  to  stay  the  way  we  are. 
To  proclaim  that  we  can  be  born  again,  because 
new  life,  hope,  and  joy  have  happened  to  us. 
To  speak  less  of  God  in  the  world  and  live  God 
as  our  way  of  speaking  of  him. 
People:  Then  we  will  celebrate! 
Reader:  To  see  the  world  as  raw  material  to  work  on, 
To  sense  new  life,  hope,  joy. 


CPeople: 

JReader: 

eople: 


To  experience  forgiveness  again  and  again  and 

again, 
To  meet  the  "man  for  others"  —  Jesus, 
To  meet  any  "man  for  others"  —  King,  Evers, 

Schweitzer,     Carver,     Malcolm     X,     Ham- 

marskjold. 
It's  natural  to  celebrate. 
Yes,  yes,  but  what  is  it  that  we  celebrate? 
We  celebrate  the  goodness  of  creation. 


The  service  goes  on  to  celebrate  "the  gift  of  life  —  our 
ife,"  "the  kingdom  of  God!,"  "love  —  the  greatest  thing 
in  the  world,"  "the  way  out  of  the  blues,"  "man,"  and  ends 
with  this  benediction: 
Reader:  Life  is  holy! 
Celebrate  it! 
Shalom! 
People:  Shalom! 

This  service,  called  "In  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  Let's 
Celebrate!"  and  the  worship  aids  in  April  and  May  on  the 
worship  folders  are  examples  of  what  is  to  come  in  the 
way  of  celebration:  material  resources  that  wUl  assist  those 
who  plan  and  lead  in  celebrative  acts. 

PRAISE  GOD  WITH   BANNERS! 

"When  the  Sacred  Design  bulletin  series  suggested  a  Lenten 
series  on  key  words  from  the  New  Testament  letters,"  ex- 
plains Ronald  K.  Morgan,  pastor  of  the  Mack  Memorial 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Dayton,  Ohio,  "we  accepted  it  as 
our  Lenten  focus." 

They  decided  to  make  banners  —  a  banner  for  each 
word:  temptation,  judgment,  expiation,  righteousness,  hope, 
and  perseverance.  A  seventh  was  made  for  Easter:  He  Was 
Raised!  Interpretive  words  and  phrases  were  added  as  nec- 
essary to  explain  the  focus  word. 

Who  made  them?  At  first  committees,  then  families. 
Of  what?  Various  colors  of  burlap,  six  feet  by  three  feet, 
with  symbols  and  lettering  of  felt  glued  to  it.  A  hem  at 
the  top  and  bottom  and  two  wood  dowels  helped  the  ban- 
ners hang  straight.  Each  banner  cost  less  than  $5.00. 

"We  placed  the  banner  for  each  Sunday's  worship  on 
a  long  pole  beside  the  pulpit,  plenty  high  for  the  attention 
of  all,"  continued  Mr.  Morgan  with  enthusiasm.  "After 
the  service  it  was  placed  on  the  sanctuary  wall  for  the 
remainder  of  Lent." 

Pastor  Morgan  summarized  the  values  for  the  congre- 
gation. Among  them:  the  serious  theological  inquiry  and 
discussion  in  preparing  the  banners. 


"Copying  the  bulletin  cover  was  taboo.  The  design  had 
to  be  created  out  of  an  encounter  with  the  meaning,  and 
hopefully  with  an  experience,  of  the  word.  It  made  the 
banner  creators  co-sermon  makers  and  much  keener  listen- 
ers to  the  preaching  of  the  Word." 

Moreover,  the  banner  making  produced  creative  dimen- 
sions to  worship.  There  was  never  a  doubt  about  the  serv- 
ice's focus.  Colors  added  beauty  to  the  worship  environ- 
ment. 

The  creator-family  found  various  ways  to  explain  in 
the  service  in  one  to  three  minutes  the  meaning  they  tried 
to  convey  in  their  banner.  Monologue,  dialogue,  question- 
answer,  and  folk  song  were  tried.  Thus,  a  variety  of  par- 
ticipation. 

It  was  a  significant  experience.  One  thing  is  obvious 
to  some  Mack  Memorial  members.  Banners  should  be 
the  creation  of  the  congregation,  not  just  purchased  by 
them  for  ornamentation.    That's  celebration! 


May  he  grant  you  your  heart's  desire, 

and  fulfil  all  your  plans! 
May  we  shout  for  joy  over  your  victory, 

AND  IN  THE  NAME  OF  OUR  GOD 

SET  UP  OUR  BANNERS! 
May  the  Lord  fulfil  all  your  petitions! 
—  Psalm  20:4-5 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     9 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


I ' 


Communication. . . 


Communication   is  the  transfer  of   meaning. 

That  sentence  has  meaning  to  me.  I  am  not  certain 
you  find  in  that  sentence  the  same  meaning.  I'll  try 
again. 

Communication  is  the  transfer  of  meaning  —  a 
meaning  I  give  to  an  event  that  began  before  I  was 
aware  it  was  in  process,  an  event  that  continues  be- 
yond the  point  I  experience  it.  That  little  segment 
of  the  event  that  has  meaning  to  me,  has  a  different 
meaning  to  everyone  else  who  experienced  it  because 
of  who  they  are  (what  they  bring  to  the  event)  and 
how  they  experience  and  record  that  meaning  inside 
themselves. 

Communication  isn't  very  easy,  is  it?  For  a  day 
I've  been  reading  articles  about  communication  so  that 
the  word  might  have  some  meaning  for  me  to  write 
about.  Now  that  I'm  writing,  I  am  aware  that  you 
haven't  had  that  experience.    What  are  the  right  words? 


To  transfer  meaning,  we  English-speaking  Breth- 
ren have  600,000  words  at  our  disposal,  2,000  of  which 
are  used  in  daily  conversation.    That's  not  counting  i 
those  technical  words  we  use  in  our  respective  oc- 
cupations. 

That  really  doesn't  make  the  job  any  easier. 

There  are  still  other  complications:  the  fact  that 
the  500  most  frequently  used  words  have  14,000 
dictionary  definitions,  leading  to  the  possibility  of 
numerous  misinterpretations. 

On  the  other  hand,  500  words  is  a  pitifully  small 
number  of  symbols  to  describe  the  infinite  richness 
and  diversity  of  individual  human  experience. 

So  we  have  this  problem  of  communication:  trans- 
ferring meaning,  limited  by  having  so  few  words, 
limited  as  well  by  having  the  few  words  have  so 
many  meanings. 


10     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


Set's  take  a  word  like  CHURCH.    What  does  the  word 
aean? 

I'm  tempted  to  look  it  up  in  the  dictionary.  .  .  .  I 

just  did.  I  looked  at  all  those  lines  and  they  didn't  help 

very  much. 

The  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  words  in  themselves  do 
p)t  have  meaning.    People  have  meaning  and  they  give 
leir  meanings  to  the  words  they  use. 

A  dictionary  helps  only  a  little.  It  gives  a  history  of 
■how  a  word  has  been  used  most  frequently  in  some  context 
and  at  different  times. 

This  word  church.  Ask  not,  "What  does  //  mean?" 
^sk  instead,  "What  do  you  mean?"  or  "What  do  /  mean 
when  I  refer  to  church?" 

How  have  you  experienced  church?  as  a  child?  as  an 
adult?  as  an  outsider?  as  an  insider?  as  a  saint?  as  a 
dinner?  as  a  black  man?  as  a  white  man?  as  a  man?  as 
staff  member?    as  a  college  student? 

And  where  have  I  experienced  it?  in  Appalachia?  in 
Washington,  D.C.?  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania?  on  the  plains 
pf  Nebraska?  on  the  Eisenhower  Expressway  in  Chicago? 
in  a  little  church  in  Illinois?  in  a  "mother  church"?  in  a 
suburban  congregation  in  Kettering,  Ohio?  in  a  community 
where  there  is  a  Brethren  college  or  seminary  or  district 
or  national  office?  in  a  camp  setting?  in  a  protest  rally  at 
the  Washington  monument?  in  a  semimigrant  community 
in  California?  in  Quito,  Ecuador? 

And  in  what  way  am  I  referring  to  it:  church  as  local, 
denominational,    ecumenical,    Sunday    morning,    building, 
people,  historical.  New  Testament,  official  Annual  Confer- 
ence, Elgin,  they,  we,  now,  back  home,  pre-1708? 
!       It  makes  a  difference! 

Church  has  meaning  as  a  word  because  we  give  it 
meaning.  It  means  something  quite  different  to  each  of 
jus  because  we  have  experienced  what  we  call  "church" 
Sn  so  many  different  ways. 

Now,  give  me  a  precise  definition  of  the  word  church. 


If  you  smiled  and  shrugged  your  shoulders,  you 
I       gave  the  right  answer. 

Now  take  the  person  who  uses  the  word  in  a  sentence 
and  thinks  he's  communicating  when  he  says,  "Things 
iaren't  what  they  used  to  be  in  the  church!" 

That's  fairly  easy  to  agree  with  even  if  you  don't  know 
what  he  meant  by  the  comment. 

WHAT  things?  the  means  of  financial  support?  the 
use  of  an  organ  in  worship?  church  architecture? 


Aren't  like  they  used  to  be  WHEN?  before  the  recent 
pastoral  change?  before  1870?  before  1708?  before  Acts 
20:21? 

Like  they  used  to  be  WHERE?  in  the  church  of  my 
childhood  in  Pennsylvania?  in  Schwarzenau,  Germany?  in 
Trinity  church  in  suburban  Detroit?  at  Pleasant  Hill?  at 
the  Riverview  EUB  Church? 

In  what  church?    (We've  been  through  this  one  before.) 

After  you've  questioned  your  former  friend  (actually 
he  should  be  more  of  a  friend  if  you've  been  concerned 
about  understanding  what  he  means),  he  may  then  rephrase 
his  statement:  (I  feel  that)  (He  won't  say  this,  but  this 
is  what  he  means)  "The  business  transacted  (things)  at 
Annual  Conference  (where)  has  less  membership  involve- 
ment and  therefore  less  commitment  to  the  decisions  of 
the  Conference  (what)  since  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
(another  what)  changed  to  a  representative  form  of  govern- 
ment with  only  delegates  voting  (still  another  what)." 

You  still  may  want  to  agree,  but  it  helps  to  know  the 
meaning  with  which  he  thinks  you  are  agreeing. 

So  what  have  we  said?  WE'VE  BEEN  DEALING 
WITH  MEANINGS,  THE  TRANSFERENCE  OF 
WHICH  WE'VE  CALLED  COMMUNICATION. 
WORDS  BOTH  HELP  AND  HINDER. 

If  we  have  learned  one  other  thing,  I  hope  it  is  this: 
WE  CANNOT  ASSUME  THAT  EVERYONE  KNOWS 
WHAT  WE  ARE  TALKING  ABOUT. 

If  we've  learned  two  things,  I  hope  the  second  is  this: 
WE  CANNOT  ASSUME  THAT  WE  KNOW  WHAT 
OTHERS  ARE  TALKING  ABOUT  WITHOUT  ASKING 
QUESTIONS  TO  MAKE  CERTAIN. 

The  Kaiser  Aluminum  News  did  an  issue  on  communi- 
cation in  1965.  They  suggested  a  useful  little  catechism 
designed  to  help  the  communication  process  in  which  we 
are  involved  as  members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
It  goes  like  this: 

(1)  WHO  said  so?  (Don't  accept  "they"  or  "a  Brother- 
hood staff  member"  or  "a  m.ember  of  said.") 

(2)  WHAT  did  he  say?  (What  someone  says  he  "thinks" 
someone  else  said  is  probably  wrong;  forget  it.) 

(3)  What  did  he  MEAN?  (If  you  are  talking  to  someone 
directly,  ask  questions.  If  he's  not  around,  then  possibly 
what  he  meant  cannot  be  established.) 

(4)  HOW  does  he  know?  (Is  he  an  expert?  Was  he  there? 
What  are  his  sources  of  information?) 

Perhaps  this  "magic  formula"  will  move  us  along  on  the 
transfer  of  meaning.  The  seven  words  for  the  seventies 
need  to  be  communicated.  Can  you  help  us? 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     11 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


Caring. . . 


Who  cares? 

The  people  of  Laish  didn't.  Read  their  story  in  Judges 
18.  They  were  "a  quiet,  carefree  foll<"  who  followed 
"a  carefree  life."  They  lived  to  themselves,  were 
prosperous,  had  no  need  of  neighbors.  Their  city  fell. 

Who  cares? 

The  people  of  Israel  didn't.  Not  so  long  as  they  could 
live  "at  ease  in  Zion"  or  "untroubled  on  the  hill  of 
Samaria."  Amos  the  prophet  said  to  them,  "Shame 
on  you." 

Who  cares? 

Jonah  didn't.  Not  really.  A  reluctant  prophet,  he  first 
ran  away,  came  belatedly  to  Ninevah,  was  unhappy 
when  its  people  repented.  But  God  cared  for  them, 
all  120,000  of  them. 


Who  cares? 

God  does.    He  sent  patriarchs  and  priests,  prophets  i 
and  teachers  to  guide  his  people.   He  cared  so  much  i 
that  in  the  fullness  of  time  he  sent  his  Son  ("when 
you  care  enough  to  send  the  very  best").  God  cares 
for  every  child. 

Who  cares? 

Some  Christians  care.  Like  the  believers  in  Jerusalem, 
who  sold  land  and  houses,  distributing  money  to  any  > 
who  stood  in  need. 

Who  cares? 

Some  Christians  yearn  for  a  life  free  from  care.  But  I 
others  hear  the  cry  of  the  hungry.  They  stop  when  i 
they  see  there  is  no  bread.  They  respond  because ' 
they  care. 


12     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


If  you've  been  a  "Peanuts"  reader  off  and  on  through  the 
years,  you  will  be  interested  in  one  theologian's  interpreta- 
tion of  the  role  played  by  the  dog  Snoopy.  As  seen  by 
Robert  L.  Short,  author  of  The  Gospel  According  to  Pea- 
nuts, the  canine  comic  often  represents  "the  hound  of 
heaven"  —  the  persistent  claim  of  God  upon  us. 

In  one  cartoon  Linus,  holding  fast  to  his  blanket  in 
one  hand,  is  eating  a  banana  with  the  other.  Snoopy,  the 
dog,  hears  the  sound  of  food  and  licks  his  chops  in  antici- 
pation. For  a  moment  Linus  is  torn  between  the  dog's 
beseeching  look  and  his  own  hunger.  He  solves  his  dilem- 
ma by  pulling  his  blanket  over  his  head,  thus  assuring  that 
he  can  continue  to  eat  without  having  to  face  a  hungry 
friend. 

But  grown-ups,  no  less  than  little  Linus,  tend  to  reach 
for  a  protective  cover  when  a  call  for  caring  comes. 

At  various  points  Jesus  came  up  against  the  prejudices 
and  the  establishments  of  his  society.  His  response,  John 
C.  Bennett  wrote  recently  in  the  Christian  Century,  was  one 
of  challenge.  Dr.  Bennett  added:  "Jesus'  identification  with 
the  poor  and  oppressed  and  his  willingness  to  challenge  his 
society's  ethnocentrism  (or  racism)  and  financial  gain  — 
the  two  sore  points  in  our  society  —  are  quite  extraordi- 
nary, becaui;e  the  disturbing  nature  of  his  teaching  and  life 
are  so  well  covered  up  by  the  churches  and  by  the  cultures 
in  which  Christianity  is  dominant." 

What  the  church  is  challenged  today  to  do  is  to  shed 
its  protective  screen,  to  chuck  its  blanket  of  security  and 
isolation,  and  to  become  a  community  of  persons  who  care. 

It  is  called  to  care  deeply  enough  about  individuals 
and  masses  so  as  to  immerse  itself  in  the  struggle  for  mean- 
ing and  justice.  Such  endeavors  as  those  represented  by 
the  peace  movement  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  the 
End  the  War  Task  Team  of  recent  weeks,  and  participation 
in  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  and  race  training  labs  accent 
two  of  the  country's  most  critical  issues,  peace  and  race. 

The  church  is  called  to  care  enough  about  the  future 
as  to  speak  out  on  the  new  threats  to  human  existence  and 
on  new  possibilities  for  liberation.  This  may  encompass, 
as  a  beginning,  efforts  to  speak  to  the  priorities  not  only 
of  government  but  of  institutions,  even  the  local  church, 
and  of  families  and  individuals.  And  in  no  small  way  it 
entails  hearing  and  seeking  to  understand  the  deep  concerns 
of  the  young. 

The  church  is  called  to  care  enough  about  those  who 
differ,  whatever  their  political  or  ideological  or  theological 
persuasions,  as  never  to  write  them  off  as  nonpersons,  never 
to  regard  them  as  cut  off  from  the  love  of  God.   This  may 


be  seen  in  the  Brotherhood  partially  sponsoring  an  ex- 
BVSer  in  a  visit  to  Cuba;  the  church's  exchanges  across 
the  Iron  Curtain  with  Russians,  Poles,  Czechs,  and  Bul- 
garians; many  local  encounters  with  persons  of  vastly  differ- 
ent backgrounds  through  fellowship  and  action. 

The  church  is  called  to  care  enough  about  the  power 
of  the  Word  of  God  as  to  bring  it  to  bear  in  concrete 
experiences.  This  entails  a  willingness  to  take  evangelism 
seriously,  even  while  acknowledging  only  partial  under- 
standing; a  willingness  to  reexamine  and  remain  open  on 
established  values  and  traditions  even  while  striving  to 
live  out  one's  own  convictions;  a  willingness  to  allow  reli- 
gion to  speak  to  the  emotions  as  well  as  to  the  intellect. 

In  East  Harlem  there  is  a  tiny  church  that  might  be  a 
model  for  congregational  life  far  and  wide.  Called  Emmaus 
House,  the  venture  is  described  simply  by  some  observers 
as  "where  it's  at." 

What  is  there?  A  community  of  caring.  An  ecumenical 
center.    An  agent  of  reconciliation.    A  venture  of  hope. 

"Men  cry  for  community;  we  refuse  to  be  a  sign  of 
brotherhood  in  a  divided  world.  Men  seek  truth;  we  offer 
them  dogmatic  conformity  without  room  for  the  spirit. 
Men  expect  Christ  the  Servant;  we  give  them  a  self -wor- 
shipping institution  chained  to  worldly  security  and  privi- 
lege. Men  demand  justice  and  peace;  we  remain  deaf  and 
do  not  speak  the  bold  words  of  the  gospel.  Men  need 
brothers;  yet  we  are  frightened  to  join  totally  in  the  lives 
and  struggles  of  the  human  community.  We  carry  a  heavy 
responsibility  for  all  those  who  lack  hope." 

These  are  the  words  of  David  Kirk,  Emmaus  House 
founder.  But  he  was  not  content  only  to  confess  failure. 
He  planted  in  the  midst  of  the  secular  city  a  community  of 
hope,  a  sign  of  "our  already  present  unity  in  Jesus,  a  cry, 
a  gesture,  a  seed  ...  a  triumphant  affirmation  in  the  power 
of  God  to  bring  life  out  of  darkness  and  wholeness  out  of 
crippled  situations." 

Emmaus  House  takes  its  name  from  the  event  on  the 
way  to  Emmaus,  when  the  Stranger  appeared  and  broke 
bread  and  began  to  speak  and  opened  a  new  hope,  making 
the  difficulties  of  that  trek  seem  small  and  the  journey  to 
pass  quickly. 

The  hope  of  Emmaus,  in  which  men  of  faith  care 
enough  to  join  those  along  the  road  and  share  together  in 
communication  and  community,  speaks  to  the  deepest 
needs  of  the  hour. 

To  be  a  sign  of  God's  presence  in  the  world,  on  the  job, 
in  the  family  ...  To  care,  to  love,  to  live,  to  be  .  .  .  That's 
where  it's  at. 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     13 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


Partnership. . . 


It's  not  only  the  outcome  of  life  that  is  important. 
It's  also  how  life  is  lived. 

So  it  is  with  Christian  witness.  The  focus  is  on  the 
how  as  well  as  the  what.  It  is  the  process  as  well  as 
the  product  that  counts. 

At  stake  is  acceptance,  a  positive  regard  for  the 
other,  free  from  subtle  forms  of  rejection.  At  stake  is 
willingness  to  enter  into  the  experiences  of  another, 
risking  one's  own  vulnerability.  At  stake  is  the  grant- 
ing of  freedom  to  another,  freedom  even  to  err. 

While  the  church  must  give  place  to  what  is  and 
what  has  been,  its  concern  also  is  for  enabling  and 
equipping  persons  to  grow  into  the  future. 

This  requires  a  process  that  is  fluid  and  dynamic, 
not  static.  This  places  a  premium  on  helpful  relation- 
ships. This  suggests  that  trust,  freedom,  and  mu- 
tuality are  values  that  must  be  made  real. 

14     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


In  the  missionary  enterprise  today  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  is  examining  not  only  the  what  of  its  wit- 
ness, but  the  how,  the  manner  and  attitudes  its  work- 
ers and  programs  convey.  With  nationals  and  mis- 
sionaries alike,  it  is  striving  to  discern  what  makes  for 
a  helping  relationship  and  what  contributes  to  a  hin- 
dering one.  It  is  seeking  to  apply  a  life-style  of  part- 
nership in  all  areas  of  witness. 

Thus,  overseas  the  church  is  taking  a  timely  and 
serious  look  at  process,  at  the  creation  of  a  com- 
municating environment.  The  concern  with  process 
commends  itself  to  the  home  church  as  well,  to  pas- 
tor and  parishioner,  to  teacher  and  pupil,  to  the 
churched  and  unchurched. 

The  Christian  faith  said  it  long  before  McLuhan: 
The  medium  is  the  message. 


In  a  follow-up  to  Nigeria's  civil  conflict  the  inclination  of 
many  a  foreign  aid  expert  was  to  fly  in,  to  make  a  quick 
survey  of  conditions  in  the  war  zones,  and  to  recommend 
a  course  of  action.  The  Church  of  the  Brethren,  out  of  its 
intimate  working  with  Nigerians  through  the  years,  saw 
partnership  as  requiring  a  quite  different  tack. 

"It  is  our  conviction  that  our  Nigerian  brothers  are 
quite  capable  of  assessing  the  needs  and  of  establishing 
their  own  priorities,"  responded  World  Ministries  executive 
Joel  K.  Thompson,  regarding  postwar  relief  and  rehabilita- 
tion. In  a  letter  to  the  Christian  Council  of  Nigeria  he 
expressed  confidence  that  the  "indigenous  institutions  and 
organizations  will  be  quite  capable  of  administering  pro- 
grams to  meet  the  current  and  future  needs."  He  offered 
to  the  Christian  Council  seconded  personnel  from  the  pres- 
sent  Brethren  programs  in  Nigeria  who  could  assist  the 
church  and  the  government  in  meeting  the  needs  as  the 
Nigerians  defined  them. 

Consistent  with  this  offer,  the  top  administrator  of 
Brethren  work  in  Nigeria,  Roger  Ingold,  took  a  four-month 
leave  to  become  assistant  to  Emmanuel  Urhobo,  director  of 
relief  and  rehabilitation  for  the  Christian  Council  of  Ni- 
geria. In  addition  Brethren  agriculturist  Von  Hall,  under 
the  Christian  Council,  headed  up  a  two-month  yam  seeding 
and  agricultural  resettlement  program  in  the  East  Central, 
Rivers,  and  South  Eastern  states.  Other  Brethren  person- 
nel were  available  as  needs  might  arise. 

The  program  of  the  Christian  Council  is  vast.  Fourteen 
lorries  or  trucks  and  150,000  shovels  and  matchetes  were 
imported  for  use  in  the  planting  season.  Seven  out  of 
nineteen  teams  were  fielded  by  the  Council  to  direct  relief 
operations  in  war-affected  areas,  as  were  more  than  forty 
doctors  and  200  relief  workers.  Area  coordinators  were 
supplied  by  the  Christian  Council  for  several  states.  As 
the  only  Protestant  organization  recognized  internationally 
for  channeling  aid  to  the  victims  of  war  in  Nigeria,  the 
Council  is  resolute  in  its  desire  to  formulate  policy,  to 
screen  projects,  and  to  select  its  own  staff,  local  and  foreign. 

The  Nigeria  relief  operations  may  be  a  most  poignant 
study  of  partnership.  In  all  candor  we  must  note  other 
instances  of  Brethren  relationships  which  illustrate  the  fail- 
ure of  partnership,  at  least  in  partial  terms. 

For  example,  in  race  training  events  no  smaU  concern 
of  some  guest  leaders,  blacks,  who  encounter  the  Fund  for 
the  Americas  for  the  first  time  is  the  tone  of  some  of  the 
guidelines  set  forth.  The  concerns  raised  center  on  such 
points  as:  Were  potential  recipients  (blacks  or  other  minor- 
ities)  involved  as  co-planners  or  as  a  sounding  board  in 


drawing  up  the  guidelines?  As  to  requiring  recipients  to 
agree  to  "promote  no  physical  injury  to  persons  nor  de- 
struction of  property,"  the  blacks  inquire  whether  else- 
where (Nigeria,  Ecuador,  migrants)  the  same  stipulation 
is  set  forth  or  whether  this  is  a  matter  peculiarly  aimed  at 
blacks. 

Another  point  at  which  the  General  Board  may  show 
some  vulnerability  is  in  its  decisions  to  terminate  several 
publications.  Saleswise,  budgetwise,  prioritywise,  the  de- 
cision appears  soundly  defensible.  But  in  one  sense  the 
action  came  with  virtually  no  field  consultations,  that  is, 
checking  with  subscribers  what  suggestions  they  might  have 
for  revision  of  the  publication  program.  On  the  other  hand, 
however,  circulation  and  letters  of  concern  may  be  seen  as 
a  very  real  index  of  constituent  feeling  and  if  so,  the  action 
was  properly  precipitated. 

Another  area  in  which  at  least  some  Brethren  are  ask- 
ing if  they  might  not  have  had  a  greater  voice  is  in  the 
decisions  of  the  churches  in  Ecuador,  Canada,  and  India 
to  merge  with  national  church  bodies.  The  actions  were 
fully  in  accord  with  Annual  Conference  declarations  on 
church  unity  abroad;  still,  there  persists  some  feeling  that 
stateside  Brethren  might  somehow  have  been  more  a  part 
of  the  decision-making  process. 


"The   Runners,"   by   Gerhard  Marcks,  courtesy   of   the   Museum  of   Modern 
Art,  New  York,  gift  of  Mrs.  John  D,  Rockefeller  Jr. 


7-2-70   MESSENGER     15 


Partnership. . . 

Such  instances  as  these  reveal  something  of  the  com- 
plexity of  full  interaction  in  decision  making. 

Nonetheless,  partnership  is  a  relationship  which  the 
General  Board  is  eager  to  widen.  In  Ecuador,  the  de- 
velopment of  the  Center  of  Theological  Studies  for  clergy 
and  laity  has  emerged  as  a  creative  approach  to  training 
churchmen.  Decentralized  in  congregations  throughout  the 
country,  indigenously  directed,  staffed  by  three  teachers 
and  backstopped  by  missionary  personnel,  the  center  has 
been  heralded  by  outside  observers  as  a  model  for  serious 
and  effective  leadership  preparation  in  Latin  America. 

Also  in  Ecuador  a  development  in  the  offing  is  a  shift 
from  an  expatriate  field  coordinator  and  treasurer  for  the 
mission  to  direct  relationships  with  the  church  and  founda- 
tion. 

In  India  Ishwarlal  Christachari,  a  national,  a  few  years 
ago  was  named  executive  secretary  of  the  mission  program. 
To  further  the  thrust  toward  indigenization  and  partnership, 
a  Brethren  Mission  Hospital  Society  recently  has  been  es- 
tablished to  govern  the  Dahanu  Road  Hospital. 

Now  beginning  work  in  Indonesia  are  two  Brethren 
families  supplied  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  but  whose 
work  will  be  under  the  direction  of  the  indigenous  church. 

In  the  first  peace  seminar  with  the  Russian  Orthodox 


Church,  the  presence  of  Brethren  from  the  churches  of 
Nigeria  and  India  contributed  majorily  to  the  impact  of 
that  experience.  Such  representation  is  again  projected  for 
the  second  phase  to  occur  in  the  Soviet  Union  next  winter. 

In  Philadelphia  the  representation  of  persons  from  the 
community  has  been  enlarged  on  the  board  of  the  German- 
town  Ministry.  At  Lybrook,  N.  Mex.,  the  Navajo  fellow- 
ship has  in  recent  months  taken  on  one  of  its  own  members 
as  pastor. 

At  Pilot  House  in  Baltimore  the  program  has  been 
reshaped  and  its  direction  determined  to  a  far  greater  ex- 
tent by  the  resident  black  community. 

In  the  Parish  Ministries  Commission's  approach  to  con- 
gregational life,  the  intent  is  to  relate  increasingly  to  local 
and  district  planners  and  to  respond  to  their  needs  rather 
than  to  prescribe  programs  from  a  national  office  for  local 
units  to  follow.  To  stimulate  the  initiative  and  planning  of 
the  grass  roots  is  a  fundamental  aspect  of  the  Educational 
Plan. 

Hence  in  aspects  of  its  own  program  the  General  Board 
is  well  on  its  way  to  discovering  and  demonstrating  what 
it  means  not  to  do  for,  but  to  work  with.  Hopefully  this 
same  dimension  will  grow  at  all  levels  of  the  church's  life. 


16     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies 


Redeployment . . 


The  church  teaches  stewardship.  But  how  faithful 
a  steward  is  the  church  of  its  own  resources? 

Almost  hauntingly  the  hard  questions 
resound:  Can  the  church  be  pushed,  pulled,  or 
dragged  into  the  twentieth  century?  Can  congrega- 
tional life  be  renewed?  Is  the  church  on  the  right  side 
of  revolution?  In  the  ecclesiastical  dust,  may  there 
yet  be  hope? 

And  if  there  is  hope,  if  the  church  can  minister  to 
the  coming  age,  what  style  of  churchmanship  is  re- 
quired? What  stance  and  what  structures  are  viable? 

Identity,  communication,  partnership,  celebration, 
evangelism,  caring  —  these  are  the  theme 
words  proposed  here  for  the  church's  focus  for  at 
least  the  outset  of  the  decade.  But  when  it  comes  to  a 
plan,  a  pattern,  a  strategy  for  engaging  in  mission, 
still  other  conditions  and  qualities  merit  serious  con- 
sideration. 

Buoyancy,  for  instance:  The  ability  to  ride  the 
waves. 


Resilience:  The  ability  to  rebound. 

Adaptiveness:  Coping  with  contingency;  respond- 
ing to  problems,  not  programmed  expectations. 

Articulation:  Living  with  ambiguity,  yet  declaring 
and  acting  out  those  convictions  held. 

Interface:  The  capacity  not  only  to  give  but  to  re- 
ceive, not  only  to  change  but  to  be  changed. 

A  ministry  organizationally  shaped  around  these 
values  conceivably  could  foster  a  preoccupation  with 
form,  a  penchant  for  change  for  the  sake  of  change, 
an  obsession  with  jumping  on  secular  bandwagons. 
But  these  values  are  advanced  not  as  ends  but  as 
means,  means  by  which  the  people  of  God  can  order 
and  update  their  lives  and  institutions. 

If  the  church  is  to  be  responsive  as  an  instrument 
of  Jesus  Christ,  its  locus  must  be  at  the  point  where 
faith  and  the  world  intersect.  Revitalization,  retooling, 
redeployment  are  incumbent  upon  a  people  who  seek 
to  influence  history  and  not  to  be  mangled  by  it. 

7-2-70    MESSENGER     17 


Redeployment. . . 


Tinkertoys,  like  sandboxes,  now  and  then  can  become 
creative  tools  in  the  adult  world.  For  the  staff  of  the 
General  Board,  convened  in  a  retreat  some  months  ago, 
Tinkertoys  became  the  means  by  which  each  of  the  three 
commission  staffs  was  assigned  to  build  in  quick  fashion 
the  structure  which  they  conceived  as  desirable  for  carrying 
out  their  respective  goals  and  functions. 

One  commission  staff  turned  out  a  model  that  appeared 
streamlined  and  free-wheeling,  with  each  department  or 
team  able  to  turn  on  its  own  axis  and  interrelate,  yet  with 
all  departments  and  teams  moving  in  a  singular  orbit.  An- 
other commission  advanced  a  model  that  incorporated  ele- 
ments of  flexibility  and  listening  and  teamwork  but  re- 
tained as  highly  visible  the  central  or  coordinating  author- 
ity. A  third  commission  design  appeared  so  decentralized 
and  fragmented  that  only  the  separate  clusters  or  teams 
seemed  to  reflect  a  kind  of  entity.  And  when  the  three 
commission  models  were  to  be  incorporated  into  one 
maneuverable  General  Board  design,  an  impossibility  was 
at  hand. 

The  brief  exercise  clearly  revealed  that  in  its  restructur- 
ing of  the  past  twenty  months,  the  Brotherhood  staff  is  yet 
to  discern  for  itself,  let  alone  to  convey  to  others,  precisely 
how  the  new  order  is  to  function.  The  enigma  is  not  the 
General  Board's  alone,  however;  it  well  may  be  a  trait 
common  to  agencies  and  institutions  that  strive  to  be  fluid, 
not  static;  mobile,  not  frozen;  organic,  not  mechanical. 

And  whUe  the  General  Board  through  its  restructuring 
has  not  evolved  a  scale  model  of  organizational  wizardry, 
it  has  labored  diligently  at  determining  what  are  its  objec- 
tives and  priorities  and  guidelines.  No  small  part  of  this 
effort  has  centered  in  the  twelve-member  Goals  and  Budget 
Committee,  comprised  of  the  board's  Executive  Committee 
and  Administrative'  Council,  though  the  separate  staffs  and 
members  of  the  three  commissions  as  well  have  engaged 
in  intense  evaluation  and  planning. 


Assessment,  synthesis,  planning,  and  performance  like- 
ly will  embrace  a  constant  process.  Hence  there  is  a  sense 
in  which  program  decisions  will  carry  a  tentativeness  about 
them,  even  though  often  the  implications  are  long  range. 
As  of  the  present,  the  Goals  and  Budget  Committee  is  in 
accord  on  the  following  points: 

—  "A  conviction  that  there  is  a  desire  for  significant 
relationships  in  the  life/ faith  experience  of  persons  which 
is  expressed  as  a  deep  hunger  for  meaning  and  significance. 

—  "A  conviction  that  many  members  of  congregations 
yearn  for  a  sense  of  new  life  to  replace  the  pervasive  feeling 
that  much  of  what  we  do  together  is  unexciting,  restrictive, 
joyless,  and  not  honest  in  relation  to  the  way  our  lives  are. 

—  "A  conviction  that  the  style  of  life  we  share  is  in- 
tegral to  our  witness;  that  dialogue,  openness,  partnership, 
and  joyfulness  should  characterize  our  relationships  in  the 
board,  the  staff,  the  constituency,  and  in  our  cooperative 
ministries  throughout  the  world. 

—  "A  conviction  that  communication  and  interpreta- 
tion must  be  more  than  information;  that  the  interchange 
should  open  the  way  for  persons  to  experience  involvement 
in  mission. 

—  "A  conviction  that  publications  and  printing  should 
not  be  viewed  as  the  primary  instruments  of  interpretation 
and  education;  that  we  need  to  increase  our  use  of  con- 
temporary forms  of  communication. 

—  "A  conviction  that  the  centralized  operation  of  the 
General  Board  should  be  as  subject  to  evaluation  and  re- 
form as  any  other  agencies  or  ministries  of  the  church. 

—  "A  conviction  that  money  is  available  for  significant 
ministries,  and  that  we  need  to  invite  persons  to  share  in 
the  important  things  the  church  can  do  which  individuals/ 
congregations  cannot  do  on  their  own. 

—  "A  conviction  that  this  is  not  the  time  to  reduce 
our  involvement  in  crucial  world  concerns;  that  redeploy- 
ment is  a  more  faithful  response  than  retrenchment." 

From  these  guidelines  the  General  Board  is  in  process 
of  detailing  the  program  and  budgets  for  the  Brotherhood 
witness  in  the  coming  year.  Some  of  the  more  specific 
implications  seen  for  the  commission  areas  are  the  follow- 
ing: 

Parish  Ministries.  A  plan  of  reclustering  staff  around 
four  target  concerns  was  presented  at  the  General  Board 
meeting  at  Lincoln  immediately  prior  to  Annual  Confer- 
ence. The  prime  concerns  advanced  in  the  plan  were  iden- 
tity ("assisting  persons  and  congregations  in  their  search 
for  meaning  in  Christ"),  celebration    ("assisting  persons 


18     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


and  congregations  in  sharing  their  joy  in  who  they  are  and 
what  they  are  becoming"),  evangelism  ("encouraging  per- 
sons in  congregations  to  tell  their  story  of  how  life  is 
meaningful  and  invite  others  to  share  in  fellowship  and 
commitment  to  Christ"),  and  participation  ("assisting  per- 
sons and  congregations  in  turning  to  and  being  involved 
in  the  world  in  such  a  way  that  they  may  be  open  to  new 
life  yet  faithful  in  change." 

The  proposal  seeks  to  enhance  face-to-face  contacts 
with  congregations  in  matters  of  training,  education,  and 
worship;  encourage  new  efforts  in  evangelism  and  commu- 
nity witness;  invite  interaction  and  work  in  a  team  style  of 
relationship. 

To  facilitate  new  approaches  in  Parish  Ministries,  the 
General  Board  soon  will  be  terminating  its  publishing 
of  three  periodicals,  Leader,  Journeys,  and  Tell  Me,  and 
severing  cooperative  ties  in  the  production  of  two  other 
magazines,  Youth/ Horizons  and  Accent.  Proposals  for 
expanding  and  updating  Messenger  beginning  next  year 
are  being  considered. 

At  the  same  time  the  Parish  Ministries  Commission 
does  not  see  the  servicing  of  ongoing  age  groups,  long  a 
nucleus  in  Christian  education  programming,  as  a  high 
priority.  Nor  does  it  see  how  long-term  supplemental  sup- 
port to  pastors  can  continue  as  a  high  claim  on  funds; 
congregations  are  being  urged  to  move  into  full  pastoral 
support  in  three  to  five  years.  At  the  same  time  the  com- 
mission hopes  to  experiment  with  some  new  models  of  min- 
istry and  support. 

General  Services.  In  its  communication  efforts,  the 
General  Board  seeks  to  make  more  visible  the  major  as- 
pects of  Brethren  witness  and  to  interpret  issues,  problems, 
and  opportunities  in  a  manner  in  which  the  church  can 
respond  knowingly  in  decision  making. 

A  professionally  guided  study  is  being  considered  for 
the  church's  inplant  publishing  operation,  to  determine  the 
viability  of  its  continuance  and  at  what  level. 

Expanded  efforts  are  suggested  in  the  area  of  steward- 
ship education  and  special  gifts. 

World  Ministries.  Among  directions  proposed  are  the 
further  internationalization  of  workers  in  various  countries, 
a  high  priority  on  peace,  and  extended  cooperation  with 
ecumenical  bodies  in  programming  and  staffing  mission  and 
service  efforts. 

The  General  Board  reiterates  its  commitment  of  en- 
couraging each  church  "to  be  the  church  of  Christ  for  its 


own  people,  nation,  and  culture,"  and  to  turning  over  as 
rapidly  as  possible  institutions  for  indigenous  control.  In 
development  programs  the  shift  is  under  way  from  technical 
assistance  to  community  organization. 

These  are  directions  about  which  the  Brethren  will  hear 
increasingly  in  the  weeks  and  months  ahead.  There  will 
be  still  other  proposals  as  a  consequence  of  decisions  on 
budgets  and  goals  taken  by  the  General  Board  at  Lincoln. 
In  the  reshaping  of  priorities  and  in  the  redeployment 
of  resources,  the  General  Board  seeks  the  understanding, 
the  counsel,  and  the  participation  of  the  church  at  large. 
For  the  fullest  measure  of  interchange  and  sharing  is  vital 
to  mounting  a  meaningful  Brethren  response. 

Together,  then,  the  quest  advances,  toward  goals  and  a 
witness  that  aspire  to  be  worthy  of  Christ  the  Lord. 


Purposes  /  Functions 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  under  the 
guidance  of  the  Annual  Conference  and  in  accord  with 
its  by-laws,  shall  seek  to: 

1.  Assist  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  to  be  oriented 
around  manifestations  of  Christian  mission  so  that  all 
men,  their  relationships,  their  social  structures,  and  the 
world  may  be  reconciled  to  God; 

2.  Assist  the  congregations  and  the  Brotherhood  at 
large  in  self-examination  of  their  life,  their  world,  and 
their  witness  in  accord  with  their  understanding  of  the 
intention  of  God  and  the  Lordship  and  mission  of  Jesus 
Christ; 

3.  Encourage  manifestations  of  the  oneness  of  the 
whole  church  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  world  by  cooperative 
ministry  and  united  witness  in  order  that  the  larger  pur- 
poses of  the  church  throughout  the  world  might  be  more 
nearly  completely  realized; 

4.  Encourage  study  and  research  of  biblical  and  other 
sources  in  the  continuing  quest  for  truth; 

5.  Encourage  personal  commitment  and  the  nurture 
of  the  Christian  life; 

6.  Extend  ministries  of  Christian  love,  service,  and 
justice  to  persons  in  need  in  communities,  the  nation, 
and  the  world; 

7.  Study,  speak,  and  act  on  conditions  and  issues  in 
the  nation  and  world  which  involve  moral,  ethical,  and 
spiritual  principles  inherent  in  the  Christian  gospel; 

8.  Orient  program  throughout  all  of  its  activities  to- 
ward helping  persons  discover  and  experience  their  true 
worth  as  people  of  God. 


7-2-70    MESSENGER      19 


A  Greater  Role  for  women  in  the  ctiurch? 

by  ROBERT  }.  HASTINGS 


No  longer  are  America's 
churchivomen  content  to  pro- 
vide the  offerings  while  the 
men  decide  how  to  spend 
them.  It  is  evident  that 
women  are  rapidly  filling  key 
roles  in  American  churches 


In  late  1969,  Dr.  Cynthia  Wedel, 
61,  was  named  the  first  woman 
president  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches.  A  tall,  silver-haired  psy- 
chologist, she  was  elected  by  a  vote 
of  387  to  93  over  Albert  B.  Cleage  Jr. 

Other  female  involvements  in  ec- 
clesiastical circles  have  snowballed  in 
recent  months: 

In  its  national  convention  this 
October  in  Houston,  the  Episcopal 
Church  will  for  the  first  time  recognize 
women  as  official  delegates. 

Managers  of  the  American  Baptist 
Convention  women's  organization  have 
asked  that  a  woman  be  nominated  as 
president  of  the  denomination  in  1970. 
Four  women  have  held  the  top  post 
since  the  American  Baptist  Conven- 
tion was  formed  in   1907. 

At  Louisville,  Kentucky,  Presbyteri- 
an Theological  Seminary  has  named 
Catherine  Lee  Gunsalus,  noted  theolo- 
gian and  educator,  as  the  first  woman 
on  its  faculty.  An  ordained  minister 
of  the  United  Presbyterian  Church, 
Dr.  Gunsalus  began  her  duties  June  1, 

20     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


1970,  as  associate  professor  of  his- 
torical theology. 

The  Adath  Jeshurum  Congregation 
of  Minneapolis,  a  conservative  syna- 
gogue, has  decided  to  count  women 
in  making  up  a  "minyan."  A  minyan 
is  the  minimum  of  ten  adult  Jews  that 
constitute  a  quorum  for  public  wor- 
ship. Heretofore,  a  minyan  has  been 
ten  Jewish  men  at  most  synagogues. 

Miss  Margaret  Harbison,  62,  a 
Labor  Party  member  of  Parliament, 
has  been  named  as  the  first  woman  in 
history  to  serve  as  Lord  High  Com- 
missioner to  the  General  Assembly  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland  (Presbyterian). 
She  was  appointed  in  February  of  this 
year  by  Prime  Minister  Harold  Wilson 
and  approved  by  Queen  Elizabeth. 
The  post,  first  established  in  1603,  has 
been  filled  by  a  male  for  363  years. 

And  from  Vatican  City,  Patrick 
O'Keefe  predicts  that  the  ordination 
of  female  priests  in  the  Roman  Cath- 
olic Church  may  become  a  reality 
sometime  after  1975. 

A  new  activism 
The  glowing  activism  of  women  is  not 
restricted  to  stained  glass.  In  the 
United  States,  just  the  past  two  years 
have  seen  a  new  female  militancy  in 
such  areas  as  racism,  poverty,  infla- 
tion, and  the  Vietnam  War. 

In  the  closing  days  of  1969,  a  plane- 
load of  wives  and  children  of  North 
Vietnam  prisoners  of  war  grew  impa- 
tient of  apparent  indifference  and  si- 
lence to  the  plight  of  their  menfolk 


and  flew  directly  to  Paris  for  face-to- 
face  talks  with  representatives  of  the 
North  Vietnam  peace  delegation.  In|| 
early  January  of  this  year,  the  wives  f 
of  three  prisoners  —  Mrs.  Carolyn 
Stegman,  Mrs.  June  Nelson,  and  Mrs. 
Sherry  Duncan  —  went  to  Pope  Paul 
VI  with  an  appeal  for  his  intervention. 

Just  as   students,  racial  minorities,  I 
and  the  poor  have  become  more  vocal  1 
in  the  past  decade,  so  women  may  well 
become  the  next  segment  of  society  to 
"demand"  greater  rights. 

In  a  recent  issue  of  Look  magazine, 
Gloria  Steinem  says  that  women  have 
learned  two  things  in  their  activist  role: 
first,  that  women  can  exercise  power 
constructively  in  "masculine"  areas 
that  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  kitch- 
en or  nursery;  and  second,  that  this 
country's  power  structures  are  not 
about  to  let  them  do  it!  Many  women, 
she  claims,  have  been  pushed  around 
so  long  they  even  believe  for  them- 
selves the  myth  of  female  inferiority. 

For  example,  Mrs.  Shirley  Chisholm 
of  New  York,  the  first  black  woman  to 
be  elected  to  Congress,  says  she  has 
always  found  politicians  more  preju- 
diced against  her  as  a  woman  than  as 
a  black.  Mrs.  Chisholm  says  she  "got 
sick"  of  hearing  men  say,  "Shirley  has 
brains,  she  is  articulate,  she's  a  fighter, 
she's  been  effective,  but  she's  a  wom- 


In  Russia,  where  there  are  nine- 
teen million  more  females  than  males, 
women  have  long  enjoyed  economic 
equality  with  men,  accounting  for  al- 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     21 


WOMEN  FILL  KEY  ROLES  /  continued 


most  half  of  the  total  labor  force  in 
jobs  ranging  from  doctors  and  lawyers 
to  construction  workers  and  street 
cleaners.  "We  may  work  like  men," 
commented  one  Russian  feminist  re- 
cently, "but  we  want  to  be  looked 
upon  as  women  rather  than  com- 
rades." 

Results  to  prove 
American   women,    particularly,    have 
results  to  prove  their  new  activism  is 
paying  off.    During   1969  alone,  they 
scored  these  firsts: 

Carol  Jan  Ovitz  broke  a  112-year 
male  tradition  at  the  Chicago  Board 
of  Trade,  the  world's  largest  com- 
modity exchange,  by  becoming  the 
first  woman  trader. 

American  women  volunteered  for 
America's  space  program  to  serve  as 
astronauts.  (The  first  woman  in  space 
was  a  Russian,  cosmonaut  Valentina 
Tereshkova.) 

Mrs.  Helen  D.  Bentley  became  the 


first  woman  ever  appointed  chairman 
of  a  federal  regulatory  commission. 
(She  is  the  Federal  Maritime  Commis- 
sioner.) 

Jo  Claire  Welch  became  the  first 
female  commercial  co-pilot,  flying  for 
Air  East,  a  Texas  airline. 

Diane  Crump  and  Tuesdee  Testa 
became  two  of  the  first  women  jockeys 
in  the  U.S. 

Margo  Pebley,  16,  a  veterinary  stu- 
dent from  McAllen,  Texas,  became 
the  first  girl  member  of  the  Future 
Farmers  of  America  (after  appealing 
her  case  all  the  way  to  the  Department 
of  Health,  Education,  and  Welfare  in 
Washington). 

Julia  Barash,  18,  of  Monroe,  New 
York,  became  the  first  girl  in  the 
United  States  to  get  permission  to 
compete  with  boys  in  interscholastic 
sports. 

And  the  trickle  is  likely  to  spark  a 
trend,  even  in  the  military,  because 
for  the  first  time,   at  this  writing,   a 


22     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


woman  is  being  considered  as  a  gen- 
eral in  the  U.S.  Army.  At  least  ten 
WAC  colonels  are  under  review,  along 
with  men,  for  the  one-star  rank  of 
brigadier  general. 

Dreams  or  realities? 
Getting  back  to  the  churches,  how 
realistic  are  the  changes  for  greater 
female  involvement?  Is  the  election 
of  a  woman  as  president  of  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  a  trend  or 
an  isolated  rarity?  What  are  the  real 
chances  for  feminine  leadership  in  the 
thousands  of  congregations  across 
America? 

Let's  take  a  quick  look  at  the  pic- 
ture in  six  denominations; 

1.  United  Methodist  Church.    For 
about    ten    years,    women   have   been 
ordained  as  full  ministers,  but  for  the 
most  part  they  serve  in  rural  churches, 
as  missionaries,   and  as  associates  in 
larger  church  staffs.    Previously,  they 
were  ordained  only  as  lay  ministers, 
but  not   as   members  of  the   Annual 
Conference.     Now    they    are    "conse- 
crated,"  not   ordained.     Dr.    Georgia  .' 
Harkness,  noted  author  and  theologian  ' 
who  taught  for  many  years  at  Garrett 
Theological    Seminary    in    Evanston,  , 
Illinois,  is  perhaps  the  most  prominent  j 
American  woman  ever  to  be  ordained  ' 
as  a  Methodist  minister. 

2.  The  Episcopal  Church.  At  its 
1969  national  convention,  agreement 
was  reached  that  there  is  no  scriptural 
evidence  against  the  full  ordination  of 
women.  But  tradition  is  against  the 
ordination  of  women  ministers.  About 
1963,  Bishop  James  A.  Pike  stirred  a 
controversy  when  he  ordained  Deacon- 
ess Edwards  as  a  full  minister,  but  his 
action  was  repudiated  by  the  House  of 
Lords.  "There  is  massive  national  re- 
sistance to  a  female  clergy,"  one  vicar 
said,  "but  I  predict  a  swing  in  the 
other  direction  in  the  next  decade."    1 


They  do  ordain  women  as  deaconesses, 
and  in  most  churches,  women  may 
serve  as  official  members  of  the  local 
vestry. 

3.  Baptists.  Although  American 
Baptists  have  for  years  ordained  wom- 
en, they  are  few  in  number  and  cus- 
tomarily serve  small,  rural,  or  mission 
churches.  Among  Southern  Baptists, 
the  pulpit  is  still  closed  to  women. 
While  freely  using  women  in  music, 
education,  youth,  recreation,  and  mis- 
sions, the  Southern  Baptist  pulpit  is 
definitely  a  male  monopoly.  In  isolat- 
ed instances,  women  serve  as  deacons. 
Early  in  1969,  the  Greenwood  Forest 
Baptist  Church  in  Gary,  North 
Garolina,  ordained  Mrs.  Douglas  M. 
Branch,  widow  of  the  late  executive 
secretary  of  the  North  Garolina  Bap- 
tist State  Gonvention,  as  a  deacon.  It 
was  not  considered  too  unusual  in 
North  Garolina,  where  women  had 
been  ordained  previously.  But  in 
Kentucky,  the  Faith  Baptist  Church 
in  Georgetown  made  headlines  in  Feb- 
ruary, 1969,  by  ordaining  Mrs.  Robert 
Snyder  and  Mrs.  Wallace  Williams. 
This  was  evidently  a  first  for  Ken- 
tucky, for  the  Baptist  state  paper  there 
devoted  an  entire  page  to  the  story, 
compared  to  only  one  paragraph  in 
the  North  Garolina  publication.  Bap- 
tists in  Europe  are  more  liberal.  The 
Baptist  Union  of  Great  Britain  and 
Ireland  made  a  study  and  concluded 
that  "the  New  Testament  does  not 
yield  a  biblical  basis  for  either  the 
acceptance  or  rejection  of  the  ordina- 
tion of  women."  Erik  Ruden,  general 
secretary  of  the  Baptist  Union  of 
Sweden,  says  their  churches  have  used 
women  evangelists  since  the  beginning 
of  this  century.  "Women  were  the  first 
to  declare  that  Ghrist  had  risen," 
Ruden  said.  "So  it  would  not  be  im- 
proper for  them  to  proclaim  it  today." 

4.  United    Presbyterian    Church. 


They  have  ordained  women  as  elders 
for  a  generation,  but  not  until  1956 
did  they  ordain  them  as  teaching  elders 
or  full  ministers.  "Officially,  we  or- 
dain women,"  one  pastor  noted.  "But 
practically  speaking,  it  is  a  rarity." 
Reports  for  1967  show  only  sixty- 
seven  women  ministers,  compared  with 
12,685  men.  But  in  the  same  year, 
they  showed  14,268  women  elders  as 
compared  with  76,695  men.  The  few 
women  who  are  ordained  serve  in 
teaching  and  mission  positions,  and 
only  rarely  as  pastors. 

5.  Church  of  the  Nazarene.  This 
denomination  has  freely  ordained 
women  both  as  deaconesses  and  min- 
isters since  it  was  founded  in  1908.  "I 
would  make  a  conservative  guess  that 
one  out  of  every  twenty  of  our  min- 
isters is  a  woman,"  one  pastor  esti- 
mated. "I  think  their  main  problem 
might  be  in  dealing  with  all-male 
boards,"  the  same  pastor  said.  "On 
the  other  hand,  they  might  be  more 
accessible  for  marital  counseling, 
especially  on  the  part  of  women  who 
would  feel  freer  to  consult  another 
woman." 

6.  Lutherans.  The  Lutheran  Coun- 
cil in  the  U.S.A.  has  just  finished  a 
two-year  study  of  the  issue  and  con- 
cluded that  neither  the  Bible  nor  the- 
ology offers  "conclusive  grounds  for 
forbidding  the  ordination  of  women 
and  no  definitive  ones  for  demanding 
it."  The  council  is  made  up  of  the 
American  Lutheran  Church,  the  Luth- 
eran Church  in  America,  the  Lutheran 
Church-Missouri  Synod,  and  the  Synod 
of  Evangelical  Lutheran  Churches. 
Fred  W.  Meuser,  an  official  of  the 
Council,  said  that  although  Lutherans 
do  not  presently  ordain  women  in  the 
U.S.,  divergent  views  on  the  issue  do 
exist.  Each  body  is  now  free  to  make 
its  own  decision.  The  question  will 
come  up  this  October  at  the  biennial 


convention  of  the  American  Lutheran 
Church,  as  three  women  are  now 
seeking  ministerial  orders.  Lutheran 
churches  in  Germany  and  Scandinavia 
ordain  women,  but  most  of  them  enter 
service  other  than  the  pastorate. 

Will  they  succeed? 
As  women  press  for  new  roles  in  the 
clergy,    will    they    be    heard?     If   the 
national    trend    of    feminine    involve- 
ment spills  over  into  the  churches,  yes. 

If  women  press  their  demands  vig- 
orously, it  is  normal  to  assume  they 
will  establish  new  beachheads  in  the 
pulpit  the  same  as  they  have  in  the 
cockpit  of  airliners,  the  chambers  of 
government,  and  the  offices  of  busi- 
ness. 

Mrs.  Peggy  Way,  an  assistant  pro- 
fessor at  the  University  of  Chicago 
Divinity  School,  feels  the  "masculine- 
dominated"  church  has  relegated 
women  to  second-class  status  for  too 
long.  Writing  in  a  recent  issue  of  The 
Christian  Ministry,  she  called  upon 
male  church  leaders  "to  listen  atten- 
tively to  all  phases  of  the  women's 
liberation  movement." 

"The  institutional  church  needs  me 
and  my  sisters  more  than  we  need  the 
church,"  she  wrote. 

Some  church  feminists  might  claim 
that  the  advice  of  anthropologist 
Margaret  Mead  is  relevant  to  their 
own  goals: 

"People  have  always  said  that  it 
would  be  better  to  stay  home  and  till 
your  own  cabbage  patch.  But  I  think 
that,  if  people  don't  follow  the  poten- 
tialities of  movement  and  change, 
they're  likely  to  wither  and  die." 

The  truth  is  that  practice  will  vary 
from  faith  to  faith,  from  congregation 
to  congregation.  Whether  their  role  is 
official  or  unofficial,  dedicated  women 
will  continue  to  be  "last  at  the  cross 
and  first  at  the  tomb."    D 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     23 


Why  Men  Leave  the  Ministry 


by  Chauncey  Shamberger 

Defection  is  an  ugly  word  in.  any  lan- 
guage. We  reserve  our  most  bitter  scorn 
for  the  American  who  changes  his  alle- 
giance to  communism.  We  applaud  when 
a  high  ranking  communist  defects  to 
America  but  maintain  a  cautious  attitude 
lest  he  prove  to  be  a  spy.  We  strike  up  the 
band  —  or  did  until  Vietnam  —  when 
Johnnie  comes  marching  home  but  the 
drums  are  silent  when  a  defector  comes 
"home"  as  unobtrusively  as  possible. 

The  press  uses  the  word  when  a 
Catholic  priest  or  nun  leaves  the  priest- 
hood or  one  of  the  church  orders.  We 
are  more  gentle  about  it  when  we  say 
someone  has  left  the  ministry  for  another 
type  of  work.  But  whether  we  use  the 
harsh  word  or  a  softer  one,  it  stands  for 
much  the  same  thing.  An  individual  who 
has  prepared  for  specific  church  work  has 
changed  to  something  else. 

There  are  but  few  reasons  why  priests 
defect  and  they  are  well  known.  We  have 
not  become  specific  why  men  leave  the 
ministry.  It  could  possibly  help  if  we 
knew  the  basic  reasons  why  they  do. 

Persons  who  choose  a  profession  and 
go  through  the  prescribed  training  for  it 
do  not  readily  drop  it  and  turn  to  some- 
thing else.  This  is  particularly  true  if  the 
preparation  is  extensive  and  expensive. 


No  man  lightheartedly  gives  up  the  min- 
istry. Those  who  do  use  a  common  word 
to  describe  what  they  have  gone  through 
—  agony. 

These  men  are  not  those  who  take  a 
six-week  course  and  pay  someone  a  fee 
for  ordination.   Most  of  them  spend  four 
years  in  college  and  three  years  in  sem- 
inary. That  is  a  long  time  and  the  cost 
is  heavy.  Comparatively  few  persons  in 
other  professions  drop  out  after  they  have 
spent  a  similar  length  of  time  and  money 
for  their  education. 

Some  ministers  leave  the  ministry  be- 
fore they  have  paid  off  the  indebtedness 
incurred  in  getting  their  training.  Some 
drop  out  after  one  or  several  pastorates 
and  some  after  giving  the  best  years  of 
their  lives  and  serving  the  church  in  its 
most  important  offices.  Why  does  this 
happen? 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has  more 
ministers,  with  better  than  average  ability, 
than  it  has  places  for  them  to  serve. 
There  are  more  men  capable  of  giving 
leadership  to  a  congregation  of  one  thou- 
sand members  than  there  are  congrega- 
tions of  that  size.  There  are  more  who 
could  serve  congregations  of  five  hundred, 
and  so  on  down  the  line,  than  there  are 
churches. 


Editor's  Note:  Messenger  is  eager  to 
encourage  its  readers  to  speak  up  and 
speak  out  on  topics  about  which  they 
have  serious  concern.    We  welcome  their 
comments,  whether  they  come  in  the 
form  of  brief  letters  we  can  publish  in 
our  Readers  Write  page,  in  longer  state- 
ments such  as  those  appearing  here  and 
otherwise  under  our  "Speak  Up"  heading. 


or  as  still  longer  articles  that  develop  a 
particular  point  of  view.  Such  statements 
may  or  may  not  reflect  the  views  of  a 
majority  of  readers.   They  may  or  may 
not  agree  with  official  stands  taken  by  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  But  we  respect 
each  writer's  right  to  be  heard,  and  we 
try  also  to  be  sensitive  to  the  reader's 
right  to  disagree. 


Every  capable  minister  is  haunted  by 
the  specter  that  someday  when  he  must 
move  there  will  be  no  fitting  opening  for 
him.  This  may  happen  to  htm  early  in 
his  ministry  or  at  his  prime.  When  it 
happens  he  must  take  a  step  down  the 
ladder,  move  into  some  interdenomina- 
tional work,  take  a  church-related  job  or 
do  something  else.  If  anyone  is  inclined 
to  be  critical  at  this  point,  let  him  ask 
if  he  would  be  willing  to  do  the  same 
thing  in  his  profession  or  occupation. 

The  minister  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  is  bothered  by  a  feeling  of  un- 
certainty about  where  the  denomination 
is  going.  We  are  declining  numerically. 
Our  country  churches  are  disappearing  at 
an  alarming  rate  and  we  have  yet  to 
demonstrate  convincingly  that  we  can 
succeed  in  urban  centers.  He  feels  that 
even  if  he  can  develop  a  strong  congrega- 
tion it  will  not  have  the  association  of 
other  similar  congregations  within  friend- 
ly reach. 

He  is  also  disturbed  by  ecumenism. 
He  feels  that  our  leaders  share  heartily  in 
the  movement  and  that  their  contribution 
is  appreciated.   But  we  are  more  theoretic 
about  it  than  we  are  participating.  When 
we  come  to  Annual  Conference,  we  say  it 
has  its  good  points  but  it's  not  for  the 
Brethren.  The  church  votes  against  it,  as 
it  did  against  musical  instruments,  then 
sees  its  congregations  merge  or  die. 

Many  local  congregations  have  a  hard 
core  of  people  who  abhor  change.  An 
old  jingle  runs,  "My  ancestors  have  been 
churchmen  two  hundred  years  or  so,  and 
to  every  new  idea  have  staunchly  an- 
swered 'no.'  " 

One  sometimes  wonders  if  we  are  not 
overeducating  our  ministers  for  the  kind 
of  churches  they  must  serve.  No  man 
comes  out  of  the  seminary  looking  at 
religion  as  he  did  when  he  entered.  There 
could  be  an  exception  • —  or  close  to  one 
—  but  he  wouldn't  make  much  of  a  min- 
ister; and  if  three  years  aren't  going  to 


24     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


change  him,  he  is  wasting  his  time.  But 
no  minister  escapes  the  critical  eye  of  the 
man  set  in  his  beliefs  who  looks  upon 
any  one  was  sees  differently  as  being 
dangerous. 

A  minister  in  his  first  pastorate  felt  it 
would  be  well  to  have  a  study  group 
devoted  to  how  we  came  to  have  the 
Bible.  There  were  three  sessions  and  one 
person  said  with  finality,  "That  isn't  what 
imy  parents  taught  me  about  the  Bible." 
ilt  is  unlikely  that  those  parents  ever  made 
any  serious  study  of  how  the  Bible  came 
to  be.  They  probably  believed  just  what 
their  parents  told  them. 


The  Rent  Is  Due! 

by  Patricia  Good 

Recently  I  read  that  the  telephone  com- 
pany was  raising  the  rates  about  a  dollar 
per  month.  That  will  make  my  bill 
around  $10.90  for  the  month,  on  a  daily 
basis  around  thirty-six  cents.  Well,  that's 
I  not  so  bad;  I  couldn't  do  without  a  tele- 
i phone.  But  it  does  seem  a  lot  to  pay  for 
(renting  a  telephone,  and  that  is  exactly 
jwhat  I  am  paying  for.  The  company  owns 
I  the  telephone.  We  only  pay  rent.  And  I 
know  if  I  don't  pay  the  bill,  I  won't  have 
!  this  service. 

I     Then  I  began  to  realize  that  almost 
I  everything  we  use  is  rented.  We  pay  for 
electricity,  but  this  is  merely  rent;  we 
don't  own  the  wires.  If  we  didn't  pay,  we 
would  have  to  use  candles.  We  make 
payments  on  a  car  to  the  bank,  but  until 
the  loan  is  all  paid  we  are  paying  two 
dollars  a  day  to  drive  our  car.  If  I  forget 
to  pay  the  bill,  I  start  walking.  We  make 
house  payments  while  buying  our  house, 
so  we  are  actually  paying  rent  for  fifteen 
or  twenty  years.  We  know  that  if  we 
don't  make  the  payments,  we  will  meet 
the  sheriff! 


We  may  well  ask  whether  we  can 
justify  the  building  of  a  seminary,  the 
bringing  together  of  a  capable  faculty  to 
train  men  for  the  ministry  and  send  them 
into  congregations  that  are  impervious  to 
change.  After  confronting  that  sort  of 
thing  in  one  pastorate  after  another,  it  is 
not  surprising  that  a  minister  begins  to 
wonder  if  he  shouldn't  change  work. 

Our  two  hundred  years  of  the  free 
ministry  may  have  unfitted  us  for  a 
trained  minister.  In  any  event  one  cannot 
help  but  wonder  how  long  the  church  can 
continue  to  lose  the  type  of  men  who 
leave  its  ministry.  D 


It  then  dawned  on  me  that  we  are 
really  renting  our  bodies  from  God.  Did 
we  pay  the  bill?  Anytime  he  wants,  he 
can  reclaim  it!  What  is  this  body  worth? 
Is  it  worth  more  than  a  telephone?  It 
does  come  in  all  colors.  More  than  a  car? 
It  goes  backwards  and  frontwards,  is 
automatic,  and  the  chassis  is  durable. 
This  body  is  a  real  bargain!   It  laughs, 
cries,  loves,  and  works,  and  has  fun.  It 


comes  in  all  sizes  and  shapes. 

How  much  rent  should  I  pay?  Let's 
start  with  my  age,  thirty-nine.  At  only 
one  cent  a  year  I  have  enjoyed  this  body 
for  thirty-nine  years.  This  is  cheaper 
than  the  rates  of  the  electric  company, 
whose  slogan  is  "one  cent  a  day."  At 
thirty-nine  cents  a  day  I  am  worth  three 
cents  more  than  the  telephone.  For  the 
week  I  owe  $2.73,  as  much  as  my  car 
payment,  and  I  don't  have  to  replace  the 
tires,  transmission,  or  brakes.  This  is 
only  $10.92  a  month,  one  tenth  of  my 
house  payment.  As  a  Christian  this  is  my 
obligation  to  pay  this  bill . 

My  husband  and  two  children  owe  rent 
also.  So  he  pays  another  $10.92  a  month. 
The  ages  of  our  children  are  six  and 
eight,  making  their  bills  six  cents  and 
eight  cents  a  day  or  $1.68  and  $2.24  a 
month.  This  total  for  all  four  of  us 
comes  to  $24.76.  This  is  one  half  of 
our  car  payment. 

If  I  don't  pay  my  bills,  my  credit  is  in 
danger.  As  a  Christian,  if  I  don't  pay  the 
bill,  what  will  happen! 

Will  I  lose  my  lease?  The  rent  is  due! 
And  I  intend  to  pay  it.  For  I  know  God 
is  my  landlord  and  I  don't  want  to  be 
evicted! 

Did  you  pay  your  rent?  □ 


Gratitude  In  Every  Season 

by  M.  R.  Frantz 

"Compassion  instilled  by  God  is  surging 
onward!"  states  Dr.  Frank  Laubach  in 
his  book.  The  World  Is  Learning  Com- 
passion. 

I  have  in  my  possession  a  fig  leaf 
which  was  used  by  one  woman  to  express 
gratitude.  To  me  the  leaf  symbolizes  this 
surge  of  compassion  sweeping  around  the 
world.  One  morning  this  woman  picked 


handfuls  of  berries  and  carefully  placed 
them  on  fig  leaves.  Taking  small  twigs, 
she  brought  the  leaves  together  to  form 
napkinlike  parcels  for  carrying  the  ber- 
ries. Walking  to  her  village  some  distance 
away  on  the  mountainside  along  the 
coastal  line  of  the  great  Mediterranean 
Sea,  she  gave  those  parcels  to  one  of  the 
Church  World  Service  workers.  Her  re- 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     25 


I 


SPEAK  UP  /  continued 

quest  was  that  he  give  one  of  them,  to 
'that  man  from  America.'  That  man,  my 
husband,  represented  all  the  people  in 
America  who  had  helped  her  family  so 
much.  The  gift-leaf  parcel  was  her  thank 
you  for  the  windmill  on  her  family's  plot 
of  ground.  The  pumping  of  water  made 
possible  food  for  her  family. 

A  man  living  some  forty  miles  east  of 
the  Dead  Sea  cried  out  in  wonder,  "God 
is  good,"  as  he  witnessed  water  —  that 
rare  commodity  so  essential  for  life. 
Centuries  ago  the  Romans  built  reservoirs 
to  store  water  from  the  scant  rainfalls. 
Refugees  had  cleaned  out  these  reservoirs 
and  plastered  the  cracks.  And  so  after 
three  years  of  drought,  this  man  viewed 
with  gratitude  WATER. 

Water  has  brought  "relief  with  dig- 


nity." Vast  lands  in  recent  years  have 
been  reclaimed  from  the  seas  around 
Korea  to  provide  fertile  soil  for  rice 
paddies  and  mulberry  trees  for  promotion 
of  the  silk  industry  there. 

Another  woman  living  on  land  located 
in  the  boot  of  Italy  exclaimed,  "I  didn't 
know  Christianity  could  be  spread  with 
seeds."  A  packet  of  seeds  from  America 
had  made  possible  her  garden.  She  ex- 
claimed in  wonder  that  people  would 
care! 

A  third  woman,  living  here  in  Amer- 
ica, expressed  her  gratitude  with  a  rose- 
bush.  It  was  her  thank  you  for  an  extra 
hour  given  her  child  after  school  three 
evenings  of  the  week.  Every  season  of 
the  year  should  bring  a  surge  of  gratitude 
for  modern-day  miracles.  D 


How  to  Eat  Less  and  Enloy  It  More 


by  Dorris  Blough 

Are  you  eating  more  and  enjoying  it  less? 
Are  your  children  eating  more  and  com- 
plaining more?  Are  you  trying  harder  to 
be  concerned  about  hungry  people  only 
to  be  more  frustrated?  It  is  time  to  quit 
talking  about  those  poor,  hungry  people 
and  start  finding  out  how  it  feels  to  be 
hungry.  The  only  way  to  do  that  is  to  go 
without  food. 

Right  now,  this  minute,  decide  which 
meal  tomorrow  you  are  going  to  skip. 
You  may  consult  the  family,  or  it  might 
be  more  effective  to  have  them  arrive  at 
the  table  only  to  discover  that  no  food  is 
to  be  served  at  that  meal.  The  money 
that  would  have  been  spent  is  put  into  a 
jar  in  the  middle  of  the  table. 

The  next  step  is  to  decide  to  miss  one 
meal  a  week  for  a  month.  Don't  skip 
only  breakfasts  or  only  suppers.   Skip 
around.  Sunday  morning  is  an  excellent 
time  to  waive  breakfast  because  when 

26     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


your  stomach  growls  in  church  school, 
you  can  say  with  a  superior  air  that  you 
are  making  the  sacrifice  for  the  hungry 
people  of  the  world.   If  it  growls  in 
church,  there  isn't  much  to  do  but  push 
in  on  your  stomach  and  hope  it  stops. 

There  are  some  fringe  benefits  you 
won't  want  to  miss. 

Even  if  the  family  knows  there  is  to 
be  no  supper  that  night,  one  by  one  they 
will  appear  in  the  vicinity  of  the  supper 
table.   Habit  is  a  powerful  force,  espe- 
cially when  an  empty  stomach  is  doing 
the  forcing.  What  does  a  family  do  at  a 
time  like  that?  Suddenly  there  isn't  any- 
thing to  do.  They  stare  at  one  another 
awkwardly;  some  will  sit  down  at  the 
table  with  a  lost  look.  But  doughnuts  to 
dollars,  someone  will  suggest  a  game  or  a 
gathering  in  the  family  room  to  tell 
riddles  or  to  sing  at  the  piano. 

Another  reaction  will  appear  at  the 


meal  following  the  one  omitted. 

"What  did  you  do  to  this  casserole?" 
demanded  Lynn,  devouring  his  dinner. 

"It  is  exactly  like  I  always  fix  it,"  I 
replied. 

"Oh,  no,  it  isn't,"  he  insisted.  "I  never 
liked  it  before." 

We  had  arrived!   Food  he  had  not 
liked  before  now  tasted  good.    (This 
might  be  a  good  time  to  serve  their  un- 
favorite  dish.) 

A  brief  dedication  service  for  the 
money  at  the  end  of  the  month  will  be 
one  of  the  most  meaningful  you  will  ever 
have.  Your  family  did  without  to  put 
that  money  into  that  jar! 

A  word  of  caution.  The  first  time  the 
family  may  cooperate,  because  after  all, 
who  could  vote  against  donating  to  the 
hungry  people?  That  would  be  heretical, 
or  at  least  unpatriotic.  But  after  that,  be  i 
prepared  for  excuses. 

"Not  tonight!  I've  got  tennis  right 
after  school  with  no  chance  to  grab  a 
snack  then.  I'd  die  before  morning!" 

Teen-age  daughter  declares,  "Let's  not 
skip  breakfast  any  more  'cause  the  kids 
have  fits  every  time  my  stomach  growls." 

Even  father  demurs.  "After  a  long  day 
at  the  office,  I  need  supper  to  settle  me 
down." 

Don't  let  them  talk  you  out  of  it. 
Pretend  you  are  going  to  pick  up  the 
Bible.  They  wouldn't  dare  challenge, 
"Unto  the  least  of  these.  ..."  Or,  less 
drastic,  pick  up  the  jar  with  the  money 
in  it  and  shake  it,  saying  nothing,  just 
looking  hungry  but  terribly  courageous 
yourself. 

I'm  guessing  that,  despite  the  hard- 
ships encountered,  your  family  will  vote 
to  continue  skipping  meals.  Why?  The 
discipline  of  denying  oneself  food  for  the 
sake  of  someone  else  will  produce  a 
warm  feeljng  that  fills  up  the 
stomach  and  the  heart,  a  little  bit  like  a 
miracle. 

Incidentally,  a  dollar  given  in  America 
can  buy  many  glasses  of  milk  or  dishes 
of  porridge  in  Africa. 

I  dare  you  to  skip  meals  for  a  whole 
day!    Q 


day  by  day 


The  time  is  here  for  summer  travel.  Your  family,  like 
burs,  may  be  taking  a  trip  together,  perhaps  to  attend  a 
conference,  to  visit  friends  or  relatives,  or  to  see  a  part 
of  the  country  that  is  new  to  you.  Let  us  think  together 
these  two  weeks  about  the  opportunities  for  family  worship 
experiences  which  our  travels  will  present. 

What  are  the  possibilities  while  we're  actually  zipping 
jalong  on  the  road  or  rail  or  in  the  air? 

Some  of  our  family's  most  memorable  worship  experi- 
iences  have  come  while  traveling.  I  recall  well  our  trip  to 
the  1967  Annual  Conference  at  Eugene,  Oregon.  The 
Sunday  morning  before  Conference,  we  had  "broken  camp" 
learly,  hoping  to  find  a  nearby  church,  but  we  drove  and 
idrove  without  finding  one.  Finally,  thrown  upon  our  own 
resources  and  considering  that  we  had  many  miles  yet  to 
cover  that  Sunday,  we  decided  to  hold  our  own  worship 
service  in  the  car  as  we  traveled  across  southern  Idaho. 
Through  that  experience  we  learned  a  valuable  lesson: 
Creative,  spontaneous  worship  services  in  the  car  can  be 
meaningful.  Here  are  some  things  we've  tried,  and  others 
we'd  like  to  try: 

•  Singing.    There's  no  better  way  to  worship  or  to 

break  up  the  monotony  of  traveling  than  singing.  Try  to 
(think  of  some  songs  that  might  be  especially  appropriate 

to  traveling:  "The  Happy  Wanderer,"  "Tm  A-rollin',"  "This 
i  World  Is  Not  My  Home,"  "OF  Texas,"  "Swing  Low,"  "Go 

Down,    Moses,"    "Sing    Your    Way    Home,"    "Swinging 

Along,"  and  "Climb  Every  Mountain." 

•  Litanies.  A  good  way  to  encourage  everyone  to  par- 
ticipate is  with  a  litany.  Make  up  your  own.  Have  the 
,  leader  start  out,  and  at  the  appropriate  point  let  each  per- 
son in  turn  fill  in  the  blank  spot.  For  example:  "For  mak- 
ing   ,  we  give  Thee  thanks,  O  Lord!"    Or 

each  person  in  turn  could  add  a  line  of  praise  or  prayer 
and  the  rest  could  give  a  unison  response  such  as:  "This 
is  our  hymn  of  praise,  O  God!" 

•  Prayer.  In  addition  to  the  above  ideas,  each  person 
might  add  a  few  sentences  of  his  own  as  the  prayer  goes 
around  the  car.    Better  let  the  driver  keep  his  eyes  open! 

I  Use  conversational  prayer;  don't  try  to  sound  "churchy"; 
(just  talk  to  God  as  is  most  natural  for  you.  For  help  in 
this  kind  of  prayer,  read  Conversational  Prayer,  by  Rosa- 
jlind  Rinker. 

•  Scripture.  You  might  want  to  use  the  scriptures  we 
I  have  included  here,  which  highlight  some  of  the  journeys 
I  found  in  the  Bible.    It  might  be  especially  interesting  to 

read  about  how  the  people  of  Israel  worshiped  as  they 
traveled  across  the  wilderness.    Or  take  any  scripture  of 


your  own  choosing,  ask  a  member  of  the  family  to  read  it, 
and  then  discuss  together  what  it  means.  This  can  be  a 
very  absorbing  and  stimulating  experience  of  worship. 

•  Silence.  A  particularly  effective  form  of  worship 
while  traveling  is  to  decide  upon  a  definite  period  of  time, 
perhaps  five  or  ten  minutes,  and  travel  in  complete  silence 
during  that  time.  Afterward  ask  each  person  in  turn  to 
share  what  he  saw  during  that  time  that  God  had  made  or 
that  reminded  him  of  God. 

There  are  many  possibilities  for  worship  when  you  stop 
along  the  way.  If  you  have  enough  time,  one  of  the  most 
memorable  experiences  of  a  trip  can  be  to  visit  a  congre- 
gation at  their  worship  hour,  perhaps  at  another  Church 
of  the  Brethren  or  at  a  church  of  another  denomination. 
We  have  had  many  pleasant  experiences  by  driving  until 
10:30  or  so  on  Sunday  morning  and  then  stopping  at  what- 
ever church  is  near.  We  especially  remember  (1)  a  little 
Baptist  church  in  southern  Missouri  on  our  way  to  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky;  (2)  a  large  United  Church  of  Christ  just 
off  the  freeway  in  Ohio  on  the  way  back  from  Ocean 
Grove,  New  Jersey;  and  (3)  a  small  community  church 
just  outside  Allegheny  State  Park  in  southern  New  York 
State.  These  many  experiences  have  broadened  and  en- 
riched our  appreciation  for  the  total  Body  of  Christ. 

Another  excellent  opportunity  for  worship  while  travel- 
ing can  be  had  by  stopping  at  a  beautiful  rest  stop,  a 
scenic  overlook,  or  a  drive  with  an  attractive  view.  Stop, 
drink  in  the  glories  of  God's  world,  have  an  experience  of 
worship,  and  then  continue  your  journey  refreshed  and 
renewed. 

Happy  traveling!  —  Norman  and  Kay  Long 


DAILY  READING  GUIDE       July  5-18 

Sunday    Genesis    12:1-9.    Abraham   journeys  from   Ur   to  Canaan. 

Monday    Genesis  37:25-36.    Joseph  journeys  to  Egypt. 

Tuesday    Genesis  46:1-7.    Jacob  journeys  to  Egypt. 

Wednesday    Exodus  3:1-12.    Moses  journeys  to  Mount  Horeb. 

Thursday   Exodus  12:37-42.    Israel  journeys  out  of  Egypt. 

Friday    Exodus  14:21-31.    Israel  journeys  through  the  Red  Sea. 

Saturday     Numbers  10:11-16,  33-36.    Israel  journeys  through  the  wilderness. 

Sunday    Joshua  3:14  —  4:7.    Israel   journeys  into  the  Promised  Land. 

Monday    Matthew  2:1-12.    The  Wise  Men  journey  to  Bethlehem. 

Tuesday    Matthew  2:13-23.    Jesus  journeys  to  Egypt  and   Nazareth. 

Wednesday    Mark  15:1-22.    Jesus  journeys  to  Golgotha. 

Thursday    Acts  9:1-19.    Saul  journeys  to  Damascus. 

Friday    Luke  24:13-35.    Two  disciples   journey  to  Emmaus. 

Saturday    Acts   16:4-15.    Paul  journeys  to  Macedonia. 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     27 


just  off 
the  press  I 


habitation 


gragons 


\0V0 


REVIEWS  /  BOOKS 


THE  HABITATION  OF  DRAGONS 

A  book  of  hope  about  living  as  a  Christian 

"To  know  that  I  am  not  alone  with 
the  shameful  dragons  I  fight  in  my 
imier  life  is  very  encouraging."  In 
his  latest  book,  bestselling  author 
Keith  Miller  shares  some  of  his 
personal  dragons  with  other  Chris- 
tians who  are  trying  to  live  honest, 
open,  and  loving  lives  in  this  world. 
Especially  designed  for  daUy  per- 
sonal meditation  or  for  stimulating 
small  group  discussions,  each  sec- 
tion is  complete.   Keith  describes  a 
personal  problem  and  prays  about 
the  situation  as  he  has  tried  to  face 
it.  He  also  includes  related  scrip- 
ture passages  and  the  thought  of 
outstanding  writers.   $4.95 

Previous  books  by 
Keith  Miller: 

THE  TASTE  OF  NEW  WINE,  $3.95 
Gift  edition,   $4.95 
A  SECOND  TOUCH,  $3.95 


CHURCH  of  the 

BRETHREN   GENERAL  OFFICES 

Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


Laws  to  Obey  or  a  Compass  to  Guide? 


GOD'S  BASIC  lAW,  by  Kurt  Henning,  translated 
by  George  Williams.  Fortress  Press,  1969.  245 
pages,  $5.75 

BENCH  MARKS,  by  Jozsef  Farkas,  translated  by 
John  R.  Bodo.  John  Knox  Press,  1969.  112 
pages,  $3.50 


Two  PASTORS,  one  in  Germany  and  one 
in  Austria,  look  at  the  ancient  Decalogue 
and  interpret  it  for  our  day.  They  are 
quite  different  in  approach  and  point  of 
view,  but  each  is  interesting  and  helpful. 
Henning  takes  the  traditional,  funda- 
mentalist stand,  while  Farkas  represents 
the  liberal  school,  doing  creative  thinking 
and  presenting  new  ideas. 

Henning  says,  "  'And  God  spoke  all 
these  words'  —  this  preamble  to  the  Ten 
Commandments  in  Exodus  20  is,  accord- 
ing to  the  stupendous  chapter  immediate- 
ly preceding,  to  be  taken  completely  liter- 
ally. The  voice  of  God  is  to  be  under- 
stood as  an  utterly  real,  audible  voice  and 
most  emphatically  not  as  the  inner  voice 
in  the  heart  of  a  great  saint  named  Moses. 
There  is  no  sense  at  all  in  even  thinking 
about  these  ten  ancient,  finely  chiseled 
sentences  if  one  has  not  been  shaken  by 
the  cry:  This  is  the  voice  of  God." 

On  the  other  hand,  Farkas  suggests, 
"Biblical  scholars  have  proven  that  orig- 
inally the  divine  revelation  engraved  upon 
those  two  stone  tables  was  not  known  as 
Ten  Commandments  but  simply  as  Ten 
Words.  Keeping  in  mind  God's  original 
purpose  rather  than  centuries  of  misuse, 
we  boldly  call  these  ten  words  ten  helps. 
And  this  is  the  crux  of  the  matter:  God 
is  working  at  the  redemption  of  his  cho- 
sen people.  To  those  whom,  by  divine 
power  and  his  'strong  right  arm,'  he  has 
delivered  from  the  realm  of  sin,  demons, 
slavery,  hate,  and  violence,  he  offers  help, 
in  ten  different  ways,  for  their  walk  in 
the  new  life.  He  lights  a  flame  in  their 
hearts.  He  awakens  a  desire  in  them.  He 
strengthens  their  will.  He  cultivates  in 
them  self-knowledge,  penitence,  humility. 
If  we  can  conceive  as  ten  helps  what  we 
have  come  to  know  as  ten  hard  laws,  then 
it  may  be  worth  our  while  to  examine 
them  more  thoroughly." 

We  see  contrast  in  the  two   authors' 


treatment  of  the  first  commandment:  "I 
am  the  Lord  your  God.  .  .  ."  Henning 
discusses  the  Great  I  Am,  as  revealed  to 
Moses  at  the  burning  bush  and  then  goes 
on  to  say,  "Everything  we  have  said  and 
shall  say  about  the  God  of  the  first  com- 
mandment applies  in  all  respects  to 
Christ.  He  is  the  I  Am.  He  is  the  Lord 
who  in  very  truth  is  not  dependent  on 
us,  his  followers.  He  is  the  One  who  is 
with  us  always,  to  the  close  of  the  age." 

Farkas  states  that  the  traditional  ap- 
proach to  the  Ten  Commandments  has 
been  from  God's  end.  But  he  says,  "I 
will  attempt  to  approach  the  Ten  Com- 
mandments from  man's  end.  It  seems 
to  me  that  the  Ten  Commandments  them- 
selves give  us  the  right  to  choose  this 
approach.  Let  me  justify  this  belief  by 
a  simple  placement  of  accent:  T  am  the 
Lord  your  God.'  Man,  the  statement 
concerns  you!  I  am  your  God.  It  is  im- 
portant for  you  to  begin  at  this  point. 
The  subject  is  you,  your  life.  You  have 
a  God.  Man,  if  you  really  want  to  be- 
come human,  you  must  have  a  God.  For 
it  is  only  near  God  that  man  becomes 
human." 

Henning's  treatment  of  the  command- 
ments and  his  chapter  headings  suggest 
that  God  is  the  Lord  of  all  areas  of  hu- 
man experience :  He  is  Lord  of  the  world, 
of  prayer,  time,  the  family,  life,  marriage, 
and  all  we  have.  But  in  discussing  the 
sixth  commandment,  "Thou  shalt  not 
kill,"  he  suggests  that  this  has  nothing  to 
do  with  war,  "whose  legitimacy  is  not 
subject  to  our  judgment  or  criticism." 

Farkas  finds  in  the  commandments  ten 
helps  toward  becoming  fully  human.  Re- 
garding the  sixth  commandment  he  says, 
"You  will  not  be  truly  human  if  you 
exterminate  your  competitor.  For  the 
secret  of  life  is  cooperation;  it  is  to  dis- 
cover the  brother  in  him  whom  you  per- 
ceive as  your  enemy.  You  should  find 
God's  gift  in  him,  make  sacrifices  for 
him,  live  for  him.  Thus  you  will  become 
human." 

In  the  tenth  commandment  Henning 
discusses  God's  lordship  of  community: 
our  homes  and  all  we  possess.  He  sug- 
gests that  covetousness  destroys  commu- 


28     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


nity.  "We  are  to  let  the  other  person  have 
his  people,  his  staff,  his  employees,  in- 
stead of  hiring  them  away  from  him." 
Covetousness  destroys  fellowship.  "God 
says  yes  to  community  and  no  to  separa- 
tion and  division."  "So  the  last  com- 
mandment distinctly  points  us  back  to 
the  first.  We  have  noticed  this  with  the 
other  commandments,  but  it  is  particular- 
ly conspicuous  here.  Once  more  it  is 
clearly  said  that  all  things  consist  in  him 
whom  we  fear  and  love  above  all  things. 
This  is  especially  pertinent  in  the  case 
of  the  tenth  commandment,  where  every- 
thing is  in  the  hidden,  humanly  unobserv- 
able  realm  of  the  mind  and  the  heart. 
Only  he  who  believes  in  the  God  who 
searches  the  heart,  who  reads  all  thoughts 
like  an  open  book  can  know  that  it  ap- 
plies to  himself." 

Farkas  points  out  that  the  Hebrew 
word  for  covet,  chamad,  means  to  "con- 
nive until  one  manages  to  take  possession 
of  whatever  it  is  one  wants.    One  exerts 


himself,  one  manipulates  things,  until  one 
attains  his  goal.  Thus  we  see  that  more 
than  just  desire  is  at  stake  here.  .  .  .  Thus, 
the  tenth  commandment  does  not  empha- 
size desire  so  much  as  it  emphasizes  the 
activity  which  desire  conceives.  So  the 
full  meaning  of  the  word  chamad  is:  if 
you  covet  something,  do  not  begin  to  ex- 
ert yourself,  to  try  by  fair  means  or  foul, 
to  acquire  it." 

Farkas  suggests  that  one  way  in  which 
modern  man  connives  against  his  neigh- 
bor is  by  discrimination.  Thus  we  pass 
judgment  upon  another,  pushing  him 
aside  and  denying  him  equal  rights  and 
opportunities  in  our  society.  "The  Old 
Testament  is  negative:  'Do  not  connive 
against  your  neighbor.'  Jesus  puts  it  pos- 
itively: 'Regard  even  your  enemy  as  your 
neighbor  and  win  him  over.'  "  So  this 
author  concludes,  the  Decalogue  is  not 
a  series  of  spiritual  prescriptions,  but  a 
compass  to  point  us  in  the  direction  of 
God's  kingdom.  —  Howard  H.  Keim 


THANK  YOU ! 


FOR  YOUR  ASSISTANCE  IN  THE  CONSTRUCTION  OF 
THE  HOME.  FUNDS  INCREASED  FROM  450  THOU- 
SAND TO  MORE  THAN  600  THOUSAND  DOLLARS. 
BUILDING  BONDS  ARE  STILL  AVAILABLE  WITH  INTER- 
EST FROM 

SVatO  8% 

YOUR  CONTRIBUTIONS  ARE  ALSO  APPRECIATED  AND 
SOLICITED.     CONSTRUCTION     IS    ALREADY    '/a    COMPLETED. 

For  information,  write:  Peter  Becker  Memorial  Home,  Box 
244,  Harleysville,  Pa.  19438 


New.  Jor  Parents 

^Iwooiia 
Qrapeftuit 

and  other  prayers  for  parents... 

isa  timely  prayer  book.  The  author, 
James  Weekley,  a  minister  and 
father,  relates  many  of  his  own 
family  experiences  and  offers 
prayers  modern  parents  will 
appreciate  and  want  to  use. 

Paperback,  72  pages,  $1  each;  ten 
or  more,  854  each.Ordertodayfrom 

THE   UPPER   ROOM 

1908  Grand  Ave.  •  Nashville,  Tenn.  37203 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Brethren  representative  in  Washington, 
D.C.,  W.  Harold  Row  received  the  dis- 
tinguished alumnus  award  from  his  alma 
mater  Bridgewater  College  during  alumni 
weekend  activities  there.  The  former  ex- 
ecutive in  the  Brethren  Service  Commis- 
sion is  a  1933  graduate  of  the  college. 

Critically  ill  in  a  Peoria,  111.,  hospital 
is  Winifred  Keim,  wife  of  Pastor  How- 
ard H.  Keim,  who  serves  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  congregation  in  Peoria.  A 
kidney  malfunction  has  been  diagnosed. 
.  .  .  Fountain  View  Nursing  Home,  901 
W.  Hinely  Ave.,  Elkhart,  Ind.  46526,  is 
the  new  address  of  Dan  West,  pioneer 
of  Heifer  Project,  Inc.,  and  former 
Church  of  the   Brethren  moderator. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  three 
couples  who  are  observing  golden  wed- 
ding anniversaries:  the  Foster  Keipers, 
Riverside,  Calif.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ora 
Foltz,  Winchester,  Va.;  and  the  Robert 
Heelers.  Pennville,  Ind.  .  .  .  Celebrating 
a  fifty-fourth  anniversary  were  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Wilford  M.  Robbins,  Sacramento, 
Calif.,  and  the  C.  Urbana  Stayers  of 
Martinsburg,  Pa.  .  .  .  Two  couples  from 
Harrisburg,  Pa.,  marked  fifty-seven  years 
of  marriage:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  K. 
Balsbaugh  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Blough.  .  .  .  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  resi- 
dents Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  H.  Shissler  last 
month  celebrated  their  fifty-ninth  anni- 
versary; the  D.  I.  Pepples.  Woodbury, 
Pa.,  their  sixty-second. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

Eleven  pastors  participated  in  another 
of  several  advanced  pastoral  seminars 
hosted  in  May  by  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary:  John  S.  Breidenstine,  Glen- 
dale,  Calif.;  Curtis  P.  Coffman,  Stanley, 
Va.;  Cecil  W.  Fike,  Winston-Salem,  N.C.; 
R.  Thomas  Fralin  Jr.,  Martinsville,  Va.; 
J.  D.  Glick,  Waterloo,  Iowa;  Earl  W. 
Hemmer,  Dayton,  Va.;  J.  Calvin  Keel- 
ing, Tucson,  Ariz.;  Joseph  M.  Quesen- 
berry,  Towson,  Md.;  William  K.  Roop, 
Canton,  Ohio;  Lyie  D.  Roth,  Redondo 
Beach,  Calif.;  and  Robert  D.  Sherfy, 
Mount  Joy,  Pa. 

30     MESSENGER    7-2-70 


One  Southern  Ohio  man,  Lowell 
Lightner,  was  licensed  to  the  ministry 
at  the  Strait  Creek  church.  ...  In  the 
Northern  District  of  Ohio,  two  students 
and  a  retiring  teacher  were  recently 
licensed:  Jim  Hostetler,  having  complet- 
ed alternative  service  and  anticipating 
further  education,  was  licensed  at  East 
Chippewa;  Malone  College  student  Wil- 
liam Bailey,  at  First  church,  Canton; 
and  schoolteacher  Wayne  Workman,  at 
Danville.  .  .  .  After  completing  a  three- 
year  reading  course,  Altoona,  Pa.,  First 
church  member  Paul  Wharton  was  or- 
dained at  his  home  church. 

Returning  to  the  States  after  a  year  in 
Scotland  as  a  student  will  be  Robert  C. 
Bowman,  who  has  accepted  the  call  of 
the  Barren  Ridge  congregation  in  the 
Shenandoah  District  of  Virginia.  .  .  . 
Taking  the  Cabool  pastorate  in  Missouri 
is  William  Miller.  ...  On  furlough  from 
his  post  at  the  Gujarat  United  School  of 
Theology,  Ahmedabad,  India,  Glen 
Campbell  will  serve  as  pastor  of  the 
Liberty  Mills  church  in  Middle  Indiana. 

Charles  Zunkel  is  leaving  the  Crest 
Manor  church  in  South  Bend,  Ind.,  for 
a  part-time  pastorate  at  Middle  Indiana's 
Akron  church.  .  .  .  Resigning  at  Leake's 
Chapel  in  the  Shenandoah  District  is 
Curtis  Coffman,  who  will  become  pastor 


SEIiaii!l!Sli)i3 


July   16-19     District        conference,        Seulhern 

Plains,    Waka,   Texas 
July  17-19     District  conference,  Northern  Indi- 
ana, Goshen  College 
July  17-19     District      conference,      Iowa      and 

Minnesota,  Cedar  Falls 
July  23-25     District  conference.   Southern   Vir- 
ginia, Winston-Salem,  N.C. 
July  24-26     District    conference,    Shenandoah, 

Bridgewater   College 
August  7-9     District    conference.    Middle    Indi- 
ana, Manchester  College 
August    14-15     District    conference.    Southern    In- 
diana 
August    14-16     District  conference,   Seulhern   Mis- 
souri    and     Arkansas,     Wynne, 
Ark. 
August    14-16      District  conference,  Oregon-Wash- 
ington,  Forest  Grove 


of  the  Battle  Creek,  Michigan,  congre- 
gation in  September. 

The  yoked  parish  of  Mountain  View 
and  Leetown  in  the  Mid-Atlantic  District 
will  welcome  Joseph  Lewis  in  Septem- 
ber. He  leaves  another  yoked  parish, 
Woodberry  (Baltimore)/ Reistertown,  in 
the  same  district.  Succeeding  him  part 
time  at  the  Reistertown  half  of  the  par- 
ish will  be  EIroy  Keller,  who  has  been 
serving  as  pastor  of  a  Baptist  chapel. 
^     .J.     ^     ^     .J. 

High  school  teacher  Victor  Norris  has 
assumed  the  pastorate  of  the  Ardenheim 
church  in  Middle  Pennsylvania  on  a 
part-time  basis.  Mr.  Norris  is  a  licensed 
minister  and  a  member  of  the  Aughwick 
congregation  and  has  been  serving  as 
a  supply  pastor  for  area  Methodist 
churches. 

Larry  Fourman  has  contracted  with 
the  Pipe  Creek  church  in  the  Mid-Atlan- 
tic District  and  will  begin  his  pastoratei 
there  in  September.  He  leaves  the  em-' 
ploy  of  the  General  Board  as  editor  of; 
the  International  Uniform  Lessons 
Indian  Creek  Church  of  the  Brethren 
will  be  the  new  pastorate  of  Curtis! 
Weddle,  who  has  resigned  his  post  with 
the  Richland  church.  Both  congregations 
are  in  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Rural  mail  carrier  John  LaPrad  has 
accepted  a  call  from  the  Lower  Deer 
Creek  congregation  in  Middle  Indiana  to 
act  as  part-time  pastor  there.  .  .  .  South- 
ern Pennsylvania's  Black  Rock  church 
has  called  Charles  M.  Bieber  to  be- 
come pastor  there  in  September.  The 
onetime  Nigeria  missionary  will  leave 
his  seven-year  pastorate  at  the  Big 
Swatara  church  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania., 

The  District  of  Middle  Pennsylvania 
will  initiate  a  new  ministry  with  its  plansi 
to  sponsor  a  park  chaplaincy  at  Prince: 
Gallitzin  State  Park.  Richard  Kurrasch,' 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary  student, 
has  accepted  the  call  of  the  District  to 
become  park  chaplain.  ...  In  another 
kind  of  unique  pastoral  experiment, 
Robert  G.  Middleton  Jr.  will  serve  as> 


\ 


I" 


co-pastor  of  the  Cedar  Rapids  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  the  First  Baptist 
iChurch  of  Cedar  Rapids,  with  responsi- 
bilities in  the  area  of  youth  and  young 
adult  work.  Wayne  A.  Shireman,  pastor 
of  both  churches  since  1969,  will  con- 
itinue  in  his  post  with  emphasis  on 
preaching,  counseling,  and  administra- 
ition.  Mr.  Middleton  comes  from  the 
Kansas  City  area,  where  he  served  as 
youth   minister  at   two   churches. 

At  the  Bridgewater  Home  for  the 
Aged,  Byron  Flory  will  serve  as  part- 
time  chaplain. 

POTPOURRI 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  the 
American  Baptist  Convention  district 
conferences  for  Idaho  will  be  held 
simultaneously  in  mid-November,  with 
joint  sessions  and  sharing  of  leadership. 
A  dozen  youth  from  the  Coventry 
Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Pottstown, 
jPa.,  anticipate  a  week-long  tour  of  points 
[of  interest  in  the  Brotherhood  this  month. 
[Their  itinerary  includes  the  Brethren 
Service  Center  at  New  Windsor,  Md.; 
First  Church  of  the  Brethren  at  York, 
Pa.;  the  denominational  headquarters  at 
Elgin,  111.;  and  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary's  Oak  Brook,  111.,  campus. 

Eastern  Pennsylvania  youth  con- 
tributed $1,000  to  the  Fund  for  the 
Americas  in  the  United  States.  The 
monies  were  earmarked  from  proceeds 
of  a  spring  youth  auction. 

Southern  Ohio's  Pleasant  Hill  congre- 
gation conducted  groundbreaking  cere- 
monies for  a  new  building  in  which  men 
(and  women  pulled  a  plow  to  mark  the 
tevent.  .  .  .  New  educational  facilities 
'were  dedicated  by  the  congregation  at 
the  County  Line  church  near  Ada,  Ohio, 
in  April  ceremonies. 

Keith  Miller,  a  businessman  and  psy- 
chologist who  authored  the  popular 
books  Taste  of  New  Wine  and  A  Second 
Touch,  will  be  the  first  layman  to  be 
featured  on  the  NBC  radio  series,  Art 
of  Living,  July  through  September. 

"The  hope  that  is  basic  to  Christiar 
ity"  is  the  theme  of  new  hymns  which 


the  Hymn  Society  of  America  is  seeking 
from  poets  and  hymn  writers.  Persons 
may  submit  new  texts  on  hope  to  the 
Hymn  Society,  475  Riverside  Dr.,  New 
York,  N.Y.  10027,  by  Oct.  31,  1970. 
A  committee  of  judges  will  screen  en- 
tries for  publishing.  New  texts  may  be 
written  in  meters  common  to  church 
hymnals  but  may  be  submitted  by  the 
Society  to  composers  for  new  tunes.  All 
accepted  hymns  will  be  protected  by 
copyrights  by  the  Society. 

An  item  in  In  Brief  for  June  4  has 
confused  persons  who  wish  to  order 
cookbooks.  The  cookbook  available 
through  the  Morrison  Cove  Home  is  not 
—  repeat,  NOT  —  the  reprinted  edition 
of  the  1911  Inglenook  Cookbook  but  is 
instead  a  project  of  the  Home's  Auxil- 
iary. According  to  Home  administrator 
Charles  Heltzel,  orders  for  the  Inglenook 
are  being  returned  as  quickly  as  they 
come  in.  Our  apologies  to  the  Martins- 
burg  Home  for  the  unfortunate  pairing 
of  the  Inglenook  notice  and  the  item 
about  the  Home's  own  cookbook.  The 
latter  may  be  ordered  by  mail  at  $1.75 
per  copy  from  the  Martinsburg  Home, 
Martinsburg,  Pa.  16662,  or  bought  at 
the  Home  for  $1.50  per  copy. 

What  is  the  church's  response  to  cur- 
rent issues  in  terms  of  pastors'  and  lay- 
men's statements?  The  Graduate  Theo- 
logical Union  Library  requests  that  per- 
sons furnish  it  with  sermons,  statements, 
and  resolutions  dealing  with  such  imme- 
diate topics  as  the  war  in  Southeast  Asia, 
race  relations,  and  crime.  All  materials 
may  be  sent  to  David  E.  Green,  Refer- 
ence Librarian,  Graduate  Theological 
Union  Library,  2451  Ridge  Road,  Berke- 
ley, Calif.  94709. 

PERU   RESPONSE  QUICKENS 

An  initial  Brethren  response  of  $5,000 
from  the  Emergency  Disaster  Fund  was 
sent  to  Church  World  Service  for  relief 
efforts  in  the  Peruvian  earthquake  dis- 
aster. Other  materials  sent  from  the 
New  Windsor,  Md.,  Brethren  Service 
Center  were  200  tents,  3,000  blankets, 
500,000   water   purification   tablets,    and 


$50,000  of  antibiotics.  Additional  con- 
tributions from  the  disaster  fund  are 
being  reviewed.  Individuals  wishing  to 
contribute  toward  relief  work  in  Peru 
may  send  their  gifts  to  the  Emergency 
Disaster  Fund,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Board,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 

DEATHS 

.\lger,  Lonnie  L.,  Modesto,  Calif.,  on  May  8,  1970, 

aged  80 
.\Ilen,  Altice.  Rocky  Mount,  Va.,  on  May  2,  1970, 

aged  94 
■Arney.  Mae,   Palo  Alto,  Calif.,  on  May  12,  1970, 

aged  91 
Barnhart,  Galen.  Hallandale,  Fla.,  on  Jan.  8,  1970, 

aged  59 
Bashore,  Lizzie,  Bernville,  Pa.,  on  April  25,  1970. 

aged  66 
Beachley,    Grace,    Hagerstown,    Md.,    on    .\pril    1, 

1970,  aged  74 
Bross.    Samuel    M.,    Myerstown,    Pa.,    on    May   21, 

1970,  aged  72 
Brower,  William  H.,  Iowa  City,  Iowa,  on  May  20. 

1970.  aged  81 
Claar.  Milton  S..  East  Freedom,  Pa.,  on  March  30, 

1970.  aged  63 
Cook.    David    B..    Bridgewater,    Va.,    on    May    19, 

1970,  aged  21 
Dunbar,   James    M.,   Adrian,   Mich.,   on   April  30, 

1970,  aged  81 
Elliot,  Virginia   McClish,  Dupont,  Ohio,  on   May 

31.  1970.  aged  22 
Ericson,   Izzie   Bell,   Oakland,   Calif,,   on   May   14, 

1970,  aged  88 
Fisher.    Bessie    M.,   Salem   congregation,    Southern 

Ohio,  on  April  14,  1970,  aged  88 
Fuhrman,  Hilda,  Hanover,  Pa.,  on  April  14,  1970, 

aged  72 
Gottshall,    Ruth    Buckwalter,   Royersford,    Pa.,  on 

May  9,  1970,  aged  62 
Hartman,     Ruth     Miller,     Martinsburg,     Pa.,     on 

March  25,   1970,  aged  74 
Higgins,  George  S.,  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  on   May  6, 

1970,  aged  58 
Holten,   Harry,   New   Oxford,   Pa.,   on   March   21, 

1970,  aged  91 
Hoover,  Gertrude  Werking,  Hagerstown,  Ind.,  on 

May  25,  1970,  aged  89 
Horni)aker,    Vernon   W.,    Hutchinson,    Kansas,   on 

May  19,  1970,  aged  81 
Lehman,    Kathryn    Long,    Martinsburg,    Pa.,    on 

April  24,  1970,  aged  86 
McKinnie,  William,  Morrell,  Kansas,  on  Dec.  29, 

1969 
Mason,  Carolyn   R.,  Williamsburg.   Pa.,  on  April 

15.  1970,  aged  73 
Messamer,  Merton  R.,  Modesto,  Calif.,  on  May  5, 

1970,  aged  77 
Ranck,  Bemice,  McVeytown,  Pa.,  on  May  31,  1970, 

aged  69 
Randolph,  Raymond,  Morrell,  Kansas,  on  May  20, 

1970 
Reed.  Kathryn.  Bethel,  Pa.,  on  May  5,  1970,  aged 

43 
Richwine,  Stella  B.,  Carlisle,  Pa.,  on  Feb.  23,  1970, 

aged  78 
Schmidhammer,  Violet,  Altoona,  Pa.,  on  May  17, 

1970 


7-2-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


The  Vital  Center 


With  this  issue  of  Messenger  the  present  editor  can  look  back 
over  twenty  years  of  developments  —  in  the  church  and  in  the 
world  —  that  he  has  observed  from  the  vantage  point  of  one 
editorial  office.  But  some  basic  convictions  remain  unchanged, 
even  though  the  context  of  change  continues  and  even  though 
the  format  and  contents  of  a  magazine  such  as  this  one  are 
bound  to  reflect  the  times.  As  one  way  of  recalling  ■ —  and 
reaffirming  —  the  central  focus  that  has  guided  this  publication 
for  far  more  than  twenty  years,  Messenger  reprints  an  edi- 
torial first  printed  on  July  1,  1950.    It  is  still  timely. 

You  may  recall  the  first  time,  in  a  mathematics  or  drawing 
class,  when  you  used  a  compass,  a  simple  instrument  that 
enabled  you  to  draw  a  true  circle.  Even  if  you  began  with 
a  thumb  tack,  a  string  and  a  pencil  stub,  you  were  fascinat- 
ed by  the  ease  with  which,  after  having  established  a  cen- 
ter, you  could  describe  a  circle. 

As  you  grew  older  you  may  have  thought  about  the 
various  centers  around  which  your  life  revolved.  So  far 
no  one  has  devised  a  reliable  instrument  for  detecting  the 
real  center  of  our  daily  actions.  But  we  know  enough 
about  some  persons  to  realize  that  they  are  self-centered, 
that  they  are  not  happy  unless  they  receive  every  attention. 
And  we  have  smiled  at  a  lover  so  devoted  to  his  beloved 
that  he  thinks  the  whole  world  revolves  about  her. 

But  for  the  Christian  there  is  a  center,  a  vital  center, 
that  gives  stability  and  integrity  to  his  life.  That  center  is 
Jesus  Christ,  his  Lord  and  Master.  And  whether  your 
sphere  of  activity  is  large  or  small,  whether  you  move 
among  events  and  persons  of  great  moment  or  live  in  a 
forgotten  corner  of  the  world,  you  are  always  near  the 
center  of  things  so  long  as  you  keep  close  to  Jesus  Christ. 
The  varieties  of  Christian  service  are  as  numerous  as  the 
persons  who  take  the  Christian  way.  But  there  is  one 
center,  a  vital  center,  from  which  every  service  springs. 
That  is  a  central  devotion  to  Christ  our  savior. 

•32     MESSENGER    7-2-7D 


Our  Christian  fellowship,  the  church,  has  the  same 
vital  center.  Although  separated  by  vast  distances,  moving 
in  different  circles,  we  work  from  the  same  base  and, 
therefore,  we  can  have  fellowship  with  one  another.  It  is 
the  vital  center  that  makes  us  members  of  one  body.  Our 
experience  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  alone,  can  turn  our 
church  organizations  into  a  brotherhood. 

Is  it  not,  then,  the  responsibility  of  the  Gospel  Mes- 
senger, as  the  official  organ  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
to  point  us  all  to  that  which  we  have  in  common,  not  only 
a  great  heritage  and  a  great  destiny,  but,  at  the  center  of 
our  life,  a  great  savior?  Among  the  many  thousand  indi-i 
vidual  members  of  our  Brotherhood  one  can  find  diverse 
points  of  view  and  a  variety  of  ways  in  which  members 
express  their  faith.  Our  church  paper  will  reflect  these 
viewpoints  and  picture  a  multitude  of  activities.  It  may 
seem,  at  times,  to  be  too  much  absorbed  with  the  unique 
ways  in  which  the  church's  program  is  carried  out.  But  in 
the  midst  of  such  a  rich  variety  we  can  find,  if  we  lookli 
closely,  the  unity  that  results  from  a  common  bond  of 
fellowship  in  Christ. 

The  Gospel  Messenger,  as  a  voice  of  the  church,  must 
speak,  on  occasion,  concerning  issues  that  are  "hot"  and 
that  strike  Christians  differently.  It  must  speak  because 
the  church  must  provide  a  Christian  criticism  of  the  sig- 
nificant events  of  our  time  and  point  to  the  New  Testament 
standards  by  which  they  can  be  judged.  But  even  more 
important,  because  more  central,  is  our  task  of  nurturing 
the  vital  experiences  of  faith  and  trust  and  worship,  that 
Christ  may  dwell  in  our  hearts  and  that  we  "may  be  filled 
with  all  the  fullness  of  God." 

Although  the  masthead  of  the  Messenger,  beginning 
with  this  issue  carries  the  name  of  a  new  editor,  its  purpose 
will  still  be  to  serve  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  to  exalt 
the  Christ,  who  is  the  vital  center  of  our  fellowship.  —  K.M.i 


Anguished  Men  of  God 

WESLEY  SHRADER  •  With  verve  and  humor  a  Roman 
Catholic  priest  and  a  Presbyterian  pastor  exchange  news  of 
their  experiences  and  struggles  —  both  personal  and  profes- 
sional —  in  a  series  of  revealing  letters.  The  convictions  of 
each  take  new,  differing  directions  in  this  fictional  corre- 
spondence with  dramatic  results.  While  both  consider  "opt- 
ing out,"  this  nagging  question  is  finally  resolved  in  an  un- 
expected and  ironic  turn  of  events.  Wesley  Shrader  describes 
the  depth  and  causes  of  disillusionment  in  today's  clergy  and 
points  to  the  possible  direction  in  which  tomorrow's  church 
will  move,  and  how  clergymen  may  yet  find  meaning  in  their 
work.  The  author  is  pastor  of  the  Madison  Avenue  Baptist 
Church  in  New  York  City.  $4.95 

Pastoral  Care  in  Crucial  Human  Situations 

WAYNE  E.  GATES  and  ANDREW  D.  LESTER  •  A  collec- 
tion of  pastoral  experiences  and  research  which  illuminates 
and  illustrates  the  whole  field  of  the  care  of  persons  in  times 
of  deep  stress.  Compiled  by  various  authors,  the  book  deals 
with  practical  theology  for  such  times  as  childbirth,  the  re- 
tarded child,  the  child  with  cancer,  the  chronically  ill  and 
disabled,  the  emotionally  disturbed,  and  has  a  final  chapter 
on  community  social  disasters.  Each  chapter  is  introduced  by 
the  specific  medical  doctor  with  whom  the  author  worked  In 
a  hospital  situation.  $6.50 

The  New  Shape  of  Pastoral  Theology 

WILLIAM  B.  OGLESBY  Jr.,  editor  •  Written  in  honor  of 
Seward  Hiltncr's  creative  work  in  the  field,  these  24  essays 
explore  the  development  of  pastoral  theology  and  suggest 
avenues  of  investigation  for  the  future.  Former  students  and 
long-time  associates  —  all  leaders  in  the  field  of  pastoral 
theological  thought  —  present  a  comprehensive  assessment  of 
the  growth  of  their  discipline  since  its  beginning  in  the  early 
1900s.    Index.  $7.95 

Learning  About  Pastoral  Care 

CHARLES  F.  KEMP  •  Designed  to  allow  the  reader  to  teach 
and  grade  himself,  this  study  guide  contains  many  sections 
arranged  so  that  he  can  check  his  own  reading,  observation, 
and  experience  with  the  facts  and  with  widely  accepted  princi- 
ples of  pastoral  care.  The  topics  include  historical  perspec- 
tives; the  application  of  psychology  to  pastoral  care;  ministry 
to  the  sick,  sorrowing,  alcoholic,  aged,  handicapped,  under- 
privileged,   delinquent,    and    criminal.     Bibliography,    Index. 

$5.50  paper 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES 


Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Seven  Words  for  the  Seventies.  In  recent  years  representative  groups  of 
Brethren  have  discussed  the  goals  and  priorities  they  think  the  church  should 
strive  to  follow  in  the  next  decade.  From  these  Messenger  has  selected  sev- 
eral key  words  to  feature  along  with  interpretive  statements  and  program  de- 
velopments —  not  the  last  word,  hut  some  leading  words  that  supplement  the 
General  Board's  report  to  Annual  Conference.  The  words:  identity  (page  1), 
evangelism  (page  4),  celebration  (page  6),  communication  (page  10),  caring 
(page  12),  partnership  (page  14),  and  redeployment  (page  17) 

A  Greater  Role  for  Women  in  the  Church?  Has  the  church  been  "mas- 
culine-dominated' so  long  that  women  must  accept  second-class  status?  Or 
do  most  of  them  prefer  to  work  unofjicialhj  in  the  church  fellowship?  A  quick 
look  at  women's  involvement  in  contemporary  church  life  by  Robert  J. 
Hastings,    page  20 

Why  Men  Leave  the  Ministry.  One  of  four  contributions  in  which  readers 
speak  to  topics  about  which  they  have  serious  concern,  by  Chauncey  Sham- 
berger  (page  24).  Other  contributors  are  Patricia  Good  (page  25),  M.  R. 
Frantz  (page  25),  and  Dorris  Blough  (page  26) 

Other  featlthes  include  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Norman  and  Kay  Long  (page  27);  a  review 
of  two  recent  books  on  the  Ten  Commandments,  "Laws  to  Obey  or  a  Compass  to  Guide?" 
by  Howard  H.  Keim  (page  28);  and  an  editorial,  "The  Vital  Center,"  reprinted  from  the 
July  1,  1950,  Gospel  Messenger  to  mark  one  editor's  twentieth  anniversary  (page  32). 


COMING  NEXT, 


Since  the  majority  of  Messenger  readers  were  unable  to  he  present  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska, 
last  month  to  view  a  special  exhibit  of  pictures,  posters,  and  banners  interpreting  the 
theme,  "Celebration  of  Hope,"  a  .selection  of  these  original  offerings  will  be  included  in 
the  Jtdij  16  issue.  .  .  .  Ako  to  be  featured  are  .leveral  Conference  addresses,  many  of 
which  deal  loith  the  same  theme.  The  first  of  these  to  appear  is  Richard  Landrum's 
message  on  "Promise  and  Mission."  .  .  .  In  "Man  of  the  Soil,  Man  of  Faith,"  Jimmy  Ross 
pays  tribute  to  a  farmer-preacher  whom  he  succeeded  in  the  pulpit  of  a  Martjland 
church.  .  .  .  Some  parents  encounter  difficulties  if  their  children's  grandparents  are  of 
another  faith.    La  Vernae  ].  Dick  suggests  creative  ways  of  facing  any  such  problem. 

BYLINES:  Collaborating  on  gathering  and  writing  material  for  "Seven  Words  for  the 
Seventies"  were  Brotherhood  staff  members.  .  .  .  Editor  of  the  Illinois  Baptist  Robert  J. 
Hastings  has  authored  several  books  and  has  contributed  other  articles  for  use  in 
Messenger.  .  .  .  Onetime  denominational  youth  director  Chauncey  Shamberger  lives  in 
Weiser,  Idaho,  where  he  owns  a  fruit  ranch.  .  .  .  Lima,  Ohio,  is  the  home  of  Patricia 
Good.  .  .  .  Rachel  Frantz  resides  at  Elkhart,  Indiana.  Her  husband  Elvin  is  with  the 
national  CROP  offices.  ...  A  frequent  contributor  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  publica- 
tions and  former  missionary  to  Nigeria,  Dorris  Blough  lives  in  Nampa,  Idaho.  .  .  .  Book 
reviewer  Howard  Keim  serves  the  Peoria,  Illinois,  congregation  as  pastor.  VOL.     119    NO.     I 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE   BRETHREN     ^^    7/16/70 


Man  of  the  Soil-  Ulan  of  Faith 


readers  write 


EVIDENCE   OF  SICKNESS 

The  displaced  values  of  our  American 
society  are  disturbingly  presented  in  your 
issue  of  Feb.  26,  1970.  If  anyone  wonders 
what  sickness  is  afflicting  our  youth  or  the 
blacks,  let  him  compare  your  articles  on 
"Hunger  Is"  and  "Parishes  and  Space";  let 
him  compare  the  pictures  on  page  2  and 
page  24;  let  him  compare  broken-down 
shacks  to  $120,000  remodeled  sanctuaries; 
and  let  him  feel  the  sickness  that  wells  up 
within   him. 

Holland  Smith 
Bui,  Nigeria 

BELIEVE  EVERY  ACCOUNT  AND   PROMISE 

Whether  fact  or  fiction,  L.  Byron  Miller's 
article  on  page  9  of  the  April  9  Messenger 
is  heresy  and  blasphemy.  But  I  am  not 
surprised,  for  I  have  seen  disbelief  in  the 
Bible  developing  in  the  Brethren  Church  (of 
all  places!)  for  some  years.  .  .  . 

The  hope  of  the  Old  Testament  and  the 
basis  and  promise  of  the  New  Testament  is 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead  in  the  last  day. 
If  you  do  not  believe  one  part  of  the  Bible, 
you  have  no  basis  for  believing  any  other 
part  of  the  Bible.  If  you  take  out  of  the 
New  Testament  everything  that  is  "contrary 
to  natural  law,"  what  do  you  have  left?  A 
good  philosophy  of  life  (and  nothing  more). 
But  that  can  be  found  in  any  public  library, 
or  you  can  write  it  yourself. 

Has  the  body  of  believers  been  wrong 
through  the  centuries  in  believing  every  ac- 
count and  promise  in  the  Bible  that  is  "con- 
trary to  natural  law"?  If  so,  then  the  church 
was  founded  on  "myths"  and  "fiction."  Is 
it  true  (according  to  many  theologians  in 
the  NCC  and  the  WCC)  that  the  Bible  is 
not  the  infallible  word  of  God  but  just  a 
social  gospel  written  by  the  ancients  the  best 
they  knew?    If  so,  then,  as  these  same  the- 


ologians have  intimated,  the  leaders  of  the 
rioting,  looting,  burning,  and  murdering 
civil  rights  marchers  would  be  better  qual- 
ified to  write  in  place  of  it  a  bible  of  social 
justice  free  from  "myths"  and  "fiction" 
which  would  not  be  "contrary  to  natural 
law"  and  therefore  tell  us  that  there  is  no 
heaven,  no  hell,  no  reward,  no  punishment, 
no  hereafter,  because,  according  to  this  "age 
of  scientific  reasoning,"  the  death  of  the 
body  is  the  end  of  all. 

Joseph  D.  Saylor 
Royersford,  Pa. 

BEST  ONE  YET 

The  photograph  on  the  cover  of  the  May 
21  Messenger  is  the  best  one  yet!  I  am 
writing  the  photographer  today  to  say  the 
same. 

Most  welcome,  too,  was  the  article  about 
the  young  people  who  are  serving  their  BVS 
assignment  at  the  Douglas  Park  church. 
There  are  many  other  good  things,  but  these 
come  to  mind  at  once. 

Mrs.  Herbert  Michael 
Iowa  City,   Iowa 

NOTE  OF  THANKS 

Just  a  note  to  express  appreciation  once 
again.  .  .  . 

Thank  you  specifically  now  for  "Let  Me 
Dissent  From  Despair"  (May  21).  How 
sorely  we  need  such  message  and  uplift!  .... 

Elizabeth  J.  Rogers 
Bemidji,  Minn. 

LET  FAMILIES   PLAN  THEIR   OWN 

In  answer  to  Carolyn  Bricker's  letter 
(June  4),  if  her  parents  had  followed  this 
pattern,  she  wouldn't  have  been  here  to 
write  such  a  letter.  .  .  . 

I  am  not  opposed  to  adoption.  I  have 
two  grandchildren,  out  of  the  fourteen,  who 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover,  7.  8  Emory  Draper;  3-4,  15  (bottom)  Don  Honick;  10  Berne  Greene;  II 
Ed  Carlin;  12  Religious  News  Ser\'ice;  15  (top)  Chapin  Studio,  Nampa.  Idaho;  16-17,  18  courtesy  ot 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary;    21    Philip  Gendreau;   28  Gentry   Photography,   Harrisonburg.   Va. 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  ,\ug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1.  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates;  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  §60;  husband  and  wife,  $75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  .Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  ot  the  Brethren  General  Board,  I45I  Dundee  .Ave.,  Elgin.  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111.    July   16,   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  15 


are  adopted.   They  are  dear  to  us;  we  claim 
them  as  our  very  own. 

When  we  tell  law-abiding  citizens  how 
many  children  to  have,  who  has  them?  I 
also  believe  everyone  has  a  soul  and  a  right 
to  live,  and  I  try  to  love  everyone,  rich  or 
poor,  old  or  young,  black  or  white. 

Let's  be  more  worried  about  soul  salva- 
tion. There  still  is  a  heaven  and  a  hell.  Do 
we  care?  We  really  need  more  missionaries 
right  here  at  home.  Where  is  our  concern 
for  our  fellowmen?  .... 

God  has  really  blessed  us.  I  thank  him 
for  every  one  of  [our  children  and  grand- 
children]. I  pray  we  will  let  families  plan 
their  own  and  put  our  abilities  in  other 
places. 

Mrs.   Russell   Kessler 
Astoria,  III. 

THE  GOOD  WORK   IS   SPREAD   AROUND 

At  different  times  I've  thought  I'd  write 
and  express  appreciation  for  certain  Messen- 
gers which  were  especially  good.  But  these  .| 
good  impulses  often  get  sidetracked!  j 

The  May  21    issue  I  think  is  one  of  the  ' 
best.    I  enjoyed  it  so  much  that  I  tore  most 
of  the  articles  out  to  send  to  some   young 
couples    who    won't    get    the    Messenger. 
So  —  the  good  work  is  spread  around. 

Mrs.  Lloyd  Studebaker 
La  Grange,  Ind. 

BETTER  METHODS   NEEDED 

I  agree  basically  with  the  letters  by  Caro- 
lyn Bricker  and  Marie  Ingerman  (June  4), 
urging  families  not  to  have  more  than  two 
children  biologically.  Yet,  in  defense  of 
numerous  couples  of  my  acquaintance,  I 
would  like  to  make  an  additional  point. 

These  couples  had  decided  not  to  have 
more  children,  but  the  means  of  contracep- 
tion they  chose  failed  them.  One  of  the 
women  was  taking  birth  control  pills  accord- 
ing to  directions  at  the  time  she  conceived! 
Most  of  the  others  were  using  methods  con- 
sidered slightly  less  reliable  than  the  pill 
because  they  were  concerned  about  the  pill's 
side  effects.  One  of  the  women  had  asked  ! 
her  doctor  to  be  sterilized  but  was  told  that 
the  hospital  would  not  approve  it  because 
she  had  "only  three  children." 

Obviously,  better  methods  of  contracep- 
tion are  needed.  Many  experts  believe  that 
such  methods  could  soon  be  developed  if  a 
crash  program  of  research  were  undertaken. 
Such   research   might   develop  simple,   inex- 


pensive  contraceptives  that  could  be  used 
by  the  millions  of  uneducated  people  around 
the  world  who  have  no  access  to  medical 
supervision.  Also,  expanded  reproductive 
studies  might  lead  to  effective  methods  of 
birth  control  which  would  be  acceptable  to 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  under  its  pres- 
ent interpretation  of  natural  law. 

I  am  certain  that  few  legislators  are  likely 
to  "go  out  on  a  limb"  to  appropriate  the 
funds  for  a  speeded-up  program  of  research 
unless  there  is  a  strong  public  demand  for 
it.    Let's  begin  creating  that  demand! 

Esther  Ho 
Chicago,  111. 

DON'T  GET   INVOLVED 

I  have  just  read  your  article  "The  Shape 
of  the  Future  Church"  (June  4).  I  can 
say  I  don't  quite  agree  with  you. 

I  don't  think  the  church  should  try  to 
keep  up  with  the  social,  local,  civic,  state, 
national,  and  international  life. 

I  am  not  one  who  believes  that  merging 
with  other  churches  and  having  worship 
services  together  is  always  a  good  idea.  It 
is  getting  us  too  close  to  a  one-world  church. 

I  don't  think  the  church  should  get  in- 
volved with  such  things  as  Head  Start,  day- 
care nurseries,  or  scouting.  I  firmly  believe 
if  more  mothers  were  at  home  where  they 
belong,  today's  youth  wouldn't  be  feeling 
as  if  they  had  been  abandoned. 

I  believe  the  Brethren  practices  of  worship 
that  were  taking  place  ten  to  twenty  years 
ago  were  leading  more  people  to  God  than 
the  religion  you  are  talking  about  today. 

I  think  good  old-fashioned  revivals  and 
altar  calls  and  honest  and  dedicated  pastors 
are  what  servants  of  God  are  looking  for. 

If  the  church  continues  to  change  so  rad- 
ically, I  am  going  to  have  to  look  for  one 
of  those  churches  which  deliberately  exclude 
themselves  from  contact  with  other  churches. 

Mrs.  Charles  Mason 
Oakland,   Md. 

WITH   GOOD   READING 

Our  God  is  in  his  heaven  of  love.  .  .  . 
He  gives  us  our  needs.  He  gives  us  his  love. 
He  gives  us  our  churches  and  our  ministers, 
too.  Yes,  he  gives  our  church  Messengers, 
too.  And  may  God  bless  the  ones  who  get 
Messenger  ready  for  us,  with  good  reading 
for  us  all. 

Ethel  Back 
Covington,  Ky. 


Page  One... 


One  of  our  editors  recalls  the  informal  way  in  which  Messenger  reporters 
used  to  describe  the  sounds  and  the  sense  of  an  Annual  Conference.  For 
example,  Edward  Frantz  started  out  one  of  his  annual  reports  by  saying, 
"The  joys  of  an  editor  are  beyond  all  reckoning"  (1934).  Then  he  pro- 
ceeded to  document  these  joys  by  recording  in  considerable  detail  all  that 
happened  from  the  time  he  left  the  Elgin  railway  station  until  Annual 
Conference  ended  with  a  benediction  eight  days  later.  He  dropped  names 
freely  in  his  diary  accounts,  but  he  managed  also  to  cover  all  important 
issues. 

The  present  editor  recalls  a  kind  of  apprenticeship  he  served  during 
the  Conference  of  1950,  when  he  helped  Desmond  Bittinger  prepare  copy 
that  would  appear  in  four  successive  issues  of  the  Gospel  Messenger.  By 
that  time  Conference  already  resembled  a  "three-ring  circus,"  with  single 
or  parallel  sessions  running  from  early  morning  until  late  at  night. 

In  recent  years  reporters  have  not  tried  to  cover  all  Conference  activ- 
ities (we  counted  153  scheduled  events  in  the  Lincoln  program  booklet), 
but  this  magazine  has  sought  to  bring  informative  news  articles,  pictures, 
and  a  summary  of  elections,  appointments,  and  decisions.  We  are  reserving 
a  major  section  of  our  next  issue  (July  30)  for  a  Conference  report.  Also, 
beginning  with  this  issue,  we  are  planning  to  feature  several  of  the  week's 
addresses  and  Bible  messages.  The  theme  of  this  year's  Conference  will  be 
prominent  in  most  of  the  speeches.  It  appears  also  in  graphic  ways,  well 
illustrated  by  the  selection  of  banners  (see  pages  three  and  four)  which 
individuals  have  already  made  for  a  Conference  exhibit. 

In  saluting  contributors  to  this  issue  we  note  the  presence  of  four  pas- 
tors among  writers.  Richard  L.  Landrum,  offering  his  Annual  Conference 
address,  serves  the  Rochester  Community  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Topeka, 
Kansas.  ...  A  recent  graduate  of  Bethany  Theological  Seminary  (see  page 
16),  Jimmy  R.  Ross  has  accepted  the  call  of  the  Codorus  congregation  in 
Southern  Pennsylvania.  .  .  .  Ellis  G.  Guthrie  pastors  Southern  Ohio's 
Eaton  church.  .  .  .  Book  reviewer  William  Faw  lives  in  Los  Angeles,  Cali- 
fornia, where  he  is  pastor  at  the  Imperial  Heights  church. 

As  moderator  of  the  1969  Shenandoah  District  conference,  James  M. 
Bryant  used  as  his  address  what  Messenger  has  printed  as  a  Speak  Up 
selection.  Besides  being  an  ordained  minister  in  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, the  Staunton,  Virginia,  resident  is  with  the  department  of  welfare  and 
institutions,  Commonwealth  of  Virginia. 

Among  poets,  Sara  G.  Wilson  lives  at  Hartville,  Ohio,  where  her  hus- 
band David  serves  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  as  pastor.  Their  home  is 
near  Kent,  the  site  of  the  event  she  describes  in  her  poem.  .  .  .  Baltimore, 
Maryland,  is  the  home  of  Robert  Hale.  .  .  .  Now  at  home  in  Waynesboro, 
Pennsylvania,  Prudence  Engle  spent  two  years  as  a  BVSer  at  Brethren  Ac- 
tion Movement's  North  Manchester,  Indiana,  headquarters.  During  her 
tenure  she  toured  the  midwest  as  a  peace  education  fieldworker.  .  .  .  Ruth 
Gregory  (Mrs.  Wayne ),01ympia,  Washington,  attends  the  Olympia  Com- 
munity church Buffalo,  New  York,  is  the  home  of  Anthony  R. 

Petrosky. 

The  Editors 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     1 


Promise  and  IVIission 


by  RICHARD  L.  LANDRUM 


Most  of  us  were  nurtured  in 
the  Christian  hope  as  a 
promise  to  he  fulfilled  be- 
yond human  history.   So 
we've  talked  of  heavens 
dream.  We've  debated 
heaven's  location.  We've 
speculated  about  how  God 
will  resolve  complicated, 
painful  dilemmas  into  a  vic- 
torious kingdom  of  relation- 
ships 

Sometimes  we  have  even  played 
God  by  trying  to  determine  who's 
going  to  be  included  in  that  king- 
dom.   You  and  I?    somebody  else? 
everybody?    We've  done  all  manner 
of  nonsense  about  heaven,  but  not 
enough  of  what  heaven  was  in- 
tended to  inspire  us  to  do  —  to  live 
for  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the 
midst  of  this  world. 

This  world  is  terribly  impatient 
with  religious  talk  about  heaven 
"someday."    People  want  to  know 
what  we  have  to  offer  now.    So  go 
the  cries  of  our  day:   "Freedom 
now!"    "Life  now!"    "Peace  now!" 
"Food  now!"    "Justice  now!"    We 
have  talked  too  much  about  this 
life's  being  preparation  for  heaven, 
when  heaven  should  have  been  the 
vision  motivating  us  to  live  this  life 
well.    Because  of  us  many  are  say- 
ing, "I  like  your  Jesus  who  acts, 
but  I  can't  stand  your  God  who 


does  nothing." 

Our  religious  task  is  to  witness 
to  the  God  who  does  something  by 
doing  something  ourselves.  We  are 
to  give  hope  to  this  world  through 
mission.  As  God's  people  in  Jesus 
Christ  we  have  inherited  a  mission; 
the  world  inherits  the  promise. 

1. 

What  is  the  promise?    God  said 
to  Abraham,  "I  will  make  of  you  a 
great  nation.   .     .  and  by  you  all 
the  families  of  the  earth  will  bless 
themselves"   (Genesis   12:2-3).    A 
crucial  insight  in  the  promise  of 
God  is  that  mission  is  limited  to 
this  world.    The  Old  Testament 
scholar  Gerhard  von  Rad  observes 
that  the  Hebrew  understanding  of 
blessing  was  material  prosperity,  the 
gift  of  a  promised  land,  or  the 
making  of  a  great  nation.    The 
blessing  would  extend  to  all  the 
families  of  the  earth.    Von  Rad 
interprets  this  to  mean,  "The  extent 
of  the  promise  now  becomes  equal 
to  that  of  the  unhappy  international 
world."    Mission  is  limited  to  this 
world. 

The  next  step  follows  easily.    If 
mission  is  limited  to  this  world  — 
its  economics,  its  geography,  its  in- 
ternational condition  —  then  mission 
must  have  political  implications. 
The  complaints  of  so  many  dis- 
turbed folks  that  the  role  of  faith 
is  nonworldly  and  nonpolitical  is  a 
contradiction  of  the  biblical  promise 
of  God  to  Abraham.    The  real  evi- 
dence of  mission  is  blessing,  in  the 


persons  and  structures  of  this  world, 
all  the  families  of  the  earth. 

To  say  that  mission  is  limited  to 
this  world  and  has  political  implica- 
tions, however,  does  not  negate  the 
importance  of  heaven  beyond  his- 
tory.   We  trust  that  God's  purposes 
cannot  be  foiled  by  historical 
tragedies.    Fulfillment  awaits  beyond 
the  end  of  history.    But  the  point  is 
that  we  cannot  do  anything  about 
heaven  beyond  history  except  trust 
God  enough  to  do  heaven's  work 
on  earth. 

Abraham  did  not  share  our  New 
Testament  dream  of  heaven,  but  his 
dream  of  a  promised  land  and  a 
people  through  whom  all  the  na- 
tions would  be  blessed  moved  him 
out  in  faith.    Breaking  away  from 
his  past,  Abraham  followed  God 
into  the  promising  future,  but  that 
future  was  fraught  with  risk  and 
peril.    He  broke  with  the  familiar 
to  wander  on  the  desert  like  a  no- 
body in  search  of  someplace.    His 
journey  led  Israel  into  slavery  in 
Egypt.    Abraham's  journey  contin- 
ued in  Moses,  through  the  Exodus, 
through  the  Red  Sea  to  thirst  and 
hunger  in'  the  wilderness.    Centuries 
later,  Abraham's  people  became  the 
Kingdom  of  David,  only  to  be  con- 
quered in  the  years  to  come  by 
Babylonians,  Persians,  Greeks,  and 
Romans.    Israel  knew  all  the  suffer- 
ings of  war,  death,  sickness,  slavery, 
and  separation.    But  always  some 
people  in  Israel  retained  the  vision 
of  a  promise  that  God  would  fulfill. 
Continued  on  page  5 


2     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


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Celebration 


Hope 


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/4  selection  of 
banners  and  posters 
on  the  Annual 
Conference  theme 


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PROMISE  AND  MISSION  /  continued 


The  trouble  with  the  Israelites 
was  that  most  of  them  remembered 
the  promise  of  blessing  for  them- 
selves but  forgot  the  mission  to  all 
the  families  of  the  earth.    The  story 
of  Abraham's  people  is  a  story  of 
God's  faithfulness  and  Israel's  un- 
faithfulness.   They  want  blessing  but 
despise  the  families  outside  Israel. 
They  forget  justice  and  righteous- 
ness in  their  life  together.    The 
prophets  recall  the  people  —  Isaiah, 
Jeremiah,  and  Amos!    But  the 
people  persecute  and  kill  the 
prophets. 

One  Israelite  came  who  was 
faithful.    One  man  became  for  aU 
the  families  of  the  earth  what  Israel 
was  not,  love  and  righteousness;  one 
man,  the  revelation  of  God,  Jesus 
Christ,  was  crucified  for  his  faithful- 
ness in  behalf  of  our  unfaithfulness 
and  raised  as  Lord  of  the  church. 

The  Genesis  text  reappears  in 
the  third  chapter  of  Acts,  following 
our  Lord's  ascension  and  the  gift 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  upon  the  church. 
Why  does  the  text  recur  in  Acts? 
Because  the  church  is  called 
through  repentance  to  become  the 
new  Israel,  the  Body  of  Christ. 
Through  the  church,  the  mission 
limited  to  this  world  with  political 
implications  is  carried  out  on  behalf 
of  all  the  families  of  the  earth. 

The  forerunner  of  mission  is  re- 
pentance.   So  often  we,  like  Abra- 
ham's people  before  us,  want  to  be 
blessed  but  forget  our  mission  to  all 
the  world;  we  fail  to  be  faithful  to 
the  image  of  the  man  on  the  cross. 
We  misappropriate  hope  beyond  his- 
tory so  as  to  excuse  ourselves  from 
responsible  participation  in  history. 
So  our  religion  becomes  a  lie. 
Peter's  words  in  Acts  to  us  who 
would  hope  in  the  promise  of  God 
are,  "Repent,  therefore,  and  turn 


again,  that  your  sins  may  be  blotted 
out,  that  time  of  refreshing  may 
come  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord"   (Acts  3:19).    In  Jesus  Christ 
a  repentant  people  become  Abra- 
ham's people  whose  mission  is  lim- 
ited to  this  world  with  political 
implications. 

2. 

The  pressures  and  conflicts  of  our 
day  make  us  painfully  aware  that 
we  must  gain  some  perspective  on 
how  the  church  shall  fulfill  its  mis- 
sion.   Obviously,  we  are  called  to 
be  faithful  like  Abraham  —  more- 
over, like  our  Lord  Jesus  —  but  in 
our  day  faithfulness  can  only  be 
exercised  in  the  context  of  promise 
and  doom.    We  cannot  live  in  mis- 
sion without  a  sense  of  doom  under 
God's  judgment  upon  the  sin  of  the 
world  nor  without  a  sense  of  the 
promise  of  what  God  in  his  mercy 
can  do  in  this  world. 

We  have  reason  to  sense  the 
doom.    Periodicals  often  feature 
such  questions  and  responses  by 
puzzled  experts  as  this  recent  state- 
ment in  Tempo  by  Russell  E. 
Train:   "Can  man  survive,  in  a 
world  worth  living  in?    Perhaps  the 
best  answer  at  this  time  is:   The 
issue  remains  in  doubt."    The  sur- 
vival issues  are  capital  P  words  of 
doom:   Pollution,  Population,  Pater- 
nalism, and  Provincialism! 

Pollution  is  intensified  by  popula- 
tion explosion.    Population  pressures 
are  intensified  by  inequities  in  dis- 
tribution of  wealth  and  the  ugliness 
of  starvation.    Impending  massive 
death  from  environmental  crises, 
nuclear  war,  and  battles  between 
haves  and  have-nots  confronts  us. 

Though  we  have  the  technology 
to  change  this  picture  of  doom, 
paternalism  and  provincialism  stand 


in  the  way.    Paternalism  is  forcing 
our  solutions  onto  others  for  whom 
our  remedies  are  their  maladies. 
Paternalism  is  racism.    Paternalism 
is  taking  from  others  the  right  to 
have  a  voice  in  their  own  destiny. 
Paternalism  is  a  war  in  behalf  of 
others  that  destroys  others.    Provin- 
cialism is  narrow-mindedly  acting  as 
though  our  own  local  experience 
and  national  interests  were  the  only 
meaningful  modes  of  living.    The 
day  of  nationalism  must  end  or  the 
world  will  end.    New  structures  for 
justice  in  the  world  community  are 
imperative  for  survival.    Our  politi- 
cal and  religious  structures  are  pa- 
ternalistic and  provincial  manifesta- 
tions of  sin.    We  want  blessing  for 
ourselves  but  forget  the  mission  of 
God  to  the  wider  world  necessary 
if  men  shall  live  much  longer  on 
planet  earth. 

Enough  of  doom  talk!    We  must 
also  have  hope,  but  hope  cannot  be 
escapism.    That  is  irresponsible. 
There  is  a  disturbing  hope  syn- 
drome among  us.    I  wonder  what  it 
means.    Annual  Conference  concen- 
trates on  "Celebration  of  Hope." 
Local  church  members  complain, 
"Don't  tell  us  that  awful  news  from 
the  world.    Preach  good  news.    Give 
us  hope."    Such  anxious  chatter 
about  hope  may  be  unchristian. 
Does  this  chatter  mean  we  want 
only  to  escape  the  world  in  which 
we  are  called  to  be  faithful? 

The  Christian  hope  calls  us  to 
face  the  tragedies  of  threatening 
events  in  this  world  in  the  hope 
that  God  can  always  redeem  us  and 
his  world.    Christian  hope  faces  and 
identifies  the  real  problems  so  as  to 
deal  with  them.    We  are  not  called 
by  heaven  to  "cop  out"  of  the 
world  but  to  cope  in  the  world. 
Our  hope  beyond  history  gives  us 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     5 


PROMISE  AND  MISSION  /  continued 

an  eternal  dissatisfaction  with  the 
status  quo  that  causes  us  to  work 
for  something  better. 

The  late,  lovable,  but  opinion- 
ated Joe  Pyne  featured  an  interview 
on  his  television  show  between  a 
Pentecostal  minister  and  a  university 
professor.    The  Pentecostal  reviewed 
his  book  on  prophecy.    His  brand 
of  prophecy  was  a  preoccupation 
with  getting  ready  for  Jesus'  second 
coming.    He  felt  Jesus'  coming  was 
immanent  because  of  current  events 
accelerating  toward  doom.    The  uni- 
versity professor  was  impatient  with 
the  minister's  almost  total  failure  to 
see  the  religious  task  as  a  mission 
in  this  world.    He  said,  "What  we 
had  better  do  something  about  is 
the  apocalypse  that  is  coming  be- 
cause somebody's  poisoning  our  air 
and  water  without  our  j)ermission, 
and  somebody's  sending  our  young 
men  off  to  fight  imperialistic  wars 
against  their  will."    The  apocalypse 
will  come  too  soon  if  people  can 
only  be  irresponsibly  preoccupied 
with  hope  beyond  history. 

The  mission  of  the  church  is  to 
keep  heaven's  promise  before  us  so 
that  we  can  work  creatively  with 
the  forces  of  doom.    Faithfulness, 
therefore,  must  hold  promise  and 
doom  in  tension.    This  kind  of  hope 
is  responsible.    It  identifies  and 
faces  real  problems.    It  holds  fast 
to  the  faith  that  God  can  work 
through  us  and  around  us  in  a 
sinful  world. 

3. 

With  this  kind  of  perspective, 
holding  promise  and  doom  in  faith's 
creative  tension,  the  meaning  of 
God's  call  to  Abraham  is  very  con- 
cise.   The  church  inherits  a  mission; 
the  world  inherits  the  promise. 

God  will  work  through  us.    The 


promise  is  to  Abraham's  people, 
who  we  are  in  Jesus  Christ.    We 
witness  and  serve  in  the  faith  that 
the  world  inherits  the  blessings  of 
our  mission.    The  theologian  of 
hope,  Jurgen  Moultman,  says,  "The 
Christian  church  has  not  to  serve 
mankind  in  order  that  this  world 
may  remain  what  it  is,  nor  may  be 
preserved  in  the  state  in  which  it 
is,  but  in  order  that  it  may  trans- 
form itself  and  become  what  it  is 
promised  to  be." 

A  faithful  church  will  be  an 
agent  of  change  and  service,  a 
model  of  what  God  can  do  and 
shall  do.    We  must  be  a  people 
who  love,  forgive,  and  help  one  an- 
other and  those  outside  the  church. 
Our  involvement  in  the  world  must 
be  action  to  bring  about  responsi- 
bility in  the  persons  and  structures 
of  the  world. 

Several  months  ago  a  young 
man  shared  his  despair  with  me. 
Though  a  delightful  and  very 
brilliant  person,  he  had  dropped  out 
of  school.    He  was  overwhelmed  by 
the  terrible  state  of  the  world.    The 
only  way  he  could  hold  his  life  in 
balance  in  his  mind  was  to  accept 
that  this  is  the  way  the  world  was 
destined  to  be.    Like  every  living 
body  born,  so  created  earth,  too, 
must  deteriorate  and  die.    He  lived 
just  barely  beyond  the  borderline  of 
despair  by  accepting  inevitable 
doom.    Several  months  later  we 
visited  again  after  he  had  wandered 
around  the  country  reading,  think- 
ing, and  talking  with  people.    His 
outlook  had  changed.    He  believed 
that  man's  insight  and  technology 
could  lead  to  a  new  age.    He  de- 
scribed mankind  and  human  history 
as  "the  consciousness  of  God." 

We  are  not  faithless  victims  of 
despair.    It  is  a  sin  to  despair.    For 


despair  means  losing  faith  in  God's 
promise  to  bless  us  and  all  the 
families  of  the  earth.    The  doom 
must  be  faced,  but  in  the  faith  that 
God  shall  fulfill  his  promise.    All 
human  history  is  to  become  more 
fully  the  consciousness  of  God 
where  what  God  shall  do  in  heaven 
shall  bear  fruit  on  this  earth 
through  mankind. 

We  are  not  called  to  bring  in  the 
kingdom  of  God  in  this  world.    The 
forces  of  doom,  the  demonic,  are 
too  real  for  that.    God  alone  can 
defeat  them.    We  must  trust  God 
enough  to  engage  with  him  in  the 
battle  to  bring  his  consciousness  to 
the  minds  and  forms  of  this  world. 
Though  the  kingdom  is  not  come  in 
fullness,  by  the  power  of  God  at 
work  in  us,  we  can  make  this 
world  more  livable  for  more 
people  until  kingdom  comes  in  full- 
ness. 

Don't  cling  to  the  desire  to  be 
blessed,  forgetting  the  call  to  mis- 
sion to  all  the  world!    Turn  from 
self-centered  religious  dreams  that 
produce  no  responsible  involvement 
in  this  world.    The  promise  of  God 
to  Abraham's  people,  who  we  are 
in  Jesus  Christ,  is  a  mission  limited 
to  this  world.    It  has  political  impli- 
cations.   There  is  hope  for  the 
world.  We  have  inherited  a  mission; 
the  world  inherits  the  promise. 

Can  we  possibly  believe  in  hope 
within  and  beyond  history?    No! 
Not  unless  someone  lives  like  Jesus, 
responsibly  with  hope  in  the  face  of 
doom.    This  God  has  done  for  us 
most  fully  in  Jesus  Christ  and  also 
in  those  before  us  who  believed  and 
followed  the  Lord. 

We  can  believe.    The  kingdom  is 
coming.    Don't  just  wait  for  it! 
Repent.    With  great  joy  live  fully 
and  responsibly  now!     D 


6     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


r 


IVIanof  theSoil- 
IVIan  of  Faith 


BKI-, '»,-^\vn,^Ci\Wf!'Aif,->       fc.-W.' 


by  JIMMY  R.  ROSS 

l^hen  Rowland  Reichard  gets  to 
heaven,  chances  are  he'll  do  one  of 
two  things:  tell  God  a  joke  or  ask  him 
a  question. 

That  may  sound  unusual  and  even 
irreverent  —  but  only  to  persons  who 
do  not  know  this  old  Brethren  preach- 
er. His  humor  and  intellectual  curi- 
osity make  him  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable men  I  have  ever  known. 

Rowland  Reichard  served  the 
Manor  congregation  in  Maryland  for 
forty-eight  years  as  a  free  minister.  I 
learned  to  know  and  admire  him  while 
I  ministered  in  the  same  congregation 
for  six  years  as  its  first  full-time  paid 
pastor.  The  first  time  I  met  Rowland 
I  noted  a  twinkle  in  his  eye  as  he  shook 
my  hand.  I  couldn't  decide  whether  it 
was  curiosity  or  mischievousness.  Later 
I  learned  that  it  was  a  mixture  of  both. 
His  hair  is  white,  but  I  soon  realized 
that  his  mind  is  keen,  alert,  and  search- 
ing. The  slightly  stooped,  almost  fraU, 
body  conceals  a  spirit  that  is  vibrant, 
strong,  and  tough.  The  people  of  the 
Manor  congregation  called  him  "The 
Preacher."  He  called  himself  "that 
crazy  old  man."  To  me  he  is  "Broth- 
er Reichard."  This  man,  with  his 
quick  mind  and  ready  laugh,  repre- 
sented to  me  the  best  of  what  is  becom- 
ing a  bygone  era  in  the  life  of  our  de- 
nomination: the  free  ministry. 

John  Rowland  Reichard  has  lived  all 
his  life  in  Washington  County,  Mary- 
land. He  was  bom  there  in  1891.  His 
parents,  Robert  H.  and  Otelia  Reich- 
ard, were  also  lifelong  residents  of  the 


To  quote  a  youthful  student  of 
Rowland  Reichard:  "The  old 
Preacher  is  really  cool.    He's 
neat!"    Oldsters  think  so  too 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     7 


MAN  OF  SOIL  /  continued 


western  Maryland  county. 

Educated  as  a  child  in  the  county's 
public  school  system,  he  went  on  to 
receive  his  degree  in  horticulture  at 
the  University  of  Maryland  in  1913. 
After  graduation,  he  returned  to  the 
farm  and  joined  the  Manor  congrega- 
tion. A  year  later  he  was  elected  to 
the  ministry.  Since  that  time,  and  un- 
til 1963,  he  served  as  pastor  of  the 
Manor  congregation,  which  at  one  time 
had  five  meetinghouses  with  three  min- 
isters. Until  retirement  Brother  Reich- 
ard  served  at  least  two  parishes  as  pas- 
tor, the  Manor  and  Downsville 
churches. 

He  is  married  to  Mary  Katherine 
Martin.  They  have  five  children,  two 
girls  and  three  boys. 

Early  in  his  life,  The  Preacher  was 
confronted  with  a  crucial  decision. 
Should  he  be  a  teacher,  a  preacher,  or 
a  farmer?  Fortunately  for  the  Manor 
church  and  for  persons  who  have 
benefited  from  his  ministry,  Rowland 
Reichard  decided  to  be  a  preacher- 
farmer.  And  so  he  became  a  man  of 
the  soil  and  a  man  of  faith.  His  choice 
illustrates  the  basic  loves  of  his  life: 


the  church,  the  soil,  and  people. 

The  strength  and  commitment  of 
The  Preacher  were  evident  early  in  his 
life.  Long  before  BVS  and  draft  re- 
sistance became  popular  he  declared 
himself  a  conscientious  objector.  In 
September  1917  he  was  drafted  into 
the  army  and  sent  to  Camp  Meade.  By 
July  1918,  because  of  his  CO  stand, 
the  army  had  assigned  him  to  the 
Aaron  Newcomer  farm  near  Ringgold, 
Maryland.  Later  he  was  returned  to 
Camp  Meade  to  receive  his  discharge 
from  the  army. 

The  church  soon  became  and  has 
remained  an  essential  part  of  The 
Preacher's  life.  His  contributions  to 
the  life  of  the  church  are  the  best  evi- 
dence of  that.  Eleven  times  he  served 
as  delegate  to  Annual  Conference,  and 
ten  times  he  went  as  delegate  to  district 
meetings.  He  held  the  office  of  district 
moderator  several  times,  served  on 
Standing  Committee,  and  over  the 
years  held  various  positions  on  the  dis- 
trict board. 

As  a  pastor  he  baptized,  counseled, 
married,  and  buried  an  unknown  num- 
ber of  his  friends  and  parishioners. 


As  a  man  of  the  soil,  Broiiier  Reichard  knows  the  value  of  growth  to  all  living  things 
8     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


Some  of  the  baptisms  were  performed 
in  the  winter,  outside,  at  nearby  Antie- 
tam  and  Conococheague  creeks.  The 
number  of  baptisms  would,  by  his  esti- 
mate, exceed  300.  But  since  record 
keeping  is  not  one  of  The  Preacher's 
concerns,  he  does  not  know  how  many 
persons  he  married  and  buried  in  the 
forty-eight  years  of  his  ministry.  It 
is  estimated  that  thus  far  he  has 
preached  around  3,000  sermons. 

r»ut  his  contribution  can  be  appre- 
ciated even  more  by  realizing  how  im- 
portant he  has  been  to  the  people  he 
served.  The  relationships  he  shares 
with  the  people  of  the  congregation  re- 
flects the  vital  and  significant  ministry 
he  has  carried  out  in  his  lifetime. 

The  traits  of  openness,  graciousness, 
and  humor,  essential  in  beuig  able  to 
relate  to  persons,  are  apparent  in  his 
friendships  with  persons  of  all  ages. 
No  generation  gap  separates  Rowland 
Reichard  from  the  young  people  of  his 
church.  They  enjoy  his  company,  and 
he  respects  them  and  delights  in  their 
youthful  enthusiasm.  There  is  no  at- 
tempt on  The  Preacher's  part  to  "talk 
their  language,"  but  he  does  try  to  un- 
derstand what  they  say.  The  young 
people  know  that  when  they  make  a 
suggestion,  express  an  opinion,  or 
share  a  feeling,  he  really  listens. 

During  vacation  Bible  school,  it  is 
not  unusual  to  see  him  take  his  turn  at 
bat,  try  his  hand  at  finger  painting,  or 
get  involved  in  a  heated  discussion 
with  members  of  his  class  after  the 
regular  session  is  over.  Of  all  the  peo- 
ple who  have  taught  the  junior  highs, 
including  the  pastor,  Brother  Reichard 
has  been  most  popular.  As  one  student 
said  to  me,  "The  old  Preacher  is 
really  cool.  He's  neat!" 

Just  as  the  young  people  feel  he  is 
"with  it,"  the  older  folk  sense  in  him 


a  genuine  concern  for  their  feelings  and 
problems.  There  is  no  attempt  on  his 
part  to  belittle  or  to  question  the  reality 
of  their  fears  and  pains.  In  fact,  they 
receive  strength  and  comfort  from  his 
ministry  because  he  admits  to  having 
the  same  fears  and  pains.  Together  he 
and  I  frequently  conducted  anointing 
and  funeral  services.  His  way  of  ex- 
pressing his  faith  and  hope  showed  that 
he  cared  and  felt  with  the  people  who 
were  suffering  and  grieving.  Their  pain 
was  his  pain;  their  grief,  his  grief. 

More  than  once  was  I  impressed  by 
the  look  of  appreciation  and  love  for 
this  man  in  the  eyes  of  those  to  whom 
he  ministered.  In  this  way  our  ministry 
together  was  not  one  of  competition, 
but  one  of  mutual  support  and  caring. 

Rowland  Reichard's  contribution  to 
the  larger  church  and  his  ministry  to 
the  people  of  his  parish  reflect  much 
about  him  as  a  man.  But  even  though 
facts  are  helpful  and  statistics  impres- 
sive, they  don't  really  describe  the  man 
I  know  as  Brother  Reichard. 

It  would  be  easy  to  assume  that  The 
Preacher  is  provincial  since  he  has 
lived  in  the  same  place  all  his  life.  But 
that  would  be  a  mistake!  Our  conver- 
sations soon  revealed  to  me  that  Broth- 
er Reichard  is  very  much  aware  of  the 
world  in  which  he  lives.  His  lifelong 
tenure  in  Washington  County  has  not 
given  him  a  narrow  and  restricted  view. 
His  natural  curiosity  and  lively  intel- 
lect prevent  that  from  happening.  And 
newspapers,  magazines,  and  books  are 
his  windows  to  the  world. 

Often  I  went  into  the  Hagerstown 
City  Market  to  do  some  shopping. 
There,  sitting  behind  the  counter  of 
his  booth,  the  Preacher  would  be  en- 
grossed in  a  book  or  a  magazine. 
Usually  it  was  necessary  to  peck  on  the 
countertop  in  order  to  get  his  attention. 
He  admits  that  he  is  more  interested 
in  talking  with  people  who  came  by  to 


visit  than  he  is  in  making  a  sale.  I 
feel  the  same  is  probably  also  true  as 
far  as  books  are  concerned. 

One  day,  as  we  were  driving  to 
visit  and  anoint  a  critically  ill  mem- 
ber, I  asked  Brother  Reichard  how  he 
had  been  able  to  retain  his  positive, 
optimistic,  open  attitude,  since  I  ob- 
served the  opposite  happening  to  many 
others  as  they  grew  older.  Modestly 
and  with  wdt  he  questioned  my  evalua- 
tion of  himself.  But  he  did  admit  that 
if  what  I  claimed  about  him  was  true, 
it  probably  was  because  of  his  faith 
and  his  love  for  people,  the  soil,  and 
books.  "I  will  never  learn  everything  I 
want  to  know.  I  have  yet  to  meet  an 
uninteresting  and  unlikable  person,"  he 
said. 

Our  conversations  bear  out  his 
words.  Talking  with  The  Preacher  is 
exciting  and  challenging.  His  intelli- 
gence is  noticeable,  not  by  the  informa- 
tion he  disperses  —  he  doesn't  do 
much  of  that  —  but  in  the  pertinent 
questions  he  asks.  His  manner  of  ask- 
ing questions  is  not  an  attempt  to 
achieve  brilliance  at  the  expense  of 
others  but  to  show  his  genuine  respect 
for  the  other  person's  opinion.  When- 
ever he  asked  me  a  question,  I  felt 
complimented. 

Jhough  in  his  seventies.  Brother 
Reichard  looks  forward  more  than  he 
does  backward.  In  his  conversation 
there  is  little,  if  any,  recalling  of  the 
"good  old  days."  Most  of  his  thoughts 
and  remarks  about  the  past  are  to  help 
him  understand  the  present.  He  often 
said  to  me  that  the  good  old  days  exist 
only  in  people's  imaginations. 

The  wit  and  the  humor  of  this 
"crazy  old  man"  are  both  perceptive 
and  enjoyable.  Many  times  he  said 
that  he  didn't  feel  that  young  people 
were  nearly  as  foolish  and  silly  as  he 


was.  He  doesn't  take  himself  too  seri- 
ously. He  laughs  mostly  at  himself. 
His  enjoyment  comes  from  laughing 
with  people  about  a  good  joke,  not  at 
them. 

When  I  visited  him,  we  sat  in  his 
greenhouse  and  talked.  I  shared  with 
him  my  hopes  and  dreams  for  the 
church,  the  ideas  I  had  about  how  the 
church  might  better  fulfill  its  mission 
and  ministry.  His  openness  enabled 
him  to  listen  to  me  and  to  take  serious- 
ly what  I  said  without  feeling  threat- 
ened. 

Similarly,  he  was  not  a  threat  to  my 
work  and  efforts  —  indeed,  he  was  my 
most  ardent  supporter.  There  was  no 
bitterness  or  suspicion  to  strain  our 
friendship.    We  disagreed,  but  we 
didn't  become  disagreeable.  We  shared 
the  feeling  that  friends  don't  suspect 
and  fear  each  other;  they  trust,  love, 
and  respect  each  other.  So,  my  calling 
him  "brother"  is  more  than  a  title  of 
respect.  It  describes  our  relationship. 

I  was  told  —  warned  —  that  it 
might  not  be  easy  to  go  into  a  church 
where  the  previous  minister  planned  on 
staying  on  as  a  member.  With  reser- 
vations I  accepted  the  call  to  become 
pastor  of  the  Manor-Downsville 
churches.  But  now  I  am  glad  that  I 
did.  I  will  always  value  highly  the 
relationship  and  experience  that  Broth- 
er Reichard  and  I  shared.  It  has  been 
and  will  continue  to  be  a  real  influence 
on  my  life. 

Perhaps  more  than  anyone  I  know, 
Rowland  Reichard  recognizes  the  need 
for  change  in  order  for  growth  to  oc- 
cur. There  is  no  fear  for  the  future 
for  him,  only  hope,  optimism,  and 
excitement.  As  a  man  of  the  soil  he 
values  the  importance  of  growth.  As  a 
man  of  faith  he  trusts  God  and  the  fu- 
ture enough  to  let  the  growth  take 
place  in  his  life  and  in  the  lives  of  the 
people  around  him.    D 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     9 


POETRY 


May  4. 1970 


Sandy,  Allison,  JefFrey,  and  Bill  are  dead. 

Dean  is  maimed  for  life. 

The  charge:  being  there. 

"Now  maybe  they  will   learn,"  thf  people  say. 

They  were  students,  ordinary  students,  wanting  peace. 

There  were  agitators,  troublemakers,  those  who  threw  stones. 

There  were  young  men  with  guns,  real  guns,  loaded. 

Boys  with   real  war  toys. 

Shots  rang  out.    Blood  flowed.    Students  died.    Because  they  were  there. 

Mothers  and  fathers  weep.    Ifs  a  sad  day. 

Many  other  people  died  today  in  Vietnam  and  Cambodia. 

The  charge:   being  there. 

Viet  Cong  were  there.    We  cannot  take  chances.    The  village  was  erased. 

Young   men  with  guns,  real  guns,  loaded. 

Boys  with   real  war  toys. 

Shots  rang  out.    Blood  flowed.    Peasants  died.    Because  they  were  there. 

They  were  people,  ordinary  people,  wanting  to  live. 

Mothers,  fathers,  grandparents,  and  children  weep. 

And  the  mothers  of  the  soldiers  weep. 

And  the  Prince  of  Peace  weeps. 

Oh,  God,  the  world   is  sad  today. 

by  Sara  G.  Wilson 


lUAIM 


The  Shepherd 

If  I   know  the  Shepherd, 
the  capricious  antics 
of  wanton  sheep 
will   not  disenchant  me, 
for  I  will   keep 
my  faith   in   him  extant. 

If  I   know  the  Shepherd 
and  recognize  his  voice, 
the  fickle  stupidity, 
the  carnal  vices, 
the  far-out  wanderings 
of  others  in  the  flock 
will  not  efface   my  credence; 
still   I  will  follow  him 
whose  love  and  faithfulness 
is  still   immutable  and   sure. 

if  i  know  the  Shepherd 
i  will   not  flee  the  fold 
because  of  some   hypocrisy 
or  shame  of  other  sheep. 

by  Ruth  B.  Slatler 


Under  the  sophisticated  veneer, 

under  the  mores  and  morals  of  a  decadent  age, 

under  even  the  basic  instincts, 

there  is  good  in  man. 

At  unguarded  moments  it  wells  up  . . . 

in  pity  for  an  amputee, 

in  tenderness  for  my  wife, 

in  compassion  for  all  the  world's  children. 

Better  than  a  shot, 

a  pill, 

a  fix, 

is  a  cup  of  cold  water  in  His  name. 

by  Robert  Hale 


mit^ 


^Mkto^^l 


M 


Locked  Doors 

Why  is  it  that  there  are  always  locked  doors 
at  the  end  of  wild  runs  in  the  rain 
and  splashing  through  puddles 

that  splash  up  to  your  knees, 
holding  hands  and  laughing  to  the  night 

with  someone  who  is  a  miracle? 

Always  the  locked  doors  at  the  end 

as  though  they  don't  want  us  in, 
don't  want  us  dripping  and  laughing  and  dancing 
down  their  sterile,  silent  halls, 
past  their  carpeted,  clean,  well-lighted  places. 

But  we  have  a  key  \ 

and  maybe  that's  why  there  are  locked  doors  — 
so  we  have  to  use  them : 

So  we  have  to  take  time, 

stand  dripping 

and  fumble  with  the  key 

to  fit  it  to  the  lock 

and  exert  the  force  to  turn  it. 

So  we  learn  how  to  open  their  doors 

and  let  ourselves  in; 

so  we  know  we  can  do  it  — 

can  be  stopped,  can  unlock  them, 

and  then  go  on  dancing  and  running  and  laughing, 
holding  hands  with  someone  who  is  a  miracle. 

Maybe  that's  why  there  are  locked  doors. 
Maybe.  ... 

by  Prudence  Engle 


Christ  Is  Alive 

Christ  is  alive 
and  in  our  midst. 


He  is  love  — 
abundant  love 
forgiving  love 
accepting  love 
working  love 
listening  love 
enthusiastic  love. 

Wherever  people  are, 
there  is  Christ  — 

waiting  to  be  taken  into  our  hearts. 

He  is  oftentimes  camouflaged  by 

harsh  words 

sarcasm 

unloveliness 

dirt 

inconsiderateness 

frowns 

noncommunication 
But  he's  there.  I  call  him  love. 

He's  there  in  all  humanity. 

hy   Ruth   Gregory 


Commitment 

From  Jerusalem  to  Jericho 
They  fall  among  the  thieves; 
They  lie  there  spent  and  struggling 
The  spirit  sees  and  grieves. 

From  Watts  to  New  York  City  — 
No  matter  what  has  been  — 
It  now  becomes  my  privilege 
To  take  them  to  the  inn. 

by  Betty  Fox  Solberg 


16-70    MESSENGER 


Peru  strives  for  recovery 


"How  DOES  ONE  describe  the  massive  in- 
dividual sufferings  —  the  stench  near 
piles  of  rubble  under  which  still  remain 
bodies,  the  dazed,  hopeless,  haunted  look 
in  the  eyes,  the  almost  continual  funeral 
processions,  the  masses  being  said,  the 
services  being  conducted  —  and  side  by 
side  the  struggle  by  those  still  living  to 
continue  to  exist." 

This  painful  assessment  of  the  life 
processes  in  the  wake  of  massive  deaths 
from  the  Peruvian  earthquake  in  May 
came  from  Wilson  O.  Radway,  Church 
World  Service  executive,  only  two  hours 
after  his  return  to  this  country  from  a 
personal  inspection  of  the  disaster  area. 

"I  stood  there  and  cried  like  a  baby," 
he  said,  in  viewing  a  town  of  15,000  that 
had  been  leveled  except  for  its  recently 
built  bank.  Yet  life  goes  on  as  surviving 
Peruvian  Indians  dig  out  pots  and  pans 
and  hammer  them  into  usable  shape, 
uncover  small  stocks  of  food,  scavenge 
a  piece  of  broken  plate  from  which  to 
eat  a  few  beans,  and  make  reed  mats  to 
provide  walls  for  a  bit  of  family  privacy. 

Volunteer  efforts:  Massive  emergency 
relief  efforts  were  being  coordinated  by 
the  Peruvian  government,  the  Red  Cross, 
and  several  Christian  voluntary  agencies, 
among  them  Church  World  Service, 
Catholic  Relief  Services,  and  Seventh 
Day  Adventists. 

As  reports  of  the  disaster  grew  increas- 
ingly worse,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
contributed  $5,000  from  the  Emergency 
Disaster  Fund  for  immediate  use  by 
Church  World  Service.  Additional  gifts 
from  the  fund  by  the  General  Board 
were  being  considered  as  this  was  writ- 
ten. 

"Half  of  New  Windsor"  was  sent 
through  Church  World  Service  in  sup- 
port of  the  material  relief  efforts,  said 
service  center  director  H.  McKinley 
Coffman. 

12     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


Stockpiles  used:  Specifically,  200 
tents,  3,000  blankets,  500,000  water  pu- 
rification tablets,  and  $50,000  of  anti- 
biotics were  sent  to  Peru  from  CWS 
stockpiles. 

It  was  but  one  part  of  a  growing  inter- 
religious  effort  to  provide  assistance  and 
alleviate  suffering  in  the  devastated 
country  where  more  than  50,000  persons 
are  believed  dead. 

One  relief  spokesman  reported  that 
even  to  trained  rescue  personnel  the  dev- 
astation was  "unbelievable."  The  great- 
est need,  he  indicated,  was  for  blankets 
and  winter  clothing. 

Organizers  needed:  Needed  too, 
said  Mr.  Radway,  are  bilingual  nurses, 
persons  with  community  development 
and  organizing  skills,  reconstruction 
tools,  and  engineers  to  relocate  entire 
towns  of  three  and  four  thousand  people. 

The  coastal  town  of  Chimbote,  with 
200,000  inhabitants,  was  at  least  80  per- 
cent destroyed.  "The  whole  town  just 
heaved  up,"  said  Mr.  Radway,  leaving 
the  docks  of  the  fishing  town  five  feet 
above  the  water. 

The  CWS  operations  director  indicated 


Awaiting  evac- 
uation in  the 
quake-ravaged 
coastal  city  of 
Chimbote, 
Peru,  are  a 
mother  and  in- 
jured children. 
It  looked  as  if 
the  whole 
town  had  "just 
heaved  up," 
reported 
Wilson 
Radway  from 
the  scene 


that  the  destruction  and  suffering  are 
beyond  measurement  to  North  Amer- 
icans trying  to  understand  the  tragedy. 
The  U.S.  aircraft  carrier  Guam  is  using 
its  fleet  of  helicopters  to  reach  villagers 
trapped  in  the  mountains  —  where  un- 
told thousands  of  deaths  may  swell  the 
toll  that  will  likely  make  this  the  largest 
natural  disaster  of  the  decade  in  this 
hemisphere.  Cargo  planes  from  scores 
of  countries  bring  into  the  Lima  airport 
needed  materials  for  the  disaster  area 
that  is  over  250  miles  further  north  of 
the  country's  capital. 

Church  aid:  What  in  the  aid  effort 
can  churches  constructively  do  to  help? 
Suggested  Mr.  Radway:  "The  massive 
home  destruction  is  so  great  that  there 
is  no  sense  of  us  even  attempting  to 
build  houses.  They  need  to  get  their 
water  systems  for  irrigation  and  drinking 
backing  into  operation.  Sanitary  facil- 
ities and  medical  stations  are  needed, 
and  schools  must  be  reopened.  In  com- 
munity development,  I  think,  is  where 
churches  can  play  the  biggest  role." 

In  the  early  hours  of  the  disaster  the 
Salvation  Army  dispatched  a  team  of 
workers  to  Peru,  and  released  $40,000. 
Catholic  Relief  Services  diverted  to  Peru 
some  770,000  pounds  of  food  and  cloth- 
ing,   valued    at    $444,000    aboard    three 


'-^^ 


Vatican  appeal:      ";   _"  :;i  '';:":i  ;: 

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Worid  Peace  Cemer  in  Hnosinma  will  be  Sbadioais  and  23  win  attaid  Maxburg. 

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and  a  guest  this  moodi  at  the  La  Vane,  cjians  at  Gotfiasen  Uuivtabiiv  ia  Ger- 

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Bridgewater  CoJIege:  Rjth  M.  Ferrss 


La  Verne  Collegs:  Iirii  7  3:-miz 
iri  r-.rer.re  .-.  I-Iijrini  zr.  Srrssboarg; 
Gi-.    ?.     Z;:^rr_i     .zzz.   R-   Hartmann. 


Cocacii  ci  Men-o-te  CoZeres. 


news 


A  healthy  NAE  gathers 

"Listen  to  what  is  being  said." 

This  catch  phrase,  used  often  during 
this  spring's  gathering  of  the  National 
Association  of  Evangehcais,  suggested  for 
the  two  Brethren  representatives  a  sense 
of  new  openness  within  the  group  that 
encompasses  some  two  million  conserv- 
ative Protestants. 

Signs  of  increased  openness  among 
evangelicals  and  with  others  were  noted 
in  evaluations  of  the  28th  annual  meeting 
in  Kansas  City  by  W.  Hartman  Rice, 
pastor,  Columbia  City,  Ind.,  and  Robert 
W.  Neff,  Bethany  Theological  Seminary 
professor. 

There  is  a  willingness  at  least  to  Usten, 
says  Mr.  NeiT.  He  came  from  the  con- 
vention sensing  a  less  aggressive  posture 
on  the  part  of  the  evangelicals  and  in 
conversations  saw  "a  more  sensitive  men- 
tality as  opposed  to  the  bulldozer  tech- 
nique where  the  answers  are  clear  and 
the  field  firmly  staked." 

Yet,  Bob  Neff  opines  that  such  open- 
ness may  be  more  a  phenomenon  at  the 
national  level  than  at  the  local  level.  In- 
terchurch  relationships  in  cities  and  towns 
across  the  countr>'  remain  minimal,  he 
says,  despite  the  opening  of  more  regional 
field  offices  and  "the  apparent  health  of 
the  organization." 

"Maturity  gap":  The  difference  may 
imply  that  the  NAE  is  experiencing  a 
"maturity  gap":  "One  sees  the  national 
institution  reaching  maturitj'  but  at  the 
same  time  local  churches  have  not  kept 
pace,"  reports  Mr.  Neff. 

If  there  was  openness,  of  a  kind,  in 
acceptance,  in  being  heard  in  small 
groups,  there  appeared  to  be  little  open 
dialogue  on  the  convention  floor  in  the 
discussion  of  issues,  appearing  to  reflect 
the  established  NAE  centralized  pattern 
of  authority'. 

The  program  of  the  convention  itself 
exemplified  an  openness  to  the  world,  to 
"an  increasing  concern  for  the  impact  of 
the  gospel  in  the  work-a-day-world  in 
which  we  live,"  according  to  Mr.  Rice. 

"Prayer,  the  authority^  of  the  scriptures. 


and  dependence  upon  the  Holy  Spirit 
were  high  priorities  throughout  the  con- 
ference. Yet  even  though  many  refer- 
ences were  made  to  personal  salvation, 
basic  beliefs,  the  second  coming  of  Christ, 
and  so  forth,  these  were  never  divorced 
from  an  emphasis  on  Christian  disciple- 
ship." 

There  was  no  sanctuary  at  the  conven- 
tion from  the  relentless  patter  of  social 
issues,  race,  war,  drugs,  sexual  promis- 
cuity, pollution,  and  the  youth  rebellion. 

Impact  of  youth:  Youth  made  their 
impact  in  both  convention  programming 
and  leadership.  A  young  musical  group 
sang  old  favorites  and  contemporary- 
songs  as  visuals  of  draft  resisters,  war 
protestors,  and  the  horrors  of  war  were 
shown  upon  a  screen. 

One  of  the  young  musicians  spoke  of 
his  own  draft  status  and  his  stance  in 
relation  to  war.  Observed  Mr.  Neff: 
"No  one  got  up  and  left  the  service." 

Youth  were  represented  in  the  conven- 
tion delegate  body  as  well.  "In  its 
business  sessions  the  NAE  opened  its 
door  for  youth  to  serve  on  the  various 
commissions,"  Pastor  Rice  says.  "As 
younger  leadership  comes  to  the  front, 
this  will  influence  the  life  and  future 
direction  of  NAE." 

Would  Brethren  feel  comfortable 
among  the  evangelicals?  Both  observers 
in  effect  give  a  "yes"  and  "no"  reply: 
Yes,  Brethren  would  find  points  of  com- 
mon agreement,  but  no,  the  noncreedal 
Brethren  would  encounter  difficult>'  com- 
mitting themselves  to  the  statement  of 
faith  of  the  NAE. 

"Although  a  number  of  Brethren  could 
affirm  the  statement  of  faith,  I  would 
think  that  a  noncreedal  church  such  as 
our  own  would  find  it  difficult  to  reduce 
the  New  Testament  to  the  creed  of  the 
evangelicals,"  says  Mr.  Neff,  who  sees 
the  NAE  statement  the  major  obstacle  to 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  joining  the 
evangelical  fellowship.  "We  would  have 
to  turn  our  backs  on  our  own  church 
heritage." 

Pastor  Rice  notes  the  same  problem, 
but    perhaps    with    a    greater    optimism. 


"Some  Brethren  would  have  difficulty  in 
signing  the  statement  of  faith,  believing 
that  it  is  too  restricted  and  not  op)en 
enough.  The  nature  of  biblical  authority 
is  still  a  major  problem  for  many 
Brethren. 

"Some  of  us,  however,  could  ver>'  well 
sign  the  statement  because  these  truths 
we  believe.  If  the  statement  is  weak  at 
any  point,  it  is  in  my  opinion  not  in  what 
it  does  say,  but  rather  in  what  it  does 
not  say  about  discipleship." 

There  is  room  for  divergent  viewpoints 
within  NAE,  and  such  matters  as  Calvin- 
ism, war  and  peace,  holiness,  and  baptism 
are  still  open  issues  within  NAE,  he  says. 

In  this  second  encounter  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  the  annual  meeting  of  NAE  Robert 
Neff  and  Hartman  Rice  came  away  with 
some  positive  impressions  of  continued 
Brethren  involvement,  at  least  on  a  repre- 
sentative level.  "I  believe  we  need  to  be 
in  touch  with  NAE.  Many  Brethren 
would  feel  a  closeness  to  them  at  many 
points,"  Pastor  Rice  says.  Professor  Neff 
sees  the  Brethren  supplying  an  important 
voice  within  the  NAE  convention,  noting 
that  "many  Brethren  might  find  more 
kinship  than  they  might  first  expect  from 
evangehcais." 

International  flow 

A  CONTRIBUTION  has  been  sent  from  Ni- 
geria for  the  Fund  for  the  Americas, 
aimed  as  fostering  minority  development 
and  race  education  in  the  United  States. 

The  gift,  totaling  S280.  was  part  of 
the  outreach  sharing  of  the  Hillcrest 
church.  The  appeal  was  sparked  by  a 
junior  high  group  which  had  listened  to 
the  Fund  for  the  Americas  recording  and 
studied  the  goals  of  the  program. 

In  a  second  unique  act  of  sharing, 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  received  a 
check  for  SI,  166  from  the  United  Meth- 
odist Church,  in  recognition  of  services 
rendered  to  Methodist  men  in  Civilian 
Public  Service  in  World  War  II.  The 
money  in  turn  has  been  channeled  to 
ecumenical  ministries  working  among 
draft  emigrants  in  Canada. 


14     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


Idaho  Mother  of  the  Year 


-    ie    ^  ear    dns    qning 


Mrs.     Keim     fc= 
childien,     md. 
the    rebat:-::;:  :: 
Hungary    i "  i 
graduate, 
tfaeia^st,   i;.;;: 


been     a     teacher,     physical 
£,  and  cfamdi  woAer. 


Zigler  portrait  presented 


-  Vi- 


H=r- 
1  Ma- 


\"i-.  sIiowTi  Witii  Dr.  Zigle:  ;:i  :'-e 
portrart  at  the  suggestioii  of  her  :z- i~5.  Jit 
O.  R.  Hersches.  It  was  i;  :?—  -i:  ic 
Brethren  Seniice  Comnris  ;r.  _i;er  Dr. 
Zigiers  leadership,  paichi>t;  .-;  ::mer 
Btae  Ridge  CoOegs  campiis  i-i  £;;-  m:::- 
ated  food  and  ctodiiiig  relief  rr:  jri— s  rr;  — 
the  cen&r.  In  tme  '^Zigier.--  zur.::-.  y. 
R-  observed  at  die  May  6  pre>e:i:i:::-  ::  :-t 
portrait  that  his  pfailost^hy  i  -  i;  =  hii  :ee- 
to  keep  one  foot  in  the  chur:-  i-z  zzt  ::c: 
in  the  world  in  order  to  work  throagh  both. 


Graphic  from  Saur  Bible 


E_::r-r; 


^news 


Bethany  Seminary: 
Class  of  1970 


Twenty  graduates  of  Bethany  Theolog- 
ical Seminary  were  granted  degrees  on 
June  8  at  the  school's  campus  at  Oak 
Brook,  III.  Members  of  the  65th  gradu- 
ating class  were: 

Vernita  Jane  Davis.  From  Greenwood 
church  in  the  Southern  Missouri-Ar- 
kansas District.  Daughter  of  the  C.  F. 
Nehers  of  Cabool,  Mo.  Married  to  Glen 
R.  Davis,  pastor,  Enders,  Neb.  Two  chil- 
dren, Glen  4,  Sara  20  months.  McPher- 
son  College.  Former  biology  teacher  in 
Kansas  and  scientific  assistant.  Field  Mu- 
seum, Chicago.  Master  of  Religious  Ed- 
ucation. 

Richard  N.  Dial.  From  Pomona 
church  in  the  Pacific  Southwest  District. 
Son  of  the  Nolan  M.  Dials  of  San  Diego, 
Calif.  Married  to  Donna  Van  Devewter. 
La  Verne  College.  Entered  Brethren 
Volunteer  Service  July  1,  to  be  assigned 
to  West  Hollywood  Presbyterian  Church. 
Master  of  Arts  in  Theology. 

Robert  W.  Knechel  Jr.  From  Crest 
Manor  church  in  the  Northern  Indiana 
District.  Son  of  the  Robert  Knechels  Sr. 
of  Johnstown,  Pa.  Married  to  Terrie 
Kercher.  Manchester  College.  Former 
associate  pastor-director  of  University 
Methodist  Church  Wesley  Foundation, 
Northern  Illinois  University.  To  as- 
sume pastorate  of  yoked  parishes,  Christ 
church,  Wooster,  and  Paradise  church  in 
Northern  Ohio  District,  Sept.  1.  Master 
of  Divinity. 

James  H.  Lehman.  From  East  Peters- 
burg church  in  Eastern  Pensylvania  Dis- 
trict. Son  of  the  Henry  S.  Lehmans, 
Manheim,  Pa.  Married  to  Peggy  Anne 
Katonah.  Juniata  College.  Former 
youth  worker.  Northwest  Youth  Out- 
reach, Chicago.  Planning  to  enter  pas- 
torate.   Master  of  Divinity. 

16     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


John  William  Lowe  Jr.  From  Hanover 
church  in  Southern  Pennsylvania  Dis- 
trict. Son  of  the  John  William  Lowes 
Sr.  of  Hanover,  Pa.  Married  to  Pamela 
Brubaker.  Juniata  College;  Temple  Uni- 
versity, Philadelphia.  To  become  part- 
time  pastor,  Drexel  Hill  church,  Atlantic 
Northeast  District,  Sept.  1.  Master  of 
Divinity. 

James  Emery  Miller.  Member  York 
Center  church  in  Illinois-Wisconsin  Dis- 
trict. Son  of  the  Vernon  F.  Millers  of 
Arlington,  Va.  Married  to  Mary  John- 
son. Manchester  College.  To  enter  al- 
ternative service  Sept.  1,  with  assignment 
of  tutoring  and  directing  Christian  edu- 
cation at  Friends  Bible  Institute,  Kal- 
mosi,  Kenya,  East  Africa.  Master  of 
Divinity. 

James  H.  Ott.  From  Bridgewater 
church  in  Shenandoah  District.  Son  of 
the  Howard  Otts  of  Bridgewater,  Va. 
Married  to  Penny  Dale  Johnson.  Two 
children,  Nathan  3,  Sheila  2.  Bridge- 
water  College.  Former  first  lieutenant  in 
United  States  Air  Force.  To  become 
pastor  of  Green  Hill  church,  Salem,  Va., 
this  month.    Master  of  Divinity. 

Jimmy  R.  Ross.  From  Blue  Ridge 
Chapel  church  in  Shenandoah  District. 
Son  of  the  Gilbert  Rosses,  Waynesboro, 
Va.  Married  to  Betty  Chiles.  Four  chil- 
dren, Michael  14,  Sharon  12,  Cheryl  11, 
and  Pam  8.  Bridgewater  College.  For- 
mer pastor  Immanuel  church,  Elkton, 
Md.;  Manor  congregation,  Hagerstown, 
Md.  To  become  pastor  of  Codorus 
church  in  Southern  Pennsylvania  Dis- 
trict, Sept.  1.    Master  of  Divinity. 

Gary  R.  Rowe.  From  Chapel  Hill 
United  Church  of  Christ,  Penn  Central 
Conference.  Son  of  the  Ralph  Rowes 
of   Camp   Hill,    Pa.     Married  to   Judith 


J.  Davis 


R.  Dial 


R.  Knechel 


J.  Lehman 


J.  MiDer 


J.  Ott 


G.  Rowe 


D.  Schultz 


K.  Shaffer 


aer 


G.  Snavely 


J.  Swigart 


II 


R.  Vonderlack 


D.  Wade 


L.  Weddle 


K.  Wenger 


L.  Widcovsky 


D.  Young 


Rand.  Juniata  College.  Assumed  pas- 
torate of  Community  of  Christ  the  Serv- 
ant church,  Downers  Grove,  111.,  July  1. 
Master  of  Divinity. 

Donald  A.  Schultz-  From  Cedar  Rap- 
ids church,  Iowa-Minnesota  District.  Son 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albert  Schultz  of  Ely, 
Iowa.  To  wed  Christine  Helstern  this 
month.  McPherson  College.  Interested 
in  medical  technology  missionary  pro- 
gram.   Master  of  Arts  in  Theology. 

Kenneth  M.  Shaffer  Jr.  From  Denton 
church  in  Mid-Atlantic  District.  Son  of 
the  Kenneth  M.  Shaffers  Sr.  of  Denton, 
Md.  Bridgewater  College.  To  join  staff 
of  Parish  Ministries  Commission,  Gen- 
eral Board,  Sept.  1.    Master  of  Divinity. 

George  H.  Snavely.  From  the  Ann- 
ville  church  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania 
District.  Son  of  the  George  W.  Snavelys 
of  Lebanon,  Pa.  Married  to  Vida  Sue 
Werner.  McPherson  College.  Former 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  worker  at 
Gould  Farm,  Great  Barrington,  Mass. 
To  become  minister  of  Christian  nurture, 
Elizabethtown  church  in  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania, Aug.  8.    Master  of  Divinity. 

Jay  Leon  Swigart.  From  Maitland 
church  in  Middle  Pennsylvania.  Son  of 
the  George  Swigarts  of  McClure,  Pa. 
Married  to  Leona  Stains.  Two  children, 
Suzanne  6,  and  Laura  18  months.  Mc- 
Pherson College.  Former  youth  director 
and  assistant  pastor.  Bethel  church, 
Naperville,  111.  To  become  pastor  of 
Lower  Conewago  church  in  Southern 
Pennsylvania,  Sept.  1,  where  in  1969 
he  was  summer  pastor.  Master  of  Di- 
vinity. 

Robert  W.  Vonderlack.  Member  of 
Covenant  Church.  Son  of  the  Leonard 
Vonderlacks  of  Lombard,  111.  Married 
to  Julie  Anderson.  North  Park  College. 
To  become  pastor  of  Batavia  church, 
Illinois- Wisconsin  District,  Sept.  1.  Mas- 
ter of  Divinity. 

Daniel  L.  Wade.  From  York  Center 
church  in  Illinois-Wisconsin  District. 
Son  of  the  L.  N.  Wades  of  Gary,  Ind. 
Married  to  Carol  Ruth  Wieand.  Man- 
chester College;  Indiana  University.  To 
engage  in  doctoral  studies  in  New  Testa- 
ment,  University  of  Chicago,   and  con- 


tinue in  youth  work  at  First  United 
Presbyterian  church,  Downers  Grove, 
111.    Master  of  Divinity. 

LeRoy  C.  Weddle.  From  Bloom 
Methodist  Church  in  Kansas.  Currently 
member  of  York  Center  church  in  Illi- 
nois. Son  of  the  Walter  Weddles  of 
Bloom,  Kan.  Married  to  Connie  Sue 
Andes.  One  child,  Dana  Robin  3.  Mc- 
Pherson College.  Former  farmer  in  Kan- 
sas and  minister  of  education,  Central 
church,  Roanoke,  Va.  To  become  pastor 
of  Peoria  church  in  Illinois-Wisconsin 
District,  Sept.  1.    Master  of  Divinity. 

Kenneth  Edward  Wenger.  From  York 
Center  church  in  Illinois-Wisconsin  Dis- 
trict. Son  of  the  Edward  G.  Wengers 
of  Roherstown,  Pa.  Married  to  Rebecca 
Joyce  Warner.  Bridgewater  College. 
Previously  taught  public  school.  To  be- 
come pastor  of  the  Milledgeville  church 
in  Illinois- Wisconsin  District,  Sept.  1. 
Master  of  Divinity. 

Glen  D.  Whisler.  From  the  Beaver- 
town  church  in  Michigan  District.  Son 
of  the  H.  Arthur  Whislers  of  Beaverton, 
Mich.  Married  to  Kay  Felger.  Man- 
chester College.  Formerly  taught  school 
at  Wabash,  Ind.  To  become  pastor  of 
Yellow  Creek  church  in  Northern  Indi- 
ana District,  Sept.  1.    Master  of  Divinity. 

Lowell  H.  Witkovsky.  From  the 
Beaverton  church  in  Michigan  District. 
Son  of  the  Elden  Witkovskys  of  Brecken- 
ridge,  Mich.  Married  to  Delma  M. 
Miller.  Three  children,  Marlys  15,  L. 
David  13,  and  Paul  11.  Manchester  Col- 
lege. Formerly  served  in  United  States 
Navy,  with  Dow  Chemical  Company, 
Midland,  Mich.,  and  as  pastor,  Roann 
church  in  Northern  Indiana.  To  become 
pastor  of  Meadow  Branch  church,  Mid- 
Atlantic  District,  Aug.  15.  Master  of 
Divinity. 

David  S.  Young.  From  Hanover 
church  in  Southern  Pennsylvania.  Cur- 
rently a  member  of  First  church,  Chi- 
cago. Son  of  Mrs.  Grace  M.  Young, 
Hanover,  Pa.  Married  to  Joan  E.  Rez- 
nar.  Elizabethtown  College.  To  become 
pastor  of  the  Bush  Creek  church  in  Mid- 
Atlantic  District,  Sept.  1.  Master  of 
Divinity. 

7-16-70    MESSENGER     17 


news 


The  pastoral  call 

There's  a  fairly  common  feeling  around 
the  Brotherhood  that  while  Bethany  The- 
ological Seminary  may  be  a  good  grad- 
uate school,  it  does  not  prepare  enough 
of  its  students  for  the  pastoral  ministry. 
This  has  been  stated  by  pastors  and  lay- 
men and  written  about  in  Brethren 
publications.  Even  the  seminary  students 
themselves,  especially  the  first-year  jun- 
iors, talk  about  pursuing  careers  in  new 
experimental  ministries,  college  teaching, 
youth  work,  religious  writing;  anything 
but  the  pastorate.  But  when  gradua- 
tion rolls  around  three  or  more  years 
later,  it  is  surprising  how  many  gradu- 
ates choose  to  give  the  pastorate  a 
chance. 

Last  month  17  students  were  gradu- 
ated from  Bethany  with  a  Master  of 
Divinity  degree,  two  with  a  Master  of 
Arts  in  Theology,  and  one  with  a  Master 
of  Religious  Education.  Of  the  17  stu- 
dents graduating  with  the  M.Div.,  13 
will  be  entering  the  pastorate  (12  in 
Brethren  pastorates).  That's  over  70 
percent,  and  the  other  five  M.Div.  grad- 
uates will  pursue  careers  closely  related 
to   the    church:    Elgin   staff,    alternative 


service,  part-time  pastorates.  Richard 
Dial,  one  of  the  first  students  to  gradu- 
ate from  Bethany  in  the  new  Master  of 
Arts  in  Theology  program,  will  be  en- 
tering Brethren  Volunteer  Service. 

Gradual  growth:  Jim  Lehman  from 
Manheim,  Pa.,  was  one  of  those  20  per- 
sons who  earned  and  received  their  de- 
grees on  June  9.  When  Jim  came  to 
Bethany  following  graduation  from  Juni- 
ata College  four  years  ago,  he  could  not 
even  consider  the  pastorate.  Now  his 
plans  are  to  accept  the  call  of  a  small 
Mennonite  Church  in  Evanston,  111.,  if 
they  ask  him.    What  happened? 

Jim,  like  most  students  who  enter  sem- 
inaries these  days,  has  not  always  been 
a  believer.  While  tying  and  retying  his 
tie  as  he  prepared  to  go  to  commence- 
ment, he  talked  about  changes  in  his 
life:  "It  wasn't  so  much  the  pastorate 
itself  that  bothered  me  but  rather  my 
own  lack  of  faith.  I  had  to  find  out  if 
the  Christian  faith  made  any  sense.  The 
change  has  not  come  so  much  in  my 
vision  of  the  pastorate  but  in  my  own 
pilgrimage  of  faith." 

He  smiled  at  his  wife.  Peg,  who  was 
listening  intently,  then  continued,  "I  be- 
came a  believer  through  gradual  growth. 


Bethany's   latest   graduates:    The   majority   choose   to   give   the   pastorate   a    chance 
18     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


There  was  no  instant  revelation,  but  rath- 
er a  grappling  with  the  faith  through  men 
and  relationships  here  at  the  seminary. 
For  me  the  two  basic  questions  I  had  to 
deal  with  were  whether  I  would  be  a 
Christian  and  what  I  would  do  vocation- 
ally for  the  rest  of  my  life.  The  ques- 
tions are  interrelated.  I  could  not  seri- 
ously consider  the  pastorate  until  I  had 
worked  through  the  first  question." 

When  asked  if  being  an  ordained  min- 
ister (he  had  been  ordained  a  few  days 
before  graduation)  would  make  him  psy- 
chologically a  different  person,  Jim  re- 
plied, "No.  I  will,  however,  make  more 
of  an  effort  to  take  responsibility  in  the 
church,  but  there  is  no  qualitative  differ- 
ence in  me  as  a  person  —  I'm  no  differ- 
ent now  than  before  I  was  a  minister." 
Then  he  turned  and  asked  his  wife  if 
he  had  responded  to  the  questions  hon- 
estly.   She  nodded  her  agreement. 

Beyond  rebellion:  Unlike  Jim  Leh- 
man, the  ministry  has  always  been  a  reali 
possibility  to  Bob  Knechel,  whose  father 
is  the  pastor  of  the  Walnut  Grove 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Johnstown,  i 
Pa.  Bob  and  his  wife  Terrie  have  ac- 
cepted the  call  of  yoked  congregations 
at  Wooster,  Ohio.  He  talked  about  his 
decision  to  enter  the  pastorate  as  he 
drove  to  the  grocery  store  to  pick  up  a 
few  items  about  two  hours  before  com-i 
mencement  would  begin.  "Because  my 
father  is  a  pastor  the  ministry  has  al- 
ways been  before  me  as  an  option,  but 
in  recent  years  I  saw  it  as  more  of  a 
handicap  than  an  advantage.  But  after 
working  through  some  natural  rebellion, 
I've  embraced  my  family  and  homelife." 

When  asked  if  he  and  his  father  would 
differ  on  what  they  see  as  the  role  of 
a  pastor,  he  replied,  "The  basic  difference 
would  be  an  attitudinal  one.  His  genera- 
tion looks  upon  the  role  of  the  pastor: 
as  a  more  authoritarian  person;  the  lead- 
er of  the  congregation.  I  believe  that 
the  pastor  should  be  an  enabler  or  pro- 
fessional layman." 

On  being  called:  Bob  admitted  that 
he  is  a  little  bothered  about  choosing  thei 
ministry  in  much  the  same  manner  that 
another    person    would    choose    a    craft 


or  vocation.  He  does  not  feel  called 
to  the  ministry  in  any  dramatic  sense 
but  rather  in  what  H.  Richard  Niebuhr, 
a  contemporary  theologian,  refers  to  as 
an  "ecclesiastical  call";  that  is,  a  congre- 
gation or  individuals  say,  "Hey,  you'd 
make  a  pretty  good  minister." 

Before  Bob  accepted  his  ecclesiastical 
calling,  he  considered  other  professions. 
He  gave  some  thought  to  mental  health 
work  but  decided  that  the  pastorate  of- 
fered the  opportunity  to  work  with  more 
of  a  variety  of  persons.  He  also  related 
a  conversation  he  had  with  an  employ- 
ment counselor  which  made  him  aware 
of  certain  commitments  that  he'd  already 
made:  "The  interviewer  asked  me  if  I 
wanted  to  make  a  lot  of  money.  When 
I  said  no,  he  couldn't  believe  me.  Then 
he  told  me  that  I  wouldn't  be  an  asset 
to  any  business  if  I  didn't  want  to  make 
money.  I  more  or  less  talked  myself  out 
of  that  option." 

As  the  car  swung  into  the  seminary 
drive,  Bob  commented  on  what  it  might 
take  to  make  him  leave  the  pastoral 
ministry.  "I  don't  really  know  for  sure 
because  I  haven't  been  there  yet  .  .  . 
but  I  guess  I'd  leave  the  ministry  if  I 
found  out  that  no  one  really  wanted  to 
take  any  responsibility  for  the  faith  and 
witness  of  the  church.  To  put  it  in  busi- 
ness terms,  it  would  be  hard  to  work 
for  a  company  that  didn't  want  to  sell 
its  product  or  didn't  even  know  what 
its  product  was." 

Finale:  Two  hours  later  the  graduates 
and  the  "significant  others"  in  their  lives 
(parents,  faculty,  wives)  gathered  in  the 
chapel.  Robert  V.  Moss,  president  of 
the  United  Church  of  Christ  gave  the 
commencement  address  on  "Ministry  in 
a  Time  of  Polarization."  President  of 
the  seminary  Paul  M.  Robinson  spoke 
from  Romans  12:  "Do  not  be  conformed 
to  this  world  but  be  transformed  by  the 
renewal  of  your  mind,  that  you  may 
prove  what  is  the  will  of  God.  .  .  ." 
Then  Jim  Lehman,  Robert  Knechel,  and 
their  eighteen  classmates  received  their 
diplomas  and  walked  quietly  into  the 
court  yard  and  clicking  cameras.  — 
Terry  Pettit 


Once  Over  Lightly 


The  newsletters  of  congregations 
and  districts  carry  a  great  deal  of  seri- 
ous material  —  but  not  all  of  it  fits 
that  mold.    Note  these  gleanings: 

Item.  In  Hummelstown,  Pa.,  a  com- 
munitywide  meeting  was  scheduled 
some  weeks  back  on  a  very  urgent 
concern.  The  topic:  "All  About 
Drugs."    The  speaker:  Dr.  Walter  Fix. 

Item.  Readers  of  one  Brethren  news- 
letter were  informed  that  a  couple  of 
parishioners  had  painted  a  parsonage 
bedroom  "passionate  blue."  No  clue 
was  given  as  to  implication. 

Item.  The  district  office  in  Southern 
Ohio  had  an  unprecedented  number  of 
phone  calls  over  a  two-day  period. 
About  30  of  the  calls  came  as  the 
result  of  the  wrong  number  listed  in 
the  "help  wanted"  ads  of  Dayton  pa- 
pers. The  ad  read:  "Barmaid:  Nights, 
experience  or  will  train.  Call  after  9 
a.m."  Observed  district  officials:  "It 
was  interesting  to  get  reactions  when 
callers   learned   what  office   this   was!" 

Itein.  Among  sermon  topics  chosen 
by  Brethren  ministers:  Pastor  Kenneth 
L.  Gibble,  Ridgeway  church,  Harris- 
burg,  Pa.:  "A  Return  to  Chaos,  or  How 
Noah  Managed  to  Stay  on  Top  of 
Things."  And  by  Prof.  Graydon  F. 
Snyder  at  a  Bethany  Seminary  convo- 
cation: "Jesus  Loved  the  Establish- 
ment, or  How  to  Be  a  Christian  Even 
at  Bethany." 

Whafs  in  a  name?  When  it  comes 
to  accenting  celebration  and  hope,  a 
few  Brethren  parishes  are  off  and  run- 
ning.   Certainly  in  name,  at  least. 

There  is,  for  example,  the  Hope 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Michigan 
and  the  New  Hope  congregations  in 
Arkansas,  Indiana,  Tennessee,  Virginia, 
and  West  Virginia.  Virginia  also  has 
a  Hopewell  congregation. 

In  a  similar  vein,  Pennsylvania  has  a 
Brethren  church  named  Bannerville; 
Indiana,  a  Blissville;  Ohio,  a  Happy 
Corner;  North  Carolina,  a  Fraternity; 
Maryland,  a  Harmony;  Virginia,  a 
Unity;  Missouri,  a  Peace  Valley;  Min- 
nesota, a  Golden  Valley;  Michigan,  a 
New  Haven;  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia 


A  plague  on  296 


each,  a  Mount  Joy;  and  Ohio  and  Cali- 
fornia each,  a  Paradise. 

Cause  for  rejoicing  may  also  abound 
among  the  Brethren  of  Virginia's  Free 
Union  church,  Ohio's  Gratis  church, 
and  Indiana's  Windfall  church. 

Twice  burnt: 
In  reissuing  the 
1911  Inglenook 
Cookbook,  the 
current  crew  of 
Brethren  Press 
feels  just  as 
jinxed  as  the 
first  publishers 
must  have  60 
years  earlier. 

The  editors  of 
the  original  edi- 
tion discovered 
that  while  refer- 
ence  was   made 

in  the  book  to  burnt  sugar  cake,  no 
recipe  appeared.  In  a  preface  to  the 
edition  just  reprinted,  this  fact  is 
pointed  up  as  a  human  interest  note, 
with  mention  given  to  the  recipe  now 
appearing  on  page  296. 

The  hitch,  however,  is  that  in  the 
reprint  page  296  is  blank,  except  for 
the  heading,  "Cakes."  Obviously  the 
reprint  was  drawn  from  the  uncorrected 
version  while  the  preface  was  based 
on  a  corrected  copy.  Brethren  Press  is 
now  making  recipes  of  burnt  sugar  cake 
widely  available. 

For  page  296,  mind  you. 

Nostalgia:  "It's  the  best  car  west  of 
the  Mississippi,"  declared  Lyle  C.  Al- 
bright, regarding  the  vehicle  which  he 
drove  98,000  miles  over  the  Iowa  and 
Minnesota  district.  "It  symbolizes  a 
big  chunk  of  my  life's  energy  invested 
in  a  task  I  love." 

Sharing  his  sentiments  in  the  district 
newsletter,  he  informed  pastors  they 
would  see  him  pull  into  their  driveways 
next  in  a  new  Torino.  "I  call  it  Flame," 
he  wrote,  "and  you  will  understand 
when  you  see  it.  It  could  symbolize  the 
Holy  Spirit,  or  as  my  wife  puts  it,  it 
could  say  something  else  about  a  50- 
year-old  man." 

7-16-70    MESSENGER     19 


When  Grandparents  Are 
of  Another  Faith 


by  LA  VERNAE  J.  DICK 

"I  hope  that  you  wont  he 
sorry,"  my  mother 
commented  in  that  tone  of 
voice  which  told  me  that  she 
thought  I  would  be.  I  had 
just  told  her  our  three  sons, 
aged  14, 11,  and  7,  were 
going  to  spend  part  of  the 
summer  with  their  grandma 
who  is  of  another  faith 


Mother  told  me  later  that  my  father 
had  said  that  he  hoped  our  boys 
would  not  come  home  confused. 
"You  know  she  will  probably  tell 
them  a  lot  of  things  we  don't  be- 
lieve," she  added. 

More  and  more  parents  face  the 
problem  of  part  of  their  family's 
being  a  different  religious  faith. 
When  they  find  themselves  in  these 
circumstances,  what  should  they  do? 
Should  they  refuse  to  allow  both 
the  grandparents  and  the  children 
the  joy  of  getting  to  know  one 
another? 

As  a  parent  who  has  faced  this 
problem,  I  would  say  an  emphatic 
no!    This  is  a  day  and  age  when  it 
is  not  very  likely  that  any  person 
can  live  a  lifetime  in  a  secluded 
area  with  only  Brethren.    It  is  also 
improbable  that  the  spirit  of  ecu- 
menism will  spread  so  widely  that 
there  will  again  be  only  one  uni- 
versal church.    Children  will  con- 


stantly come  in  contact  with  all 
kinds  of  religious  practices.    A  tol- 
erance for  beliefs  which  are  differ- 
ent from  our  own  is  becoming  an 
absolute  must. 

Undoubtedly  there  are  some  real 
dangers  in  exposing  children  to  a 
situation  in  which  another  faith  may 
be  presented  to  them,  perhaps  in 
the  most  glowing  terms.    Parents  do 
have  a  responsibility  in  preparing 
their  children  for  such  an  exposure. 
The  following  suggestions  can  serve 
as  guidelines  to  help  parents  and 
their  children  face  these  issues 
realistically. 

1.    Be  frank  with  your  children. 
Compare  your  faith  and  that  of  the 
other  person  for  them. 

Our  children  have  always  known 
that  Grandma  goes  to  church  on 
Saturday  and  why  she  does  and 
why  we  do  not.    If  information 
such  as  this  can  be  given  over  the 
course  of  years  and  in  a  matter-of- 
fact  way,  it  is  much  easier  for  the 
children  to  accept  the  differences. 

It  also  helps  them  to  know  why 
their  family  chooses  to  practice 
Christianity  in  a  specific  way. 
Therefore,  they  have  answers  for 
themselves  when  their  faith  is 
questioned  and  another  faith  is  pre- 
sented.   This  also  helps  them  not  to 
be  unduly  influenced. 

Above  all,  be  honest  with  your 
child.    Brethren  certainly  have  no 
corner  on  truth.    For  instance, 
where  should  nonresistance  cease? 
We  cannot  be  absolutely  sure.    We 


should  be  careful  to  say  that  we 
have  faith  that  we  feel  is  correct 
but  that  we  cannot  absolutely  prove 
that  it  should  always  be  practiced. 
In  this  way  we  establish  a  founda- 
tion of  truth  upon  which  we  can 
build  a  religious  faith  of  reason  as 
well  as  emotion,  of  logic  as  well  as 
faith. 

2.  Emphasize  that  every  person 
has  a  right  to  choose  for  himself  the 
religious  faith  which  he  shall  practice. 

The  early  Anabaptists  were  will- 
ing to  be  persecuted  because  they 
believed  that  every  person  should 
have  a  right  to  choose  whether  or 
not  he  wanted  to  be  a  member  of 
a  church.    This  teaching  is  still 
valid  today  and  has  become  one  of 
the  tenets  of  religious  freedom.    It 
can  be  put  to  good  use  when  ex- 
plaining to  children  why  other  fam- 
ily members  have  a  different  reli- 
gious faith. 

3.  Don't  make  fun  of  religious  prac- 
tices which  are  different  from  your 
own. 

Studies  suggest  that  the  attitudes 
of  parents  in  promoting  positive 
acceptance  of  persons  of  different 
religious  faiths  are  extremely  im- 
portant. Children's  prejudices  are 
rarely  based  on  their  own  experi- 
ences. 

Ridiculing  a  person  because  of 
his  religious  practices  belittles  and 
humiliates  him,  even  though  he  may 
not  be  present.    Children  pick  up 
these  feelings  quickly  and  then  dis- 
play them  in  having  an  attitude  of 


20     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


^ 

^ 


-1%*^*- 


^*^-^*i; 


■^ 


♦  •. 


m- 


ANOTHER  FAITH  /  continued 


disrespect  toward  the  other  person. 

4.  All  persons  should  be  appraised 
In  terms  of  their  merits  as  individuals. 

"I  hate  Mike  Norton,"  Ken  said 
one  day  as  he  was  helping  his 
mother  with  the  dishes. 

"Oh,  why?"  she  questioned. 

"He's  a  Jehovah's  Witness,"  Ken 
replied.    "And  he  does  the  craziest 
things.    He  won't  stand  up  for  the 
flag  salute  or  sing  "The  Star- 
Spangled  Banner." 

"Does  that  mean  that  there  is 
nothing  good  about  him?"  his  moth- 
er asked. 

Ken  thought  while  he  wiped  an- 
other plate.    "I  guess  not,"  he  re- 
plied.   "He  sure  is  fun  to  play  ball 
with." 

To  judge  a  person  only  by  the 
way  he  differs  from  us  is  an  injus- 
tice.   Parents  can  help  their  children 
gain  a  useful  characteristic  by  guid- 
ing them  to  look  at  people  from  all 
angles. 

5.  Have  faith  in  your  own  teaching 
and  that  of  your  church. 

While  it  often  seems  that  children 
are  absorbing  very  little  of  the  per- 
tinent doctrines  of  the  church,  there 
is  good  evidence  that  identification 
with  a  religious  group  becomes  well 
established  in  childhood.    If  children 
have  been  adequately  instructed  in 
religious  teachings,  they  will  incor- 
porate them  as  a  permanent  part  of 
their  beliefs  and  will  continue  to 
feel  their  influence  for  many  years 
to  come. 

So  parents  should  make  a  con- 
scious efifort  to  see  to  it  that  their 
children  have  ample  opportunities 
to  learn  about  the  doctrines  of  the 
church  both  at  home  and  in  the 
church.    Then  they  can  be  reason- 
ably assured  that  their  children  will 
not  be  swayed  too  easily  by  the 
teachings  of  another  religious  faith. 


6.  Have  faith  in  your  children. 

Children  think  more  than  adults 
give  them  credit  for  doing.    Re- 
search studies  indicate  that  religious 
identifications  develop  gradually  and 
usually  become  firmly  established 
during  grade  school  and  junior  high 
years. 

As  a  general  rule,  even  adoles- 
cents tend  to  uphold  religious  values 
which  are  somewhat  similar  to  those 
of  their  parents.    In  a  study  of 
10,000  young  people,  eighty-one 
percent  had  the  same  church  affilia- 
tion as  both  of  their  parents   (H. 
M.  Bell,  Youth  Tell  Their  Story). 

Giving  children  the  opportunity  to 
be  confronted  with  another  faith 
allows  them  to  test  their  own  ideas 
of  what  Christianity  is  all  about. 
It  also  gives  them  experience  in 
coping  with  conflicting  views  and 
not  being  unduly  influenced  by 
them. 

7.  Allow  your  children  to  attend 
the  other  person's  church  when  visit- 
ing. 

Even  if  parents  make  no  direct 
attempts  to  teach  their  children  not 
to  respect  another  person's  faith,  it 
can  be  done  indirectly.    Attitudes 
are  conveyed  to  children  in  such 
ways  as  forbidding  them  to  attend 
another  person's  church.    Children 
who  are  restricted  in  this  way  may 
become  bigoted,  while  those  follow- 
ing tolerant  parents  may  develop 
wholesome  attitudes  toward  others 
of  different  faiths. 

8.  Answer  any  questions  the  chil- 
dren have  when  they  return  home. 

It  is  not  wise  to  question  chil- 
dren extensively  after  they  have 
visited  in  a  home  of  another  faith. 
However,  parents  should  leave  the 
door  open  so  that  the  children  will 
feel  free  to  discuss  anything  which 
is  bothering  them. 


Our  sons,  when  coming  home 
after  a  visit  with  their  grandma,  ask 
many  questions.    We  try  to  get 
them  to  reason  out  the  answers  for 
themselves.    It  is  a  parent's  privilege 
to  say  how  he  feels  and  to  give 
his  children  the  benefit  of  his 
knowledge  and  experience  but  not 
to  impose  answers  upon  them. 

One  day  several  years  ago  a 
friend  and  I  were  watching  our 
children  play  in  the  water  at  the 
edge  of  a  lake.    A  few  years  before 
my  friend  had  lost  a  child  by 
drowning. 

I  could  not  help  but  be  amazed 
that  day  at  how  relaxed  he  was. 
Finally  I  said,  "Ralph,  I'm  a  little 
puzzled  — ." 

"Oh,  what  about?"  he  asked. 

"I  was  just  thinking  about  how 
you  lost  Tomny  in  the  water.    How 
can  you  be  so  relaxed  and  unafraid 
now?" 

He  smiled  softly.    "Losing 
Tommy  was  one  of  the  hardest 
things  that  ever  happened  to  us," 
he  replied.    "But  I  decided  then 
that  it  was  far  better  to  teach  our 
other  children  to  be  safe  in  the 
water  rather  than  to  be  afraid  of 
it." 

Our  world  is  becoming  more 
crowded  with  people  every  passing 
year.    As  a  result,  people  are  living 
closer  and  closer  together.    People 
constantly  rub  shoulders  with  people 
who  have  different  religious  faiths. 
As  time  goes  on  fewer  families  will 
represent  only  one  religious  faith. 
It  is  becoming  a  necessity  to  teach 
our  children  how  to  cope  with 
conflicting  religious  points  of  view 
and  how  to  live  tolerantly  with 
people  of  other  faiths.    Our  children 
will  grow  stronger  when  we  have 
been  wise  in  leading  them  toward 
an  acceptable  view  of  tolerance.   D 


22     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


dairhirdair 


A'hen  we  went  to  the  informational  meeting  for  parents 
vho  were  considering  being  licensed  for  foster  care,  the 
iocial  worker  put  us  at  ease  by  telling  us  the  story  of  a 
3oy,  whom  we  shall  call  Timmy,  who  was  adopted  and 
)vho  had  a  brother  and  a  foster  sister.  Theirs  was  a  beauti- 
:ul  family  relationship,  but  for  one  of  Timmy's  school 
riends  it  was  hard  to  keep  straight.  Finally,  one  day  in 
jerplexity  he  said:  "Timmy,  you're  a  funny  kid!  Last  year 
*'hen  you  came  to  school  your  name  was  Smith;  this  year 
ifou're  the  same  kid,  but  your  name  is  Jones;  and  now 
(Tou've  got  a  sister,  and  her  name  isn't  Jones  or  Smith  either 
jne.   I  don't  get  it!" 

"Well,  it's  this  way,"  explained  Timmy  importantly. 
'My  brother  was  born  to  us,  and  I  was  bought,  but  that 
ittle  sister  ...  we  just  borrowed  her  for  awhile!" 

Yes,  "born,  bought,  and  borrowed"!  What  a  marvelous 
nixture!  Our  family  knows,  because  that's  exactly  what 
ve  have:  Our  oldest  is  born  to  us,  our  youngest  is  adopted, 
md  our  middle  one  is  our  foster  boy.   We  know  what  it  is 

0  be  sons  and  daughters  of  earthly  parents.  But  what  does 
t  mean  to  be  a  son  of  God? 

Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  but  in  Christ  we  have  the 
Drivilege  of  being  a  son  of  God.  Consider  in  your  family 
ffhsX  it  means  to  be  able  to  pray,  "Our  Father  .  .  .  ", 
cnowing  God  as  his  sons  and  daughters. 

Perhaps  the  illustration  of  "born,  bought,  and  bor- 
rowed" says  to  us  that  no  matter  how  we  come  to  our 
earthly  family,  whether  by  birth,  adoption,  or  foster  care, 
fit  are  mainly  members  of  the  family  because  we're  loved, 
^nd  likewise,  the  main  fact  of  our  relationship  to  the  Fa- 
:her  is  that  we  are  childen  of  his  love. 

In  your  family's  moments  together  each  day,  use  the 
icriptures  as  springboards  for  your  discussion.  Here  are 
some  basic  principles  as  background  material  for  you  as 
Darents. 

Our  relationship:  We  are  related  to  God  through  his 
ion  Jesus  Christ.  This  is  basic.  All  human  beings  are 
3od's  creation,  but  for  all  Christians  there  is  a  special 
relationship  which  is  ours  only  through  Christ's  redemption 
an  the  cross. 

Our  relationship  to  the  Father  is  particularly  akin  to 
;he  human  experience  of  adoption.  If  your  family  has 
experienced  this,  you  can  readily  appreciate  this  truth.    In 

1  sense,  every  family  is  based  on  adoption,  because  mar- 
riage itself  is  based  not  on  a  blood  relationship  but  on  a 
loving  choice  of  each  other  as  husband  and  wife. 

Also,  if  we  are  God's  sons,  then  we  are  brothers  of 
each  other.    Talk  about  the  implications  of  being  brothers 


and  sisters  in  Christ,  of  belonging  to  the  same  "family." 

Our  privileges:  As  God's  sons,  we  are  his  heirs.  All 
the  wealth  of  his  spiritual  estate  is  ours.  Consider  what 
this  means,  to  have  as  our  inheritance  the  abundant  life, 
the  Holy  Spirit,  forgiveness,  and  eternal  life  in  heaven. 

Our  responsibilities:  Talk  about  what  is  required  of  a 
good  son.  Discuss  obedience  .  .  .  what  is  means  to  be 
the  Father's  obedient  sons. 

Our  acceptance:  Though  each  one  of  us  is  unique, 
God  loves  us  all  equally;  he  shows  no  partiality. 

A  certain  mother  was  trying  to  get  across  to  her  chil- 
dren the  fact  that  though  each  was  different,  though  some 
were  adopted  and  some  born  to  her,  she  loved  them  all 
equally.  But  they  couldn't  understand  this.  She  sent  them 
all  out  of  the  kitchen,  each  to  a  different  part  of  the  house; 
then  she  called  them  all  back  in  and  said:  "Now,  just 
because  you  came  to  me  through  different  doors,  does 
that  mean  I  love  any  one  of  you  any  less  or  any  more? 
Or  course  not!  Even  though  one  of  you  came  to  me 
through  the  porch  door,  one  through  the  hallway  door,  one 
through  the  dining  room  door,  and  one  through  the  pantry 
door,  you  are  all  here  with  me  now.  Each  one  of  you  is 
precious  to  me,  uniquely  and  yet  equally!" 

So,  too,  between  us  and  our  heavenly  Father  exists 
the  loving  Father-Son  relationship;  through  Christ  we  be- 
long to  his  family.  What  better  place  to  learn  what  this 
means  than  in  our  earthly  family  relationships?  And  con- 
versely, what  better  way  to  see  what  our  home  should  be 
like  than  by  seeing  what  it's  like  to  be  a  son  of  God? 
—  Norman  and  Kay  Long 

DAILY  READING   GUIDE      July    19 -August    1 

Sunday    Romans  8:12-17.    All  who  are  led  by  the  Spirit  of  God  are  sons  of 

God. 
Monday   Romans  8:18-25.    We  wait  for  adoption  as  sons. 
Tuesday   Galatians  4:1-7.    Being  his  sons,  we  are  God's  heirs. 
Wednesday    Luke  1 1 :9-13.    A  father  gives  good  gifts  to  his  children. 
Thursday   Proverbs  4:1-9.    A  father  instructs  his  son. 
Friday   AAatthew  21:28-32.   Jesus  tells  a  parable  of  two  sons. 
Saturday   Galatians  3:6-9.    Are  we  men  of  faith? 
Sunday    Ephesians  1:3-10.    We  are  destined  to  be  God's  sons  through  Jesus 

Christ. 
Monday    1  Thessalonians  5:1-11.    We  are  sons  of  light,  not  darkness. 
Tuesday    Philippians  2:14-18.    Children  of  God  live  in  a  crooked  generation. 
Wednesday    1   Peter  1:13-21.    We  are  to  be  children  of  holiness. 
Thursday    Psalm   144:12-15.    The  psalmist  prays  a   prayer  for  the  future. 
Friday    1    John   3:1-3.    We   are   children   of  God   now  —  and   forever. 
Saturday   Galatians  4:21  —5:1.   We  are  sons  of  freedom,  not  slavery. 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     23 


^^A 


speak  up 


A  High  Priority 
for  New  Testament 
Baptism 


by  Ellis  G.  Guthrie 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  came  into 
being  in  1708  on  the  banks  of  the  Eder 
River  near  Schwarzenau  in  Germany. 
Its  birth  was  the  result  of  many  hours 
of  Bible  study  and  reading  church  his- 
tory. Most  of  Germany  was  under  the 
influence  of  state  churches,  and  people 
living  under  the  jurisdiction  of  a  state 
church  were  compelled  to  be  of  that 
religious  persuasion  or  face  the  con- 
sequences —  harassment,  imprisonment, 
even  death.  The  Brethren  adopted  the 
New  Testament  as  its  creed,  and  for 
works  decided  to  follow  Jesus  in  all  he 
said  and  did. 

Because  Jesus  was  baptized  and  taught 
baptism,  the  rite  received  high  priority 
among  the  early  Brethren.  Although  the 
rite  (and  even  the  form)  has  not  been 
abandoned,  it  has  been  dangerously  de- 
emphasized.  This  is  proven  by  the  fact 
that  at  Conference  level,  the  decision 
was  made  that  members  of  churches  with 
no  baptism  are  eligible  for  membership 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  as  well 
as  those  who  have  received  a  radically 
different  form  of  baptism.  Because  of 
their  study  of  the  scriptures  and  of 
church  history,  the  early  Brethren  con- 
cluded that  trine  immersion  forward  was 
the  form  practiced  by  the  disciples. 
What  value  is  this  for  1970? 

Our  whole  way  of  life  today  is  geared 
to  make  the  individual  supreme.  Tele- 
vision, radio,  and  newspapers  shout  their 
wares.  This  product  vyill  make  you  more 
of  a  man  or  woman.  That  will  make 
you  more  popular.    This  will  make  you 


happier.  That  will  make  you  sleep  bet- 
ter. The  whole  sweep  of  liberalism  and 
the  social  gospel  is  geared  to  make  the 
individual  feel  that  he  is  king.  However, 
there  is  only  one  King  in  the  kingdom 
of  God.  That  is  Jesus  Christ. 

Baptism  declares  man  to  be  a  sinner 
dependent  upon  the  grace  of  God.  Man 
needs  to  be  changed.  Baptism,  as  ex- 
pressed in  immersion,  says  a  man  must 
die.  The  old  man  must  be  put  away 
so  that  the  new  can  come.  Immersion 
is  a  burial,  it  is  a  death.  The  modern, 
egotistical,  self-centered  world  needs  this 
message.  To  belong  to  the  kingdom  of 
God  a  man  must  first  die.  And  why 
three  immersions?  Three  is  a  perfect 
number.  It  means  wholeness  and  com- 
pletion. A  man,  to  be  a  Christian,  must 
completely  die.  No  part  of  the  old  na- 
ture is  to  be  left  to  corrupt  the  new. 
So  he  is  buried  three  times  in  baptism. 
All  is  dead;  the  old  life  is  past  and  gone. 
He  comes  forth  a  new  man  in  Christ 
Jesus,  completely  subject  unto  the  son 
of  God.  The  forward  action  is  because 
Jesus  bowed  his  head  in  death  but  the 
symbolism  is  just  as  rich  and  meaningful. 

Man  avoids  and  evades  death  of  the 
body  as  long  as  possible.  The  real 
tragedy  is  that  he  avoids  death  of  the 
old  man  almost  as  fanatically.  But  those 
who  become  Christians  do  not.  They 
face  death.  They  meet  it  head-on.  They 
submit  to  it  of  their  own  volition.  They 
are  baptized  face  forward  into  death. 
Can  any  other  form  of  baptism  be  as 
rich  with  meaning  as  this?  Surely  the 
command  to  baptize  came  from  the 
depth  of  God's  wisdom. 

At  this  point  someone  is  likely  to 
think,  "Baptism  doesn't  save  anyone." 
He  can,  of  course,  point  to  a  number 
of  persons  who  went  into  the  water  dry 
sinners  and  came  out  wet  sinners.  If 
this  is  said  as  a  matter  of  fact,  it  is  one 
thing.  But  if  it  is  said  to  minimize  the 
importance  of  baptism,  even  immersion, 


if  you  please,  then  it's  another.  A  man| 
could,  with  just  as  much  accuracy,  say: 
"Marriage  is  a  failure.  People  go  into 
it  with  no  intention  of  keeping  their 
vows.  It  is  legalized  adultery  for  some. 
I'm  just  as  righteous  and  more  honest 
living  with  a  woman  without  any  legal- 
istic marriage  ceremony."  How  easy  to 
set  aside  beliefs  and  practices  we  don't 
want  to  observe,  even  though  they  be 
from   Christ  himself!     D 


A  Ministry 
onTwo  Levels 

by  James  M.  Bryant 


For  the  church  effectively  to  minister 
in  the  next  decade,  it  must  minister  oni 
both  a  personal  and  a  social  level. 

For  the  church'  to  minister  on  a  per- 
sonal level,  it  must  remain  cognizant  of' 
the  two  extremes  in  individuals  whom  iti 
must  serve.  One  is  the  seeking,  adven-i 
turous  personality  who  is  willing  andi 
eager  to  change,  even  searching  outi 
change.  At  the  other  extreme  is  the 
satisfied,  complacent  individual  who  is 
completely  happy  in  his  own  role. 

I  believe  we  find  these  two  extreme 
individuals  described  in  a  parable  thati 
Jesus  told  about  the  lost  son.  You  recalll 
that  there  were  two  sons  in  the  story 
described  in  Luke  15:  The  younger  son 
was  quite  dissatisfied  with  his  life  in  his 
father's  home  and  decided  to  go  out  andi 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  world.  I  do  not' 
want  to  give  the  impression  that  any 
person  who  is  adventurous  or  eager  fori 
change  should  be  identified  with  the* 
prodigal  son.  This  young  man  came  tO' 
the  point  that  he  could  recognize  his 
relationship    with    his    father    and    say, 


24     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


"Father,  I  have  sinned  against  God  and 
against  you.  I  am  no  longer  fit  to  be 
called  your  son;  treat  me  as  one  of 
your  hired  workers."  He  was  then  on 
the  road  to  returning  to  his  father's 
home.  This  young  man  has  specific 
needs  that  must  be  fulfilled.  The  church 
must  create  an  atmosphere  in  which  he 
can  make  his  declaration  and  then  be 
received  as  the  prodigal  son's  father  re- 
ceived him. 

Consider  also  the  older  son  —  this 
young  man  could  not  understand  why 
the  whole  household  should  be  turned 
upside-down,  why  they  should  be  singing 
and  celebrating  just  because  it  pleased 
his  irresponsible  scamp  of  a  brother  to 
come  back  home,  poor  as  a  church 
mouse,  obviously  badly  compromised, 
when  there  was  nothing  else  left  for  him 
to  do.  We  certainly  see  an  attitude  here 
that  is  easily  recognizable  in  ourselves 
when  we  look  at  the  younger  generation 
today.  Jesus  tells  us  that  the  father  came 
out  and  begged  the  older  brother  to  come 
in,  saying,  "My  son,  you  are  always  at 
home  and  everything  I  have  is  yours." 
We  need  to  remember  that  the  father 
provides  that  reassurance  in  ministering 
to  the  needs  of  the  elder  brother.  The 
church  needs  to  be  aware  of  the  needs 
of  the  complacent,  self-satisfied  individu- 
al who  must  continually  be  challenged 
but  yet  needs  to  be  reassured  of  the  love 
of  the  father  and  the  strength  of  the  or- 
ganized church. 

At  the  same  time  the  church  is  minis- 
tering to  these  two  extremes  on  a  person- 
al level,  the  church  must  be  ministering 
on  the  social  level  to  the  community. 
The  church  must  be  social  in  its  ministry. 
The  unpopular  subjects  of  poverty,  of 
white-black  relationships,  of  urban  prob- 
lems, as  well  as  other  social  problems, 
must  be  dealt  with  and  must  be  spoken 
to  by  the  church  as  an  organization.  A 
study  made  by  General  Electric  in  1968 
calls  attention  to  several  forces  working 


for  social  change  in  the  United  States 
during  the  next  decade.  It  notes  that 
because  these  are  multiple  problems,  no 
one  single  organization  can  effectively 
combat  them.  To  me,  this  is  saying  that 
we  cannot  wait  for  government,  but  that 
we  must  turn  to  a  combination  of  gov- 
ernment, business,  foundations,  and  oth- 
er nonprofit  organizations  if  we  are  going 
to  find  adequate  solutions  to  these  prob- 
lems. 

We  must  reach  agreement  that  persons 
in  need  deserve  our  help  because  they 
are  in  need.  We  have  been  and  are  still 
hung  up  on  "why"  we  should  help  peo- 
ple. It  is  time  to  get  to  doing,  not  be- 
cause the  persons  needing  help  are  black, 
belong  to  a  minority  group,  or  have  been 
discriminated  against;  not  because  a 
group  of  militants  say  they  will  burn 
our  buildings  if  we  don't  help.  We  must 
meet  their  needs  because  they  have  a 
need  and  we  have  the  substances  with 
which  to  help. 

At  the  same  time  the  church  is  min- 
istering to  personal  needs  and  social 
needs,  there  must  be  a  delicate  balance 
between  the  two,  covered  with  an  atmos- 
phere of  learning  that  makes  this  min- 
istry attractive  and  meaningful  to  all 
people.  We  need  to  recognize  that  we 
are  no  longer  an  agricultural  society  or 
even  an  industrial  society.  Yet  most  of 
the  characteristics  of  the  organizational 
and  behavorial  patterns  of  the  church 
date  back  to  an  agricultural  society.  We 
traditionally  meet  for  our  worship  service 
at  eleven  o'clock  because  by  that  hour 
morning  farm  chores  can  be  completed, 
with  ample  time  to  get  to  church,  and 
enough  of  the  day  remains  after  church 
to  get  back  home  to  complete  our  chores. 
This  is  no  longer  the  nature  of  the  ma- 
jority of  families  in  churches.  In  the 
writer's  church,  we  were  surprised  to 
learn  through  a  congregational  study  that 
there  are  no  farm  families  or  families 
directly    engaged    in    farming    in    the 


church. 

We  need  to  remember  that  the  domi- 
nant institution  in  the  postindustrial  so- 
ciety, according  to  the  GE  report,  most 
likely  will  be  the  educational  institutions. 
And  it  is  here  that  I  feel  that  the  clue 
will  come  to  give  us  the  balance  that 
will  make  an  effective  ministry. 

Often  when  we  look  at  the  ministry 
of  the  church,  we  see  it  either  as  a  social 
ministry  or  as  a  personal  salvation  min- 
istry. I  have  attempted  to  reaffirm  that 
this  is  not  an  either/ or  situation,  but 
for  the  church  effectively  to  minister  it 
must  minister  on  both  levels.     □ 


Editor's  Note:  Messenger  is  eager  to 
encourage  its  readers  to  speak  up  and 
speak  out  on  topics  about  which  they 
have  serious  concern.  We  welcome  their 
comments,  whether  they  come  in  the 
form  of  brief  letters  we  can  publish  in 
our  Readers  Write  page,  in  longer  state- 
ments  such  as  those  appearing  here  and 
otherwise  under  our  "Speak  Up"  head- 
ing, or  as  still  longer  articles  that  develop 
a  particular  point  of  view.  Such  state- 
ments may  or  may  not  reflect  the  views 
of  a  majority  of  readers.  They  may  or 
may  not  agree  with  official  stands  taken 
by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  But  we 
respect  each  writer's  right  to  be  heard, 
and  we  try  also  to  be  sensitive  to  the 
reader's  right  to  disagree. 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     25 


Sing  Unto  the  Lord! 


by  Carol  Conner 


ACROSS 

1 

Make  a  joyful  noise 

5 

Self 

8 

Put  voice  into  action 

12 

Humble 

13 

Speed  up  engine 

14 

Butter  tree 

15 

Indian  tribe 

16 

Eagle 

17 

Sweet  drink 

18 

Gathering 

20 

Age 

22 

Dark  bread 

23 

You 

24 

Musical  scale  degree 

26 

Rouse  our  hearts 

29 

Make  glad  with  songs 

31 

A 

33 

True  reproduction  of  music 

34 

Color  graduation 

35 

Girl's  low  voice 

37 

Half  an  em 

38 

Singing   group 

40 

Raced 

41 

Lyre 

42 

Us 

43 

Make  wordless  music 

45 

Languid 

47 

Wear  away 

51 

Enthusiasm 

53 

Forte 

55 

Negative 

56 

Against 

57 

Letter  (abbr.) 

58 

Old  Testament 

59 

Scold 

60 

Urge 

61 

Consider 

DOWN 

1 

Stimulus 

2 

Little  bit 

3 

Carol 

4 

Great  (abbr.) 

5 

Do  wrong 

6 

Heredity  transmitter 

7 

Supervisor 

8 

Vnited  States  mail  (abbr.) 

26     MESSENGER    7-16-70 

1 

2 

3 

k   Ml^* 

6 

? 

! 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

■■16 

13 

lit 

15 

17 

18 

1 

I 

27 

1 

?5 — H 

20 

■ 

TT 

P 

TT 

1 

I 

32 

■■29 

30 

i 

31 

■^ 

■ 

34 

1 

55 

37 

38     39 

^0 

WMT5 

k^ 

k3 

kk 

■ 

k7 

hS 

k9 

50 

5T" 

■5T 

5r 

~m 

55 

56 

^■57 

1 

?8 

59 

^■60 

T" 

9  Half  step  up  in  pitch 

10  Wriggly 

11  Appointment 

16  Part  of  a  needle 

19  Words  of  a  song 

21  Devoured 

25  Eradicator 

26  Her 

27  Soft  metal 

28  Providing 

29  Performed  in  chorus 

30  Association  (Hawaiian) 

31  Had  a  meal 

32  Bend  downward 
36  Phonograph  record 
39  In  what  way 

41  Fine  violin 

42  Marry 

43  Listen  to  music 

44  Arm  bone 
46  Musical  tone 


48  Wind  instrument 

49  Have  courage 

50  Mild  cheese 
52  Nothing 
54  Vase 
58  Touchdown  (abbr.) 

IDBEB    BED    DBDEl 

idbed  ebb  bbbbI 

Ibbe   BDED   BDBE 
IBBEBB    EBB    BDBl 

BB  BBBB 
IBBBB  BBBDB  BEl 
BB3B  EBB  BBBB 
IBB    BBBEB    BBBBi 

BBBB  BB 
IBDB  BEE  BBBBEI 
IBDBD  BBBB  BBDI 
BBBB  DEB  BBBeI 
IBBBD    BES    BDDDl 


REVIEWS  /  BOOX5 


Why  Do  Renei/i^al  Attempts  Fail? 


THE  CHURCH  IN  EXPERIMENT,  by  Rudiger  Reitz. 
Abingdon,    1969.     205    pages,    $4.75 

THE  SCHIZOPHRENIC  CHURCH,  by  Robert  Lee 
and  Russell  Galloway.  Westminster,  1969. 
192   pages,   paper,   $2.65 

CAN  THESE  BONES  LIVE?  by  Robert  S.  Lecky 
and  H.  Elliott  Wright.  Sheed  &  Ward,  1969. 
201     pages,    $5.50 

The  second  Protestant  reformation,  from 
1957-1967,  died  in  stillbirth.  Renewers 
and  reformers,  armed  with  a  renewed 
social  gospel,  a  romantic  fascination  for 
the  secular  world,  and  a  quiver  filled  with 
social  welfare  and  social  action  tech- 
niques, encountered  the  lumbering  dragon 
of  city  politics  and  the  deep  moat  of 
church  lethargy.  By  now  the  valiant 
worldly  actionists  have  either  jumped  into 
the  mouth  of  the  dragon  to  gain  political 
power  by  which  to  transform  Chicago 
into  the  New  Jerusalem,  leaped  into  the 
moat  to  gain  denominational  power  by 
which  to  transform  the  Church  Lethargic 
into  the  Church  Militant,  have  shed  their 
armor  and  crept  away,  or  have  fallen  be- 
tween the  dragon  and  the  moat  —  vic- 
tims of  an  untransformed  world  and  an 
unrenewed  church.  Social  service  and 
then  black-white  social  action  have  failed 
to  reconquer  the  kingdom  for  God. 

In  conducting  our  postmortem  we 
must  ask  two  questions:  Why  did  re- 
newal lead  to  the  backlash  that  killed  it, 
and  where  are  we  now?  To  deal  with 
these  questions  we  turn  to  these  books  by 
Reitz,  Lee-Galloway  and   Lecky-Wright. 

Reitz  gives  an  excellent  portrayal  of 
the  wide  range  of  renewal  and  reform 
attempts.  While  distinguishing  between 
six  levels  of  renewal  (congregational, 
specialized  ministries,  centers  of  spiritual 
renewal,  training  institutes,  church  plan- 
ning efforts,  and  city-wide  ecumenical 
councils),  he  focuses  on  the  first  two. 
After  this  elaborate  and  helpful  descrip- 
tion he  suggests  the  theological  style  of 
all  these  efforts:  action  theology,  icono- 
clasm,  experimental  ferment,  missionary 
zeal,  and  ecumenical  cooperation.  This 
is  a  helpful  description  of  what  forms 
renewal  and  reform  took,  but  reading 
Reitz's  book  gives  one  no  indication  of  a 
postrenewal  period. 


The  Lee-Galloway  book  gives  us  good 
clues  as  to  what  happened  to  the  attempts 
at  renewal.  It  analyzes  the  decision-mak- 
ing process  by  which  the  San  Francisco- 
Oakland  Presbytery  chose  to  sit  on  its 
hands  rather  than  finance  Saul  Alinsky's 
community  organizing  typhoon  for  the 
Bay  Area.  It  then  traces  the  impact  of 
the  dispute  on  the  local  congregations 
and  the  community  and  concludes  with 
some  interesting  observations  on  what 
happened  and  where  we  are  now. 

The  controversy  brought  to  the  surface 
the  underlying  dualism  found  in  all  con- 
gregations and  denominations  (that  be- 
tween "churchly"  and  "worldly"  Chris- 
tians). This  dualism  became  a  polariza- 
tion leading  to  nondecision.  The  conflict 
had  minor  educational  value,  caused  al- 
most no  attitude  and  opinion  change,  and 
accomplished  little  in  the  community. 

The  "churchly"  Christians  emphasize 
supporting  the  society;  comforting  mem- 
bers; maintaining  the  church;  conducting 
worship,  prayer,  and  Bible  study;  individ- 
ual-to-individual social  change;  and  har- 
mony at  all  costs.  "Worldly"  Christians 
emphasize  criticizing  the  society;  chal- 
lenging members;  risking  the  church's 
future;  and  participating  in  community 
outreach,  corporate-power  social  change, 
and  conflict  prior  to  real  reconciliation. 

The  failure  of  renewal  would  be  seen 
by  Lee-Galloway  as  the  result  of  the 
following  process:  (1)  The  actionists  em- 
phasized one  extreme  —  and  sought 
power  to  enforce  it.  (2)  The  tradition- 
alists backlashed  against  that  extreme  in 
the  name  of  the  other  extreme  —  and 
sought  to  remove  the  actionists  from 
power  or  to  neutralize  their  power.  (3) 
Once  the  ideological  conflict  became  a 
power  conflict,  the  sides  were  polarized 
and  there  no  longer  existed  an  overarch- 
ing power  that  could  arbitrate  and  bring 
the  conflict  into  creative  channels.  Lee- 
Galloway  maintain  that  both  "worldly" 
and  "churchly"  concerns  are  a  part  of  a 
church's  responsibility.  Where  there  is 
no  conflict  the  church  must  be  ignoring 
at  least  one  side  of  its  responsibility. 
Therefore,  congregations  and  denomina- 
tions must  develop  a  "multichurch"  plu- 


;#*^' 


15         "^^s 

THf 
I    SPRING  WIND 

^     G/adsDeFme 


Parish  Picnic 

JEAN  REYNOLDS  DAVIS  ■  Here  is  a 
charming  story  of  parish  life,  a  delight- 
ful sequel  to  A  HAT  ON  THE  HALL 
TABLE.  A  newly  ordained  curate,  John 
Woodward,  arrives  at  St.  Michael's  with 
progressive  ideas  for  updating  the 
church.  He  convinces  the  rector's  wife, 
Barbara  Nelson,  that  she  is  a  frustrated 
housewife,  who  must  get  "out  into  the 
big  world"  to  try  her  wings.  Lucia,  the 
curate's  wife,  is  much  like  Mark  Nelson 
in  disposition  and  she  turns  to  the  rector 
for  comfort  and  counsel.  The  inter- 
weavings  of  passions  and  loyalties 
among  the  two  clergymen  and  their 
wives  is  at  times  provocative,  at  other 
times  extremely  funny,  and  always  very 
real.  $4.95 

The  Spring  Wind 

GLADIS  DEPREE  ■  The  delightful  story 
of  a  young  American  family's  encounter 
with  Chinese  culture  and  customs  in 
Hong  Kong.  Eager  to  understand  and 
to  relate  to  the  people  they  had  come 
to  serve,  the  DePrees  were  not  content 
to  learn  the  Chinese  language.  Even- 
tually they  took  the  unusual  step  of 
moving  into  a  local  Chinese  community, 
sharing  the  daily  life  and  festivals,  de- 
termined to  be  "just  a  Christian  family" 
among  their  neighbors.  The  DePrees 
suggest  new  and  exciting  dimensions  to 
Christian  missions.  The  story  is  filled 
with  colorful  information  and  is  told 
with  warmth  and   charm.  $3.95 


CHURCH   of  the   BRETHREN 
GENERAL  OFFICES 
Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     27 


I 


REVIEWS  /  continued 

ralism  which  allows  nonpolarized  conflict 
that  does  not  force  the  hand  of  either 
extreme.  Within  each  congregation  and 
denomination  there  might  exist  task 
forces  that  act  out  of  their  concern  with- 
out first  trying  to  get  the  entire  congrega- 
tion or  denomination  to  take  such  action. 
The  wheeling  and  dealing  for  power  to 
force  the  congregation  or  denomination 
to  take  their  line  of  action  has,  more  than 
anything,  killed  renewal  attempts.  Con- 
gregational renewal  died  by  stalemate, 
while  the  financial  plug  was  pulled  on 
exi>erimental  ministries. 


Lecky-Wright  urge  the  "worldly" 
Christians  to  forget  about  both  struggles, 
either  (1)  trying  to  re-form  the  church 
according  to  their  vision  or  (2)  trying  to 
do  their  action  thing  within  the  institu- 
tional church.  They  trace  the  valiant 
attempts  to  renew  and  reform  and  con- 
clude that  the  kiss  of  death  came  to 
renewal  when  the  denominational  offices 
embraced  renewal  as  a  last-ditch  attempt 
to  salvage  the  church  from  the  clutches 
of  irrelevancy  and  death  (remember 
Mission  One?).  Lecky-Wright  would  have 
us    "be    the    church,"    underground    or 


otherwise,  and  let  the  institutions  go 
hang:  "The  decent  thing  for  church  in- 
stitutions would  be  to  die,"  for  "a  time 
has  come  to  stop  asking  the  church  to 
be  the  church.  Let  the  bones  rattle  as  \ 
they  will.  Someday  the  church  as  a  whole- 
may  be  alive  with  faith.  At  the  present, 
individuals  and  groups  wanting  to  be 
Christ-bearing  and  Christ-receiving  may 
have  a  more  viable  and  responsible  choice 
than  attempting  to  renew  the  church's 
structure  and  thinking."  Their  final  call  I 
to  the  church,  as  they  drift  off  into  the 
Galilean  hills:     "Let  the  church  renew 


FAITH  LOOKS  UP 


Frequently  in  closing  iny  talks  with  young  people  I 
say,  "Have  faith  in  God,  have  faith  in  your  fellowmen, 
have  faith  in  yourself,  always  do  the  best  that  you 
know,  and  you  will  succeed." 

Now  to  explain  these  remarks.  First,  and  perhaps 
most  important,  is  have  faith  in  God.  My  faith  in  God 
as  the  creator  of  the  universe  and  all  therein  is  that 
he  is  "the  same  yesterday,  today,  and  forever."  So  we 
can  depend  on  God  to  continue  to  give  to  man  op- 
portunities to  live  and  succeed. 

Have  faith  in  your  fellowmen.  I  believe  that  the 
great  majority  of  people  are  making  a  reasonable 
effort  to  do  right  as  they  see  it  and  that  they  will  treat 
me  right,  certainly  so  long  as  I  treat  them  right. 

Have  faith  in  yourself.  This  seems  most  important 
to  me  because  I  feel  that  this  is  what  I  can  do  most 
about. 

I  think  the  most  important  decision  in  my  life  was 
made  when  I  was  eight  years  old.  I  had  once  gotten 
the  blues,  but,  as  is  usually  the  custom,  I  got  over 
them  and  got  happy  again.  Now  the  event  that  I  am 
going  to  recite  happened  seventy-seven  years  ago,  just 
a  few  feet  from  where  I  am  sitting  today.  I  was  be- 
ginning to  feel  discouraged,  so  I  sat  down  and  reasoned 
to  myself  like  this:  "I  had  the  blues  once;  I  got  over 
them.  If  I  get  them  now,  I  will  get  over  them  again, 
so  what's  the  use  in  getting  the  blues?  I  just  won't 
do  it."  And  from  that  day  to  this  I  have  never  allowed 
myself  to  lose  faith.   Oh,  of  course,  I  have  been  much 


happier  sometimes  than  others,  but  I  have  never  al- 
lowed myself  really  to  get  discouraged.  I  remember 
thinking,  "Well,  yes,  all  of  the  boys  at  school  can  outdo 
me  physically  and  most  of  them  are  ahead  of  me  in 
books,  but  I  have  a  good  home,  plenty  to  eat,  good 
Christian  parents,  good  brothers  and  sisters,  and  all  of 
my  schoolmates  and  friends  usually  treat  me  well.  So 
if  I  do  my  very  best  I  will  come  out  all  right." 

As  I  look  back  over  my  life  I  can  see  many  imper- 
fections and  mistakes,  but  I  have  succeeded  far  beyond 
my  expectations.  Much  of  the  credit  goes  to  my  fellow- 
men, especially  my  family,  my  good  secretary  and  my 
wonderful  wife,  who  are  making  these  the  happiest 
days  of  my  life.  And  I  feel  that  even  with  all  the 
modern-day  trouble,  this  is  still  a  good  world  in  which 
to  live.  So  I  say  to  myself  and  to  all  others,  "Have 
faith  in  God,  have  faith  in  your  fellowmen,  and  have 
faith  in  yourself." 


CHARLES  W.  WAMPLER.  farmer, 
banker,  and  businessman,  is  widely 
known,  especially  in  Virginia,  as  the 
"father  of  the  turkey  industry."  His  re- 
cently published  autobiography,  "My 
Grandfather,  My  Grandchildren,  and 
Me,"  reflects  his  activities  as  president 
of  a  feed  company  and  a  hatchery,  as 
a  trustee  of  Bridgewater  College,  as  Sun- 
day school  teacher,  as  a  director  of  the 
Virginia  Childreix's  Home  Society,  and  as 
a  member  of  dozens  of  local  and  state 
agricultural   organizations. 


28     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


itself,  if  it  has  room  under  the  renewal 
umbrella.  And  someday  when  the  money 
runs  out,  the  dead  can  bury  the  dead." 

Slay  the  dragons  of  society!  Forget 
about  wooing  the  church  as  your  ally, 
and  forget,  even,  about  tackling  the  mon- 
sters in  the  ecclesiastical  moat.  With 
Malcolm  Boyd,  they  are  "not  interested 
in  renewal  of  the  old  nor  in  tearing  down 
the  present  structures."  They  "want  to 
work  to  build  the  new." 

The  actionists  have  been  slapped  for 
their  attempt  to  grab  and  wield  power  to 
force  the  church  to  become  relevant. 
Should  they  halfway  retreat  to  doing  their 
own  thing  within  the  structures,  or  should 
they  fully  retreat  to  secular  existence  so 
that  they  have  only  secular  establishments 
to  fight?  This  is  not  an  idle  question  for 
followers  of  Alexander  Mack  who  chose 
to  leave  the  church  and  set  up  a  sect;  not 
to  mention  Jesus,  who  ended  up  not  re- 
newing Judaism  but  starting  this  whole 
mess  we  are  out  to  reform! — William 
Faw 


SURROUNDING 
SERVANTS 

gentle  goes 
the  supple  wind 
through  her 
tangled  hair 

a  ilower 

transformed  to  a  face 
stares  back 
bewildered 

The  archaic  tree 
bows  reverently 
as  if  begging 
dignfied  abstention 

I  picture  her 
commanding  all 
that  so  unwillingly 
encompasses  her. 

by  Anthony  R.  Petrosky 


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7-16-70    MESSENGER     29 


in  hrief 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Moving  this  month  from  Modesto, 
Calif.,  to  New  Windsor,  Md.,  is  Carl 
Beckwith,  newly-appointed  coordinator 
of  the  New  Windsor  Service  Center  pro- 
gram and  assistant  director.  He  has  been 
with  the  Modesto  Center  since  1966.  .  .  . 
Returning  to  full-time  capacity  as  field 
secretary  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Mission  in  Nigeria  this  month  is  Roger 
L.  Ingold.  He  has  been  "on  loan"  from 
the  CBM  position  while  serving  as  assis- 
tant in  the  rehabilitation  program  of  the 
Christian  Council  of  Nigeria. 

Appointed  to  Ohio's  board  of  exam- 
iners for  the  licensing  of  nursing  homes 
in  the  state  is  Ira  Oren,  administrator  of 
the  Brethren  Home  at  Greenville.  He 
will  serve  also  as  vice-chairman  of  the 
board. 

Our  best  wishes  go  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
William  Hoshield,  Battle  Creek,  Mich., 
and  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Earl  Wetsel,  Har- 
risonburg, Va.,  who  celebrated  golden 
wedding  anniversaries  recently.  .  .  .  The 
Irven  Schrocks,  Pasadena,  Calif.,  ob- 
served sixty  years  of  marriage  this  spring. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

Reelected  to  the  city  council  of  Glen- 
dora,  Calif.,  is  Arthur  Baldwin,  pastor 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  there.  .  .  . 
J.  W.  Mines,  High  Point,  N.C.,  has  been 
licensed  to  the  ministry. 

Entering  service  at  a  yoked  parish, 
Prairie  City/ Morgan  Valley,  in  the  Iowa- 
Minnesota  District  will  be  Max  Gumm, 
who  has  resigned  at  the  Cando,  N.D., 
church.  .  .  .  Replacing  him  there  will  be 
Glen  Fruth,  coming  to  Cando  from  a 
pastorate  at  the  Cajon  Valley  church  in 
California. 

Farrell  Culler  joins  the  Bethel  con- 
gregation in  Nebraska  as  pastor,  after  a 
tenure  at  the  Bethany/ Rockingham 
yoked  parish  in  Missouri.  His  successor 
there  is  Terry  Hatfield,  who  goes  to 
Missouri  from  the  Faith  congregation  at 
Batavia,  111.  .  .  .  Leaving  the  German- 
town  Brick  congregation  in  Southern 
Virginia  will  be  Alton  McDaniel  who  has 


accepted  the  call  of  the  Staunton  church 
in  the  Shenandoah  District. 

Moving  westward  in  September  will  be 
Albert  L.  Sauls  to  accept  pastoral  respon- 
sibilities at  the  Wenatchee  Valley  church 
in  Washington  State.  He  had  been  serv- 
ing the  Oakton,  Va.,  congregation  in  the 
Mid-Atlantic  District.  ...  To  serve  the 
Manchester  congregation  as  minister  of 
education  is  James  E.  Talcott,  who  has 
resigned  as  associate  executive  secretary. 
Pacific   Southwest   Conference. 

Relinquishing  his  post  at  the  Pleasant 
View  church  in  First  Virginia  is  Walter 
Shank,  who  has  contracted  with  the 
Eden  Valley  congregation  in  the  Western 
Plains  District.  .  .  .  Retirement  activities 
for  Dale  Ferris,  former  West  Coast  field 
director  for  Church  World  Service,  will 
include  a  part-time  pastorate  at  the  Para- 
dise church  in  California. 

Jay  Gibble  has  accepted  the  call  of 
the  Ambler  congregation  in  the  North 
Atlantic  District  and  will  leave  his  pres- 
ent pastorate  at  the  Twenty-eighth  Street 
church,  Altoona,  Pa.,  in  September.  .  .  . 
A   licentiate   from   the   Mansfield,   Ohio, 


lEiiaciSGijn 


July  17-19      Disfrict  conference,  Northern  Indi- 
ana, Goshen  College 
July   17-19      District      conference,      Iowa      and 

Minnesota,  Cedar  Falls 
July  23-25      District  conference.   Southern   Vir 

ginia,  Winston-Salem,  N.C. 
July  24-26      District    conference,    Shenandoah 

Bridgewater   College 
August  7-9      District    conference,    Middle    Ind 
ana,  Manchester  College 
August    14-15      District    conference.    Southern    Ir 

diana 
August    14-16      District  conference.  Southern  Mis 
souri     and     Arkansas,     Wynne, 
Ark. 
August    14-16      District  conference,  Oregon-Wash 

ington,   Forest  Grove 
August    14-16      District    conference,    Southeastern 
August   21-23      District        conference,        Northern 

Ohio,   Oberlin   College 
August   21-23      District        conference,         Western 

Plains,  McPherson   College 
August   27-30      District       conference,       Michigan, 
Carson  City 


area  has  received  a  part-time  pastoral 
post  at  the  Richland  church.  Northern 
Ohio.    She  is  Mrs.   Nettie  Sheets. 

Leaving  an  assistant  pastoral  post  at 
the  Stone  church,  Huntingdon,  Pa.,  is 
Robert  Hess,  who  will  go  in  October  to 
a  full-time  pastorate  with  a  new  congre- 
gation, the  Northeast  fellowship,  at  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.  .  .  .  Roanoke's  Central  con- 
gregation in  First  Virginia  will  welcome 
Ruth  Anna  HofF  in  September  as  director 
of  Christian  education.  She  has  been 
serving  in  a  similar  capacity  at  the  Flat 
Creek  Mission  in  Southern  Ohio. 

4-       -r       ^-       -f*       ■!• 

Remaining  in  Northern  Indiana  is 
John  McCormick,  who  will  become  in- 
terim part-time  pastor  at  the  Rock  Run 
church  in  that  district,  after  serving  at 
the  Pine  Creek  church.  ...  In  another 
interim  part-time  post,  Charles  Moynan 
is  carrying  pastoral  responsibilities  at  the 
Olympia  church  in  Washington  State.  He 
comes  from  the  Presbyterian  pastoral 
ministry. 

The  Mount  Bethel  congregation  in  the 
Shenandoah  District  will  lose  Ira  Petre, 
who  will  go  to  the  Big  Swatara  church 
in  Eastern  Pennsylvania  in  a  pastoral 
capacity.  .  .  .  Accepting  a  part-time  pas- 
torate with  Eastern  Pennsylvania's  Long 
Run  congregation  is  H.  Dale  Zimmer- 
man. He  has  resigned  at  the  Center/ 
Middle  Creek  yoked  parish  in  Western 
Pennsylvania. 

.|,     •>     -I-     4*     ^ 

The  White  Branch  congregation  has 
called  Ben  Simmons  to  serve  in  a  full- 
time  capacity.  Mr.  Simmons  will  go  to 
the  Southern  Indiana  congregation  in 
September  from  a  youth  ministry  at  the 
La  Verne,  Calif.,  church. 

A  brief  illness  claimed  the  life  of 
E.  J.  (Ernie)  Rowe,  Jonesboro,  Tenn., 
June  8,  1970.  He  had  been  pastor  of 
the  Jackson  Park  Church  of  the  Brethren 
for  six  years. 

POTPOURRI 

Commemorating  its  100th  anniversary 
will  be  the  Pitsburg,  Ohio,  congrega- 
tion, with  festivities  Oct.  10-11.    Among 


30     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


current  plans  are  an  old-fashioned  break- 
fast, a  program  based  on  the  history  of 
the  church,  and  a  special  love  feast  and 
communion. 

Five  successive  Monday  nights  Oct. 
26  —  Nov.  23  have  been  designated  for 
the  annual  interdenominational  Religion 
and  Life  School  to  be  held  on  the 
Manchester  College  campus.  Five  cur- 
rent issues  will  be  on  the  docket  for 
discussion  and  study  this  year,  among 
them  drug  use,  the  Bible,  and  sex  edu- 
cation. Inquiries  may  be  directed  to 
Dean  L.  Frantz,  Director  of  Church  Re- 
lations, Manchester  College,  North  Man- 
chester, Ind.  46962. 

Local  clergymen  at  Westminster,  Md., 
sponsored  a  Memorial  Day  service  of 
prayer  for  peace,  hosted  by  the  West- 
minster Church  of  the  Brethren.  .  .  . 
Quinter,  Kansas,  will  sponsor  an  Inter- 
national Christian  Youth  Exchange  stu- 
dent for  the  1970-71  school  year  as  a 
Dommunity  project  underwritten  by  vari- 
ous service  clubs,  the  senior  class  at  the 
high  school,  and  the  churches  of  the 
community. 

Two  congregations,  anticipating  sum- 
mer visitors  from  other  parts  of  the 
Brotherhood,  are  announcing  changes  in 
their  summer  worship  schedules.  At 
AAcPherson,  Kansas,  Pastor  Harold  Z. 
Bomberger  indicates  that  from  July  19 
—  Aug.  16  morning  worship  will  begin 
at  nine  o'clock,  followed  by  a  shortened 
church  school  period  and  a  talkback 
with  the  pastor.  .  .  .  During  August  the 
Nicholas  Gardens  congregation  at 
Springfield,  Oregon,  will  meet  for  week- 
ly worship  on  Wednesday  evenings  at 
7:30,  instead  of  on  Sunday  mornings, 
according  to  Pastor  Gene  Hipskind.  No 
Sunday  services  are  planned  until  re- 
sumption of  the  regular  schedule  in 
September. 

CAMPUS   SCENE 

Gifts  totaling  $205,000  from  the  Lewis 
F.  Graff  estate  will  be  used  at  Elizabeth- 
town  College  for  development  purposes, 
according    to    President    of   the    college 


Morley  J.  Mays.   .   .   .  Juniata  College 

has  received  first-place  honors  in  compe- 
tition with  367  small,  private,  coeduca- 
tional liberal  arts  colleges  for  its  out- 
standing record  of  alumni  giving. 

La  Verne  College  was  the  scene  dur- 
ing the  winter  and  spring  of  a  pilot  pro- 
gram under  which  twenty  California 
Youth  Authority  wards  were  selected  for 
ten  months  of  college  work.  .  .  .  Six 
Juniata  College  students  appeared  at  a 
special  hearing  in  May  to  voice  to  a 
panel  of  U.S.  representatives  their  views 
on  military  and  foreign  policies  of  this 
country.  Spokesman  for  the  entire  group 
was  Jonathan  Hunter,  Modesto,  Calif. 
Other  participants  included  Marta  L. 
Daniels,  Cherry  Hill,  N.J.;  Karen  Jones, 
Ridgewood,  N.J.;  David  Kaltenbaugh, 
Ligonier,  Pa.;  Karl  Kindig,  Clearfield, 
Pa.;  and  Linda  Markey,  Indianapolis, 
Ind. 

^     .u     ^     ^     ^ 

Observing  inner-city  classrooms,  con- 
versing with  welfare  and  community 
leaders,  and  attending  Operation  Bread- 
basket meetings  were  among  experiences 
of  Manchester  College  students  who 
participated  in  six  work  camps  in  Indi- 
anapolis' inner  city.  Organized  jointly 
by  Community  Faith  in  Action  and  the 
social  science  core  faculty  of  the  college, 
the  project  elicited  positive  responses 
from  participating  students. 

Commencement  speakers  at  Church  of 
the  Brethren-related  colleges  ran  the 
gamut  from  mayor  to  ambassador. 
Richard  G.  Lugar,  mayor  of  the  city  of 
Indianapolis,  addressed  the  graduating 
class  at  Manchester  college  in  Indiana. 
.  .  .  University  of  Virginia  president 
Edgar  F.  Shannon  Jr.  spoke  to  176 
graduates  at  Bridgewater  College.  .  .  . 
Former  U.S.  ambassador  to  Indonesia 
Howard  Palfrey  Jones  told  a  com- 
mencement audience  at  Juniata  College 
that  ignorance  and  misunderstanding 
are  what  bring  nations  to  the  point  of 
war. 

Asking  "Where  Do  We  Go  From 
Here?"  was  Dr.  Elmer  B.  Staats,  comp- 


troller general  of  the  United  States  and 
an  alumnus  of  McPherson  College,  as 
speaker  at  his  alma  mater's  eighty-second 
commencement  exercises.  .  .  .  Also  at 
that  Kansas  college.  President  J.  Jack 
Melhorn  acknowledged  the  largest  sin- 
gle gift  in  the  history  of  the  college,  a 
$600,000  unitrust  from  the  Royer  Dot- 
zours. 

Five  Bethany  Theological  Seminary 
faculty  members  have  received  promo- 
tions, three  to  full  professor.  Dale 
Brown,  Donald  Durnbaugh,  and  Don- 
ald Miller  rank  now  as  full  professors; 
Robert  NefF  and  Byron  Royer  received 
associate  professorships. 

Three  Juniata  College  students  — 
Carol  Diehl,  Farmington,  Pa.;  Linda 
Markey,  Indianapolis,  Ind.;  and  Jona- 
than Hunter,  Modesto,  Calif.  —  have 
been  named  to  a  fifteen-member  church 
relations  council,  newly  formed  at  the 
Pennsylvania  school  to  encourage  greater 
interaction  between  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  the  college. 

DEATHS 

Becker.  Samuel  T.,  Mount  Joy,  Pa.,  on  April  2, 

1970,    aged   60 
Billsborough,  Myrtle,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  March 

23,    1970,   aged   85 
Blough.  Mahlon  J..  Maple  Spring  church.  Western 

Pennsylvania,  on  Dec.   18,  1969,  aged  90 
Boor.   Pearle  M.,  Westernport,   Md.,  on  Feb.   21, 

1970,  aged  83 
Buchannon,  Florence,  McVeytown,  Pa.,  on  Feb.  2, 

1970,  aged  78 
Burrington,  Sophia,   La   Verne,   Calif.,   on    March 

25,   1970,   aged   78 
Canada,  EUzabeth  M.,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  March 

14,   1970,  aged  88 
Cassel,  Marian  K.,  Englewood.  Ohio,  on  March  1, 

1970.    aged    53 
Claar,  M.  Swigart,  Claysburg,  Pa.,  on  March  31, 

1970,  aged  64 
Cottle,  R.  L.,  Hopewell,  Pa.,  on  March   15,   1970, 

aged   76 
Harris,  Myrtle  A.,  Mountain  Grove,  Mo.,  on  Feb. 

23,    1970,  aged  74 
Heckman,  Charles,  McVeytown,  Pa.,  on  March  20, 

1970,    aged    43 
Hetrick,  Ervin  G.,  Hanover,  Pa.,  on  April  5,  1970, 

aged  85 
Hyde,  Lewis,  El  Cajon,  Calif.,  on  April  5,    1970, 

aged  85 
Karns,    Chloe,    Dayton,    Ohio,    on    April   6,    1970, 

aged   86 
Knox,  Wooda,  Grindstone,  Pa.,  on  Nov.  28,  1969, 

aged   75 
Wolfe,  Alvy  Ray,  Point  Marion,  Pa.,  on  Aug.  27, 

1969,   aged  65 


7-16-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


A  New  Inierpretation-But  the  Draft  Remains 


A  decision  of  the  U.S.  Supreme  Court  last  month  grants 
the  right  of  conscientious  objection  to  men  who  oppose 
military  service  on  moral  and  ethical  grounds.  Previously 
the  Selective  Service  law  was  interpreted  to  provide  such 
a  classification  only  to  those  whose  objection  was  grounded 
in  religious  training  and  belief. 

The  new  decision  clarifies  and  broadens  the  base  of 
conscientious  objection  to  war.  At  one  time,  local  draft 
boards  were  expected  to  make  sure  that  applicants  for 
objector  status  manifested  some  kind  of  a  belief  in  a  "Su- 
preme Being"  in  order  to  qualify  as  a  religious  objector.  A 
few  years  ago  a  ruling  of  the  court  said  that  men  having 
nonreligious  objections  could  still  receive  the  CO  classifica- 
tion if  their  deeply  held  moral  and  ethical  convictions  re- 
flected some  sort  of  religious  basis.  But  it  has  still  been 
common  for  draft  boards  to  consider  church  membership, 
attendance  at  Sunday  school,  or  written  statements  of  reli- 
gious belief  as  basic  evidence  of  "religious  training  and 
belief."  It  will  now  be  possible  for  draftees  who  claim  no 
religious  allegiance  but  who  do  feel  strongly  and  genuinely 
opposed  to  military  service,  to  qualify  as  a  conscientious 
objector. 

The  new  interpretation  should  not  only  widen  the  scope 
of  conscientious  objection.  It  should  also  put  an  end  to 
the  discrimination  by  which  it  was  much  easier  for  young 
men  who  were  members  of  a  recognized  "peace"  church  to 
be  given  a  I-O  classification  than  for  others,  equally  sincere, 
who  had  no  such  obvious  mark  to  identify  their  religious 
background.  This  was  not  a  deliberate  purpose  of  the  law, 
but  this  is  the  way  many  local  boards  operated. 

We  are  confident  that  members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  whose  young  men  have  frequently  benefited  by 
this  kind  of  discrimination,  will  be  happy  to  see  it  ended. 
There  should  be  no  question  now.  Denominational  tags 
never  have  been  reliable  guides  to  discerning  a  person's 
deeply  held  convictions.  Draft  boards  can  no  longer  dis- 
qualify an  applicant  for  conscientious  objector  status  on 
the  grounds  that  he  belongs  to  the  wrong  church  or  to  no 
church  at  all.    They  will  need  to  look  more  earnestly  and 


more  fairly  at  the  sincerity  of  his  opinions  and  convictions. 

We  hope  that  the  Supreme  Court  will  continue  to  review 
constitutional  issues  relative  to  the  draft.  Specifically  we 
would  like  to  see  a  decision  recognizing  the  validity  of 
selective  objection.  Persons  who  object  to  participation  in 
a  specific  war  and  who  do  so  on  moral  and  ethical  grounds 
also  should  have  a  choice  of  alternatives  to  military  service. 
One  U.S.  District  Judge  has  already  ruled  that  total  pacifism 
is  not  required  and  that  selective  objection  should  be  recog- 
nized. We  hope  the  U.S.  Supreme  Court  upholds  his  de- 
cision. 

But  of  greater  importance  to  all  who  question  the 
morality  of  war  is  the  existence  of  the  draft  itself.  Despite 
some  slight  reforms,  the  basic  conscription  system  remains. 
Increasingly,  sensitive  persons  are  reminding  us  that  the 
whole  apparatus  of  the  draft  should  be  opposed  and  its  ap- 
plication resisted.  By  the  time  this  editorial  appears  Annual 
Conference  will  have  had  an  opportunity  to  amend  the 
church's  official  statement  on  war  to  give  recognition  and 
support  to  draft-age  members  who,  following  the  lead  of 
their  consciences,  choose  "open  noncooperation  with  the 
system  of  conscription." 


B 


Put  the  church  will  need  to  do  far  more  than  up-date 
its  policy  statements.  We  would  like  to  see  every  member 
engage  in  both  heart-searching  and  Bible-searching  in  order 
to  decide,  whether  he  is  of  draft  age  or  not,  just  where  he 
stands  on  conscription  and  war-making.  Brethren  are  in- 
heritors of  a  tradition  that  early  in  its  history  called  for 
resistance  to  war  and  conscription.  This  was  one  reason 
why  our  fellowship  developed  in  this  country  rather  than 
on  a  continent  already  plagued  by  militarism.  But  the  evils 
that  Brethren  left  Germany  to  avoid  have  grown  to  gigantic 
proportions  in  this  land.  Once  again  true  discipleship  calls 
for  resistance.  Do  not  be  surprised  if  we  have  hard  decisions 
to  face.  It  could  happen  that  our  prayerful  study  will  lead 
us  to  the  place  where  we  must  choose  whether  to  obey  God 
or  a  system  that  denies  his  kingdom.  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    7-16-70 


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LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Promise  and  Mission.  I€s  one  thing  to  talk  about  heaven  as  the  fulfillment 
of  God's  promises.  It's  another  thing  to  do  what  heaven  was  intended  to 
inspire  us  to  do  —  to  live  for  the  kingdom  of  God  in  the  midst  of  this  world. 
an  Annual  Conference  message  by  Richard  L.  Landrum.   page  2 

Man  of  the  Soil  —  Man  of  Faith.  Rowland  Reichard  served  a  Maryland 
congregation  for  forty-eight  years  as  a  "free"  minister.  But  he  was  also  a 
farmer,  and  his  dual  role  illustrated  the  loves  of  his  life:  the  church,  the  soil, 
and  people,  by  Jimmy  Ross,  page  7 

Peru  Strives  Toward  Recovery.  The  disaster  was  so  widespread,  one  of 
the  worst  in  history,  that  relief  efforts  must  also  he  massive.  Churches  help 
to  mobilize  financial  and  material  resources  for  emergency  aid.   page  12 

When  Grandparents  Are  of  Another  Faith.  More  and  more  parents 
confront  situations  where  someone  among  relatives  and  in-laws  may  be  of  a 
different  religious  faith.  Included  are  guidelines  to  help  parents  and  children 
face  such  issues  realistically,   by  La  Vemae  J.  Dick,  page  20 

Why  Do  Renewal  Attempts  Fail?  Despite  energetic  efforts  and  innova- 
tions by  renewers  and  reformers,  the  church  is  often  more  lethargic  than 
militant.  Three  recent  books  offer  help  in  understanding  why.  a  review  ar- 
ticle by  William  Faw.   page  27 

Other  features  include  a  sampling  of  entries  in  the  Conference  exhibit  of  banners  and 
posters  devoted  to  the  "Celebration  of  Hope"  (page  3);  a  short  anthology  of  poems  by 
Sara  G.  Wilson,  Ruth  B.  Statler,  and  Robert  Hale  (page  10)  and  by  Prudence  Engle, 
Ruth  Gregory,  and  Betty  Fox  Solberg  (page  11);  a  report  on  the  Conference  of  the 
National  Association  of  Evangehcals  (page  14) ;  an  introduction  to  the  Bethany  Theologi- 
cal Seminary  class  of  1970  (page  16);  two  "Speak  Up"  selections,  "A  High  Priority  for 
New  Testament  Baptism,"  by  Ellis  G.  Guthrie,  and  "A  Ministry  on  Two  Levels,"  by 
James  M.  Bryant  (page  24);  a  puzzle  by  Carol  Conner,  "Sing  Unto  the  Lord"  (page 
26);  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Charles  W.  Wampler  (page  28);  and  a  poem  by  Anthony  R. 
Petrovsky  (page  29). 


COMING  NEXT, 


Look  for  several  pages  devoted  to  a  report  of  Annual  Conference  highlights,  reflecting 
action  on  issues  discussed  at  Lincoln,  plus  pictures  of  personalities  and  summaries  of 
essential  programs.  .  .  .  The  moderator's  address  not  only  reviews  the  year  just  ended 
under  Dr.  A.  G.  Breidenstine's  leadership  but  also  looks  ahead  to  some  of  the  challenges 
the  church  must  face  as  it  considers  "Christian  Priorities  for  the  Seventies.".  .  .  ].  Wayne 
Judd  describes  a  current  opportunity  for  Brethren  today  to  offer  the  same  kind  of  concern 
and  ministry  that  the  earliest  Brethren  accepted  when  they  sought  refuge  in  a  German 
principality,  "In  Gratitude  to  Prince  Henry." 


VOL.   119  NO.  1 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     ^^   7/30/70 


Annual  Conference  70: 
A  Celebration  of  Hope 


readers  write 


YOUNG-AT-HEART  OLDSTERS 

Bravo  to  the  Stay-young  Club  of  Fahrney- 
Keedy  Home  for  finding  joy  "doing  their 
thing!" 

With  the  sad  state  of  the  world  to  be  con- 
cerned about,  why  do  people  have  to  pick 
at  a  group  of  young  at  heart  oldsters  who, 
as  does  my  own  dear  mother,  are  busy  living 
and  enjoying  life  instead  of  whining  about 
their  aches  and  pains. 

The  world  may  blow  up  one  of  these  days 
but  some  people  can  only  pick  at  others  for 
their  different  ideas. 

No  wonder  young  people  are  protesting. 
I'm  not  so  young  and  I'm  protesting  too, 
nonviolently  of  course. 

Verda  Mae  Peters 
Union,  Ohio 

SHOWING  THINGS   AS   THEY  ARE 

I  feel  a  mixture  of  amusement  and  con- 
cern over  the  pious  writers  (June  18)  who 
were  so  alarmed  with  Messenger's  "show- 
girl cover."  Hypocrisy  is  the  name  of  the 
game. 

What  kind  of  Christian  can  become  so 
concerned  over  what  is  condoned  in  the 
theater  and  so  unmoved  over  the  evils  we 
not  only  condone,  but  even  contribute  to 
elsewhere? 

For  example,  pictures  showing  the  rearing 
of  small  children  in  rat-infested  ghettos  and 
training  our  young  men  for  involvement  in 
questionable  military  evils  have  appeared 
in  Messenger,  but  they  don't  seem  to  bother 
us  to  the  point  of  action. 

We  have  allowed  much  ugliness  in  our 
society.  To  some  of  us,  ugliness  is  "dancing 
girls."  To  others,  ugliness  is  hunger,  starva- 
tion, murder  of  innocent  persons,  disregard 
for  human  life  in  general.  We  can't  make 
evil  go  away  by  ignoring  it,  or  by  can- 
celling subscriptions  to  magazines  that  show 


things   as  they  are.    We   were   put  here  to 
improve  that  which  offends  us. 

It  appears  that  the  blindfold  we  wear  to 
shut  out  the  unsightly  also  hides  God's  word 
from  us  as  we  piously  shuffle  pages  in  the 
good  book.  I  hope  Messenger  continues 
to  show  things  as  they  are. 

Marion  E.  Dulabaum 
Uniontown,  Ohio 

WHY  MANY  YOUTH   READ   MESSENGER 

I  thought  the  cover  and  spread  (April  23) 
illustrated  the  point  beautifully.  It  showed 
what  many  senior  citizens  are  doing  to  keep 
their  spirits  young  —  not  only  the  Holy 
Spirit,  but  the  human  spirit  as  well.  For 
what  are  we  without  the  human  spirit? 
Without  it  we  would  not  be  able  to  receive 
within  us  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  letters  only  showed  the  narrowmind- 
edness  of  those  who  sent  them.  Because  the 
Messenger  is  a  "Christian"  magazine  does 
not  mean  that  its  contents  should  relate  sole- 
ly to  the  Bible.  Every  Christian  knows  (I 
think)  that  God  and  religion  are  also  found 
in  everyday  life  —  not  just  in  the  Bible'and 
in  church.  Can't  these  points  be  brought  out 
in  a  religious  magazine  without  an  onslaught 
of  disapproval?  Clean  out  your  minds,  peo- 
ple, and  see  what  you  are  doing  to  keep  your 
spirits  young!  .  .  . 

I  read  Messenger  and  enjoy  it  because  it 
is  not  a  stiff,  religious  magazine,  and  I  think 
that  is  why  many  other  youth  read  it  as  well. 

Carol  Flory 
Marion,  Iowa 

APPRECIATION 

I  want  to  tell  you  how  much  we  appreciate 
your  wonderful  magazine,  covers  and  all 
(especially   April   23). 

I  was  heartsick  to  read  the  letters  from 
impolite,  thoughtless  and  unkind  people.  .  .  . 


Photo  Credits:  Cover,  3.  5.  6,  8-9,  12,  14-15,   16,  29  Don  Honick;    13  artwork  by  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh; 
20  David  S.  Strickler;   22,  32  Clark  &  Clark;   27   Religious   News  Service 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbir  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  .^ug.  20.  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  I,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  .Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  33.60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  §60;  husband  and  wife,  S75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address,  .\llow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  1451  Dundee  .•\ve.,  Elgin.  Ill  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  III.    July  30.   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  16 


I  wish  more  people  would  try  living  the 
Bible    rather    than    just    literally    quoting   it  1 
with  such  vindictiveness. 

My  dear  mother  spent  her  last  years  in 
our  wonderful  Brethren  Home.  I  accom- 
panied her  to  several  of  their  annual  mas- 
querade parties  that  the  employees  gave  at  ' 
Halloween.  I  wish  everyone  could  realize  ' 
the  need  of  all  people  to  live  a  joyous,  active 
life. 

Lucy  Fourman 
Arcanum,  Ohio. 


A   REAL  BARGAIN 

I  would  like  to  defend  Messenger  and 
the  oldsters  (April  23). 

Man  —  created  in  the  image  of  God  to 
participate  in  his  creating  —  how  wonderful 
to  see  old  people  who  often  feel  useless  do- 
ing just  that.  Unfortunately  our  pietistic 
background  had  divorced  religion  and  dra- 
ma, two  functions  which  "came  out  of  the 
shadows  of  prehistory  hand  in  hand."  Again, 
Wayne  Rood  in  The  Art  of  Teaching  Chris- 
tianity reminds  us  that  "Christianity  is  from 
first  to  last  and  from  top  to  bottom  a  real 
drama  characterized  by  the  actual  interaction 
of  divine  and  human." 

How  unfortunate  that  we  have  pigeon- 
holed drama  into  "secular"  or  "religious" 
or  "sinful"  or  "ok,"  forgetting  that  drama 
which  portrays  life  realistically  as  God  cre- 
ated it  can  present  powerful  moral  and 
spiritual  insights  —  even  when  it  comes  out 
of  "Hollywood." 

Now  to  defend  the  format  of  the  Messen- 
ger! It  is  a  rare  church  magazine  which  can 
appeal  to  aesthetic  as  well  as  moral  and 
spiritual  sensibilities.  After  reading  a  rather 
bland,  boring  weekly  of  another  denomina- 
tion as  part  of  my  job,  I  say  keep  up  the 
good  work.  I  find  more  thought-provoking, 
spiritually  enriching,  and  socially  conscious 
articles  here  per  page  —  enough  to  make  the 
subscription  a  real  bargain! 

Lorene  Moore 
Manhattan,  Kansas 


RATINGS   FROM  G  TO  X 

I  feel  the  Messenger  as  a  Christian  maga- 
zine deserves  the  rating  "G"  for  general 
audiences.  Yes,  the  Messenger  has  some- 
thing in  it  for  everyone  —  the  whole  family 
can  enjoy  it  and  gain  something  from  it. 
Now,  for  you,  the  writers  of  those  letters 
(June  18),  I  would  consider  you  X-rated 
Christians  —  no  one  under   18  years  of  age 


The  Church— 
HoNA/  Goes  It? 


ihould  come  under  your  influence  because 
here  is  a  strong  possibility  you  would  cor- 
upt  their  minds.  Those  letters  show  how 
;orrupt  your  minds  already  are. 

Now  for  a  few  words  in  support  of  the 
leople  about  whom  you  wrote.  I  have 
'isited  Fahrney-Keedy  Home  many  times 
ind  have  also  worked  as  a  volunteer  in  the 
leauty  shop  washing  hair.  It  is  a  joy  just 
o  be  around  these  folks  because  they  radiate 
lappiness  and  youthfulness.  By  presenting 
heir  program  "A  Musical  Tribute  to  George 
Ilohan,"  they  are  sharing  their  happiness 
ind  youthfulness  with  others  (which  I  con- 
ider  a  very  Christian  gesture).  I  also  con- 
ider  these  performers  a  fine  group  of  Chris- 
ians  (G-rated  even).  But  because  you  are 
<-rated  Christians  you  look  no  further  than 
ihysical  appearance. 

Also,  because  of  your  X-rating  as  Chris- 
ians  I  can  see  why  you  would  be  shocked 
ly  the  picture  appearing  on  the  cover  of 
he  April  23  edition  of  the  Messenger.  You 
vanted  to  see  an  old,  wrinkled,  depressed 
ady  sitting  alone  in  a  room,  since  this  is 
vhat  you  feel  old-age  should  be  like.  But 
IS  G-rated  Christians  the  Messenger  put  on 
he  cover  the  picture  of  what  old  people 
ire  capable  of  being  —  youthful  and  happy 
and  overcoming  many  handicaps  in  the 
)rocess ) . 

Rachel  Bittle 
4yersville,  Md. 

kN  AVENUE   OF  COMMUNICATION 

I  have  just  finished  reading  the  long  list 
)f  subscribers'  comments  about  the  April  23 
over  and  the  criticism  of  the  up-dated  art 
vork  in  recent  issues.  .  .  . 

As  an  artist  and  teacher  I  thoroughly 
njoy  Messenger's  new  look  in  art.  The 
voodcuts  in  this  issue  (June  18)  were  superb 
ind  much  more  meaningful  than  photo- 
;raphs  of  the  same  subject. 

People  who  lack  the  capacity  to  appreciate 
;ood  art  are  artistically-deprived,  which  is 
lot  unlike  being  culturally-deprived.  In  edu- 
lation  the  culturally-deprived  students  are 
corrected  through  exposure  and  experience 
n  culturally  significant  areas. 

Messenger  is  to  be  commended  not  con- 
iemned  for  exposing  its  subscribers  to  the 
ireative  arts.  I  am  sure  that  art  will  continue 
o  be  one  of  the  major  avenues  of  communi- 
:ation  within  religion. 

Sally  A.  Reece 
iallas  Center,  Iowa 


How  goes  it  with  the  church?  This  is  one  question  that  every  Annual 
Conference  must  face.  Official  reports,  filled  with  information  and  properly 
audited,  are  revealing  in  their  own  way.  You  listen  to  discourses  on  the 
state  of  the  church  and  they  help  you  understand  where  we  have  been, 
where  we  may  be,  and  perhaps  where  we  may  be  going.  And  then,  of 
course,  there  are  the  issues  that  surface  early,  with  which  delegates  must 
deal.  We  hope  that  the  pages  which  follow  convey,  either  by  picture  or 
by  word,  some  of  the  self -assessment  Brethren  took  of  their  own  church 
while  meeting  at  Lincoln  last  month. 

But  resolutions  and  votes,  speeches  and  services,  statistics  and  records, 
important  as  they  are,  tell  only  part  of  the  story.  You  must  listen  also  to 
the  way  people  talk,  note  how  they  feel,  observe  their  moods  and  attitudes. 
At  the  risk  of  offering  only  limited  and  biased  observations,  and  knowing 
full  well  that  no  one  reporter  can  do  justice  to  the  totality  of  a  denomina- 
tional conference,  here  are  a  few  thoughts  about  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  June  1970. 

1.  Let's  begin  by  recognizing  that  polarities  exist  and  that  the  gaps 
between  groups  are  deep  enough  to  cause  concern.  Communication  is 
difficult  even  in  face-to-face  encounters.  But  we  note  many  indications  that 
people  really  want  to  understand  each  other  and  they  try  to  be  good 
listeners.  It  is  evident  also  that  we  do  not  divide  readily  into  young  versus 
old,  rural  versus  urban,  conservative  versus  liberal,  east  versus  west,  or 
north  versus  south.  Brethren  still  pick  up  sides  quickly,  but  the  teams 
change  with  each  new  issue.  About  as  soon  as  you  are  ready  to  pin  a 
label  on  your  brother  you  discover  that  it  doesn't  really  fit  him. 

2.  We  do  have  a  morale  problem.  You  cannot  evade  it  by  wishing 
it  were  not  so  or  excuse  it  by  saying  that  other  churches  have  a  more 
serious  one.  Trying  to  be  relevant  to  one's  own  time  and  faithful  to  the 
gospel  at  the  same  time  is  bound  to  be  exhausting.  It  is  easy  for  pastors  to 
despair  of  seeing  their  churches  come  alive  and  for  laymen  to  become  un- 
happy with  leaders  who  agitate  for  change.  The  old  landmarks  are  hard 
to  see,  and  the  new  directions  are  not  yet  tested.  No  wonder  morale  is 
shaken. 

3.  But  the  conference  theme  called  us  to  celebrate  hope.  With  all  our 
failures  to  be  and  to  live  as  the  body  of  Christ,  there  was  a  spirit  at 
Lincoln  that  speaks  well  for  the  future.  We'd  like  to  capture  a  little  of  that 
spirit  in  three  words.  First,  we  sense  a  desire  for  authority.  Not  for  a 
legalism,  or  a  dogmatism  that  would  be  deadening,  but  for  a  firm  foun- 
dation in  faith  that  does  not  change  with  changing  circumstances.  Many 
find  this  authority  adequately  expressed  in  Jesus  Christ;  others  would  like 
to  see  it  translated  into  rules  to  live  by  or  a  creed  to  recite. 

Second,  we  note  a  longing  for  authenticity.  To  be  a  genuine  person, 
accepted,  loved  and  trusted  within  a  community.  Some  find  their  identity 
by  holding  on  to  recognizable  labels.  Others  are  testing  labels  and  rejecting 
some  of  them.    But  the  search  for  authenticity  is  common  to  everyone. 

Third,  we  observe  a  hunger  for  affirmation.  Even  when  our  con- 
victions require  that  we  speak  a  firm  "no"  to  militarism,  injustice,  greed, 
irresponsibility,  and  immorality,  still  it  is  obvious  that  to  deny  is  inade- 
quate. But  we  are  not  always  clear  as  to  what  we  affirm.  How  it  goes  with 
the  church  in  the  seventies  may  well  depend  on  how  well  we  are  able  to 
live  positively  in  this  decade  for  Christ  and  his  kingdom.  —  K.M. 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     1 


ANNUAL  CONFEFENCE  '70 


A  proper  news  story,  even  one  appear- 
ing five  weeks  after  the  event,  should 
limit  itself  to  significant  actions,  the 
kind  that  change  basic  policy,  set  new 
directions,  record  accomplishments ,  or 
recognize  failure.  In  the  case  of  the 
Lincoln  Conference,  there  were  several 
such  "headliners,"  and  they  deserve  to 
be  given  prominence  in  the  reports  that 
follow.  But  a  Brethren  annual  gather- 
ing  never   quite   fits   the   category   of 


recognizable  conventions.  Things  hap- 
pen there  that  would  never  make  the 
front  page  or  even  the  back  page  of  a 
news  journal,  but  somehow  they  seem 
just  as  important  in  the  life  of  a  church 
fellowship  as  the  banner  stories. 

This  is  the  reason  that  Messenger 
reporting  will  not  only  give  attention 
to  the  usual  newsworthy  events  but  will 
seek  also  to  reflect  something  of  the 
spirit  and  quality  of  the  184th  recorded 


Annual  Conference  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  The  illustrations  that 
appear  include  some  that  are  candid 
and  obviously  unrehearsed ,  along  with 
some  that  are  formal.  The  news  notes 
describe  many  programmed  features 
but  are  not  limited  to  them.  The 
quotes  reecho  some  of  the  speeches  but 
include  also  a  few  comments  from  the 
floor  and  from  behind  the  scenes.  But 
first,  a  look  at  the  major  issues. 


The  Issues:  Debated  &  Decided 


On   noncooperation  with  the  draft 

By  a  vote  of  754  to  103,  consider- 
ably more  than  the  two  thirds  required 
for  policy  decisions,  delegates  indicated 
their  approval  of  changes  in  the  de- 
nomination's basic  statement  on  war 
which  would  give  equal  support  and 
commendation  to  young  men  choosing 
either  alternative  service  or  noncooper- 
ation with  the  draft.  Although  the 
official  statement  of  the  church  on  war, 
originally  developed  in  1948,  had  been 
updated  by  Conference  action  as  re- 
cently as  1968,  the  General  Board 
brought  to  Lincoln  several  proposed  re- 
visions. They  were  prompted  by  the 
growing  number  of  draft  age  youth 
who  for  reasons   of  conscience  have 


decided  that  they  cannot  cooperate 
with  the  Selective  Service  System  even 
to  the  point  of  accepting  alternative 
service  as  provided  currently  for  con- 
scientious objectors. 

Opportunities  were  given  early  in 
the  Conference  for  delegates  and  others 
to  raise  questions  and  concerns  relating 
to  the  proposed  changes  even  before 
they  would  be  brought  to  the  floor  of 
Conference.  At  three  locations  hear- 
ings were  held  to  provide  discussion 
of  the  issue  of  noncooperation.  While 
there  was  some  debate  in  the  sectional 
meetings,  the  accent  was  more  on  clari- 
fication than  on  challenge. 

The  revised  statement  was  inter- 
preted  as   having   two   thrusts:     one, 


urging  Brethren  to  step  up  efforts  in 
leading  people  to  develop  convictions 
against  war,  and  second,  supporting 
those  who  choose  open  noncooperation 
with  the  draft  as  well  as  those  who 
engage  in  alternative  service. 

Although  most  of  the  discussion  on 
the  Conference  floor  dealt  with  the 
advisability  of  specific  amendments, 
several  delegates  raised  questions  about 
direct  support  of  noncooperation.  A 
delegate  from  Huntingdon,  Pennsyl- 
vania, urged  Conference  to  retain  the 
original  statement,  since  it  was  positive; 
the  new  direction  might  be  interpreted 
as  being  negative.  Concern  was  ex- 
pressed also  lest  in  supporting  non- 
cooperation,    the    church    would    be 


2     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


Conference  participants  stand  up  and 
speak  out:  far  left.  Dean  Miller,  Illi- 
nois; upper  left,  Stephen  Reid,  Ohio; 
left,  Virginia  Blair,  Pennsylvania; 
above,  William  Faw,  California;  low- 
er left,  Hydema  Bwala,  Nigeria;  be- 
low, Ina  Ruth  Addington,  Tennessee. 


CONFERENCE  '70  /  continued 

placed  in  a  position  of  advocating  civil 
disobedience.  A  board  spokesman  ex- 
plained that  there  was  a  difference 
between  counseling  and  advocacy.  The 
church  would  not  tell  a  draftee  what 
position  to  take,  since  this  decision  he 
must  make  for  himself. 

An  amendment  proposed  by  DeWitt 
Miller,  by  reordering  and  rewording 
several  sentences  in  the  statement, 
gained  the  approval  of  delegates.  It 
made  it  clear  that  "the  church  pledges 
its  support  and  continuing  fellowship 
to  all  of  our  draft  age  members  who 
face  conscription."  At  the  same  time  it 
indicated  that  the  church  would  "com- 
mend to  all  of  draft  age,  their  parents, 
counselors,  and  fellow  members,  the 
alternative  position  of  (one)  alternative 
service  as  conscientious  objectors  en- 
gaging in  constructive  civilian  work,  or 
(two)  open  nonviolent  noncooperation 
with  the  system  of  conscription." 

Delegates  also  approved  an  amend- 
ment offered  from  the  floor  which 
added  a  new  section  concerning  the 
church  and  the  support  of  national  de- 
fense. The  addition  urged  members  to 
divorce  themselves  as  far  as  possible 
from  "employment  and  investment" 
related  to  defense  industries.  It  also 
asserted  that  recruitment  on  Brethren- 
related  college  campuses  by  armed 
forces  representatives  would  be  in- 
consistent with  the  church's  position. 

An  attempt  to  postpone  action  on 
the  paper  by  recommitting  it  to  the 
board  was  the  subject  of  sharp  debate. 
Several  young  persons  of  draft  age 
called  on  the  delegates  to  act  now  and 
not  to  delay.  Many  of  their  comments 
were  similar  to  that  of  Tom  Kinzie  of 
Tonasket,  Washington,  who  said,  "We 
have  got  to  get  the  church  on  the  rock 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Our  allegiance  is  to 
Christ,  and  nothing  else  will  do.  Do 
not  speak  of  what  is  legal  and  illegal. 
Speak  only  of  what  is  right  and  wrong 


on  the  basis  of  the  teachings  of  Jesus 
Christ." 

On   a   hope  for  peace 

Earlier  a  special  resolution  stating  "a 
hope  for  peace"  gained  almost  unan- 
imous support  from  the  delegates, 
but  several  of  them  questioned  whether 
it  really  was  an  adequate  response  or 
if  it  went  far  enough.  The  Conference 
had  listened  to  an  address  by  Dr.  David 
Waas,  a  professor  of  history  at  Man- 
chester College,  in  which  he  urged 
Brethren  today  to  "come  down  from 
the  attic,"  to  take  a  new  look  at  the 
Brethren  peace  heritage,  and  to  capture 
a  vision  of  a  "radical  reformation  wit- 
ness." He  noted  that  the  American 
heritage  and  Christian  duty  are  some- 
times confused.  He  said,  "The  nation 
desperately  needs  the  critical  judgment 
of  the  church  in  a  time  of  crisis."  He 
urged  Brethren  to  be  evangelistic  about 
proclaiming  the  peace  witness  to  the 
world. 

Speaking  in  favor  of  the  paper  but 
indicating  that  it  did  not  go  far  enough, 
Arthur  Gish  said  that  the  real  problem 
is  a  "crises  of  faith."  He  noted  that 
many  Brethren  had  supported  the 
Cambodia  invasion  and  that  many 
colleges  seem  to  play  down  the  peace 
testimony  of  the  church.  He  asked, 
"Are  we  committed  to  Christ  or  to  the 
pagan  society  around  us?  Is  Christ 
Lord,  or  is  Richard  Nixon  lord?  We 
should  begin  to  study  the  Bible  and  to 
take  it  seriously." 

Questions  relating  to  the  draft  re- 
ceived attention  in  other  Conference 
sessions.  At  a  peace  luncheon  Jeremy 
Mott,  a  Quaker  and  noncooperator 
with  the  draft,  stated  that  conscientious 
objectors  from  peace  churches  are 
putting  themselves  in  untenable  posi- 
tions as  pacifists  by  accepting  the  priv- 
ilege of  alternative  service  when  the 
government  has  denied  so  many  others. 


Mott  was  in  prison  for  seventeen 
months  for  leaving  his  alternative  serv- 
ice project  after  nine  months.  He  said, 
"The  truth  is  that  jail  isn't  so  bad. 
More  people  might  resist  if  we  didn't 
overemphasize  the  suffering  of  prison." 

On   equality  of  women 

In  the  final  business  session  delegates 
adopted  with  practically  no  discussion 
a  resolution  on  equality  for  women: 
"The  time  has  come  to  confront  the 
conditions  which  prevent  women  from 
enjoying  the  equality  of  opportunity 
and  exercising  the  freedom  of  choice 
which  is  their  right  as  human  beings." 
Specifically  the  church  was  asked  to 
support  action  that  would  bring  women 
into  full  participation  in  the  main- 
stream of  American  society  "exercising 
all  the  privileges  and  responsibilities 
thereof  in  truly  equal  partnership  with 
men." 

The  resolution  asked  the  General 
Board  to  appoint  a  committee,  at  least 
half  its  members  women,  to  write  a 
major  paper  stating  the  church's  posi- 
tion on  women  in  the  church  and  in 
society.  The  board  was  urged  also  to 
help  educate  and  sensitize  persons 
and  institutions  as  to  attitudes  toward 
women  which  are  dehumanizing.  The 
resolution  also  included  support  for  an 
equal  rights  amendment  to  the  United 
States  constitution. 

This  significant  response  to  a  growing 
concern  on  the  part  of  many  women 
would  not  likely  have  developed  had 
not  a  small  group  of  women  been  active 
just  preceding  and  through  all  the  days 
of  Conference.  The  General  Board 
noted  a  letter  it  had  received  in  ad- 
vance of  the  Lincoln  meeting  from 
Mrs.  Dorothy  Ewalt  of  Harmony, 
Minnesota,  urging  the  board  to  initiate 
action  that  would  change  the  name  of 
the  denomination.  Her  concern  was 
that  the  name  Church  of  the  Brethren 


4     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


might  prevent  women  from  feeling  that 
they  were  equal  members  of  the  Broth- 
erhood. She  suggested  that  the  word 
Brethren  "gives  denominational  sanc- 
tion to  the  'male  superiority  domina- 
tion lie'  that  runs  through  Western 
culture  and  religion." 

Although  the  board  did  not  act 
directly  upon  this  suggestion,  members 
agreed  to  give  special  attention  in 
November  to  the  role  of  women  in  the 
life  and  leadership  of  the  church.  The 
board  also  added  a  preliminary  state- 
ment to  one  of  its  replies  to  a  query 
which  recognized  that  there  is  a  signif- 
icant sense  in  which  women  may  be 
regarded  as  a  "minority  group."  Con- 
cern for  women's  rights  was  evident  in 
a  Conference  exhibit  and  in  a  series 
of  evening  conversations  on  the  chang- 
ing role  of  women. 

Another  current  issue  of  special  in- 
terest to  women,  but  one  that  raises 
questions  for  all  Christians  because 
of  its  legal  and  moral  questions,  was 
reflected  in  two  queries  concerning 
abortion.  The  district  board  of  South- 
srn  Ohio  through  its  district  meeting 
asked  that  Conference  arrange  to 
have  a  position  statement  on  abortion 
prepared  for  discussion  at  a  later 
Conference.  This  query  suggested  that 
abortion  is  a  theological  and  ethical 
issue,  that  members  of  churches  are  not 
clear  in  what  a  Christian  position 
should  be,  also  that  states  are  now  re- 
vising their  abortion  laws  and  members 
are  in  the  need  of  guidance  from  the 
church.  Another  query  from  the  Mid- 
Atlantic  district  board  asked  for  a 
similar  study. 

Delegates  approved  the  request  for 
a  committee  and  provided  for  the 
election  of  five  members  by  Aimual 
Conference  who  would  serve  together 
with  one  appointed  by  the  General 
Board  and  another  by  the  seminary. 
Of  fifteen  nominated  for  the  committee. 


the  Conference  delegates  chose  five 
women,  Terry  Murray,  Nancy  Faus, 
Marianne  Pittman,  Lauree  Meyer,  and 
Sonja  Griffith. 

On  the  Fund  for  the  Americas 

Considering  the  major  attention  the 
Louisville  Conference  gave  to  issues  re- 
lated to  the  "Crisis  in  the  Nation"  and 
considering  also  the  confusion  that  ac- 
companied the  manner  in  which  that 
Conference  attempted  to  implement  a 
resolution  for  action,  it  was  not  sur- 
prising that  a  major  item  for  discussion 
at  the  Lincoln  Conference  should  be 
the  Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the 
United  States  (FAUS). 

Delegates  to  this  year's  Conference 
gave  overwhelming  approval  to  a  three- 
year  extension  of  FAUS,  continuing  the 
program  of  race  education  and  minor- 
ity development  at  a  yearly  goal  of 
$100,000.  Ongoing  programs  include 
funding  community  organizations  and 
economic   development   projects,   and 


sponsoring  a  series  of  race  training  and 
race  education  retreats  that  were 
started  during  the  past  year.  The  pol- 
icy of  maintaining  the  effort  separately 
from  the  Brotherhood  Fund  will  be 
retained,  but  an  amendment  introduced 
at  this  Conference  and  supported  by 
delegates  guarantees  a  fund  level  of 
$100,000  for  next  year  and  provides 
that  any  differential  between  contribu- 
tions and  the  goal  should  come  from 
General  Board's  undesignated  reserves. 
Amendments  were  voted  down 
which  would  have  increased  the  yearly 
goal  to  $200,000,  which  would  have 
set  a  separate  goal  of  $100,000  yearly 
for  congregational  support  of  local 
projects,  and  which  would  have  placed 
a  three-year  guarantee  for  the  fund 
level  of  $100,000.  A  new  development 
authorized  by  delegates  this  year  would 
establish  an  investment  division  to  the 
fund  with  a  minimum  goal  of  $50,000 
and  a  projected  goal  of  $200,000.  This 
division  would  make  available  funds 


Susan  Farringer,  facing  camera,  was  one  of  nine  youth  who  met  with  the  Parish 
Ministries  Commission  and  its  staff. 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     5 


speaking,  listening,  walking,  thinking  —  all  of 
these  are  part  of  the  context  of  Conference. 
Top  left,  Gary  Wilson;  left,  Dale  Brown;  bot- 
tom left,  Korean  exchange  student  Young  Oak 
Cho;  above,  Arthur  Gish  and  Harold  Martin; 
below,  A.  G.  Breidenstine,  Earle  Fike,  Joel 
Thompson,  , 


6     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


;ONFERENCE  '70  /  continued 


lesignated  by  businessmen  and  others 
vho  are  willing  to  participate  directly 
n  economic  development  among  min- 
)rity  groups. 

Statements  on  the  part  of  delegates 
md  others  revealed  that  many  Brethren 
vould  like  to  see  the  amount  of  the 
^und  and  the  scope  of  its  activity  con- 
iderably  enlarged.  Many  feel  that  the 
entire  program  should  be  incorporated 
IS  a  part  of  the  Brotherhood  Fund  and 
lot  handled  separately.  Others  called 
ittention  to  the  controversial  nature  of 
he  program  and  the  fact  that  it  has  not 
eceived  widespread  financial  support, 
(till  others  expressed  a  concern  that 
)pportunities  for  evangelism  were  over- 
ooked  in  the  administration  of  the 
'und.  One  black  woman,  a  licensed 
ninister,  suggested  that  the  name  of  the 
)rogram  be  changed  to  Home  Missions 
ince  churches  would  be  more  willing 


to  give  to  a  project  if  they  were  assured 
that  Christ  was  at  the  center  of  it. 

Early  in  the  week  three  simultaneous 
hearings  on  the  Fund  for  the  Americas 
engaged  many  persons  in  raising  ques- 
tions concerning  projects  that  have 
been  funded  and  the  kind  of  financial 
support  that  has  been  made  available. 
Words  of  appreciation  came  from  per- 
sons who  had  had  an  opportunity  to 
see  how  funds  were  being  administered. 
A  few  persons  questioned  the  value  of 
race  training  retreats. 

In  a  related  action,  taken  in  response 
to  a  query  received  last  year,  delegates 
acted  to  provide  more  adequately  for 
the  recruitment  and  training  of  minis- 
ters from  minority  groups. 

Confessing  that  "the  incredible 
whiteness  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren is  a  blot  on  its  ministry,"  the 
Conference  approved  specific  recom- 


mendations addressed  to  local  con- 
gregations, to  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary,  and  to  the  church  at  large. 
By  means  of  an  amendment  to  the 
paper  prepared  by  the  General  Board, 
delegates  clarified  references  to  the 
seeking  of  more  members  from  mi- 
nority groups  in  the  constituency  areas 
of  churches  so  that  this  would  not 
appear  to  be  only  a  strategy  for  ob- 
taining leaders  from  such  groups. 
Churches  were  also  asked  to  assess 
their  "interracial  stance"  and  to  de- 
velop programs  of  intercultural  and  in- 
terracial leadership  exchange,  including 
persons  from  the  Third  World. 

The  paper  suggested  that  Bethany 
Seminary  admit  to  degree  programs 
students  who  qualify  on  "life  experi- 
ence" and  that  the  General  Board  con- 
sider support  of  minority  control 
leadership  training  institutions. 


The  Issues:  Declared  &  Discussed 


Evangelism   in  the  seventies 

The  issues  about  which  a  Conference 
evolves  are  not  necessarily  limited  to 
tems  on  a  business  agenda.  Surely  one 
)f  the  most  openly  declared  concerns  at 
Jncoln  related  to  the  importance  that 
hould  be  given  to  evangelism.  Even 
)efore  the  Conference  was  ofiBcially  on 
ts  way,  "Evangelism  in  the  seventies" 
vas  introduced  as  the  major  theme  for 
he  pastors'  association  retreat. 

The  guest  leader  for  that  full  day  of 
;essions  was  Dr.  Myron  S.  Augsburger, 
)resident  of  Eastern  Mennonite  Col- 
ege  and  Seminary  in  Harrisonburg, 
/irginia,  and  a  well-known  leader  of 
svangelistic    crusades    and    preaching 


missions.  He  spoke  twice  to  pastors 
and  their  wives  who  had  gathered  for 
the  preconference  retreat,  using  as  his 
topics  "Christology  and  Evangelism" 
and  "A  Place  to  Stand  in  Evangelism." 
The  college  president  described  himself 
as  "innovation  conservative."  While 
acknowledging  that  among  evangelicals 
pacifists  are  somewhat  rare,  he  asserted 
that  he  is  a  pacifist  precisely  because 
he  is  an  evangelical. 

An  important  dimension  of  evan- 
gelism was  both  declared  and  illustrat- 
ed in  Dr.  Augsburger's  address  at  the 
opening  worship  service  of  the  Con- 
ference. His  subject  was  "The  Church 
Confronts  Secularism."    He  described 


secularism  as  "America's  new  reli- 
gion," particularly  when  it  seeks  to  or- 
ganize life  as  if  no  God  is  present.  He 
contended  that  the  church  has  some- 
thing to  say  to  a  secular  world.  It  has 
a  faith  to  affirm  and  to  offer.  The 
church  must  prevent  the  secularist 
from  claiming  wholeness  for  himself. 
At  the  same  time  the  church  can  enrich 
secularism  by  its  gift  of  Christian 
meaning  revealed  in  the  arts,  the  hu- 
manities, and  the  sciences.  One  of  the 
most  pressing  needs  today  is  to  help 
people  understand  that  God  and  Amer- 
ica are  not  synonymous  and  that  God 
has  something  to  say  to  culture  and 
society. 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     7 


8     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


Symbols  and  gestures, 
music  and  movement 
—  all  are  a  part  of  the 
celebration  of  hope. 
Opposite  page:  top 
left,  Alvin  Brightbill; 
top  center,  Loren 
Bowman;  top  right, 
Otis  Kitchen,  Doris 
Coppock,  Irene  Noff- 
singer.  Hazel  Guyer; 
center,  the  service  of 
consecration;  bottom 
left.  Covenant  play- 
ers; bottom  right, 
women  discuss  the 
role  of  women.  This 
page,  top,  gestures  of 
hope;  bottom  left, 
anchor  of  hope;  bot- 
tom center,  transfer 
of  leadership. 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     9 


CONFERENCE  '70  /  continued 


To  be  conservative  theologically 
does  not  require  one  to  be  conserva- 
tive on  political  and  social  concerns, 
the  speaker  declared.  To  the  contrary 
he  maintained  that  those  who  take  the 
kingdom  of  God  seriously  "can  be 
quite  liberal  and  flexible"  in  that  they 
stand  in  a  "loose  relationship"  with 
earthly  institutions  and  powers. 

The  Christian  can  "sit  loose  in  the 
saddle  and  know  how  to  roll  with  the 
punches,"  he  said,  "because  he  does 
not  have  to  have  security  tied  up  in 
earthly  things." 

In  the  concluding  portion  of  his  ad- 
dress Dr.  Augsburger  spoke  more  di- 
rectly to  individuals,  calling  for  an 
honest,  authentic  commitment  to 
Christ,  a  willingness  "to  grow  beyond 
what  we  are  now,"  and  an  exploration 
of  the  implications  of  faith  for  the  total 
life.  He  urged  the  Christian  not  to 
compartmentalize  life  so  that  convic- 
tion and  belief  are  isolated  from  the 
rest  of  life. 

Asserting  that  "what  God  wants  to 
do  in  the  world  he  begins  by  doing  in 
a  person's  life,"  the  speaker  concluded 
his  service  with  an  invitation  for  per- 
sons present  to  rededicate  their  lives 
and  to  indicate  this,  if  they  wished,  in 
a  visible  way. 

But  one  day,  even  a  full  day  with  a 
major  Conference  speaker,  did  not 
suffice  for  evangelism  concerns  at  Lin- 
coln. Two  of  the  Insight  sessions  held 
in  late  evening  provided  an  opportunity 
for  Brethren  to  exchange  ideas,  defini- 
tions, feelings,  and  techniques  relating 
to  the  evangelistic  work  of  the  church. 
A  luncheon  conference  provided  fur- 
ther opportunity  to  hear  a  denomina- 
tional director  of  evangelism.  Dr.  Jo- 
seph H.  Yeakel,  general  secretary  of 
the  general  board  of  evangelism  of  the 
United  Methodist  Church. 

In  reporting  on  goals  and  plans  for 
General   Board   activities,    board   and 


staff  spokesmen  emphasized  that  evan- 
gelism was  already  receiving  a  priority 
in  total  church  programming.  In  pre- 
senting a  close-up  on  aspects  of  Gen- 
eral Board  responsibility,  Phyllis  Car- 
ter, a  member  of  the  Parish  Ministries 
Commission,  observed  that  "the  insti- 
tutional church  can  still  carry  the  good 
news."  She  called  attention  to  goals 
established  by  the  Parish  Ministries 
Commission  which  she  described  as 
identity,  indicating  "who  I  am  and 
whose  I  am";  celebration,  "a  cause  to 
celebrate";  evangelism,  "telling  the 
good  news";  and  participation,  "wit- 
nessing by  involvement  in  the  world." 

Listening   and  working  together 

Concerns  relating  to  church  union 
and  possible  church  merger  actually 
received  less  attention  at  this  Confer- 
ence than  at  many  others.  However, 
as  part  of  the  report  of  the  Committee 
on  Interchurch  Relations,  a  panel  com- 
posed of  two  Brethren  representatives 
and  two  American  Baptist  representa- 
tives discussed  the  conversations  that 
have  taken  place  in  recent  years  in- 
volving these  two  groups.  The  Con- 
ference also  provided  an  opportunity 
for  representatives  of  other  churches 
to  bring  fraternal  greetings.  Four  of  the 
Insight  sessions  in  the  evening  were 
especially  planned  to  enable  Brethren 
to  "listen  to  other  voices." 

At  one  of  these,  Raymond  B.  Hain, 
a  Roman  Catholic  priest  and  president 
of  the  Lincoln  Ministerial  Fellowship, 
said  that  the  beautiful  thing  in  ecu- 
menism is  that  Christians  have  a  new 
consciousness  of  one  another.  He 
said,  "If  we  can  at  moments  clearly 
come  together  in  Christ  Jesus  and 
sense  our  identity  one  with  another, 
then  something  can  really  happen."  In 
another  meeting  William  Keeney,  dean 
of  Bethel  College,  Newton,  Kansas, 
and  Chairman  of  the  Mennonite  Cen- 


tral Committee's  peace  section,  offered 
an  overview  of  developments  within 
the  Mennonite  family.  As  a  nonresis- 
tant,  nonconformist  people  for  whom 
escape  from  persecution  often  has  been 
the  mode  of  survival,  he  said  the 
tendency  has  been  for  Mennonites  to 
withdraw  from  conflict.  "But  many 
are  asking,"  he  said,  "whether  our  task 
is  not  to  be  more  involved  in  conflicts, 
trying  to  reconcile  in  righteousness 
rather  than  withdrawing  to  live  in 
peace." 

Of  more  immediate  concern  to  many 
at  the  Conference  was  the  partnership 
demonstrated  in  overseas  churches. 
What  this  partnership  could  mean  for 
Brethren  was  illustrated  by  precept  and 
example  at  the  interpretation  lunch- 
eon, at  which  two  members  of  the 
World  '  Ministries  Commission  staff, 
one  a  former  missionary  in  Ecuador, 
and  the  other  a  member  of  the  church 
in  India,  defined  partnership  as  a 
process  still  coming  of  age. 

Merle  Crouse  noted  several  signs  of 
immaturity  in  stateside  attitudes  toward 
overseas  churches,  but  he  pointed  also 
to  signs  of  progress  such  as  the  par- 
ticipation of  Brethren  churches  in  the 
Church  of  North  India,  the  turning 
over  of  the  Dahanu  Road  Hospital  in 
India  to  a  local  board,  and  the  service 
of  Shantilal  Bhagat  on  the  World  Min- 
istries staff.  From  the  vantage  point 
of  having  lived  until  quite  recently  in 
India,  Shantilal  described  the  "linger- 
ing image  of  nineteeth-century  mis- 
sions" as  reflecting  a  time  when  Chris- 
tianity was  identified  with  colonialism. 
He  stressed  the  importance  of  changing 
from  "the  church  overseas"  to  "service 
with  the  same  churches." 

Information   and   insight 

A  quick  glance  at  the  Conference 
program  was  sufficient  to  assure  dele- 
gates and  others  that  many  urgent  top- 


ic   MESSENGER    7-30-70 


ics  of  the  day  would  be  touched  on 
sometime  during  the  Lincoln  activities. 
Typical  of  these  sectional  meetings, 
labeled  "Insight  70,"  many  of  which 
were  scheduled  for  weekday  evenings 
or  Sunday  morning,  were  three  that 
Messenger  reporters  attended. 

To  give  guidance  to  persons  inter- 
ested in  taking  a  look  at  poverty  in  the 
United  States,  William  Faw,  a  pastor 
whose  experience  has  been  largely  with 
city  churches,  set  forth  a  biblical  out- 
look on  poverty.  This  was  followed 
with  information  and  experience  of- 
fered by  Melvin  Gray  of  Chicago  and 
Paul  Brumbaugh  of  Champaign,  Illi- 
nois. Faw  insisted  that  the  Bible  is 
biased  toward  the  poor.  In  a  rapid 
survey  of  both  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments he  argued  that  God  has  shown 
special  concern  for  the  poor  and  has 
supported  those  who  seek  social  justice 
for  the  poor.  Melvin  Gray  displayed 
graphic  information  to  indicate  who  the 


poor  are  and  where  they  live  and  to 
suggest  reasons  why  they  are  poor. 

In  another  Insight  session,  James 
Wall,  movie  critic  and  editor  of  the 
Christian  A  dvocate,  urged  his  audience 
to  accept  film  "as  an  art  form  within  a 
commercial  context."  Wall  suggested 
that  moviegoers  should  ask,  "Who  is 
the  author  or  director  of  the  film  and 
what  is  his  vision  or  point  of  view?" 
The  second  question  to  ask  is  "How 
did  he  succeed  in  doing  what  he  set 
out  to  do?" 

Given  this  understanding  of  film, 
Wall  suggested  that  sex  or  vulgarity  in 
films  is  only  important  in  how  it  af- 
fects the  whole.  If  sexuality  helps  an 
author  make  his  point,  then  it  adds 
value  to  the  whole.  But  if  it  is  simply 
tacked  on  for  its  own  sake  and  does 
not  help  to  develop  understanding  of 
the  characters  or  the  film's  point  of 
view,  then  it  should  be  omitted. 

Gerald   Sanctuary,   director   of  the 


Sex  Information  Education  Council  of 
the  United  States,  told  another  evening 
session  that  "even  if  parents  don't  say 
anything  to  a  child  about  what  it  means 
to  be  a  boy  or  a  girl,  that  silence  is  a 
sex  education."  In  discussing  sex  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  Sanctuary 
noted  that  there  are  four  ways  a  person 
receives  education  in  sex:  from  his 
home,  from  the  community,  from  the 
mass  media,  and  from  church  and  edu- 
cational institutions.  Because  sex  edu- 
cation in  the  home  is  often  neglected 
and  because  the  community  and  the 
mass  media  do  not  present  sexuality 
responsibly,  the  speaker  asserted  that 
church  and  educational  institutions  are 
asked  to  provide  a  responsible  pro- 
gram. Sanctuary  emphasized  that  each 
community  must  work  out  its  own 
program  and  make  sure  that  the  people 
who  are  going  to  implement  that  pro- 
gram are  comfortable  in  their  role  and 
in  their  own  sexuality. 


The  Theme:  Defined  &  Celebrated 


Symbol  and  study 

Central  to  the  worship  center  at  the 
Lincoln  Conference  was  a  large  white 
anchor  suspended  overhead.  The  an- 
chor, an  early  Christian  symbol  of 
hope,  along  with  silkscreened  banners 
hung  on  either  side  from  the  top  of 
the  arch  to  the  floor,  were  designed  by 
Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  a  member  of 
the  Messenger  staff.  The  yard-wide 
banners  featured  rows  of  sixteen-inch 
gold  symbols  of  a  man  with  arms 
raised. 

The  symbol  of  the  man  derives  from 


an  Egyptian  character  for  hope,  and 
both  the  anchor  and  the  man  are 
imagery  which  helped  man  to  speak  of 
hope  in  ancient  times.  They  called  at- 
tention throughout  the  Conference  to 
its  theme  of  "Celebration  of  Hope." 
The  theme  of  the  Conference  was 
viewed  in  a  biblical  perspective  in  a 
series  of  early  morning  studies  con- 
ducted by  Eugene  F.  Roop,  Floyd  E. 
Bantz,  Allen  C.  Deeter,  and  Ronald 
K.  Morgan.  Their  studies  are  sched- 
uled to  appear  soon  in  the  same  se- 
quence in  Messenger  as  a  series  of 


related  articles.  One  of  the  late  eve- 
ning sessions  provided  an  opportunity 
for  a  Bible  study  "talk-on,"  to  follow 
up  each  morning  presentation  and  to 
provide  some  dialogue  between  the 
presenter  of  the  biblical  study  and 
those  who  would  react  to  it. 

The  subject  of  hope  is  central  also 
to  messages  offered  by  Richard  L. 
Landrum  (see  July  16  issue),  by  the 
moderator  (see  page  10  in  this  issue), 
and  by  Leland  Wilson  in  a  concluding 
Sunday  morning  convocation  address 
(scheduled  for  the  Aug.  13  issue). 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     11 


Activities  adapt  to  the  age  of  participants.  Up- 
per left,  a  drop-in  center  for  youth;  center  left, 
music  to  mimeograph  by;  lower  left,  theo-, 
logian  listening;  lower  center,  evangelist  speak' 
ing;  top  right,  burnt  sugar  cake  pulls  the  punch; 
line;  above,  contributor  views  latest  edition;^ 
bottom,  communication  starts  at  an  early  age, 


12     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


CONFERENCE  '70  /  continued 


The  theme  of  hope  received  unusual 
treatment  at  intervals  throughout  the 
Conference  when  the  Covenant  Play- 
ers, a  repertoire  theater  group  from 
California,  presented  brief  skits  as  well 
as  two  or  three  one-act  plays.  A  self- 
supporting  interdenominational  group, 
the  Players  since  1963  have  performed 
in  thirty-five  states  and  Canada.  The 
group's  repertoire  includes  more  than 
130  one-act  plays,  and  themes  range 
through  ethics,  morality,  social  con- 
cerns, human  relationships,  and  in- 
volvement. The  group  presented  a 
play  entitled  The  Cutting  Edge  at  the 
Thursday  evening  session  in  the  audi- 
torium. They  served  also  as  resource 
persons  for  several  special  interest  ses- 
sions, but  probably  their  most  effec- 
tive contribution  came  in  the  form  of 
brief  episodes,  often  inserted  during  a 
pause  in  a  business  session  or  even  at 
an  appropriate  place  in  a  worship  serv- 
ice. These  small  interchanges  that  they 
called  "stingers"  were  not  only  enter- 
taining but  were  quite  effective  in  mak- 
ing a  point. 

The  exhibit  area  of  the  Pershing 
Auditorium  offered  a  colorful  appear- 
ance due  to  the  varied  way  in  which 
banners,  posters,  and  other  art  forms 
called  attention  to  the  meaning  of 
hope.  Buttons  reflecting  the  Confer- 
ence theme  and  symbols  helped  the 
participants  to  identify  with  the  mood 
of  celebration.  Worship  services,  both 
the  more  formal  printed  ones  for  large 
gatherings  and  others  developed  for 
participation  by  smaller  groups,  en- 
couraged a  mood  of  celebration  that 
was  frequently  quite  spirited  and  joy- 
ful. Folk  hymns  and  original  songs, 
sometimes  with  guitar  accompaniment, 
appeared  frequently  at  sessions.  There 
was  the  customary  emphasis  on  con- 
gregational singing,  but  a  few  services 
went  beyond  the  conventional  to  in- 
clude the  use  of  projected  slides,  re- 


cordings, and  instrumental  accompani- 
ment to  encourage  more  spontaneous 
participation. 

The  Saturday  evening  general  ses- 
sion, entitled  "Let  Us  Remember,"  was 
designed  as  a  service  of  celebration. 
Drawing  heavily  upon  biblical  read- 
ings, familiar  spirituals  and  hymns,  and 
contemporary  readings,  the  service  cul- 
minated in  an  unusual  interpretation  of 
the  communion  service.  Persons  in  at- 
tendance shared  individual  "statements 
of  remembering"  on  cards  which  were 
later  posted  around  the  halls  of  the 
convention  building. 

Earle  Fike  and  Wilfred  Nolen  were 
responsible  for  planning  and  leading 
the  service.  Others  who  helped  were 
Stewart  Kauffman  as  guitarist,  Doris 
Coppock  as  soloist,  Otis  Kitchen  as 
chorister,  and  Susan  and  James  Ocker- 
man  as  choreographers,  along  with 
others  who  assisted  regularly  in  Con- 
ference worship  services. 

Celebration  of  a  slightly  different 
sort  was  evident  in  many  of  the  activ- 
ities planned  each  evening  for  senior 
high  and  older  youth.  But  youth  were 
involved  throughout  the  Conference  in 
many  more  serious  activities  including 
active  discussion  of  the  issues  that 
most  concerned  them.  During  the  dis- 
cussion on  peace  and  noncooperation 
with  the  draft,  one  Brethren  youth 
moved  among  the  audience  in  the  role 
of  a  prophet  calling  the  church  to  re- 
pentance.   At  another  time  a  Korean 


exchange  student  wore  signs  reading 
"Am  I  your  sister?"  Some  of  the  adults 
were  impressed  with  the  meaning  of 
this  sort  of  demonstration,  recalling 
"the  image  of  Amos  and  other  Old 
Testament  prophets  who  took  on  sack- 
cloth and  ashes."  But  other  persons 
were  turned  off  by  such  activities,  fail- 
ing to  see  any  meaning  in  them. 

As  for  the  youth  themselves,  most 
of  them  would  probably  have  support- 
ed the  suggestions  of  young  people 
from  the  central  region  who  were  in- 
vited to  share  their  ideas  with  the  Par- 
ish Ministries  Commission  and  its  staff. 
Among  concerns  they  mentioned  were 
the  hypocrisy  of  adults,  the  preoccupa- 
tion the  church  seems  to  show  with 
money  and  numbers,  the  lack  of  in- 
volvement of  the  church  in  social 
issues,  the  dearth  of  real  Christian  fel- 
lowship, the  failure  of  adults  to  listen 
to  youth,  and  the  need  for  more  per- 
sonal contact  between  church  leaders 
and  the  local  church.  They  indicated 
that  a  number  of  young  people  are 
beginning  to  give  up  on  the  church 
because,  as  one  young  girl  said,  "they 
get  tired  beating  their  heads  trying  to 
get  action." 

The  youth  suggested  that  a  good 
motto  to  be  displayed  would  be: 
"Christianity  —  live  it  or  leave  it." 
For  them,  and  for  many  others  at  Lin- 
coln, this  was  the  choice  that  must  be 
faced.  Otherwise,  there  would  no 
hope  to  celebrate. 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     13 


Anchor's  the  Way! 


Bob: 
Dana: 
Bob: 
Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 
Bob: 

Dana: 
Bob: 


Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 


Dana: 
Bob: 

Dana: 

Bob: 
Dana: 

Bob: 

Dana: 
Bob: 


Lifting  weights? 
Huh? 

What  are  you  doing? 

Oh  .  .  .  hope.    I'm  expressing  hope.   This  is  a 
symbol  for  hope. 
Really? 

Yea,  try  it.    It'll  make  you  feel  better. 
I  bet  it'll  make  my  arms  tired. 
Oh,  I  don't  think.  .  .  . 
That  really  stands  for  hope,  eh? 
That's  right. 

I  thought  the  anchor  was  the  ancient  Christian 
symbol  for  hope. 

Well,  yes,  it  is.  There  are  many  symbols  for 
hope. 

But  you  just  use  that  one? 
What  do  you  mean? 

I  mean,  you  just  go  around  like  this  ...  to  show 
that  you're  hopeful. 
What  do  you  mean? 

I  mean,  why  don't  you  go  around  looking  like 
an  anchor  sometimes? 
Well,  I  .  .  .  . 

Sure,  it's  easy.  All  you  do  is,  instead  of  hold- 
ing your  arms  up  like  this,  hold  'em  down  like 
this. 

An  anchor? 

Then  you  stand  on  your  head. 
Your  head? 

Sure.    Now  visualize  it.  .  .  . 
Now,  look,  I  really  don't  think.  .  .  . 
Sure,  it's  great!    I'm  an  old  anchor  man  from 
'way  back.    I  mean,  hope's  a  wonderful  thing, 
right?  You  want  to  turn  the  world  upside  down. 
Yes,  but  ...  . 

Then  get  with  it,  boy.  Bottoms  up.  Christianity 
begins  at  home. 

Somehow,  it  doesn't  strike  me  as  the  best  po- 
sition for  expressing  hope. 
Well,  it  has  its  drawbacks,  but  .... 
Don't  you  think  the  upright  position  is  just  as 
effective? 

Well  .  .  .  you  mean  you  think  the  message  gets 
across  just  as  well? 
I  hope  so. 

"I  hope  so."  Hey,  that's  pretty  good.  ...  "I 
hope  so."    Hey,  that's  sure  easier. 


.  than  standing  upside  down. 


Dana:  Easier? 
Bob:  Yeah  .  . 
Dana:  Really? 

Bob:  Yeah.  Hope  is  a  wonderful  thing,  all  right.  But 
every  time  I  turn  the  world  upside  down,  itj 
makes  my  head  hurt. 

CURTAIN? 
Dana:  There's  hope. 

CURTAIN! 

—  Robert  D.  Haggard,  presented  by 
the  Covenant  players 


14     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


Among  those  who  praised  God  and  delebrated  hope:  top 
left,  choreographers,  the  James  Ockermans;  top  right, 
guitarist  and  folk  singer  Steve  Forrest;  center  left,  guitarist 
Stewart  Kauffman;  center,  leaders  Earle  Fike  and  Wil 
Nolen;  above,  guest  drummer  Victor  Lewis;  lower  left,  the 
children's  choir.  "With  tambourines  and  dancing  .  .  .  with 
flute  and  strings  .  .  .  with  the  clash  of  cymbals;  let  every- 
thing that  has  breath  praise  the  Lord!"  (Psalm  150) 


7-30-70    MESSENGER      15 


Christian  Priorities  for  the  Seventies 


by  A.  G.  BREIDENSTINE 

The  priorities  posed  by  the 
Seventies  loom  large  as  the 
church  considers  its  ministry 
in  today's  world.   Only  in 
God's  will  can  these  de- 
mands be  met  with  hope 

i\  look  into  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  reveals  many  interesting 
and  contrasting  views.    Some  of  our 
congregations  are  terribly  busy, 
some  are  comfortably  cozy,  and 


others  are  seriously  tuned-in  to  our 
present-day  concerns.    As  a  whole, 
however,  the  Brethren  are  too  di- 
vided in  purpose  and  often  insuf- 
ficiently aware  of  the  urgencies 
which  are  upon  us. 

Thus,  as  moderator,  I  am  com- 
pelled to  raise  a  voice  on  behalf  of 
the  priorities  as  I  see  them  —  first, 
within  the  world  which  God  loves, 
and,  second,  within  the  church  at 
whose  head  is  Christ,  whom  we 
recognize  as  Lord.    You  deserve  to 
know  that  I  hold  as  a  part  of  con- 
ventional wisdom  that  human  prob- 
lems are  solved  aright  when  they 


are  solved  within  God's  will.    Cor- 
rect solutions  require  theological  in- 
put.   For  us  as  Christians,  therefore, 
tackling  difficult  problems  is  not  a 
gloomy,  hand-wringing  operation;  it 
is  an  undertaking  with  promise, 
knowing  that  with  God  there  is  a 
hopeful  future.    I  invite  your  at- 
tention to  seven  burdens  of  the  soul 
and  a  recommendation  for  the 
church,  God's  instrument  in  the 
world. 

Before  listing  the  urgencies  which 
are  before  us,  let  me  assure  you 
that  the  facts  presented  here  were 
researched  by  Robert  L.  Heilbroner 


16     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


'or  the  Fund  for  New  Priorities  in 
\merica;  by  Seymour  Melman,  Co- 
umbia  University;  by  the  Eisenhow- 
er Commission;  and  by  other  official 
reports.    It  is  against  this  backdrop 
;hat  I  sketch  the  work  load  of 
[Christian  priorities  for  the  seventies. 

1.   Our  United   States  military  effort 

Within  our  homes  a  top  priority 
:an  usually  be  determined  by  obser- 
^'ation.    Just  so  within  our  nation. 
Whatever  claims  the  greatest  volume 
Df  our  resources  —  time,  money,  ef- 
fort, and  emotional  strain  —  is  our 
Brst  priority.    For  the  United  States, 


therefore,  first  place  must  be 
granted  our  military  effort.    It  is 
this  effort  alone  that  consumes 
eighty  billion  dollars  per  annum; 
occupies  eighteen  army  divisions  as 
against  eleven  in  1961;  stockpiles 
11,000  deliverable  nuclear  warheads, 
compared  with   1,100  in  1961;  and 
employs  the  largest  navy  in  the 
world.    Politically,  economically,  and 
militarily  we  are  very  much  in  the 
killing  business. 

Yet  it  is  exactly  at  this  tune  that 
our  resources  are  needed  to  inject 
hope  and  life  into  the  American  so- 
ciety.   Where  were  we  Brethren 
when  military  affairs  got  so  terribly 
out  of  kilter,  and  how  much  did 
we  gain  financially  from  war-in- 
spired profits?    And  why  did  we 
fail  to  heed  the  late  President  Ei- 
senhower's warning  that  the  indus- 
trial-military-business complex  must 
be  kept  within  the  control  of  U.S. 
civilians?    And  how  shall  we  ever 
recover  from  all  the  venom  this  pri- 
ority has  pumped  into  our  nation's 
life  stream? 

2.   Our  decaying  cities 

Ever  since  the  days  of  the  apos- 
tle Paul,  Christians  have  shown 
their  concern  for  persons  in  the 
large  cities.    In  the  United  States, 
however,  with  only  a  mild  Christian 
concern,  many  of  our  cities  are  de- 
caying because  of  a  long  period  of 
greed  and  public  neglect.    A  great 
multitude  of  poverty-stricken  people, 
often  wretched  beyond  all  reason, 
has  been  cursed  to  live  in  inhuman 
circumstances.    In  1967,  ten  percent 
of  all  white  families  and  thirty-five 
percent  of  all  black  families  lived 
in  a  condition  of  poverty,  translated 
to  mean  an  expenditure  of  $4.90, 
or  less,  for  each  person  each  week 
for  food.    To  relieve  such  poverty 


in  the     United  States  would  cost  us 
ten  billion  dollars  annually  —  half 
the  per  annum  cost  of  fighting  the 
Vietnam  War. 

To  rebuild  our  cities,  however,  is 
a  tough,  long-range  job.    Conserva- 
tive estimates  reveal  costs  of  twenty 
billion  dollars  per  annum  for  each 
year  of  the  seventies.    To  undertake 
such  a  job  will  place  burdens  upon 
us  the  like  of  which  we  have  as- 
sumed previously  only  during  world 
wars.    And  the  bite  into  our  afflu- 
ence will  pain  us.    I  am  not  at  all 
sure  that  our  Christian  churches  will 
be  willing  to  reorder  their  priorities 
to  accommodate  the  demands  of 
poverty  and  the  costs  needed  to  re- 
build our  decaying  cities. 

3.  The  elimination  of  racism 

To  eliminate  from  our  minds  the 
conviction  that  blackness  spells  in- 
feriority is  a  priority  of  dimensions 
quite  different  from  those  of  mili- 
tarism and  poverty.    Fortunately  for 
the  Brethren,  last  year's  Conference 
established  the  Fund  for  the  Ameri- 
cas in  the  United  States   (FAUS) 
and  gave  us  a  vehicle  to  tackle  the 
job  of  our  racism.    While  visiting 
local  congregations  I  observed  a 
wide  range  of  enthusiasm  for  the 
Fund.    Often,  even  the  realization 
that  all  white  Brethren  have  possi- 
bilities of  vast  improvement  was  not 
yet  fully  established.    And  how  far 
we  have  yet  to  go!    Yet  in  a  posi- 
tive manner  we  should  now  move 
as  speedily  as  possible  toward  full 
racial  equality  and  the  wholesale 
enlistment  of  dark-skinned  youths 
into  the  mainstream  of  our  society. 

4.  Solutions  for  crime 

The  cancerous  sores  of  crime  have 
been  largely  unattended  or  super- 
ficially treated.    Two  million  persons 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     17 


PRIORITIES  FOR  70s  /  continued 

annually  pass  through  our  prisons; 
300,000  reside  somewhat  permanent- 
ly in  prison;  800,000  are  on  proba- 
tion or  parole.    And  at  the  present 
time  from  fifty  to  sixty  percent  re- 
turn to  crime  within  five  years  after 
imprisonment.    What  a  colossal 
waste  of  human  resources  and  what 
a  load  of  misery  for  our  country! 
Even  so,  however,  at  best  we  pro- 
vide an  average  of  only  one  treat- 
ment person  for  179  inmates;  in 
other  instances,  one  for  550;  and  in 
the  worst  situations,  one  for  2,400 
inmates.    Our  treatment  emphases 
have  not  been  spiritually  humanizing 
and  far  too  often  merely  a  brutal- 
izing for  offenses  committed. 

5.   Restoring  the  fullness  of  earth 

God  looked  out  upon  his  creation 
of  the  earth  and  saw  that  it  was 
good,  and  upon  his  creation  of  man 
which  he  saw  as  very  good.    But 
man  didn't  highly  regard  these  rare 
gifts  and  often  failed  in  his  stew- 
ardship of  them.    Hence,  today  we 
must  arrest  many  years  of  wanton 
destruction.    Lake  Erie  is  dead  and 
other  lakes  are  choking;  the  air  in 
our  cities  is  becoming  ever  more 
lethal. 

Annually  we  pump  142  million 
tons  of  smoke  and  fumes  into  our 
atmosphere  and  pile  the  junk  of  an- 
other seven  million  cars.  In  addition, 
we  stack  twenty  million  tons  of 
waste  paper;  forty-eight  billion  used 
cans;  and  fifty  trillion  gallons  of  in- 
dustrial sewerage.    To  rid  ourselves 
of  self-produced  waste  and  restore 
our  precious  earth  to  its  fullness 
will  require  the  creative  genius  of 
many  God-inspired  men,  women, 
youth,  and  children  for  years  to 
come.    And  let  us  agree  at  once 
that  it  is  our  Christian  duty  to  start 
restoration  beginning  with  me. 


6.  Our  increasing   population 

Without  repeating  the  many  avail- 
able figures  related  to  the  coming 
pressure  of  our  increased  popula- 
tion, let  me  give  only  two  addition- 
al recently-obtained  findings :    ( 1 )  In 
the  present  decade  the  number  of 
women  in  their  most  reproductive 
period,   18-32,  will  double;  and   (2) 
the  gravity  of  an  overpopulation  has 
already  gripped  the  families  of  aver- 
age and  above-average  mentality 
and  sharp  declines  in  population 
trends  for  them  are  now  clearly  evi- 
dent.   At  the  same  time,  however, 
those  who  are  disadvantaged  in  both 
goods  and  mentality  show  a  marked 
increase  in  their  population  growth. 
Thus,  in  one  state  (and  other  states 
are  fairly  similar)   where  presently 
one  out  of  eight  children  already 
requires  special  education,  by   1978 
the  ratio  will  be  one  in  five.    How 
God  will  lead  his  people  in  this 
realm  of  stewardship  is  presently 
unclear.    That  a  reduction  in  the 
number  of  births  is  required  is 
abundantly  clear. 

7.  For  education,   a   new  orientation 

What  possibly  could  be  a  new 
orientation  in  education?    Let  me 
limit  my  reply  to  higher  education 
and  church  education.    It  is  in  these 
two  areas,  rather  than  in  elementary 
and  secondary  education,  where  the 
greatest  changes  must  be  made. 
For  the  six  priorities  previously 
listed  —  peace,  city  rebuilding,  race 
relations,  crime  prevention,  ecologi- 
cal reform,  and  population  control, 
the  locus  of  research  relating  to  these 
concerns  will  shift  to  our  churches 
and  colleges.    Church  education  and 
collegiate  education  will  apply  re- 
search into  our  future.    Such  a  shift 
will  add  zest  to  tired  curricula  and 
give  students  a  new  reason  for  edu- 


cation; they,  in  fact,  will  research 
their  own  future. 

From  the  churches  there  will  be 
a  strong  reaction  to  the  changes  re- 
quired in  church-related  colleges. 
Especially  for  the  Brethren,  the  re- 
quired relationship  of  education  to 
our  future,  to  our  very  lives,  will 
not  be  evident.    Hence  our  educa- 
tors will  be  misunderstood  and  often , 
inadequately  supported. 

We,  as  Brethren,  are  blessed  in 
higher  education  beyond  our  deserv- 
ing.   We  have  six  strong  colleges 
and  a  graduate  seminary  of  high 
repute.    In  this  time  of  our  history, 
as  go  these  higher  institutions  of 
ours  so  goes  the  Brethren  effort 
toward  making  a  witness  in  propor- 
tion to  the  needs  of  the  day. 

Four  roles  for  Brethren 

To  serve  our  God  in  these  days 
requires  a  new  interpretation  of  our' 
style  of  ministry.    Traditionally,  the 
professional  clergy  have  had  four 
roles  in  ministry  — -  pastor,  priest, 
prophet,  and  king.    As  interpreted 
in  massive  research  by  the  late 
Kenneth  Underwood  and  recorded 
in  his  summary.  New  Wine,  these 
four  roles  can  be  observed  from 
Old  Testament  times  through  the 
days  of  the  New  Testament  and 
down  to  our  day.    Since  the  Refor- 
mation, we  believe  these  roles  make 
their  claims  upon  professional 
churchmen  and  laity  alike.    If  so, 
and  if  we  are  to  be  true  to  our 
vocation  during  the  years  of  the 
seventies,  we  as  Christians  must  re- 
claim this  style  of  ministry  and 
translate  its  meaning  for  these 
times.    Only  if  we  tackle  our 
churchly  and  worldly  tasks  in  this 
fourfold  manner  can  we  expect  the 
church  and  individual  Christians  to 
be  faithful  to  God  as  he  leads  us. 


18     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


Let  us,  therefore,  attempt  an  inter- 
pretation for  Brethren. 

The  pastoral   role 

The  pastoral  role  of  the  Chris- 
tian is  probably  the  most  obvious 
role  of  all.    Our  pastors  and  lay 
counselors  care  for  individuals, 
counsel,  correct,  ease  emotional  ten- 
sions, assist  in  establishing  vocation- 
al choices,  encourage  fellow  Chris- 
tians in  their  faith  commitments, 
and  help  them  regain  their  God-giv- 
en humanness.    This  role  in  a  soci- 
ety that  is  deeply  concerned  about 
the  demands  of  worldly  priorities 
can  be  so  time-consuming  that  it 
becomes  the  Christian's  major  con- 
cern.   Even  so,  the  Brethren  have 
not  adequately  applied  this  role  to 
the  plight  of  the  unchurched;  in 
simple  terms  we  have  neglected  our 
evangelization.    We  have  become 
too  concerned  with  the  immediate 
troubles  and  ills  of  fellow  Chris- 
tian sufferers  to  attend  to  the 
sources  producing  the  suffering.    Or, 
put  another  way,  we  have  allowed 
the  pastoral  phase  to  consume  from 
sixty  to  eighty  percent  of  our  min- 
isterial time,  often  to  the  serious 
neglect  of  the  other  phases. 

The  priestly  role 

It  is  expected  of  us  also  to  be 
priests:   to  proclaim  the  faith;  to 
draw  together  the  churched  and  un- 
churched; to  lead  in  worship;  to 
celebrate  man's  hope;  to  attend 
properly  to  all  the  ordinances,  sac- 
raments, to  the  reading  of  scripture, 
and  other  ritual  acts  of  the  church. 
No  one  can  say  that  these  high 
moments  in  church  life  are  unim- 
portant.   To  many,  through  the  cen- 
turies, these  priestly  functions  have 
inspired  courage,  offered  hope,  and 
given  opportunities  for  God's  spirit 


to  speak  to  man. 

The   prophetic   role 

The  role  of  the  prophet  is  some- 
what less  in  practice  within  the 
church.    We  as  Christians  do  less  of 
judging  the  justice  and  humaneness 
of  life.    Somehow  the  findings  of 
the  Kerner  Report  or  the  report  of 
the  Eisenhower  Committee,  even  the 
Fund  for  the  America's  statement  — 
all  seem  somewhat  remote,  not  in- 
timately churchly  and  at  least  not 
deeply  moving. 

Our  stance  as  Brethren  on  the 
seven  priorities  listed  earlier  is  too 
uncertain,  too  timid.    We  react  very 
much  like  the  audiences  of  old 
when  Amos  made  his  prophetic 
declarations.    Racial  mercy  and  jus- 
tice cause  us  little  or  no  bleeding. 
And  in  self-righteousness  we  disdain 
due  process  in  law  and  charitable 
treatment  of  the  hardened  criminal. 
Yet  all  of  these  ills  and  coundess 
others  require  the  incisive  treatment 
of  the  two-edged  sword  of  God's 
spirit. 

The   kingly  role 

Of  the  four  roles  here  listed,  the 
kingly  role  is  the  most  neglected. 
Generally  we  do  not  concern  oiu:- 
selves  sufficiently  about  the  gover- 
nance for  the  welfare  of  persons. 
Unjust  laws,  corrupt  government 
officials,  military  complexes,  neg- 
lected educational  support,  the  cor- 
ruption of  our  environment,  rigged 
courts,  and  slanted  news  media  are 
often  considered  somewhat  outside 
our  interference.    We  as  Brethren 
don't  spend  much  time  in  the  of- 
fices of  our  elected  governmental 
representatives.    We  do  not  speak 
our  minds  to  the  presidents  of  our 
colleges.    And  how  we  shun  labor 
leaders  and  political  big-names!    Yet 


it  is  precisely  at  these  high  points 
of  government  where  there  is  the 
greatest  need  for  the  Word  of  God 
to  be  declared  and  translated. 

This  direct  approach,  in  my  opin- 
ion, is  greatly  to  be  preferred  over 
marches,  demonstrations,  and  the 
carrying  of  signs  —  these  expressions 
to  be  used  when  closed-door  pol- 
icies prevent  our  direct  testimony. 
Think  again  how  the  prophets  of 
the  Old  Testament  asserted  their 
kingly  role  to  get  the  ear  of  their 
rulers  and  how  Paul  made  his  ap- 
peal to  Rome.    There  are  many 
high  governmental  decisions  neces- 
sary to  insure  man's  freedom  and 
abundant  life  in  the  future.    And  to 
speak  and  persuade  at  the  level  of 
governance  is  urgently  necessary. 
The  reshaping  of  social  structures 
demands  a  dimension  of  faith  only 
God  can  provide,  and  we  in  the 
kingly  role  should  be  his  channels. 

Conclusion 

To  weld  these  four  roles  into  a 
total  Christian  ministry  wiU  not  be 
easy.    New  styles  of  ministry  will  be 
required;  our  churches  and  colleges 
must  again,  as  churches  of  old, 
become  centers  where  students, 
businessmen,  politicians,  ministers, 
theologians,  natural  and  social  sci- 
entists, and  others  sit  down  together 
to  work  their  way  through  to  fruit- 
ful solutions.    Conventional  pietists 
will  object  to  such  involvement,  but 
it  is  chiefly  through  such  encounters 
that  God  speaks  through  his  church 
to  the  ills  in  our  secular  life. 

Thus,  for  our  church  and  for  our 
secular  society,  the  priorities  con- 
fronting us  in  the  seventies  loom 
large  before  us.  Only  in  God's  will 
can  their  demands  be  met  and  only 
with  God  do  we  proclaim  our  Cele- 
bration of  Hope.     D 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     19 


Annual  Conference  Resolution 


A  Hope  for  Peace 


An  affirmation 

In  the  midst  of  a  time  of  urgent  crisis  at  home  and 
abroad,  we  affirm  that  these  are  good  times  and  bad 
times. 

A  time  full  of  hope,  yet  a  time  of  despair 
A  time  to  love,  yet  a  time  of  hatred  and  hostility 
A  time  for  unity,  yet  a  time  of  widening  polari- 
zation 
A  time  to  affirm  life,  yet  a  time  marked  by  death 

and  destruction 
A  time  of  joy,  yet  a  time  of  deep  tragedy 


20     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


A  time  for  peace,  yet  a  time  of  war 
Given  tiiese  times,  we  of  tlie  Cliurch  of  the  Brethren 
speak  our  concern 

Our  focus  is 

The  war  in  Southeast  Asia  and  its  consequences 

at  home  and  abroad: 
The  staggering  waste  of  human,  material,  and 

financial  resources 
The  increasing  reliance  upon  military  might  as  a 

way  of  settling  international  disputes 
The  legalized,  mass  violence  of  war  as  manifested 

in   the    inhumane   destruction   visited   upon 

people  thousands  of  miles  from  our  shores 
The  fear  and  distrust  among  nations  generated 

by  the  competitive  development  and  stock- 
piling of  weapons 
The  wrongness  of  the  priorities  of  our  national 

agenda 
The  tearing  apart  and  the  polarization  of  our 

society 
The  continuous  use  of  scientific  and  technological 

developments  for  destructive  purposes 

There  is  no  hope 

No  hope  in  the  "body  count"  but  only  in  as- 
suming that  persons  count  —  every  person 
No  hope  in  "my  country,  right  or  wrong"  al- 
legiance to  governmental  authority,  but  only 
as  duly  constituted  government  is  responsive 
to  the  democratic  processes  of  critical  analysis 
and  of  checks  and  balances,  and  to  the  God- 
given  rights  of  man 

No  hope  in  violence  whether  it  be  on  the  college 
campus,  in  the  city's  ghetto,  or  on  a  faraway 
jungle  battlefield.  Violence  is  an  evil  means 
no  matter  what  the  end 

No  hope  in  "might  makes  right,"  for  to  follow 
such  a  dictum  is  to  court  disaster  in  a  world 
gone  mad 

No  hope  in  seeking  a  military  victory  in  inter- 
national conflicts 

Absolutely  no  hope  in  remaining  silent.  Silence 
at  a  time  such  as  this  expresses  the  height 
of  insensitivity  and  it,  in  the  Nuremburg  Trial 
sense,  criminal 

And  so  we  speak  and  act  .  .  . 

There  is  a  hope 

A  hope  in  God  who  is  Father  of  all  men  and  in 
Christ,  his  son,  who  is  the  Prince  of  Peace 

A  hope  in  the  power  of  God's  Spirit  and  not  in 
the  might  of  men 

A  hope  in  abandoning  the  sword,  for  "they  who 
take  the  sword  shall  perish  by  the  sword" 

A  hope  that  our  nation  will  seek  life  for  others. 
(A  nation  that  seeks  to  save  its  life  by  military 
might  shall  lose  it,  but  a  nation  whose  trust 


is  truly  in  God  need  never  feel  insecure) 
A  hope  that  we  will  reaffirm  in  ways  appropriate 
for  this  day  and  time  our  long  heritage  of 
consistent  opposition  to  all  war  as  being  sin- 
ful and  contrary  to  the  will  of  God 

THEREFORE, 

We  call  upon  ourselves  as  members  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren 

To  rededicate  ourselves  to  the  principles  of  love, 
peace,  and  humaneness  as  exemplified  in  New 
Testament  teachings  and  as  lived  and  taught 
by  the  Lord  of  the  Church,  Jesus  Christ 

To  engage  our  congregations  in  dialogue  regard- 
ing the  implications  of  the  biblical  peace  wit- 
ness in  the  present  crisis 

To  examine  our  complicity,  direct  or  indirect,  in 
this  war 

To  take  risks  for  peace  and  to  live  out  our  faith 
within  the  context  of  life 

To  encourage  our  legislators  to  support  measures 
to  end  the  war 

To  engage  in  the  political  process  through  active 
support  of  candidates  in  the  upcoming  elec- 
tions who  will  work  diligently  to  end  the  war 

To  participate  in  appropriate  forms  of  public  wit- 
ness to  end  the  war 

We  call  upon  our  government 

To  take  steps  immediately  to  bring  about  the 
cessation  of  all  military  combat  by  United 
States  forces  in  Southeast  Asia  and  the  sub- 
sequent withdrawal  of  troops,  material  sup- 
port, and  technical  assistance  designed  to 
sustain  the  war 

To  redirect  our  resources  and  energies  to  promote 
peace,  recognizing  that  international  and  do- 
mestic peace  will  issue  from  a  just  distribution 
of  power  and  resources  rather  than  military 
capability 

To  recognize  that  we  cannot  pursue  peace  while 
at  the  same  time  we  prepare  for  war 

We  call  upon  all 

To  join  heart  and  hand  in  bringing  honor  to  our 
country  and  peace  and  justice  to  the  world 
Turn,  Turn,  Turn,  America  .  .  . 
Away  from  greed  to  sharing 
Away  from  pettiness  to  greatness 
Away  from  indifference  to  caring 
Away  from  hate  to  love 
Away  from  death  to  life 
Away  from  war  to  peace 
Away  from  despair  to  hope 
For  where  there  is  no  hope,  a  people  perish. 
Celebrate  with  peace! 


7-30-70    WVESSENGER     21 


SPEAK  UP 


Should  Church  Camps  Be  Smaller? 


by  F.  Blake  and  Gladys  Million 

In  the  twenties  and  thirties  of  this 
century  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  was 
introduced  to  the  idea  of  having  summer 
church  camps  as  an  aid  to  our  religious 
education,  which  was  for  the  most  part 
the  Sunday  school,  and  as  an  aid  to  our 
evangelism  effort,  which  was  mostly 
one,  two,  or  three  weeks  annually  of 
evening  meetings  at  the  church,  with  a 
guest  speaker. 

As  our  camps  developed  they  followed 
in  most  respects  the  pattern  set  by  the 
International  Council  of  Religious  Edu- 
cation, which  sponsored  camps  at  Con- 
ference Point  near  Lake  Geneva,  Wis- 
consin. These  camps  were  large,  well- 
attended,  well-staffed,  successful  enter- 
prises. Those  of  us  who  attended  as 
youth  experienced  a  community  of  com- 
mon fellowship  in  Christ  across  denomi- 
national lines  —  barriers,  as  some  called 
them  —  which  were  wholesome  and 
needed  and  perhaps  have  contributed 
much  to  the  consolidation  of  denomina- 
tions in  the  last  decade. 

I  was  one  Church  of  the  Brethren 
youth  who  enjoyed  four  such  two-week 
"mountaintop"  experiences  as  we  called 
them  then.  I  was  inspired  to  promote 
and  help  in  such  a  camp  program  in  our 
church.  I  had  sat  under  the  teaching 
and  counseling  of  Percy  R.  Hayward, 
Gordon  Howard,  Roy  Burkhart,  and 
H.  G.  Rowe  among  leaders  from  many 
denominations. 

In  1934,  Carl  Welch  and  I  contacted 
Dan  West,  our  youth  director  at  Elgin, 
about  starting  a  camp  in  the  North  and 
South  Carolina  District.  After  a  sum- 
mer camp  sharing  at  Camp  Bethel,  Vir- 
ginia, under  Rufus  Bowman,  we  launched 
our  visitation  of  churches  in  Carl's  1930 
Chevy,  accompanied  by  my  wife,  Gladys, 
and  our  baby  daughter.  We  went  over 
real  mountaintops  in  the  Great  Smokies 
and  encountered  whooping  cough  to 
promote  that  first  camp  dream.  We  met 
Loren  Bowman  in  his  first  summer  pas- 
torate  at   Mill   Creek   and   Melvin   Hill. 


Bob  Sherfy  came  by  for  a  day,  singing 
"Home  on  the  Range"  and  camp  songs, 
and  sermonized   at   campfire. 

In  1936,  with  our  second  girl,  we  came 
to  the  Northeast  Ohio  District  as  pastor 
of  the  Richland  church.  We  attended 
our  first  district  meeting  at  the  Black 
River  church  where  a  Northeast  Ohio 
District  camp  was  under  serious  con- 
sideration. A.  D  Helser  was  promoting 
Manchester  College,  the  Brotherhood 
program,     African     missions,     and     the 


camp.  The  next  year  a  camp  fact-find- 
ing committee,  headed  by  Ora  DeLauter, 
recommended  to  district  meeting  the 
abandoned  Zion  church  and  additional 
acres  of  beautiful  oaks  and  streams  to 
become  Northeastern  Ohio's  first  camp- 
site. It  served  the  district  well.  Church 
leaders,  laymen,  youth,  and  children  all 
were  enriched  with  fine  Christian  fel- 
lowship. Our  numbers  were  not  too 
great  so  that  the  values  of  one  large 
family  could  prevail,  where  all  were 
known  and  all  were  in  the  common  con- 
cern with  warmth,  love,  and  sincerity. 
Discipline  and  respect  prevailed  among 
the  children  and  youth  because  people's 
worth  and  Christian  character  were  the 
only  authorities.  It  was  like  a  home. 
All  our  children  remember  Camp  Zion 
and  the  self-sacrificing,  committed  lead- 
ers, their  Christian  example,  and  inspired 
thinking. 

Today,  under  the  consolidated  North- 
east and  Northwest  Ohio  districts  known 
as  Northern  Ohio,  a  new  and  much 
larger  camp  of  over  200  acres  has 
been  established  near  West  Salem,  Ohio. 
It  has  an  excellent  name:  Inspiration 
Hills.  The  planners  have  consulted  the 
specialists.  It  is  intended  to  serve  the 
churches  of  all  of  Northern  Ohio. 
Some  of  the  concerns  I  express  here  can 
be  planned  for  and  retained  in  smaller, 
decentralized  units  and  other  ways.  I 
sincerely  pray  that  this  new  effort  may 
serve  the  next  thirty  years  as  well  as 
Zion  served  the  past  thirty  years. 

However,  either  because  of  my  age 
or  because  of  the  times  in  which  we 
now  live  and  the  changes  so  apparent 
around  us,  I  am  apprehensive  lest  we 
think  that  anything  bigger  is  better.  If 
Christ  were  here  today,  he  might  offer 
a  parable  suggesting  that  as  man  gets 
the  big-head  he  stops  thinking  with  his 
heart.  The  big  church  may  risk  losing 
the  "spirit,"  becoming  cold,  impersonal, 
institutional,  overorganized,  with  too 
little  authority  to  give  guidance,  warmth, 


22     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


REVffiWS  /  BOOKS 


Creativity  out  oj  chaos 


id  discipline  to  our  children  and  youth. 

serious  reexamination  and  awareness 
[  what  mass  industrial  production,  ac- 
jmpanied  by  technology  and  big  busi- 
3ss,  has  brought  to  civilization  was 
ainted  out  to  all  of  us  on  April  22. 
cological  problems  are  surely  a  result 
[  man's  planning  too  big  without  God 
id  his  neighbor.  As  man  thinks  about 
gger  supermarkets,  bigger  farms,  super- 
ghways,  bigger  jet  planes,  bigger 
jmhs,  bigger  budgets,  bigger  govern- 
lents,  bigger  armies  and  national  guards, 
gger  church  unions,  he  also  thinks 
30ut  bigger  riots,  strikes,  wars,  and  de- 
ruction.  Yet  some  educators  today 
-e  returning  to  the  little  red  schoolhouse 
ructure  as  a  most  successful  instrument 
id  the  most  natural  environment  for 
arning,    especially   of    social    concepts. 

How  about  the  little  church?  What 
ilues  have  we  passed  by?  How  about  the 
nailer,  more  personal,  locally  initiated 
id  indigenous  church  camps?  What 
ilues  are  we  ignoring?  Has  the  bigness 
^session  done  something  to  us  which 
e  are  unable  to  see  because  the  disease 
iS  limited  our  spiritual  insights,  our 
;ason,  and  our  willingness  to  listen  to 
iod  and  to  one  another? 

It  is  what  we  are  inside,  our  spiritual 
5ings,  that  counts,  that  which  is  eternal 
id  of  priceless  worth.  Therefore,  I 
nd  to  prefer  camps  owned  and  shared 
i  people  or  individual  churches  who 
ive  the  vision  and  concern  for  their 
;ighbors  and  our  children. 

Is  bigness  always  the  sure  and  safe 
■iterion  of  measuring  success?  Surely 
ur  space  and  moon  probes  have  taught 
5  that  we  had  better  not  get  too  big 
)r  this  earth.  Man  in  the  flesh  must 
larn  to  live  with  God  in  nature  and 
ith  his  neighbor.  His  spirit  is  en- 
ched  and  enlarged  the  more  he  does 
lis.  Church  camps,  large  or  small,  will 
leet  man's  inner  needs  or  fail.  Let  us 
II  recognize  this  truth  and  win  with 
ihrist  that  crown  of  eternal  glory.   D 


Poet  and  teacher  Karl  Shapiro  is  angry 
about  the  new  illiteracy.  In  a  recently 
published  article  he  pours  his  wrath 
over  the  writing  habits  of  present-day 
students  and  particularly  over  their 
literary  heroes.  Shapiro  feels  that  young 
people  today  are  thinking  with  something 
other  than  their  brains  and  that  when 
they  try  to  express  their  ideas,  they  emit 
a  sort  of  gibberish. 

Furthermore,  continues  Shapiro,  this 
generation  cannot  and  does  not  read. 
If  students  read  at  all,  they  absorb 
"kitsch-camp-op-pop-absurdist-revolution- 
ary sweepings  and  swill."  And  they 
adore  a  kind  of  "playpen"  poet  whose 
rock  lyrics  are,  in  Shapiro's  words,  "not 
even  trash."  Shapiro  asks  the  despair- 
ing question,  "Will  the  bilge  work  its 
way  up  to  the  library  and  the  graduate 
school  and  the  art  of  writing  itself?" 
He  concludes  his  essay  with  the  lament, 
"When  critics  and  university  students 
can  no  longer  tell  the  difference  between 
rock  lyrics  and  the  songs  of  Shakespeare, 


teaching  is  no  longer  possible." 

At  heart  I  am  an  orderly  person  —  a 
compulsive  picture  straightener.  Hence 
there  is  much  in  Mr.  Shapiro's  essay 
which  speaks  to  me.  At  one  time  in  my 
life  I  might  even  have  enjoyed  seeing 
the  unbuttoned  generation  get  its  lumps 
from  a  person  of  such  artistic  sensi- 
tivity   and    critical   power. 

But  I  think  I  am  changing.  During 
the  last  year  I  have  been  moving  closer 
to  the  chaos  I  sense  around  me.  Instead 
of  seeing  all  of  it  as  decadent  and 
vicious,  I  have  asked  for  the  insight  to 
perceive  what  in  it  may  be  truly  creative. 
In  other  words,  what  is  of  God.  I  have 
been  helped  in  this  quest  by  history. 

There  was,  for  example,  a  chaotic 
period  toward  the  end  of  the  eighteenth 
and  during  the  opening  decades  of  the 
nineteenth  century.  Every  human  insti- 
tution and  tradition  was  brought  into 
question.  In  France  the  social  injustices 
of  centuries  of  misrule  culminated  in  the 
Revolution;   in  England  gifted   and  ide- 


FuU  Color  Poster  on 

"Celebration  of 

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add  15c  for  postage  and 

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7-30-70    MESSENGER     23 


II 


REVIEWS  /  continued 

alistic  young  people  spoke  out  against 
tyranny  of  every  kind.  In  literature  the 
revolution  was  expressed  in  the  new 
artistic  credos  of  Wordsworth  and 
Coleridge,   Keats   and   Shelley. 

A  lot  of  bad  came  out  of  this  time: 
bad  politics  and  bad  poetry.  It  is  dif- 
ficult to  understand,  for  instance,  how 
the  same  man  (Wordsworth)  could  write 
things  like  "The  Solitary  Reaper"  and 
"The  Idiot  Boy,"  the  former  so  beauti- 
fully right,  the  latter  so  awkward.  The 
way  to  understand  it,  I  suppose,  is  to  as- 
sume that  what  was  breaking  in  on  the 


world  was  not  taste  or  discrimination 
but  creative  chaos  —  a  mad  jumble  of 
feelings,  impulses,  images,  ideas,  words; 
a  jumble  of  faiths,  dreams,  visions,  hopes, 
loves. 

I  recall  what  an  eminent  Swedish 
literary  historian,  Martin  Lamm,  once 
said  about  Moravian  hymns  which,  when 
they  were  first  written,  seemed  so  em- 
barrassingly banal  and  so  shockingly  in- 
sensitive. "The  organ  music  from  the 
Zinzendorfian  chapels  lives  on  in  the 
most  refined  strains  of  the  neoromantic 
poets." 


I  am  not  any  more  convinced  than 
Karl  Shapiro  that  the  contemporary  folk 
poets  are  true  poets  if  you  apply  to  them 
the  criteria  derived  from  Dante  and 
Rilke.  But  I  am  willing  to  listen.  I  am 
willing  to  believe  that  the  feelings,  the 
images,  and  the  music  which  surge 
through  the  modern  creative  chaos  and 
which  communicate  themselves  with 
such  intensity  to  the  young  may  even- 
tually be  the  stuff  from  which  great  art 
and  perhaps  great  faith  come  into  being. 
Let  us  pray  that  it  will  be  so.  —  Karl 
A.   Olsson 


FAITH  LOOKS  UP 


My  contacts  with  youth  for  over  twenty  years  remforce 
my  faith  in  young  people.  God  is  using  young  people 
today!  He  is  using  those  who  march  on  Washington, 
those  who  gather  at  Woodstock,  those  who  subscribe 
to  underground  weeklies,  those  who  migrate  to  centers 
like  Berkeley  and  East  Village,  those  who  protest  the 
draft,  and  those  who  follow  the  guru. 

I  believe  the  youth  movements  of  today  are  sowing 
the  seeds  of  a  spiritual  awakening.  We  need  to  look 
beneath  the  beards,  the  beats,  the  cliches,  and  the  epi- 
thets to  discover  the  real  message.  The  screaming  vocal 
minority  is  a  group  of  warm,  concerned,  and  spiritually 
healthy  young  people.  Except  for  a  relatively  few  atypi- 
cal fanatics,  this  powerful  group  is  striving  to  carry  on 
a  crusade  for  the  conversion  of  our  world  culture. 

My  faith  looks  up  as  I  reflect  upon  the  youth  who 
marched  on  Washington,  D.C.,  last  November  to  make 
us  aware  of  the  desperate  human  needs  around  the 
world.  Some  of  these  young  people  played  and  sang 
Mozart's  Requiem  in  the  Washington  Cathedral.  They 
gave  the  Requiem  "as  a  witness  to  their  deploring  all 
war  and  violence  and  their  affirmation  of  faith  in  non- 
violent means  to  peace  and  brotherhood."  One  young 
man  prayed  before  the  music  began.  He  prayed  about 
the  violence  and  other  forms  of  sickness  abroad  in  the 
land  of  "wars  to  avoid  wars"  and  of  the  "oppression 
against  those  who  seek  peace."  The  music  was  offered 
"as  a  memorial  to  those  who  have  died  for  peace."   It 


was  unmistakably  clear  that  their  hearts  and  minds  were 
filled  not  only  with  Mozart  but  also  with  the  memory 
of  deceased  crusaders  "in  whose  memory  we  make  this 
oblation." 

Woe  unto  those  who  strive  to  escape  the  message 
of  such  young  people  by  calling  them  long-haired,  pot- 
smoking,  militant  freaks  and  lumping  them  all  into  one 
category  —  rotten  apples.  Those  who  fear  that  com- 
munism and  violence  are  the  goals  of  the  activist  have 
missed  the  point.  These  young  radicals  are  asking  pro- 
found questions  and  seeking  a  spiritual  vision  never 
dreamed  of  by  my  own  silent  generation. 

Jesus  said,  "I  have  come  that  you  might  have  life 
and  have  it  more  abundantly"  —  what  a  vision!  This 
was  spoken  by  the  master  of  men  who  lived  out  in  full 
what  youth  are  now  attempting  to  live  out  in  part.  Will 
the  Christian  church  get  the  message  and  inspiration  of 
these  young  people  and  join  in  the  quest? 


DALE  A.  YOUNG  is  dean  of  students, 
director  of  continuing  education,  and  pro- 
fessor of  psychology  and  sociology  at 
Malone  College  in  Canton,  Ohio.  A  mem- 
ber of  many  professional  societies  and 
active  in  community  organizations,  he  has 
also  served  as  interim  pastor  of  several 
Brethren  churches,  most  recently  at  the 
Center  church,  Louisville,  Ohio.   The 
Youngs  have  two  sons  and  two  daughters. 
They  live  at  Uniontown,  Ohio. 


24     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


EVIEWS  /  RECORDS 


Vlusic  to  worship  with  and  to  think  by 


'iQUIEM  MASS:  Dvorak  (London) 
ts  only  two  entries  in  the  Schwann 
italog,  as  contrasted  with  twenty  for 
;  good  old  "New  World"  Symphony 
d  comparable  bunches  for  other  works, 
s  a  pity,  for  the  Requiem  dates  from 
;  same  period  and  has  all  the  melodic 
^shness  and  romantic  lushness  of 
/orak's  best,  yet  it  waited  until  more 
an  half  a  century  after  the  composer's 
ath  before  the  authentic  score  was 
blished.  This  recording  features  top 
loists,  the  Ambrosian  Singers,  and  the 
tndon  Symphony  Orchestra  in  a  superb 
erpretation  conducted  by  Istvan  Ker- 
iz.  I  believe  it  has  a  slight  edge  over 
sole  competitor  (on  Deutsche  Gram- 
jphon),  but  whichever  you  prefer,  this 
one  of  the  sunniest  requiems  of  the 
st  century. 

iQUIEM:  Ligeti  (Helieder-Wergo) 
mmunicates  spiritual  feeling  through 
ely  wrought  acoustical  expression.  It 
a  waxing  and  waning  web  of  sonic 
ensities,  now  dark-hued,  now  ethereal, 
w  swelling  with  panic  urgency  or 
arged  with  jagged  orchestral  eruptions, 
flows  and  floats,  dissolves,  suddenly 
Iges  with  exclamation.  The  words  are 
arly  always  engulfed  by  the  sonic 
ect,  yet  the  meaning  is  no  more  lost 
in  is  that  of  a  Bosch  painting.  Spooky 
first  hearing,  perhaps,  it  becomes  a 
mendous  experience  once  you  get  into 
—  or  let  it  get  to  you.  Michael  Gielen 
nducts  soloists,  chorus,  and  the  Hes- 
n  Radio  Symphony.  Overside  are 
jeti's  Lontano  for  orchestra  and  Con- 
uum  for  piano.  Tired  of  that  greasy 
1  stufl:?    Brace  yourself  and  try  this! 

:>TRE  DAME  MASS:  Machaut 
iseau-Lyre)  is  the  earliest  extant  poly- 
onic  mass  by  a  known  composer.  Dat- 
•  from  the  fourteenth  century,  it  is 
motive  mass  for  choir  with  organ  em- 
lishments,  and  it  remains  a  treasure 
sacred  music.  In  this  recording,  one 
the  best,  Grayston  Burgess  conducts 
;  Purcell  Choir,  with  John  Caldwell  at 
!  organ.  Overside  is  a  delicious  assort- 
:nt     of     Machaut's     secular    virelais, 


rondeaux,  and  ballades,  displaying  var- 
ious vocalists  with  such  instruments  as 
psaltry,  tabor,  recorder,  and  harp.  The 
two  sides  add  up  to  a  delightful  musical 
visit  to  the   Middle   Ages. 

VINGT  REGARDS  SUR  I'ENFANT- 
JESUS:  Messiaen  (Argo)  is  a  series  of 
piano  pieces  which  make  great  demands 
on  the  performer  in  order  to  convey  to 
the  listener  virtually  the  effect  of  an 
orchestra,  for  it  draws  upon  every  re- 
source of  the  keyboard  to  produce  a 
great  range  of  colors  and  timbres  as  well 
as  ametrical  rhythms  derived  from 
medieval  Indian  music.  Don't  be  fright- 
ened off,  however,  for  what  we  get  from 
pianist  John  Ogden  here  is  not  only  a 
great  feat  of  musicianship  but  a  rare, 
subtle,  and  deeply  reverent  series  of 
meditations  on  pictorial,  theological,  and 
mystical  themes  not  limited  to  the  baby 
Jesus  but  including  time,  the  cross, 
silence,  and  the  "church  of  love."  Not 
for  the  lightminded,  yet  it  requires  no 
great  musical  sophistication  in  the  lis- 
tener, but  only  a  pensive  and  devout  ear. 
It  is  a  bit  more  than  beautiful,  and  the 
performance  outclasses  an  earlier  one, 
now  out  of  print. 

PSALMS  OF  DAVID:  Schilti  (None- 
such) comprises  four  psalms  (nos.  6,  23, 
128,  136)  and  a  Canzone  based  on  Psalm 
103,  dating  from  1619.  The  influence  of 
Schiitz's  Venetian  tutelage  under  Ga- 
brieli  is  evident  here,  with  every  detail  of 
the  texts,  all  the  emotion  and  imagery, 
finding  its  musical  equivalent  in  a  re- 
markable variety  of  harmony,  rhythm, 
and  tonal  colorings.  A  decade  later, 
Schiitz  was  to  face  the  ordeal  of  the 
Thirty  Years  War,  but  in  1619  he  was 
full  of  exuberance.  Wilhelm  Ehmann 
proves  it  as  conductor  of  these  five  con- 
certos for  voices  and  instruments.  An 
inconspicuous  footnote  indicates  that  in 
Europe  this  bargain-priced  disk  is  avail- 
able only  on  the  high-priced  Cantate 
label,  well  known  for  quality. 

INSCAPE:  Copland  (Columbia)  takes  a 
leaf  from  the  Jesuit  poet,  Gerard  Man- 
ley  Hopkins,  as  a  "quasi-mystical  illumi- 


nation, a  sudden  perception  of  that  deep- 
er pattern,  order,  and  unity,  which  gives 
meaning  to  external  forms."  By  com- 
parison with  much  of  Copland's  work, 
this  one,  written  in  1967,  is  austere, 
astringent,  introspective  —  not  easy  lis- 
tening, but  more  the  kind  of  exploration 
the  title  implies.  It  is  deeply  but  not 
easily  melodic,  not  obvious  Copland  yet 
inescapably  personal  —  the  difference  be- 
tween inside  and  outside.  Side  two 
consists  of  Copland's  Connotations,  com- 
missioned for  and  premiered  by  Bern- 
stein and  the  New  York  Philharmonic  at 
the  opening  of  Philharmonic  Hall  in 
1962.  The  same  conductor  and  orchestra 
provide  the  definitive  recorded  perform- 
ance here:  music  to  think  by,  by 
America's    greatest    living    composer. 

SYMPHONY  NO.  5:  Nielsen  (None- 
such) apparently  differs  in  that  this  per- 
formance by  Jascha  Horenstein  and  the 
New  Philharmonia  Orchestra  is  the  "orig- 
inal version."  At  any  rate,  it  differs 
noticeably  from  Leonard  Bernstein's 
hitherto  matchless  recording.  But  what- 
ever the  variants  of  detail,  this  is  a 
powerful  and  brilliant  performance  in  its 
own  right.  The  symphony,  written  in 
1922,  is  surely  a  masterpiece  of  the 
human  spirit  as  well  as  a  major  musical 
achievement  —  joyous  affirmation  aris- 
ing out  of  turbulent  mystery  and  relent- 
less conflict.  As  an  unneeded  but  wel- 
come bonus,  this  superior  bargain  disk 
includes  also  the  first  recording  of 
Nielsen's  Saga-Drom,  a  tone  poem  of 
1907  based  on  an  Icelandic  legend.  Did 
I  forget  to  mention  the  technical  excel- 
lence of  this  Delby-system  recording? 
Never  mind  —  but  it  means  you  hear 
nothing  but  the  music  and  plenty  of 
that!  —  William  Robert  Miller 

CLASSIFIED   ADS 

A  BRUBAKER  GENEALOGY,  by  Ethel  H.  Weddle 
and  Ralph  E.  Smeltzer,  published  by  the  authors; 
275  pages  include  genealogies  of  4,000  descend- 
ants of  Henry  Brubaker  (1775-1848)  of  Salem, 
Va.;  complete  index.  Price,  $8  (at  cost);  only 
200  copies  printed;  result  of  fifteen  years'  re- 
search. Order  from  Ethel  H.  Weddle,  Route  1, 
Girard,    111.   62640. 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     25 


Nonviolence  gains  support 


Nonviolence  —  as  expressed  in  con- 
science and  conduct  —  is  finding  re- 
newed interest  and  respect  across  the 
nation  as  a  means  toward  effecting  social 
change,  despite  recent  disorders  this 
spring  that  might  suggest  otherwise. 

A  significant  jump,  for  example,  in 
the  number  of  conscientious  objectors 
from  religious  traditions  other  than  the 
Brethren,  Quaker,  and  Mennonite  peace 
churches  has  been  noted  by  the  National 
Interreligious  Service  Board  for  Con- 
scientious Objectors. 

All-time  high:  Objectors  from  Meth- 
odist, Catholic,  and  Baptist  communions, 
among  others,  have  seen  an  all-time  high 
increase  in  the  last  two  years.  And  in 
order  to  provide  the  religious  training  to 
"conscientious  doubters  and  objectors 
who  are  increasingly  questioning  the 
morality  of  the  war,"  a  college  chaplain 
at  Biddeford,  Maine,  has  organized  a 
church  especially  for  COs. 

Elsewhere,  some  colleges  are  offering 
courses  on  the  techniques  of  nonviolence 
as  an  instrument  for  social  change,  a  new 
body  of  literature  is  being  developed  on 
nonviolence,  and  study  and  training  cen- 
ters for  nonviolence  are  being  established. 

Gains  made:  NISBCO  figures  show 
that  Catholic  objectors  have  increased 
sevenfold  since  1952,  Methodist  COs  by 
nearly  four  times;  Unitarian  numbers 
have  doubled,  and  Jewish  and  Baptist 
percentages  have  also  made  gains. 

More  young  men  now  register  with 
local  draft  boards  as  objectors  than  at 
any  time  in  history,  says  the  nonsectarian 
agency  headed  by  Brethren  minister 
Warren  W.  Hoover.  The  agency  says 
that  it  is  in  touch  with  more  than  600 
men  each  month,  offering  counseling 
service  without  charge  and  finding  mean- 
ingful  alternative   service   for   objectors. 

Military  COs:  Within  the  military 
too,  the  number  of  conscientious  objec- 
tors has  been  growing  each  year.    Ap- 


plications for  CO  status  —  officers  and 
enlisted  men  alike  —  has  increased  near- 
ly tenfold  over  the  last  five  years. 

In  1965  there  were  101  applications 
for  conscientious  objector  discharge,  the 
defense  department  reports.  Last  year 
943  such  discharges  were  received,  three 
times  the  number  for   1968. 

Yet  approvals  have  been  dwindling  as 
requests  have  risen  —  last  year,  21  per- 
cent were  accepted.  One  explanation 
was  cited:  the  apparent  lack  of  sincerity 
on  the  part  of  applicants. 

CO  church:  On  an  interesting,  if  less 
significant,  front  Father  Matthew  Audi- 
bert,  chaplain  at  St.  Francis  College  in 
Maine,  distressed  that  draft  boards  have 
consistently  "denied  recognition  of  con- 
scientious objector  status  to  members  of 
the  more  'establishment'  churches  which 
do  not  have  a  predominately  pacifist 
orientation,"  has  formed  the  Franciscan 
Church  for  Conscientious  Objectors. 

Yet  as  this  report  was  being  prepared, 
the  U.S.  Supreme  Court  ruled  that  con- 
scientious objection  may  be  based  on 
deeply  held  moral  and  ethical  positions, 
broadening  the  former  stance  that  had 
predicated  the  CO  posture  on  religious 
training  and  belief  only.  (A  fuller  report 
on  the  Court's  action  will  appear  later 
in  these  columns.) 

Quiet  gains:  The  New  York  Times 
in  an  article  noted  "quiet  gains  across 
the  nation"  for  nonviolent  approaches, 
and  observed:  "The  renewed  interest  in 
nonviolence  appears  to  have  gone  con- 
siderably beyond  that  aroused  by  the 
old-line  pacifist  organizations  that  have 
embraced  the  concept  for  years." 

In  other  ways,  nonviolence  is  receiv- 
ing new  attention.  The  Times  article 
reports  that  Notre  Dame  University  has 
raised  funds  to  establish  a  department  of 
nonviolence,  and  at  the  University  of 
California  at  Berkeley,  courses  in  Gan- 
dhian  methods  of  nonviolence  are  being 


taught.  Elsewhere,  the  University  of 
Pennsylvania  this  fall  will  establish  a 
graduate  program  in  peace  research  "de- 
signed to  study  the  theory  of  conflict 
and  provide  guidelines  for  public  poli- 
cies." Additional  courses  and  research 
into  nonviolence  and  Gandhian  methods 
are  being  sponsored  by  independent  in- 
stitutions and  college-related  centers, 
sometimes  with  federal  assistance. 

History:  One  such  researcher  into  the 
methods  of  nonviolence.  Dr.  Gene  Sharp, 
has  authored  a  900-page  volume  to  be 
published  this  fall  by  Pilgrim  Press.  The 
tome.  National  Defense  by  Nonviolent 
Resistance,  traces  the  history  of  the  poli- 
tics of  the  nonviolent  movement. 

Perhaps  one  milestone  for  the  move- 
ment may  be  gauged  by  the  Army's  ac- 
ceptance of  a  pacifist-espoused  Catholic 
priest  as  a  chaplain.  Father  Paul  F.  St. 
James  —  who  told  the  commissioning 
board  that  he  would  not  defend  himself 
if  he  were  attacked  in  a  combat  situation 
—  served  two  weeks  active  duty  with  the 
Vermont   National   Guard. 

"I  have  an  obligation  to  minister  toy 
those  men,"  he  said.  "I  don't  preach 
politics,  I  preach  the  gospels  —  in  a  way 
that  I  have  reflected  on  them."  He  said 
he  can't  think  of  a  better  place  than  the 
army  to  preach  the  gospel  of  peace. 

One  observer  has  noted  that  our  soci- 
ety is  not  one  in  which  nonviolence  feels 
comfortable.  Yet  if  acceptance  of  (that 
is  comfort  with)  nonviolence  as  a  means 
to  social  change  is  gained,  the  end  that  is 
a  secure  society  may  not  be  far  distant. 

Envoy  at  the  Vatican 

What  is  the  meaning  of  President  Nix- 
on's new  Vatican  emissary  and  what  is  he 
expected  to  achieve? 

Seemingly,  Mr.  Nixon  will  get  no  great 
amount  of  thanks  from  Catholics  and  no 
credit  and  indeed  some  protests  from 
Protestants  for  the  naming  of  Henry 
Cabot  Lodge  to  the  new  office. 

How  much  the  tie  will  contribute  to 


26     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


»e  national  interest  of  the  country,  the 
iterest  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 

not  clear.    What  is  apparent,  however, 

that  the  paths  of  the  United  States 
ad  the  Holy  See  cross  in  many  places 
Vietnam,  Latin  America,  the  Middle 
ast,  Eastern  Europe)  and  on  many  is- 
les (peace,  development,  human  rights, 
icism,  human  vi'elfare).   And  clear,  too, 

that  the  idea  of  a  direct  official  tie 
stween  government  and  church  remains 
jntroversial. 

Assignment:  As  personal  representa- 
ve  of  the  President  and  without  diplo- 
latic  status,  Mr.  Lodge  will  be  a  liaison 
;tween  Washington  and   Rome. 

What  the  task  amounts  to,  with  or 
ithout  formal  title,  is  what  any  Ameri- 
m  ambassador  in  the  capitals  of  a  hun- 
red  countries,  large  and  small,  is  called 
pon  to  do.  Essentially,  that  is  to  have 
le  elements  necessary  for  a  correct 
'aluation  of  a  situation  and  to  make 
ire  that  the  recipient  of  these  diplomatic 
tentions  be  fully  informed  from  a  qual- 
ed  spokesman  as  to  what  United  States 
>licy  is. 

The  67-year-oId  Lodge,  who  is  the 
irmer  chief  negotiator  at  the  Paris  Vict- 
im peace  talks,  is  the  first  official  since 
)49  to  have  a  specific  responsibility  of 
presenting  the  U.S.  President  at  Vati- 
tn  City.  For  the  Vatican,  the  develop- 
ent  is  in  the  category  of  relationships 
tablished  with  nearly  all  the  govern- 
ents  of  the  world,  the  Soviet  Union 
;ing  among  the  few  exceptions. 

Overrated:  Among  those  particularly 
Lercised  over  the  appointment  was  the 
;ecutive  director  of  Americans  United 
<T  Separation  of  Church  and  State, 
lenn  L.  Archer  of  Washington,  D.C. 
To  Mr.  Archer,  the  decision  is  an 
;gregious  violation"  of  this  nation's 
adition  of  church-state  dichotomy  and 
"false  appeal"  for  Catholic  votes. 
Mr.  Archer  termed  the  appointment 
mother  unwise  move  which  brings  the 
ixon  administration  into  ill  repute," 
iding  that  spokesmen  for  the  adminis- 


tration gave  solemn  assurances  no  such 
move  would  be  made. 

He  charged  that  data  gained  from  the 
Vatican  is  overrated,  but  that,  in  any 
case,  it  could  be  accumulated  by  "lawful 
agents,"  without  diplomatic  representa- 
tion. He  cited  the  personal  representa- 
tive "angle"  as  a  "crude  device"  to  avoid 
Senate  confirmation  where  the  idea  of  a 
Vatican  diplomat  would  be  defeated. 
"Most  Protestants,  and  many  Roman 
Catholics,  will  view  this  appointment 
cynically  as  an  obvious  political  ploy," 
Mr.  Archer  asserted. 

The  editor  of  Christianity  Today,  Har- 
old Lindsell,  contended  that  "there  is 
nothing  Mr.  Lodge  can  do  in  an  official 
capacity  that  he  could  not  have  done  in 
an  unofficial  way." 

"If  the  World  Council  of  Churches 
sets  up  a  22-acre  sovereignty  in  Bossey, 
Switzerland,  will  the  President  make  a 
similar  appointment?"  he  asked. 

Parallel:  This  was  precisely  the  step 
suggested  by  a  United  Methodist  Church 
leader.    Bishop    John    Wesley    Lord    of 


Lodge:  Diplomat  minus  rank  or  residence 


Washington,  D.C.  —  that,  as  a  conse- 
quence of  the  Lodge  appointment,  Presi- 
dent Nixon  name  an  envoy  to  the  World 
Council  of  Churches. 

"The  United  Methodist  Church  his- 
torically opposes  all  'establishment"  of 
religion  with  government.  Such  estab- 
lishment places  the  power  of  all  society 
behind  the  religious  expression  of  some 
part  of  society.  However,  the  United 
Methodist  Church  must  listen  to  the  con- 
cerns and  insights  of  churchmen  and 
churches  in   all  nations. 

"It  would  therefore  appear  proper  that 
since  Mr.  Henry  Cabot  Lodge  is  to  serve 
as  personal  emissary,  without  title,  to 
the  Vatican,  it  would  be  a  valid  assump- 
tion that  the  United  States  government 
should  relate  in  like  manner  to  the  World 
Council  of  Churches  in  Geneva. 

"We  will  await  further  action  from  the 
President  to  justify  his  present  action," 
Bishop  Lord  said. 

Choice?  A  Jesuit  periodical,  Amer- 
ica, claimed  American  Roman  Catholics 
"on  the  whole  see  no  gain  ...  to  be  had 
from  instituting  formal  diplomatic  rela- 
tions with  the  Holy  See."  It  felt  the  in- 
formal relationship  offered  "a  way  out  of 
excessive  preoccupation  in  Rome  or  else- 
where with  diplomatic  niceties  that  seem 
less  and  less  appropriate  in  the  church's 
effort  to  serve  the  modern  world."  It 
did  point  to  possible  benefits  that  might 
come   in   promoting  world  peace. 

"Whether  Mr.  Lodge,  after  his  pullout 
from  the  Paris  Vietnam  talks,  was  our 
best  choice  is  a  puzzle,"  the  Catholic 
journal  added. 

Commuter:  An  Episcopalian,  Mr. 
Lodge  plans  to  commute  to  the  Vatican 
and  Washington  from  his  home  in  Bev- 
erly, Mass.  He  has  had  at  least  three 
visits  with  Pope  Paul  VI  in  recent  years 
to  discuss  the  war  in  Vietnam. 

With  the  promise  and  the  peril  that  is 
at  stake  in  foreign  policy  and  church- 
state  relations,  the  work  of  Mr.  Lodge 
doubtlessly  will  be  the  object  of  scrutiny 
from  many  perspectives. 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     27 


news 


Ministry  amidst  reform 

Victor  Vaca,  president  of  the  Brethren 
and  United  Andean  Indian  Foundations 
in  Quito,  Ecuador,  recently  discussed 
the  role  of  revolution  in  bringing  genu- 
ine social  change  in  Latin  America.  The 
interviewer  was  Merle  Crouse,  church 
development  consultant  on  the  World 
Ministries  staff  of  the  General  Board. 
Mr.  Crouse  himself  spent  1 1  years  on 
the  Ecuadorian  mission  field.  The 
foundations  relate  to  the  work  of  the 
Brethren  and  the  United  Andean  Mis- 
sion in  Ecuador. 

Merle  Crouse:  It  has  been  said  that 
Ecuador  and  other  Latin  American 
countries  need  drastic  change  in  their 
institutions.     What   does   this   mean? 

Victor  Vaca:  Ecuador  needs  to 
change  its  basic  structure  if  change  is  to 
take  place  in  the  political,  economic,  and 
social  aspects  of  our  country's  life.  This 
is  necessary  if  the  majority  of  the  people 
are  to  profit  by  the  basic  services  and 
goods  which  the  country  has  and  so  that 
the  people  can  develop  themselves  cultur- 
ally and  spiritually.  Yes,  we  do  need 
drastic  change. 

Mr.  Crouse:  What  are  the  economic 
problems  which  make  such  change  neces- 
sary? 

Mr.  Vaca:  Ecuador  is  essentially  an 
agricultural  country.  About  two  percent 
of  the  agricultural  population  has  in  its 
hands  more  than  250,000  acres  of  land. 
Thus  a  very  small  group  has  control  of 
most  of  the  land.  This  exists  while 
some  83  percent  of  the  people  make  their 
living  on  properties  which  are  less  than 
25  acres  each. 

These  small  properties  are  called  the 
minifundio.  The  minifundio  people  are 
completely  ignored  and  abandoned  by  the 
institutions  of  the  country  which  are 
supposed  to  help  with  agricultural  de- 
velopment. These  small  farmers  do  not 
have  access  to  credit.  What  little  they  do 
get  is  on  a  very  small  scale  in  comparison 
to   the    big   landholders,    the    latifundio. 

There  is  now  a  program  of  land  re- 
form; however,  the  program  has  been 
used  more  to  serve  the  large  landowners 


than  the  small  tenant  farmers  or  huasi- 
punqueros.  The  huasipunquero  is  the 
traditional  servant  of  the  big  landowners. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  political  power 
is  also  in  the  hands  of  a  very  small  por- 
tion of  the  population  of  the  country. 
There  are  no  organizations  which  func- 
tion well  for  the  great  majority  of  the 
people  aside  from  some  very  elemental, 
primitive  structures  which  still  remain 
from  the  old  Inca  heritage  and  which  are 
inadequate. 

Mr.  Crouse:  The  problems  of  the 
Ecuadorian  society  seem  to  be  so  deep- 
seated  as  to  appear  chaotic.  What  hope 
is  there? 

Mr.  Vaca:  We  have  two  roles  to  play. 
The  first  is  that  of  helping  our  com- 
munity to  develop  structures  which  will 
enable  them  to  struggle  for  their  eco- 
nomic freedom.  The  people  need  to 
understand  their  situation  and  what  the 
national  and  community  structures  are 
doing  to  them.  Work  in  the  past  has 
strengthened  the  national  institutions 
while  taking  away  the  personal  initiative 
of  the  individual.  Paternalism,  which  has 
caused  passiveness,  has  dominated  the 
lives  of  the  people. 

Mr.  Crouse:  What  must  be  done  to 
encourage  the  people  of  Ecuador  to  de- 
termine their  own  destiny,  to  give  them 
decision-making  power? 

Mr.  Vaca:  The  necessary  changes  in 
the  political  and  economic  structures 
imply  a  process  of  education  for  free- 
dom, not  an  educational  process  which 
domesticates  people  and  which  en- 
courages them  to  adapt  themselves  to'  a 
deficient  society. 

Mr.  Crouse:  You  are  suggesting  three 
things,  then,  education  for  freedom,  a 
change  of  basic  structures  in  society,  and 
development. 

Mr.  Vaca:  We  need  a  development 
that  is  social,  economic,  political,  and 
spiritual.  Education  for  freedom  will 
help  the  marginal  people  organize  them- 
selves.   This  is  revolutionary  education. 

Mr.  Crouse:  But  when  the  people 
are  educated  and  motivated  to  work  for 
a  better  life,  then  what  is  necessary  to 
change  as  rigid  and  unjust  a  structure  as 


that  under  which  most  Latin  Americans 
live? 

Mr.  Vaca:  It  is  not  easy  to  know  how 
a  new  structuring  might  take  place.  How^< 
ever,  if  the  people  have  gone  through  a 
process  of  becoming  sensitized,  of  dis- 
covering that  they  are  human  beings  of 
equal  value,  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that 
they  will  begin  to  convert  the  oppres- 
sion which  they  suffer  into  an  aggression 
against  those  oppressors.  This  would 
mean,  probably,  a  revolution. 

Mr.  Crouse:  You  are  saying,  then, 
that  a  violent  revolution  is  necessary? 

Mr.  Vaca:  This  is  not  what  I  say,  but 
it  is  what  the  people  who  call  for  drastic 
change  will  say. 

Mr.  Crouse:  Victor,  what  kind  of 
revolution  will  be  necessary  if  it  is  to 
produce  good  and  lasting  results? 

Mr.  Vaca:  A  white  revolution,  a  green 
revolution,  and  a  red  revolution.  The 
white  revolution  would  be  through  law 
and  new  legislation.  The  green  revolu- 
tion would  depend  upon  land  reform  and 
redistribution  of  land  use.  The  red  revo- 
lution does  not  necessarily  refer  to  a  re- 
lationship with  the  socialist  movement 
and  to  the  Communist  countries  but 
rather  a  revolution  which  would  cost 
lives. 

I  do  not  believe  in  the  white  revolu- 
tion. To  choose  to  work  on  the  level  of 
the  white  revolution  would  only  be  a 
way  of  working  for  the  strengthening  of 
the  prevailing  structures.  I  also  find  par- 
ticipation and  success  by  way  of  the 
green  revolution  very  difficult  because  the 
people  who  have  the  land  and  the  money 
are  going  to  control  these  resources 
and  any  changes  would  be  controlled  by 
them. 

I  would  say  with  deep  sadness,  because 
I  would  like  to  see  a  nonviolent  approach 
in  Latin  America,  that  it  is  absolutely 
necessary  to  have  a  violent,  drastic  revo- 
lution in  Latin  America.  It  must  bring 
about  a  drastic  and  profound  change  in 
basic  structures  in  the  society. 

Mr.  Crouse:  If  this  kind  of  change  is 
necessary  and  inevitable,  what  respon- 
sibility has  the  church  in  helping  the  peo- 
ple to  initiate  and  bring  about  the  revo- 


28     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


ution? 

Mr.  Vaca:  This  is  a  difficult  question 
o  answer  because  generally  we  think  of 
he  gospel  and  the  church  as  a  recruit- 
nent  of  souls,  as  a  kind  of  conscription 
'or  heaven.  We  have  generally  been  un- 
;oncemed  for  the  concrete  man,  the 
vhole  man.  We  have  thought  in  terms 
>f  his  spirit  and  have  forgotten  his  body. 
Ne  need  to  think  of  the  future  of  man 
ind  of  theology  of  reality  for  today.  We 
nust  realize  that  Christian  theology  it- 
lelf  is  a  strong  criticism  of  human  struc- 
ures  and  calls  for  change. 

We  will  find  clearly  expressed  in  our 
heology  how  God  gives  his  only  son  to 
he  world  so  that  all  who  believe  in  him 
vill  not  be  lost  but  will  have  eternal  life, 
rhis  expression  from  God  invites  the 
vhole  people  of  God  to  be  united  in  this 
)rogram  of  love  for  our  neighbor.  "Love 
►ne  another."  This  is  a  chain  of  love. 
'.  can't  really  sleep  and  live  with  myself 
inless  I  can  feel  that  I  have  done  some- 
hing  to  participate  in  this  process  of 
ove  for  my  neighbor.  How  can  I  see 
Dve  in  the  world  when  I  see  thousands 
vho  are  dying  of  hunger?  How  can  I 
hink  of  love  in  the  world  when  I  see  so 
Qany  people  in  desperate  need  in  Africa, 
n  Asia,  and  in  Latin  America? 

Mr.  Grouse:  But  what  has  happened 
vhen  we  Christians  in  Ecuador  and  else- 
vhere  sleep  so  well  while  living  in  the 
tiidst  of  these  problems  that  deeply  af- 
ect  and  make  miserable  the  lives  of  peo- 
)le  around  us?  What  have  we  done  as 
nissionaries  and  pastors  in  the  teaching 
►f  people  to  give  such  a  narrow  inter- 
)retation  of  the  gospel? 

Mr.  Vaca:  We  have  been  a  victim  of 
he  game  played  by  the  oppressors.  We 
lave  played  the  role  of  the  useful  dupe. 
Ve  have  given  ourselves  to  the  service 
►f  these  small  segments  of  the  popula- 
ion  which  enslave  the  majority.  If  all  of 
IS  who  are  part  of  the  small  middle  class 


Victor  Vaca  sees 
need  for  inter- 
change of 
authentic,  pro- 
gressive thought 
between  North 
and  Latin 
Americans 


of  Latin  America  def)end  upon  the  pres- 
ent structures  for  our  living,  then  we  are 
allied  with  the  oppressors  in  their  game. 

We  are  too  preoccupied  with  interior 
Christianity.  It  is  easy  to  talk  about 
the  spirit;  it's  easy  to  talk  about  God, 
and  how  God  will  do  what  he  would  like 
to  do.  We  don't  talk  much  about  what 
we  ought  to  be  doing  to  help  God  carry 
out   his   objectives. 

Mr.  Crouse:  Are  you  saying  that  the 
prevailing  attitude  among  Protestants  in 
Ecuador  is  one  of  not  taking  responsi- 
bility for  one's  own  situation  and  of  lend- 
ing oneself  as  a  tool  to  the  oppressors? 

Mr.  Vaca:  Yes.  A  small  group  of  up- 
per-class people  and  a  segment  of  the 
middle  class  serve  them  as  their  useful 
dupes. 

Mr.  Crouse:  How  are  the  Protestants 
of  Quito  under  the  influence  of  this  small 
group?  How  are  they  controlled  and  in- 
fluenced by  this  elite  group? 

Mr.  Vaca:  This  is  very  clear  and  easy 
to  feel  when  we  reflect  an  attitude  of 
wanting  to  keep  things  as  they  are.  For 
instance,  when  a  group  of  people  are 
participating  in  a  strike  to  get  land  or 
to  get  better  salaries,  we  often  say,  "No, 
no,  those  are  the  communists  at  work." 
Or  someone  stands  up  and  begins  to 
defend  the  country  people  and  speaks  of 
a  drastic  agrarian  reform,  and  you  hear 
the  Christians  calling  him  a  communist, 
an  atheist,  an  enemy  of  this,  an  enemy  of 
that.  We  often  find  the  evangelicals  in 
this  position  of  the  man  who  is  anti- 
this  and  anti-that  and  who  really  comes 
out  as  "an  enemy  of  justice  for  his  fel- 
lowman"  and  who  turns  out  to  be  a 
strong  force  against  those  who  are  in 
favor  of  justice  and  a  change  of  struc- 
tures for  the  welfare  of  all.  This  is  the 
role  of  the  useful  dupe. 

Mr.  Crouse:  What  position  should 
missionary  boards  and  stateside  churches 
take  toward  the  need  for  drastic  change 


in  the  areas  where  they  contribute  mis- 
sionary work? 

Mr.  Vaca:  Those  of  us  who  are  from 
less  developed  countries  find  it  necessary 
to  expect  help  from  other  people  in  this 
struggle  against  the  underdevelopment  of 
our  countries.  We  need  help  in  new 
ideas;  we  need  economic  help;  we  need 
a  mutual  interchange  of  authentic  pro- 
gressive thought  between  North  Ameri- 
cans and  Latin  Americans  willing  to 
exchange  and  share  experiences.  Ma- 
terial help  is  needed  that  will  develop 
new  ideas  and  leadership. 

Later,  upon  reflection  on  the  inter- 
view, Merle  Crouse  made  these  observa- 
tions: The  perspectives  presented  by  Mr. 
Vaca  are  common  in  the  thinking  of 
young,  concerned  Latin  America  Prot- 
estants. Many  feel  that  a  complete  re- 
arrangement of  social  structures  is  es- 
sential so  that  life  can  become  livable 
for  the  vast  majority  of  Latin  Americans 
who  do  not  enjoy  basic  opportunity  and 
freedom.  The  class  distinctions  between 
the  powerful  elite  minority  and  the  ex- 
ploited masses  are  so  wide  that  they 
represent  two  kinds  of  humanity.  The 
Christians  are  increasingly  sensitive  to 
this  situation  and  cannot  live  with  it  in 
good  conscience. 

I  believe  most  Brethren  are  deeply 
concerned  for  social  injustices  and  feel 
that  change  which  would  give  all  people 
opportunity  to  live  a  better  life  is  cru- 
cial. One  question  might  focus  on  both 
the  need  for  and  the  effectiveness  of  vio- 
lent revolution  as  the  means  for  bringing 
about  such  change.  The  New  Testa- 
ment ethic  respects  the  lives  of  both 
oppressed  and  oppressor.  There  is  great 
power  for  bringing  about  good  change 
in  a  people  united  and  caught  up  by  a 
dream.  The  independence  movement  of 
India  and  the  civil  rights  struggle  in  this 
country  suggest  that  nonviolent  "soul" 
power  can  be  harnessed  effectively  to  set 
at  liberty  those  who  are  oppressed. 

What  place  does  a  Brethren  ministry 
find  in  revolutionary  Latin  America? 
Could  it  be  both  to  increase  awareness 
for  change  and  to  work  at  discovering 
nonviolent  means  in   bringing  it  about? 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     29 


news  in  Uriel 


ELECTED 

Bethany  Seminary  theology  professor, 
Dale  W.  Brown,  was  chosen  moder- 
ator-elect of  the  denomination  at  the 
184th  Annual  Conference.  Dr.  Brown 
is  a  member  of  the  York  Center  con- 
gregation in  Illinois,  and  has  served  as 
district  moderator.  Presently  a  member 
of  the  Interchurch  Relations  Committee, 
the  educator-theologian  has  served  on 
Standing  Committee  and  the  General 
Board.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Breth- 
ren/Russian Orthodox  peace  delegation 
to  Geneva  in  1969. 

In  its  annual  reorganization  meeting, 
the  General  Board  named  Ira  B.  Peters 
Jr.  chairman.  The  executive  of  Appala- 
chian Power  Company,  Roanoke,  Va., 
has  been  a  board  member  since  1966 
and  succeeds  Stewart  B.  Kauffman,  who 
is  joining  the  Brotherhood  staff. 

Other  board  members  newly  named 
as  officers  were  A.  G.  Breidenstine, 
chairman,  General  Services  Commission; 
Leiand  A.  Nelson,  chairman.  Parish 
Ministries  Commission;  and  Charles  M. 
Bieber,  chairman.  World  Ministries 
Commission.  C.  Wayne  Zunkel  re- 
placed Ira  Peters  on  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee as  member-at-large.  Board  vice- 
chairman  is  Paul  H.  Fike,  pastor,  Weyers 
Cave,  Va. 

Conference  delegates  elected  eleven 
Brethren  to  national  denominational  of- 
fices in  proceedings  at  the  Lincoln  gath- 
ering.   Among  them  are: 

General  Board,  for  three-year  terms, 
Stanley  L.  Davis  Jr.,  Chicago,  111.;  Don- 
ald Fike,  Castaner,  Puerto  Rico;  Leon 
C.  Neher,  Quinter,  Kansas;  Mary  Peter- 
sime  White,  Gettysburg,  Ohio;  Donald 
E.  Willoughby,  Rocky  Mount,  Va.;  A. 
G.  Breidenstine,  Lancaster,  Pa.;  Rosa 
Page  Welch,  Chicago,  111.;  and  Jesse 
H.  Ziegler,  Dayton,  Ohio.  .  .  .  For  a 
two-year  term,  Everett  Mishler,  New 
Paris,  Ind.  .  .  .  For  one-year  terms, 
Wilbur  R.  Hoover,  Warrensburg,  Mo.; 
and  Clyde  R.  Shallenberger,  Baltimore, 
Md. 


In  a  reorganization  meeting  the  board 
members  were  assigned  to  commissions: 

General   Services  Commission 

A.  G.  Breidenstine,  chairman 
Russell  V.  Bollinger 
Paul  H.  Fike 
Robert  M.  Keim 
Everett  Mishler 
Mary  Petersime  White 
Donald  E.  Willoughby 
Jesse  H.  Ziegler 

Parish   Ministries  Commission 

Leiand  A.  Nelson,  chairman 

Phyllis  Carter 

Floyd  H.  Mitchell 

Leon  C.  Neher 

Clyde  R.  Shallenberger 

Gladys  G.  Weaver 

Rosa  Page  Welch 

C.  Wayne  Zunkel 

World   Ministries  Commission 

Charles  M.  Bieber,  chairman 
Stanley  L.  Davis  Jr. 
Arma  Mary  Dubble 
Donald  L.  Fike 
Kenneth  S.  Frantz 
Wilbur  R.  Hoover 
Anna  B.  Mow 
Raymond  R.  Peters 

4.     .}.     4.     4.     ^ 

Named  to  the  Annual  Conference 
Central  Committee  was  Stanley  R. 
Wampler,  Harrisonburg,  Va.,  and  to  the 
Committee  on  Interchurch  Relations,  A. 
Stauffer  Curry,  Mamaroneck,  N.Y. 

Pension  board  officers  named  were  A. 
G.  Breidenstine,  chairman,  and  Robert 
M.  Keim,  vice-chairman.  .  .  .  Confirmed 
as  officers  of  the  Pastors'  Association 
were  Albert  Sauls,  Oakton,  Va.,  chair- 
man; Luke  Brandt,  Mountville,  Pa.,  vice- 
chairman;  and  Andrew  Murray,  Port- 
land, Oregon,  secretary. 

Bethany  Seminary  electors  are  David 
L.  Rogers,  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  rep- 
resenting the  clergy;  and  Donald  L. 
Glick,  Port  Republic,  Va.,  representing 
the  laity. 

Established  at  the  request  of  the  Beth- 


any Seminary  board  of  directors  was  a] 
committee  to  examine  the  future  of  the- 
ological education  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  particularly  the  matters  of  re- 
cruitment, financing,  and  ecumenical 
relationships.  Named  by  the  Annual 
Conference  to  the  committee  were  Paul 
S.  Hersch,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  Morley  J.l 
Mays,  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  and  Gleei 
Yoder,  McPherson,  Kansas.  The  Gen- 
eral Board  and  the  Bethany  board  each 
will  name  one  additional  member. 

Elected   to   committees   to  study  new 
queries:     health    and    welfare    program, 
Daryl    Parker,    M.D.,    New    Madison, 
Ohio,   and   Robert   Blair,   Elizabethtown, 
Pa.;   procedures   on   merger,   John   Gib- 
bel,  Lititz,  Pa.,  Donald  Dumbaugh,  Oak 
Brook,   111.,   and  Bruce   Flora,   Portland, 
Oregon.     Position    on    abortion,    Terry 
Murray,  Portland,  Oregon,  Nancy  Faus, 
Huntingdon,     Pa.,     Marianne     Pittman,  1 
Champaign,  111.,  Lauree  Meyer,  Chicago,  1 
111.,    and    Sonya    Griffith,    Minneapolis,  s 
Minn. 

CONFERENCE  COLLAGE 

Inaugurated  at  Annual  Conference  :i 
1 970  was  a  plan  to  orient  the  Parish  1 
Ministries  staff  around  specific  priority  ] 
concerns.  For  the  coming  year  most  of  1 
the  PMC  staff  members  will  be  clustered  i 
in  teams  whose  tasks  are  labeled  cele- 
bration, identity,  evangelism,  and  partici- 
pation. 

Stewardship  enlistment  director  Ron- 
ald D.  Petry  termed  the  1970-71  Self- 
Allocation  report  "fairly  encouraging  in 
view  of  current  giving  level."  The  allo- 
cation of  congregations  for  the  Brother- 
hood fund  reached  $1,664,830,  as 
against  $1,704,847  reported  at  last  year's 
Conference.  .  .  .  Commitments  for  Beth- 
any Seminary  totaled  $181,389,  down 
$12,383  from  a  year  ago.  The  number 
of  congregations  engaging  in  a  new 
five-year  goal  on  Brotherhood  Fund 
support  shifted  from  909  to  218. 

The  Credentials  Committee  at  the 
Lincoln  Conference  reported  that  of  the 
957  delegates  registered,  roughly  a 
third    were    women    and    another    third 


30     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


linisters.  Included  in  that  tally  were 
Drty-five  Standing  Committee  members. 

Annual  Conference  treasurer  Robert 
jreiner  reports  that  offerings  at  the 
84th  totaled  $156,768.  The  1970  figure 
ompares  with  last  year's  total  giving  of 
onferencegoers  at  Louisville,  Ky.,  of 
184,379. 

Annual  Conference  will  convene  again 
1  1971  at  St.  Petersburg,  Fla.  Subse- 
uent  meetings  will  occur  at  Louisville, 
:y.,  1972;  Fresno,  Cahf.,  1973;  and 
Loanoke,  Va.,    1974. 

V         "I*         %•         %•         T* 

Lincoln  conferencegoers  will  be  able 
3  show  and  tell  it  like  it  was  at  home, 
nth  a  slide-tape  presentation,  High- 
ights  and  Issues.  Speakers,  program  ex- 
libits,  Bible  hours  are  featured  on  the 
orty  slides,  with  glimpses  of  conference 
ebate  and  program  on  tape.  Together 
he  packet  will  sell  for  $13.95.  Slides 
lone  are  $10.95,  tape,  $3.  A  prese- 
jcted  set  of  fifteen  slides  will  be  $5. 

Members  of  the  Brethren  Journal  As- 
ociation  voted  unanimously  to  move 
award  sponsorship  of  the  quarterly 
Irethren  Life  and  Thought  by  Bethany 
"heological  Seminary.  The  shift  is  made 
KJssible  in  part  by  the  establishment  of 


IN  THIS   ISSUE 

Robert  D.  Haggard  is  a  member 
of  the  Covenant  Players,  who  ap- 
peared in  vignettes  and  plays  during 
the  week  at  Lincoln.  .  .  .  F.  Blake 
Million  is  a  retired  pastor  living  at 
Ashland,  Ohio.  .  .  .Karl  A.  Olsson 
in  October  will  assume  a  newly  cre- 
ated post  as  director  of  leadership 
training  for  Faith  at  Work,  Inc.,  an 
interdenominational  Christian  agency 
with  offices  in  New  York  City.  He 
is  former  president  of  North  Park 
College  and  Seminary,  Chicago.  .  .  . 
William  Robert  Miller  has  left  his 
position  as  editor  of  Cambria  Press, 
New  York,  and  looks  to  free  lancing 
in  the  future. 


a  fund  memorializing  the  late  Perry 
Rohrer.  ...  In  a  "rap"  session  during 
the  week  at  Lincoln,  eight  young  persons 
and  the  Parish  Ministries  staff  plarmed 
tentatively  to  schedule  a  fifth  National 
Youth  Conference  at  the  University  of 
Michigan,   Aug.    2-6,    1971. 

CONFERENCE  PERSONALS 

For  four  Michigan  youth.  Annual 
Conference  1970  was  1,520  miles  of 
bicycling  from  and  to  Scottville,  Mich. 
The  foursome  were  Jeff  Trachsel,  Arlene 
Eikenberry,  Jennifer  Trachsel,  Jeff's  sis- 
ter, and  Jean  Trachsel,  his  wife. 

Three  Brethren  authors  autographed 
copies  of  their  new  books  during  Con- 
ference activities:  Anna  B.  Mow,  Arthur 
G.  Gish,  and  Vernard  EUer  participated 
in  autograph  parties. 

District  executives  named  Joseph  M. 
Mason  chairman,  Ralph  G.  McFadden 
vice-chairman,  and  Carl  E.  Myers  secre- 
tary. 

THE  BROTHERHOOD  AT   LARGE 

Conscientious  objectors  of  World 
War  I  will  gather  Aug.  9  for  an  annual 
reunion  at  the  Black  Rock  Retreat,  four 
miles  south  of  Quarryville,  Pa.,  via 
Route  472.  The  reunion  will  be  hosted 
by  the  Conscientious  Objectors  of  Camp 
Meade,  Md. 

Several  Annual  Conference  address- 
es have  been  tentatively  scheduled  to 
appear  in  coming  Messenger  issues. 
Look  for  "An  Ecology  of  Hope:  The 
New  Life  of  Creation,"  by  Leland  Wil- 
son (August  13);  "Hope  and  Resurrec- 
tion," by  Eugene  Roop  (Aug.  27);  "The 
Church  Confronts  Secularism,"  by  My- 
ron S.  Augsburger  (Sept.  10);  "Hope 
and  the  Social  Order,"  by  Floyd  E. 
Bantz  (Sept.  10);  "Hope  and  the  Moral 
Life,"  by  Allen  C.  Deeter  (Sept.  17); 
and  "Hope  and  Celebration,"  by  Ronald 
K.  Morgan  (Oct.  8). 

News  of  the  death  of  Paul  E.  Thomp- 
son, pastor  at  Huntington,  Indiana,  was 
announced  at  Annual  Conference.  More 
than  a  year  ago  he  underwent  surgery 


for  cancer.  Death  came  on  June  26.  He 
formerly  served  pastorates  in  Kansas, 
Illinois,  and  Ohio.  .  .  .  Another  minister 
and  former  pastor  died  on  July  4.  He 
was  Orlin  Frey,  a  resident  of  Mt.  Morris, 
111.,  and  a  member  of  the  Mt.  Morris 
church. 


DEATHS 

Baker.    Elvin    D.,    Fredericksburg,    Pa.,    on    April 

13,    1970,    aged    81 
Bashor,    Dan    M.,    Shenvood,    Ohio,    on    Feb.    12, 

1970,    aged    20 
Boyer,   Ira,   Cumberland,   Md.,   on  Dec.    19,    1969, 

aged    69 
Boynton.    David,    Lewiston,    Minn.,    on    April    20, 

1970,    aged    60 
Brandt,    Mabel  E..   Mount  Joy,   Pa.,   on   April  6, 

1970 
Brantner,  Ben  M.,  Lanark,  111.,  on  April  4,  1970, 

aged   81 
Carey,   Rose  B.,   Chambersburg,   Pa.,  on  April  2, 

1970 
Crummett,    Mary    Sampson,    Nokesville,    Va.,    on 

Feb.    13,    1970,    aged    84 
Geyer,  Kathy  Ann,  Nappanee,  Ind.,  on  April  24, 

1970,   aged    19 
Gledhill,   Arthur,   Cumberland,   Md.,  on  Jan.    12, 

1970,   aged   84 
Godfrey,  Edith  I.,  New  Carlisle,  Ohio,  on  March 

22,    1970,    aged    69 
Seiders,  .\mos,  Newville,  Pa.,   on   March  8,    1970, 

aged  82 
Sharp,  Ned  Ray,  Oakwood,  Ohio,  on  May  3,  1970, 

aged  39 
Smith,    Sarah   Elizabeth,    Union    Bridge,    Md.,    on 

April  17,  1970,  aged  55 
Walter,  Francis  E.,  Oakland,  Calif.,  on  March  6, 

1970,  aged  84 
Woodrow,    I.    Maude,   Newville,   Pa.,   on  April   4, 

1970,  aged  93 
Younker,    John    St.,    Bethel,    Pa.,    on    March    29, 

1970,  aged  63 


SEIIliCIISiliO 


August  7-9  District  conference,  Middle  Indi- 
ana, Manchester  College 

August  14-15  District  conference.  Southern  In- 
diana 

August  14-16  District  conference.  Southern  Mis- 
souri and  Arkansas,  Wynne, 
Ark. 

August  14-16  District  conference,  Oregon-Wash- 
ington,  Forest  Grove 

August    14-16      District    conference.    Southeastern 

August  21-23  District  conference,  Northern 
Ohio,  Oberlin   College 

August  21-23  District  conference.  Western 
Plains,  McPherson   College 

August  27-30  District  conference,  Michigan, 
Carson   City 


7-30-70    MESSENGER     31 


day  by  day 


People  are  much  more  dependent  upon  one  another  than 
they  think.  We  may  not  be  economically  dependent.  Yet 
our  pride  often  forces  us  to  conceal  from  one  another  our 
need  of  economic  help.  We  like  to  be  able  to  go  it  on  our 
own.  What  we  mean  by  dependency  here  is  that  people 
are  emotionally  dependent  upon  one  another. 

Happiness,  guilt,  diligence,  slothfulness  —  all  of  these 
things  are  characteristics  which  are  influenced  and  molded 
in  large  measure  by  the  responses  others  make  to  our  be- 
havior. If  God  speaks  to  people  through  people  —  and  he 
does  —  then  we  certainly  are  responsible  for  one  another. 
We  must  know  without  equivocation  that  if  we  reject  and 
condemn  and  isolate  another  person,  we  have  sinned,  and 
that  person  will  in  turn  be  less  able  to  love  and  to  accept 
and  to  bring  the  most  out  of  those  he  meets. 

Reuel  L.  Howe  in  his  very  perceptive  writings  hammers 
away  at  the  general  idea  that  people  will  generally  treat  one 
another  as  they  are  treated.  Specifically  he  notes  that  the 
child  will  be  able  to  love  insofar  as  he  is  loved.  It  is  indeed 
a  sobering  proposition  to  evaluate  ourselves  and  our  be- 
havior patterns.  What  did  people  learn  from  me  today? 
Will  they  be  more  likely  or  less  likely  to  be  friendly  on  the 
street  or  in  the  elevators  or  in  the  stores  and  shops  and 
businesses  and  offices  tomorrow?    We  feel  that  we  should 


constantly  be  taking  stock  of  our  reactions  to  people  as  we 
meet  them. 

The  one  main  activity  for  these  two  weeks  in  our  day-to- 
day experiences  will  be  an  open,  consistent  self-evaluation 
of  our  reactions  to  the  people  whom  we  meet.  Family  wor- 
ship might  very  well  take  this  form  after  the  reading  of  one 
of  the  daily  lessons  listed  here.  Let  each  member  of  the 
family  find  a  comfortable  place  to  sit,  relax,  close  his  eyes, 
and  think  hard  of  the  people  he  met  that  day.  Visualize 
getting  up  in  the  morning,  encountering  the  family,  leaving 
the  house,  possibly  meeting  the  neighbors  going  to  work  or 
to  school  or  shopping  or  meetings  —  all  the  activities 
throughout  the  day. 

Mentally  retrace  your  steps.  Who  was  that  person  whom 
I  met  face-to-face  there  on  the  street?  He  smiled  at  me. 
Did  I  smile  in  return  and  greet  him  or  did  I  act  afraid  of 
him?  Spend  several  minutes  carefully  recalling  your  en- 
counters throughout  the  day  and  evaluating  what  your  re- 
actions were  and  how  you  could  react  in  such  a  way  in 
those  very  same  situations  so  as  to  give  people  a  feeling  of 
acceptance,  love,  and  appreciation  rather  than  emptiness, 
alienation,  and  guilt. 

It  would  be  a  further  help  to  discuss  these  encounters 
with  someone  else,  perhaps  with  the  family  in  the  worship 
time  together,  and  also  with  people  who  are  good  friends 
at  work  or  at  lunch  or  in  whatever  time  of  conversation  we 
have.  It  would  be  doubly  helpful  to  allow  persons  whom  we 
have  encountered  to  talk  about  how  they  saw  our  reactions 
to  them.  Sometimes  we  can  be  biased  to  ourselves  and  it 
is  helpful  to  see  ourselves  as  others  see  us.  The  purpose  of 
this  day-to-day  activity  is  to  bring  about  greater  awareness 
and  alertness  on  our  part  to  our  constant  encounters  with 
other  people.  —  Ruth  and  Eldon  Shingleton 

DAILY   READING   GUIDE        August  2-15 

Sunday     Genesis   33:4.     Brothers    are    reconciled. 

Monday    Acts   10:25.    Stand   up  and  face  a  man. 

Tuesday    Acts    13:1-2.     Devout   people    come   together. 

Wednesday    Acts    13:2-3.    They  have   a   mission   to   perform. 

Thursday    Acts   13:47.    We  are  sent  to  be   a   shining    light. 

Friday    Matthew/  5:14-15.    We   are  the   light   of  the   world. 

Saturday    Matthew   5:16.     Let   the   light   shine   through. 

Sunday     Matthew   5:13.     Look   for   the    seasoning    in   daily    encounters. 

Monday     Luke   6:41-42.     We    need    constant    self-evaluation. 

Tuesday    Luke   6:37-38.    What  we  give   is   what  we   get  back. 

Wednesday     Luke   6:27-31.     Treat   others   as   you   want   them   to   treat   you. 

Thursday     Luke  6:32-36.     Treat  everyone   as  a   brother. 

Friday    Acts   8:35-39.     Strangers   can    become   friends.  \ 

Saturday     Corinthians    13:11-13.     Greet    one    another.  M 


32     MESSENGER    7-30-70 


9/lf' 


ij^  r 

bglenool^ 
!ook  Boo 


Over  1400  cherished  recipes  of  Dunker  sisters 
whose  tradition  placed  high  value  on  culinary  ex- 
cellence. Also  included  are  menus  for  Sunday  and 
weekdays,  Thanksgiving,  and  Christmas;  sug- 
gested food  for  the  sick;  home  remedies;  and  an 
interesting  table  of  measures. 

$3.95 


Address 
City  


Please  send 

BOOK   at  $3.95   per  copy   plus   postage   (35c  for   one 
copy;  5c  per  dollar  thereafter). 

Name  — 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN   GENERAL  OFFICES 
1451    Dundee  Avenue   >   Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Annual  Conference  '70 

The  Issues:  Debated  and  Decided.  A  report  on  the  debates  and  discus- 
sions that  led  to  actions  taken  by  957  delegates  acting  on  behalf  of  the 
church  at  its  184th  recorded  Annual  Conference,  page  2 

The  Issues:  Declared  and  Discussed.  A  surveij  of  reports,  addresses,  sec- 
tional meetings  and  informal  gatherings  at  Lincoln  in  which  a  variety  of 
current  concerns  were  reviewed,  page  7 

The  Theme:  Defined  and  Celebrated.  In  messages,  in  worship  services,  in 
displays  of  posters,  banners,  and  buttons  —  in  a  multitude  of  ways  conference 
participants  joined  in  a  "Celebration  of  Hope."  page  11 


Christian  Priorities  for  the  Seventies.  What  are  the  urgent  questions  that 
confront  Americans  today?  What  are  the  roles  that  are  appropriate  for 
the  church  in  such  a  time?  The  moderators  address  offers  answers,  by  A.  G. 
Breidenstine.   page  16 


Ministry  Amidst  Reform.  An  interview  with  Victor  Vaca,  president  of  the 
Brethren  and  United  Andean  Indian  Foundations  in  Quito,  Ecuador,  by 
Merle  Grouse,    page  28 


Other  Features  include  six  pages  of  Annual  Conference  photos;  "Anchors  the  Way!" 
a  dialogue  about  the  Conference  theme  (page  14);  "A  Hope  for  Peace,"  a  special 
Annual  Conference  resolution  (page  20);  "Should  Church  Camps  Be  Smaller?"  by 
F.  Blake  and  Gladys  Million  (page  22);  "Creativity  Out  of  Chaos,"  by  Karl  A.  Olsson 
(page  23);  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Dale  A.  Young  (page  24);  "Music  to  Worship  With 
and  Think  By,"  by  William  Robert  Miller  (page  25);  and  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Ruth  and 
Eldon  Shingleton   (page  32). 


COMING  NEXTi 


Another  Annual  Conference  address,  Leland  Wilson's  message  for  the  concluding  Sun- 
day service,  appears  as  "An  Ecology  of  Hope:  The  New  Life  of  Creation."  .  .  .  Fred 
Swartz  introduces  to  Messenger  readers  a  couple  well  advanced  in  years  who  have 
contributed  generously  of  their  lives  to  churches,  communities,  and  educational  institu- 
tions in  the  Shenandoah  Valley  of  Virginia.  Meet  "The  Moomaws  of  Roanoke."  .  .  . 
The  personality  and  ideas  of  a  young  author  who  has  strong  convictions  and  energetic 
ways  of  making  them  known  come  through  in  an  interview  with  Arthur  Gish.  Larry 
Fourman  poses  the  questions.  VOL.    119    NO. 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE   BRETHREN     *^  8/13/70 


An  Ecology  of  Hope: 
The  l^ei/i/  Life  of  Creation 


mmifm& 


readers  write 


SENTENCE   BOOK   REVIEW 

Concerning  The  Mad  Morality  (April 
23),  I  like  the  other  Mad  Magazine  better. 

Byron  Thill  (9  years) 
Adel,  Iowa 

EXAMPLE  -  THE   REAL  EVANGELISM 

The  current  issue  of  Messenger  (July  2) 
is  as  usual  splendid  .  .  .  but  you  left  out 
an  important  word  in  your  definition  of 
evangelism.  To  me  evangelism  is  just  one 
thing  —  example. 

I  had  a  very  wonderful,  unusual  mother 
but  God  called  her  home  while  I  was  in 
my  early  teens  and  I  was  very  bitter.  How 
could  a  kind  God  take  her  away  when  I 
loved  her  so  and  needed  her  so  —  or 
thought  I  did.  I  really  grieved  for  her  un- 
til an  older  friend  of  our  family  said  to  me 
one  day,  "You  know  what  I  want?  What 
I  need?  A  religion  —  everyone  needs  re- 
ligion to  go  on  living  in  this  crazy  world 
but  I  do  not  want  the  religion  I  hear  in  my 
church,  and  I  hate  revival  meetings  and 
will  never  go  to  another.  They  are  so  hypo- 
critical. What  I  wish  I  could  have  —  ac- 
quire in  some  miraculous  way  —  is  your 
mother's  religion.  She  never  once  talked  re- 
ligion to  me  but  she  lived  it  every  time  I 
saw  her.  Her  goodness  and  kindness  and 
understanding  were  something  every  person 
needed." 

I  did  ask  for  forgiveness  for  my  bitter- 
ness and  I  have  been  trying  ever  since  to  be 
just  a  little  like  her.    Am  I  wrong  in  think- 
ing that  example  is  the  real  evangelism? 
Harriet  Dolby 
Elgin,  111. 

A  SMILING  CROSS 

As  we  arrived  only  for  the  weekend  to 
enjoy    the    fellowship    of    Annual    Confer- 


ence, we  were  not  as  aware  of  the  Con- 
ference theme  as  many  were.  As  my 
daughter  looked  at  the  symbolism  on  the 
Sunday  morning  bulletin,  she  said,  "What 
is  that,  a  smiling  cross?"  I  thought  the 
question  was  a  little  stupid  for  a  college 
student  but  after  I  thought  about  it  for 
awhile,  I  thought  if  the  anchor  represents 
hope  that  is  really  a  pretty  good  description 
—  "A  Smiling  Cross."  I  like  it! 

Mrs.   Philip   Snell 
Auburn,  111. 

SAVE   ANOTHER   NATION   FROM   COMMUNISM 

We  have  been  noting  different  letters 
to  President  Nixon  in  Messenger,  con- 
demning his  action  in  reference  to  the 
running  of  the  country.  Some  of  the  com- 
ments remind  us  of  the  five  blind  men 
who  felt  of  the  elephant  —  one  described 
it  as  a  rope,  another  as  a  flat  wall,  another 
as  a  tree  trunk.  If  some  of  these  dear  peo- 
ple knew  all  about  what  they  were  con- 
demning President  Nixon  or  any  other 
president  for,  in  reference  to  the  war,  it 
might  make  a  difference.  It  just  might  be 
that  if  the  truth  were  known,  by  losing  fifty 
American  human  soldier  lives,  that  a  few 
hundred  other  lives  in  a  foreign  country 
are  saved.  According  to  the  Bible  and  Abe 
Lincoln,  all  are  created  equal. 

It  appears  to  me  that  if  it  were  pos- 
sible to  destroy  the  devil,  some  would 
jump  up  and  say,  "Save  him.  He  deserves 
to  live.    What  harm  has  he  done?" 

Now  we  don't  condone  war,  but  we  think 
that  before  you  condemn  the  president,  you 
should  know  more  about  what  you  are 
doing  and  not  condemn  because  you  have 
an  old  set  of  rules  or  ideas.  Remember, 
lots  of  suffering,  even  worse,  is  sometimes 
necessary   to   accomplish   the   best   such   as 


saving    another    nation    from    communism, 
which  teaches  that  "there  is  no  God." 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  A.  Booth 
Yucalpa,  Calif. 

MAKE  WITNESS   IN   HUMILITY 

I  have  just  reread  the  report  (May  7) 
on  draft  resistance.  .  .  .  We  are  facing 
the  same  kind  of  problem  here  in  our  area 
in  our  work  with  the  Council  of  the  South- 
ern Mountains.  Young  activists  are  press- 
ing for  social  change  in  ways  that  alarm 
many  of  us  and  we  fear  may  be  destructive 
in  the  long  run. 

I  am  sympathetic  with  the  real  con- 
cern that  the  young  people  of  our  nation 
have  about  the  military  adventurism  our 
country  is  engaging  in.  As  Christians  we 
need  to  find  Christian  ways  of  dealing 
with  these  kinds  of  problems.  The  ques- 
tion in  my  mind  is  how  to  make  the  Chris- 
tian witness  in  all  humility  and  as  good 
citizens  of  this  nation,  and  how  to  dis- 
charge our  responsible  duties  toward  our 
fellowmen. 

I  agree  with  those  who  feel  that  precipi- 
tative  action  which  polarizes  Americans 
against  other  Americans  is  dangerous,  and 
decisions  need  to  be  made  after  thought, 
discussion  (counting  the  cost,  as  Alexander 
Mack  taught  us),  and  prayer.  We  should 
always  resist  being  stampeded  by  an  im- 
patient group. 

Having  said  all  this,  I  must  confess  that 
I  feel  that  our  nation  has  not  faced  the 
kind  of  crisis  in  my  lifetime  that  we  now 
face  and  that  the  church  must  listen  to  our 
young  people  who  oppose  the  Vietnam  War 
and  try  to  help  them  find  Christian  an- 
swers. 

Ernest  H.  Walker 
Berea,  Ky. 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  Orville  Andrews;  1  Donald  Burk.  courtesy  of  the  Chicago  Sun-Times;  2, 
5  Robert  F.  Russow;  6.  21  (from  left,  second,  fourth,  fifth,  seventh),  22,  25  Don  Honick;  10  Edward 
Wallowitch 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  ,\ug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  tmless  othenvise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  53.60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  ?3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  560;  husband  and  wife,  575. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    Aug.   13,   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  17 


A  MEANS   OF  ENRICHING  LIVES 

I  am  that  "show  girl"  whose  picture  on 
the  cover  of  Messenger  seems  to  have 
brought  so  much  unhappiness  to  so  many. 
May  I  assure  you  that  my  total  show-girl 
experience  before  my  participation  in  drama 
therapy  at  the  Fahrney-Keedy  Home  was  in 
a  few  amateur  theatricals  about  sixty  years 
ago.  My  life  here  at  Fahrney-Keedy  should 
hardly  be  classed  as  "underworld"  or  as 
"Hollywood." 

It  is  too  bad  that  this  whole  project  has 
been  so  grossly  misjudged  by  a  few.  Per- 
haps the  error  was  in  putting  that  picture  on 


the  cover.  The  project  itself  has  proven  a 
most  successful  means  of  enriching  the 
lives  of  some  of  those  growing  older  —  of 
putting  more  living  into  their  years. 

I  am  a  church  member  in  good  standing. 
My  church  and  many  other  churches  in  this 
vicinity  have  used  this  pantomined  produc- 
tion  as   entertainment   for   their   social   oc- 

:  casions  with  enthusiastic  approval  of  the 
efforts  of  us  oldsters,  averaging  eighty-one 
years. 

This  is  so  much  better  than  sitting  around 

J  waiting  to  die.  If  more  homes  were  Hke 
Fahrney-Keedy,  more  older  people  would 
enjoy  more  happier  later  years. 

Georgiana  H.  Randall 
Boonsboro,  Md. 

,  SMILES  THAT  SAY  THANK  YOU 

!  "Why  not  use  that  space  for  some  per- 
sonal information  concerning  the  383  mis- 
isionaries  and  Brethren  Service  workers  we 
are  sponsoring  and  the  countries  and  peo- 
ple they  are  serving?"  asked  Rowena  Mish- 
ler  (June  18).  Does  she  realize  that  Fahr- 
ney-Keedy home  is  one  of  our  missions  and 
that  Brethren  Service  workers  are  assigned 
there  as  well  as  to  many  other  homes  for 
the  aged  in  our  United  States?  .  .  . 

Eight  years  ago  my  husband  and  I  "did 
our  thing,"  as  young  people  say  today, 
and  entered  BVS  for  two  years.  We  asked 
to  be  assigned  to  a  project  in  the  United 
States  because  we  believed  many  people  in 
our  own  country  needed  help  as  much  as 
those  in  other  countries.  After  all,  wasn't 
that  what  our  church  is  trying  to  do  — 
awaken  us  to  the  needs  of  the  man  next 
door  or  in  the  next  pew?  Our  request  was 
granted  and  a  blessed  portion  of  our  volun- 
teer time  was  spent  in  serving  at  Fahrney- 
Keedy  Home. 

Working  with  the  creative,  ambitious, 
and  especially  dedicated  Lester  Kesselring, 
I  learned  much  about  working  with  older 
persons.  I  came  to  care  about  the  problems 
they  were  often  forced  to  face  alone,  and 
Lester  seemed  inspired  to  provide  each  one 
with  a  ray  of  hope  and  a  reason  to  live.  .  .  . 

Many  older  people  give  up  all  hope  when 
brought  to  a  home.  Some  even  "hole  up" 
in  their  rooms,  conversing  with  no  one,  and 
making  rare  appearances  for  meals  in  the 
dining  room.    Others  are  so  lonely  that  a 


Continued  on  page  29 


Page  One... 


Recognizing  that  people  within  the  same  fellowship  are  often  poles  apart, 
Messenger  is  committed  to  efforts  to  bring  them  together.  Some  of  the 
gaps  that  exist  separate  generations,  but  the  gulfs  between  persons  of  the 
same  age  or  within  the  same  family  may  be  just  as  deep.  Messenger 
hopes  to  provide  one  way  in  which  some  of  the  gaps  may  be  bridged. 
We  cannot  do  this  by  always  remaining  neutral  or  by  always  finding 
a  middle  ground  or  by  always  offering  compromise  positions.  We,  like 
our  readers,  must  take  a  stand  and  live  with  it.  But  we  can  open  our 
pages  to  persons  and  ideas  which  speak  to  some  of  our  readers,  even  when 
they  turn  other  readers  off.  We  don't  expect  everyone  to  agree  or  even 
to  like  what  a  brother  has  to  say,  but  we  do  think  everyone  should  be 
willing  to  listen  —  and  then  to  respond  as  he  may  be  led. 

Take  this  issue,  for  example.  We  are  fairly  sure  that  you  will  warm 
up  to  persons  like  the  Moomaws,  even  if  you  are  way  under  sixty.  And 
you  can  join  in  singing  Steve  Engle's  folk  song,  even  if  you  are  way  over 
thirty.  You  can  enjoy  the  personal  perspective  on  faith,  as  reflected  on 
several  pages  here;  and  you  can  be  just  as  seriously  concerned  about  the 
Fund  for  the  Americas  or  peace  action,  also  reflected  here. 

Included  on  these  pages  is  an  interview  with  a  young  radical  whose 
views  have  upset  some  churches.  In  our  next  issue  we  offer  a  major  article 
by  an  articulate  writer  who  represents  many  of  the  concerns  voiced  by 
members  of  the  Brethren  Revival  Fellowship.  In  following  issues  of 
Messenger  there  will  be  other  offerings  that  may  not 
speak  for  a  majority  of  readers  but  which  are  still  worthy 
of  the  attention  of  the  majority.  Enough  said,  at  this 
point.  Our  Readers  Write  column  will  soon  tell  us 
whether  we  can  be  good  listeners. 

Turning  to  a  salute  to  contributors  in  this  issue: 
Fred  W.  Swartz,  currently  pastor  at  Roanoke's  Summer- 
dean  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Virginia,  anticipates  a 
move  to  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania,  where  he  has  ac- 
cepted a  pastorate. 

Pastoral  responsibilities  fall  also  to  Leland  Wilson 
at  the  La  Verne,  California,  church.  His  teniure  began  there  after  service 
on  the  Brotherhood  staff. 

Folk  singer  and  composer  Steve  Engle,  whose  songs  have  appeared 
in  other  issues,  has  recently  ended  his  alternative  service  work  with  the 
La  Verne  congregation  but  stays  on  there  as  director  of  youth  work. 

Reading,  Minnesota,  is  the  home  of  college  student  Norman  L. 
Thomas. 

September  marks  the  beginning  of  Larry  Fourman's  pastorate  at  Pipe 
Creek  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Maryland.  He  leaves  the  editorship  of 
the  Adult  Quarterly. 

"Learning  to  Die,"  the  poem  by  Edith  Lovejoy  Pierce  on  page  29, 
grew  out  of  her  visits  to  an  elderly  friend  in  a  nursing  home,  the  receipt  of 
her  own  Medicaid  card,  and  her  recent  move  into  smaller  quarters  in 
Evanston,  Illinois.  Mrs.  Pierce  was  the  subject  of  a  Chicago  Sun-Times 
feature  by  Roy  Larson,  and  her  poetry  appeared  there  as  well  as  in  other 
issues  of  Messenger  and  in  such  publications  as  the  Christian  Century. 

The  Editors 


U 


8-13-70   MESSENGER     1 


You  never  see  Leland 
Moomaw  in  a  public  meet- 
ing without  a  flower  in  his 
lapel,  usually  placed  there 
by  his  wife  Nina,  his  com- 
panion in  years  of  service 
to  church  and  community 

MESSENGER    8-13-70 


'A  Gift  of  Years 


by  FRED  W.  SWARTZ 


Together  Leland  and  Nina 
Moomaw  represent  a  bi- 
ography of  178  years.    They 
have  contributed  generous- 
ly to  support  churches,  mis- 
sions, schools.    But  their 
investment  of  time  —  and  of 
themselves  —  is  equally 
important. 


r»  bustling  shopping  center,  Southwest 
Virginia's  busiest,  sits  opposite  it; 
modern,  roaring  jets  swoop  down  over 
it  enroute  to  nearby  Woodrum  Field; 
ten  thousand  unconcerned  motorists 
whiz  by  it  everyday;  modern  ranch- 
style  homes  surround  it  —  and  yet  the 
two-story  frame  farmhouse  that  has 
been  the  home  of  Leland  and  Nina 
Moomaw  for  sixty  years  sits  as  proudly 
and  as  nobly  as  the  day  it  stood  a  lone 
sentinel  over  a  1 1 7-acre  farm  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  young  city  of  Roanoke. 
Left  now  with  eight  acres,  including 
the  shells  of  four  greenhouses  that  once 
produced  the  flourishing  Moomaw 
Gardens  (and  even  that  eight  acres 
already  deeded  in  gift  to  Bridgewater 
College),  the  Moomaws  have  no  sour 
grapes  about  the  progress  of 
technology.  "It  certainly  is  a  wonderful 
thing  that  we  can  get  everything  that 
we  can  at  the  stores  now,"  Mrs. 
Moomaw  states.  "You  take  twenty 


years  ago  — ■  why,  you  couldn't  go  to 
the  store  and  buy  fresh  vegetables  all 
year  long  like  you  can  now."  Perhaps 
quite  a  concession  for  one  who 
depended  for  most  of  her  life  upon  the 
income  from  the  sale  of  fresh 
vegetables  and  flowers. 

"And  it  gets  here  by  trucks,"  adds 
Mr.  Moomaw.  "I  can't  understand  the 
fight  they're  having  over  trucks  using 
the  highways.  People  don't  realize  how 
much  they  depend  on  those  trucks  for 
what  they  need."  And  yet,  here's  a 
man  who  knows  full  well  that  trucks 
import  foreign  wares  where  local 
farmers  sell. 

And  then  you  hear  Mrs.  Moomaw 
elaborating  with  profuse  enthusiasm 
about  the  facilities  in  the  new 
home  economics  building  at  Bridge- 
water  College,  named  in  her  honor; 
and  you  note  the  stereo  hi-fi  and 
accompanying  collection  of  records 
that  obviously  get  frequent  use  in  the 
Moomaw  den;  and  you  quickly 
conclude  that  these  two  "senior  citi- 
zens" are  still  very  much  "with  it." 

Aiding  and  abetting  the  progress  of 
the  human  race  has  indeed  been  the 
Moomaws'  claim  to  fame,  as  through 
an  adventuresome  and  unselfish 
dedication  they  have  given  more  than  a 
quarter  of  a  miUion  dollars  to 
benevolences  and  matched  that  record 
with  an  equal  value  of  volunteer  hours 
of  talented  service.  Together,  Leland 
(who  is  ninety)and  Nina  (eighty-eight) 
Moomaw  represent  a  biography  of  178 


years  that  not  only  documents  the 
history  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  the  Roanoke  Valley  but  also 
parallels  Brethren  involvement  in 
Christian  education. 

Born  the  day  after  Christmas  1879, 
the  son  of  William  and  Lucinda 
Moomaw,  Leland  Cline  Moomaw  has 
always  resided  in  Roanoke,  Virginia. 
His  father  was  a  minister  in  the  Peters 
Creek  congregation,  "but  never 
preached,  as  far  as  I  know,"  he  recalls. 
The  elder  Moomaw,  like  his  son,  was 
principally  a  farmer  and  served  a  term 
as  a  member  of  the  Roanoke  County 
Board  of  Supervisors. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-six,  and  still 
single,  Leland  ventured  on  his  own  and 
invested  in  a  farm  about  a  mile  from 
the  Moomaw  home.  It  was  a  big  in- 
vestment: 117  acres  at  $106  an  acre. 
"The  owner,"  he  reflected,  "didn't 
think  I  would  ever  pay  for  it.  He 
expected  to  get  it  back."  Not  only  did 
he  succeed  in  the  farming  venture,  but 
he  also  expanded  the  farm's  acreage  to 
develop  an  orchard  on  a  tract  of  moun- 
tain timberland  northeast  of  Roanoke. 

It  was  the  wood  from  the  timber 
where  Moomaw  Orchards  were  seeded 
that  began  Mr.  Moomaw's  long  and 
generous  support  of  the  church.  A 
Roanoke  city  Church  of  the  Brethren 
had  been  organized  and  was  in  need 
of  a  meetinghouse.  The  plans  were 
drawn  for  a  thirty  by  forty  foot 
structure,  the  lumber  to  come  from 
Leland  Moomaw's  tract  of  timberland. 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     3 


A  GIFT  OF  YEARS  /  continued 

Since  that  time,  Brother  Moomaw  has 
seen  the  congregation  that  is  now 
Roanoke's  First  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren through  eight  building  programs 
at  four  different  locations.  He  has 
personally  contributed  over  $30,000 
toward  the  development  of  the  city's 
mother  congregation  of  the  Brethren 
and  on  at  least  two  occasions  assumed 
loans  on  behalf  of  the  church  to  assist 
in  emergency  needs. 

Leland  Moomaw  has  always  had 
money  at  work  for  the  church.  He 
likes  to  tell  how  the  first  money  he  ever 
made  came  from  selling  bones  and 
pumpkin  seeds  as  a  boy.  His  grand- 
father operated  a  bone  fertilizer  mUl 
near  Bonsack,  Virginia,  and  would  pay 
seventy-five  cents  a  hundred  pounds 
for  bones.  Leland  and  his  five  brothers 
were  among  the  mill's  principal 
suppliers. 

The  pumpkin  seeds,  Mr.  Moomaw 
recalls,  sold  for  twenty-five  cents  a 
gallon,  "in  the  days  when  people  still 
raised  pumpkins."  The  boys'  mother 
saw  to  it  that  the  proceeds  from  these 
early  enterprises  went  into  a  savings 
account,  and  the  first  of  those  earnings 
that  Leland  spent  was  in  1902,  when 
he  took  "quite  a  sum  of  it"  to  Annual 
Conference  in  Harrisburg, 
Pennsylvania,  to  put  in  the  Conference 
offering. 

It  was  one  year  later,  1903,  that 
Nina  Kinzie,  the  daughter  of  Caleb  and 
Ella  Nininger  Kinzie  of  Troutville, 
Virginia,  was  graduating  from  Dale- 
ville  Academy,  now  a  bona  fide  public 
schoolteacher,  but  already  with  two 
years  of  teaching  experience  behind 
her.  She  recalls  those  early  days  with 
wonder,  for  when  she  was  nineteen  she 
was  the  sole  teacher  in  charge  of  a 
one-room  school  in  which  there  were 
two  pupils  older  than  she.  And  in 
order  to  attend  Daleville,  it  was 
necessary  for  her  to  walk  two  and  a 


half  miles  each  day  from  her  home. 

But  persistence  brings  its  rewards. 
Following  a  premarital  career  of  nine 
years  in  public  education,  Nina  Kinzie 
Moomaw  found  her  place  in  the 
educational  ministry  of  the  church. 
For  many  years  she  was  superintendent 
of  the  home  department  of  First  church 
and  averaged  at  least  one  day  a  week, 
by  horse  and  buggy,  taking  church 
instruction  to  shut-ins  and  members 
in  the  Roanoke  area  who  had  no  way 
to  get  to  church.  It  was  an  evangelistic 
effort  as  well,  for  as  a  direct  result  of 
Mrs.  Moomaw's  visits  First  church 
gained  many  new  members,  "twenty- 
two,  one  year,"  she  recalls. 


Carly  in  the  history  of  Brethren 
district  organization  the  name  of  Nina 
Moomaw  appears.  In  1926  she  helped 
organize  the  first  district  women's 
fellowship  in  the  Brotherhood,  and 
three  years  earlier  was  in  on  the  ground 
floor  of  the  Brethren  camping  move- 
ment, helping  C.  S.  Ikenberry  organize 
what  later  was  to  become  Camp 
Bethel.  As  a  member  of  the  original 
board  of  religious  education  in  the  First 
Virginia  District,  Mrs.  Moomaw 
traveled  to  many  churches  in  southwest 
Virginia  and  West  Virginia  in  the 
interest  of  improving  the  ministry  of 
Brethren  Sunday  schools.  She  relates 
that  as  part  of  the  deputation  to  one 
church  she  and  her  partner  agreed  on 
the  theme  "The  Evergreen  Sunday 
School"  for  their  presentation.  "You 
see,  they  didn't  have  Sunday  school  in 
the  winter,"  she  explained.  "We  went 
there  to  encourage  them  to  have 
Sunday  school  all  year  long." 

"The  Moomaws  haven't  always  been 
in  favor  of  Sunday  schools,"  suggested 
Mr.  Moomaw,  after  listening  to  his 
wife's  reminiscences.  "Uncle  Dan 
Moomaw  was  a  minister  and  he  was 


violently  opposed  to  Sunday  schools. 
He  made  a  speech  once  at  Peters 
Creek  in  which  he  said  if  he  was  a- 
going  to  look  for  a  horse  thief,  he'd  go 
to  Sunday  school  to  find  him.  ...  He 
finally  got  to  the  place  where  he  went 
to  Sunday  school  and  found  it  wasn't 
as  bad  as  he  thought  it  was." 

And  obviously  the  Leland  Moomaws 
believe  in  education,  for  perhaps  the 
most  notable  achievement  has  been 
their  interest  and  dedication  toward  the 
development  of  Bridgewater  College. 
Mr.  Moomaw  has  been  a  trustee  of  the 
institution  since  1925,  "even  though  I 
only  went  through  the  seventh  reader 
in  grade  school  myself."  In  1946  the 
Moomaws  deeded  their  entire  existing 
farm,  forty-six  acres,  valued  at 
$90,000,  to  the  college,  with  the 
privilege  of  living  on  the  property  for 
their  lifetimes  and  maintaining  their 
vegetable  and  flower  business  as  long 
as  possible.  The  college  subsequently 
divided  one  half  of  the  farm  into  real 
estate  lots  and  used  the  proceeds 
toward  the  erection  of  a  science  hall. 

A  few  years  later,  Nina  Moomaw 
was  a  delegate  to  the  Southeastern 
Regional  Conference  and  heard  Dr. 
Paul  H.  Bowman,  then  retired 
president  of  Bridgewater,  tell  of  the 
need  for  an  improved  home  economics 
department  at  the  college.  Mrs. 
Moomaw  was  stirred,  and  after  urging 
the  women  of  the  region  to  take  the 
need  as  a  project,  she  personally 
donated  $5,000  "to  be  used  for 
whatever  supplies  for  home  economics 
were  needed."  Since  then,  the 
Moomaws  have  given  an  additional 
$8,000  toward  the  home  economics 
project,  and  through  their  encourage- 
ment and  the  help  of  others,  the  college 
completed  and  dedicated  Moomaw 
Hall  in  April  of  this  year,  one  of  the 
finest  home  economics  facilities  in  the 
East. 


4     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


The  Moomaws  have  been  vocation- 
ally successful  through  a  productive 
greenhouse  trade.  Until  only  three 
years  ago,  when  failing  health  forced 
the  two  to  retire,  the  flowers  and 
vegetables  of  Moomaw  Gardens  were 
cherished  ware  in  the  Roanoke  Valley. 
Their  beginnings  in  the  greenhouse 
market  sprang  from  Mrs.  Moomaw's 
childhood  interest  in  flowers.  When 
she  was  twelve  years  old,  she  requested 
a  plot  of  her  father's  fruit  farm  "to 
grow  some  sweet  peas."  They  grew  so 
well  that  she  took  them  along  to  the 
farmers'  market  in  Roanoke  and  sold 
them.  A  year  later  she  expanded  her 
garden  to  include  carnations  and 
asters. 

When  the  Moomaws  were  married 
in  1910,  Mrs.  Moomaw  brought  with 
her  a  "dowry"  of  seventy-five  chickens, 
some  money  she  was  saving  for  a 
washing  machine,  and  her  interest  in 
flowers.  The  latter  proved  the  strong- 
est asset  of  the  estate,  and  soon  the 
washing  machine  money  was  being 
tapped  for  carnation  seeds  to  enhance 
the  new  farmhouse.  Her  "green 
thumb"  once  again  produced  handsome 


plants,  until  one  year  an  early  freeze 
did  considerable  damage  to  some  prize 
specimens.  The  discouraged  Mrs. 
Moomaw  resolved  to  turn  in  her  hoe 
and  gloves,  but  her  ever-practical 
husband  (who  says,  "Mrs.  Moomaw 
and  I  have  never  had  a  quarrel,  just 
differences  of  opinion!")  suggested  they 
build  a  greenhouse.  Then  she  could 
grow  flowers  and  he,  vegetables,  year 
'round.  Within  three  years  four  green- 
houses were  erected,  destined  to  supply 
more  than  forty  years  of  shelter  and 
warmth  for  an  array  of  God's  beauty 
and  handiwork.  You  never  see  Leland 
Moomaw  in  a  public  meeting  without 
a  flower  in  his  lapel,  a  symbol  of  the 
source  of  his  livelihood  and  happiness. 
While  the  Moomaws  are  most  not- 
ably associated  with  their  support  of 
First  church  and  Bridgewater  College, 
their  interests  have  by  no  means 
stopped  there.  Mr.  Moomaw  served 
on  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Mission  Board  from  1928-32  and  is 
the  sole  surviving  member  of  that 
group.  H.  Spenser  Minnich  was  the 
assistant  secretary  then.  For  many 
years  the  Moomaws  sponsored  Miss 


Elsie  Shickel,  Brethren  missionary  to 
India,  and  at  her  suggestion  they  sent 
money  to  Bulsar  to  start  a  library  for 
the  mission  school  there.  Frequent  at- 
tenders  at  Annual  Conference,  one  or 
both  have  represented  their  church  at 
more  than  twenty-five  such  denomina- 
tional gatherings. 

Their  support  of  local  mission  efforts 
has  been  equally  keen,  as  they  have 
shared  in  the  organization  of  the 
HoUins  Road,  Williamson  Road,  and 
Summerdean  congregations,  all  in 
Roanoke. 

Leland  and  Nina  Moomaw  have 
many  experiences  to  tell  and  many 
accomplishments  to  report,  but  this 
reporter  feels  it  would  be  safe  to  say 
that  the  Moomaw  influence  has  been  so 
generously  and  widely  spread  that  no 
one  wUl  ever  be  able  completely  to 
measure  it. 

Along  with  their  lives  of  public  serv- 
ice there  have  been  memorable  mo- 
ments of  personal  note.  One  which  Mr. 
Moomaw  is  fond  of  telling  happened  in 
1937  when  the  then  fifty-eight-year-old 
farmer  went  to  New  York  to  appear 
on  Major  Bowes  Original  Amateur 
Hour.  His  talent  was  whistling  bird 
caUs,  something  he  had  perfected  as  he 
built  fences  and  tilled  the  ground  of  his 
farm.  Within  half  an  hour  after  the 
show  left  the  air,  more  than  800  tele- 
phone and  telegraph  votes  came  in  for 
him. 

A  source  of  joy  to  them  now  in  their 
later  years  is  the  faithfulness  of  their 
adopted  daughter,  Mrs.  Daisy  Belle 
Janney,  and  two  grandchildren,  who 
are  the  son  and  daughter  of  Wilson  and 
Daisy  Janney.  And  faithfulness  begets 
faithfulness,  for  on  most  any  given 
Sunday  morning,  health  permitting, 
you  will  see  the  Janney  car  turning  in 
at  the  farmhouse  in  the  city  to  take  two 
of  First  church's  most  faithful  mem- 
bers to  services.   D 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     5 


An  Ecology  of  Hope: 

The  IMei/i^  Life  of  Creation 


by  LELAND  WILSON 

The  vision  of  hope  reflects 
both  heritage  —  what  has 
been  —  and  promise  —what 
is  to  be.    For  Christians 
the  future  offers  not  an 
impossible  dream  but  a 
new  heaven  and  a  new  earth 


I 


t  is  incredible!  Incredible  that  Breth- 
ren should  gather  for  their  family 
reunion  under  the  textual  shadow  of 
Revelation.  The  Holy  Spirit  has  often 
opened  the  scriptures  to  us  at  Matthew 
5,  6,  and  7.  He  has  led  us  to  Matthew 
25.  He  has  sent  us  exploring  refer- 
ences to  baptism  for  understanding 
the  nature  of  commitment.  But  the 
Holy  Spirit  has  so  engaged  us  in  central 
scriptures  that  we  have  rarely 
reached  the  concluding  book. 

Our  character  as  a  people  has  given 
ear  to  the  practical,  the  unadorned,  the 
ethical,  the  neighborly.  We  have  not 
had  time  for  Revelation's  poetic 
miagery,  and  we  have  been  wary  of  its 
fantastic  and  incomprehensible  visions, 
mindful  that  they  are  the  drums  to 
whose  beat  the  crackpots  march. 

Incredible,  too,  that  we  should  make 
a  topic  of  that  term,  ecology.  Scarcely 
a  harvest  ago  it  did  not  appear  in  the 
church's  vocabulary;  it  has  been  thrust 
upon  us  with  the  deadly  sweep  of  a 
hurricane.  But  ecology  is  in  our  topic 


and  very  much  an  "in"  word  with  the 
whole  society,  at  this  point  more 
respectable  in  the  public  mind  than 
either  of  those  recent  "bubbles,"  peace 
and  racial  justice. 

Incredible,  but  these  are  incredible 
times  and  from  them  we  have  discov- 
ered that  the  Holy  Spirit  speaks  not 
alone  from  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount 
but  also  from  Apocalypse.  We  have 
discovered  in  our  character  the  need  to 
be  poetic  as  well  as  practical,  to  be 
esthetic  even  if  unadorned,  to  be 
visionary  regarding  tomorrow  while 
ethical  in  dealing  with  today,  and  to 
participate  in  transcendence  along  with 
human  relationships. 

From  these  times  we  have  discov- 
ered anew  the  doctrine  of  creation. 
We  have  seen  man's  arrogance  in  hav- 
ing "dominion  over  the  fish  of  the  sea, 
and  over  the  birds  of  the  air,  and  over 
the  cattle,  and  over  all  the  earth,  and 
over  every  creeping  thing  that  creeps 
upon  the  earth."  Far  from  "finding 
God  in  nature,"  we  have  found  it  an 
object  of  rape,  making  muck  of  our  air, 
our  water,  and  our  land.  Jonathan 
Edwards,  describing  a  sinner  in  the 
hands  of  an  angry  God,  now  sounds 
pallid  beside  the  hoary  predictions  of 
Paul  Ehrlich,  who  gives  the  human 
race  only  five  to  fifteen  years  more  of 
survival  unless  drastic  changes  are 
made. 

Add  to  this  mess  of  environment  an 
interminable  and  morally  destructive 
war  in  Southeast  Asia,  the  continued 
threat  of  extinction  from  nuclear 
weapons,  overpopulation,  the  civil 
enmity  in  our  own  land  —  add  them 
together  —  and  hope,  indeed,  even 
sanity,  seems  impossible.  Christopher 
Sower  Jr.,  in  his  Almanac  of  1778, 
seems  a  haunting  forecast  for  this  day: 


6     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


I 


Thou  once  so  happy  land,  by  God  and 
Nature  blessed, 

And  teeming  with  abundant  joy. 

But  now,  alas,  by  sin  and  wrong  and 
vice  depressed, 

Thou  seemst  to  wither  and  to  die. 

O  land;  what  art  thou  now?    A  scene 
of  dismal  woes. 

To  wake  our  pity  and  our  tears; 

Oppressed  by  rapine,   murder,   and   a 
thousand  foes. 

Unknown  in  bygone  years. 

And  desolation,  hunger,  want  stalk  in 
the  wake 

Of  the  avenger's  bloody  steel. 

As  the  people  of  God,  we  share  in 
that  misery.  We  are  neither  above  it 
nor  beyond  it.  God  has  a  way  of 
sending  his  people,  as  he  went  himself, 
into  desert  life,  where  conditions  are 
crowded  and  hostile  and  where  there  is 
the  threat  of  death.  But  we  also  are 
residents  of  another  land,  the  land  of 
promise.  Our  commitment  to  Christ's 
kingdom  has  exiled  us  to  the  Isle  of 
Patmos.  On  that  island,  surrounded  by 
a  sea  of  certainty,  there  is  a  vision.  It 
is  a  vision  of  "a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth;  for  the  first  heaven  and  the  first 
earth  had  passed  away.  ..."  It  is  a 
vision  of  a  new  creation,  with  "all 
things  new."  It  is  a  vision  that  lifts  our 
sight  from  the  morass  and  mire  of  the 
world,  to  a  new  world  —  a  world  that 
has  come,  is,  and  is  coming. 

Hope  from  what  has  been 

The  vision  from  the  Isle  of  Patmos 
emerges  from  awareness  of  what  has 
been.  As  John  records  the  Revelation, 
it  is  dependent  as  no  other  book  in  the 
New  Testament  upon  ideas  and  images 
from  the  Old  Testament.  And  our  own 
revelation  will  surely  flow  from  that 
whole  body  of  experience  that  has 


given  us  a  history  and  a  heritage. 

Recent  years  have  seen  a  clouding 
of  our  vision  because  we  no  longer 
cared  about  what  had  been.  We  were 
ashamed  of  our  fathers  and  eager  to 
move  ahead  in  sophistication  of  the 
secular.  We  were  afraid  that  a  glance 
backward  would  impede  our  climb  on 
the  golden  stairway.  We  were  well  on 
our  way  to  becoming  a  "cut  flower" 
church,  severed  from  our  roots.  We 
had  begun  to  wilt.  And  now  we  are 
involved  in  grafting  back  the  stem  to 
the  roots  so  that  the  church  might  have 
flower. 

I  attribute  much  of  the  heritage 
renewal  to  the  faculty  at  Bethany 
Theological  Seminary.  They  are  a 
lean,  hard-nosed,  articulate  lot,  and  we 
have  not  been  able  to  ignore  them.  I 
attribute  much  of  the  heritage  renewal 
to  the  conservatives  of  our  church,  to 
the  White  Oak  that  held  firm  despite 
charges  of  irrelevancy.  I  attribute 
much  of  the  heritage  renewal  to  the 
radical  elements  in  the  church,  who  see 
heritage  not  as  a  brake  upon  the 
church,  not  to  preserve  it  as  it  is,  but  as 
a  source  to  reform  and  transform  the 
church  and  the  world.  I  attribute  much 
of  the  heritage  renewal  to  a 
Brotherhood  that  finds  it  a  basis  to 
witness  for  peace  when  it  is  popular  to 
cry  for  war,  to  recognize  it  as  a  place 
to  return  when  the  ecologists  now  also 
speak  of  the  necessity  of  nonconsump- 
tion  and  the  simple  life.  Vision  is 
linked  to  heritage,  to  experience,  to 
memory.  Without  awareness  of  what 
has  been,  there  is  no  vision. 

Ours  is  a  vision  of  hope  because 
what  has  been  includes  promise  —  a 
promise  by  God  to  Israel,  a  legacy  to 
those  of  us  who  are  the  new  Israel;  a 
promise  by  God  in  his  Son,  sealed  in 


the  breaking  of  bread  and  drinking  of 
wine. 

Hope  from  what  is 

The  vision  from  the  Isle  of  Patmos 
emerges  from  awareness  of  what  is.  As 
John  records  the  Revelation,  he  knows 
that  the  Christian  faith  is  looked  upon 
as  a  dangerous  movement.  He  knows 
impregnable  Rome  not  as  an  eternal 
reality  but  as  something  marked  for 
extinction.  (Those  whose  articles  of 
faith  include  America  have  not  yet  had 
John's  vision.)  He  knows  the  world  as 
it  is  where  now  ride  the  horsemen  of 
war  and  pestilence,  famine  and  death. 

The  people  of  God  know  what  is. 
But  that  is  not  what  distinguishes  us. 
Others  know  what  is,  also.  We  hold  no 
self-validating  credentials  on  foreign 
policy,  on  how  to  recover  from  the 
crash  of  Wall  Street,  on  how  to 
integrate  the  races,  on  how  to  sanitize 
the  atmosphere.  We  may  be  as  expert 
as  anyone  else  in  these  areas,  but  not 
more  so.  What  distinguishes  us  is  not 
analysis,  but  that  we  see  beyond  what 
is.  The  vision  of  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth  is  not  the  earth  reported  to 
us  by  Walter  Cronkite. 

The  promise  of  God  is  a 
contradiction  to  the  reality  we  now 
know.  We  live  in  the  time  of  tension 
between  the  uttering  of  the  promise  and 
the  redeeming  of  the  promise.  The 
question  is  how  we  live  in  that  tension. 

The  musical  play  Man  of  La 
Mancha  recounts  the  tale  of  Don 
Quixote,  product  of  the  Spanish  writer 
Cervantes.  Don  Quixote  was  an 
impossible  and  foolish  idealist  of  the 
late  sixteenth  century.  There  had  been 
no  knights  for  300  years,  but  he  was 
going  to  be  a  knight  in  shining  armor, 
whatever  the  age.  Into  the  face  of  the 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     7 


ECOLOGY  OF  HOPE  /  continued 

Inquisition,  the  ridicule,  scorn,  and 
jokes  of  others  rides  Don  Quixote  with 
a  different  kind  of  reality.  He  seeks  his 
fair  lady,  and  though  the  reality  that 
others  see  is  that  of  a  kitchen  slut,  he 
sees  her  as  "a  prayer  an  angel 
whispers." 

As  a  people,  we  know  what  is,  but 
we  do  not  permit  that  reality  to 
determine  our  own  life-style.  Harvey 
Cox,  who  led  our  celebration  of  The 
Secular  City,  has  been  sobered  by  what 
the  city  has  done.  He  now  adds  to  his 
earlier  document  a  postscript  that,  far 
from  embracing  secular  man,  suggests 
that  those  who  grasp  the  kingdom  of 
God  have  an  "insight  into  the  future 
.  .  .  (that)  may  require  an  element  of 
alienation  from  our  present  society."  It 
is  from  the  revelation  that  we  have  that 
there  is  the  possibility  of  transcending 
what  are  current  values.  Thus,  we  live 
in  the  world  that  is,  but  we  also  live  as 
ones  seeing  a  new  heaven  and  a  new 
earth.  Therefore,  we  have  confidence, 
we  have  security  in  the  present  with  the 
Psalmist  who  wrote  (18:2,  3): 

The  Lord  is  my  rock,  and  my  fortress, 

and  my  deliverer, 
my  God,   my  rock,   in  whom  I  take 

refuge, 
my  shield,  and  the  horn  of  my  salva- 
tion, my  stronghold. 
I  call  upon  the  Lord,  who  is  worthy  to 
be  praised, 
and  I  am  saved  from  my  enemies. 

Hope  from  what  is  to  be 

The  vision  from  the  Isle  of  Patmos 
emerges  from  awareness  of  what  is  to 
come.  As  John  records  the  Revelation, 
he  puts  it  in  form  of  pictures.  He 
draws  upon  creation  for  his  images  — 
the  stars,  thunder,  lightning,  earth- 
quakes, scorpions,  lions,  and  horses. 
He  uses  symbols,  particularly  numbers. 
And  he  interprets  the  living  Lord  in 
new  figures.  His  is  the  language  of  the 


beautiful  and  of  the  grotesque;  his  the 
spirit  of  expectancy.  It  is  a  lesson  to 
be  learned.  It  is  an  experience  to  be 
grasped.  If,  in  our  recent  past,  we  had 
been  less  literal,  less  practical,  less 
utilitarian,  the  mystery  and  the  majesty 
of  the  gospel  could  have  had 
greater  impact  upon  us  and  through  us. 

The  vision  that  has  been  our  pursuit 
in  recent  years  has  not  been  wrong;  it 
has  simply  been  too  limited.  Our 
attention  came  to  be  focused  almost 
entirely  upon  contemporary  history. 
We  took  up  residence  in  Resurrection 
City.  We  enlisted  in  Mr.  Johnson's 
efforts  to  build  a  Great  Society.  We 
said,  "The  Time  Is  Now"  for  racial 
justice.  We  pounded  the  doors  of 
Congress  about  Southeast  Asia.  Dis- 
appointment and  despair  have  come, 
not  because  the  goals  were  wrong;  they 
were  right.  What  has  destroyed  us  is 
the  overloading  of  historical 
expectation  and  the  literalizing  of  our 
rhetoric. 

We  resolve  to  eliminate  poverty,  and 
that  is  certainly  worthy  of  those  whose 
stance  is  within  the  Christian  faith  and 
who  enjoy  the  fruits  of  affluence.  But, 
we  do  well  to  remember  the  warning 
of  Jesus,  "the  poor  you  always  have 
with  you.  ..."  It  is  the  vision  that  we 
have  of  the  new  heaven  and  the  new 
earth  that  makes  us  believe  that  no 
child  need  be  hungry,  makes  us 
anticipate  with  an  earlier  prophet  that 
the  nations  and  the  peoples  "shall  beat 
their  swords  into  plowshares,  and  their 
spears  into  pruning  hooks,"  makes  us 
anticipate  with  a  later  prophet  that 
"one  day  on  the  red  hills  of  Georgia 
the  sons  of  former  slaves  and  the  sons 
of  former  slaveowners  will  be  able  to 
sit  down  together  at  the  table  of 
brotherhood."  We  not  only  have  that 
vision,  but  we  live  as  if  it  were  a 
reality  for  us;  we  live  to  make  it  a 
reality  for  all  people.  The  church  is  an 


exodus  people  leaving  behind  the 
slavery  of  this  present  age  and  forever 
pushing  toward  the  promises  of 
tomorrow. 

Whether  we  move  toward  despair  or 
hope  lies  with  what  we  do  with  the 
promises  that  are  ours.  Jurgen 
Moltmann  calls  our  attention  to  the 
experience  of  Israel  with  the  Old 
Testament  promises.  Those  "promises 
were  not  liquidated  by  the  history  of 
Israel  —  neither  by  disappointment 
nor  by  fulfillment  —  but ...  on  the 
contrary,  Israel's  experience  of  history 
gave  them  a  constantly  new  and  wider 
interpretation."  These  qualities  of  new 
and  reinterpretation  save  us  from 
dejection  because  of  failure  to  meet  set 
expectations.  These  qualities  make 
dialogue  and  proclamation,  and  thus 
the  Annual  Meeting  and  the  weekly 
meeting,  so  very  crucial. 

The  vision  of  a  new  heaven  and  a 
new  earth  brings  a  new  ecological 
balance  to  our  world.  We  no  longer 
live  in  the  same  relationship.  We  have 
been  given  that  which  transcends  our 
present  existence.  John  Masefield's 
play.  The  Trial  of  Jesus,  pictures 
Pilate's  wife  in  conversation  with 
Longinus,  by  tradition  the  Roman 
centurion  who  participated  in  the 
crucifixion.  Of  the  soldier  she  asks, 
"Do  you  think  he  is  dead?" 

"No,  lady,  I  don't,"  Longinus 
answers.  , 

"Then  where  is  he?"  I 

"Let  loose  in  the  world,  lady, 
where  neither  Roman  nor  Jew  can  stop 
his  truth." 

That  new  heaven  and  new  earth,  that 
new  creation,  is  a  vision  set  free  in  the 
world  that  cannot  be  destroyed.  It  is 
a  vision  that  frees  us  from  whatever 
historically  would  bind  us.  We  are  a 
people  of  this  world,  but  more 
important,  we  are  a  people  of  the 
world  that  is  coming.  D 


8     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


I  See 

a  IMew 
Ubrld 
Coming 


eye; 

land. 


yond   a    dy  -  ing 

He    shall  wipe    a  -  way   the  stain  of  tears  from  ev 

hat  -  red   rag  -  es  on    the  wind  aftd  war  de-  file 

-C-j r>   tmi           I    .Ami i  ,  -or       A 

of   gold  -  en  sails  full    bil  -  lowed  on  the  vind.         And 

the  sting    of  death  shall  pierce   the  heart  no  more.        When 

I    see   those  gold  -   en  sails  still  com  -  ing  strong.        For 


by  Steve  Engle 


through 

l£iil 


cho  -  ing     a  -  bove    the   waves     a  voice  called   af  -  ter   me^:  "The 

ing    turns    to  laugh-  ter     all     the  pain  from    us  shall  fly,  and 

the   eyes     of  faith  still   shines   the   im  -  age      of   The  Man,  and 

_ai q            e I  R«y«'iri 


dwel 
form 


ling    place    of   God    is   here    with     it 
er     ways    lie  bleached  up  -  on      the     shore 
a     wear  -  y    earth  there  rings   this     song  _ 


they   shall  be   His  peop-le,   and  He    shall    rule   ia    peac 


T-T'  ^P  Fi  f  ^4\T  [\  [;:  f  i^^ 


Copyright  ©  1970  by  Steve  Engle  and  the  La  Verne  Church  of  the  Brethren 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     9 


A  MY 
IIMTHE 

LOIMG 
HOT 
SUIVIIVIER 


by  NORMAN  L.  THOMAS 

I  could  have  passed  for  either 
a  college  student  or  a  hum 
that  day.  My  hair  was 
messed  up,  I  wore  ragged 
jeans  and  a  T-shirt,  and  on 
my  feet  were  canvas  shoes, 
and  SOX,  once  white,  but  now 
brownish  from  the  summer 
dust 


I  could  have  appeared  either  a 

wayfaring,  heedless,  sloppy  bum,  or 
a  young  man  who  put  knowledge 
and  wisdom  above  cleanliness. 

I  had  just  finished  my  first  six 
hours  of  college  but  could  not  take 
classes  through  the  second  summer 
session  because  I  had  run  out  of 
money.    So  I  was  a  student 
AND  a  bum. 

I  was  a  lonesome  figure  wander- 
ing down  the  dusty  edge  of  the 
road.    I  walked  through  the  foUage 
that  is  invariably  along  the  side  of 
any  gravel  road,  and  into  the  grass 
of  a  lovely  park  situated  just  out- 
side the  city.    In  my  hand  was  a 
new  book  by  William  Faulkner, 
which  I  was  preparing  to  read  in 
the  solitude  of  nature,  yet  with  the 


10     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


comfort  of  a  good  hard  park  bench. 

I  appeared  no  different  from  any- 
one else,  but  deep  down  I  had  a 
hunger,  not  for  knowledge,  spirit,  or 
wisdom  —  but  for  food. 

I  had  always  thought  that  our 
modern  American  society  would  not 
possibly  allow  me  to  starve  to 
death,  even  though  it  had  let  the 
rest  of  the  world  feel  the  pangs  it 
has  never  felt  itself. 

When  I  had  started  working  at 
the  college  because  I  had  very  little 
money,  I  had  assumed  that  we 
would  be  paid  on  a  weekly  basis, 
as  most  laborers  are.    When  the 
first  Friday  came,  I  fingered  my 
lone  monetary  possession,  one  cent, 
and  remarked  to  the  secretary  that 
it  would  be  nice  to  get  our  weekly 
paychecks.    She  informed  me  that 
we  did  not  get  our  checks  until  the 
end  of  the  month,  which  was  three 
weeks  away. 

"You  don't  have  to  worry, 
though,"  she  said.    "You  can  bor- 
row some  money  from  the  dean  of 
men  and  get  it  probably  by  next 
Wednesday.    You  surely  have 
enough  to  last  that  long." 

"Yes,  yes,  I  can  make  it  until 
then,  I  guess,"  I  said.    That  ended 
a  conversation  but  began  a  trial 
which  I  recall  as  vividly  as  if  it 
were  happening  now:   a  trial,  be- 
cause of  which  I  pity  with  deep 
sorrow  the  Chinese,  the  Africans, 
the  Indians,  and  anyone  else  who 
feels  the  deep  pangs  of  hunger. 

Sure,  I  could  make  it  until 
Wednesday  —  with  one  measly  cent 
and  two  slices  of  bread  and  some 
peanut  butter  in  my  room. 

Finally  I  was  settled  comfortably 
on  a  park  bench,  trying  to  forget 
my  troubles  and  my  hunger.    It  was 
late  Sunday  afternoon,  and  I  had 
foolishly  finished  my  last  morsel  of 


food.    The  peanut  butter  and  bread 
had  tasted  delightful  while  they 
were  being  chewed.    Now  even  they 
were  gone. 

My  parents  were  on  a  vacation, 
and  of  course  I  could  not  write  to 
them  with  a  plea  for  help.    There 
was  no  way  out.    The  stores  were 
too  suspicious  of  a  bum-like  charac- 
ter of  dubious  background  with 
only  a  student  I.D.  card  for  refer- 
ence, so  I  could  not  say,  "Charge 
it,  please."    I  had  already  swiped  a 
couple  of  deviled  eggs  from  the 
refrigerator  in  the  house  where  I 
stayed.    They  might  suspect  some- 
thing already. 

There  was  a  decision  that  I  was 
left  to  make  myself.    Should  I  or 
should  I  not?    I  glanced  around  the 
park:   trees,  green  benches,  tables 
caught  my  attention.    And  then  — 
oh,  no!  —  yes,  a  trash  can,  a  con- 
tainer for  garbage!    At  first  my  eyes 
glanced  off  this  object,  as  they  had 
with  all  the  other  things.    But  then, 
as  if  my  stomach  ruled  my  brain, 
they  crept  slowly  back  to  the  trash 
can.    Then,  against  my  wUl,  they 
rested  on  the  can.    I  was  staring  at 
it. 

A  quiet  crunch  of  wheels  slowing 
to  a  stop  on  the  parking  indicated 
a  car  had  driven  up.    Two  more 
followed  and  parked  diagonally,  and 
casually  as  if  the  drivers  had  no 
care  in  the  world  and  only  wanted 
to  stop  driving,  and  start  — 
"What?"  I  thought  at  first.    "I'll  be 
tortured  by  watching  them  eat.    I'll 
stare  at  them,  and  they'll  think  I'm 
crazy.  .  .  .  Say,  maybe  they'll  be 
sloppy  and  careless  as  most  Amer- 
icans are,  and  they'll  throw  away 
lots  of  —  quit  thinking  so  stupidly. 
Would  you  stoop  that  low?" 

I  opened  my  book  and  started  to 
read,  hoping  the  people  would  pay 


no  attention. 

Soon  the  parents  had  brought  out 
games  for  the  children,  bassinettes 
for  the  babies,  the  trinkets  and  con- 
venient hot  dog  holders,  plastic  con- 
tainers, plastic  spoons  and  forks, 
and  all  the  other  picnic  essentials. 
And  the  main  thing,  the  no-less- 
than  marvelous  food,  was  delivered 
from  the  cars.    They  brought  sever- 
al sacks  and  baskets  and  began  un- 
loading them  onto  the  tables.    From 
them  came  all  sorts  of  things: 
packages  of  weiners  and  buns, 
loaves  of  bread,  several  types  of 
spreads,  salads,  stacks  of  potato 
chips,  a  white  package  —  probably 
the  hamburger  for  the  hot  dog  hat- 
ers —  marshmallows,  and  dark  pot- 
tery bowls,  most  likely  containing 
beans.    Last  of  all,  the  men  carried 
from  the  cars  those  inevitable,  ever- 
present-at-picnics,  delicious,  juicy 
watermelons. 

I  was  dying.    I  had  experienced 
too  many  picnics  to  bear  the 
thought  of  being  near  one  and  be- 
ing hungry.    My  tongue  imagined  all 
of  the  tastes  that  it  was  being  de- 
prived of  but  knew  so  well.    I 
could  not  leave.    I  hated  these 
people  for  coming. 

Slowly  I  gazed  around,  hoping 
that  something  else  would  attract 
my  attention.    There  was  a  chubby 
little  child  trying  to  keep  up  with 
the  older  children.    Slowly  his  blue 
pants  were  slipping  down,  and  they 
were  beckoning  the  one  other  gar- 
ment of  his  possession,  the  under- 
pants, to  follow.    I  smiled  as  his 
mother  chased  after  him  to  change 
destiny.    She  caught  him  just  in 
time.    She  glanced  over  and  saw 
that  I  was  amused.    Then  she 
smiled,  realizing  that  I  sympathized 
with  her  troubles. 

What  no  one  seemed  to  realize, 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     11 


LONG  HOT  SUMMER  /  continued 

though,  was  that  I  was  hungry.    I 
apparently  looked  either  like  a  per- 
son with  high  metabolism  or  per- 
haps the  victim  of  a  commercial 
weight  control  program.    But  how- 
ever I  appeared,  they  felt  no  pity 
or  remorse,  because  they  had  not 
felt  hungry  before.    Why  should 
anyone  ever  feel  hungry?    It  was  as 
though  it  had  never  occurred  to 
them  that  the  only  way  to  satisfy 
one's  hunger  is  to  eat.    And  if  you 
have  no  food?    No  food?    Why, 
everyone  has  food! 

I  hated  them.  I  despised  them 
for  doing  the  same  thing  I  would 
have  done,  had  the  situation  been 
reversed.  I  disliked  them  because 
they  ignored  me.  They  were  com- 
pletely indifferent. 

I  watched  the  children  play. 
There  they  were,  doing  anything 
they  wished,  with  no  thought  of 
how  they  would  survive  and  no 
cares  whatever;  and  although  they 
looked  forward  to  the  next  meal, 
they  never  longed  for  it  as  I  did. 
They  assumed  that  life  would  be 
this  way  forever. 

Then  there  were  teen-agers  who 
said,  "Let's  eat!    I'm  starved!"    How 
stupid  they  were!    How  ignorant  of 
the  meaning  of  hunger! 

And  the  adults  were  calm  about 
everything.    They  tried  to  make  the 
other  adults  think  that  they  were 
bored  with  the  routine,  but  they 
really  enjoyed  it. 

All  this  time  I  had  a  terrible 
urge,  almost  an  ache,  to  get  up  and 
join  them,  the  three  families.    They 
had  plenty,  and  I  had  none.    Why 
should  I  not  partake?    It  seemed 
reasonable  to  my  abnormal  self. 

Then  the  call  was  given.    The 
fire  was  sparkling  and  ready  to  feel 
the  drips  of  grease  from  the  swell- 
ing hot  dogs.    The  tables  were  set; 


on  one  end  of  the  string  of  three 
tables,  the  food  was  placed,  with 
bread  and  meat  to  be  picked  up 
and  prepared  over  the  fire,  each 
person  to  his  own  taste.    Next  were 
the  beans  and  salads,  then  came  the 
potato  chips  and  small  fresh  vege- 
tables, and  lastly  were  the  cakes 
and  pies.    The  whole  of  one  table, 
in  fact,  was  covered  with  food  to 
be  eaten  by  approximately  fifteen 
people.    Surely  they  could  not  eat 
all  that  food! 

They  could  not  eat  it  all,  and 
they  would  leave  some  of  it  as  all 
Americans  do.    They  would  be 
wasteful,  and  their  children  would 
nibble  awhile  and  declare,  "I'm  full. 
Mommy!"    And  I  would  have  some- 
thing to  eat. 

Oh,  I  could  not  wait!    I  had  to 
go  away  and  come  back  later,  or  I 
would  go  mad  with  anxiety.    I 
slowly  got  up  from  the  bench  and 
walked  toward  the  other  end  of  the 
park.    I  felt  as  though  the  world 
were  treading  on  me.    I  was  forsak- 
en by  all  mankind. 

Then  my  mind  began  discussing 
the  legal  aspects  of  —  uh  —  search- 
ing trash  cans.    Vagrancy?    A  pa- 
trolman drove  by,  and  I  was 
tempted  to  hail  him  and  ask  him 
about  this  problem. 

I  was  curious  about  religion's 
standpoint  on  the  position  of  bums 
or  trash  can  searchers.    Jesus  advo- 
cated leaving  all  you  have  and  liv- 
ing by  the  grace  of  God,  did  he 
not?    Perhaps  that  was  what  I  was 
doing.    Or  is  eating  the  scraps  of 
other  people's  picnics  considered  the 
grace  of  God?  Well,  anyway,  I  did 
not  think  it  would  be  sinning. 

Many  such  thoughts  wandered 
through  my  tired  mind  as  I  impa- 
tiently waited  for  that  moment  when 
the  people  would  pack  up  their  be- 


longings and  leave.    It  seemed  so 
long  since  they  had  come! 

Dusk  was  falling  through  the 
trees,  much  as  fog  settles  to  the 
ground.    A  few  birds  still  chirped 
near  me  in  the  foliage.    The  chirp- 
ing of  the  birds  seemed  extremely 
loud  compared  to  the  faraway 
clanking  of  pans  and  the  sounds  of 
packing  up  for  the  journey  home. 
Finally  car  doors  slammed,  and  I 
noted  the  different  sounds  of  the 
starters  of  the  cars.    They  were 
leaving,  and  it  was  time. 

I  got  up  from  the  bench  and 
walked,  this  time  a  little  faster,  to 
the  place  which  the  picnickers  had 
occupied.    As  I  approached  it,  I  be- 
gan to  slow  down  cautiously,  as 
though  someone  might  jump  out 
from  behind  a  tree  and  scare  me 
half  to  death.    Stealthily  I  crept 
over  to  where  the  large  iron  trash 
can  was.    Slowly  I  pulled  off  the 
lid  and  looked  in.    There  was  one 
thing  in  it:   air!    "Oh,  no!    This 
cannot  be!"    I  stared  into  the  can. 
If  I  stared  longer,  surely  something 
would  show  up.    Then  I  put  the  lid 
back  on,  glad  to  get  away  from 
that  horribly  stuffy  smell. 

I  walked  over  to  the  fireplace, 
my  illusions  shattered.    "These  peo- 
ple had  been  clean,"  I  thought. 
Then  I  looked  into  the  fireplace 
and  I  saw  why  there  was  no  fruit 
of  my  evening's  labor.    There  lay 
blackened  remains  of  watermelon 
rinds,  unbumed  rims  of  cardboard 
pie  plates,  black  chunks  of  what 
used  to  be  bread,  and  other  evi- 
dences of  a  burned  picnic. 

My  dreams  were  ruined,  my  last 
hope  trampled.    All  my  labor  was 
wasted:   the  labor  of  patience.    All 
that  was  left  of  me  was  hate. 

AND  WHO  CAN  LIVE  ON 
HATE?    n 


12     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


day  hy  day 


Since  children  have  often  proven  their  ability  to  under- 
stand adult  concepts,  why  are  they  not  taught  more  about 

i  the  real  issues  of  life?  For  instance,  the  problem  of  pain 
and  suffering  is  usually  left  to  the  philosophers,  although 

'  all  children  confront  some  facet  of  this  problem  long  before 
adulthood. 

I  remember  noting  inconsistencies  in  Sunday  school 
when  still  very  young.  The  one  I  pondered  most  was  why 
God,  who  is  good,  was  blamed  for  inflicting  upon  his  chil- 
dren illnesses  and  calamities  that  even  very  bad  human 

■  fathers  would  normally  not  do.  Later  in  life,  when  I  was 
in  desperate  need  of  healing,  I  remembered  that  my  parents 
had  never  assented  to  this  belief;  and  I  set  about  to  find  the 

i:  answers  to  the  questions  I  had  only  thought  as  a  child. 
Books  and  lectures  by  Agnes  Sanford,  an  Episcopalian  lay- 
woman,  were  the  source  of  the  answers  I  needed.  Her  book 
for  children.  Let's  Believe,  we  have  found  an  invaluable  aid. 
Children  seem  to  grasp  profound  concepts  more  readily  than 

i  adults,  unhampered  as  they  are  by  the  maze  of  preconcep- 
tions we  must  wander  through. 

Most  all  denominations  sponsor  some  type  of  medical 
work,  but  most  also  permit  to  go  unchallenged  the  concept 

:  that  illness  is  often  God's  will.  The  study  of  early  church 
history  has  been  a  fun  project  to  help  the  children  see  why 

;  and  when  this  teaching  began.  It  certainly  did  not  originate 
with  Jesus.  Often  Paul's  "thorn  in  the  flesh"  (2  Corinthians 
12;7)  is  quoted  as  evidence  that  God  wills  at  least  some 
physical  maladies,  with  theologians  discussing  at  length  the 
particular  affliction  to  which  it  refers.  But  a  child  without 
preconceived  ideas  might  see  the  excellent  clue  (12:10)  that 
what  was  bugging  Paul  were  "persecutions,  insults"  —  the 

1  inevitable  results  of  his  perseverance  in  proclaiming  Christ. 

'  Paul  would  not  retreat;  God  would  not  violate  the  free  will 
of  Paul's  oppressor.  (God  never  breaks  his  own  laws.) 
Thus,  though  the  "thorn"  was  not  removable,  Paul  found 
God's  grace  sufficient.  That's  an  encouraging  thought  when 
the  bullies  at  school  gang  up. 

We  have  made  an  effort  to  see  that  our  children  meet 
people  whose  lives  have  felt  the  impact  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment power  of  God.  Miracles,  or  the  functioning  of  laws 
we  do  not  yet  understand,  of  Jesus'  day  are  repeatable 
today  when  his  power  is  not  short-circuited.    Some  of  our 

1  most  cherished  friendships  are  with  people  who  demonstrate 
this  fact. 

A  child's  faith  can  release  God's  power  to  heal  asthma. 
Some  years  ago,  during  our  son's  worst  attack,  with  bron- 
chitis, before  leaving  for  the  hospital  we  reminded  him  that 
Jesus  never  liked  to  see  suffering.   He  did  not  respond,  in 


his  desperate  struggle  for  air,  but  we  proceeded  to  anoint 
him.  Within  minutes,  his  breathing  became  quiet  and 
slowed  to  a  normal  rate,  his  pulse  slowed,  his  color  returned, 
he  grinned  his  wide  grin,  and  he  slept  the  rest  of  the  night 
without  coughing.  His  elevated  temperature  had  dropped 
to  normal  by  the  next  day.    That  was  his  last  attack. 

During  the  flu  epidemic  our  daughter  came  home  from 
junior  high  school  with  symptoms  of  "el  Hong  Kong."  We 
called  some  BVSers  who  were  members  of  the  prayer  group 
and  anointed  her.  Even  before  the  prayer  was  over,  the 
patient  had  begun  to  perspire  and  in  less  than  half  an  hour 
her  temperature  had  dropped  from  101  degrees  to  98.6. 
(How  normal  can  you  get?)  We  discuss  freely  the  belief  of 
many  persons  that  these  happenings  are  coincidences,  but 
they  have  seen  that  when  we  stop  praying,  "coincidences" 
stop  happening.  We  prefer  to  change  the  spelling  a  bit  and 
list  them  as  "Godincidents." 

Of  course  the  results  are  not  always  immediate  and  at 
times  we  see  none  at  all.  But  does  that  mean  that  God  has 
changed?  Or  rather  that  the  channels  are  not  open?  When 
the  toaster  does  not  work,  we  do  not  assume  it  is  no  longer 
the  will  of  electricity  to  heat  it  but  instead  check  the  con- 
nections. Leslie  Weatherhead's  book  The  Will  of  God  can 
be  used  with  older  children. 

Even  when  faith  is  still  only  the  "evidence  of  things  not 
seen"  (yet),  the  sureness  that  perfection  is  our  birthright  is 
very  strengthening.  Instead  of  worrying  and  fretting  when 
a  neighbor  or  family  member  is  ill  or  has  some  other  need, 
it  is  a  family  project  to  "see  them  perfect."  Sometimes  it  is 
hard  to  hold  ourselves  to  what  we  know  is  possible  instead 
of  what  we  are  seeing.  But  one  is  sure  to  be  reminded  of 
his  beliefs,  when  it  counts  most,  if  he  has  taught  a  child  — 
who  will  be  sure  to  prod  one  out  of  old  habit  patterns 
back  into  constructive  thinking.  —  Don  and  Shirley  Fike 

DAILY   READING  GUIDE        August   16-29 

Sunday    James   1:12-21.    God,  being   good,  does   only   good. 

Monday    2  Corinthians   12:7-10.    Thorns  are   not  of  God. 

Tuesday  Matthew  7:7-12.  Even  "bad"  men  do  good;  a  good  God  does 
even   better. 

Wednesday    Job  2:1-7.    Satan   afflicts  but  God   sustains. 

Thursday  Luke  18:1-8.  A  judge  acts  begrudgingly  for  his  own  conveni- 
ence; God   responds  out  of   love. 

Friday    Matthew   20:29-39.    Jesus   never   refused   to  heal. 

Saturday    James  5:13-18.    Give  God   a  chancel 

Sunday    Mark   2:2-12.    Sickness   is   often   the   result   of   personal   sin. 

Monday    John  9:1-5.    Not  all  sickness  is  the  result  of  personal   sin. 

Tuesday    John  9:6-11.    Healing  is  "working   his  works." 

Wednesday    John   11:1-4.    Not  the  illness,  but  its  healing,  glorifies  God. 

Thursday    Luke   17:11-14.    Faith   is  acting   "as   if"  (before  seeing). 

Friday    Matthew   8:1-4.    Jesus   revealed   God's  desire   to   heal. 

Saturday    Acts  3:3-10.    Healing   results   in   joyful   praise. 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     13 


Faith  is 


Remembering  is  a  form  of  sharing  that 
which  has  been,  is  now,  and  will  be.  The 
act  of  remembering  and  sharing  one's 
faith  was  a  part  of  the  celebrative  wor- 
ship service,  "Let  Us  Remember,"  dur- 
ing the  Lincoln  Annual  Conference. 

Communicants  were  asked  to  write 
their  statements  of  remembrance  on 
cards.  Some  then  shared  them  over  the 
auditorium  microphones,  each  was  in- 
vited to  share  them  with  his  neighbor, 
and  all  were  asked  to  share  them  with 
each  other  by  posting  the  adhesive- 
backed  cards  on  the  corridor  wall  outside 
the  arena. 

"Faith  is  belief  put  to  the  melody  of 
action,"  wrote  one  person.  And  many 
others  wrote  in  terms  of  service  and 
helpfulness  to  others.  Still  others  drew 
direct  and  poignant  expressions  such  as 
"My  faith  is  love." 

If  the  various  statements  can  be  fairly 
characterized,  perhaps  they  can  be  done 
so  in  these  ways: 

Faith  seen  as  response  to  our  human- 
ness. 

"Faith  for  me  is  belief/ action  in  God 
—  and  God  is  most  real  for  me  as  I  re- 
late to  other  persons.  I  remember  the 
love  others  have  shown  me,  and  I  know 
God  is  love!" 

"Faith  is  for  me  a  trust  that  life  is  a 
'good'  that  ultimately  gets  'gooder' 
through  God." 

"Faith  —  the  hope  that  man,  with  the 
help  of  God,  can  transform  the  some- 
times hellish  earth  into  a  loving  world." 

"My  faith  means  I  am  my  brother's 
keeper." 

"My  faith  means  heightened  sensitiv- 
ity: to  self  —  needs,  talents,  uncertainty; 
to  persons  —  trusting,  reaching  out,  ful- 
filling; to  God  —  accepting,  forgiving, 
receiving,  loving." 

"May  my  faithfulness  to  God  be  as 
great  as  my  faithfulness  to  my  family 
which  demands  continuous  doing  of  tasks 
both  large  and  small." 

"What  my  faith  means  to  me?    That 


the  seasons  go  endlessly  on  and  God  is 
ever  present." 

"My  faith  means  holding  to  and  nur- 
turing my  own  integrity  and  seeking  to 
support  and  nurture  the  integrity  of  all 
other  human  beings  on  this  earth." 

"Christian  faith  is  love  in  action.  I 
will   strive   to   love   people   as   persons." 

"Faith  is  happiness.  Faith  is  enjoying 
life.    Faith  is  knowing  there  is  a  God." 

"Faith  is  giving  myself  in  love  for  an- 
other's hurting." 

"Faith  is  the  hot  knife  which  cuts 
through  the  cold  butter  of  excuses  and 
defensive  circumstances." 

Faith  seen  as  reassurance  and  conso- 
lation when  needs  arise. 

"The  faithfulness  and  love  of  a  living 
Christ  was  renewed  within  me  this  week 
through  an  experience  of  death  in  the 
family.  Thanks  be  to  God  for  a  Christ 
and  Savior  who  is  victor  over  life  and 
death." 

"Faith  is  a  strengthening  of  friends 
and  family  in  time  of  need  —  a  desire  to 
pass  on  to  others  the  strength  and  light 
to  go  on  —  to  share  with  others  that 
strength  and  life." 

"I  don't  remember  when  I  first  began 
to  doubt  it  all!" 

"I  remember  when  I'm  alone  —  that 
I'm  not." 

"My  faith  means  my  life  and  my  fu- 
ture to  me.  It  is  the  most  important 
thing  in  my  life." 

"My  faith  gives  me  courage  to  keep 
going  when  things  get  rough." 

"My  faith  means  peace  with  God,  the 
security  of  knowing  that  in  all  my  weak- 
ness, I  am  a  child  of  God,  of  knowing  I 
have  something  to  look  forward  to." 

"I  remember  God's  faithfulness  and 
healing  power  during  my  illness.  I  re- 
member God's  watchful  care  over  us  at 
all  times." 

"My  faith  is  undergirded  by  the  birth 
of  my  first  child  after  years  of  prayer 
for  a  child." 

"My  faith  means  that  God  offers  me 
strength  to  meet  each  situation  of  life  I 
confront  to  the  extent  I  am  willing  to 


entrust  myself  to  Him." 

"My  faith  gives  me  strength,  courage, 
joy  for  living  day  by  day." 

Faith  seen  as  meaning  in  life. 

"My  faith  gives  life  meaning,  depth, 
focus.  Without  it,  life  would  be  empty, 
dull,  and  indeed  meaningless.  Thank 
God  for  faith." 

"My  faith  means  I  can  live  knowing  . 
that  today  is  not  the  last  regardless  of  I 
what  happens  to  me." 

"My  faith  is  to  get  to  the  root  of  what  < 
it  means  to  live  in  and  for  Christ.    That  i 
will  make  me  radical,  but  I  trust  Him 
for  the  future." 

"My    faith    means    to   me    T    have    a 
Savior'  which  means  hope  for  the  future  : 
life." 

"Faith  is  new  beginnings,  new 
strength,    renewed   hope    in   Christ." 

"My  faith  is  my  only  salvation  as  I 
think  of  the  past  and  remember  the  life 
that  I  have  lived  and  then  as  I  look  to 
the  future  I  can  only  think  that  my  hope 
has  no  foundation  without  faith." 

"Faith  means  to  me  a  trust  that  now 
and  in  the  future  everything  will  be  all 
right." 

"My  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
leads  me  day  by  day  to  discover  more 
fully  what  is  God's  will  for  me  right 
now.  As  I  remember  yesterday  I  think 
about  today  and  tomorrow." 

"My  faith  means  that  I  do  not  have  to 
go  through  life  alone;  there  is  a  source 
from  which  my  help  comes.  This  I  see 
in  the  life  of  two  children  who  almost 
died  at  their  birth." 

"I  remember  Jesus  as  the  one  who 
loves  me  and  as  the  one  who  wants 
me  and  as  the  one  who  wants  me  to 
love  and  as  the  one  who  enables  me 
to  love  and  as  the  one  who  enables 
others  to  love  me." 

"For  the  church,  remembering  was,  is, 
and  will  be  He  who  is  the  Christ,"  said 
Wil  Nolen,  who  with  Earle  Fike  Jr.  of 
the  Parish  Ministries  staff,  organized  the 
service.  And  for  some  700  persons  who 
shared  their  thoughts,  remembering  that 
evening  was  faith  reaffirmed. 


14     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


Steps  in  conciliation 

I  "The  dignified  and  self-determined 
manner  with  which  the  people  of  Ni- 
\  geria  are  rebuilding  and  rehabilitating 
;  their  nation  is  an  outstanding  example 
:  of  Christian  love  in  action." 

This  is  the  assessment  of  Wolfgang  F. 
I  BuUe,     medical    missions     secretary    of 
the  Lutheran  Church  —  Missouri  Synod, 
who  for  two  and  a  half  years  has  admin- 
1  istered   medical   relief  work  in  Nigeria. 
:  It  is  under  his  agency  that  several  Breth- 
1  ren  relief  workers  have  engaged  in  re- 
habilitation   ministries    to    war    victims 
,  over  the  past  few  years. 
I      Noting   the   measure   of  responsibility 
I  that  Christian  nationals  have  assumed  in 
Nigeria,   Dr.   Bulle  feels  that  within   15 
years  Nigerians  will  have  a  leading  role 
in  the  world  Christian  movement.    Ex- 
plaining that  the  African  church  is  very 
'  much  coming  into  its  own,  he  contends 
i  that  "the  role  of  the  American  and  the 
I  European   in   a   leading  capacity   is  fin- 
I  ished.    We  are  there  to  provide  financial 
I  help  and  technical  resources  with  which 
the  Nigerians  can  help  themselves.    Our 
brethren  in  Nigeria  have  outgrown  the 
crutches  offered  by  missionaries.    They 
are   Christians  in  their  own   right,  who 
are  inviting  us  to  share  their  Christian 
ministry." 

Secondment:  It  is  in  such  a  role,  one 
of  partnership  and  assistance,  that  Roger 
L.  Ingold,  Brethren  field  secretary,  has 
taken  leave  to  work  under  the  Christian 
Council  of  Nigeria  at  Lagos.  He  was 
seconded  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
earlier  this  year  to  be  assistant  to  Em- 
manuel Urhobo,  director  of  the  Relief 
and  Rehabilitation  Commission  of  the 
Christian  Council  of  Nigeria. 

Teams  of  the  commission  were  re- 
sponsible for  feeding  and  providing 
;  medical  services  for  more  than  one  mil- 
lion people  a  week  in  the  former  war 
zones.  Surveys  by  the  commission  in 
mid-June  still  reported  the  situation  seri- 
ous in  areas  affected  by  the  war. 

To    charges    that    "neutral   journalists 


A  shared  ministry:   Roger  Ingold,  1.,   assists  Nigerian   council's   Emmanuel   Urhobo 


and  other  outside  observers"  have  been 
banned  from  the  eastern  states  where 
relief  ministries  are  being  conducted,  Ni- 
geria's Ambassador  J.T.F.  lyalla  wrote 
to  the  Washington,  D.C.  Evening  Star  of 
the  "objective,  neutral,  distinguished, 
and  respected  individuals  who  could  not 
by  any  length  of  imagination"  be  con- 
strued as  being  commissioned  by  the 
Nigerian  government.  Among  16  ex- 
patriate churchmen  and  journalists  he 
cited  was  Roger  Ingold  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren. 

Crash  planting:  To  date  the  Christian 
Council  programs  with  which  Mr.  Ingold 
assists  have  concentrated  heavily  on  food 
production,  going  beyond  handouts  to 
ensure  food  for  the  future.  Von  L.  Hall, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  missionary  and 
experienced  agriculturalist  in  Northern 
Nigeria,  supervised  a  special  three- 
months'  crash  program  to  get  yams, 
maize,  and  melons  in  the  ground  before 
rains  overtook  the  farmers.  Yams  pro- 
vide most  people's  staple  diet,  but  maize 
is  a  better  crop  in  an  emergency  situa- 
tion in  that  it  matures  in  one-third  the 
time. 

Between  February  and  May  of  this 
year,  the  Christian  Council  distributed 
over  two  million  yam  seedings  in  five 
states.     It    also    distributed    groundnuts. 


rice,  cassava  cuttings,  telfairia,  hoes, 
machetes,  climbing  ropes,  and  shovels. 
Much  of  its  work  was  in  areas  most 
devastated  by  the  civil  conflict. 

To  tie  in  to  the  rehabilitation  offices 
in  the  separate  states,  to  deploy  exten- 
sion workers  as  distribution  agents,  and 
to  win  the  race  against  the  rains  re- 
quired prodigious  effort.  Mr.  Hall's 
dusty  white  Peugeot  van  became  a  com- 
mon sight  between  Aba,  where  the  main 
center  stood,  and  such  cities  as  Calabar, 
Enugu,  and  Port  Harcourt.  In  the  three- 
month  period  he  traveled   12,000  miles. 

In  making  seed  available  to  villagers, 
the  Christian  Council  drew  in  village 
chiefs  and  agricultural  officers  to  super- 
vise the  operation.  Once  again  farmland 
was  cleared  and  seeds  and  tools  distrib- 
uted, sometimes  by  lottery  when  the  de- 
mands exceeded  the  supply.  The  maize 
distributed  and  planted  in  March  already 
has  been  harvested,  and  hence  new  food 
is  at  hand. 

Last  month,  after  the  Red  Cross  op- 
eration ceased,  seven  teams  under  the 
Christian  Council  moved  into  hospitals 
to  start  a  medical  feeding  program. 
Moreover,  the  Council  also  embarked  on 
a  wider  program  of  medical,  agricultural, 
and  community  development  efforts  in 
all  war-affected  areas,  the  total  cost  of 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     15 


flews 


which  is  estimated  at  $10  million. 

Reconciliation:  Meanwhile,  the  federal 
government  of  Nigeria  was  reported  to 
have  taken  two  significant  actions  giving 
impetus  to  postwar  reconstruction.  One 
was  to  move  forward  with  the  govern- 
mental policy  of  reconciliation  with  the 
Ibos;  the  second,  to  carry  out  a  promise 
to  alleviate  suffering  in  the  former  rebel 
enclave. 

Dealing  with  the  urgent  need  for  cur- 
rency reform,  around  which  so  much 
hinges  in  terms  of  long-term  recovery  of 
the  Nigerian  people,  the  government  of- 
fered a  flat  payment  of  $56  to  each  of 
200,000  persons  who  have  deposited 
Biafran  currency  or  pre-war  Nigerian 
money  with  the  Central  Bank.  The  step 
was  seen  as  providing  substantial  and 
timely  assistance  to  the  neediest  in  the 
Ibo  heartland.  In  addition,  the  govern- 
ment set  aside  $28  million  for  recon- 
struction projects  in  hard  hit  areas  where 
currency  exchange  could  not  be  carried 
out  during  the  fighting. 

In  what  The  New  York  Times  termed 
as  another  significant  development,  a 
government  of  1 1  Ibo  commissioners 
was  established  for  the  East  Central 
State,  the  Ibo  homeland.  Eight  of  the 
1 1  persons  named  were  on  the  rebel  side 
throughout  the  conflict,  and  two  had 
been  held  in  detention  by  the  federal 
regime  late  in  the  war.  The  political 
courage  shown  in  this  step,  editorialized 
the  Times,  is  a  symbol  of  the  reconcilia- 
tion promised  by  Nigeria's  head  of  state, 
Maj.   Gen.  Yakubu  Gowon. 

Earlier  announcements  from  Nigeria 
indicated  Akanu  Ibiam,  a  former  presi- 
dent of  the  World  Council  of  Churches 
and  a  former  governor  of  the  Eastern 
Region,  had  returned  to  Enugu,  where  he 
chairs  the  Christian  Council's  rehabilita- 
tion committee.  He  was  a  key  spokes- 
man for  the  rebel  cause. 

Forecast:  In  all  candor,  it  is  much  too 
early  to  tell  what  will  be  the  long-term 
future  of  the  church,  of  the  government, 
of  the  striving  toward  unity  in  Nigeria. 
The  hope  of  insiders  and  outsiders  alike 
is  that  the  spirit  of  cooperation  and  con- 
ciliation will  continue  to  flourish. 


Peace  is  no  excuse 

A  SECOND  MESSAGE  On  peace,  designed 
for  local  advertising  by  congregations 
and  individuals  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  was  released  last  month  from 
the  General  Offices.  The  ad,  reproduced 
on  page  27  of  this  issue,  made  its  debut 
in  the  Lincoln  Star  and  the  Lincoln 
Journal  during  Annual  Conference. 

Created  by  Richard  N.  Miller  and 
Tom  Wilson  of  the  Brotherhood  staff,  in 
liaison  with  the  Brethren  End  the  War 
Task  Team,  the  message  is  headlined: 
"We  have  a  hope  .  .  .  and  that  hope  is 
for  peace." 

The  first  of  what  may  become  a  series 
of  advertising  statements  by  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  was  circulated  prior  to 
Lent.  Taking  the  theme,  "'Who's  on 
Trial?"  and  speaking  to  the  U.S.  atroci- 
ties in  Vietnam,  the  ad  was  run  in  news- 
papers in  at  least  a  dozen  states. 

Also  on  the  peace  theme,  a  poignant 
ad  appeared  in  Time  magazine's  May  1 1 
issue,  produced  by  the  advertising  agency 
of  Pesin,  Sydney,  and  Bernard,  Inc.,  of 
New  York.  Five  multicolored  faces  of 
children  were  captioned  "Peace,  please." 
Written  and  photographed  by  Harry 
Pesin,  president,  the  ad  was  identified  as 
"a  polite  plea  for  peace."  Its  text  stated: 
War  is  an  excuse 

to  kill. 
If  you  need  an  excuse, 

that's  a  good  one. 
Feel  free 
to  kill 

and  say  you  kill 
td  be  free. 

Freedom 
is  a  good  excuse 

if  you  need  one. 
Count  the  dead: 
killing 

by  the  numbers 
kills  no  one 
in  particular, 
nothing  personal, 

you  know, 
which  is  a  good  excuse 
if  you  need  one. 
The  killer 
needs  an  excuse,  and  peace 
is  no  excuse. 


The  ad  was  part  of  Time's  program  in 
which  free  space  is  offered  to  advertising 
agencies  to  permit  creative  expression  on 
subjects  of  their  own  choosing. 

As  a  result  of  the  peace  statement, 
Pesin,  Sydney  and  Bernard  received 
more  than  2,000  letters  commending 
their  agency's  work  and,  as  one  response 
put  it,  "dispelling  the  image  one  has  of 
the  Madison  Avenue  establishment." 

Whether  the  creation  of  Madison  Ave- 
nue in  New  York  or  Dundee  Avenue  in 
Elgin,  advertising  messages  are  being 
looked  upon  increasingly  as  a  means  not 
only  of  selling  products  but  of  communi- 
cating ideas. 

For  one  ad  agency,  for  one  denomina- 
tion, peace  is  a  prime  idea. 


One  man's  pilgrimage 

A  DIARY  of  Peter  Nead,  evangelist  and 
theological  writer  in  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  the  19th  century,  has  been 
donated  to  the  denomination  by  Maude 
Miller  Free  of  Englewood,  Ohio. 

Mrs.  Free,  88,  is  believed  to  be  Nead's 
oldest    living    descendant.     Her    grand-  , 
father,  Samuel  Kinsey,  who  edited   The 
Vindicator,  was  Nead's  son-in-law. 

Through  such  volumes  as  Primitive  I 
Christianity  (1833)  and  Theological  Writ- 
ings (1850),  Peter  Nead  contributed  in: 
a  significant  way  to  the  conserving  of 
traditional  doctrinal  emphases  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Of  Lutheran 
and  Methodist  background,  he  became 
strongly  committed  to  Dunker  views. 

The  diary  covers  a  period  of  July  1 823 
to  August  1824,  in  which  Mr.  Nead  was 
engaged  in  a  religious  search  throughout 
travels  in  the  Shenandoah  Valley. 

Peter  Nead  died  in  1877.  His  grave  ' 
is  at  the  Happy  Corner  Church  of  the  ' 
Brethren  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  not  far  ', 
from  where  Mrs.  Free  resides. 

The  diary  has  been  placed  in  the  vault 
of  the  Historical  Committee  at  the  Gen- 
eral Offices.  A  transcript  of  its  content 
was  published  in  a  biography  written  by 
Donald  F.  Dumbaugh  in  the  Autumn 
1 969  issue  of  Brethren  Life  and  Thought. 


16     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


lb  share  our  cup  ^ 


"Through  the  years  the  Brethren  con- 
science on  race  has  struggled  to  come 
alive  in  a  stance  against  slavery,  in  a 
response  to  the  injustice  of  American- 
Japanese  relocation  camps,  through  a 
major  Annual  Conference  statement  in 
1963  on  responding  to  the  racial  crisis 
of  our  time."- — from  the  Fund  for  the 
Americas  in  the  U.S.  brochure. 

ANNUAL    MEETING    1835. 

Article  1.  How  is  it  viewed  to  receive 
colored  people  into  our  church? 

Considered  to  make  no  difference  on 
account  of  color. 

Article  12.  How  is  it  considered  to 
receive  colored  people  into  the  church? 
(The  object  of  the  question  was  not 
whether  they  should  be  received  at  all, 
but  whether  they  could  or  must  be  re- 
ceived or  treated  altogether  like  white 
members.) 

It  was  considered  that  inasmuch  as  the 
gospel  is  to  be  preached  to  all  nations 
and  races  ...  we  could  not  consistently 
refuse  them.  But  inasmuch  we  receive 
our  fellow  members  with  the  holy  kiss, 
and  there  is  a  repugnance  in  some  of  our 
white  members  to  salute  colored  persons 
in  this  manner,  the  colored  members 
should  bear  with  that  weakness,  and  not 
offer  the  kiss  to  such  weak  members 
until  they  become  stronger,  and  make 
the  first  offer,  etc.  Otherwise,  if  they  (the 
colored  members)  prove  faithful,  they 
should  be  considered  on  an  equality  of 
full  membership. 
And  we  struggled  .  .   . 

ANNUAL    MEETING    1875. 

Article  27.  Since  the  Annual  Meeting 
has  left  it  optional  with  brethren  whether 
or  not  to  salute  colored  brethren  with 
the  holy  kiss,  designing  men  are  making 
capital  of  it  against  us.  To  obviate  this, 
let  the  Annual  Meeting  reconsider  that 
decision,  and  say  that  we  make  no  dif- 
ference on  account  of  race  or  color. 

We  grant  the  request,  but  should  have 
regard  to  the  former  minutes  of  Annual 
Meetings   upon   the   subject,   and   advise 


the  brethren  to  bear  with  one  another. 
And  we  struggled  .  .  . 

ANNUAL    CONFERENCE    1963. 

The  time  is  now  to  heal  our  racial 
brokenness.  The  time  is  now  for  us  to 
confess  our  sins  of  delay,  omission,  and 
obstruction  for  racial  justice  within  and 
outside  the  church.  The  time  is  now  for 
action. 
And  we  struggled  .  .  . 

ANNUAL    CONFERENCE    1969. 

Whereas,  it  is  the  responsibility  of  the 
Annual  Conference  to  speak  for  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  on  the  problems 
of  the  day  and  to  project  programs  for 
the  brotherhood,  and 

Whereas,  the  sin  of  racism,  which  is 
both  personal  and  institutional,  plagues 
our  membership  and  our  fellow  citizens, 
and 

Whereas,  the  causes  for  violence  and 
hatred  between  the  races  in  America  re- 
quire unprecedented  response  from  us  as 
individual  Christians  and  as  a  denomina- 
tion, therefore,  be  it  resolved  .  .  .  that 
the  General  Board  and  its  staff  be  di- 
rected to  create  a  "Fund  for  the  Amer- 
icas." 
And  we  struggled  .  .  . 

ANNUAL    CONFERENCE    1970. 

Delegates  gave  approval  to  a  three- 
year  extension  of  the  Fund  for  the 
Americas  in  the  United  States  (FAUS). 
This  continues  the  program  of  race  edu- 
cation and  minority  development  at  a 
yearly  goal  of  $100,000,  maintaining  the 
effort  separately  from  the  Brotherhood 
Fund,  and  will,  further,  establish  a  busi- 
nessmen's investment  division  for  aiding 
economic  enterprise  of  minorities.  An 
amendment  guarantees  a  fund  level  of 
.$100,000  next  year,  with  any  difference 
between  contributions  and  goal  to  come 
from  General  Board  undesignated  re- 
serves. 
And  still  we  struggle  ... 

Half  of  FAUS  monies  go  to  assist 
black  and  other  minority  groups  by  pro- 
viding financial  support  for  community 


organization  and  economic  development. 
Toward  this  end,  groups,  agencies,  or 
projects  must  meet  criteria  such  as:  to 
apply  in  writing  with  clearly  stated  ob- 
jectives in  accord  with  the  stated  pur- 
poses of  the  Fund,  describe  the  program, 
and  indicate  costs.  Programs  must  be 
controlled  by  those  persons  for  whom  the 
services  are  designed,  or  the  grants  be 
administered  by  mutual  agreement  with 
the  General  Board  and  the  projects  must 
be  within  the  United  States,  and  promote 
no  physical  injury  to  persons  nor  destruc- 
tion of  property. 

Priority  is  given  to  groups,  agencies, 
or  projects  on  the  basis  of  their  local 
urgency  or  national  significance  and  their 
relevance  to  specific  problems,  the  evi- 
dence of  a  creative  strategy  for  meeting 
specific  human  needs,  plans  for  the  de- 
velopment of  human  resources,  and  that 
they  be  recommended  by  a  parish,  dis- 
trict, or  other  agency  with  matching  or 
shared  funds  provided  by  the  recom- 
mending group. 

Eighteen  projects  have  been  funded 
under  minority  assistance,  fifteen  as 
community  organization  programs,  and 
three  as  economic  development: 

American  Indians  United,  Chicago, 
III.  $1,500.  The  first  grant  of  $1,000 
was  issued  in  order  to  assist  a  delegation 
of  Indian  leaders  to  travel  to  an  organiz- 
ing and  mobilization  conference  in  San 
Francisco.  This  was  a  strategic  confer- 
ence enabling  key  Indians  to  begin  to 
feel  a  sense  of  identity  and  power  from 
which  to  work  at  their  own  liberation 
and  improvement.  The  second  sum  of 
$500  was  used  for  travel  expenses  of  a 
group  of  Indians  who  were  seeking  to 
publish  the  documentary,  Our  Brother's 
Keeper:  The  Indian  in   White  America. 

Bethany  Community  Health  Center, 
Chicago.  111.  $1,000.  This  is  an  indige- 
nous health  effort  which  initially  began 
as  an  adjunct  of  Bethany  Brethren  Hos- 
pital. The  project  serves  residents  of  the 
Text  continued  on  page  20 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     17 


18     MESSENGER   8-13-70 


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The  need  is  theirs  for 
opportunities  which  are 
real,  equitable,  humanizing, 
loving.  .  . 

THIS  PAGE  (CLOCKWISE  FROM  TOP):  NATIONAL  WELFARE 
RIGHTS  ORGANIZATION,  WASHINGTON,  D.C.;  DIN'E  BI'OLTA, 
OAKLAND,  CALIF.;  FRIENDSHIP  HOUSE  COMMUNITY  CENTER, 
BAKERSFIELD,  CALIF. 


news 


city's  near  west  side. 

Black  Churchmen's  Ecumenical  Train- 
ing Facility,  Washington,  B.C.  $2,000. 
This  program  is  one  of  the  most  thor- 
ough and  highly  organized  efforts  in 
helping  clergy  and  laity  of  black 
churches  gain  the  knowledge  and  skills 
necessary  to  cope  with  social  issues  and 
related  problems  of  institutional  and 
community  change. 

Crispus  Attucks  Center,  York,  Pa. 
$2,000.  The  center's  intent  is  to  provide 
a  cultural  and  organizing  center  for 
black  citizens  of  York.  While  the  settle- 
ment house-type  project  does  not  gener- 
ally fit  either  the  community  organiza- 
tion or  economic  development  goals  of 
FAUS,  this  center  was  felt  to  be  an 
exception  because   of  its   strategic   role. 

Din'e  Bi'olta,  Oakland,  Calif.  $500 
Housed  at  the  Oakland  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  this  is  a  tutorial  program  by 
and  for  Navajo  Indians  to  assist  their 
children  in  adjusting  to  and  competing 
in  English-speaking  schools,  while  at  the 
same  time  maintaining  their  cultural 
identity. 

Farm  Workers  United,  Fort  Lupton, 
Colo.  $775.  A  joint  action  with  the 
Western  Plains  District  which  granted 
$500.  This  program  organizes  seasonal 
and  interstate  migrants  to  affect  decisions 
on  wages,  housing,  and  education. 

Friendship  House  Community  Center, 
Bakersfield.  Calif.  $3,500.  Located  in 
the  heart  of  the  Carversville  and  Crystal 
Heights  sectors  of  the  black  community 
this  facility  is  a  center  for  numerous 
educational  and  leisure  activities.  The 
Center  has  also  begun  work  in  the  areas 
of  housing,  medical  care,  and  voter  edu- 
cation. 

Greater  Dayton  Welfare  Rights  Or- 
ganization, Dayton,  Ohio.  $1,500.  This 
grant  matched  funds  provided  by  the 
Southern  Ohio  District.  The  $3,000  total 
was  used  as  seed  money  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  Buying  Cooperative. 

Jackson  Human  Rights  Project,  Jack- 
son, Miss.  $500.  This  multiphase, 
grass  roots  program  is  an  effort  at  organ- 
izing constructive  community  training 
and   action   aimed   at  social  change.    It 


includes  a  liberation  school  with  instruc- 
tion in  black  history,  culture,  crafts,  and 
hobbies,  a  medical  program,  a  clothing 
dispensary,  welfare  information,  and  the 
organizing  of  block  clubs  to  combat  the 
injustices  of  tenant  landlords. 

La  Raza  Unida,  Union  City,  Ohio. 
$2,500.  With  the  Southern  Ohio  Dis- 
trict's grant,  the  total  amount  is  $5,000. 
This  is  a  statewide  organizing  and  mo- 
bilizing indigenous  effort  by  and  for 
Spanish  Americans.  Legal  aid,  school 
registration  procedures,  voter  education, 
and  establishment  of  health  clinics  are 
provided  through  this  program. 

National  Tenants  Organization,  Chi- 
cago, III.  $800.  This  grant  was  in  sup- 
port of  a  three-day  conference  designed 
to  give  impetus  to  the  Midwest  branch 
and  to  train  black  community  workers 
in  organizing  skills  in  order  to  overcome 
housing  problems. 

National  Welfare  Rights  Organization, 
Washington,  D.C.  $3,000.  Funding  was 
earmarked  to  defray  a  deficit  in  printing 
and  distributing  the  national  monthly. 
Welfare  Fighter. 

Northwest  Tenants  Association,  Phil- 
adelphia, Pa.  $1,000.  This  was  an  ini- 
tial grant  specifically  for  incorporation. 
This  sanction  by  the  state  gave  it  a  firmer 
base  from  which  to  confront  slum  land- 
lords who  refuse  maintenance  and  up- 
keep of  buildings. 

South  Texas  Association  of  Commu- 
nity Organizations,  San  Juan,  Texas. 
$1,200.  These  funds  enabled  "The  Voice 
of  the  Farmworker"  radio  program  to 
stay  on  the  air  for  the  months  of  Janu- 
ary, February,  and  March,  1970.  This 
program  is  perhaps  the  most  important 
link  of  communication  and  organization 
open  to  Spanish  Americans  in  the  Lower 
Rio  Grande  "Valley.  The  possibility  of 
additional  funding  is  open. 

United  Front,  Cairo,  III.  $4,500.  This 
was  earmarked  for  legal  services  through 
the  Lawyers  Committee  for  Civil  Rights. 
In  1962  the  LCCR  was  formed  by  Presi- 
dent Kennedy  to  offer  assistance  to  mi- 
nority groups  who  could  not  afford  ade- 
quate  legal  counsel   and   representation. 

Amigos  Unidos  Federal  Credit  Union, 


Pharr,  Texas.  $3,200.  An  initial  grant 
of  $1,200  was  given  as  basic  seed  money 
to  cover  administrative  costs.  An  addi- 
tional sum  of  $2,000  was  given  in  early 
spring  to  help  meet  the  rising  demand 
for  loans  by  migrants  preparing  them- 
selves to  head  north  for  the  summer 
crops. 

Fairyland  Day  Care  Center,  Sebring, 
Fla.  $1,300.  The  day  care  center  ap- 
proach is  one  of  the  highly  recommend- 
ed avenues  of  the  Office  of  Economic 
Development  for  assisting  economic  de- 
velopment for  minority  persons.  Spe- 
cifically, it  frees  mothers  of  minority 
children  to  take  employment.  Addition- 
al funding  up  to  $1,200  has  been  com- 
mitted subject  to  matching  funds  by  the 
Sebring  Church  of  the  Brethren  until 
September  30,   1970. 

South  Center  Day  Care  Center,  Seattle, 
Wash.  $1,000.  With  this  grant  comes 
assurance  of  a  three-to-one  matching 
grant  by  the  state.  The  money  will  sup- 
plement current  programs  and  facility 
needs  and  make  possible  scholarship 
assistance  for  children  who  could  not 
otherwise  attend. 

The  other  half  of  FAUS  monies  are 
designated  for  programs  of  race  relations 
education,  dealing  with  individual  and 
institutional  racism  at  all  levels  within 
our  denomination.  The  focus  for  a  pro- 
gram which  is  funded  under  this  part 
must  be  on  racist  attitudes,  values,  and 
practices  in  the  personal  and  institutional 
life  of  the  Brethren  which  result  in  injuri- 
ous physical  and  psychological  treatment 
of  persons  in  minority  groups.  Priorities 
are  given  on  the  basis  of  groups  which 
provide  participants  with  opportunities 
for  feeling  the  discrimination  experienced 
by  minority  groups  as  well  as  under- 
standing the  results  of  racism,  combining 
education  with  action  and  involvement, 
reaching  key  individuals,  leaders,  deci- 
sion and  opinion  makers  so  as  to  have  a 
multiplying  effect,  and  sharing  in  the 
cost  of  the  program  as  well  as  in  its  de- 
sign, development,  and  implementation, 
and  providing  an  evaluation  of  the  pro- 
gram. 
And  still  we  struggle.  .  .  . 


20     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


J 


Appointments  made 

Two  FORMER  Brotherhood  staff  mem- 
bers, returning  to  the  General  Offices 
for  new  assignments,  are  among  the  per- 
sonnel changes  taking  place  late  this 
summer. 

Stewart  B.  Kauffman  becomes  director 
of  special  gifts  for  the  General  Board 
on  Sept.  1,  leaving  his  pastorate  of  ten 
years  at  the  Stone  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  Huntingdon,  Pa. 

In  assuming  his  post  with  the  Gen- 
eral Services  staff,  Mr.  Kauffman  re- 
signed his  membership  on  the  General 
1  Board,  for  which  he  served  as  chairman 
in  the  past  year. 

A  native  of  Reading,  Pa.,  he  has  held 
several  pastorates  in  that  state  and  was 
regional   secretary   from    1953-55. 

He  formerly  served  on  the  Elgin  staff 
as  director  of  ministry  and  evangelism 
from  1955-60. 

He  was  educated  at  Elizabethtown 
College  and  Bethany  Seminary,  where 
he  received  an  honorary  doctorate  in 
1961. 

Donald  L.  Stern  returned  to  a  steward- 
ship assignment  with  the  General  Board 
this  month  from  the  Nigerian  mission 
field. 

He  and  his  wife  Betty  have  served  in 
Nigeria  since  1962,  when  he  left  the 
Brotherhood  staff  after  six  years  in  stew- 
ardship capacities. 

Graduated  from  McPherson  College 
and  Bethany  Seminary,  Mr.  Stern  was 
ordained  to  the  ministry  in  1948  and 
was  pastor  of  the  Oklahoma  City  church 
for  four  years. 

The    appointments    of    Donald    Stem 


and  Stewart  Kauffman,  who  join  Ronald 
D.  Petry,  complete  the  staffing  of  the 
stewardship  enlistment  team. 

Richard  R.  Rodes  is  pastor  of  the 
Oakland  Mills  Uniting  Church  at  Colum- 
bia, Md.  His  ministry  in  the  new  city 
of  Columbia  is  sponsored  by  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  the  United  Church 
of  Christ,  of  which  he  is  a  member, 
through  Columbia  Cooperative  Ministry. 

From  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Mr.  Rodes'  ma- 
ternal grandfather  was  a  Church  of  the 
Brethren  pastor  at  Uniontown  and  Hunt- 
ingdon, Pa.  His  paternal  grandfather 
was  a  United  Brethren  in  Christ  pastor. 

He  received  his  education  at  Shenan- 
doah Junior  College,  Winchester,  Va., 
Lebanon  Valley  College,  Annville,  Pa., 
and  United  Theological  Seminary. 

Carl  C.  Beckwith  in  mid-July  trans- 
ferred from  Modesto,  Calif.,  to  New 
Windsor,  Md.,  to  become  coordinator  of 
programming  of  the  Brethren  Service 
Center  and  assistant  center  director. 

In  Modesto,  he  had  been  manager  of 
the  Church  World  Service  center.  Previ- 
ously, he  was  business  manager  and 
treasurer  for  three  years  on  the  Nigerian 
mission  field  and  pastor  at  Wiley,  Colo., 
and  Reedley,  Calif. 

He  attended  McPherson  College  for 
two  years  and  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Idaho  and  Bethany  Sem- 
inary. 

J.  Stanley  Earhart  will  become  execu- 
tive secretary  of  the  Southern  Pennsyl- 
vania district  on  Sept.  1,  leaving  the 
Mechanicsburg,  Pa.,  pastorate  that  he 
has  held  since  1964. 

A  pastor  since  1945  in  Pennsylvania 
and  Maryland,  Mr.  Earhart  was  moder- 


ator for  Middle  and  Western  Maryland 
districts  and  was  credentials  committee 
chairman  for  the  1968  and  1969  Annual 
Conferences. 

From  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  Mr. 
Earhart  attended  Elizabethtown  College 
and  received  the  bachelor  of  sacred  liter- 
ature degree  from  Bethany  Bible  Train- 
ing School. 

Mrs.  Bruce  Davis  is  the  new  adminis- 
trative assistant  in  the  treasurer's  office 
at  the  General  Offices. 

The  former  Joanne  Nesler,  she  is  a 
native  Elginite,  and  a  graduate  of  Man- 
chester College  and  Michigan  State  Uni- 
versity. 

Prior  to  her  college  work  she  was 
a  secretary  at  the  General  Offices  and  a 
Brethren  Volunteer  Service  worker. 

Ronald  P.  Hanft  will  continue  on  a 
regular  staff  basis  his  assignment  as  train- 
ing director  at  New  Windsor,  Md.,  car- 
ried since  last  September  on  an  interim 
basis.  The  Hartville,  Ohio,  native  has 
served  on  the  Brethren  Volunteer  Serv- 
ice training  staff  and  in  related  assign- 
ments since  1966.  He  holds  a  bachelor 
of  music  education  degree  from  Otter- 
bein  College. 

Kenneth  M.  Shaffer  Jr.  will  join  the 
Parish  Ministries  staff  in  September  and 
assume  responsibilities  for  the  Guide  to 
Biblical  Studies,  library  resources,  and 
other  educational  material.  He  willbe  a 
member  of  the  identity  task  group  with- 
in the  commission  staff. 

A  graduate  of  Bridgewater  College, 
he  received  his  master  of  divinity  degree 
from  Bethany  Seminary  in  June.  Single, 
he  is  the  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kenneth 
M.  Shaffer  Sr.  of  Denton,  Md. 


New   personnel   appointed:    R.   Rodes,    S.    Kauffman,   D.    Stem,   J.   Davis,   C.    Beckwith,    J.    S.   Earhart,   R.   Hanft,    K.    Shaffer 


A  Christian  Stands  Ovei 


an  interview 

with  ARTHUR  G.  GISH 


Editor's  note:   In  March  the  William 
B.  Eerdmans  Company  published  a 
new  book  which  it  said  would 
"challenge  both  the  humanistic  radical 
who  has  never  seen  the  relevance  of 
theology  to  social  change  and  those 
Christians  who  have  never  realized  the 
radical  implications  of  the  Christian 
faith."  The  name  of  the  book:  The 
New  Left  and  Christian  Radicalism. 
The  author:  Arthur  G.  Gish,  a 
graduate  of  Manchester  College  and 
of  Bethany  Theological  Seminary,  a 
former  pastor  (though  not  an  ordained 
minister),  a  participant  in  the  civil 
rights  and  peace  movements,  a  street 
preacher,  a  lecturer,  and  a  writer,  now 
living  in  Philadelphia  but  frequently  a 
visitor  in  churches  and  on  college 
campuses. 

A  bout  the  time  the  book  was 
launched,  Larry  Fourman,  a  member 
of  the  Parish  Ministries  Commission 
staff,  interviewed  the  author.  From  the 
tape  recording  of  their  questions  and 
answers,  Messenger  offers  a  sample 
of  Arthur  Gish's  incisive  and 
frequently  controversial  views. 


Art,  what  inspired  you  to  write 
The  New  Left  and  Christian 
Radicalism? 

Really  two  things.  My  involvement 
in  the  protest  movement  —  the  peace 
and  civil  rights  movements  —  and,  of 
course,  my  training  in  the  church.  In 
the  protest  movement,  I  began  to 
associate  the  beard  of  the  protestor 
with  my  grandfather's  beard.  When  I 
asked  my  grandfather  why  he  grew  a 
beard,  he  said  it  was  to  show  that  he 
was  not  a  part  of  the  world.  I  began  to 
realize  that  the  protestor's  beard  is  to 
show  that  he  is  not  a  part  of  the 
establishment.  So  through  my  activity 
in  the  protest  movement,  I  came  to  a 
new  appreciation  for  our  Brethren 
heritage  and  for  the  Bible.  Out  of 
these  experiences,  then,  the  idea  for  the 
book  began  to  develop. 

A  rt,  what  are  some  similarities  and 
differences  you  see  between  the 
movement  and  Anabaptism? 

Working  in  the  protest  movement, 
I  have  come  to  see  that  the  early 
Brethren  and  the  Anabaptists  were  not 
conservatives.  They  were  the  radicals 
of  their  day.  The  early  Brethren  and 
the  Anabaptists  did  not  bum  draft 
cards,  but  they  did  refuse  to  have  their 
babies  baptized,  and  they  submitted 
themselves  to  adult  baptism.  Both 
actions  were  illegal  and  punishable  by 


^Igainst  the  World 


death.  They  defied  the  state  and  did 
what  they  felt  obedience  to  Christ 
meant.  They  were  in  and  out  of  prison; 
they  were  the  people  that  the  "law- 
and-order  boys"  were  after.  They 
were  really  radicals. 

I  find  many  similarities  between  the 
early  Anabaptists,  the  early  Brethren, 
and  the  protest  movement  today. 
Nonconformity  to  the  world  would 
be  only  one  example.  The  early 
Brethren  understood  that  a  Christian 
is  different  from  the  world,  that  a 
Christian  stands  over  against  the  world 
and  is  in  conflict  with  the  world.  To 
be  at  peace  with  God  means  that  one 
is  in  conflict  with  the  world. 

How  does  this  position  of  "non- 
conformity to  the  world"  understand 
the  nature  of  the  world? 

It  does  not  say  that  the  world  is 
inherently  evil;  this  is  not  a  biblical 
view.  Rather,  it  says  that  the  world  is 
good,  but  fallen.  It  is  sinful  and  all  our 
institutions  are  sinful.  They  are  a  part 
of  the  old  order;  the  Christian  is  called 
to  live  in  the  new  order.  We  live  not 
by  the  standards  of  the  old  fallen 
world  but  by  the  standards  of  the 
coming  kingdom  of  God;  this  puts  us 
over  against  the  world. 

Art,  how  do  you  see  the  ethics  or 
standards  of  the  kingdom,  as  seen  in 
the  New  Testament,  relating  to  the 


concrete  needs  and  problems  which 
most  people  find  themselves 
confronting  today? 

I  try  to  deal  with  that  question  in 
Part  Two  of  my  book.  The  first  part 
is  a  comparison  of  the  New  Left  and 
Anabaptism.  In  the  second  part  I  try 
to  synthesize  those  two  movements  in 
my  own  thinking.  Chapter  Four  deals 
specifically  with  the  issue  of 
compromise.  Most  Christians  today 
have  developed  an  ethic  of  compromise 
which  says  that  you  can't  live  only  by 
the  kingdom :   You  must  be  relevant, 
responsible,  and  practical.  I  am  trying 
to  develop  a  position  which  calls  for 
noncompromise  with  the  world.  This 
is  where  the  early  Brethren  came  out. 

Most  people  condemn  this  position 
as  being  irrelevant.  But  the  basic 
changes  of  history  have  occurred  not 
through  people  working  themselves 
into  the  power  structure  to  get  power 
so  they  can  change  things.  The  real 
changes  of  history  have  come  when 
creative  minorities  on  the  fringe  of 
society  were  willing  to  give  up  their 
allegiance  to  the  status  quo  and  to 
move  out  in  new  directions,  creating 
new  life-styles,  new  patterns  of  social 
organization,  and  new  values.  I  use 
the  analogy  of  a  circular  saw  blade 
which  cuts  while  moving  in  a  circle. 
The  cutting  edge  is  at  the  fringe,  not 


at  the  center  where  the  power  is. 

The  early  church  did  not  try  to  get 
power  in  the  Roman  Empire.  Yet  it 
had  a  fantastic  impact  upon  the  history 
of  its  world.  The  early  Brethren  and 
Anabaptists  were  the  same.  If  you 
looked  at  the  world  1,970  years  ago, 
you  knew  where  the  action  was;  it  was 
supposed  to  be  in  Rome.  But,  no!  The 
real  action  was  in  Galilee.  Who 
would  have  ever  believed  it?  The 
most  relevant  thing  that  we  can  do  is 
to  be  obedient  to  Jesus  Christ  and 
follow  him. 

What  does  it  mean  to  be  obedient 
to  Jesus  Christ  in  these  times? 

First,  we  need  to  make  clear  where 
our  allegiance  is,  where  our  loyalties 
are,  what  our  values  are,  where  our 
commitments  are.  This  is  the  most 
fundamental  thing. 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  is  very 
important;  I  think  we  ought  to  live  it 
as  much  as  possible.  However,  many 
people  charge  that  this  is  unrealistic. 
This  criticism  has  to  be  dealt  with. 
What  does  being  realistic  mean?  For 
me,  it  is  simple.  Reality  is  Jesus 
Christ.  This  means  that  anything 
which  contradicts  what  I  see  in  Jesus 
Christ  is  unrealistic. 

How,  then,  does  obedience  to  Christ 
relate  to  developing  a  strategy  for 
social  change? 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     23 


OVER  AGAINST  THE  WORLD  /  continued 


First  of  all  I  think  we  need  to  make 
it  clear  that  our  commitment  and  our 
loyalty  are  not  to  the  status  quo,  not 
to  the  establishment.  It  seems  to  me  a 
very  tragic  thing  when  Christians  begin 
to  defend  and  to  try  to  preserve  the  old 
fallen  order.  That's  not  our  task.  We 
should  realize  that  the  status  quo  is 
under  the  judgment  of  God  and  say  so. 

Let  me  phrase  the  question 
differently  —  what  is  the  witness  of 
the  church  and  what  is  the  role  of  the 
church  in  society?  The  role  of  the 
church  is  not  to  force  society  to  be 
good  or  Christian;  not  to  get  power 
to  control  society.  Even  if  our  church 
structures  in  America  took  over  this 
country,  I  don't  think  the  situation 
would  be  very  much  better.  Our  task 
is  not  to  order  society. 

Instead,  the  church  has  two  primary 
tasks:   to  be  obedient  to  Christ  and 
faithful  regardless  of  the  situation,  and 
to  witness.  For  me,  witnessing  is  two 
things.  First,  it's  calling  sin  by  its  name. 
With  our  desire  to  be  respectful  and  to 
fit  into  society,  we  haven't  wanted  to 
talk  about  sin.  But  the  prophets  and 
Jesus  always  named  sin.  Racism, 
economic  exploitation,  war,  pride, 
alcoholism  — ■  we  need  to  call  these 
things  by  their  name,  sin. 

Now  some  people  say  to  me,  "Don't 
be  so  negative;  emphasize  the  positive. 
Don't  say  what  you're  against;  say 
what  you're  for."  The  New  Left  is  very 
profound  in  pointing  out  that  before 
one  can  affirm  something,  one  must 
negate.  The  old  Brethren  preachers 
said  the  same.  Before  you  can  say  yes 
to  Christ,  you  must  say  no  to  Satan. 
You  could  document  in  our  church 
that  as  we  have  lessened  our  opposition 
to  sin,  our  positive  witness  also  has 
been  weakened.  The  church  has  been 
most  relevant  when  it  has  been  very 
clear  what  it  opposed.  The  first  thing 
in  witnessing  is  calling  sin  by  its  name. 


Secondly,  witnessing  is  pointing  the 
way  to  salvation.  The  world  ought  to 
be  able  to  look  at  the  life  of  the  church 
and  say,  "Look  at  that  church.  Look 
how  they  do  it.  That's  the  way  we 
really  ought  to  live."  We  ought  to  be 
pointing  the  way  out  of  the  mess  we're 
in,  pointing  the  way  to  salvation, 
creating  alternatives  to  the  status  quo. 

Art,  let's  move  on  to  another 
issue.   The  church  today,  as  you're  well 
aware,  is  in  deep  trouble.   What 
possibilities  do  you  see  for  reshaping 
or  restyling  congregational  life? 

The  important  place  to  be  working 
is  in  the  local  church.  If  the  church  is 
going  to  be  renewed,  it's  going  to 
happen  at  the  local  level.  In  fact,  I 
would  say  that,  in  society  in  general, 
"where  the  action  is"  is  in  the  local 
congregation.  I  don't  have  very  much 
hope  in  industrial  missions  or  missions 
in  shopping  centers.  I  am  not  opposed 
to  this  kind  of  ministry  and  I  think  it 
has  value.  But  where  the  real  action  is, 
is  in  the  local  congregation. 

Why  do  you  feel  it  would  be  easier 
for  a  congregation  to  be  renewed  than 
other  institutions  of  our  society? 

The  local  congregation  is  not  as 
highly  institutionalized.  People  still 
relate  to  one  another  on  a  personal 
level.  Also,  there  is  still  this  thing  in 
the  churches  called  the  Bible.  People 
are  still  reading  the  Bible  and  talking 
about  it.  This  is  a  healthy  sign, 
because  when  you  begin  taking  the 
Bible  seriously,  you  become  a  radical 
and  begin  seeing  that  all  kinds  of 
changes  are  needed.  As  long  as  the 
Bible  is  read  and  dealt  with  seriously, 
there  is  real  hope  for  renewal. 

What  is  your  understanding  of  the 
church? 

For  me  the  church  is  a  community 
of  believers  who  have  committed 
themselves  both  to  Jesus  Christ  and  to 
one  another.  It's  a  real  community. 


not  just  a  place  where  you  go  and  sing 
a  couple  of  hymns  and  hear  a  sermon 
on  Sunday  and  then  go  home.  That's 
a  social  club-type  of  fellowship.  The 
church  is  a  community  in  which  people 
truly  share  their  lives.  It's  a 
community  in  which  people  confess 
their  joys  and  their  sorrows,  their  faith, 
their  doubts,  their  hopes,  their  fears, 
their  sins,  their  victories. 

In  most  of  our  churches  there's 
never  an  opportunity  for  this  to  take 
place.  If  there  is  not  real  commitment 
to  one  another,  there  is  no  real 
opportunity  for  sharing.  This  means 
that  we're  going  to  have  to  get  rid  of 
mainline  Protestant  worship  forms. 
We  Brethren  have  prided  ourselves 
that  our  Sunday  morning  worship  is 
like  all  the  other  churches.  I  think  this 
is  tragic.  Let  me  illustrate.  In  almost 
all  of  our  churches  we  have  pastoral 
prayers.  Very  seldom  is  that  ever  a 
prayer.  Usually  it's  a  sermon  with 
eyes  closed.  Very  seldom  do  I  ever  go 
to  a  church  and  see  any  praying. 

In  many  of  our  churches  we  have  a 
thing  called  the  confession  of  sins  and 
the  assurance  of  pardon,  in  which 
people  read  a  little  ditty  that  says  (in 
unison),  "Lord,  we  confess  that  we 
have  sinned."  People  read  that  and 
feel  good  about  having  confessed  sin, 
but  they  haven't  confessed  anything, 
because  confessing  sins  is  always 
specific  and  concrete.  We  go  through 
these  forms  that  are  trying  to  get  at 
the  real  essence  of  worship,  but  they 
become  empty  of  meaning  and  really 
deter  us  from  praying,  confessing,  and 
sharing.  So  I  think  we're  going  to  have 
to  move  in  a  different  direction.  I've 
been  very  influenced  by  the  Quakers  at 
this  point.  I  don't  think  we  should 
imitate  the  Quakers,  but  I  think  that 
they  have  something  very  important  to 
say  to  us. 

How  would  the  average  local 


24     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


congregation  start  to  bring  about 
renewal  in  its  fellowship? 

We  must  get  rid  of  the  professional 
pastoral  ministry  as  we  know  it  today. 
Now  that  does  not  mean  that  we 
should  get  rid  of  seminaries,  that  we 
should  not  have  trained  people  working 
in  the  church,  that  hired  staff  is  not  a 
possibility.  The  direction  we  need  to 
go  is  that  our  seminary  graduates  and 
our  present  pastors  ought  to  be  hired 
by  the  local  church  not  to  be  ministers 
—  everybody  is  a  minister  — •  but  to  be 
teachers.  They  should  be  going  into 
our  local  churches  and  training  people, 
teaching  people,  doing  the  ministry  of 
the  church. 

The  main  task  of  our  present  pastors 
should  be  to  work  themselves  out  of 
a  job.  The  whole  emphasis  should  be 
getting  more  people  in  the  church  and 
training  them  to  do  the  ministry  of  the 
church.  This  isn't  being  done  now. 
Pastors  do  all  the  ministry  —  they  do 
the  preaching,  the  praying,  the  leading 
of  worship.  But  pastors  ought 
completely  to  change  their  function 
and  become  teachers. 

They  should  not  be  called  "pastor" 
or  "minister."  I  personally  refused 
ordination  because  I  believe  I  was 
already  ordained  at  baptism;  I  am  a 
minister.  Every  baptized  believer  is  a 
minister.  So,  I  think  we  ought  to  trust 
the  people  in  our  congregations.  We've 
gotten  the  idea  that  you  really  can't  be 


a  minister  if  you  don't  have  a  seminary 
education. 

How  do  you  understand  the  distrust 
between  pastor  and  layman? 

I  wonder  if  it  isn't  the  issue  of 
professionalism.  It  seems  to  me  that 
ministry  comes  out  of  a  sense  of 
calling,  a  sense  of  commitment,  a  sense 
of  love  for  people;  those  are  the  bases 
for  ministry. 

I  think  the  real  problem  is  our 
doctrine  of  the  ministry.  We  need  to 
take  a  new  look  at  the  biblical  view  of 
ministry.  Paul  says  that  in  the  church 
there  are  many  functions  which  need  to 
be  performed.  Some  need  to  teach, 
some  preach,  some  be  prophets,  some 
counselors  and  pastors.  He  sees 
various  persons  doing  these  things 
according  to  their  gifts.  What  we  have 
done  is  put  all  these  functions  of 
ministry  into  one  person  and  expected 
one  person  to  do  them  all.  This  has 
been  psychologically  damaging  for  the 
pastor,  because  no  person  can  do  all 
this  by  himself.  It's  also  been 
destructive  of  the  congregation.  I 
believe  that  every  member  of  the 
congregation  has  a  ministry.  If  we 
have  a  healthy  congregation,  then  all 
are  involved  in  that  ministry.  Not 
everybody  in  a  congregation  can  help 
preach;  there  are  some  who  will  never 
be  able  to  preach  —  that's  not  their 
calling.  Some  will  never  be  able  to 
counsel;  some  will  never  be  able  to 


teach.  But  some  can  preach,  some  can 
teach,  some  can  counsel.  Everybody 
in  the  congregation  has  a  talent  and 
a  ministry. 

What  is  your  understanding  of 
worship? 

For  me  worship  is  something  that 
arises  out  of  the  life  of  the 
congregation,  not  a  form  that  a 
professional  man  plans  out  during  the 
week  and  everybody  else  goes  through. 
So  my  concept  of  even  preaching 
would  be  different.  Preaching  ought 
to  be  the  proclaiming  of  one's  faith, 
and  there  are  many  people  in  the 
congregation  who  could  proclaim  their 
faith  if  they  were  given  a  chance.  The 
Sunday  morning  service  ought  to 
provide  the  opportunity  for  people  to 
do  this.  Now  if  people  think  this  is  too 
radical  for  them,  I  could  suggest  a 
more  moderate  thing  that  they  could 
start  doing.  At  every  Sunday  morning 
service  ten  minutes  could  be  set  aside 
for  free  sharing,  during  which  people 
could  express  concerns  and  joys.  I 
think  that's  a  step  in  the  right 
direction. 

What  I  have  been  trying  to  say  is 
that  we  really  need  to  take  a  new  look 
at  what  the  Bible  means  and  what 
discipleship  means  for  our  time.  My 
real  concern  is  that  all  of  our 
congregations  will  really  begin  to 
grapple  with  what  obedience  to  Jesus 
Christ  means  for  us  today.   D 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     25 


Varied 
Vacations 

by  Carol  Conner 


ACROSS 

1  Collect  shells  or  rocks 
6  Golfers'  aids 
10  Go  on  horseback 

14  Lemur 

15  Poison  ivy  eflEect 

16  In  the  midst  of 

17  Prevaricator 

18  Marx  brother 

19  Fresh-smeUing  evergreen 

20  Eye 

21  Principal  small  town  street 

22  Bleach 

24  Desert  and  mountain  vacations 

26  Rodeo  field 

27  Poem 

28  Shut  up  in  secret 
31  Belonging  to  thee 

34  Send  arrows  toward  target 

35  International   Labor   Organization 
(abbr.) 

36  Irritate 

37  Part  of  plant  fluid 

38  Transportation  on  water 

39  American    Federation    of    Labor 
(abbr.) 

40  Serious 

41  French  servant 

42  Those  who  went  West  before  tour- 
ists 

44  Arrow's  partner 

45  Triangles  of  cloth 

46  Instruments  for  music-making 
50  Man  in  charge  of  bus 

52  Tip-top  condition 

53  Motorist's  guide 

54  Compete  with  another  runner 

55  Give  prize  to  the  best 

57  Deserve 

58  Spoken 

59  Entrance  to  park 

60  Navajo  Indian  home 

61  Friends 

62  What  to  hear  in  tunnel 

63  Lingered 

26     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

1 

6 

7 

8 

9 

10 

11 

12 

13 

14 

15 

16 

17 

w 

19 

^0 

m- 

W 

23 

24 

25 

M' 

■ 

■ 

27 

_■ 

^8 

29 

30 

31 

32 

33 

w 

■ 

35 

36 

■. 

■  33 

39 

^■40 

.. 

hi 

43 

_i 

44 

■ 

WK^ 

45 

■  46 

47 

48 

49 

50 

51 

w 

■^^ 

54 

1 

55 

56 

m 

58 

59 

1 

60 

gl 

52 

63 

DOWN 

1  Let 

2  Wavy  fabric  finish 

3  Graceful,  spirited  horses 

4  Knight's  title 

5  Steamship  (abbr.) 

6  Vacation  transportation 

7  Get  vacation  money 

8  Extrasensory  perception  (abbr. 

9  Car  display  room 

10  Plunder 

11  Not  the  real  thing 

12  Eat  in  restaurant 

13  Paradise 

18  Long-eared  animal 

21  Native  of  ancient  Media 

23  Command 

25  General  character  of  a  place 

26  Read  so  the  family  can  hear 

28  Boy's  name 

29  Ardor 

30  Adore 

31  Hazard  on  golf  course 

32  Good  vacation  listening 

33  Senseless 

34  Brown  meat 

37  Act  of  steering  ship 

38  Knock  down  pins  with  ball 
40  Withered 


41  Vacation  cooking  guide 

43  Relaxing  vacation  reading 

44  Apply  cover  to  book 

46  Bird 

47  Photographic  likeness 

48  Native 

49  Used  up  vacation  money 

50  Descent  in  altitude 

)  51 avis,  rare  bird 

52  Trail  to  follow 

56  Women's  Army  Corps  (abbr.) 

57  Propel  a  boat 
60  Head  (abbr.) 


^amEiaB  BBBQ  E«^> 
IDEQ  EElBDa  BBf 
1BD  ODBB  ElBBSl 
IBBBBBB    BBBBB 


QBE   BB9 

1BBHBB  BHDH 
BBEB  BBBBB 
QBE  BBBBB 
BBBBBBBB  B 
BBBBB  BB 
BBBBBB    BBB 


IBBB^BBBBE    BBUL 
BOB 
BBBBB   BBBf'^^ 
BBBBBB    BBBB 
^BBB   BBBBB   E 
IBEB   BBBB   Bi 
"flB 


iiT  speak  up 


Youth  vs.  the 
Establishment 

by  Russell  E.  Jarboe 

Young  people  today  are  in  the  headlines 
constantly,  usually  in  an  unfavorable 
light.  We  read  about  drug  addiction,  beer 
busts,  loose  morals,  draft  dodging,  long 
hair  and  beards,  armed  robberies,  and 
car  stealing.  Fortunately,  the  majority 
of  young  people  in  our  nation  are  law- 
abiding,  courteous,  intelligent,  compas- 
sionate, and  interested  in  the  welfare 
of  others. 

Underneath  the  student  unrest,  the 
crimes  against  property  or  persons,  the 
beards  and  the  long  hair,  are  the  clamor 
for  attention  and  a  genuine  desire  to  be 
heard.  Adults  in  every  generation  have 
had  difficulties  in  understanding  "those 
young  upstarts,"  and  age  with  its  "wis- 
dom" has  generally  won  out,  expressed 
by  the  cliche  of  the  Victorian  age:  "Chil- 
dren are  to  be  seen  and  not  heard." 

To  this  writer,  it  is  encouraging  that 
young  people  of  today  are  better  in- 
formed, have  more  awareness  of  social 
ills,  see  through  the  facade  of  superficial 
and  hypocritical  codes  of  behavior, 
cringe  at  man's  inhumanity  to  man,  see 
the  unethical  practices  of  big  business, 
know  the  futility  of  war,  laugh  at  the 
practices  of  cheap  politicians,  seek  for 
more  statesmanship  at  all  levels  of  gov- 
ernment, study  various  economic  systems 
in  order  to  correct  abuses  of  any  one 
and  to  help  create  a  more  fair  and 
equitable  system  for  all  mankind. 

One  word  of  warning  seems  to  be  in 
order  for  all  generations,  but  especially 
the  young:  "Don't  throw  out  the  baby 
with  the  bath."  While  you  may  hate 
the  system  (which  creates  the  assembly- 


WE  hAVE  A 

HOPE  ^ 


We  were  opposed  to  war  before  Vietnam.* 
Fighting  an  undeclared  war  mal<es 

tlie  l<illing  of  brothers  no  more  acceptable. 
Vietnamizing  the  war  mal<es  it  no  less 

deplorable. 
Invading  Cambodia  mal<es  the  pursuit  of 

peace  no  more  plausible. 

WE  HAVE  A  HOPE! 

A  hope  in  God  who  knows  us  as  brothers. 

A  hope  that  citizens  young  and  old  will  make  known 
their  desire  to  end  the  war  in  Southeast  Asia. 

A  hope  in  the  Congress  of  the  U.S.  and  in  the  demo- 
cratic process. 


*  Our  opposition  to  war  has  to  do  with  who  we  are  and  whose  we  are. 
We  believe  that  God  is  the  Father  of  all.  If  this  be  so,  then  all  war  is 
between  brothers  and  all  war  is  wrong.  Historically  we  have  said  "no" 
to  war.    Say  "no"  with   us.    Act  for  Peace. 


The  ChuRch  oF  rhe  BRcrhREN 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     27 


line  automobile  or  airplane),  the  capital 
needed  to  produce  that  desired  product 
is  essential  to  the  process.  True,  abuses 
of  the  laboring  man  have  occurred  and 
still  occur  throughout  man's  tortuous  his- 
tory (for  example,  the  feudal  system  of 
medieval  Europe,  or  the  "robber  barons" 
of  the  nineteenth  century  in  the  United 
States),  but  ways  can  and  must  be  found 
to  resolve  the  differences  of  management 
and  labor.  In  fact,  an  important  frontier 
still  unconquered  in  our  nation  is  finding 
methods  of  reconciling  the  differences 
of  the  capitalist  and  the  worker. 

This  writer's  main  thesis  is  this:   Let 


us  allow  our  young  people  to  study,  to 

experiment,  to  work  creatively  at  solving 
the  problems  of  war  and  peace,  capital 
and  labor,  race  relations,  crime,  social 
ills,  waste  of  natural  resources.  As  a 
YMCA  director  as  well  as  a  minister,  I 
believe  a  youth  agency  can  be  a  living 
laboratory  in  which  this  process  can  be- 
gin and  continue,  if  only  we  permit  our 
beloved  organization  to  be  the  vehicle. 
We  have  many  opportunities  to  lead 
the  young  people  under  our  care  into 
the  right  paths.  Let  us  not  ever  forget 
this  awesome  responsibility! — From  the 
Pacific  Northwest  Journal 


Editor's  Note:  Messenger  is  eager  to ' 
encourage  its  readers  to  speak  up  and 
speak  out  on  topics  about  which  they 
have  serious  concern.  We  welcome  their, 
comments,  in  the  form  of  brief  letters  we 
can  publish  in  our  Readers  Write  page, 
in  longer  statements  under  our  "Speak 
Up"  heading,  or  as  still  longer  articles 
that  develop  a  particular  point  of  view. 
Such  statements  may  or  may  not  reflect 
the  views  of  a  majority  of  readers.  But' 
we  respect  each  writer's  right  to  be  heard,  I 
and  we  try  also  to  be  sensitive  to  the 
reader's  right  to  disagree. 


FAITH  LOOKS  UP 


Is  the  Holy  Spirit  at  work  in  the  world?  This  question 
has  come  to  me  as  I  have  traveled  to  different  sections 
of  the  country.  I  can  converse  with  Christian  people 
of  different  churches,  even  different  denominations,  on 
deep  subjects  as  if  we  had  known  each  other  for  a  long 
time  and  we  had  just  taken  up  the  conversation  from 
a  previous  time.  Though  I  might  never  have  met  these 
people,  we  could  converse  on  a  high  level.  This  has 
happened  to  me  more  than  once,  and  it  gives  me  a 
deep  hope  for  these  times.  It  makes  me  feel  that  there 
are  more  people  with  faith  in  God  scattered  around  the 
country  than  our  news  media  would  report. 

Another  startling  thing  has  happened  to  show  me 
that  there  is  some  overall  Power  at  work.  A  number 
of  times  we  have  raised  a  question  and  discussed  a 
problem  in  our  Sunday  school  class.  Many  times  we 
dismissed  the  class  with  the  answer  hanging  in  mid-air, 
but  during  the  sermon  the  minister  would  hit  upon  the 
very  same  topic  and  give  some  very  clear  answers.  On 
some  occasions  it  has  been  the  same  scripture.  Once  I 
even  asked  the  minister  if  he  knew  what  he  had  done, 
but  I  had  to  explain  what  had  happened  in  the  previous 
hour.  These  occurred  at  a  time  when  we  were  dis- 
cussing an  elective  rather  than  the  regular  material  in 
the  Sunday  school  time,  so  he  would  have  had  no  clue 
to  what  we  were  discussing. 


Let  me  give  you  another  observation.  A  wonderful 
feeling  has  come  over  me  as  I  might  be  working  with  a 
child.  Perhaps  I  have  spent  several  months  teaching 
him  a  lesson  and  then  one  day  his  eyes  light  up  and  he 
says,  "Oh,  I  see."  What  is  this  force  within  the  world? 

Another  thing  I  have  noticed  is  how  the  Holy  Spirit 
works  within  people.  I  have  watched  some  very  im- 
mature people  come  into  the  fellowship  of  Christian 
believers.  It  is  most  interesting  to  watch  them  grow 
into  mature,  responsible  Christians.  I  think  immedi- 
ately of  two  dear  friends.  One  was  a  shy,  timid  person 
who  has  become  a  great  leader  and  teacher.  The  other 
person  who  had  very  little  Christian  background,  said, 
when  asked  to  do  a  job,  "If  you  give  me  a  book,  I  will 
try  it."  Surely  the  Holy  Spirit  is  at  work  in  this  world. 

What  wonderful  things  could  be  accomplished  if  we 
would  rely  more  on  the  power  of  the  Holy  Spirit? 


ESTHER  PETCHER  (Mrs.  Paul  W.)  is 
presently  a  homemaker  and  teacher  liv- 
ing in  Chatom,  Ala.  She  and  her  doctor 
husband  served  as  missionaries  in  Ni- 
geria for  seven  years.  A  graduate  of 
Bridgewaler  College,  Esther  is  a  Sunday 
school  superintendent  (Cedar  Creek 
church),  a  member  of  the  Southeastern 
District  board,  and  a  youth  counselor 
for  the  Alabama  area  of  that  district. 
The  Petchers  have  four  children. 


28     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued 

\ 

ipatient  listener  to  their  repetitious   stories 

jbecomes  a  vital  part  of  their  lives. 

These  are  some  of  the  persons  Lester 
.and  I  tried  to  encourage.  I  saw  many  find 
self-respect  working  in  our  ceramics  class. 
lOthers  became  creative  again  through  other 
types  of  handiwork,  all  of  the  time  sharing 
their  thoughts  with  me  and  with  fellow 
residents  and  gaining  a  renewed  feeling  of 
ibelonging. 

!  My  greatest  joy,  however,  was  the  rhythm 
'band.  On  practice  days,  some  residents 
would  hurry  through  their  meals  just  to  be 
isure  they  were  first  to  the  auditorium.  Many 
had  a  favorite  instrument  and  always  made 
'a  point  to  get  that  particular  one;  some  even 
requested  I  reserve  their  instruments  in  case 
they  were  late  (which  became  a  rarity).  Pa- 
tients from  the  infirmary  area  were  wheeled 
down  on  an  elevator,  and  their  participation 
became  an  equally  important  part  of  our 
band. 

We  practiced  regularly,  and  our  group 
grew  in  numbers.  Besides  performing  to  old 
favorite  tunes  played  on  a  piano,  we  also 
^ang  and  played  our  favorite  hymns.  This 
jwas  an  especially  fun  time  for  all  of  us.  If 
your  readers  could  see  the  joy  and  happiness 
in  the  residents'  faces  as  I  did  on  such  oc- 
casions, they  would  understand  why  a  play 
like  "Hello,  Dolly"  might  have  made  them 
equally  happy. 

I  cannot  condemn  those  dissatisfied  read- 
ers for  their  opinions,  as  I  know  they  have 
not  considered  the  human  beings  in  those 
pictures.  If  they  will  look  again,  but  for  a 
moment,  they  should  see  no  longer  the 
smiles  of  "men  and  'chorus  girls,' "  but 
smiles  of  God.  Smiles  which  say,  "Thank 
you  for  caring,  for  giving  us  concern,  re- 
spect of  self,   and,   most  of  all  —  LOVE." 

Mrs.  Roy  A.  Dalhamer 
New  Madison,  Ohio 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 

ASSISTANCE  SOUGHT  — Capable,  young,  married 
seminary  graduate  seeks  financial  aid  to  pursue 
a  law  degree.  Please  write:  602  First  Ave.,  Iowa 
City...  Iowa  52240. 


"HABITATION  OF  DRAGONS" 

a  new  book  of  hope  by 

KEITH  MILLER 

^.95  at  bookstoi«s  or  WonI  Books,  Waco,  Teias  76703 


Learning  to  Die. .  • 


Takes  as  much  practice 

As  learning  to  live. 

Acquiring 

Curves  over  into  relinquishing, 

With  family  photos  the  last  holdouts  — 

The  gay,  the  insouciant  siunmers! 

Houses,  apartments. 

The  space  around  one  shrinks. 

The  rooms,  the  entrances 

Are  now  owned  by  others. 

One  comes  and  goes, 

Watched. 

Leaves,  in  their  golden  estate, 

Do  not  march  and  protest. 

In  silence 

Stem  is  parted  from  branch. 

When  the  shell  of  the  nut  cracks. 

Hopefully  the  kernel  is  full  time. 

Listening, 

One  can  hear  the  rustling  of  paper 

As  the  heart  is  being  unwrapped. 

The  center,  the  core,  the  magnificent  gift, 

Glows  like  a  ruby. 

When  the  irrelevant  outer  tissues 

Are  shredded  away. 

Give  up,  do  not  fight  with  diminished  strength. 

Give  way,  leam  to  turn  with  the  wheel. 

Independence  is  timebound. 

The  apex  of  an  arc. 

Leam  to  be  helpless  with  grace. 

In  the  hands  of  nurses 

And  younger,  stronger  loved  ones. 

Lastly,  hopefully. 

In  the  hands  of  Christ. 


by  EDITH  LOVEJOY  PIERCE 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     J9 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

A  former  volunteer  worker  with  the 
Youth  Project  of  Lorain,  Ohio,  died  in 
an  elevator  accident  July  16  in  the  li- 
brary of  Manchester  College,  North 
Manchester,  Ind.,  where  he  was  working 
after  hours.  Marlin  E.  Keeney,  23,  died 
when  he  was  caught  between  the  library 
ground  floor  and  the  descending  service 
elevator. 

The  York,  Pa.,  youth,  a  sophomore 
sociology  major  at  the  college,  was  the 
first  Church  of  the  Brethren  youth  to 
work  with  the  Lorain  Youth  Project. 


The  newly  published  Hymnal  of  the 
Church  of  God  (Warner  Press,  Ander- 
son, Ind.)  includes  three  selections  by 
Brethren:  "O  Master,  May  My  Days  Be 
Spent,"  by  Kenneth  I.  Morse;  "Here  in 
Our  Upper  Room,"  by  Paul  M.  Robin- 
son; and  "As  Channels  of  Thy  Healing 
Grace,"  by  Donald  R.  Frederick.  .  .  . 
The  Hyinnbook  for  Christian  Worship, 
published  recently  by  the  Disciples  of 
Christ  and  the  American  Baptist  Con- 
vention, contains  two  hymns  by  Kenneth 
I.  Morse  and  one  by  J.  M.   Blough. 

The  Ira  Moomaws  of  Sebring,  Fla., 
plan  a  late  summer  journey  to  Europe, 
India,  Vietnam,  and  other  points  in  the 
Far  East,  focusing  particularly  upon  ru- 
ral development  projects.  They  will 
seek  to  learn  from  national  church  lead- 
ers their  views  on  future  relationships 
between  the  opulent  Western  churches 
and  those  of  eastern  and  southern  con- 
tinents where  hunger  and  poverty  are 
mounting  burdens. 

.i.      .;.      ^      .}.      ^ 

The  following  persons  were  named  by 
the  Lincoln  Conference  to  serve  as  a 
nominating  committee  for  next  year's 
Standing  Committee:  Paul  E.  Miller, 
chairman,  Fresno,  Calif.;  Mrs.  John  D. 
Metzler  Sr.,  Fruitland,  Idaho;  Mrs. 
Robert  Pittman,  Champaign,  111.;  Olden 
D.  Mitchell,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.;  John  H. 
Eberly,  Westminster,  Md.;  Guy  E. 
Wampler  Jr.,  Ephrata,  Pa.;  and  Jay  J. 
Johnson,  Quinter,  Kansas.  .  .  .  Named 
to  chair  the  Committee  on  Interchurch 


Relations    is    John    D.    Metzler    Sr.    of 

Fruitland,  Idaho. 

Retiring  from  service  with  the  execu- 
tive staff  of  the  United  Methodist  Board 
of  Missions  is  Arthur  L.  Dean,  formerly 
architect  and  church  building  consultant 
with  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples 
marking  golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
the  O.  W.  Nehers,  North  Manchester, 
Ind.;  the  Elmer  Bruners,  Paris,  Ohio;  the 
William  Hoshields,  Battle  Creek,  Mich.; 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edgar  Manges,  Craigsville, 
Va.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calvin  R.  Gauby, 
Washington,  Kansas;  and  the  Curtis 
Bowmans,  La  Verne,  Calif. 

Three  couples  from  the  same  congre- 
gation, Quinter,  Kansas,  celebrated 
fiftieth  anniversaries:  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Yarrow  Palkowsky,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ernest 
Jamison,  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Emmert 
Sprenkel.  .  .  .  Observing  their  fifty-fourth 
anniversary  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ray 
Stults,  Huntington,  Ind.,  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Samuel  Balsbaugh  marked  their 
sixty-eighth  at  Myerstown,  Pa.  .  .  .  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Charles  Lontz.  members  of  the 
Covington,  Wash.,  church,  celebrated 
sixty-nine  years  of  marriage  in  the 
spring. 


SoiUi^Eifa 


August 

14-15 

August 

14-16 

August 

14-16 

August 

14-16 

August 

21-23 

August 

21-23 

August 

27-30 

Sept 

.    1-30 

Sept.   6 

Sept, 

12-13 

Sept. 

18-19 

District  conference.  Southern  In- 
diana 

District  conference.  Southern  Mis- 
souri and  Arkansas,  Wynne, 
Ark. 

District  conference,  Oregon-Wash- 
ington,  Forest  Grove 

District    conference,    Southeastern 

District  conference.  Northern 
Ohio,   Oberlin   College 

District  conference.  Western 
Plains,   Mcpherson   College 

District  conference,  Michigan, 
Carson   City 

Brotherhood    Achievement    Month 

Labor   Sunday 

District  conference,  Western  Penn- 
sylvania,   scattered    locations 

District  conference,  West  Marva, 
Beaver   Run 


PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

A  member  of  the  Bakersfield,  Calif., 
congregation  and  an  ordained  minister 
in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Charles 
Schermerhorn,  has  initiated  a  new  min- 
istry to  parolees  and  families  of  persons 
in  prison.  Called  Friends  Outside,  the 
program  is  in  cooperation  with  the 
Bakersfield  Council  of  Churches.  .  .  . 
Elected  to  a  third  term  as  president  of 
that  agency  was  Edward  K.  Ziegler, 
pastor  of  the  Bakersfield  church. 

Luther  H.  Harshbarger,  Brethren 
minister  who  heads  the  religious  studies 
department  of  Pennsylvania  State  Uni- 
versity, is  directing  a  newly  created  cen- 
ter to  study  religious  and  human  re- 
sources. The  center  will  relate  religious 
and  theological  education  to  societal 
change. 

.].  .1.  .J,  .2.  ^ 

Waterford,  Calif.,  congregant  John 
Price  was  ordained  this  summer  at  his 
home  church.  .  .  .  James  G.  Tice,  stu- 
dent at  Bethany  Theological  Seminary, 
was  appointed  by  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  to  act  as  chaplain  for  Pinchot 
State  Park  in  Pennsylvania. 
,-'-.     .1.     J.     4. 

Minister  of  education  Auburn  Boyers 

of  the  Harrisonburg  church  in  the  Shen- 
andoah District  of  Virginia  has  resigned 
from  his  post  to  accept  a  part-time  pas- 
torate at  Fairview  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren in  the  same  district.  .  .  .  Another 
pastoral  change  affecting  the  Shenandoah 
District  is  the  shift  for  Gene  Knicely, 
who  has  accepted  the  call  of  the  Mount 
Bethel  congregation.  He  leaves  Pleasant 
Valley  church. 

September  will  mark  the  beginning  of 
Allen  T.  Hansell's  tenure  at  the  Hagers- 
town,  Md.,  church  as  director  of  Chris- 
tian education.  He  is  resigning  from  his 
pastorate  at  Wilmington,  Del.  .  .  .  Leav- 
ing the  Mid-Atlantic  District's  Martins- 
burg,  W.  Va.,  congregation  is  Wendell 
C.  Bohrer,  who  goes  to  the  Walnut 
Grove  church  in  Johnstown,  Pa. 

Accepting  pastoral  responsibilities  for 
a  yoked  parish,  Virginia  Beach  Church 
of  the  Brethren  and  First  United  Church 


30     MESSENGER    8-13-70 


of  Christ  is  Forrest  Wells,  who  goes  to 
the  First  Virginia  parish  from  the  Akron 
church  in  Northern  Ohio. 

The  Fairview,  Iowa,  congregation  will 
welcome  Augustus  Pierson  as  its  full- 
time  pastor  when  he  begins  his  work 
there  after  serving  at  the  Morrill,  Kansas, 
church. 

BPOTPOURRI 

■  July  and  August  at  the  La  Verne 
Hchurch  in  California  were  filled  with  an 
'  unusual  kind  of  fellowship  —  a  commu- 
\   nit/     creative     arts     workshop.      The 

Wednesday  evening  sessions  began  with 
a  light  supper,  followed  with  activities 
in  photography,  flower  arranging,  weld- 

I   ing    sculpture,    painting,    and    macrame 

I    (knot  tying). 


Participants  for  five  Self-Allocation 
conferences  at  key  points  in  the  Brother- 
hood have  been  enlisted,  according  to 
Ronald  D.  Petry  of  the  denominational 
staff.  The  conference  locations  and 
times:  Harrisburg,  Pa.,  Aug.  30,  3-8:30 
p.m.;  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  Sept.  12,  10 
a.m. -4  p.m.;  La  Verne,  Calif.,  Sept.  13, 
3:30-8:30  p.m.;  Harrisonburg,  Va., 
Sept.  19,  3-8:30  p.m.;  Des  Moines, 
Iowa  (Ankeny  church),  Sept.  20,  3- 
8:30  p.m. 

Woodberry  congregation  at  Balti- 
more, Md.,  celebrated  an  end  to  the 
mortgage  by  burning  it  in  a  special  cere- 
mony May  31.  .  .  .  Southern  Indiana's 
Nettle  Creek  congregation  anticipates 
a  two-day  observation  of  its  150th  an- 
niversary   Sept.    5-6.     An   old-fashioned 


luncheon    will    be    served    and   the   love 
feast  celebrated. 

Two  congregations  in  the  Brotherhood 
are  disbanding  and  closing  their  church- 
es. The  Messiah  church  at  Dayton, 
Ohio,  will  terminate  activities  at  the  end 
of  this  month,  while  on  the  other  side  of 
the  continent  the  Medford,  Oregon, 
congregation  has  closed,  and  members 
are  attending  churches  of  their  choice  in 
the  community. 

Several  buildings  constructed  on  the 
Juniata  College  campus  before  the  turn 
of  the  century  and  now  termed  unsafe 
are  being  razed.  They  are  Students  Hall, 
buih  in  1895;  Brumbaugh  Hall,  1890; 
and  the  original  part  of  Oneida  Hall, 
1898. 


8-13-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


Turning  the  Tables 


It  was  only  one  night  that  the  judges  spent  in  a  state  prison, 
but  one  night  was  sufficient  to  change  their  outlook  on 
what  it  is  like  to  serve  a  prison  term. 

The  twenty-three  jurists,  all  of  them  attending  sessions 
at  a  National  College  of  State  Trial  Judges,  had  volunteered 
to  enter  a  prison  at  Carson  City,  Nevada,  for  one  night. 
They  were  processed  as  ordinary  prisoners,  relieved  of  their 
clothing,  and  dressed  in  blue  denim.  Most  of  them  stayed 
in  dormitories  in  a  minimum  security  section,  but  five  of 
them  spent  their  time  in  solitary  confinement  in  bare,  one- 
man  cells  in  an  area  called  "The  Hole." 

One  judge  lost  no  time  in  declaring  that  the  whole 
prison  should  be  torn  down.  He  said,  "I  was  like  an  animal. 
I  was  in  a  cage."  Another  judge  said  of  solitary  confine- 
ment, "This  is  not  solving  disciplinary  problems  in  prison." 
Still  another  jurist  announced  that  he  would  henceforth  be 
evangelistic  about  prison  reform.  One  judge  concluded  that 
"cons  are  good  guys  like  other  people." 

If  reform  in  the  treatment  of  prisoners  is  to  come,  it 
likely  will  come  about  because  a  few  more  persons  learn  at 
firsthand  what  prison  is  like  and  discover  to  what  extent 
some  punishments  can  be  a  crime.  All  of  us  remain  rela- 
tively unmoved  by  situations  that  do  not  concern  us  directly. 
We  know  that  abuses  should  be  corrected,  but  we  usually 
don't  start  to  holler  until  we  think  we  have  been  abused. 

For  this  reason  we  would  like  to  advocate  more  oppor- 
tunities for  turning  the  tables,  for  reversing  the  relationships 
in  which  we  often  find  ourselves.    To  be  specific: 

1.  Some  legislators  in  Congress  and  a  number  of  per- 
sons in  our  communities,  all  of  them  safely  beyond  draft 
age,  are  convinced  that  we  must  continue  to  conscript 
soldiers  and  move  them  into  battle.  We  propose  that  the 
hawks  be  drafted  first  and  immediately  moved  up  to  the 
front.  This  would  relieve  much  anxiety  on  the  part  of  the 
young,  who  could  volunteer  for  action  on  peaceful  fronts; 
it  would  demonstrate  how  sincere  the  hawks  really  are  — 
and  it  would  bring  a  speedy  end  to  the  war. 

2.  It  would  be  equally  risky,  but  probably  just  as 
beneficial,  to  put  the  young  militants,  who  have  proved  so 
clearly  what  they  are  against,  into  places  of  responsibility 
where  they  would  also  have  to  demonstrate  what  they  are 
for.  They  might  be  less  inclined  to  want  to  destroy  the 
whole  system  if  they  realize  to  what  extent  they  are  a  part 
of  it. 


3.  We  suggest  also  that  all  those  persons  who  proudly 
exhibit  this  sign,  "America  is  my  country,  love  it  or  leave  it," 
volunteer  to  change  places  for  three  months  with  Indian 
Americans,  who  can  properly  lay  claim  to  America  as  "my 
country."  Or  better  yet,  let  the  most  patriotic  Americans 
prove  their  patriotism  by  being  the  first  to  improve  the 
quality  of  life  for  all  Americans,  red,  brown,  black,  or  white. 

4.  Among  us  are  many  persons  who  know  exactly  why 
poor  people  are  poor  and  how  they  could  escape  poverty  if 
only  they  applied  themselves  better.  We  propose  that  they 
demonstrate  their  secret  by  starting  today  to  live  below  the 
poverty  level,  providing  for  their  families  on  welfare  allow- 
ances, buying  at  stores  where  prices  are  inflated  but  quality 
is  low,  living  in  crowded  ghettos,  and  sending  their  children 
to  inadequate  schools.  Only  in  such  a  way  can  they  really 
show  less  fortunate  persons  how  to  get  ahead  without  ask- 
ing for  special  privileges. 

5.  While  we  are  about  it,  how  about  turning  some  tables 
on  the  home  front?  We  note  the  satisfied  smiles  with  which 
some  of  our  male  friends  dismiss  the  women's  liberation 
movement.  Surely  the  best  way  to  demonstrate  the  calm 
and  assured  superiority  of  the  male  would  be  for  men  to 
take  over  households  for  a  few  months,  caring  day  and 
night  for  the  smallest  children,  enjoying  the  coziness  of  four 
walls  and  limited  number  of  social  contacts,  not  to  mention 
limited  job  opportunities.  Let  each  one  take  his  wife's 
name  and  be  known  primarily  as  a  husband  or  a  father. 
Can't  you  hear  a  few  trapped  males  crying  out,  as  did  one 
of  the  judges  on  his  first  night  in  jail,  "Help,  I'm  in  a  cage"? 


i 


^^nce  you  start  turning  tables  there  is  no  stopping  short. 
We  might  even  appreciate  the  insight  that  is  reflected  in 
Jesus'  Golden  Rule  —  and  in  a  few  of  his  parables,  not  to 
mention  the  New  Testament  insistence  that,  in  Jesus,  God 
himself  came  to  earth  to  live  as  a  man.  We  who  are  quick 
to  criticize  and  to  pontificate  —  and  this  includes  editors 
and  preachers  as  well  as  others  we  mentioned  —  need 
constantly  to  realize  how  it  goes  to  walk  in  the  shoes  of 
those  to  whom  we  are  offering  to  show  the  way.  Turning 
tables  is  really  a  mild  sort  of  revolution.  It  might  help  to 
prevent  a  more  violent  one.  —  k.m. 


32    MESSENGER    8-13-70 


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LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


A  Gift  of  Years.  Leland  and  Nina  Moomaw  may  be  remembered  primarily 
for  their  benevolences.  But  they  have  more  than  matched  their  gifts  of  money 
with  volunteer  hours  of  talented  service  to  church  and  community,  by  Fred 
W.    Swartz.    page  2 

An  Ecology  of  Hope:  The  New  Life  of  Creation.  Whether  we  move 
toward  despair  or  hope  depends  on  what  we  do  with  promises  such  as  those 
offering  a  vision  of  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  by  Leland  Wilson,  page  6 

A  Day  in  the  Long  Hot  Summer.    The  young  student  had  run  out  of 

money.  Though  his  hunger  was  temporary,  it  was  real  enough  for  him  to 
discover  some  emotions  related  to  the  struggle  for  survival,  by  Norman  L. 
Thomas,    page  10 

To  Share  Our  Cup.  Here  is  an  updated  report  on  eighteen  projects  that  have 
been  funded  with  the  assistance  of  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the  United 
States,  page  17 

A  Christian  Stands  Over  Against  the  World.  Seeking  to  be  obedient  to 
Jesus  Christ  today,  one  young  thinker  and  writer  takes  a  "Christian  radical" 
position  which  is  similar  to  that  of  early  Brethren  —  and  also  to  current  protest 
movements,  an  interview  with  Arthur  G.  Gish,  with  questions  by  Larry 
Fourman.   page  22 

Other  featuhes  include  an  original  folk  hymn,  "I  See  a  New  World  Coming,"  written 
and  composed  by  Steve  Engle  (page  9);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Don  and  Shirley  Fike  (page 
13);  "Faith  Is,"  interpretations  shared  by  Lincoln  conferencegoers  (page  14);  "Steps 
in  Conciliation,"  a  report  on  developments  in  Nigeria  (page  15);  news  of  recent  Broth- 
erhood appointments  (page  21);  a  puzzle,  "Varied  Vacations,"  by  Carol  Conner  (page 
26);  "Youth  vs.  the  Estabhshment,"  comment  by  Russell  E.  Jarboe  (page  27);  "Faith 
Looks  Up,"  by  Esther  W.  Petcher  (page  28);  and  a  poem,  "Learning  to  Die,"  by  Edith 
Lovejoy  Pierce  (page  29). 


COMING  NEXT" 


The  first  of  a  series  of  Annual  Conference  messages  based  on  Bible  passages  with  the 
theme  of  hope  appears  in  the  next  issue.  The  expositor  is  Eugene  F.  Roop.  The  text 
is  Mark  16:1-8.  The  topic  is  "Hope  and  the  Resurrection."  ...  A  significant  witness 
as  to  one  way  in  which  Christians  can  live  in  community  k  offered  in  the  experience 
of  the  Society  of  Brothers,  also  knotvn  as  Bruderhof.  Terry  Pettit  writes  his  impres- 
sions of  the  Woodcrest  community  in  New  York  State,  a  place  "Where  Brothers  Live." 
.  .  .  Emily  Sargent  Councilrruin  recounts  a  personal  experience  in  which  a  close  friend, 
though  prepared  for  death,  chooses  the  gift  of  life,  along  with  "Heartbeat  Again."  .  .  . 
Harold  S.  Martin  sees  at  the  center  of  the  church's  faith  and  of  the  biblical  record 
many  indications  of  "The  Magnificence  of  Jesus."  VOL.    119    NO. 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  ^^  8/27/70 


Hope  and  the  Resurrection 
The  Magnificence  of  Jesus 


ri  ^  '""'^^-^  1 1  ■>J^'n^7i^r 


IJtcco  tc         vptcnnam  iimiav 


-7* 


s 


tcm  crncbiv         bm  totanvtoram 


NOT  IN   OUR  OWN   STRENGTH 

Thank  you,  thank  you  for  the  article  in 
the  June  4  IVIessenger,  "Whatever  You 
Ask."  How  foolish  we  are  when  we  try  to 
live  the  Christian  life  in  our  own  strength. 
How  marvelous  to  know  that  God  makes 
his  power  available  to  us  in  Christ. 

I  confess  with  shame  that  I  had  pigeon- 
holed Brother  Zunkel  as  merely  a  human- 
istic activist  who  relied  on  the  arm  of  flesh. 
I  am  glad  that  I  was  wrong. 

Christian  Bashore 
Gettysburg,  Ohio 

WHY  SO  CRITICAL? 

The  first  two  letters  in  the  June  4  issue 
and  your  editorial  disturb  me  greatly.  Why 
so  critical  of  President  Nixon?  Wasn't  it 
Presidents  Kennedy  and  Johnson  who  esca- 
lated the  Vietnam  War  until  we  had  over 
half  a  million  fighting  men  there  —  al- 
though they  would  not  let  the  military  take 
the  necessary  steps  to  defeat  the  commu- 
nists? Hasn't  Nixon  withdrawn  more  men 
from  that  military  engagement  than  he 
promised  the  people  he  would?  He  has 
kept  his  word  to  the  American  public.  Why 
not  be  a  little  patient  and  see  if  he  does 
not  continue  to  do  so?  .  .  . 

I  am  at  a  complete  loss  to  understand 
your  and  their  great  excitement  about  our 
action  in  Cambodia.  Cambodia  was  sup- 
posed to  be  a  neutralist  country.  We  and 
South  Vietnam  respected  their  neutrality. 
However,  the  communists  moved  in  and 
for  more  than  five  years  had  used  their 
country  as  a  base  camp  to  cross  the  river 
and  attack  South  Vietnam.  The  ruler  of 
Cambodia,  to  cover  up  his  lack  of  neu- 
trality, abolished  diplomatic  relations  with 
South  Vietnam,  Thailand  and  the  United 
States.  When  he  realized  that  his  own  peo- 
ple   were   getting    fed    up   with    their   coun- 


readers  write 


try's  being  used  as  a  sanctuary  for  the 
communists,  he  took  off,  first  to  Moscow 
and  then  to  Peking.  In  the  meantime  his 
government  was  overthrown  and  has  since 
had  good  relations  with  the  U.S.A.,  South 
Vietnam,  and  Thailand;  and  their  former 
ruler  will  probably  live  in  ease  on  the  mil- 
lions he  has  stashed  away  in  a  Swiss  bank. 
The  Cambodian  adventure  has  resulted 
in  the  capture  of  more  military  materiel 
and  supplies  than  all  our  previous  efforts 
there  and  will  certainly  greatly  hasten  the 
end  of  the  war. 

Ernest  A.  See 
Keyser,  W.  Va. 

A  TITHE  -  AND  MORE 

Brother  Dean  Kindy  (July  2)  thinks  that 
there  are  enough  ministers  available.  I  do 
not  agree  with  this  at  all.  Of  course  we 
do  have  many  ordained  ministers  listed  in 
the  ■yearbook  who  are  not  preaching  any- 
where, and  others  who  preach  only  occasion- 
ally. There  are  at  least  some  persons  in  the 
church,  including  myself,  who  are  capable 
of  preaching  if  the  opportunity  is  offered, 
but  who  have  never  been  ordained  or  even 
licensed  to  preach.  .  .  . 

The  Law  of  the  Tithe,  which  is  not  a 
New  Testament  doctrine  at  all  but  part 
of  the  Mosaic  Law.  required  the  Hebrew 
nation  to  collect  from  the  citizens  of  eleven 
of  the  twelve  tribes  ten  percent  of  their 
increase  over  each  three-year  period.  This 
was  to  be  used  to  support  the  other  tribe, 
Levi,  and  the  poor  of  the  land.  The  Levites 
were  required  to  give  ten  percent  of  the 
tithes  they  collected  to  the  High  Priest  for 
his  share.  This  would  limit  any  priest  or 
pastor  to  ten  percent  of  the  tithe  of  his 
congregation,  or  one  percent  of  the  net  in- 
crease of  the  whole  congregation.  .  .  . 

I  do  not  call  what  I  give  a  tithe,  though 
it  is  more  than  ten  percent  of  my  combined 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  H.  Armstrong  Roberts;  2  woodcut  by  Judith  Chatham;  7  'The  Incredulity 
of  Thomas,"  by  Rembrandt,  courtesy  of  the  Art  Institute  of  Chicago;  13.  14,  17.  21  Religious  News 
Service;  27  Edward  VVallowitch 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor:  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication:  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  .Aug.  20,  I9I8 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  I,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  .Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Ser\ice.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions:  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife.  S75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address,  .\llow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  ,\ve.,  Elgin.  III.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    Aug.  27.   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  18 


V.A.  pension  and  social  security  disabilit; 
insurance.  I  call  this  a  freewill  offering,  am 
I  can  say  that  the  Lord  has  indeed  blessec 
me. 

Harley  J,  Utter 
Wichita,  Kansas 

WHAT  LACK   I   YET? 

During  the  past  fifty  years,  the  Churct 
of  the  Brethren  has  experienced  a  tremen 
dous  revolution.  All  of  the  many  change; 
have,  I  believe,  been  for  the  best.  It  is  mosi 
gratifying  to  know  that  six  Brethren  college; 
during  this  period  have  emerged  from  al 
most  fateful  situations  into  prominence  asi 
fully  accredited  institutions.  Bethany  The 
ological  Seminary  is  as  it  should  be,  ecu 
menically  minded  with  high  scholastic  at 
tainments.  Brethren  mission  fields  have  been 
especially  successful.  Many  new  church  ed- 
ifices are  a  mark  of  Brethren  advancement 

However,  when  it  comes  to  the  acute 
problems  of  the  church,  a  declining  mem 
bership  as  well  as  qualified  ministers  who 
choose  not  to  take  pastorates  presents  a  sit 
nation  which  merits  an  in-depth  study.  I 
do  not  claim  to  have  the  answers.  Recently 
many  concerned  Brethren  have  advanced 
reasons  for  this  serious  condition.  I  speak 
as  one  who  has  spent  fifty  years  in  active 
church  work.  Quite  naturally  some  of  my 
convictions,  to  me,  seem  relevant.  I,  for 
one,  do  not  believe  that  the  answers  lie 
in  more  seminars,  retreats,  and  conferences. 
We  hear  much  today  about  a  new  theology, 
radical  Christianity,  and  getting  away  from 
the  church  in  order  to  get  into  mission.  All 
of  these  are  proving  to  be  empty  soundings, 
not  sufficient  for  a  lasting  solution.  The 
sacred  truth  is  that  the  gospel  in  its  simplic- 
ity is  adequate  to  make  a  bad  man  into  a 
good  man. 

In  our  city  there  is  a  Mennonite  Bible 
School  with  five  hundred  students,  which 
is  sending  Christian  workers  to  all  parts 
of  the  world.  Incidentally,  the  word  ac- 
ciedilalion  is  the  least  of  their  troubles. 
Could  it  be  that  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
might  well  establish  one,  two,  or  three 
schools  with  the  same  concept  as  the  origi- 
nal Bethany  Bible  School?  These  could  be 
built  around  the  present  existing  Brethren 
Service  Centers. 

While  we  stand  in  hesitation,  may  I  touch 
on  a  somewhat  controversial  point  by  pre- 
dicting that  possibly  fifty  years  hence,  a  sis- 
ter Brethren  denomination,  regardless  of  the- 
ological   differences,    may    earn    a    leading 


place  in  Brethrenism  for  future  America? 
This  will  depend  on  whether  or  not  they 
maintain  their  zeal  in  establishing  new 
churches  and  hold  fast  that  the  church  is 
the  only  real  institution. 

Finally,  the  concept  of  practical  theology 
as  depicted  in  many  of  the  old  hymns  of 
the  church  should  be  reexamined.  In  the 
humble  opinion  of  this  writer  the  term 
"Jesus  Saves,"  the  title  of  one  of  these 
sacred  songs,  is  certainly  not  in  disrepute. 
Ministers  who  leave  their  pulpits  and  sem- 
inary graduates  who  choose  not  to  preach 
have  not  found  a  greater  calling. 

O.  J.  Dickey 
Omaha,  Neb. 

LIMIT  FAMILIES  -  VOLUNTARILY 

Mrs.  Russell  Kessler  is  right  about  my 
not  being  here  to  write  a  letter  advocating 
population  control  had  my  parents  had  only 
two  children.  I  am  the  third  of  seven  — 
but  may  I  offer  the  excuse  for  my  parents 
that  twenty-nine  years  ago  no  one  was  con- 
cerned about  the  population  growth.  Nor 
did  my  parents  have  the  wide  choice  of 
contraceptive  methods  that  are  available  to 
my  generation. 

Only  within  the  last  five  years  have  we 
gradually  become  aware  that  in  this  land 
of  plenty  we  may  someday  be  starving  be- 
cause people  don't  have  the  common  sense 
to  realize  that  while  our  population  is  in- 
creasing, our  valuable  farmland  is  decreas- 
ing —  being  destroyed  through  strip  mining, 
superhighways,  sprawling  residential  and 
industrial  areas,  and  by  various  other  meth- 
ods termed  "progress"  by  man. 

How  do  we  plan  to  feed  the  exploding 
population  in  the  years  to  come?  The  farm- 
land we  have  left  will  produce  only  so  much 
food  —  and  that  can't  possibly  be  enough 
if  the  population  continues  to  grow  at  the 
present  rate. 

It  seems  to  me  that  responsible  people 
are  going  to  have  to  take  the  initiative  and 
limit  their  families,  or  the  government  will 
have  no  choice  but  to  pass  laws  that  may 
possibly  make  it  mandatory  for  one  of  the 
parents  to  be  sterilized  after  the  birth  of  a 
second  living  child.  And  we  all  know  that 
we  already  have  so  many  government  con- 
trols that  we  can  hardly  call  our  affairs  our 
own  anymore  —  so  why  take  the  chance  of 
letting  the  government  invade  yet  another 
area  of  our  lives? 

Mrs.  Carolyn  Bricker 
Rocky  Ford,  Colo. 


Page  One... 


In  a  recent  issue  of  A  tlantic  Monthly  the  Famous  Writers  School  —  that 
group  of  fifteen  authors  and  publishers  who  (according  to  the  school's 
advertising)  want  so  for  everyone  to  be  able  to  write  with  as  much  ease  as 
they  do  —  came  under  fire  by  Jessica  Mitford. 

Miss  Mitford,  earlier  having  exposed  The  American  Way  of  Death, 
buries  the  Famous  Writers  School  in  its  own  claims  —  for  example,  that 
its  students  (many  of  whom  never  complete  the  course)  are  out  selling 
articles  left  and  right. 

One  claim,  however,  escapes  Miss  Mitford's  barrage,  at  least  from 
Messenger's  point  of  view:  We  are  forever  on  a  talent  hunt  for  writers, 
not  to  mention  photographers  and  news  reporters. 

Stories  featuring  unique  persons  in  the  Brotherhood  remain  unwritten 
because  we  don't  have  a  writer  to  assign  to  the  article. 

News  stories  slip  past  because  we  know  of  no  one  to  cover  them. 

The  Conference  banner  display  gave  amazing  evidence  of  the  creativ- 
ity of  Brethren  around  the  Brotherhood. 

If  there  are  that  many  banner  makers,  we  think  there  may  be  many 
yet-undiscovered  writers  and  photographers  we  would  like  to  get  to  know. 

Do  you  know  an  outstanding  person  whose  story  should  be  told? 

A  congregation  that  is  ministering  in  a  unique  way? 

Are  you  a  young  adult  who  has  something  to  say  to  your  peers  or  your 
parents? 

Perhaps  you  are  experimenting  with  the  creative  use  of  the  camera  or 
are  wrestling  with  writing  and  want  to  test  your  skills. 

Then  you  may  be  one  of  Messenger's  readers  who  could  become  a 
contributor. 

Why  not  write  us  about  your  interests? 

We  make  no  promises  that  your  material  would  be  used. 

Neither  will  we  be  able  to  critique  your  work  (unless  we  see  a  definite 
use  for  it  in  a  forthcoming  issue  and  want  you  to  work  some  more  on  it). 

But  we  are  very  eager  to  become  acquainted  with  you  and  your 
abilities. 

Contributors  to  this  issue  include  Terry  Pettit,  a  BVSer  on  assignment 
at  the  General  Offices  in  Elgin  while  he  completes  his  alternative  service  .  .  . 
Eugene  Roop,  who  will  study  this  coming  school  year  at  Earlham  School  of 
Theology  .  .  .  Harold  S.  Martin,  of  Spring  Run,  Pennsylvania,  an  articulate 
spokesman  for  the  Brethren  Revival  Fellowship  .  .  .  J.  Wayne  Judd,  pastor 
at  the  Nampa,  Idaho,  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

The  Editors 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     1 


Where  brothers  live: 

Impressions  of  Woodcrest  Community 


by  TERRY  PETTIT 

On  the  bus  from  New  York 
City  to  Rifton,  ninety  miles 
north  in  the  Catskills,  I  read 
a  manuscript  that  contained 
a  brief  history  of  the  Society 
of  Brothers,  more  commonly 
known  as  the  Bruderhof 

Before  I  began  to  read  the 
manuscript  my  knowledge  of  the 
Bruderhof  consisted  of  an  afternoon  at 
the  Bethany  Theological  Seminary 
library  and  the  following 
undocumented  gossip:  In  the  1950s 
several  Brethren  became  interested  in 
the  Bruderhof  to  the  extent  that  some 
of  them  eventually  became  members.  I 
have  no  idea  how  many  people  actually 
made  this  decision,  but  I've  heard 
numbers  ranging  from  six  to  con- 
siderably more.  That  doesn't  seem  too 
earthshaking  —  but  evidently  because 
some  of  these  Brethren  had  been  good 
or  promising  pastors  there  was  a 
considerable  amount  of  anxiety  not 
only  among  the  members  of  their 
immediate  families  but  by  Brethren  in 
general.  Just  how  significant  these 
tensions  were  at  that  time,  I  have  no 
way  to  judge;  in  the  1950s  I  had  not 
heard  either  of  the  Bruderhof  or  of  the 
Brethren. 

As  I  read  the  history  before  me,  an 
interesting  story  unraveled  that  began 
with  one  man's  vision  on  how  men 
could  Uve.  In  1920  in  the  town  of 
Sannerz,  Germany,  Eberhard  Arnold, 
together  with  his  wife,  their  children, 
and  a  few  friends,  met  and  formed  a 
community  that  would  be  based  on  the 
teachings  of  Christ  with  a  special 
emphasis  on  the  Sermon  on  the  Moimt 
and  an  openness  to  God  for  direction 
and  strength. 


2     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


"...  a  certainty  has  come  over  us 
for  all  that  we  need  which  springs 
from  the  ultimate  source,  that  sole 
source  is  able  to  change  all  want  and 
need."  —  Eberhard  Arnold 
Because  the  plan  was  to  share  not 
only  concerns  but  material  goods  in 
common,  the  community  considered 
itself  not  unlike  the  first  Christians  in 
Jerusalem. 

From  their  beginnings  in  Sannerz  the 
community  grew  despite  a  lack  of 
funds,  and  often  of  food.  They 
survived  a  split  in  1922  and  by  1926 
had  outgrown  their  small  home  in 
Sannerz.  They  then  purchased  a  farm 
in  the  Rhon  Mountains  and  called  it 
the  Rhonbruderhof  (Bruderhof  mean- 
ing "place  where  brothers  live").  At 
the  Rhonbruderhof  they  developed 
their  own  educational  system  and 
continued  publishing  works  by 
Eberhard  Arnold  and  other  books  on 
Anabaptism. 

Eberhard  Arnold  died  in  surgery  in 
1935,  but  by  then  the  vision  of  living 
in  community  was  larger  than  one  man 
—  the  community  had  survived  a 
confrontation  with  Hitler  in  1933  and 
settled  at  the  Almbruderhof  in 
Liechtenstein,  and  finally,  when 
threatened  with  military  conscription, 
moved  to  England  and  joined  the 
Cotswold  Bruderhof,  started  by  a  group 
of  British  citizens  who  had  visited  the 
Rhonbruderhof  in  1934. 

By  1938,  when  the  Rhonbruderhof 
and  Almbruderhof  were  permanently 
closed,  the  Cotswold  Bruderhof  had 
increased  to  250  members  and  a 
second  community  was  begun  at 
Oaksey.  But  England  was  uneasy 
about  having  Germans  within  its 
borders  during  World  War  II  and  de- 
manded that  the  Cotswold  Bruderhof 
impound  its  German  members  for  the 
duration  of  the  war.  They  refused  and 
began  looking  for  a  new  place  to  locate. 
They  were  in  turn  refused  admission 


by  the  United  States  and  Canada;  the 
only  country  that  would  grant  them 
asylum  was  Paraguay. 

I  closed  the  mansucript. .  . .  From 
there  on  I  thought  I  had  a  pretty  good 
idea  of  the  story  that  continued  until 
now,  when  there  are  only  three 
Bruderhof s  left;   New  Meadow  Run  in 
Farmington,  Pennsylvania;  Evergreen 
in  Norfolk,  Connecticut;  and  the 
community  that  I  would  be  visiting, 
Woodcrest,  near  Rifton,  New  York. 
The  Bniderhof's  exodus  from  one 
country  to  another  is  worth  looking  up, 
but  that  wasn't  why  I  was  on  a  bus 
traveling  to  Rifton.  It  was,  however, 
significant  that  in  a  century  that  has 
seen  the  rise  and  fall  of  the  Third 
Reich,  Joseph  McCarthy,  and  the 
House  of  David  baseball  team,  the 
Bruderhof  had  survived. 

One  man  worked  a  toothpick  while 
another  placed  his  arm  around  his 
wife's  shoulders.  She  barely 
acknowledged  his  gesture  by  slightly 
lifting  her  head.  Her  hands  continued 
to  knit.  Other  hands  were  raised  for 
seconds  on  boiled  potatoes  or  fish.  And 
while  some  hands  were  eating  and 
others  were  serving,  Johann  Arnold, 
the  grandson  of  Eberhard  Arnold,  was 
reading  a  chapter  from  a  book  on  the 
exploration  of  the  North  Pole.  It  was  a 
cold  story,  and  because  Johann  read 
with  little  inflection  it  seemed  even 
colder.  Much  colder  than  the  children's 
story  that  was  read  at  the  noon  meal. 

At  the  front  of  the  room  two  wooden 
beams  that  had  been  brought  from  the 
ruins  of  the  Rhonbruderhof  in 
Germany  hung  from  chains.  On  each 
of  them  a  phrase  was  carved  in 
German.  Translated  they  read: 

"He  who  is  near  me,  is  near  the 

fire." 
"He  who  is  far  from  me,  is  far 
from  the  Kingdom." 
Who  was  being  quoted?  Jesus? 


Arnold?  Blumhardt?  Wherever  they 
came  from,  they  are  so  deep  in  the 
wood  that  they  seem  true. 

The  dining  hall  is  located  in  the 
Carriage  House,  so  named  for  its 
function  before  the  Bruderhof  settled 
here.  The  Carriage  House  also  houses 
an  adult  library,  a  lounge,  the  kitchen 
where  the  communal  meals  are 
prepared,  and,  on  the  second  floor,  the 
administration  offices.  But  the  largest 
room  in  the  Carriage  House,  and 
perhaps  the  most  central  and  significant 
place  at  the  Woodcrest  Bruderhof,  is 
the  dining  hall. 

On  Sunday  morning  the  tables  in  the 
dining  hall  are  moved  to  the  sides  and 
the  chairs  are  arranged  in  a  circle  for 
the  Gemeindestunde  (church-com- 
munity hour)  where  one  brother  told 
me  there  are  "services  that  fall 
somewhere  between  a  Quaker  meeting 
and  a  traditional  Protestant  service." 
But  that  is  a  misleading  statement; 
religion  is  not  something  that  is  set 
aside  or  hung  on  the  wall  at  the  Bruder- 
hof communities.  It  is  not  even  taught 
as  a  separate  subject  in  their  school  but 
rather  is  at  the  center  of  their  life-style. 

The  dining  hall  is  also  where  the 
brotherhood  meetings  are  held  for  full 
members  of  the  community  three  or 
four  evenings  a  week.  (Children  are 
not  members  but  make  a  decision  to 
join  or  not  to  join  the  community  after 
they  have  had  some  exposure  to  life 
away  from  the  community:   college, 
trade  school,  alternative  service.  At 
the  brotherhood  meetings  the  com- 
munity makes  all  of  its  important 
decisions,  and  by  a  unanimous  vote. 

On  special  occasions  plays  are 
staged  in  the  dining  hall,  and  every 
Christmas  the  community  presents  The 
Shepherd's  Pipe,  a  collection  of 
Christmas  poems  by  Georg  Johannes 
Gick  that  have  been  set  to  music  by 
Marlys  Swinger,  a  former  member  of 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     3 


WHERE  BROTHERS  LIVE  /  continued 


the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  for 
several  years  a  member  of  the  Wood- 
crest  community.  But  now  it  was  dusk; 
everyone  but  the  younger  children  was 
at  the  table;  the  fish  and  potatoes  had 
been  eaten,  the  team  was  two  miles 
closer  to  the  North  Pole,  and  the 
women  were  knitting. 

All  of  the  work  in  the  Woodcrest 
community  is  assigned  through  work 
departments,  each  with  its  own  crew 
and  foreman.  Everyone,  from  grand- 
parents to  school  children,  does  some 
work  during  the  day.  Some  of  the 
women  work  in  the  laundry,  others 
work  in  the  kitchen  or  in  the  Baby 
House,  and  a  few  teach  school. 

A  handful  of  young  men  work  in  the 
bindery  where  Plough  publications 
are  assembled.  The  community  makes 
no  profit  from  the  publishing  effort, 
but  in  the  venture  is  the  opportunity  to 
present  the  concept  of  "living  in 
community"  to  the  general  public. 
Several  books  of  excellent  quality  have 
been  published  by  the  Plough  Press, 
ranging  from  Why  We  Live  in 
Community,  by  Eberhard  Arnold,  to  a 
beautifully  illustrated  volume  of  The 
Shepherd's  Pipe. 

A  majority  of  men  work  in  the 
woodshop  where  Community  Play- 
things are  built.  Community  Playthings 
are  sturdy  wooden  toys  made  of 
lacquer-finished  maple  that  are  built 
especially  for  children  about  the  age 
of  kindergarten.  The  toys  include 
trucks,  buUding  blocks,  work  benches, 
a  rowboat  that  moves  across  the  room. 

The  toys  are  virtually  indestructible. 
One  of  the  trucks  that  sells  for  less  than 
$  1 5  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  withstand 
two  tons.  . . .  Unless  you  have  an 
abnormally  strong  kindergartner, 
there's  a  good  chance  the  truck  will 
outlive  the  child.  The  business  has 
been  so  successful  that  fewer  catalogs 
were  sent  out  last  year  because  they 


were  making  too  much  money. 

The  woodshop  is  a  good  place  to 
work;  it  is  clean,  the  right  tools  are 
available  for  every  job,  and  the  men 
change  jobs  at  frequent  intervals  so 
that  they  will  not  become  bored  with 
what  they  are  doing.  Anyone  can 
suggest  an  idea  for  a  new  toy.  After 
the  toy  takes  physical  shape  they  send 
it  to  the  kindergarten  to  see  how  the 
children  react  to  it.  If  they  seem  to 
enjoy  it  then  there  is  a  good  possibility 
that  others  will  too. 


f^t  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  and 
four  in  the  afternoon  there  is  a  "tea" 
break  for  half  an  hour.  The  men 
working  in  the  bindery  come  over  and 
sit  with  the  men  working  in  the  shop 
and  together  they  eat  snacks  of  apples, 
and  toast  with  jam  and  butter  and 
drink  Kool-Aid,  coffee,  and  tea.  They 
relax  and  talk  the  usual  talk  about 
baseball.  President  Nixon,  the 
possibility  of  clearing  the  snow  off  the 
pond  for  skating.  One  man  asked  me 
if  there  were  a  higher  percentage  of 
Brethren  conscientious  objectors  now 
as  compared  to  World  War  II.  I  didn't 
really  know  for  sure,  but  I  told  him  that 
I  thought  there  were. 

On  this  particular  afternoon  a  man 
named  Sandy  joined  us  during  the 
afternoon  break.  Sandy  was  not  a 
member  of  the  Woodcrest  community 
but  rather  drove  one  of  the  trailer 
trucks  that  come  to  pick  up  Com- 
munity Playthings  for  distribution 
across  the  United  States.  At  one  time 
I  suppose  his  hair  had  been  sandy- 
colored,  but  now  it  was  neutral.  He 
was  a  rough,  likeable  kind  of  guy,  who 
among  different  people  would  probably 
share  some  off-color  jokes  that  would 
be  more  absurd  than  funny.  I  believe 
he  had  two  children  and  a  wife  some- 
where along  the  interstates  he  travels. 


but  mostly  he  talked  about  the  rise  in 
tolls  for  hauling  freight  on  the  New 
York  Thruway. 

As  Sandy  talked  about  the  problems 
of  driving  a  truck  and  trying  to  make 
enough  money  to  keep  his  family  fed, 
several  of  us  nodded  our  heads  not  in 
agreement,  but  rather  in  some  general 
rhythm  to  sustain  Sandy's  speech.  And 
then  Sandy  made  a  statement  that  not 
only  revealed  something  about  himself, 
but  also  about  the  men  he  was  talking 
to  and  the  decisions  that  we  had  made: 
Sandy  as  a  truck  driver,  the  Bruderhof 
men  living  in  community,  and  myself  as 
a  visitor. 

Sandy  said,  "  Ya  know,  things  ain't 
so  good  on  the  outside  either."  For  a 
few  seconds  I  forgot  my  toast.  Outside 
—  that's  the  same  word  that  the  men 
at  U.S.  Steel  in  Gary,  Indiana,  use  to 
refer  to  the  time  that  they  spend  away 
from  the  coke  plant,  open  hearths,  and 
rolling  mills.  Did  Sandy  mean  to  imply 
that  life  at  the  Bruderhof  was  as 
confining  as  the  weight  of  the  word 
"outside"  carried?  Probably  not.  More 
likely,  he  wanted  to  show  some 
camaraderie  and  understanding  with 
the  men  with  whom  he  was  sitting. 
None  of  us  answered  Sandy  —  I 
couldn't  because  I  didn't  understand 
the  vision  either  —  the  men  around  us 
were  silent  because  they  did. 

Since  the  earliest  beginnings  at  the 
Rhonbruderhof  in  Germany,  the 
Bruderhof  communities  have  main- 
tained their  own  schools  through  the 
eighth  grade.  At  Woodcrest  textbooks 
and  educational  resources  are  the  same 
as  the  ones  used  by  the  public  schools 
so  that  the  children  will  have  no 
problems  adjusting  academically  later 
on. 

There  are  other  differences  however; 
only  half  the  day  at  the  Bruderhof 
school  is  spent  on  academic  education, 
while  the  other  half  is  used  to  develop 


4     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


skills  in  crafts  and  to  participate  in 
nature  hikes  and,  during  the  winter,  in 
an  occasional  sledding  trip. 

While  the  high  school  age  Bruderhof 
students  may  not  have  problems 
adjusting  academically,  there  are  some- 
times other  difficulties.  Because  their 
life  centers  around  the  Bruderhof 
community,  they  rarely  take  an  active 
part  in  the  high  school's  extra-curric- 
ular activities.  One  member  told  me 
that  at  one  time  some  of  the  children 
belonged  to  the  high  school  band  but 
that  things  didn't  work  out  so  well 
when  the  Bruderhof  children  refused  to 
play  the  National  Anthem. 

The  Bruderhof  children  are 
occasionally  belittled  by  some  students 
because  of  their  "different"  dress,  but 
other  classmates  respect  them  for  their 
beliefs.  Perhaps  even  more  disappoint- 
ing to  some  members  of  the  community 
are  teachers  who  feel  sorry  for  the 
Bruderhof  children  by  assuming  that 
they  do  not  really  want  to  dress  or  live 
the  way  they  do.  Only  after  spending 
the  entire  summer  as  a  guest  of  the 
Woodcrest  community  did  one  local 
teacher  finally  see  and  feel  that  the  chil- 
dren are  genuinely  happy.   But  the 
tensions  that  the  children  feel  are  real. 
To  help  deal  with  those  tensions,  adult 
members  of  the  community  act  as 
counselors  and  meet  with  the  high 
school  students  each  day  after  school  to 
discuss  the  problems  that  they  are 
facing. 

The  Bruderhof  is  eager  to  have 
visitors  so  long  as  they  work  right  along 
with  the  other  members.  For  me  this 
meant  working  in  the  shop  where  one 
man  explained,  "The  work  is  not  to  do, 
but  rather,  it  is  for  us." 

Several  times,  men  would  ask  me  if 
I  enjoyed  working  in  the  shop.  I  did, 
but  at  the  same  time  I  realized  that  it 
would  be  hard  for  me  to  work  there 
every  day  without  being  bored.  The 


Bruderhof  carpenters  are  craftsmen, 
but  I  just  don't  feel  that  is  my  calling. 
For  the  people  at  Woodcrest,  that 
would  be  begging  the  question.  Their 
vision  of  community  carries  them  past 
any  individual  desires.  Their  work 
grows  out  of  the  needs  of  the  commu- 
nity; no  specific  can  stand  alone;  the 
work,  the  dress,  the  meals,  the  brother- 
hood meeting,  all  must  be  viewed  in 
relationship  to  the  vision  of  men  living 
together  in  community.  Without  the 
understanding  of  the  vision,  their 
disciplines  appear  arbitrary  or  unneces- 
sarily limiting. 

If  we  should  awake  in  some  other 
world,  even  a  world  without  English 
and  earthness,  we'd  still  probably  look 
for  a  supermarket.   Our  tools,  institu- 
tions, and  "ways  of  doing  things" 
become  so  real  to  us  that  they  seem  as 
natural  as  breathing.   It's  hard  to 
imagine  not  driving  to  work,  brushing 
our  teeth,  or  watching  television.   It  is 
even  harder  to  understand  another 
society  that  differs  not  only  in  what  it 
wears  or  eats,  but  in  its  assumptions, 
priorities,  and  commitments. 


It  is  difficult  for  anyone  outside  a 
specific  community,  whether  that  com- 
munity be  the  Campus  Crusade,  a  po- 
litical party,  the  local  Little  League,  or 
the  Society  of  Brothers  to  understand 
what  it's  really  all  about.  And  it  is  just 
as  hard  for  someone  deeply  rooted  in 
those  communities  to  explain  his  joy 
and  understanding  of  that  community 
to  an  outsider.  We  can  observe  the 
dress  and  social  practices,  read  the 
dogma  —  but  we  never  really  quite 
understand  the  vision.  And  that  (I 
believe)  is  because  the  vision  and  the 
commitment  of  any  community  are 
inseparable  .  . .  one  sustains  and 
interprets  the  other.  This  is  not  to  say 
that  we  can't  observe  and  criticize 


another  community  from  our  own 
perspective.  It  more  realistically  means 
that  we  should  try  to  understand,  not 
judge,  those  communities  removed 
from  our  own  . . .  and  that  can  only 
be  done  by  immersing  yourseK  in  that 
vision  and  commitment;  hence,  visit  the 
Bruderhof  yourself. 

It  has  been  only  six  months  since  I 
visited  the  Woodcrest  community,  yet 
already  the  images  are  fuzzy;  the 
braided  hair,  plaid  shirts,  a  pet  quail 
named  Robert,  a  large  rubber  inner- 
tube  that  served  as  a  sled  for  whirling 
laughter  —  none  of  it  is  clear  but 
rather  as  if  it  were  viewed  under  water. 

Perhaps  it  is  enough  to  say  that  there 
is  joy  at  Woodcrest  that  goes  beyond 
the  complicated  nostalgia  that  haunts 
American  life  today.  One  man  was 
very  excited  about  a  surveyor's  map  of 
the  Woodcrest  area  that  he  had 
received  for  Christmas.  The  apartment 
homes  that  each  family  is  given  are 
comfortable  with  homemade  lamps, 
murals,  mobiles,  and  bird  feeders  near 
the  windows.  There  were  no  painted 
milk  cans  or  plastic  eagles,  no  wood- 
stove  planters  or  coffee-grinder  lamps; 
there  was  no  deliberate  effort  to  revive 
the  first  part  of  this  century. 

Some  of  the  people  now  living  at 
Woodcrest  were  in  Civilian  Public 
Service  camps  during  World  War  II,  a 
couple  were  Jews  who  fled  Nazi 
Germany,  and  all  of  them  are  aware  of 
the  nomadic  history  of  the  Society  of 
Brothers  being  forced  to  leave  one 
country  after  another.  Living  in  com- 
munity open  to  the  grace  of  God  is 
different  from  going  singularly  into  the 
mountains  not  to  return.  All  of  us  are 
aware  of  how  difficult,  sometimes  even 
impossible,  it  is  to  maintain  an  honest 
relationship  with  just  one  other  person 
—  the  Bruderhof  is  attempting  to  live 
with  that  kind  of  relationship  in 
community.    D 


8-27-70   AAESSENGER    5 


Hope  and  the 

RESURRECTION 


by  EUGENE  F.  ROOP 

This  first  in  a  series  of  Annual 
Conference  Bible  study  mes- 
sages is  based  on  Mark  16:1-8 

Did  he  or  didn't  he?  Year  after  year 
the  debate  concerning  Jesus' 
resurrection  continues;  we  each  have 
our  answer  and  pick  our  favorite  side 
in  the  perpetual  debate.  One  thing  is 
shared  by  everyone  who  is  a  part  of  the 
debate:   The  resurrection  is  important. 
If  one  is  going  to  call  himself 
Christian,  he  does  not  have  the  luxury 
to  ignore  the  resurrection  or  the  option 
to  remain  aloof  from  the  fray. 

I  propose  that  we  look  at  Mark 
16:1-8,  one  of  the  New  Testament 
texts  that  traces  its  tradition  back  to  the 
resurrection  event.  In  looking  at  this 
text,  there  are  two  major  questions. 
First  of  all,  what  did  the  gospel  writer 
of  Mark  intend  to  say  here?  Secondly, 
what  does  this  message  have  to  say  to 
us,  here  and  now? 

An  analysis  of  the  structure  of  Mark 
16:1-8  shows  that  it  is  clear  and  con- 
cise. There  are  three  major  units.  The 
first  is  the  report  about  the  action  of 
three  women  (16:1-5).  The  women 
first  bought  perfumes.  Then  they  came 


to  the  tomb.  On  the  way  they 
questioned  one  another  about  a  stone 
which  made  the  task  look  like  "mission 
impossible."  However,  upon  arriving 
at  the  tomb,  they  marveled  at  the  fact 
that  the  obstacle  had  been  removed. 
Then  the  three  women  entered  the 
tomb  and  saw  that  it  was  occupied,  but 
by  an  unknown  and  unnamed  young 
man. 

The  second  major  unit  of  the  text  is 
a  report  about  the  speech  of  the  young 
man  (16:6-7).  The  speech  includes  a 
traditional  exhortation :  The  women 
need  not  be  astonished.  He  then 
announced  to  them  the  resurrection. 
Finally  the  young  man,  who  was  likely 
understood  by  the  writer  to  be  an 
angel,  commissioned  them  as 
messengers,  using  a  traditional 
formula,  "Go  tell. ..." 

The  final  unit  is  a  report  about  the 
reaction  of  the  women  (16:8).  This  is 
short  and  specific :   They  fled  and  they 
remained  absolutely  quiet. 

Mark  1 6 : 1  -8  is  a  complete  unit. 
Likely,  it  was  originally  independent  of 
its  present  context.  That  is,  it 
circulated  in  the  church  as  a  unit 
before  the  writer  put  it  into  his  gospel. 
An  analogy  of  the  process  would  be 
the  way  biography  is  written.  The 
writer  pulls  together  speeches,  poems. 


and  anecdotes  by  and  about  his  subject 
and  places  them  in  his  book.  So,  too, 
the  writer  of  Mark  took  a  unit,  16: 1-8, 
and  put  it  at  the  end  of  his  gospel. 
There  is  nothing  in  Mark  16:1-8  that  is 
necessarily  dependent  upon  the 
preceding  narrative  in  Mark. 

It  is  necessary  to  discuss  two 
different  layers  of  the  tradition:   the 
oral  tradition  before  Mark,  and  the 
adaptation  by  the  evangelist.  For  each 
stage,  one  must  be  aware  of  the  form 
of  the  narrative,  the  setting  of  the 
narrative,  and  the  intention  or  reason 
for  its  existence.  First  I  will  take  up 
the  tradition  before  Mark. 

If  Mark  16:1-6,  8  was  a  unit  in  the 
tradition  from  which  Mark  drew  in 
writing  his  gospel,  we  ought  to  be  able 
to  state  what  the  form  is.  Or  to  use  the 
technical  term  which  has  been 
borrowed  from  the  French,  what  is  its 
genre?  The  New  Testament  was 
compiled  by  using  all  kinds  of  genres 
from  the  literary  and  oral  traditions. 
There  are  the  speeches  found  in  Acts, 
the  letters  of  Paul,  the  sayings  of  Jesus. 
What  then  is  the  genre  of  Mark  16: 
1-6,  8? 

From  its  structure  and  its  contents, 
it  is  clear  that  Mark  16: 1-6,  8  is  a 
legend.  Now  immediately  I  know 
when  this  is  called  a  legend,  it  grates  on 


6     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


"The  Incredulity  of  Thomas"  by  Rembrandt 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     7 


HOPE  AND  THE  RESURRECTION  /  continued 


us.  A  legend  has  come  to  mean,  in 
common  language,  a  fairy  tale,  a  story 
about  something  that  never  happened. 
When  one  says  that  a  unit  of  oral 
tradition  or  literature  has  the  form  of 
a  legend,  one  is  talking  about  the 
structure  and  character  of  a  unit.  One 
is  saying  nothing  about  its  historicity 
or  theological  validity.  Whether  the 
legend  accurately  reflects  an  historical 
event  must  be  decided  on  quite 
different  criteria  than  its  genre.  Thus 
I  do  not  want  to  be  misunderstood. 
When  I  call  Mark  16: 1-6,  8  a  legend, 
I  am  saying  nothing  about  whether  it 
really  happened,  but  only  that  it  has 
come  down  to  us  in  the  genre  of  legend, 
rather  than,  for  example,  a  letter  or  a 
dialogue  or  a  poem  or  a  song. 

But  there  are  different  kinds  of 
legends.  More  specifically,  Mark  16: 
1-6,  8  seems  to  be  an  apologetic 
legend.  There  again,  apology  may 
have  some  negative  connotations,  but  a 
piece  of  literature  written  as  an 
apology  was  written  to  defend  and 
aflirm  a  particular  position.  The  early 
church  fathers,  for  example,  were  often 
engaged  in  writing  apologies  in  defense 
of  Christianity  against  various  foes. 
They  were  not  saying,  "I  am  sorry  that 
I  am  a  Christian."  Rather  they  were 
affirming,  "I  am  a  Christian!  This  is 
why."  So  Mark  16:  1-6,  8  is  an 
apologetic  legend.  It  is  a  unit  having 
the  formal  character  of  legend  which 
seeks  to  affirm  one  aspect  of  the 
Christian  confession. 

There  is  one  other  thing  that  must 
be  determined.  What  was  the  setting  in 
the  life  of  early  Christianity  of  this 
apologetic  legend?  One  of  the 
characteristics  of  legends  is  that  usually 
they  were  oral.  We  know,  of  course, 
that  much  of  the  New  Testament 
tradition  existed  first  in  oral  form: 
speeches,  sayings,  creeds,  confessions, 
poems.  Mark  16: 1-6,  8  seems  to  be  no 


exception. 

Finally,  we  must  be  aware  of  the 
intention  of  this  apologetic  legend. 
Why  was  it  told?  The  answer  seems 
obvious  enough.  The  cross  was  not  the 
end  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth;  he  was 
resurrected.  The  apologetic  legend  was 
told  and  transmitted  to  proclaim  this 
fact.  It  was  written  as  apology  for  the 
Christian  confession  that  the  same 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  who  was  crucified 
was  now  the  risen  Lord. 


Let  us  then  take  up  Mark's 
adaptation  of  this  early  tradition.  The 
only  adaptation  he  made  was  to 
supplement  the  speech  of  the  angel  to 
have  him  commission  the  women  as 
messengers  entrusted  with  the  news  of 
the  resurrection  (16:7).  So  Mark  left 
the  basic  structure  of  the  unit  alone. 
Consequently  we  can  say  that  the 
whole  of  Mark  16:1-8  has  the  formal 
character  of  legend.  That  is  its  genre. 
Mark  did  not  take  a  legend  from  his 
tradition  and  remake  it  into  a  creed  or 
song  or  poem.  He  left  its  genre  alone. 

Although  its  genre  remains  the 
same,  its  setting  has  changed.  It  is, 
for  instance,  no  longer  oral  but  written. 
It  has  been  incorporated  into  a  larger 
literary  work  whose  genre  is  gospel. 

The  Christian  community  to  which 
Mark  addressed  his  gospel  was  a  very 
unsettled  one.  There  were  many 
reasons  for  this.  In  the  first  place  they 
lived  in  an  unpredictable  environment. 
Much  of  the  time  their  neighbors  and 
the  government  would  let  them  alone 
to  go  about  their  business  as  they 
wished  and  to  practice  their  "strange" 
cult.  But  at  other  times  a  wave  of 
superpatriotism  would  sweep  the  area. 
At  these  times  the  government  and  the 
people  would  try  to  eliminate 
disruptive  and  unpatriotic  elements.  In 
these  times  a  very  specific  attitude  was 


demanded  by  the  Roman  Empire.  The 
Christians  were  told  to  "Love  It  or 
Leave  It."  A  significant  number  of 
times  Christians  were  willing  to  take 
leave  of  this  world  rather  than  to  give 
ultimate  love  to  the  emperor. 

Most  of  those  Christians  had  never 
seen  or  heard  Jesus  in  person.  They 
had  come  to  their  faith  stance  as  a 
result  of  the  evangelism  of  others. 
Obviously  one  element  in  this  faith,  as 
it  was  being  proclaimed,  was  that  the 
risen  Lord  would  soon  return  and 
straighten  out  the  world.  It  was  not 
usually  spelled  out  how  this  would 
happen,  but  the  confidence  was  there 
that  things  would  be  fixed  up  soon. 
The  years  began  to  grow  and  there 
seemed  to  be  no  evidence  that  the 
world  situation  was  getting  any  better. 
The  Roman  army  did  not  seem 
inclined  to  make  the  world  safe  for 
Christianity.  Christians  could  not  help 
wondering  just  before  they  dropped 
off  to  sleep  at  night  whether  the  faith 
they  had  adopted  was  relevant  for 
living  in  the  Roman  Empire  in  those 
days. 

Mark  did  not  include  the 
commissioning  speech  in  16:7  merely 
for  the  fun  of  it.  He  had  a  reason  and 
we  must  find  out,  if  we  can,  what  that 
reason  was.  Why  does  Mark  talk 
about  Jesus'  meeting  the  disciples  in 
Galilee  in  16:7?  One  possibility  is  that 
by  this  verse  Mark  sought  to  tie 
together  the  empty  tomb  tradition  with 
the  tradition  of  the  appearances  of  the 
risen  Lord.  The  tradition  of  Jesus' 
resurrection  appearances  seems  to  be 
associated  with  Galilee.  Most 
Christians  in  the  early  church  referred 
to  the  appearance  of  the  risen  Lord 
when  they  were  asked  why  they 
believed  that  "Jesus  is  Lord."  Galilee 
seems  to  have  been  the  traditional 
place  where  the  risen  Lord  is  reported 
to  have  appeared.  Thus,  Mark  could 


8     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


be  tying  the  report  of  the  empty  tomb 
to  the  reports  of  Jesus'  appearances  in 
Galilee. 

The  Galilean  appearance  of  Jesus, 
which  is  proclaimed  by  Mark,  refers 
to  the  fulfillment  of  the  kingdom  of 
God.  It  is  important  to  note  that 
Galilee  had  a  special  significance  for 
the  gospel.  It  was  more  than  a 
geographical  location.  It  was  the  place 
where  Jesus  lived  and  worked.  Hence 
it  would  be  the  place  to  which  Jesus 
will  return.  But  this  does  not  refer  only 
to  the  geographical  area  of  Galilee. 
Anyplace  where  God  acts  through 


Jesus,  for  Mark,  there  is  Galilee. 

Mark  saw  himself  as  writing  a  gospel 
for  the  time  between  the  resmrrection 
and  the  final  kingdom.  The 
resurrection  is  behind  and  the  second 
coming  is  ahead.  As  was  noted  above, 
there  lurked  in  the  community  to  which 
Mark  was  writing  the  tension  between 
the  inner  compulsion  to  spread  the 
news  of  the  resurrection  and  the 
inhibition  of  this  missionary  urge  by 
the  fact  that  the  final  kingdom  had  not 
come.  Mark,  therefore,  has  changed 
the  intention  of  a  traditional  apologetic 
legend  which  proclaimed  the 


resurrection  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 
Mark  16: 1-8,  as  a  whole,  is  a  legend 
set  in  the  context  of  Mark's  gospel, 
which  proclaims  that  the  resurrected 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  is  going  to  appear  at 
the  fulfillment  of  the  kingdom. 
We  have  now  looked  at  the 
character  and  intention  of  Mark 
16:1-8.  We  have  some  idea,  I  hope, 
about  what  Mark  was  saying  to  the 
church  of  his  day.  That  is  one  half  of 
the  task.  The  second  half  is  equally 
as  important.  What  is  the  value  of  this 
for  us  today?  Does  the  message  which 
Mark  proclaimed  to  his  day  affect  the 


FAITH  LOOKS  UP 


I  believe  that  God's  commandments,  which  include  the 
teachings  and  life  of  Christ,  hold  two  things  central: 
worship  or  reverence  of  God,  and  people-to-people 
service.  Therefore,  I  see  these  two  things  as  central 
for  each  individual.  Our  lives  should  center  around  an 
active  church  life  and  service  to  God's  people  in  the 
world  where  they  work  and  live. 

As  I  see  it  our  Christian  commitment  to  the  church, 
in  our  work  and  in  our  living,  should  not  conflict. 

God's  people  have  helped  me  and  continue  to  help 
me  understand  the  Christian  ethics,  hold  a  good  job, 
maintain  a  good  home,  and  enjoy  a  good  standard  of 
living.  I  believe  that  it  is  God's  will  that  I  do  the  same 
for  others. 

I  contend  that  I  am  serving  God  as  professionally, 
socially,  civically,  and  religiously  I  work  with  people- 
to-people  programs  which  strive  to  do  the  following 
things:  develop  a  God-centered,  ethical  philosophy; 
educate  or  train  people  for  employment  and  life;  im- 
prove housing  and  living  conditions  and  improve  em- 
ployment opportunities;  help  people  accept  and  enjoy 
life. 

As  I  work  for  these  things  in  my  community,  I  am 
constantly  running  into  individuals  and  institutions  who 
are  working  at  cross-purposes  with  my  understanding  of 
God's  will.  This  creates  a  confrontation,  and  I  believe 
that  the  Christian  is  expected  to  work  for  changes  in 
these  institutions  and  enter  into  serious  dialogue  with 


his  adversaries.  Here  God  calls  some  of  us  to  stand  up 
and  speak,  some  of  us  to  pick  up  the  pen  and  write,  and 
some  of  us  to  stand  out  in  many  other  ways  to  be 
counted  if  changes  are  to  be  made  in  our  business,  civic, 
social,  and  religious  institutions  or  in  individuals. 

My  profession,  that  of  a  work  training  coordinator 
in  the  public  school,  places  me  in  a  very  strategic  place. 
The  fact  that  the  students  wdth  whom  I  work  take  their 
training  in  the  business  establishments  of  the  com- 
munity gives  me  an  entree  into  business,  government, 
and  civic  institutions.  The  fact  that  many  of  my  stu- 
dents are  black  places  me  in  a  position  where  I  can 
work  for  the  equality  of  minority  groups. 

My  task  is  made  difficult  and  our  youth  are  con- 
stantly frustrated  because  so  many  seemingly  good  peo- 
ple resist  and  try  to  block  the  changes  that  must  come. 
I  am  encouraged,  however,  because  more  and  more 
people  are  joining  the  action  necessary  to  make  changes. 

People  are  more  important  than  things. 


FLOYD  R.  MASON  is  coordinator  of 
industrial  cooperative  training  at  T.  C. 
Williams  High  School  in  Alexandria,  Va. 
A  graduate  of  Roanoke  College  (B.S.)  and 
of  the  University  of  Virginia  (M.Ed.),  he 
has  actively  participated  in  many  com- 
munity, vocational,  and  educational  or- 
ganizations. He  is  a  member  of  the 
Washington  City  church  and  has  served 
as  district  moderator  and  member  of 
Standing  Committee.  The  Masons  have 
a  married  daughter,  and  a  son,  19. 


8-27-70    MESSENGER    9 


HOPE  AND  THE  RESURRECTION  /  continued 


way  we  live? 

The  Christian  faith  is  a  resurrection 
faith.  In  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  we 
see  through  faith  who  it  is  that 
ultimately  is  in  charge  of  and  active  in 
the  world.  We  see  how  things  are 
going  to  come  out.  We  see  the  end, 
paradise,  the  eschaton,  or  whatever 
you  want  to  call  the  ultimate  goal 
which  all  men  seek. 

One  does  not  need  to  look  very  far 
to  see  that  our  world  is  not  all  that 
different  from  the  world  in  which  the 
gospel  of  Mark  was  written.  Paradise 
has  not  come.  The  eschatological  hope 
of  peace  has  not  arrived,  so  the 
president  decides  that  the  most 
appropriate  move  toward  peace  is  to 
send  troops  into  more  and  more 
countries.  The  economic  paradise  has 
not  arrived.  In  fact  many  are  alarmed 
that  we  are  destroying  all  our 
possibilities  by  reproducing  faster  than 
rabbits  and  slugging  away  at  our 
envirormient  with  ferocious 
devastation.  Indeed,  it  is  just  as 
obvious  to  us  that  the  world  falls  as 
short  of  paradise  as  it  did  for  second- 
generation  Christians.  We  live  before 
the  kingdom  is  fully  manifest. 

But  just  because  we  live  in  an 
ambiguous  present  does  not  mean  that 
we  are  flying  along  in  a  spaceship  with 
our  tracking  gear  completely  out  of 
order.  We  know  how  this  whole  drama 
is  going  to  turn  out.  God's  action  in 
the  past  provides  our  hope  for  the 
future.  This  allows  us  correctly  to 
order  our  priorities  for  the  present. 
That  is  why  the  resurrection  is  the 
embodiment  of  hope.  We  must  hear 
the  message  which  Mark  proclaimed  to 
the  church  of  his  day.  "You  seek 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  who  has  been 
crucified;  he  is  risen,  he  is  not  here. 
See,  the  place  where  they  laid  him. 
But  go,  tell  his  disciples  and  Peter  that 
he  goes  before  you  into  Galilee;  there 


you  will  see  him  as  he  told  you." 

The  church,  living  after  the 
resurrection,  but  before  the  fulfillment 
of  the  end,  has  a  twofold  mission.  One 
aspect  of  this  mission  is  to  proclaim 
the  resurrection  faith.  The  second, 
and  closely  related,  aspect  of  mission 
is  to  live  in  the  resurrection  faith.  The 
first  demands  that  we  be  deeply 
involved  in  the  world.  The  second 
means  that  the  church  will  look 
peculiar  to  those  who  do  not  live  by 
the  faith. 

The  proclamation  of  this  message 
may  take  place  in  many  ways  and  in 
various  settings.  Some  methods  we 
prefer  more  than  others.  There  is  a 
much  more  serious  problem,  however. 
One  has  the  impression  that  much  of 
our  debate  over  the  methods  of 
proclamation  covers  up  a  deeper  issue. 
Just  like  the  Christians  to  whoni  Mark 
was  writing,  many  of  us  are  very 
hesitant  to  proclaim  the  message  at  all. 
There  may  be  several  reasons  for  this 
hesitancy.  But  far  the  most  serious 
reason  is  that  deep  down  we  have  grave 
doubts  about  the  validity  of  Mark's 
message.  Was  Jesus  really  resurrected? 
Is  his  kingdom  really  going  to  be 
fulfilled? 


I  here  is  a  second  reason  why  some 
of  us  back  off  from  an  overt 
proclamation  of  Mark's  message.  We 
know  that  most  people  do  not  accept 
this  message  nor  do  they  live  in  this 
faith.  We  do  not  want  to  be  rejected 
by  them,  so  we  do  not  get  overzealous 
about  letting  them  know  where  we 
stand.  Whatever  the  reason,  we  seem 
to  react  to  the  message  much  like  the 
three  women:   We  do  not  say  anything 
to  anyone. 

We  must  live  in  the  resurrection 
faith.  In  doing  so  the  church  will  come 
off  looking  a  bit  odd  to  those  who  do 


not  live  by  this  faith.  In  a 
nonresurrection-oriented  society  a 
man's  worth  is  based  on  what  he  does. 
Therefore,  we  make  sure  that  those 
who  contribute  most  are  duly 
recognized  and  rewarded.  The  ones 
whom  society  judges  as  most  valuable 
may  be  rewarded  economically  —  for 
example,  actors  and  sports  figures.  Or 
they  may  be  rewarded  by  status  and 
thus  called  doctor,  professor,  or 
honorable.  Such  titles  have  their  place 
in  a  society  so  oriented.  But  the 
church  is  based  on  the  resurrection 
faith.  The  resurrection  represents 
God's  action  on  behalf  of  man, 
irrespective  of  a  person's  accomplish- 
ments. Therefore,  in  the  resurrection 
community  no  one  can  be  given  a 
higher  status,  whether  he  be  a  Ph.D.  or 
mentally  retarded,  whether  he  be 
moderator,  executive  secretary,  or  a 
kindergarten  Sunday  school  teacher. 
The  Brethren  have  traditionally 
recognized  this  by  forbidding  the  use  of 
any  title  except  Brother  and  Sister. 
There  seems  to  be  some  evidence, 
however,  that  we  have  forgotten  this. 

Finally,  let  me  remind  you  of  an 
example  of  one  who  lived  and  died 
proclaiming  and  living  in  the 
resurrection  faith.  Martin  Luther  King 
Jr.  was  well  aware  of  the  implications 
of  that  faith.  He  knew  that  living 
within  that  faith  might  anger  some  who 
did  not  share  the  faith,  so  that  they 
might  try  to  kill  him.  But  that  fear  did 
not  immobilize  him.  He  could  still  live 
out  the  implications  of  the  faith  as  he 
saw  them.  Martin  Luther  King  Jr. 
knew  God  had  acted  in  the  resurrection 
and  he  knew  the  hope  for  the  future 
which  that  event  provided.  He 
understood  Mark's  message:   "He  is 
risen.  ...  He  will  meet  you  in  Galilee 
as  he  told  you."  This  understanding 
enabled  Martin  Luther  King  Jr.  to 
order  the  priorities  of  his  present.   D 


10     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


POEMS 


You  Are  the  Frame 

For  all  of  this. 

This  day  —  stolen  from  the  world  of  war 

And  greed  and  commotion. 

It  is  a  lake.    And  woods. 

And  a  trusted  companion. 

And  the  feel  of  sun  and  water  spray. 

And  healthy  hunger. 

And  a  sky  so  much  more  beautiful  than  if  it  were 

Cloudless. 

I  dare  not  think  too  much. 
So  much  is  crowding, 
Ready  to  pounce. 

Rather,  I  know.    It  is  a  day  for  being, 

Not  doing. 

A  day  for  being  receptive. 

Listening. 


The  Kenapocomoco 
No  Mighty  River 

The  Kenapocomoco 
no  mighty  river,  walks 
more  a  stream  or  skipping 
brook. 

A  myriad  of  color 

covers  her  body  .  .  . 

She  changes  in  the  wind.  . 

I  spill  a  poem  on 

an  Indiana 

oak  leaf  and  slide  it 

into  a  walking 

river,  slowing  the 

gait  only  a  little.  .  .  . 

"On  pondering 

the  will  to  travel, 

my  mind  stays  on 

the  ones  for  whom 

near  was  as  good  as  far." 


by  J.  F.  Humphrey 


The  canoe  is  good. 

The  waters  are  placid. 

The  clouds  are  beyond  description. 

(How  much  more  beautiful  than  a  cloudless  sky  is  that  delicious  blue 

with  wisps  and  bits  of  meaningful  white  messes!) 

The  company  is  good.    Kind. 

Undemanding.    Silent. 

And  I  know  certain  truths. 
As  I  never  knew  before. 
It  is  a  kind  of  infused  thing. 
This  evaluation  of  the  picture 
YOU  painted. 
And  now  have  framed.  .  .  . 


by  Jo  Thebaud 


For  One  Very  Young  Met  Today 

I  see  myself  at  seventeen  in  you; 

Your  frightened  questing  eyes  could  be  my  own. 

O  let  this  word,  unspoken,  filter  through 

Our  fragile  moments  shared:  You're  not  alone. 


by  Emily  Sargent  Councilman 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     11 


BELIEVERS'  CHURCH 


Revealing  a  bit  of  'madness' 


From  June  29  to  July  2,  four  days  that 
broke  records  for  heat  and  humidity  in 
Chicago,  the  second  BeUevers'  Church 
Conference  met  amid  the  gothic  archi- 
tecture, cloisters,  and  leaded  glass  of 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary.  As  one 
participant  put  it,  "Our  Anabaptist  fore- 
bears wouldn't  understand  our  meeting 
in  a  gothic  chapel,  but  they  would  under- 
stand the  heat." 

Unlike  the  first  Believers'  Church  Con- 
ference, held  in  Louisville  in  1967,  this 
conference  was  intended  to  be  of  a  work- 
shop nature  where  the  papers  presented 
would  have  a  "Here  I  Stand!"  faith 
affirmation  rather  than  a  treatise  on  the 
origins  of  the  free  church  in  England. 
Following  each  presentation  participants 
formed  four  smaller  groups  to  allow  for 
more  personal  responses  to  the  theme 
for  the  day. 

Risks:  A  conference  of  this  nature  has 
exciting  possibilities,  but  it  also  involves 
a  great  deal  of  risk  because  nothing  is 
guaranteed,  and  sometimes  there  is  noth- 
ing to  show  for  your  efforts  —  no  aca- 
demic arguments  to  win  or  lose  and  no 
resolutions  to  pass.  In  a  sense  the  con- 
ference was  deliberately  open  to  the  Spir- 
it, which  has  been  known  to  appear  even 
in  Chicago.  But  when  the  60  persons 
who  had  been  invited  to  the  conference 
discovered  upon  arrival  that  the  air  con- 
ditioning had  broken  down,  it  took  some 
of  their  spirit  and  openness  to  the  Spirit 
out  of  them.  By  the  end  of  the  confer- 
ence some  pretty  energetic  pastors  and 
professors  had  wilted.  So  in  some  ways 
the  conference  may  have  been  a  bust, 
but  it  did  have  its  moments  because  of 
the  interaction  that  took  place  between 
interesting  people,  some  of  them  "be- 
lievers." 

One  of  those  interesting  people  was 
Rosemary  Radford  Ruether,  a  Roman 
Catholic  lay  theologian,  author,  elbow 
rubber  with  Dan  Berrigan,  liberated 
woman,  and  professor  of  church  history 


at  Howard  University.  Dr.  Ruether, 
wearing  a  deep  maroon  and  cream  dress 
that  reminded  one  of  William  Blake,  if 
not  the  apocalypse,  gave  the  keynote 
address  Monday  evening,  "The  Problem 
of  Catholicity  and  the  Believers'  Church." 

Working  from  the  assumption  that 
there  has  been  a  rebirth  of  radical  Chris- 
tianity on  an  ecumenical  front.  Dr.  Rue- 
ther began  by  outlining  the  fall  of  man 
as  "an  inward  turn  of  the  self  upon  it- 
self. Man  feels  no  need  to  live  by  grace. 
He  thinks  of  himself  as  an  autonomous 
body;  he  falls  away  from  the  authentic 
and  embraces  nothingness." 

"Man's  salvation,"  she  continued,  "is 
in  the  restoration  of  communion  with 
nature  and  fellowman.  It  lies  in  the 
'peaceable  kingdom.'  Salvation  is  not 
simply  a  matter  of  the  soul  but  rather 
the  salvation  of  the  whole  man." 

Renewal:  Dr.  Ruether  then  spoke  of 
the  "radical  vision"  which  recognizes  that 
the  system  itself  (federal  government, 
town  council,  local  congregation)  is 
inauthentic  and  must  be  renewed  on  the 
principles  of  agape  love  and  brotherhood. 
"Those  who  have  been  reborn  find  them- 
selves pitted  against  the  system.  The 
Christian  therefore  is  a  madman  because 
he  insists  on  living  by  a  different  vision 
—  he  is  in  fidelity  with  something  that 
doesn't  exist." 

(At  first  glance  it  didn't  look  as  though 
many  madmen  had  been  invited  to  the 
conference.  They  were  mostly  middle- 
aged,  white,  sensible  churchmen.  There 
were  several  present  who  undoubtedly 
have  a  deep  commitment  to  a  Christian 
life-style,  but  nobody  that  seemed  really 
mad.  One  man,  John  Pairman  Brown, 
author  and  theologian-in-residence  at  the 
Free  Church  at  Berkeley  might  come 
close  to  Dr.  Ruether's  reference  to  mad- 
ness, but  others  would  call  him  eccentric, 
not  mad.  The  Berkeley  Free  Church 
might  even  qualify  as  a  genuine  Believers' 
Church   were   it   not   living   a  perennial 


"two-step"  existence.  That  is,  it  minis- 
ters to  hips,  soldiers,  and  addicts  for  a 
couple  of  months  and  then  it's  busted  or 
evicted  and  out  of  operation  for  a  month. 
Could  a  genuine  Believers'  Church  lead 
such  an  uncertain  life?) 

Essence:  Dr.  Ruether  continued:  "The 
messianic  vision  can  never  be  a  private 
or  individual  salvation;  it  seeks  com- 
munity, a  brotherhood,  a  new  humanity. 
Those  who  seek  this  vision  must  neces- 
sarily seek  each  other  out.  It  must  at- 
tempt to  open  up  a  liberated  zone  in  the 
world,  a  reality  in  a  time,  in  a  place,  and 
in  a  people.  It  is  an  experiment  that 
gives  the  glimpse  of  a  possibility  —  the 
essence  of  the  Believers'  Church  as  a 
gathered  community." 

This  segment  of  Dr.  Ruether's  address 
was  extremely  important  to  three  of  the 
people  attending  the  conference:  Julius 
Belser,  Virgil  Vogt,  and  John  Friesen, 
all  from  Reba  Place,  an  experiment  in 
communal  living  at  Evanston,  III.  Nearly 
all  of  the  people  at  the  conference  had 
graduate  degrees  and  academic  titles,  but 
here  were  three  in-the-flesh  humans  ac- 
tually immersed  in  a  full-time  commit- 
ment to  something  that  resembles  a  Be- 
lievers' Church.  Because  of  their  actual 
experience  they  became  the  most  sought- 
after  people  to  talk  with  during  the  free 
periods  of  the  conference. 

Amoebic:  Despite  the  fact  that  the 
term  Believers'  Church  was  defined  at  the 
Louisville  conference  as  a  community  of 
believers  practicing  several  qualities  of 
life  ranging  from  separation  from  the 
world  to  believers'  baptism,  the  Believers' 
Church  remains  for  the  most  part  an 
amoebic  structure,  invisible  to  the  naked 
eye  and  constantly  changing.  The  Believ- 
ers' Church  is  similar  in  this  respect  to 
the  Loch  Ness  monster,  in  that  we  believe 
both  of  them  probably  existed  at  one 
time  or  another  (although  we're  not 
sure  of  the  exact  form)  and  that  they 
may  in  fact  exist  now. 

There  is  some  evidence  that  the  Be- 
lievers' Church,  like  the  monster,  sur- 
faces   every    few    years,    at    least    often 


12     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


enough  to  encourage  some  people  to 
spend  a  good  part  of  their  time  in  trying 
to  photograph  and  define  it.  It  should 
be  noted,  however,  that  the  monster 
never  tries  to  define  itself  —  so  maybe 
here  is  where  the  analogy  breaks  down, 
because  there  was  a  pretty  strong  feeling 
at  this  conference  that  the  Believers' 
Church  should  know  that  it  is  the  Be- 
liever's Church. 

On  each  of  the  following  three  days  a 
major  address  was  given  in  the  morning, 
followed  by  designated  respondents  and 
small  group  discussions  for  the  remainder 
of  the  afternoon. 

identification:  Tuesday  morning  Carl 
Bangs,  St.  Paul  School  of  Theology,  out- 
lined the  "Marks  of  a  Disciplined 
Church."  Dr.  Bangs  noted  the  theologi- 
cal basis  for  church  discipline  by  refer- 
ring to  scripture  and  then  went  on  to 
suggest  the  appropriate  context  and  the 
new  shape  of  church  discipline.  Some  of 
the  statements  following  Dr.  Bang's  pre- 
sentation reflect  the  broad  spectrum  of 
concerns  at  the  conference: 

t**  "What  we're  searching  for  is  some 
means  by  which  a  believer  can  be  identi- 
fied. It  used  to  be  that  a  believer  could 
be  identified  by  his  distinctive  dress,  but 
now  we  are  turning  to  more  qualitative 
aspects.    Can  a  quality  be  identifiable?" 

C*  "Discipline  makes  sense  not  as  an 
introspective  thing  but  only  as  a  means 
to  an  end.  Lack  of  a  vision  or  a  goal 
that  we  can  agree  upon  leads  to  a  misun- 
derstanding of  discipline." 

\^  "How  much  of  the  gospel  does  a 
person  have  to  believe  before  he  is  a  be- 
liever?" 

On  the  following  day  Arthur  Foster, 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  addressed 
himself  to  "Conflict  and  Consensus  With- 
in the  Congregation."  Dr.  Foster's  thesis 
was  that  the  church  today  can  find  new 
spirit  and  dynamism  if  it  learns  to  in- 
stitutionalize conflict.  "Conflict  is  a 
normal  dimension  of  life,"  said  Foster, 
"and  where  there  is  no  conflict  there  is 
no  life."  This  was  nothing  new  to  most 
conferees,  but  it  introduced  what  is  prob- 


Believers'  Church  founder  Peter  Waldo: 
A  bit  askance  at  gothic  chapel  meeting? 

ably  the  most  controversial  subject  the 
Christian  church  faces:  the  use  of  coun- 
terviolence  in  opposing  the  institutional- 
ized violence  which  threatens  the  exis- 
tence of  many  people  (the  racism  and 
poverty  that  threaten  minority  groups  and 
the  repression  and  militarism  that  threat- 
en all  of  us). 

Strategy:  On  the  final  day  of  the  con- 
ference Dale  W.  Brown,  professor  at 
Bethany  Theological  Seminary  and  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren's  moderator- 
elect,  offered  possible  strategies  of  wit- 
ness for  persons  who  identify  with  his- 
torical and  contemporary  expressions  of 
the  Believers'  Church.  Dr.  Brown  began 
by  saying,  "If  we  have  an  ounce  of 
Christian  compassion  left  in  our  souls, 
we  will  be  interested  in  ministry  to  a 
society  rent  asunder  by  polarized  stances 
and  a  world  threatened  with  extinction." 

In  a  section  of  his  paper  entitled  "The 
Problem  of  Violence  and  Nonviolence," 
Dr.  Brown  stated,  "All  Believers"  Church 
Christians  can  join  in  attacking  the  hy- 
pocrisy of  the  advocacy  of  nonviolence 
for  the  oppressed  and  the  blacks  by  rep- 
resentatives of  a  nation  which  spends 
billions  for  weapons  of  death."  But  he 
went  on  to  point  out  that  "radical  Chris- 
tians, who  feel  that  they  cannot  abso- 
lutely rule  against  all  violence  in  revolu- 
tionary struggles,  do  so  on  the  basis  of 
new  versions  of  the  just-war  theory." 


Brown  went  on  to  say  that  while  this 
view  is  held  by  many  contemporary  radi- 
cals, "others  of  us  are  certain  that  such 
militant  apocalypticism  is  a  perversion 
of  the  Christian  perspective.  We  be- 
lieve that  it  is  impossible  to  fulfill  life 
through  death.  The  way  which  is  even 
more  revolutionary  than  violence  may 
well  be  the  way  which  repudiates  com- 
pletely the  establishment,  including  its 
own  methods." 

Options:  At  the  time  that  Dale  Brown 
made  that  statement,  it  didn't  seem  ex- 
tremely significant.  It  was  something  all 
of  us  had  heard  before  and  more  or 
less  accepted  by  not  thinking  too  much 
about  it.  But  deep  within  many  of  us 
there  is  a  gnawing  fear  that  when  the 
revolution  comes,  it  will  not  be  one  of 
peace  and  harmony  but  one  that  in- 
volves a  just-war  decision;  a  decision 
where  we  will  once  and  for  all  recognize 
our  real  commitments  through  our  ac- 
tions as  liberal  humanists,  cowards, 
Christians,  or  a  thousand  other  options. 

In  the  final  session,  when  heat  and 
previous  commitments  had  dwindled  the 
group  to  a  fourth  of  its  original  size,  the 
conversation  still  centered  around  the 
use  of  violence.  A  Quaker  related  a 
story  on  how  in  all  of  the  Friends  meet- 
ings in  Africa  the  peace  witness  was 
absent.  The  concern  there  was  for  the 
immediate  revolutionary  situation.  An- 
other man  shared  his  concern  for  the 
lack  of  blacks  in  the  Believers'  Churches. 
He  said  that  the  absence  of  blacks  in  re- 
cent peace  demonstrations  could  possibly 
be  traced  to  how  blacks  see  violence  in 
their  own  local  situations.  Finally,  one 
person  shared  a  conversation  he'd  had 
with  an  Ecuadorian  missionary  and  the 
repression  of  young  people  in  that  coun- 
try. "We  must  be  careful  in  judging  peo- 
ple who  use  counterviolence  in  these 
circumstances,"  he  said,  "because  the 
only  more  radical  thing  than  counter- 
violence  is  the  cross  —  you  can't  say  that 
glibly."  For  a  few  seconds  everyone 
there  understood  what  it  means  to  be  in 
the  Believers'  Church.  —  Terry  Pettit 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     13 


news 


Structuring  ecumenism 

If  ecumenicism's  successes  in  the  twen- 
ty years  of  the  National  Council  of 
Churches  has  moved  Protestant-Catholic 
relationships  from  polite  dialogue  to 
joint  mission,  as  one  observer  claims,  the 
search  now  is  for  "systems  in  which  this 
new  wine  can  ferment." 

That  is,  the  new  wine  of  cooperative 
Christian  action  and  response  in  the 
world.  And  in  the  case  of  the  National 
Council  of  Church's  structure,  a  new 
winebag  too. 

Seeking  a  formula  for  reorganization, 
the  council  will  convene  a  National  Ecu- 
menical Consultation  before  year's-end 
to  consider  four  options  for  its  future. 

Budget  cut:  The  overhaul  is  spurred 
by  various  factors:  a  growing  national 
conservatism  on  social  problems,  a  bud- 
get squeeze  in  the  face  of  declining  con- 
tributions requiring  a  ten  percent  staff 
cut,  the  pending  emergence  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  Uniting  from  nine 
present  denominations,  the  need  for 
greater  program  flexibility,  and  the  de- 
sire for  a  broader  ecumenical  base  in 
any  conciliar  movement. 

This  latter  concern  is  reflected  in  the 
invitation  to  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
the  Southern  Baptists,  and  other  non- 
NCC  members  to  participate  in  the  con- 
sultation. 

Four  options:  While  the  final  structure 
will  likely  be  a  product  of  two  or  more 
approaches,  the  four  proposals  are: 

]/^  a  decentralized,  forumlike  assem- 
bly, with  no  legislative  arm  and  with 
membership  open  to  all  denominations 
and  paraecclesiastical  bodies  such  as  the 
American  Bible  Society. 

t^  a  similar  organization,  but  re- 
stricted to  churches,  with  a  general  as- 
sembly to  consider,  but  not  carry  out, 
proposals  for  action. 

1^  an  organization  with  a  role  limited 
to  social  justice  and     action. 

\^  an  organization  similar  in  struc- 
ture to  the  present  council,  with  a 
strengthened,  centralized  General  Board 
for  funding  and  program. 


Following  the  forthcoming  consulta- 
tion, a  proposal  will  be  submitted  to  the 
board  at  its  January  meeting.  Final  ac- 
tion is  expected  in  time  for  the  1972 
triennial  General  Assembly. 

Brethren  at  the  June  NCC  general 
board  meeting  that  advanced  the  plans 
were  Washington  representative  W.  Har- 
old Row,  WilUam  G.  Willoughby  of  La 
Verne,  Calif.,  Harold  B.  Statler  of  York, 
Pa.,  and  David  Miller  of  Arlington,  Va. 
Member  communions,  including  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  and  other  groups 
will  submit  reactions  to  the  four  courses 
of  action. 

Less  program:  Of  values  sought  in  the 
restructure,  Edward  B.  Fiske  of  The 
New  York  Times  said  that  two  princi- 
ples have  widespread  support:  the  con- 
ceptualization of  the  council  as  an  origi- 
nator of  ideas,  experimenter,  and  en- 
abler  to  local  groups  in  starting  their 
own  projects,  and  the  freedom  of  mem- 
ber denominations  to  pick  and  choose 
the  programs  they  will  affiliate  with  and 
support. 

NCC  president  Dr.  Cynthia  Wedel  at- 
tests that  the  council  has  lost  touch  with 
persons  in  the  local  community  and  must 
rebuild  its  contacts  with  the  grass  roots. 
It  is  a  feeling  being  shared  by  conserv- 
atives and  liberals  alike. 

After  two  decades  of  engrossing  atten- 
tion with  the  consuming  problems  of  the 
world,  it  may  be  the  time,  in  the  vogue 
of  the  day,  to  assume  a  low  profile  on 
the  ecumenical  stage.  Yet  so,  as  a  sig- 
nificant force  in  the  past,  a  similar  fu- 
ture for  the  National  Council  should  not 
be  discounted. 

Apostle  to  illiterates 

None  could  challenge  his  epitaph, 
"Frank  C.  Laubach,  apostle  to  the  illit- 
erates." When  the  famed  clergyman 
died  at  age  85  on  June  1 1 ,  he  had  been 
responsible  for  helping  more  persons  to 
read  than  probably  any  other  individual 
in  history. 

Through  his  "each  one  teach  one"  lit- 
eracy method,  he  personally  was  involved 


Dr.    Laubach:     Teaching    the   first   step 

in  literacy  programs  in  100  countries, 
and  his  techniques  and  materials  were 
adapted  to  300  languages  and  dialects. 

At  the  Long  Beach  Annual  Confer- 
ence in  1961,  Dr.  Laubach  told  Brethren 
that  "the  church  must  add  literacy  to  her 
mission  program.  It  must  be  vast  and  it 
must  be  fast.  There  are  eight  times  as 
many  to  be  taught  as  our  whole  popula- 
tion." 

And  he  said  further  then:  "The  illit- 
erates know  that  they  are  hungry  because 
they   are   illiterate." 

Enabling  destiny:  Dr.  Laubach  un- 
derstood early  in  his  career  that  without 
the  ability  to  read  people  could  not  im- 
prove their  social,  economic,  or  political 
lot,  could  not  overcome  prejudice  and 
fears,  and  could  not  really  be  involved 
in  the  modern  world. 

He  began  his  work  in  the  Philippines 
in  1915,  founded  the  World  Literacy 
Committee  in  1935,  and  established 
Laubach  Literacy,  Inc.,  at  Syracuse, 
N.Y.,  in  1955. 

Lapse:  Although  he  made  it  possible 
for  perhaps  100  million  persons  to  read, 
he  did  not  keep  score  to  advance  his  own 
prestige.  He  once  noted  that  20  million 
persons  had  lapsed  back  into  illiteracy 
for  lack  of  reading  material. 

He  saw  himself  as  "an  incurable  and 
desperate  optimist"  —  optimistic  about 
the  upgrading  of  "little  men"  and  des- 
perate when  he  talked  to  "cynics  who 
have  little  faith  in  the  possibility  for 
world  improvement."  At  his  death, 
Frank  Laubach  had  done  more  than  his 
share  toward  reshaping  his  world. 


14     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


Summer  celebration 

The  summer  hiatus  is  often  a  period 
of  congregational  inactivity,  reduced  pro- 
gram, and  slackened  participation.  But 
four  Church  of  the  Brethren  congrega- 
tions, not  content  to  wait  for  autumn, 
used  the  summer  for  some  creative  vvfor- 
ship  and  fellowship  experiences. 

At  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  La  Verne, 
Calif.,  Silver  Spring,  Md.,  and  Lombard, 
111.,  among  other  experiences  elsewhere, 
the  emphasis  was  on  new  modes  of  wor- 
ship  and   thinking  together. 

Morning  praise:  "Summer  Celebra- 
tion" framed  the  study  and  worship  for 
the  Manchester  church  in  Indiana. 
Group  study  was  held  in  such  areas  as 
contemporary  film  viewing;  marriage: 
its  unrealized  potential;  political  respon- 
sibility; youth  "rap"  sessions;  and  Bible 
study. 

Three  greet-the-dawn  services  were 
held,  one  to  the  music  of  Beethoven's 
"Pastoral  Symphony."  Come  prepared, 
the  parishioners  were  warned;  the  "pews" 
may  be  damp. 

The  announcement  noted:  "An  impor- 
tant thing  about  these  worship  experi- 
ences is  not  place  ...  or  numbers  .  .  . 
or  form,  but  encounter  with  God  and 
other  people,  recognizing  the  different 
ways  that  God  speaks  to  his  children  .  .  . 
to  us!  Give  him  .  .  .  yourself  this 
chance!" 

Workshops:  Across  the  continent,  the 
La  Verne  church  held  Wednesday  eve- 
ning creative  arts  workshops  on  photog- 
raphy, genealogy,  macrame  (knot  ty- 
ing), flower  arranging,  knitting,  welding 
sculpture,  lapidary,  painting,  and  other 
interests. 

Midweek  issues:  Wednesdays,  too, 
were  used  by  the  Good  Shepherd  church 
in  Silver  Spring  to  give  opportunity  for 
persons  away  on  weekends  to  join  in  a 
unique  worship   experience. 

Making  presentations  were  Art  Gish, 
Brethren  peace  worker  from  Philadel- 
phia, Pa.,  on  noncooperation  with  the 
draft;  a  Catholic  parishioner  on  her 
Washington,  D.C.,  church's  joint  "owner- 


ship" with  the  community;  a  rabbi  on 
ancient  Jewish  legends  about  creation 
and  evolution. 

Other  sessions  tackled  the  medical  min- 
istry in  Haiti,  moral  implications  of  abor- 
tion, ministry  of  a  probation  officer,  crea- 
tive worship,  and  prayer  as  seen  by 
youth. 

Church  in  70s:  During  the  summer 
months  at  York  Center  church  in  Illinois, 
the  church  school  hour  was  devoted  to 
the  program  theme  of  "The  Church  in 
the  70s." 

Bethany  Seminary  student  Jack  Kar- 
penske  led  a  session  on  "Life  in  the 
Metropolitan  Environment,"  utilizing  a 
film  produced  by  five  seminary  students 
depicting  the  problems  of  polution. 

A  local  classical  guitarist  discussed 
the  creative  arts,  and  at  another  session 
Bethany  Seminary  professor  Leroy  Ken- 
nel examined  television  and  the  church. 

Interpretations  were  given  in  suc- 
ceeding weeks  to  Vietnam,  women  in  the 
church  ("What  Happened  to  Adam's 
Rib?"),  community  development  in  the 
seminary  area,  coffeehouse  ministries, 
and  evangelism. 

For  these  four  congregations  at  least, 
summertime  was  when  the  living  was 
easy  .  .  .  and  interesting  too. 

Missionary  movements 

MARY  ANN  SAYLOR,  previously  with  the 
Frontier  Nursing  Service  at  Lexington, 
Ky.,  has  received  an  assignment  in  India 
at  the  Dahanu  Road  Hospital. 

Miss  Saylor's  appointment  is  one  of  a 
flurry  of  movements  on  the  missions 
scene  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  cur- 
rently. 

The  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eli  W. 
Saylor  of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  she  is  a 
member  of  the  Chiques  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Miss  Saylor  received  her  nurs- 
ing degree  from  Lancaster  (Pa.)  General 
Hospital,  is  a  graduate  of  Elizabethtown 
College,  and  participated  in  nine  months' 
special  midwifery  training  at  Frontier 
Nursing  Service. 

Miss  Saylor  will  serve  in  the  training 


of  Indian  nurses  with  the  Church  of 
North  India  after  a  three-month  training 
program. 

Two  families  are  currently  on  fur- 
lough from  India.  Glen  Campbell  is 
spending  a  year  as  pastor  of  the  Liberty 
Mills  church.  North  Manchester,  Ind. 
Dr.  and  Mrs.  Leonard  Blickenstaff  are 
currently  living  in  Claremont,  Calif.,  for 
the  year. 

On  furlough  from  the  Nigerian  field 
are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ivan  Eikenberry,  for 
three  months,  living  in  Trotwood,  Ohio; 

U^  Von  Hall  accompanied  his  family 
to  McPherson,  Kansas,  for  a  six-month 
furlough.  He  returned  to  the  war  reha- 
bilitation area  of  Nigeria  at  the  request 
of  the  Christian  Council  of  Nigeria. 

u'  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Elvis  Cayford,  for 
one  year,  taking  a  pastorate  in  California; 

V^  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Kermon  Thomason, 
for  six  months,  living  in  Martinsville,  Va., 
where  they  will  do  curriculum  writing. 

jy*  Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  Jan  Thompson, 
for  one  year,  living  in  Ludlow  Falls, 
Ohio,  where  they  will  be  teaching. 

Assigned  to  ecumenical  ministries  in 
recent  months  have  been  Phil  and  Louise 
Rieman  of  North  Manchester,  Ind.  They 
will  be  houseparents  at  a  school  in  the 
Congo  under  Disciples  of  Christ  sponsor- 
ship. 

Teaching  at  a  theological  school  with 
the  Kenya  Yearly  Meeting  (Friends)  in 
Africa  are  James  and  Mary  Miller,  Breth- 
ren from  Goshen,  Ind. 

Virginia  Hileman  of  Elgin,  111.,  be- 
came a  resident  director  at  the  Uskudar 
Academy  in  Turkey,  and  John  Hoover 
of  Elizabethtown,  Pa.,  will  teach  in  the 
Philippines,  both  sponsored  by  the 
United  Church  of  Christ. 

Support  is  being  given  by  the  Men- 
nonite  Central  Committee  to  two  couples 
teaching  at  the  Church  of  the  Brethren's 
Waka  Schools  in  Nigeria.  They  are  Alan 
and  Nancy  Kieffaber,  Brethren  from 
Franklin  Grove,  111.,  and  Perry  and 
Shirley  Allen,  Presbyterians.  Curtis 
and  Karen  Keim  of  Pomona,  Calif.,  will 
teach  in  a  school  in  the  Congo  through 
the  Mennonite  Central  Committee. 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     15 


news 


Broadening  the  objector  stance 


The  most  far-reaching  victory  to  date 
for  persons  championing  extension  of 
conscientious  objection  rights  is  the  U.S. 
Supreme  Court  ruling  that  "deeply  held" 
moral  and  ethical  convictions  are  on  a 
par  with  religious  belief  as  grounds  for 
combat  exemption. 

Yet  the  court's  decision  was  but  one 
round  in  dealing  with  issues  clustered 
around  objection  to  war,  religious  or 
otherwise.  Some  questions  remaining 
have  in  the  immediate  past  claimed  more 
religious  attention  than  the  matter  on 
which  the  justices  acted.  And  imple- 
mentation of  the  opinion  will  undoubted- 
ly lead  to  practical  situations  calling  for 
theological   interpretation. 

Three  issues:  Pending  are  at  least 
three  issues  which  have  been  or  likely 
will  be  assessed  from  religious  points  of 
view:  selective  conscientious  objection, 
CO  reclassification  for  men  already  in 
combatant  military  service,  and  the  tests 
applied  by  local  draft  boards  in  deter- 
mining the  sincerity  of  objectors. 

The  second  —  concerning  men  in  uni- 
form who  turn  CO  —  won  a  minor  vic- 
tory in  mid-June.  Lt.  Louis  Font,  a  West 
Point  graduate  who  asked  discharge  as 
an  objector,  won  a  court  order  letting 
him  postpone  combat  training  until  his 
case  is  decided. 

A  review  of  highlights  from  Ameri- 
can CO  legislation  and  court  action  is 
helpful  in  grasping  the  meaning  of  the 
open  issues. 

Laws  determining  the  U.S.  version  of 
universal  conscription  —  the  Selective 
Service  System  —  have  consistently  made 
provision  for  conscientious  objectors. 
The  original  idea  was  that  men  who  for 
clearly  religious  motivation  oppose  all 
wars  are  given  alternative  service  to 
combat,  usually  as  medical  personnel  or 
in  social  betterment. 

Peace  churches:  In  part,  the  laws  were 
initially  concessions  to  members  of  "his- 
toric peace  churches"  —  Quaker,  Breth- 
ren, and  Mennonite.  Membership  in  one 
of  these  churches  was  usually  sufficient 
for  the  CO  rating.  Belief  in  a  supreme 
being  was  a  general  test. 

David  Seeger,  a  young  Roman  Cath- 


olic dropout,  challenged  the  CO  statute 
in  the  early  1960s.  The  case  went  to  the 
Supreme  Court,  and  the  requirement 
that  an  objector  must  believe  in  God  was 
struck  down.  The  ruling  said  it  was 
enough  that  the  draft  registrant  sincerely 
hold  beliefs  which  must  be,  "in  his  own 
scheme  of  things,  religious." 

Although  no  great  upswing  in  the  num- 
ber of  objectors  was  anticipated,  an  in- 
crease did  take  place.  Between  1965  and 
1970  the  number  doubled,  from  20,000 
to  about  40,000. 

Appeal  won:  Eliott  A.  Welsh  II,  a 
Los  Angeles  computer  engineer,  asked  in 
the  late  1960s  for  CO  status  on  ethical 
but  not  religious  grounds.  His  request 
was  denied,  and  he  was  sentenced  to 
prison  for  refusing  induction.  After  be- 
ing turned  down  by  an  appeals  court,  Mr. 
Welsh  went  to  the  Supreme  Court  where, 
by  a  vote  of  5  to  3,  the  justices  con- 
cluded that  morals  and  ethics  may  "func- 
tion as  a  religion"  for  a  person  without 
traditional  faith. 

Meanwhile,  a  federal  district  judge  in 
Boston  declared  in  the  case  of  John  Sis- 
son  that  religious  conviction  is  not  the 
sole  qualification  for  objection.  The  Bos- 
ton litigation  also  involved  another  sig- 
nificant angle:  selective  objection,  that 
is,  opposition  to  particular  wars. 

Judge  Charles  W.  Wyzanski  was  con- 
vinced that  refusal  to  take  part  in  specific 
wars  may  be  constitutional,  thereby  chal- 
lenging the  long-standing  statute  require- 
ing  universal  objection  for  combat  exemp- 
tion. 

Being  selective:  The  Sisson  case  is 
before  the  nation's  high  court  for  deter- 
mination in  the  autumn  term.  The  Welsh 
decision  did  not  attempt  to  answer  the 
question  of  selective  objection.  This 
topic  has  been  a  far  greater  concern  of 
religious  groups  in  the  past  few  years 
than  the  right  of  war  opponents  to  argue 
from  nonreligious  moral  and  ethical  po- 
sitions, though  that,  too,  has  been  dis- 
cussed. 

Forceful  advocates  of  moral  and  ethi- 
cal objection  are  the  Unitarian  Universal- 
ist  Association  and  groups  such  as  the 
American  Ethical  Union.    These  agree. 


so  a  joint  representative  said,  with  Justice  ; 
Howard  Harlan,  who  thinks  the  whole 
draft  law  on  religion  and  objection 
should  be  dropped  as  violation  of  the 
First  Amendment  ban  on  establishment 
of  religion. 

Theological  assessment  of  selective  ob- 
jection has  increased  in  relation  to  op- 
position to  the  Vietnam  War.  The  item 
has  been  on  religious  agendas  since  be- 
fore 1965,  and  it  is  now  fair  to  say  that 
more  national  church  and  synagogue 
groups  favor  than  oppose  it.  (The 
Church  of  the  Brethren  has  declared  it- 
self in  its  statement  on  war:  "We  affirm 
that  this  conscientious  objection  may  in- 
clude all  war,  declared  or  undeclared; 
particular  wars;  and  particular  forms  of 
warfare.") 

Discrimination:  One  factor  involved 
is  the  contention  that  current  draft  laws 
discriminate  against  young  men  from  re- 
ligious backgrounds  not  teaching  total 
pacifism.  A  church-related  CO  organi- 
zation in  Washington  has  shown  that  the 
number  of  applicants  from  Catholic, 
Methodist,  Jewish,  and  other  traditions 
not  teaching  universal  opposition  to  war 
—  as  do  the  historic  peace  churches  —  is 
increasing. 

Yet  there  is  support  for  military  op- 
position of  some  form  in  religious  ex- 
pressions not  holding  total  pacifism. 
For  example,  both  Catholicism  and  Prot- 
estantism, especially  the  former,  con- 
tains an  historic  distinction  between 
"just"  and  "unjust"  wars.  Young  Cath- 
olics on  the  West  Coast  and  in  New 
York  have  failed  to  convince  draft 
boards  that  the  Vietnam  war  is  unjust 
and  they  are,  within  their  structure  of 
belief,  qualified  for  CO  status. 

Stance  validated:  Lester  C.  Bowen  did 
impress  a  San  Francisco  federal  judge  of 
the  validity  of  his  selective  stance,  and 
the  youth's  conviction  for  failure  to  re- 
port for  induction  was  overruled.  Mr. 
Bowen  and  'several  Catholic  colleagues 
were  supported  by  a  group  of  West  Coast 
priests  as  well  as  by  the  National  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  and  social  agencies  of 
six    Protestant   denominations. 

And  the  National  Council  of  Churches, 


16     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


including  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  has 
filed  a  "friend  of  the  court"  brief  in  a 
case  before  the  U.S.  Supreme  Court  this 
fall  of  Louis  Negre,  a  Roman  Catholic 
unjust-war  objector. 

The  final  outcome  on  Mr.  Bowen's 
situation  rests  with  the  Supreme  Court 
ruling  on  the  government's  apjjeal  of 
Judge  Wyzanski's  decision  on  Mr.  Sisson 
in  Boston. 

More  than  legality,  however,  is  at  stake 
in  selective  objection  appeals,  particular- 
ly if  just  and  unjust-war  arguments  are 
used.  Never  before  in  the  U.S.  has  this 
discussion  reached  such  proportions  as 
today. 

COs  increase:  Conscientious  objec- 
tion increased  during  the  two  world  wars. 
A  number  of  young  men  went  to  prison 
for  refusing  to  register  for  the  draft.  But 
a  strong  American  sentiment  has  been 
that  the  nation  would  not  get  caught  up 
in  an  unjust  war. 

The  idea  that  the  Vietnam  War  is  an 
unjust  one  is  offensive  to  many.  But  if 
it  is  unjust,  then  a  changed  concept  of 
patriotism  is  evoked  —  one  announcing 
that  it  is  more  loyal  to  oppose  an  unjust 
cause  than  to  support  government  de- 
cisions. Precisely  this  is  what  the  major 
segment  of  the  peace  movement  says. 

Related  to  this  position  is  the  attempt 
of  Lt.  Font,  the  West  Point  graduate,  to 
win  a  discharge  on  appeal  of  conscience. 
The  Army  officer  feels  the  Southeast  Asia 
war  is  illegal  and  immoral.  He  is  United 
Methodist  and  has  built  his  stand  on  re- 
ligious principles.  Court  hearings  were 
set  for  late  July. 

Servicemen:  The  Font  case  spotlights 
the  issue  of  men  already  in  service  who 
are  or  become  objectors,  for  religious, 
moral,  or  ethical  reasons.  The  Supreme 
Court  ruling  on  Mr.  Welsh  does  not  say 
its  provisions  are  retroactive,  an  omission 
which  CO  supporters  regret.  Military 
regulations  include  steps  for  requests  for 
CO  reclassification.  These  are  infre- 
quently utilized.  Most  men  who  have 
tried  for  discharge  or  reassignment  as  ob- 
jectors have  failed. 

Prior  to  Lt.  Font's  arrival  on  the  scene, 
the  most  publicized  case  was  that  of  Air 


Force  Captain  Dale  W.  Noyd,  who,  ob- 
jecting to  the  Vietnam  War,  refused  to 
train  pilots  for  active  duty.  He  was  court- 
martialed  and  served  all  but  two  days  of 
a  year  of  hard  labor. 

Captain  Noyd,  a  Disciples  of  Christ 
layman,  lost  all  of  his  military  appeals, 
though  he  was  released  from  confinement 
by  Justice  William  O.  Douglas.  As  a 
civilian,  he  has  continued  efforts  to  win 
redress.  He  received  a  substantial  sup- 
port from  that  segment  of  the  religious 
community  which  favors  selective  ob- 
jection. 

Along  with  labors  to  make  it  easier 
for  military  personnel  who  are  universal 
or  selective  objectors  to  avoid  combat, 
churchmen  will  most  likely  involve  them- 
selves in  the  interpretative  process  fol- 
lowing the  Welsh  decision. 

The  Supreme  Court  said  that  neither 
expediency  nor  personal  moral  codes  are 
enough  for  CO  ratings.  In  announcing 
local  draft  board  guidelines  based  on  the 
Welsh  outcome,  Selective  Service  Direc- 
tor Curtis  W.  Tarr  listed  four  standards: 
sincerity,  universal  objection,  appeal  to 
"some  system  of  belief"  beyond  personal 
views,  and  views  indicating  "some  kind 


Mr.  Welsh:  Happy  oyer  Supreme  Court 
ruling     on      moral,      ethical      objection 


of  religious  training." 

Interpretation:  While  the  third  of 
these  would  recognize  convictions  rooted 
in  philosophy,  history,  and  social  science, 
the  fourth  suggests  affiliation  with  out- 
looks linked  to  structures  or  organiza- 
tions. At  least,  this  was  the  assessment  in 
an  informal  session  of  members  of  the 
antiwar  Clergy  and  Laymen  Concerned 
About  Vietnam  and  among  others  in  the 
peace  movement. 

The  question  of  what  constitutes  "rig- 
orous training,"  or  if  this  should  be  a 
prerequisite,  is  bound  to  arise.  Religious 
education  qualifies  as  "rigorous,"  as 
probably  would  programs  under  some 
academic  disciplines.  What  about  in- 
sights gleaned  from  associations  in  the 
loosely  hinged  peace  movement,  in  the 
proliferating  youth  communes,  and  in 
more  or  less  casual  association  with  in- 
fluential personahties? 

These  possible  sources  of  objection 
are  more  than  academic  in  a  time  of  spi- 
raling  youth  culture  without  close  ties 
to  formal  schools  of  thought  and  estab- 
lished structures,  and  in  a  day  of  fre- 
quent college  dropout. 

Should  a  breach  between  objector  mo- 
tivation and  the  official  definition  of 
"rigorous  training"  develop,  the  pro-CO 
sector  in  religion  may  find  it  a  place 
from  which  it  can  function.  Catholic 
Bishop  John  J.  Russell  of  Richmond  has 
noted  that  his  tradition  provides  argu- 
ments for  "validly"  abstaining  from  war. 
A  commentator  on  the  bishop's  statement 
noted  the  Catholic  teaching  on  peace  can 
"be  of  tremendous  assistance  to  young 
men  looking  for  guidelines." 

The  same  point  about  religion's  views 
of  objection  has  been  made  by  the  peace 
churches,  by  social  concerns  units  of 
other  Protestant  denominations,  and  by 
Jewish  agencies. 

It  may  be  that  the  religious  communi- 
ties will  find  themselves  in  the  position  of 
supplying  the  fundamental  arguments  for 
objectors,  selective  or  universal,  and  of 
acting  vicariously  in  "rigorous  training," 
even  though  nonreligious  morals  and 
ethics  would  meet  the  letter  of  the  law  if 
proved.  —  Religious    News    Service 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     17 


news 


Creation's  story  retold 

Modern  technology  and  science  may 
require  a  rethinking  of  God's  command 
to  the  creation  story's  first  family  "to 
fill  the  earth  and  subdue  it,  and  have 
dominion  over  it." 

Man  has  been  doing  more  than  well 
enough  at  filling  the  earth  with  his  kind, 
and  now  the  limitation  of  population  is 
pressed  upon  us. 

He  has  surely  subdued  his  world  to  the 
point  of  disregarding  its  beauty,  exploit- 
ing its  resources,  and  strewing  it  with 
his  wastes. 

And  who  would  question  his  dominion, 
when  a  push  of  The  Button  would  re- 
move his  presence  from  the  earth? 

Historically:  But  lest  Christians  con- 
demn such  conditions  too  quickly,  let 
them  examine  their  own  historic  role  in 
it  all.  Christianity  has  contributed  to 
the  basic  drive  of  European  man  to  push 
out  his  frontiers,  to  investigate  and  mas- 
ter nature,  and  to  develop  the  sophisti- 
cated scientific  civilization  of  today. 
Given  this,  theology  must  then  recognize 
—  and  struggle  with  —  the  knowledge 
that  no  longer  can  man  be  confident  that 
technological  inventions  and  discoveries 
will  do  him  more  good  than  harm. 

In  essence,  man  has  taken  God  a  bit 
too  seriously  perhaps. 

In  search  of  ethical  guidance  to  tech- 
nology's problems,  100  natural  and  social 
scientists,  technologists,  and  theologians 
gathered  in  June  to  discuss  "The  Future 
of  Man  and  Society  in  a  World  of 
Science-Based  Technology,"  under  World 
Council  of  Churches  auspices. 

Actions  sought:  No  guidelines  were 
established,  no  crusade  called  for.  Rath- 
er, an  earnest  sharing  was  sought  about 
the  quality  and  the  future  of  human  life 
on  "spaceship  earth."  The  input  from 
the  consultations  is  being  commended  to 
the  World  Council  for  action. 

Among  the  reordering  of  human  atti- 
tudes may  be  a  new  understanding  of 
creation,  it  was  suggested,  as  something 
God  has  made  good  in  itself  and  which 
man  should  cultivate  and  enjoy  in  its  own 
integrity  and  plenitude. 


The  common  theme  of  stewardship  of 
God's  gifts  might  need  to  be  rethought. 
Indian  theologian  Raymond  Panikkar 
opined  that  Western  man  is  guilty  of  a 
self-destructive  pride  in  imagining  that 
the  physical  world  is  his  to  manage  and 
control,  even  as  God's  steward.  Rather, 
he  said,  man  is  called  to  participate  in 
nature,  to  find  his  fulfillment  as  a  part 
of  it,  to  "dance  to  music  which  he  does 
not  make"  in  all  his  scientific  and  social 
endeavors. 

"Piety":  Yet  Harvey  Cox  of  Harvard 
University  objected  to  this  form  of  piety 
in  the  name  of  man's  place  in  creation 
and  the  very  meaning  of  the  physical 
world  in  the  purpose  of  God.  He  added 
that  it  is  not  the  function  of  theologians 
and  the  church  to  provide  the  scientists 
with  ethical  answers  to  each  of  the  ques- 
tions they  pose.  Rather,  the  question  is 
in  what  community  of  God  with  men  can 
the  structure  of  responsible  stewardship 
of  nature  be  worked  out.  Dr.  Cox  said. 

One  study  group  within  the  consulta- 
tion reported  that  "the  quality  of  human 
life,  as  understood  within  a  Christian 
context,  is  presently  under  grave  threat 
from  increasing  pressures  of  population 
and  technology."  Securing  the  quality 
of  human  life  in  the  years  ahead  was 
seen  as  a  prime  concern  in  the  confronta- 
tion between  Christianity  and  the  eco- 
logical problems  of  our  day. 

With  such  matters  upon  us  as  the  ac- 
ceptable quality  of  the  environment,  the 
integrity  of  nature,  the  value  of  the  in- 
dividual and  our  relation  to  posterity, 
the  question  of  human  life  in  such  an  age 
comes  into  question  —  opening  prospects 
more  frightening  than  exhilarating  for 
the  human  race. 

Crisis  problem:  Austin  Hoggart  of 
the  University  of  California  at  Berkeley 
termed  the  crisis  problem  "the  viability 
of  mankind"  and  said  that  cooperation 
between  the  church  and  science  was  "an 
exciting  prospect"  which  no  scientist 
could  really  turn  down.  To  go  their 
separate  ways  would  only  court  disaster, 
said  the  computer  science  specialist. 

French  Protestant  theologian  Andre 
Dumas  observed  that  man  in  the  future 


must  have  an  ethic,  for  he  is  in  danger 
of  "not  having  possession  of  himself"  be- 
cause of  technological  advance  and 
speculation  about  the  future.  Technology 
is  capable  of  developing  its  own  ethic,  if 
man  falls  short  of  finding  one,  putting 
man  at  technology's  mercy. 

Noting  that  biological  discoveries  and 
their  applications  are  raising  many  ques- 
tions of  deep  concern  to  man's  future. 
Dr.  L.  Charles  Birch,  a  biologist  from 
Australia,  had  questions  with  ethical  and 
theological  impact.  "We  need  an  ecologi- 
cal ethic  toward  the  earth  and  all  its . 
living  creatures,"  he  said.  "We  should 
ask  not  only  what  are  people  for  but 
what  are  all  living  organisms  for." 

Participants  were  conscious  too  that 
technology  also  widens  the  gap  between 
rich  and  poor  and  increases  the  power 
that  exploits  the  developing  nation.  Said 
a  Costa  Rica  physician  and  educator:  "It 
is  quite  possible  that  an  aspiration  as 
simple  as  ours  —  for  the  fundamental 
things  of  human  existence  like  shelter, 
food,  clothing,  education,  recreation  — 
will  find  no  room  in  the  modern  society 
of  the  rich  nations  that  chase  after  the 
glory  of  space  conquest  and  the  compli- 
cated comfort  created  by  their  economy." 

Balance:  European  and  North  Ameri- 
can scientists  tended  to  pose  the  issue  of 
population  and  resources  in  terms  of  a 
balance  between  the  two  and  to  stress 
the  importance  of  man's  natural  environ- 
ment as  a  value  in  itself.  For  Latin 
American  speakers  the  question  was  far 
more  the  present  misuses  of  wealth  and 
production  to  create  poverty  in  the  midst 
of  potential  prosperity. 

For  the  entire  third  world  the  primary 
issue  is  still  the  one  of  political  power 
and  independence,  said  Samuel  L.  Par- 
mar,  an  Indian  economist.  The  questions 
posed  by  the  ecologists  and  biologists 
are  meaningless,  he  said,  in  several  ways, 
as  long  as  it  is  we  who  are  the  objects, 
perhaps  the  victims,  of  the  choices  made 
by  others  and  not  ourselves  in  control 
of  our  environment,  our  system  of  pro- 
duction, and  the  structure  of  our  society. 

Thus  the  confrontation:  how  to  bring 
together    the    ethical    questions    of    the 


18     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


scientists  with  the  challenge  of  the  po- 
litically oriented  partisans  of  radical 
social  change. 

Using  power:  How  is  the  struggle  to 
control  the  power  by  which  some  human 
beings  exploit  others  related  to  the  con- 
trol of  nature  for  the  welfare  of  man? 

The  World  Council  was  urged  by  one 
group  to  examine  "the  ideological  pre- 
suppositions and  the  interests  served  by 
the  systems  of  technology  in  modern 
society  so  that  we  may  be  clear  about  the 
functions  they  serve"  and  direct  them  to 
ends  that  serve  human  freedom  and  re- 
sponsible society. 

And  if  the  prognosis  appears  bleak, 
American  anthropologist  Margaret  Mead 
urged  participants  not  to  view  technology 
as  demonic  but  rather  as  a  structure  in- 
to which  brotherhood  and  humanization 
can  be  built.  And  participants  returned 
a  verdict  of  "unproved"  on  the  predic- 
tion that,  given  the  pollution  of  air, 
water,  and  nature,  mankind  has,  at  his 
present  rate,  no  more  than  a  generation 
to  live. 

Preparations:  One  mind  prevailed  in 
the  conference,  however,  in  that  the 
churches  have  a  major  responsibility  to 
anticipate  the  implications  of  discoveries 
and  inventions  so  that  mankind  will  be 
prepared  before  their  full  impact  be- 
comes apparent. 

The  World  Council  consultations  spon- 
sored the  beginnings  of  a  mutual  climate 
of  trust  between  men  Of  religion  and 
science  in  examining  that  man's  steward- 
ship of  the  physical  world  really  is  under 
God,  in  the  context  of  God's  promise  of 
justice  and  peace  among  men. 

As  the  observer  who  gathered  the 
above  exchanges.  Dr.  Charles  West, 
Christian  ethics  professor  at  Princeton 
(N.J.)  Theological  Seminary,  noted: 
The  sessions  on  the  technology  and  the 
future  of  man  "intruded  on  an  older 
dialogue  which  has  been  going  on  for 
more  than  a  generation  between  social 
scientists  and  theologians  about  responsi- 
ble social  change,  and  no  one  can  tell 
at  this  point  whether  the  result  will  be 
a  new  and  deeper  Christian  ethic  or  a 
confusion  of  tongues." 


College  aid  on  trial 

Homecomings  at  church-related  col- 
leges and  universities  may  contain  a 
few  "rah-rahs"  for  the  U.S.  Supreme 
Court,  if  an  important  test  case  in 
church-state  law  being  heard  this  fall  by 
the  court  proves  favorable. 

On  appeal  to  the  high  court  is  the 
constitutionality  of  federal  construction 
grants  to  church-related  institutions.  At 
stake,  judging  from  fundings  over  the 
past  seven  years,  are  millions  of  dollars 
for  sectarian  institutions.  And  for  the 
six  Church  of  the  Brethren  colleges,  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  dollars  are  in- 
volved too. 

Four  accused:  The  appeal  comes  from 
fifteen  Connecticut  taxpayers  who  claim 
that  the  federal  government,  in  particular 
the  Department  of  Health,  Education, 
and  Welfare,  granted  unconstitutional  ap- 
proval of  grants  to  four  Catholic  colleges 
and  universities  in  their  state. 

The  grants  were  made  under  the  High- 
er Education  Act  of  1963,  through 
which  about  one  tenth  of  some  $2.3  bil- 
lion in  federal  funds  has  gone  to  church- 
related  colleges  and  universities  in  loans 
and  grants. 

The  ruling  is  expected  to  give  guidance 
as  well  on  other  church-state  aid  to  edu- 
cation questions.  The  court  has  said  it 
will  review  the  constitutionality  of  a 
Pennsylvania  law  which  allows  aid  for 
teachers'  salaries,  textbooks,  and  in- 
structional materials  at  church-operated 
elementary  and  secondary  schools. 

And  in  New  Jersey  a  program  similar 
to  the  HEW  grants  hangs  in  the  balance 
before  that  state's  supreme  court,  where 
aid  to  sectarian  higher  education  facili- 
ties is  being  challenged  as  violative  of 
state  and  federal  constitutions. 

Issues:  Constitutionality  is  being 
raised  in  the  Connecticut  case  on  the 
grounds  that  such  grants  violate  the  First 
Amendment  prohibition  against  "estab- 
lishment of  religion."  The  suit  charges 
that  the  four  colleges  are  under  local 
Catholic  Church  control  and  that  all  are 
engaged  in  teaching  and  propagating 
Catholic  doctrine. 


In  denying  this,  the  institutions  also 
point  out  that  the  grants  would  be  used 
for  the  construction  of  academic  build- 
ings that  would  never  be  put  to  religious 
use.  A  lower  court  decision  earlier 
stated  that  Congress  did  intend  construc- 
tion grants  for  church-related  schools  so 
long  as  the  funds  were  used  strictly  for 
academic  purposes. 

Should  the  decision  in  any  way  alter 
the  present  grant  and  loan  program. 
Church  of  the  Brethren  colleges  could  be 
materially  affected,  judging  from  re- 
sponses of  five  of  the  institutions. 

Brethren  grants:  Construction  grants 
received  by  Elizabethtown  College,  for 
example,  since  enactment  of  the  educa- 
tion act  seven  years  ago  have  been 
$821,461  — funds  the  college  might  not 
otherwise  have  had.  A  library  com- 
pleted in  April  on  the  McPherson  Col- 
lege campus  received  $326,013  in  fed- 
eral funding.  La  Verne  College  helped 
finance  its  science-education  building  and 
library  addition  with  a  $362,586  federal 
grant.  And  Bridgewater  College  used  a 
$107,641  federal  construction  grant  and 
a  $160,000  interest  subsidy  grant  to- 
ward its  new  home  economics  facility. 
Low-interest  loans  have  been  obtained 
for  three  dormitory  projects  at  the  col- 
lege since   1958. 

Should  the  Supreme  Court  uphold  the 
taxpayers'  case,  similar  monies  in  the 
future  might  be  lost  to  Brethren  colleges. 
Manchester  College  reported  that  it  has 
not  received  any  federal  construction 
grants  for  academic  buildings. 

Other  federal  assistance,  though  not 
involved  in  the  current  litigation,  totals 
over  $760,000  in  the  past  year  to  the 
five  Brethren  institutions  for  student 
loans  and  grants,  teaching  fellowships, 
and  work-study  programs.  Additional 
sums  for  library  book  purchases  and  re- 
search projects  are  also  involved. 

That  Brethren  colleges  would  be  af- 
fected in  a  shift  of  judicial  winds  re- 
garding such  assistance,  construction 
grants  or  otherwise,  seems  clear.  Equal- 
ly evident  is  a  new  public  awareness  of 
church-state  matters,  and  sectarian  col- 
leges are  increasingly  feeling  that  interest. 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     19 


day  by  day 


Late  one  Saturday  evening  a  couple  of  years  ago,  our 
family  arrived  at  Lake  of  the  Ozarks  State  Park  in  Missouri. 
Before  retiring  we  noticed  a  poster  on  the  wash-house  say- 
ing there  would  be  a  worship  service  in  the  park  Sunday 
morning  at  8:30.  We  thought,  "How  perfect  that  will  be. 
We  won't  even  have  to  leave  the  park  for  worship  to- 
morrow!" 

We  decided  it  would  be  fun  to  "sleep  in"  imtil  just  be- 
fore worship  time,  then  eat  a  leisurely  breakfast  afterwards. 
So,  when  we  woke  up  to  a  beautiful  Sunday  morning,  we 
splashed  some  water  on  our  faces  and  jumped  into  the  car 
to  drive  to  the  worship  area.  But  when  I  turned  the 
ignition  key,  nothing  happened.  The  battery  was  dead! 
What  a  disappointment  we  all  felt,  for  by  then  it  was  too 
late  to  walk. 

Since  we  were  fully  awake  by  now,  we  got  out  of  the 
car  and  decided  to  see  how  far  it  was  down  to  the  lake- 
shore.  In  a  few  minutes  we  had  dropped  down  a  long, 
winding  traU  and  found  ourselves  seated  in  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  sanctuaries  we've  ever  been  in.  No,  it  wasn't 
brick  and  mortar;  it  was  earth  and  sky!  The  shoreline  was 
rocky,  so  each  member  of  the  family  found  an  appropriate 
rock  for  a  seat.  And  there  in  quiet  we  drank  in  the  beauty 
of  the  dark  blue  water  gently  lapping  at  our  feet,  the  vari- 
colored greens  of  the  trees  encircling  the  lake,  and  the  ever- 
changing  scene  of  white  fleecy  clouds  moving  across  a  light 
blue  sky. 

It  was  no  hard  decision  to  hold  our  Sunday  worship 
service  right  then  and  there!    And  in  a  few  minutes  each 


DAILY  READING  GUIDE         August  30  -  September  12 

Sunday     Genesis   1:1—2:3.    The   story   of   creation    unfolds. 

Monday     Psalm   8.     Man   has    a    place   in   God's    creation. 

Tuesday    Psalm    19.    The   heavens   declare   the  glory    of   God. 

Wednesday     Psalm    23.     The    shepherd's   psalm    affirms   God's    goodness. 

Thursday    Psalm  46.    God   is   a  source  of  strength  in   the   midst  of  change. 

Friday    Psalm   106.    The  Lord   leads  his   people   through   the   land. 

Saturday    Psalm    121.     I   lift   up   my   eyes   to   the   hills. 

Sunday     Psalm    148.     All    creation    praises   God. 

Monday    Job   37:1-13.     God's    power    is    revealed    in    his   creation. 

Tuesday    Job   38:4-41.    God   speaks  through   a  whirlwind. 

Wednesday    Job  39  —  40:4.    "He  who  argues  with  God,  let  him  answer  if." 

Thursday     Matthew   6:25-33.     God   cares   for   all    his   creation. 

Friday    Matthew    13:1-9,   18-23.    Jesus   relates  the   parable   of  the  sower. 

Saturday    Revelation  21:1-4,  22:1-5.    John  has  a  vision  of  the  new  creation. 


member  of  the  family  was  contributing  first  one  part  and 
then  another  to  our  impromptu  liturgy.  One  would  ofiEer  a 
scripture,  one  a  song,  and  another  a  prayer.  Our  youngest, 
age  four,  taught  us  a  song,  one  that  he  had  composed  on 
the  spot.  It  had  an  unfamiliar  melody,  and  the  words  never 
came  out  the  same  twice  in  succession,  but  the  general  idea 
was:  "God  made  the  trees;  God  made  the  sky;  God  made 
the  lake;  and  God  made  me!" 

How  grateful  we  are  that  through  a  dead  car  battery 
the  Lord  taught  us  what  wonderful  opportunities  for  wor- 
ship await  us  when  we  move  out  of  our  buildings  into  the 
cathedral  of  God's  nature! 

Think  creatively  these  two  weeks  about  the  possibilities 
for  outdoor  worship  for  your  family.  Here  are  some  ideas 
we  offer  to  trigger  yours: 

1.  There  are  many  parks  and  campgrounds  that  offer 
organized  worship  services  in  natural  settings.  See  if  there 
are  some  within  driving  distance  of  your  home. 

One  of  our  more  enjoyable  worship  experiences  in 
such  a  setting  was  a  Sunday  morning  service  in  Itasca 
State  Park  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Our 
worship  leader  was  a  summer  pastor  in  the  park  ministry 
under  appointment  by  the  United  Methodist  Church.  And 
in  our  small  congregation  that  morning  we  sensed  anew 
the  breadth  of  the  Body  of  Christ  as  around  the  circle  each 
family  told  their  denominational  background.  What  a 
motley  crew,  and  yet  what  a  beautiful  congregation! 

There  are  many  outdoor  worship  experiences  available, 
some  very  unusual.  I  shall  never  forget  a  Sunday  evening 
"Vesper  Cruise"  on  Lake  of  the  Ozarks  at  sundown!  Every 
Sunday  evening  during  the  summer  months  the  churches  of 
the  area  sponsor  an  ecumenical  worship  service  and  cruise 
for  one  hour,  free  of  charge.  What  an  unforgettable  ex- 
perience as  we  sat  on  the  deck  singing  to  our  hearts'  content 
such  "hymns  of  the  faith"  as  "Puff,  the  Magic  Dragon"! 
Of  course  there  were  some  more  traditional  hymns,  such  as 
"What  a  Friend  We  Have  in  Jesus,"  which  we  sang  just  as 
lustily  to  the  strains  of  the  small  portable  organ. 

2.  There  is  something  about  the  cozy  warmth  of  wor- 
ship around  an  evening  campfire  which  makes  it  an  unfor- 
gettable experience.  Never  will  my  mind  forget  its  pictiu"e 
of  a  campsite  in  the  tall  pines  of  Oregon,  with  supper  just 
finished,  popcorn  popped  over  the  open  fire,  and  a  closing 
of  the  day  with  choruses,  hymns,  and  prayers  as  the  flicker- 
ing flames  danced  upon  our  circled  faces. 

To  worship  outdoors  is  a  spirit-stretching,  heartwarming 
experience.  Have  we  whetted  your  appetite  for  it?  Try  it 
this  year!   Norman  and  Kay  Long 


20     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


THE 

MAGNIFICENCE 

OF JESUS 

by  HAROLD  S.  MARTIN 


Unfolding  the  wonders  of 
Jesus  is  an  almost  impossible 
job.   Eternity  itself  cannot 
suffice  completely  to  unfold 
him.  He  is  both  the  begin- 
ning and  the  ending  of  all 
things. 


John  the  Baptist  pointed  out  Jesus  as 
the  Lamb  of  God,  baptized  him  with 
the  approval  of  heaven,  and  then  said 
of  Jesus,  "He  that  cometh  from  above 
is  above  all"  (John  3:31).*  Paul  says 
to  the  Philippians,  "Wherefore  God 
also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given 
him  a  name  which  is  above  every 
name:  That  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every 


8-27-70   MESSENGER    21 


MAGNIFICENCE  OF  JESUS  /  continued 


knee  shovild  bow  . . .  and  every  tongue 
should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord 
to  the  glory  of  God"  (2:9-10,  11). 
Certain  men  say  that  it's  wrong  to 
worship  Jesus,  because  (they  say)  he 
was  not  divine.  But  Jesus  wants  us  to 
worship  him!  When  Cornelius  fell  on 
his  knees  before  Peter,  and  worshipped 
him,  Peter  said,  "Stand  up;  I  myself 
also  am  a  man"  (Acts  10:26).  When 
the  people  of  Lystra  brought  oxen  and 
garlands  and  wanted  to  offer  sacrifice 
to  Paul  and  Barnabas,  the  apostles 
rushed  out  among  the  crowd  crying, 
"Why  do  ye  these  things?  We  also  are 
men  of  like  passions  with  you"  (Acts 
14:15).  You  see  that  none  of  these 
men  accepted  worship  from  others,  but 
when  Thomas  fell  down  at  the  feet  of 
the  risen  Christ  and  worshiped  him  and 
said,  "My  Lord  and  my  God,"  Jesus 
accepted  his  worship.  Jesus  allowed 
himself  to  be  worshiped  as  God.  And 
just  so  he  wants  to  become  the  idol  of 
our  hearts. 

We  can  never  make  too  much  of 
Jesus.  He  is  the  marvel  of  all  marvels. 
The  Bible  says  of  him,  "He  that 
Cometh  from  above  is  above  all."  Jesus 
is  the  central  subject  of  the  Bible. 
Anyone  who  reads  the  Old  Testament 
and  doesn't  see  the  many  scriptures 
that  prophesy  of  Jesus  to  come  must 
surely  read  it  with  an  unspiritual  and 
an  indifferent  heart.  And  as  for  the 
New*  Testament,  Jesus  Christ  is 
everywhere  on  its  pages.  The  very  first 
verse  of  Matthew  says,  "The  book  of 
the  generation  of  Jesus  Christ,"  and  the 
very  last  verse  of  the  Revelation  says, 
"The  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be 
with  you  all."  The  first  name  in  the 
first  verse  of  the  first  book  of  the  New 
Testament  is  Jesus,  and  the  last  name 
in  the  last  chapter  of  the  last  book  of 
the  Bible  is  Jesus.  What  is  it  about 
Jesus  that  makes  him  different  from  an 
ordinary  man?  What  is  it  that  makes 


him  unique  and  magnificent?  Why  is 
Jesus  given  such  a  prominent  place  in 
the  Bible? 

1 .  Jesus  is  magnificent  as  to  his 
eternal  source 

Jesus  did  not  begin  to  exist  when  he 
was  born  of  Mary.  John  17:5  says  that 
Jesus  had  glory  with  the  Father  "before 
the  world  was,"  and  verse  24  says  that 
he  was  loved  by  the  Father  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world.  Jesus  had 
been  present  with  God  in  the  eternal 
ages  before  the  world  began.  The  birth 
of  Jesus  in  Bethlehem  did  not  mark  the 
beginning  of  a  new  person,  but  rather  it 
marked  the  incarnation  of  the  eternal 
Son  of  God  who  had  been  present  with 
the  Father  and  "became  flesh  and 
dwelt  among  us."  The  life  of  Jesus  on 
earth  was  merely  an  episode  between 
two  eternities,  one  reaching  back  before 
all  creation,  the  other  reaching  forward 
forever.  Jesus  did  not  begin  to  exist 
when  he  was  born  of  Mary,  for  the 
Bible  says,  "In  the  beginning  was  the 
Word,  and  the  Word  was  with  God, 
and  the  Word  was  God.  The  same  was 
in  the  beginning  with  God"  (John  1 : 
1-2).  And  so  we  see  that  Jesus  was  the 
Son  of  God  long  before  he  became  the 
son  of  Mary. 

Jesus  was  not  just  another  man.  He 
lived  way  back  in  the  beginning  when 
everything  was  started.  In  fact,  before 
the  beginning  began,  Jesus  was.  And 
because  Jesus  has  always  been  with 
God,  he  knows  all  about  us.  He  knows 
how  we  are  made.  He  knows  the 
secrets  of  our  hearts,  he  knows  our 
needs,  and  what's  more,  being  God,  he 
is  able  to  supply  them  all. 

2.  Jesus  is  magnificent  as  to  his 
miraculous  birth 

The  Bible  declares  that  our  Lord's 
mother  was  a  virgin,  that  his 
conception  was  miraculous,  and  that 


the  agent  of  conception  was  the  Holy 
Spirit.  The  Bible  says,  "But  when  the 
fulness  of  the  time  was  come,  God  sent 
forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman ..." 
(Galatians  4:4).  The  birth  of  Jesus  was 
no  ordinary  birth.  When  the  Jewish 
virgin  Mary  went  down  into  that 
mysterious  land  of  motherhood,  she 
came  back  holding  in  her  arms  the  only 
baby  in  all  the  world  who  had  never 
had  an  earthly  father.  No  birth  like 
this  had  ever  occurred  before;  no  birth  ■ 
like  this  will  ever  occur  again.  Jesus 
(who  made  man)  was  bom  in  the 
likeness  of  men.  Jesus  (who  created 
angels)  was  made  "a  little  lower  than 
the  angels."  Jesus  (who  was  before 
Abraham)  was  bom  two  thousand 
years  after  Abraham.  Jesus  (who  was 
David's  Lord)  became  David's  son. 
Jesus  (who  was  the  great  Creator)  was 
now  bom  of  the  creature,  woman. 

If  the  birth  of  Jesus  was  not 
supernatural,  then  he  cannot  be  our 
savior,  for  then  he  was  bom  a  sinner 
like  all  the  rest  of  us,  and  then  he  needs 
salvation  himself.  But  God  was  not 
limited  to  the  ordinary.  God  is  not 
bound  by  the  laws  of  nature  which  we 
have  discovered.  One  who  takes  away 
the  supernatural  conception  of  Jesus  by 
the  Holy  Spirit  (and  puts  Joseph  there      ^ 
instead)  takes  away  our  only  hope  of  a 
perfectly  pure,  sinless  savior.  We  can't     ^ 
understand  it,  but  we  can  believe  it.  ' 

3.  Jesus  is  magnificent  as  to  his  • 
perfect  life 

Jesus  was  perfect  God,  and  yet  at  i 

the  same  time  he  was  perfect  man.  As  ' 

man,  he  hungered;  as  God,  he  is  the  | 

Bread  of  Life.  As  man,  he  said,  "I  ! 

thirst";  as  God,  he  says,  "Let  him  that  | 
is  athirst  come  unto  me  and  drink." 

As  man,  he  was  weary;  as  God,  he  j 

gives  rest  to  all  who  come  to  him.  As  I 

man,  he  prayed;  as  God,  he  hears  and  ; 
answers  our  prayers.  As  man,  he  wept; 


22     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


as  God,  he  wipes  away  our  tears.  As 
man,  he  was  tempted;  as  God,  he  did 
not  sin  (1  Peter  2:22).  The  life  of  no 
other  man  has  been  so  carefully  and 
so  critically  examined  as  the  life  of 
Jesus,  yet  men  of  all  generations  have 
confessed  that  Jesus  was  the  only 
perfect  Man  who  ever  lived.  Not  a 
single  time  did  he  ever  make  a  mistake. 
Not  a  single  time  did  he  ever  utter  a 
word  that  he  had  to  take  back.  Not 
even  his  bitterest  enemies,  though  they 
hounded  his  footsteps  day  and  night  to 
trap  him,  could  ever  find  anything  for 
which  to  accuse  him.  His  own 
challenge  in  John  8:46  was  this: 
"Which  of  you  convinceth  me  of  sin?" 
The  thief  on  the  cross  was  compelled  to 
admit,  "This  man  hath  done  nothing 
amiss  (Luke  23 :41).  Judas,  the  one 
who  betrayed  him,  came  with  that 
blood-money  and  threw  it  at  the  feet  of 
the  Sanhedrin,  saying,  "I  have  betrayed 
innocent  blood."  And  Pilate,  the  one 
who  sat  in  the  judgment  seat  and 
passed  sentence  on  him,  three  times 
over  declared,  "I  find  no  fault  in  him." 
I  Every  man  has  some  good  points,  but 
Jesus  has  them  all! 

4.  Jesus  is  magnificent  as  to  his 
supernatural  power 

Jesus  has  such  mighty  power  that 
when  Peter  drew  the  sword  and  slashed 
off  the  ear  of  the  high  priest's  servant, 
Jesus  immediately  touched  the  ear,  and 
it  was  healed.  And  no  marvel,  for 
actually  he  created  the  ear  in  the  first 
place.  John  says  in  1:3,  "All  things 
were  made  by  him;  and  without  him 
was  not  any  thing  made  that  was 
made."  Who  conceived  the  grace  of  the 
young  deer?  Who  conceived  of  the 
majesty  of  the  mountains?  Who  put 
the  song  in  the  throat  of  the 
mockingbird?  One  name  answers  all 
these  questions,  the  precious  name  of 
Jesus. 


When  he  stood  before  the  disciples 
on  the  Mount  of  Olives  (just  before  he 
ascended  into  heaven),  Jesus  said,  "All 
power  is  given  unto  me  in  heaven  and 
in  earth"  (Matthew  28: 18).  Jesus 
walked  on  the  waves,  stilled  the  storms, 
healed  the  lepers,  raised  the  dead,  and 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind. 

Jesus  meets  every  need.  He  satisfies 
every  desire.  He  hushes  every  fear. 
He  calms  every  trouble.  He  is  the  Rose 
of  Sharon,  the  lily  of  the  valley,  the 
balm  of  Gilead,  the  fairest  of  ten 
thousand  to  the  soul.  He  created  the 
worlds.  He  changes  the  destiny  of 
nations.  He  has  power  over  death  and 
disease.  The  Bible  says  that  even  the 
wind  and  the  sea  obey  him! 

5.  Jesus  is  magnificent  as  to  his 
authoritative  teaching 

Matthew  says  at  the  close  of  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount,  "And  it  came 
to  pass,  when  Jesus  had  ended  these 
sayings,  the  people  were  astonished  at 
his  doctine:   For  he  taught  them  as  one 
having  authority,  and  not  as  the 
scribes"  (7:28-29)  The  scribes 
were  the  learned  men  and  teachers  of 
the  Jewish  nation.  They  were  largely 
Pharisees  who  taught  chiefly  the 
sentiments  of  the  rabbis  and  the 
traditions  which  had  been  handed 
down  from  the  fathers.  They  spent 
much  of  their  time  in  vain  disputes  and 
in  quoting  authorities.  But  Jesus  of 
Nazareth  spoke  so  differently.  There 
was  an  air  of  complete  and  final 
authority  about  all  that  he  said.  He 
never  said,  "I  suppose  this  is  the  way  it 
should  be,"  or  "It  is  probably  this 
way,"  or  "Consult  the  experts  on  the 
subject."  Jesus  Christ  is  the  authority 
on  every  subject!  Jesus  over  and  over 
again  said,  "But  I  say  unto  you,"  not, 
"So-and-so  said." 

Jesus  began  the  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  by  saying,  "Blessed  are  the  poor 


in  spirit,"  and  then,  "for  theirs  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  Jesus  can  claim 
this  unique  authority  because  he  is  the 
Son  of  God.  His  wisdom  is  from 
above. 

6.  Jesus  is  magnificent  as  to  his 
sacrificial  suffering 

Great  men  of  this  world  may  be 
valued  for  their  lives,  but  Jesus  is 
known  above  all  for  his  death.  The 
atonement  of  Jesus  is  the  scarlet  cord 
running  through  every  part  of  the 
Bible.  His  death  was  prophesied  in 
the  Garden  of  Eden.  His  death  was 
pictured  in  the  sacrifices  of  Israel. 
Jesus  spoke  of  his  death  when  he  said, 
"For  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world." 

There  are  255  verses  in  the  New 
Testament  that  refer  directly  to  the 
death  of  Christ.  One  fifth  of  the  gospel 
according  to  Matthew,  and  almost  one 
half  of  John's  gospel,  is  a  record  of  the 
last  week  leading  up  to  the  Cross. 
Contrast  this  with  the  records  of  the 
lives  of  great  men.  The  Encyclopaedia 
Britannica  contains  a  16,000-word 
article  on  Napoleon  Bonaparte  —  and 
the  only  thing  that  is  said  about  the 
death  of  Napoleon  is  this:   "Napoleon 
died  on  the  morning  of  May  5  in  his 
fifty-second  year.  His  body  was 
dressed  in  his  favorite  uniform." 

Nineteen  words.  That's  all  it  says. 
The  death  of  Napoleon  was  not 
important.  But  the  death  of  Jesus 
Christ  is  of  supreme  value.  On  that 
afternoon  when  the  sky  was  darkened 
and  the  sun  hid  its  face  and  the  veil  of 
the  temple  was  rent  in  twain  and  the 
Son  of  God  cried  out,  "It  is 
finished"  —  on  that  great  day,  the 
price  of  our  redemption  was  paid.  And 
now,  because  of  his  magnificent 
suffering,  Jesus  can  reach  down  into 
the  pit  of  corruption  and  lift  the  sinner 
up  from  the  miry  clay  and  wash  him 
white  in  the  fountain  filled  with  blood 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     23 


MAGNIFICENCE  OF  JESUS  /  continued 


drawn  from  Emmanuel's  veins. 

That  was  no  ordinary  death  that 
Jesus  died  —  that  was  God  Almighty 
taking  upon  himself  the  sin  of  a  fallen 
race.  "He  was  wounded  for  our 
transgressions,  he  was  bruised  for  our 
iniquities .  . .  and  the  Lord  hath  laid 
on  him  the  iniquity  of  us  all"  (Isaiah 
53:5,6).  Jesus  bore  my  sins  in  his 
own  body  on  the  tree.  Jesus  stood 
where  I  should  have  stood.  The  pains 
of  hell  that  were  my  portion  were 
heaped  upon  him. 

7.  Jesus  is  magnificent  as  to  his 
promised  return 

As  surely  as  Jesus  came  the  first 
time,  so  certain  is  it  that  he  will  come 
again.  One  of  these  days  this 
magnificent,  wonderful,  incomparable 
Jesus  will  come  in  all  his  glory,  and  all 
his  holy  angels  with  him.  In  the  260 
chapters  of  the  New  Testament  the 
second  coming  of  Jesus  is  mentioned 
3 1 8  times.  Jesus  himself  said,  "Be  ye 
therefore  ready  also :  for  the  Son  of 
man  cometh  at  an  hour  when  ye  think 
not"  (Luke  12:40). 

When  Jesus  comes  again  in  power 
and  great  glory,  he  will  be  the  judge 
from  heaven  who  will  "bring  every 
work  into  judgment,  with  every  secret 
thing,  whether  it  be  good,  or  whether 
it  be  evil"  (Ecclesiastes  12:14).  The 
books  will  be  opened;  the  secrets  of 
all  hearts  will  be  brought  to  light.  No 
wonder  the  second  coming  of  Jesus  is 
made  the  basis  of  every  appeal  to  high 
and  holy  living  in  the  New  Testament. 
In  Hebrews  10:25,  when  we  are  urged 
not  to  forsake  "the  assembling  of 
ourselves  together,"  it's  because  we 
"see  the  day"  of  the  Lord  approaching. 
In  1  Corinthians  1 1 :  26,  when  we  are 
told  to  partake  of  the  communion 
bread,  it's  because  "ye  do  shew  the 
Lord's  death  till  he  come."  In  2 
Timothy  4:2,  when  the  young  minister 


'He  never  wrote  a 
song,  yet  he  has 
furnished  the  theme 
for  more  songs  than 
all  songwriters  .  .  .  ' 

is  urged  to  "preach  the  word,"  it's 
because  Christ  shall  judge  the  quick 
and  the  dead  "at  his  appearing  and  his 
kingdom."  In  Titus  2:12,  when  we  are 
urged  to  live  clean  and  pure  lives,  it's 
because  we  are  "looking  for  that 
blessed  hope,  and  the  glorious 
appearing  of  the  great  God  and  oiu: 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ."  The  second 
coming  of  Jesus  is  made  the  basis  of 
appeal  for  every  New  Testament  plea 
to  high  and  holy  living. 

When  Jesus  comes  back,  his  second 
coming  will  be  the  watchman's 
looked-for  day,  the  husbandman's 
harvest  day,  the  builder's  completion 
day,  the  master's  reckoning  day,  the 
servant's  payday,  the  bride's  wedding 
day,  and  the  King's  coronation  day! 

Jesus  is  the  light  of  the  world,  the 
bread  of  life,  the  true  vine,  the  good 
shepherd,  the  door  to  heaven.  This 
Jesus  whom  we  love  and  serve  is 
peerless,  matchless,  incomparable, 
magnificent!  He  has  no  equal!  He's 
above  all!  There  is  no  other  that  can 
be  compared  with  him! 

Jesus  was  bom  contrary  to  the  laws 
of  nature;  he  lived  in  poverty;  he  was 
reared  in  obscurity;  he  only  once 
crossed  the  boundary  of  the  land  of  his 
birth,  and  that  was  in  childhood.  Yet, 
in  infancy  he  startled  a  king;  in 
boyhood  he  puzzled  the  doctors;  in 
manhood  he  ruled  the  course  of  nature. 
Jesus  never  wrote  a  book,  yet  all  the 
libraries  in  the  world  would  not  hold 
all  the  books  that  could  be  written 


about  him.  He  never  wrote  a  song,  yet 
he  has  furnished  the  theme  for  more 
songs  than  all  songwriters  combined. 
He  never  practiced  medicine,  and  yet 
he  has  healed  more  broken  hearts  than 
all  the  doctors  in  this  world  have  ever 
healed  broken  bodies.  Herod  could  not 
kill  him.  The  devil  could  not  seduce 
him.  Death  could  not  destroy  him. 
The  grave  could  not  hold  him.  Time 
cannot  extinguish  him.  Great  men 
have  come  and  gone,  but  Jesus  lives  on!' 

The  question  we  must  honestly  face 
right  now  is  the  one  concerning  his 
supremacy  in  our  lives.  Where  have 
you  placed  this  magnificent  Jesus 
whom  God  has  highly  exalted?  Are 
you  giving  him  the  highest  place?  Jesus 
is  supreme  in  every  other  realm;  how 
can  we  forbid  him  complete  reign  over 
the  little  empire  of  our  hearts? 

And  if  you  have  never  accepted  him, 
if  you  have  been  saying,  "I  want  to  run 
my  own  life,  I  want  to  paddle  my  own 
canoe,  I  want  to  be  king  of  my  own 
casde,"  remember  this:   There  is  a 
day  coming  when  every  knee  shall  bow 
and  every  tongue  shall  confess  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  to  the  glory  of 
God. 

During  the  trial  of  Jesus,  Pilate 
raised  the  question,  "What  shall  I  do 
then  with  Jesus  who  is  called  Christ?" 
That  is  the  question  you  need  to 
answer  today.  What  will  you  do  with 
Jesus?  Your  answer  wiU  determine 
your  eternal  destiny.  You  are  either 
going  to  be  forever  with  him  or 
forever  without  him.  Today  the 
question  is,  "What  will  you  do  with 
Jesus?"  If  you  reject  him  all  your  life 
and  die  without  him,  the  question 
someday  will  be  not  "What  shall  I  do 
with  Jesus?"  but  "What  will  he  do  with 
me?"  Believe  the  gospel,  repent,  and 
be  baptized  today.   D 

'  Scriptural  references  from   the  King  James 
Version 


24     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


How  the  Word 


People-to-people  ^B^rag^and  understanding  the 
gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  is  a  basic  need  of  our  time. 
The  gospel  is  desperately  needed  when  persons 
are  under  great  pressure  of  fear,  under  bombard- 
ment of  many  conflicting  ideas  and  pressures, 
torn  with  many  demands  of  loyalty,  and  pushed 
into  humiliating  the  dehiunanizing  situations. 

FOR  ADULTS 

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Recent  events  in  many  American  countries  indi- 
cate hatreds,  anxieties,  expectations,  social 
changes  that  could  explode  at  any  time.  This 
study/action  material  confronts  us  with  issues 
faced  by  those  who  live  in  the  Western  hemis- 
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(junior  high  and  juniors) 
Listen  to  Us,  North  America! 
(record)  Galloway 

FOR  GRADES  4-6 
Columbus  Started  Something,  Skiles 
Junior  Teacher's  Guide  on  "The 

Americas:   How  Many  Worlds?" 

Scheuerman 
Don't  Just  Sit  There  Reading: 

A  Fun-to-do  Book  on  the  Americas, 

Scovel  and  Ragland 

FOR  GRADES  1-3 
Primary  Teacher's  Guide  on 

"The  Americas:  How  Many  Worlds?" 

Schell  1.35 

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Primary  Class  Study  Packet  on 

the  Americas  5.95 

Picture  Map  of  South  America  1.25 


2.25 
1.95 
1.35 
1.95 


1.95 


1.35 


2.25 


^fnnivKwt 


Materials 


^1 


Color  Film:  "A  Problem  of  Power"  is  a  16mm, 
color,  soimd  motion  picture,  45  minutes,  rental 
$15.  Documents  the  truth  as  seen  through  the 
eyes  of  Latin  Americans.  Interviews  recorded  as 
given,  with  no  attempt  to  direct  the  film  toward  a 
predetermined  conclusion.  Explores  the  daily 
Uves  of  the  people  of  Colombia  where  socio- 
economic conditions  are  fairly  representative  of 
all  Latin  America. 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     25 


In  Gratitude 
to  Prince  Henry 


by  J.  WAYNE  JUDD 

While  Martin  Luther  has  re- 
ceived major  credit  for  the 
Protestant  Reformation, 
many  who  provoked  it  added 
fuel  to  its  flames,  and  con- 
tinued it  for  years  after  are 
seldom  heard  of 


Luther  himself  rose  as  the  man  of 
the  hour  by  nailing  his  ninety-five 
theses  to  the  door  of  the  Witten- 
berg church,  October  31,   1517. 
The  Catholic  Church  had  without 
serious  challenge  controlled  Chris- 
tianity for  over  a  thousand  years, 
and  Luther  had  determined  to  de- 
liver his  people  from  the  regime  of 
religious  dogma  and  corruption  that 
had  set  in.    Not  wishing  to  leave 
the  church  but  refusing  to  recant, 
Luther  was  excommunicated  and  the 
movement  associated  wdth  him  re- 
sulted in  a  major  break  from  the 
CathoUc  Church. 

Once  this  occurred  all  sorts  of 
religious  organizations  began  to  ap- 
pear, each  intolerant  of  the  other. 
The  increasing  plunder  and  persecu- 
tion gradually  evolved  into  the  Thir- 
ty Years'  War,  which  engaged  most 
of  the  continent  of  Europe. 

Finally,  in   1648,  the  bloody 
struggle  ended  with  the  Treaty  of 
Westphalia,  bringing  a  peace  agree- 
able only  to  the  victors.    In  essence 
the  churches  that  leagued  themselves 
together  —  the  Catholic,  Lutheran, 
and  Reformed  —  became  a  new  per- 
secuting force  for  all  dissenters.    M. 
G.  Brumbaugh  has  written  that 
"whoever  found  his  religious  convic- 
tions running  counter  to  these  .  .  . 


found  life  a  burden  and  a  cross." 

The  terms  of  the  treaty  provided 
that  each  prince  in  the  country 
should  choose  which  of  the  three 
recognized  churches  would  prevail 
in  his  province.    This  church  would 
then  become  that  of  all  who  lived 
within  his  domain.    No  other  was 
to  be  tolerated.    His  choice  became 
the  choice  of  all.    There  were  no 
provisions  for  nonconformists,  and 
severe  persecution  was  meted  out  to 
those  who  had  the  boldness  to 
think  for  themselves  concerning 
their  faith. 

One  prince,  however,  could  not 
accept  these  provisions.    He  was 
Prince  Henry  of  Wittgenstein.    When 
word  spread  that  he  granted  full  re- 
ligious freedom  to  all,  war-weary 
folk  from  all  over  Germany,  who 
had  been  uprooted  from  their 
homes  and  had  become  refugees, 
migrated  to  seek  sanctuary  and  pro- 
tection.   Henry  had  opened  his  arms 
to  the  dissenters,  the  protestors,  the 
persecuted,  the  disinherited,  the 
derelicts  of  that  society,  to  all  who 
wanted  to  live  in  peace. 

It  was  into  the  little  village  of 
Schwarzenau  on  the  River  Eder, 
about  the  year  1700,  that  two 
figures  who  together  had  studied 
and  researched  the  scriptures  and 
shared  their  Christian  experience 
made  their  way  —  Alexander  Mack 
and  Ernest  Hochmann.    The  two 
believed  that  the  ordinances  of  the 
church  should  be  derived  from  the 
New  Testament  and  that  it  alone 
should  be  creedal. 

Hochmann  shied  away  from  or- 
ganized religion,  but  gradually  Mack 
began  to  draw  a  little  band  of  be- 
lievers about  him  for  Bible  study 
and  discussion.    Together  they  found 
where  they  agreed  and  how  they 
differed. 


They  became  known  for  their 
practical  religion  rather  than  for 
speculative  theology.    They  believed 
the  Bible,  and  because  of  their 
weariness  with  war  and  persecution 
and  their  ardent  study  of  the  New 
Testament,  they  came  to  see  war 
as  violating  every  principle  for 
which  their  Lord  stood.    In  obedi- 
ence to  the  Prince  of  Peace  they 
clung  to  such  passages  as  "My 
kingdom  is  not  of  this  world;  if  it   , 
were  then  my  servants  would  fight" 
(John  18:6).    They  became  avowed 
pacifists. 

One  day,  in  1708,  a  group  of 
eight  went  down  to  the  Eder  River 
to  be  baptized,  and  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  was  born. 

Time  passed,  and  the  little  fel- 
lowship began  to  grow.    Foremost 
in  their  minds  was  the  reason  that 
had  brought  them  to  Schwarzenau, 
which  gradually  solidified  into  the 
basic  tenet  of  their  belief  and  prac- 
tice:  no  exercise  of  force  in  reli- 
gion. 

But  the  peace  which  the  Brethren 
had  found  in  Schwarzenau  was  not 
to  last.    The  policies  of  Henry  met 
with  severe  criticism  and  extreme 
pressure  from  neighboring  princes. 
Henry's  successor  was  not  a  sympa- 
thetic and  understanding  ruler,  and 
the  little  province  of  Wittgenstein 
became  the  scene  of  harsh  perse- 
cution. 

Many  Brethren,  including  Mack, 
Christian  Liebe,  and  John  Naas, 
were  subjected  to  this  reign  of  ter- 
ror.   Exiled  and  banished  from  their 
homes.  Brethren  fled,  and  later  the 
main  body  settled  in  Krefeld,  which 
had  now  become  the  general  asylum 
for  the  oppressed  and  persecuted. 

From  Krefeld  they  sailed  to 
America,  where  religious  liberty  was 
guaranteed.    In  the  space  of  ten 


26     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


.  .  .  the  real  Christmas  .  .  .  not 
Jingle  Bells,  but  the  carols  of 
the  Christ  Child  and  the  glory 
of  God's  gift  to  us  all  .  .  .  can 
now  be  yours,  for  the  Advent 
Season. 

The  real  message  of  Christmas 
has  been  captured  on  two 
ADVENT  SEASON  CASSETTE 
TAPE  recordings  from  The 
Upper  Room. 

Not  only  available  this  Advent 
Season  is  the  recording  of  The 
Upper  Room  daily  devotionals, 
but  also  a  special  undated 
tape  with  Christmas  music  and 
meditations  on  the  real  mean- 
ing of  Christmas  that  you  can 
use  and  en  joy  for  years  to  come. 
The  regular  two  month  (Nov.- 
Dec.)  cassettes  (two  tapes)  are 
$3.50;  the  special  Christmas 
cassette  is  $5.25. 

Also  especially  for  Christmas — 

Three  Wise  Women 
of  the  cast  by  marel  brown 

Three  women  gain  new  mean- 
ing in  their  lives  by  giving  of 
themselves.  Intriguing,  and 
very  timely  for  Advent  and 
Christmas. 

This  booklet  makes  an  ideal 
gift  —  or  use  it  as  a  special 
Christmas  card  for  family  and 
friends.  Strikingly  beautiful 
blue  cover  with 
gold  stamping 
on  cover,  50< 
each,  with 
matching  enve-, 
lope.  Ten  copies' 
only  420  each. 
Order  from 

THE  UPPER  ROOM 

1908  Grand  Ave. 
Nashville,  Tenn.  37203 


PRINCE  HENRY  /  continued 

years  they  had  migrated  from  Eu- 
rope and  settled  in  Germantown, 
now  a  western  suburb  of  Philadel- 
phia.   There  they  built  homes,  es- 
tablished the  mother  church,  and 
began  what  was  a  most  significant 
contribution  to  Colonial  America. 
But  they  still  had  not  entirely  es- 
caped persecution.    Because  of  their 
opposition  to  war  and  militarism, 
each  new  war  brought  with  it  ridi- 
cule and  prison  for  Brethren.    But 
Brethren  have  maintained  their 
stand  as  a  peace  church  which  con- 
tinually renews  its  opposition  to  the 
destructive  effort  of  war. 

History,  for  the  most  part,  has 
passed  over  Prince  Henry  of 
Wittgenstein,  but  it  is  to  him  that 
we  owe  a  personal  debt  of  grati- 
tude.   For  it  was  he  who  provided 
the  sanctuary  where  the  church 
which  has  nurtured  us  and  become 
so  much  a  part  of  us  was  born. 

It  is  perhaps  a  twist  of  fate  or 
the  workings  of  the  "golden  rule" 
that  Brethren  are  now  being  asked 
to  provide  a  ministry  quite  similar 
to  that  which  Prince  Henry  offered 
us.    The  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
through  its  affiliation  with  the  Na- 
tional Council  of  Churches  of 
Christ,  is  participating  in  a  ministry 
to  men  in  Canada  who  have  fled 
this  country  to  escape  the  draft  and 
a  war  which  to  them  is  intolerable. 
In  recent  months  an  appeal  has 
gone  out  from  the  Canadian  Coun- 
cil of  Churches  to  "come  over  and 
help  us"  minister  to  fully  60,000 
men  of  draft  age  now  in  Canada, 
many  of  them  deserters  from  the 
armed  forces. 

Many  Brethren  resist  such  a 
ministry.    That  is  certainly  under- 
standable for  those  who  have  sons 
and  relatives  serving  in  the  armed 
forces,  and  especially  because  of  an 


obvious  attempt  to  discredit  and  dis- 
tort this  ministry  by  likening  it  to 
"aiding  and  abetting  lawless  flight 
from  military  service."    Such  is  not 
the  case.    From  what  I  have  been 
able  to  understand,  it  is  basically  a 
two-pronged  pastoral  ministry.    It 
ministers  first  to  the  men  themselves 
by  helping  them  define  their  rights 
under  the  law  and  by  offering  coun- 
seling services  to  assist  them  in  un- 
derstanding their  feelings  about  their 
plight.    Another  aspect  is  a  ministry 
of  reconciliation  here  at  home,  to 
the  families  of  the  refugees  through 
interpretation  and  through  seeking 
to  heal  the  alienation  and  ambiguityj/ 
which  are  natural  parts  of  such  an 
experience. 

In  addition,  there  is  need  for 
money,  "care"  packages,  and  other 
persons  who  would  act  as  recon- 
cilers. 


1 


Ihroughout  its  history  the  church 
has  stood  by  those  persons  who  are 
found  to  be  lonely,  alienated,  or 
condemned.    It  has  rendered  service 
to  the  needy  regardless  of  circum- 
stances.   The  entire  New  Testament 
is  a  mandate  for  such  a  ministry. 
The  church  has  always  offered  a 
like  ministry  in  penal  institutions, 
even  to  condemned  murderers  and 
convicted  criminals.  We  dare  not 
forget  that  the  church  is  first  of  all 
called  to  be  a  servant;  and  we  must  i 
remember  that  we  are  dealing  with 
human  beings,  the  sons  of  our  fel- 
low churchmen  and  countrymen. 
Recall,  too,  that  Canada  and 
much  of  our  own  country  were 
settled  by  those  who  fled  their 
countries  for  political  and  military 
reasons.    The  church  is  called  to  be 
much  more  than  a  nationalistic 
community:   Jesus  himself  com- 


28     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


manded  us  to  love  those  who  are 
different  from  us. 

One  of  the  real  questions  that 
Brethren  must  face  is  to  what  ex- 
tent, through  our  witness  as  a  peace 
church,  we  are  responsible  for  such 
flights  into  Canada.    Dare  we  teach 
our  youth  the  high  religious  ideals 
of  putting  Christ  first  in  their  lives 
if  there  is  a  chance  that  we  may 
desert  them  when  they  practice 
those  teachings  in  this  manner? 

As  I  study  this  matter  I  have  not 
yet  reached  the  point  that  I  can 
agree  with  the  decision  to  flee  to 
Canada.    At  a  very  deep  level  this 
issue  is  helping  me  understand  bet- 
ter that  no  problem  was  ever  solved 
by  turning  our  backs  on  it.    And  I 
am  also  discovering  that  there  is 
much  more  involved  in  the  problem 
of  war  and  militarism  than  just 
staying  or  fleeing.    Therefore,  I  have 
concluded  that  this  most  certainly  is 
a  ministry  in  which  Brethren  should 
be  willing  to  participate,  and  I  am 
thankful  that  we  are.    It  is  right  for 
Brethren  to  cherish  our  history  and 
to  take  pride  in  the  courage  of  our 
founders,  but  this  we  can  do  only 
if  we  are  willing  to  continue  what 
they  began.    I  remember,  too,  that 
seeking  sanctuary  from  war  and 
militarism  is  so  much  a  part  of  our 
heritage  as  Brethren,  and  I  find 
myself  feeling  very  grateful  to 
Prince  Henry  of  Wittgenstein  for 
providing  that  kind  of  ministry  for 
my  fathers. 

While  I  may  not  be  in  agreement 
with  the  decision  to  flee  to  Canada, 
[  know  also  that  neither  does  God 
agree  with  the  sin  I  commit  daily. 
Still,  I  know  that  he  does  not  de- 
sert me  in  my  time  of  trouble,  but 
rather  comes  to  meet  me  as  a 
prodigal  and  receives  me  with  open 
arms.    D 


happiness 


IS... 


child 


a  young  couple  in  love  . . .  the  smile  of  a 
the  joy  of  sharing. 


How  to  find  this  happiness?  Through  helping  others  . . ,  giving  of 
yourself  .  .  .  love  .  .  .  the  kind  of  love  Jesus  taught. 

Happiness  comes  from  a  deep,  personal  relationship  with  God. 
Daily  devotions  in  The  Upper  Room  will  help  bring  this  happiness 
.  .  .  this  purpose  to  your  life  .  .  .  this  love,  just  as  The  Upper 
Room  has  helped  millions  of  other  people  around  the  world.  Each 
daily  page  shares  a  Bible  reading,  and  prayer  for  use  in  individual 
or  family  worship. 

Order  The  Upper  Room  daily  devotional  guide  today.  Enter  a 
standing  order  for  yourself,  your  church  or  organization:  ten  or 
more  copies  of  one  issue  to  one  address  only  15^  each.  Or  use  the 
special  Ten  Plan:  ten  copies  of  one  issue  to  your  address  for  only 
$1 .50.  Keep  one  copy  and  give  the  remaining  nine  to  your  friends. 
Individual  subscriptions  are  $3.00  for  3  years,  $1.50  for  1  year. 
Order  direct  from  The  Upper  Room. 


now^...turiv  on 

a    new  experience   in  your   religious  life. 

They'll  get  to  you  .  .  .  maybe  even  turn  you  on  .  .  .  daily  devotions 
on  cassette  recordings  by  The  Upper  Room  .  .  .  for  a  more  mean- 
ingful communication  with  God.  Started  only  a  few  short  weeks 
ago,  young  and  old  alike  have  discovered  a  new  experience  in 
daily  devotions  with  The  Upper  Room  on  cassette  tape  recordings. 

The  two  tapes  for  each  two  month  issue  are  only  $3.50.  Order  your 
November-December  cassette  tape  of  The  Upper  Room  Today.  Try 
it.  Turn  on  new  meaning  in  your  life.  Order  from  The  Upper  Room, 
1908  Grand  Avenue,  Nashville,  Tennessee  37203. 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

A  former  pastor  is  working  as  a  sub- 
ject cataloger  in  the  field  of  religion  at 
the  Library  of  Congress.  Warren  S. 
Kissinger,  for  six  years  pastor  of  the 
Drexel  Hill,  Pa.,  church,  assigns  subject 
headings  and  the  library  classification 
number  to  books  on  religion  received  at 
the  library. 

Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren pastor  Russell  Bixler  has  authored 
a  book,  It  Can  Happen  to  Anybody,  a 
look  at  the  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
through  individuals  and  their  personal 
experiences.  The  volume  is  available 
through  the  Mack  Religious  Bookstore  at 
Johnstown,  Pa. 

Fifty  years  in  the  ministry  were  cited 
by  the  Natrona  Heights  congregation. 
Western  Pennsylvania,  in  its  recognition 
of  its  pastor,  Arthur  L.  Rummel,  last 
spring.  .  .  .  Licensed  to  the  ministry  at 
the  Quakertown,  Pa.,  church  was  Ronald 
Ludwick. 

•!•     4-     4-     4-     + 

The  Frederick,  Md.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  honored  Mrs.  Charlotte  Mc- 
Kay, director  of  Christian  education  for 
that  congregation,  in  a  special  service 
at  which  she  was  presented  with  a  gift. 
Mrs.  McKay  has  resigned  her  post  with 
the  church  to  enter  full-time  public 
school  teaching.  .  .  .  Another  retiree  was 
honored  after  forty  years'  service  in  the 
ministry.  Murray  L.  Wagner,  for  eleven 
years  pastor  at  the  Mechanic  Grove 
church  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  antici- 
pates retirement  beginning  in  September. 

Shelocta,  Pa.,  dairyman  Christopher 
Kimmel,  formerly  with  Vietnam  Chris- 
tian Service,  has  been  named  a  director- 
at-large  for  the  Heifer  Project. 

A  longtime  pastor  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  has  died.  Paul  E.  Thomp- 
son died  June  26,  1970,  at  his  home  in 
Huntington,  Ind.,  where  he  had  served 
as  pastor  for  seven  years.  He  was  fifty- 
eight.  A  former  schoolteacher.  Pastor 
Thompson  had  filled  pastorates  in  Kan- 
sas, Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Ohio. 

Two   churchmen    in   the   Brotherhood 


died  recently.  Roscoe  P.  Baker,  81,  died 
July  5  at  Haxtun,  Colo.  The  former 
schoolteacher  served  as  writing  clerk  for 
the  District  of  Colorado,  as  a  member 
of  the  district  mission  board,  and  as  a 
pulpit  supply  preacher.  He  served  in 
Haxtun  as  town  clerk  for  eighteen 
years.  .  .  .  One  of  the  early  full-time 
pastors  during  the  time  of  transition 
from  the  free  to  the  salaried  ministry, 
Walter  D.  Keller,  died  May  12,  1970. 
He  was  91.  He  had  served  pastorates 
at  Hagerstown,  Md.,  and  Washington, 
D.C.;  Ashland,  Canton,  Baltic,  East  and 
West  Nimishillen,  Mohican,  and  Owl 
Creek  congregations  in  Ohio;  and  at 
Walnut  Grove,  Johnstown,  Pa.,  and 
Bremen,  Ind. 

4-       •!•       4-       +       -i- 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples 
marking  fiftieth  wedding  anniversaries: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  Clyde  Weaver,  East 
Petersburg,  Pa.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  Ray 
McKimmy,  Beaverton,  Mich.;  and  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  James  Warlitner,  Newport 
News,  Va.  .  .  .  The  H.  D.  Michaels, 
Lacey,  Wash.,  are  celebrating  their  six- 
tieth anniversary  this  month. 


SiaiiciiBQia 


August    14-15 

District    conference.    Southern    In- 

diana 

August    14-16 

District  conference.  Southern   Mis- 

souri    and     Arkansas,     Wynne, 

Ark. 

August    14-16 

District  conference,  Oregon-Wash- 

ington,  Forest  Grove 

August   14-16 

District    conference.    Southeastern 

August   21-23 

District        conference,        Northern 

Ohio,   Oberlin   College 

August   21-23 

District        conference.        Western 

Plains,  McPherson   College 

August   27-30 

District       conference,       Michigan, 

Carson   City 

Sept.    1-30 

Brotherhood    Achievement    Month 

Sept.  6 

Labor    Sunday 

Sept.   12-13 

District  conference,  Western  Penn- 

sylvania,   scattered    locations 

Sept.    18-19 

District    conference.    West    Marva, 

Beaver    Run 

Sept.    18-20 

District        conference,        Missouri, 

Rockingham 

Sept.   20 

Brotherhood      Fund      achievement 

offering 

NOMINATIONS  SOLICITED 

To  broaden  its  awareness  of  leader- 
ship in  the  Brotherhood,  the  nominating 
committee  of  Standing  Committee  is 
seeking  from  individuals  or  groups) 
names  of  nominees  whom  they  consider 
appropriate  candidates  for  the  various 
offices  listed  here  to  be  filled  by  election 
at  the  1971  Annual  Conference. 

Individuals  or  groups  submitting  a 
name  must  affirm  the  person's  willingness, 
to  have  his  name  considered. 

Nominations  must  be  sent  by  Dec.  l.,l 
1 970,  to  the  Annual  Conference  Office, 
1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120, 
indicating  the  name  of  the  person  ox  • 
group  suggesting  the  names. 

Offices  open  are: 

1.  Moderator-elect,  one  person 

2.  General  Board  members,  seven  i 
elected  as  district  representatives  (in- 
eligible: any  person  from  Northern  In- 
diana, Middle  Pennsylvania,  Mid-Atlan- 
tic, Illinois-Wisconsin,  Florida-Puerto 
Rico,  Western  Plains,  Southern  Ohio, 
and  Southern  Virginia  districts) ;  two 
elected  as  at-large  representatives  (in- 
eligible: none,  except  the  limitation  of 
only  one  person  from  a  given  congrega-j 
tion) 

3.  Committee  on  Interchurch  Rela^l 
tions,  one  person 

4.  Elector  of  Bethany  Theologicali 
Seminary,  one  representing  colleges,  one  i 
representing  laity 

5.  Annual  Conference  Central  Com- 1 
mittee,  one  person 

6.  Committee  to  review  and  evaluati 
the  work  of  the  General  Board  (see  Min^) 
utes,  1968,  p.  85),  five  persons,  to  report 
to  Annual  Conference  in  1972 


i 


POTPOURRI 

Fire  destroyed  a  barn  and  some  live-i 
stock  last  month  on  a  farm  near  Lititz,  ; 
Pa.,  owned  by  the  Neffsville  Brethren 
Home.  The  fire's  origins  had  not  been 
determined  at  this  writing,  although  spec- 
ulation was  that  an  electrical  short  circuit 
had  occurred  in  the  barn. 

After  a  college  student's  assessment  of 
why  his  peers  are  objecting  to  U.S.  pol- 
icies in  Indochina,  members  of  the  Im- 


30     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


IN  THE  WAY 
HE  SHOULD  GO 

—  Proverbs  22.6 


perial    Heights    congregation    in    Los 

Angeles,  Calif.,  responded  to  the  young 
plan's  concern  through  a  questionnaire. 
i  Feedback  indicates  that  while  persons 
may  not  have  agreed  with  the  student's 
presentation,  most  were  willing  to  hear 
his  side.  Generally  the  participants  in 
the  questionnaire  favored  the  church's 
involvement  "in  all  areas  of  life  from  a 
Christian  perspective,"  though  a  number 
qualified  this  feeling  by  indicating  that 
''both  sides"  ought  to  be  allowed  to  speak 
.put. 

!  William  R.  Faw  is  pastor  of  the  Im- 
perial Heights  church. 

J!  The  Unitarian  Universalist  Service 
Committee,  headquartered  in  Boston, 
Mass.,  joined  as  an  associate  member 
agency  the  Heifer  Project,  bringing  to 
hirteen  the  number  of  member  and  as- 
lociate  agencies  of  the  service  organiza- 
ion. 

Fellowship  hall,  kitchen,  pastor's  and 
;ecretary's  offices,  and  a  conference  room 
ire  part  of  a  new  addition  to  be  dedi- 
;ated  Sept.  20  by  the  Greenville  congre- 
jation  in  Southern  Ohio.  Named  Oliver 
Sail  in  memory  of  John  Oliver,  building 
;ommittee  chairman  who  died  before 
;ompletion  of  the  project,  the  new  facil- 
ty  features  a  large  foyer  and  will  be 
ised  for  worship  services  while  the  sanc- 
uary  is  being  refurbished. 

The  Brethren  Revival  Fellowship  an- 

lounces  that  its  Sept.  12  meeting  has 
)een  postponed  to  Sept.  19.  The  day- 
,ong  program  at  the  Conemaugh  Church 
)f  the  Brethren,  near  Johnstown,  Pa., 
vill  include  reports,  open  discussion  on 
ssues  facing  the  church,  elections,  and 
he  consideration  of  a  resolution  for  posi- 
ive  action. 

Mission  libraries  in  Nigeria,  India, 
ind  Ecuador  received  386  books  from 
he  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Of- 
ices,  the  result  of  a  revamping  of  library 
ervices  at  Elgin.  The  majority  went  to 
iihe  Theological  College  of  Northern  Ni- 
!eria.  .  .  .  The  General  Board  announces 
he  receipt  of  $55,961  from  the  estates 
»f  two  brothers,  Walter  S.  and  Charles 


E.  Cupp,  who  lived  in  the  Harrisonburg- 
Bridgewater  area  of  Virginia.  Walter 
died  on  Dec.  26,  1967,  and  Charles,  on 
Aug.  18,  1968. 

THE  CAMPUS  SCENE 

A  special  ministry  to  students  on  col- 
lege and  university  campuses  has  been 
inaugurated  by  the  Illinois  and  Wiscon- 
sin District  board  with  an  emphasis  on 
students  in  those  two  states  and  espe- 
cially at  the  University  of  Illinois'  Ur- 
bana  campus.  Pastors  and  local  church 
leaders  who  could  supply  the  student 
ministry  committee  with  names  and  ad- 
dresses of  Brethren  students  enrolled  at 
Illinois  or  Wisconsin  campuses  may  send 
information  to  Carl  E.  Myers,  District 
Executive  Secretary,  1420  Illinois  Park- 
way, Elgin,  111.   60120. 

Three  faculty  members  of  Church  of 
the  Brethren-related  colleges  are  spend- 
ing part  of  their  summer  abroad.  Rich 
Castro,  cross-country  coach  and  assistant 
track  coach  at  La  Verne,  Calif.,  College, 
took  part  in  a  Peace  Corps  project  in 
Morocco,  training  athletes  and  coaches 
for  the  1972  Olympic  Games  in  Munich, 
Germany. 

Invitations  from  universities  and  insti- 
tutes behind  the  Iron  Curtain  have  called 
Dr.  Ralph  Gunter  of  La  Verne's  psychol- 
ogy department  to  Czechoslovakia,  the 
U.S.S.R.,  and  Poland.  He  will  deliver 
papers  at  two  international  congresses 
and   conduct   a  series  of  seminars. 

An  Elizabethtown  College  professor  is 
participating  this  summer  in  an  archaeo- 
logical project  ten  miles  west  of  Jerusa- 
lem. He  is  Dr.  Austin  D.  Ritlerspach, 
assistant  professor  of  religion  and  phi- 
losophy, and  this  summer  a  member  of 
an  excavating  team  digging  at  Tel  Gezer, 
the  site  of  a  flourishing  city  by  the  same 
name  in  biblical  times. 

Elizabeth  M.  Garber,  chairman  of 
Elizabethtown  College's  department  of 
political  science,  will  serve  the  coming 
year  as  a  visiting  professor  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Ghana.  She  will  teach  an 
upper-class  seminar  in  United  States  pol- 
itics and  government  and  an  under-class 
course  in  the  history  of  socialist  thought. 


Today,  more  than  ever,  the  precept 
holds  good:  train  up  a  child  in 
the  way  he  should  go.  There  can 
be  no  better  way,  there  can  be 
no  better  book,  than  the  Bible. 

For  over  three  centuries  fine  Bibles 
have  been  carefully  made  at 
the  Cambridge  University  Press, 
In  a  Cambridge  Bible,  there  is 
no  compromise  with  quality. 


CAMBRtDGE   UNIVERSITY   PRESS 


8-27-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


Images  of  Hope 


HOPE 


a 

joy 

a 

rock 

a 

song 

a 

child 

a 

hand 

upon  a 

door 

a 

firm 

foundation 

a 

sun, 

a  star,  a 

sky 

a 

day 

it  dawn 

an  exaltation 

HOPE 

an  arm 

a  rope,  a  ladder 

a  target  and  an  arrow 

a  friend,  a  band  of  brothers 

HOPE 

an  anchor 

a  gift  of  grace 

a  miracle,  a  marvel 

a  voice,  a  vision,  an  ecstasy 

a  prayer,  a  path,  a  promise 

an  act  of  God,  an  intervention 

a  taste  of  love,  a  touch  of  heaven 

a  celebration 

HOPE 


fc};  Kenneth  I.  Morse 


Drum 


If  I  could 

there  are  times  I  would 
still  the  drum, 
soften  its  beat, 
silence  its  sound, 
slow  it  down  .  .  . 

But  life  says  the  pulse  must  pound, 

the  rhythm  may  falter  but  must  not  cease, 

and  even  in  rest  there  is  no  retreat. 

Life  says  the  beat  must  lean 

into  tomorrow,  strong  and  clean, 

and  love  says  life  is  right, 

and  God  says  love  is  the  drummer 

who  never  sleeps. 


Across  the  dome  of  sky 

this  day  spins 

picking  up  pieces  of  pain 

silencing  agonies 

and  twisting  iridescent  happenings 

into  a  faerie  that  fades  from  noon  to  night. 

O  wind  that  wraps  the  world, 
how  many  loves  move  you 
to  circumscribe  and  turn  this  sphere, 
earthbound,  yet  heavenward? 


32     MESSENGER    8-27-70 


nx0Si 


MORE  JOY  IN 
YOUR  MARRIAGE 

HERBERT  OnO 


Using   the  "theory   of    joy," 
Dr.   Otto  offers   unusual  tech- 
niques to  "wake  up"  your  mar- 
riage and  enjoy  doing  it.    With 
the    help   of   this    book    you    can 
turn    your   marriage    into    a    totally 
alive,  vibrant  one.   Joy  is  the  key  that 
will   enable  you  to  renew  the  pleasure 
and    intensity   you   felt  when   first   getting   to 
know  one  another.    With  joy  you  will  assault  the  numb- 
ness and  boredom  of  familiarity.    Here  is  an  action  book 
designed   to  add   an   abundance  of  fun,   romance,   and 
excitement  to  any  marriage.     It   is  a   book  to  be  ex- 
perienced. $5.95 


FOR 
helping  married  couples 

learn  the  skills  of  re- 
lating in  depth 


THE  INTIMATE 
MARRIAGE 

CHARLOHE  H.  AND 
HOWARD  J.  CLINEBELL,  JR. 


The  Clinebells,   both   profes- 
sionals in  the  field  of  marital 
counseling,  examine  the  nature 
and  variety  of  intimacy,  the  bar- 
riers  to    its   achievement,   and   the 
processes  by  which    intimacy  can   be 
enhanced.    Written  for  couples  who  are 
relating   well   in   some  areas   but  who  desire 
more   of   what   Paul   Tournier  calls   a   "total    marriage," 
this  work  discusses  a  wide  variety  of  relationships:  sex- 
ual, emotional,   intellectual,  spiritual,  creative.    A  "talk 
it  over"  section  at  the  end  of  each  chapter  adds  to  the 
book's  usefulness  for  discussion  groups.  $5.95 


MAN  AND  WOMAN 

KARL  WRAGE 

This  practical  guide  to  sex,  marriage,  and  childbirth  — 
dramatically  illustrated  by  more  than  seventy  superb 
diagrams  of  which  half  are  in  color  —  is  unique  in  its 
highly  sensitive  combination  of  physiological  facts  with 
a  humane  concern  for  the  emotional  and  spiritual  needs 
of  human  beings.  The  book  deals  with  the  varied  as- 
pects of  the  male-female  polarity  and  the  intimate  re- 
lationship between  man  and  woman  which  leads  to 
parenthood.  The  contents  are  a  preface;  chapters  on 
development  and  education  of  the  two  sexes  and  sexu- 
ality and  sexual  relations;  a  glossary,  bibliography,  and 
index.  $8.75 


LEARNING  FOR  LOVING 

ROBERT  L.  McFARLAND   AND  JOHN   DAVID   BURTON 

A  collaboration  by  a  psychologist  and  a  theologian,  this 
book  reveals  the  results  of  instruction  given  to  groups 
of  married  couples  who  had  been  unable  to  cope  with 
their  environment  in  a  suburban  community  adjacent 
to  a  large  city.  Prompted  by  the  increasing  incidents 
where  family  structures  break  down,  and  husbands  and 
wives  are  unable  to  live  together  in  contentment,  the 
book  reflects  the  basic  instruction  presented  to  the 
groups.  The  God-given  relationship  of  marriage,  the 
obvious  certainty  that  "things  can  go  wrong,"  and  the 
faith  that  men  and  women  in  marriage  may  discover  are 
all  shown  in  their  proper  relationships.  $3.95 


CHURCH     of     the     BRETHREN     GENERAL    OFFICES,    Elgin,    Illinois    60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Where  Brothers  Live:  Impressions  of  Woodcrest  Community.    How 

fares  one  mans  vision  on  how  men  could  live,  after  a  nomadic  history  which 
began  when  Eberhard  Arnold  founded  the  BruderhofP  by  Terry  Pettit. 
page  2 


Hope  and  the  Resurrection.  //  one  is  going  to  call  himself  a  Christian,  he 
does  not  have  the  luxury  to  ignore  the  resurrection,  an  Annual  Conference 
Bible  study  message  by  Eugene  Roop.   page  6 


Broadening  the  Objector  Stance.  Supreme  Court  cases  regarding  the 
rights  of  conscientious  objectors  are  coming  under  scrutiny  of  churchmen. 
A  special  report  examines  the  impact  of  the  justices  decisions,  page  16 


The  Magnificence  of  Jesus.  "We  can  never  make  too  much  of  Jesus,"  as- 
serts this  writer,  who  cites  seven  ways  in  which  the  Son  of  God  is  unique. 
by  Harold  S.  Martin,   page  21 


In  Gratitude  to  Prince  Henry.  History  has  passed  over  Henry  of  Wittgen- 
stein, whose  act  of  granting  religious  freedom  to  all  echoed  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren's  willingness  to  stand  by  the  lonely  and  the  dispossessed.  Could 
his  example  be  a  watchword  for  Brethren  today?  by  J.  Wayne  Judd.  page  26 


Other  features  include  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Floyd  Mason  (page  9);  poems  by  Jo 
Thebaud,  J.  F.  Humphrey,  and  Emily  Sargent  Councilman  (page  11);  "Revealing  a  Bit 
of  'Madness,'  "  a  report  on  the  second  Believers'  Church  Conference  (page  12);  news  of 
"Structuring  Ecumenism"  and  an  "Apostle  to  Illiterates"  (page  14)  and  of  a  "Summer 
Celebration"  and  "Missionary  Movements"  in  the  Brotherhood  (page  15);  "Day  by  Day," 
a  guide  for  family  worship  by  Norman  and  Kay  Long  (page  20);  and  an  editorial, 
"Images  of  Hope"  (page  32). 


COMING  NEXT, 


At  the  beginning  of  another  school  year,  T.  Wayne  Rieman  shares  his  observations  on 
"The  Crisis  of  Conscience  on  Campus.".  .  .  Pre-PIayboy  and  Women's  Lib,  the  Inglenook 
touched  the  interest  of  Brethren  farm  families  in  the  earhj  years  of  this  century.  Jeanne 
Donovan  looks  at  the  "Journal  for  a  Gentler  Time."  .  .  .  In  every  state  of  the  union  are 
children  waiting  for  help,  says  Josephine  C.  Walker,  who  wrrites  of  the  work  of  the  Child 
Welfare  League,  "Champions  of  Children."  VOL.    119    NO.    1 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     ^^^  9/10/70 


readers  write 


A  MUST 

There  was  an  excellent  article  by  W. 
Warren  Shoemaker  in  the  June  18  Messen- 
ger. 

Reading  this  article  should  be  a  must 
for  every  layman  and  could  be  of  great 
value  in  discussion  groups. 

Marion  E.  Dulabaum 
Uniontown,  Ohio 

TWENTY-FOUR-HOUR  DAYS 

Why  have  many  men  turned  to  evolution 
instead  of  believing  the  Bible  account  of 
creation?  Could  it  be  the  meaning  of  Gen- 
esis 1:1-2  has  been  hidden  until  recent 
years?  Genesis  1 : 1  states,  "In  the  begin- 
ning God  created  the  heaven  and  the  earth." 
It  does  not  say  how  long  ago.  Some  Bible 
scholars  say  that  the  Hebrew  word  for 
"was"  in  verse  2  should  have  been  trans- 
lated "became."  If  this  is  correct,  the  dino- 
saurs and  other  forms  of  animal  and  plant 
life  could  have  been  created  by  God  before 
the  earth  "became  without  form  and  void." 
Some  of  these  could  have  been  extinct  (ac- 
counting for  the  fossils  that  are  being 
found)  and  some  could  have  continued  to 
reproduce  (accounting  for  the  "living  fos- 
sils" that  are  thought  to  be  unexplainable). 
Thus  it  is  only  logical  that  about  6,000 
years  ago  God  reorganized  the  earth,  after 
it  "became  without  form  and  void,"  to  be 
suitable  for  man's  environment  and  created 
man  and  the  animals  and  plants  we  know 
today.  We  are  limiting  God  if  we  don't 
think  he  could  have  done  it  in  six  days. 
Jesus  said,  "With  God  all  things  are  pos- 
sible" (Matt.  19:26,  Mark  10:27,  Luke 
18:27).  I  prefer  to  believe  this  logical 
explanation  of  the  Bible  account  instead  of 
evolution,  which  is  composed  of  theories 
that  cannot  be  proved  and  that  cannot  be 


reconciled   to    the    Bible    account    of    crea- 
tion.  .   .   . 

It  is  easy  to  believe  that  the  days  of  crea- 
tion were  twenty-four  hour  days  because 
God  inspired  the  writer  to  include  the  words, 
"and  there  was  evening  and  there  was  morn- 
ing"  when  each   day  was  mentioned.   .   .    . 

Let  us  beheve  the  Bible  and  be  thankful 
that  God's  unchanging  Word  is  our  author- 
ity in  these  days  of  changing  human  opin- 
ions. 

Mrs.  Dan  Deal 
Onekama,  Mich. 

THE   CHURCH   MUST  ACT 

As  a  concerned  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  I  feel  compelled  to  draw 
the  attention  of  the  members  of  our  denom- 
ination to  the  crisis  developing  with  our  ex- 
ploding human  population. 

It  is  significant  that  in  the  July  2  and  30 
issues  of  Messenger,  the  majority  of  which 
were  devoted  to  the  concerns  of  Annual 
Conference,  little  mention  was  made  of  this 
overwhelming  problem.  In  his  moderator's 
address  A.  G.  Breidenstine,  when  describing 
seven  urgent  concerns  for  the  seventies,  listed 
overpopulation  in  sixth  place  and  gave  it  no 
special  emphasis.  I  suggest  that  it  should 
take  top  priority  even  over  our  "vast  military 
expenditures,"  although  I,  too,  fervently  op- 
pose the  Vietnam  War  and  the  increasing 
percentage  of  our  federal  budget  that  goes 
for  military  purposes.  However,  if  the  world 
population  continues  to  increase  at  present 
rates,  it  will  be  only  a  few  years  until  we 
will  witness  death  and  suffering  far  beyond 
what  is  now  occurring  in  Vietnam. 

The  projected  world  population  figures  for 
the  year  2000  and  beyond  have  been  re- 
peated so  frequently  and  are  so  astronomical 
that  they  tend  to  leave  us  cold  and  unbe- 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  Devaney;  2-3  from  the  Inglenook.  vol.  3,  1901,  and  vol.  9,  July-December 
1907;  6  "Compassion."  by  Midener;  10  Sid  Fridkin;  14  Ronald  E.  Keener;  16,  17.  18,  19  (top  left  and 
right)  Don  Honick;  19  (lower  left)  Robert  Feaster;  22  "Abraham  and  Isaac"  by  Rembrandt,  from  the 
Clarence   Buckingham   Collection,   courtesy   of    The   Art    Insitute   of    Chicago:    25    Clark   and    Clark 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Royer,  director 
of  communication;  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20.  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  I,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service,  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  Version. 
Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife,  $75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address.  Allow  at 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other  i 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave..  Elgin,  III.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111.    Sept.   10.  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119   No.  19 


jrcn     group 

■I 


lieving.  However,  if  we  look  at  populatioD 
growth  rates  in  terms  of  doubling  times  (the 
time  it  takes  for  a  population  to  increase 
by  two),  we  quickly  grasp  the  seriousness 
of  the  situation.  At  present  growth  rates  the 
total  world  population  doubles  in  thirty-five 
years,  and  in  many  of  the  underdeveloped 
countries  it  doubles  in  as  little  as  twenty 
years.  With  hunger  and  malnutrition  already 
stalking  two  thirds  of  the  world's  people, 
how  can  we  expect  other  than  widespread 
famine  and  disease  within  another  ten  to 
twenty  years?  The  magnitude  of  this  famine 
can  be  reduced,  although  probably  not  elimi- 
nated, by  a  drastic  downturn  in  the  world- 
wide birth  rate  (including  the  U.S.)  to  levels 
near  or  below  the  current  death  rate. 

Arguments  purporting  to  show  that  the 
food  needs  of  the  world  could  be  met  by, 
say,  1975  by  increasing  agricultural  yields 
or  farming  the  sea  fail  to  consider  current 
realities.  Most  arable  land  is  already  under 
intense  (probably  too  intense)  cultivation. 
Our  environment  is  rapidly  deteriorating, 
largely  as  a  result  of  our  crash  programs  to 
effect  some  short-term  good  without  con- 
sidering long-term  consequences.  Further- 
more, we  are  not  now  farming  the  sea;  we 
don't  know  what  crops  to  grow  in  the  sea. 
And  even  if  we  could  determine  that,  we 
don't  have  the  technology  to  farm  it  econom- 
ically. 

In  view  of  these  and  many  other  con- 
siderations it  is  imperative  that  the  church 
take  action  on  this  most  important  issue  of 
our  time,  I  would  urge  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  to  begin  to  educate  its  members 
to  several  needs:  the  need  for  responsible 
parenthood  (this  is  different  from  "planned 
parenthood");  the  need  for  reduction  and 
regulation  of  the  birth  rate,  and  the  need  for 
responsible  programs  in  this  area  in  the 
world  ministry  of  the  church. 

It  was  suggested  that  a  church  committee 
be  established  to  consider  the  question  of 
abortion.  Why  not  get  at  the  root  of  the 
problem  and  study  the  much  more  urgent 
issue  of  overpopulation? 

David  W.  Fouts 
Philadelphia,  Pa, 


NOT  WITH   COMMUNION 

I  am  a  junior  in  high  school  who  has  a 
very  great  concern  over  the  present  trend  I 
our  church  is  experiencing.  I,  along  with 
several  members  of  my  youth  group,  at- 
tended the  1970  Annual  Conference  at 
Lincoln,  Neb. 


I  very  much  enjoyed  the  entire  Confer- 
ence except  for  the  Saturday  night  service. 
The  service  was  very  modern  and  unique, 
and  I  am  quite  sure  that  had  it  been  on 
another  night  and  not  with  communion,  it 
would  have  been  very  beautiful.  To  me,  and 
many  others  I  know,  communion  service 
is  regarded  as  religious  service  with  God. 
However,  it  seemed  to  me  that  this  particu- 
lar service  almost  made  a  mockery  of  the 
whole  communion.  Communion  to  me  does 
nol  stand  for  modern  dance,  modern  music, 
finger  snapping. 

I  realize  that  certain  changes  within  our 
church  cannot  help  but  be  necessary.  If 
treating  communion  with  God  with  mockery 
is  to  be  one  of  the  changes  necessary,  then 
I  do  say  sincerely,  "God  save  our  church!" 

Susan  L.  Bower 
Roanoke,  Virginia 

SUPERPROBLEMS 

I've  just  completed  reading  your  report  on 
the  Brethren  Annual  Conference  of  1970 
(July  30).  As  noble  as  its  theme  of  hope 
for  the  future  might  be,  I  became  increasing- 
ly alarmed  at  the  negligence  of  the  church 
toward  the  problems  of  pollution  and  popu- 
lation control.  True,  both  were  listed  as 
priorities  for  the  coming  decade,  but  what 
action  is  the  church  taking  toward  these 
issues?  .  .  . 

These  problems  are  endangering  the  life 
of  all  mankind.  The  natural  beauty,  cleanli- 
ness, and  vital  resources  of  our  environment 
are  rapidly  being  decimated.  The  human 
race  is  breeding  itself  into  extinction!  Food 
is  becoming  scarce;  half  of  the  world  is  al- 
ready starving.  Several  leading  ecologists, 
including  Dr.  Paul  Ehrlich,  author  of  The 
Population  Bomb,  predict  devastating  fam- 
ines that  will  come  very  soon.  And  these 
problems,  while  they  might  be  more  acute 
in  faraway  places  like  Africa  or  Asia,  pose 
a  very  serious  threat  to  the  existence  of 
Americans  themselves.   .  .   . 

I  plead  that  action  be  taken  on  the  part 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  concerning 
these  superproblems  of  overpopulation  and 
pollution.  Give  your  approval  to  the  legal- 
ization of  abortion.  Use  your  influence  to 
educate  and  pressure  the  government  and 
people  into  taking  more  significant  action 
toward  stricter  controls.  And  act  now,  for 
these  problems  cannot  and  will  not  wait. 
Linn  Bell 
Palmyra,  Pa. 


Page  one... 


We're  not  really  superstitious,  but  we  confess  to  a  little  apprehension  when 
it  comes  to  the  number  13,  especially  when  it  appears  as  the  volume  num- 
ber of  a  Brethren  publication.    Here's  the  reason  why. 

On  the  next  page  you  will  be  introduced  to  a  Brethren  family  mag- 
azine that  was  born  near  the  beginning  of  this  century  and  flourished  for 
fifteen  years.  For  thirteen  of  these  years  it  was  called  the  Inglenook. 
In  1913  Brethren  publishers,  recognizing  the  need  for  some  consolidation 
of  magazines,  discontinued  the  Inglenook. 

It  you  read  the  July-August  issue  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
Leader,  you  must  have  noted  that  this  publication  also,  having  survived 
into  early  adolescence  at  age  thirteen,  is  now  passing  out  of  the  picture. 
Again  it  was  the  judgment  of  publishers  (in  this  case,  the  General  Board) 
that  our  Brotherhood  must  consolidate  its  publication  efforts,  thus  conserv- 
ing both  financial  and  editorial  resources. 

All  of  this  suggests  that  Messenger  wUl  have  some  new  responsibil- 
ities as  it  seeks  to  serve  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Having  reached  a 
grand  old  age  (it's  been  119  years  since  Henry  Kurtz  launched  the  Gospel 

Visitor  in  1851),  Messenger  is  not 
particularly  frightened  by  the  num- 
ber 13.  But  we  do  recognize  how 
important  it  is  for  us  to  work  even 
harder  than  before  to  bring  our 
readers  not  only  news,  reviews, 
opinions  and  discussions  of  vital  is- 
sues, and  studies  of  our  basic  faith, 
but  also  to  provide  some  guidance 
for  church  leaders  in  the  Brother- 
hood, information  concerning  re- 
sources, and  examples  of  the  creative  activities  of  local  churches. 

Look  for  some  changes  in  Messenger  next  January,  when  a  num- 
ber of  new  features  will  likely  be  introduced  and  some  changes  in  format 
will  be  evident.  In  order  to  be  of  the  greatest  possible  service  to  the 
church,  Messenger  will  welcome  suggestions  for  improvements  from  all 
its  readers,  including  many  who  were  faithful  readers  of  Leader  —  and 
perhaps  even  from  a  few  who  remember  the  Inglenook. 

Contributors  to  this  issue  include  two  from  the  General  Offices, 
Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistant,  and  Joel  K.  Thompson,  executive 
secretary  of  the  World  Ministries  Commission  .  .  .  Myron  S.  Augsburger, 
president  of  Eastern  Mennonite  College  and  Annual  Conference  speak- 
er ..  .  Josephine  C.  Walker,  a  free-lance  writer  who  lives  in  Tampa, 
Florida  .  .  .  and  Floyd  E.  Bantz,  pastor  of  Middle  Pennsylvania's  Roaring 
Spring  congregation. 

The  Editors 

9-10-70  messenger    1 


CASH 
OR 
CREDIT. 


Cata- 
logue 

FREE. 


PRICE 

$3I»> 


It  will  pay  you 


I 


to  send  for  our  Cata- 
logue No.  6,  quoting 
prices   on  Buggies, 
Harness,  etc.  We  sell  direct  from  I 
our   Factory   to    Consumers   atil 
Factory  Prices.   This  guaranteed 
Buggy  only  $31.60 ;  Cash  or  Easy, 
Monthly    Payments.     We   trust 
(honest  people  located  in  all  parts 
of  the  \^orld. 
a^ Write  for  Free  Catalogue. 

MENTION  THIS  PAPER. 


CENTURY  MANUF'G  COm  East  St.  Louis.  III. 

^iNSbENOOK. 

a  journal  for  a  gentler  time 


by  JEANNE  DONOVAN 

The  subjects  were  varied, 
touching  the  interests  of 
Brethren  farm  families  in  the 
early  years  of  this  century. 
And  when  the  good  sisters 
shared  their  best  recipes,  a 
cookbook  was  born 


When  the  editor  asked  me  if  I'd  like  to 
write  an  article  on  the  Inglenook,  I 
looked  at  him  blankly  and  replied, 
"The  Inglewhat?" 

"The  Inglenook." 

"Oh,  yes,  the  cookbook  that's  being 
reissued." 

"No,  the  magazine." 

"What  magazine?" 

"The  Inglenook.  You'll  have  to  do 
some  research  in  the  historical  library." 

And  as  I  leafed  my  way  through  thir- 
teen dusty,  yellow-paged  volumes  of 
printing  history  from  1901  to  1913, 1 
was  introduced  to  another,  gentler,  less 
hurried  time  —  an  era,  pre-Playboy 
and  Women's  Lib,  where  an  editor 
without  being  campy  could  write, 
"Strange  that  women  who  are  born 


with  the  desire  to  please  men  are  so 
slow  to  learn  the  lesson  that  the  op- 
posite sex  prize  highest  what  so  many 
women  hold  lightest!  —  their  simple 
innocency." 

One  could  subscribe  to  a  "high-class 
publication,  intended  for  the  Home, 
and  for  the  interest,  entertainment  and 
information  of  old  and  young,"  the 
Inglenook  and  the  Good  Housekeep- 
ing, both  for  only  $  1 .00  per  year;  at 
that  time  a  buggy  sold  for  $31.50,  sew- 
ing machines  for  $17,  iron  beds  for 
$1.75,  sofas  for  $4.98  and  up,  and  all 
wool  carpets  for  forty-nine  to  seventy- 
five  cents  per  yard. 

Letters  to  the  editor  asked  such 
questions  as,  "I  noticed  a  grammatical 
error  in  the  'Nook  last  week.  Why  is  it 


2     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


1 


FREE  SAMPLE 

(  Send  letter  or  postal  for  free  SAMPLE 
HINDOO  TOBACCO  HAOrT  CURE 

We  cure  you  of  chewing  and  smoking 
for  BOc..  or  money  back.  Guaranteed  perfectly 
harmless.  Address  Milford  Drug  Co.,  Milford, 
jndiana.    We  answer  all  letters. 


.BRETDREN'S... 


Plain  Clothing 


We  place  plain  clothing  within  the 
reach  of  all.  Our  prices  are  not  only  as 
reasonable  as  other  clothing,  but  in  most 
cases  they  are  cheaper  when  quality  is 
considered.  All  goods  are  made  to 
special  order. 

Our  system  of  self-measurement  is 
complete  and  simple.  We  always  guar- 
antee satisfaction  and  refer  to  our  many 
patrons,  some  of  whom  will  be  found  in 


,r)v 


Brethren  reside.  Samples  of  cloth  from 
which  we  make  our  clothing,  measuring 
blanks,  tape-line  and  rules  for  ordering 
will  be  sent  on  application. 

Special  inducements  will  be  made  to 
members  clubbing  together  and  order- 
ing clothing  at  one  time. 

While  we  make  a  specialty  of  plain 
clothing,  we  make  other  styles  also,  and 
they'can  be  ordered  from  the  same  sam- 
s  This  will  often  be  of  great  assistance  in  getting  club  orders, 
\er\     tten  neighbors  who  are  not  members  will  order  with  you 

PHILUPSON   TAILORING  CO., 

'95-'97  Market  Street. 
CHICAGO. 

J  Mention  the  INGLENOOK  when  writing. 

|i-a,'  r»  It  A.  c  "T I  o  A.  Ij  : 


BRETHREN    PUBLISHING   HOUSE,   ELGIN,   ILL. 
September  24,    1907         Price,  $1.00    Per  Annum  No.  39.   Vol.  IX 


there?"  and  were  answered  with  gentle 
humor:  "Kill  it  on  sight!  It  might  in- 
duce others.  Know,  son,  that  there  is 
not  a  publication  in  existence  without 
errors.  They  sneak  in  and  hide  from 
the  whole  office  outfit,  and  then  come 
out  and  sun  themselves  when  all  can 
see.  Put  your  foot  on  it." 

The  Annual  Conference  of  1898  de- 
cided that,  "inasmuch  as  there  was  a 
class  of  young  people  too  far  advanced 
to  be  interested  in  the  Young  Disciple 
and  yet  for  whom  the  Gospel  Messen- 
ger was  not  wholly  adapted,  many  of 
whom  were  now  reading  papers  not  in 
sympathy  with  the  time-honored  prin- 
ciples of  the  Brethren,  the  General  Mis- 
sionary and  Tract  Committee  recom- 
mend to  Standing  Committee  and 


Annual  Meeting  that  they  authorize  the 
publishing  of  such  a  periodical  suitable 
in  size,  and  so  arranged  in  departments 
and  illustrated  as  will  subserve  this 
growing  demand  most  satisfactorily." 

The  request  was  granted  and  on  Oc- 
tober 11,  1898,  the  Pilot,  precursor  of 
the  Inglenook,  was  named  and  author- 
ized by  the  General  Mission  Board. 
Grant  Mahan  was  its  first  editor.  After 
the  Landmark,  published  in  Missouri, 
was  purchased  and  absorbed  by  the 
Pilot  and  Howard  Miller  was  named 
editor,  it  was  his  suggestion  that  the 
paper  change  in  size  and  be  called  the 
Inglenook.  In  the  first  issue  of  'Nook, 
it  was  explained  by  the  editor  that  the 
word  inglenook  refers  to  a  chimney 
corner  or  place  by  a  fireside.  Since  he 


had  a  fireplace  in  his  office  where  most 
of  the  work  would  be  done,  he  felt  it  an 
appropriate  name  for  this  new  venture. 

The  magazine  was  destined  to  have 
five  editors:  Howard  Miller,  E.  M. 
Cobb,  Sister  Blanche  Lentz,  H.  M. 
Barwick,  Blanche  Lentz  again  after  the 
sudden  death  of  Editor  Barwick,  and 
in  its  final  year,  S.  C.  Miller.  It  was 
also  changed  in  size  and  format  in  its 
second  year  of  life,  becoming  smaller 
and  more  easily  handled.  The  publish- 
ing of  Our  Young  People  in  1906 
which  covered  much  of  the  same 
ground  spelled  the  beginning  of  the  end 
for  the  'Nook,  and  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Board  in  April  1913,  the  publication  of 
the  Inglenook  was  discontinued. 

Subjects  covered  in  the  Inglenook 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     3 


THE  INGLENOOK  /  continued 


were  missions,  nature  study,  farming 
hints,  travel,  the  life  of  Christ  and  other 
suitable  religious  themes,  and  among 
other  interesting  departments  one 
called  "The  Home,"  to  which  the  good 
sisters  were  encouraged  to  contribute 
their  favorite  recipes  and  which  grew 
into  the  popular  Inglenook  Cook  Book, 
first  issued  in  1901,  revised  and  en- 
larged in  191 1,  and  reissued  in  1970. 

One  editorial  and  promotional  piece 
stated  that  "there  are  flashier  maga- 
zines on  the  market,  those  that  have 
more  pictures,  publications  that  look 
big,  because  they  have  half  or  more  in 
the  form  of  advertising  pages,  and  they 
come  monthly,  and  cost  from  ten  cents 
apiece  upward.  But  do  they  have  more 
real  meat  in  them  than  the  Inglenook? 
And  it  comes  weekly,  that's  a  feature 
not  to  be  forgotten,  weekly,  remember 
that.  And  the  get-up  of  the  publication 
is  equal  to  the  best  of  them.  It  is  a  pub- 
lication that  you  need  not  be  ashamed 
of.  It  is  not  a  thing  to  cover  up  and  be 
concerned  about  when  other  magazines 
are  abroad  and  under  consideration." 

The  editor  encouraged  readers'  con- 
tributions in  the  early  days  of  the  mag- 
azine by  writing,  "And  we  want  your 
help.  Name  counts  for  absolutely 
nothing  with  us.  Strength  and  interest 
are  what  count.  The  barefoot  country 
boy  who  has  noted  a  new  fact  in  the 
world  of  fur,  fin,  or  feather,  is  as  wel- 
come as  the  university  president  with 
his  dictated  article.  And  we  are  not  too 
old  or  too  far  on  to  reject  advice  when 
it  is  clearly  worth  heeding." 

The  'Nook  took  itself  seriously  when 
it  came  to  being  helpful  to  its  readers 
by  providing  such  services  as  a  "Help 
Wanted"  column,  an  adoption  agency 
(finding  a  home  for  a  small  girl  in  at 
least  one  instance),  and  providing 
counsel  a  la  "Dear  Abby." 

"Is  it  right  for  a  party  of  young 
brethren  and  sisters  to  meet  for  special 


purposes  on  a  Sunday  and  be  photo- 
graphed?" 

"This  question  was  up  before,  and 
was  referred  to  the  editors-at-large.  A 
goodly  number  of  answers  have  been 
received,  and  all  condemn  the  fact. 
Their  reasons  are  that  better  employ- 
ment could  have  been  found.  It  is  a 
very  difficult  question,  when  viewed  at 
large.  Doubtless  our  young  people  in- 
tended no  harm,  and  that  they  asked  at 
all  about  it  showed  that  they  are  seek- 
ers after  the  right  way.  However,  the 
consensus  of  opinion  is  that  it  was  not 
right.  The  Editor,  having  a  soft  spot  in 
his  heart,  and  probably  in  his  head, 
when  the  sinless  sins  of  youth  are  con- 
cerned, dislikes  to  sit  in  judgment  on 
the  errors  of  others." 


/am  a  girl  of  seventeen  and  a 
strange  gentleman  I  have  met  but  once 
has  written  me  an  unusually  warm  let- 
ter. What  should  I  do  about  answering 
it?" 

"Better  not  answer  at  all.  Imagine  a 
crowd  of  men,  smoking,  telling  stories, 
etc.,  passing  your  letter  from  hand  to 
hand." 

And  in  a  slightly  different  vein, 
"What's  the  reason  you  didn't  print  my 
piece?  It's  as  good  as  any  you  get  in." 

"Confidentially,  it's  so  much  more 
original  and  better  in  every  way  that  we 
did  not  want  to  eternally  discourage 
every-day  folks  and  keep  them  from 
writing,  after  reading  yours.  More- 
over, we  are  personally  jealous." 

Turn-of-the-century  advertising 
which,  then,  was  considered  appropri- 
ate to  a  dignified,  high-minded  reli- 
gious publication  strikes  us  now  as  al- 
most flamboyant  and  certainly,  as  far 
as  patent  medicines  and  land  schemes 
are  concerned,  perhaps  even  fraudu- 
lent. Take  the  ad,  for  example,  for 
Victor  Liver  Syrup,  "the  great  Family 


Medicine!"  which  laid  claim  to  "mak- 
ing some  wonderful  cures."  'Nook 
readers  were  offered,  too,  a  FREE 
SAMPLE.  "Send  letter  or  postal  for 
free  sample  HINDOO  TOBACCO 
HABIT  CURE.  We  cure  you  of  chew- 
ing and  smoking  for  50c,  or  money 
back."  Advertisers  were  carefully  re- 
minded that  "INGLENOOK  READ- 
ERS are  nearly  all  well-to-do 
Farmers." 

It's  hard  to  believe  that  only  sixty- 
nine  years  ago,  the  western  portion  of 
the  United  States  was  still  open  for  set- 
tlers. Perhaps  the  most  colorful  and 
interesting  ads  were  those  of  land  spec- 
ulators who  wrote  in  glowing  terms  of 
"100,000  ACRES  OF  GOVERN- 
MENT LAND!   $1.25  per  Acre.  In 
the  Delta  of  the  Colorado,  in  San 
Diego  County,  California.  Semi-tropi- 
cal climate.  The  land  is  adapted  to  the 
growth  of  Alfalfa,  Stock,  Citrus  and 
Deciduous  Fruits." 

Brethren  were  urged  to  settle  in  "the 
Brethren  Colony,  Quinter,  Kansas" 
and  to  that  purpose  a  full-page  adver- 
tisement was  placed  on  the  inside  cover 
of  Inglenook,  complete  with  appropri- 
ate testimonials  by  Dunker  residents. 

"This  colony  is  located  in  Gove 
County,  Kansas,  on  the  main  line  of 
UNION  PACIFIC  RAILROAD,  343 
miles  west  of  Kansas  City.  The  town 
itself  is  composed  principally  of  mem- 
bers of  the  Dunker  church.  It  contains 
a  post  office,  smithy,  general  stores,  a 
two-story  brick  schoolhouse,  and  a  neat 
and  commodious  Dunker  church,  seat- 
ing about  500  people,  free  from  debt, 
and  including  a  membership  of  about 
1 00.  The  surrounding  country  is  large- 
ly settled  up  by  members  of  the  same 
church." 

And  in  the  testimonial  "as  direct 
personal  evidence  of  the  prosperity  of 
the  Brethren  in  that  locality,"  Elder 
John  Eikenberry,  a  resident  of  the  town 


4     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


of  Quinter,  wrote:  "I  came  here  from 
Dodge  County,  Nebraska,  thirteen 
years  ago  and  took  a  claim  four  miles 
from  Quinter,  remaining  five  years 
thereon.  Then  I  went  to  Nuckolls 
County,  Nebraska,  remaining  for  seven 
years,  and  then  returned  to  this  section, 
and  I  prefer  this  country  to  the  other 
places  in  which  I  have  lived.  I  own  320 
acres,  besides  my  lots  in  Quinter.  I 
value  my  land  here  at  $2,400.  I  like 
this  country  on  account  of  its  mild  win- 
ters and  the  ease  with  which  the  soil 
can  be  cultivated.  People  are  not  re- 
quired to  work  as  hard  here  as  in  other 
sections  to  get  a  start  in  life.  No  man 
who  comes  to  this  country,  and  attends 
to  business  properly,  wUl  fail  to  get  on 
on  in  the  world.  I  know  people  who 
went  away  from  this  section  who  would 
be  glad  to  get  back  if  they  could.  I  was 
one  of  the  first  Brethren  comuig  here 
and  I  assisted  in  the  organization  of  the 
church,  and  I  regard  this  section  as 
equally  as  good  as  those  of  other  West- 
ern States  in  the  same  longitude." 

In  promoting  the  Quinter  Colony  to 
Brethren,  the  Union  Pacific  Railroad 
advertised  an  excursion  from  Lincoln, 
Nebraska,  the  site  of  the  1901  Annual 
Meeting,  to  the  colony.  The  trip,  the 
ad  claimed,  would  be  made  "through 
and  into  the  most  beautiful  portion  of 
the  State,"  and  was  to  help  Brethren  to 
determine  whether  they  could  "afford 
to  throw  away  the  chance  for  health, 
wealth  and  happiness  which  is  offered 
others  at  Quinter." 

The  Union  Pacific  Land  Company 
offered  for  sale  40,000  acres  within  a 
radius  of  20  mUes  from  Quinter.  The 
land,  in  tracts  of  1 60  acres  or  more, 
cost  $3.50  to  $7.50  per  acre. 

Fresh  from  reading  and  hearing  re- 
ports of  the  1970  Annual  Conference 
in  Lincoln,  I  was  particularly  interested 
in  editorial  comments  in  the  Inglenook 
about  the  1901  meeting,  the  first  An- 


nual Meeting  to  be  held  in  that  city. 

The  most  vital  Conference  decision 
of  that  year  was  to  invest  $50,000  to 
establish  a  Brethren  hospital  in  the  city 
of  Chicago.  Other  issues  were  whether 
"the  salutation  at  the  love  feast  be  de- 
ferred until  after  the  cup  has  passed," 
"no  person  shall  serve  as  a  member  of 
the  Standing  Committee  more  than 
once  in  four  years,"  a  Messenger  Ad- 
visory Committee  to  be  named,  wheth- 
er the  "term  fornication  apply  to  mar- 
ried and  single  alike,"  and  requested 
"greater  vigilance  on  admitting  to 
Messenger  articles  calculated  to  call 
out  a  disregard  for  the  decisions  of  An- 
nual Meeting." 

Howard  Miller,  editor  of  Inglenook 
at  that  time,  observed  of  the  Lincoln 
Conference:  "The  grounds  of  the  Con- 
ference is  a  good  place  to  study  human 
nature.  Every  phase  of  emotion  may 
be  seen.  The  wonder  eyes  of  youth,  the 
busy  man,  the  tear-filled  eyes  and  eyes 
that  shine  as  they  look  into  each  other 
are  all  here.  They  come  and  go,  pass 
and  repass,  and  the  ever-changing 
kaleidoscope  of  faces  is  an  interesting 
study. 

"The  outcome  of  the  Annual  Meet- 
ing in  a  legislative  way  is  out  of  all 
proportion  to  its  cost,  but  the  social  re- 
sults are  far  and  away  ahead  of  the 
cost. 

"One  only  needs  to  listen  a  moment 
anywhere  to  catch  the  drift  of  nearly  all 
the  topics  of  conversation  —  how  are 
you  —  glad  to  see  you  —  don't  you 
know  me?  and  all  the  gamut  of  greeting 
and  farewell,  meeting  and  parting,  is 
heard  of  on  all  sides.  Men  eminent  in 
the  work  of  the  church  are  seen  for  the 
first  time,  and  the  memories  carried 
home  will  last  till  eyes  dim  in  death. 
And  this  is  one  of  the  secrets  of  the 
hold  the  Conference  has  on  our  people. 
Those  who  have  been  here,  and  at  oth- 
er meetings,  would  not  willingly  forego 


the  yearly  week  of  reunion.  One 
reason  why  the  Dunkard  faith  and 
practice  are  never  learned  by  the  out- 
sider and  the  alien  is  that  it  cannot  be 
told  on  paper.  It  is  of  the  heart  and 
takes  a  responsive  heart  to  know  it.  It 
will  be  a  bad  day  for  the  church  when 
this  feeling  of  kindliness  and  affection 
chills  in  the  hearts  of  the  members  and 
becomes  the  formalism  of  popular 
Christianity." 

As  I  continued  to  read  through  the 
other  volumes  and  pages  of  the  Ingle- 
nook, observing  the  changes  and  view- 
points that  years  and  editors  make  up- 
on a  magazine,  I  came  to  a  fuller  ap- 
preciation of  the  work  which  went  into 
the  gathering  together  and  editing  of 
the  materials,  the  gentleness  and  good 
humor  with  which  each  editor  ap- 
proached his  task.  And,  appropriately, 
I  find  that  a  final  editorial  comment 
from  the  'Nook  on  the  1901  Lincoln 
Conference  may  apply  to  the  feeling  I 
received  from  my  exploration  into  a 
time,  not  necessarily  better  than  now, 
but  certainly  different. 

rrhat  struck  the  'Nookman  in 
looking  over  the  seated  multitude  was 
the  thought  that  here  are  thousands  of 
people  with  that  unspeakable  and  un- 
writable spirit  and  genius  of  the  Breth- 
ren dominating  their  lives.  All  are 
more  or  less  earnest,  God  bless  them! 
And  then  there  is  the  thought  that 
comes  with  gray  hair  —  where  wUl  we 
all  be  in  a  hundred  years  to  come?  And 
who,  then,  wUl  take  our  places?  Some- 
time the  'Nookman  will  write  his  last 
line,  speak  his  last  piece,  and  pass  and 
be  forgotten  because  unseen  and  un- 
known by  those  who  follow,  but  he 
feels  in  an  indescribable  way  that  as 
tomorrow  will  bring  its  sunrise  so  after 
this  there  will  come  to  him  life  eternal 
and  rest,  and,  yes,  and  reunion."  D 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     5 


The  Church 
Confronts  Secularism 


by  MYRON  S.  AUGSBURGER 

We  cannot  talk  about  Chris- 
tianity's confronting  secu- 
larism without  some  under- 
standing of  what  the  church 
is  and  without  understand- 
ing what  it  means  to  confront 
a  secular  world 


JLhere  are  two  basic  marks  of  the 
church,  one  internal,  one  external.  In- 
ternally the  church  is  marked  by  con- 
version and  a  disciplined  brotherhood. 
Externally  the  church  is  seen  in  light  of 
its  missionary  character  and  its  call  to 
live  in  the  world  and  yet  be  free  in  the 
world. 

We  are  called  to  be  the  best  possible 
representative  for  Jesus  Christ.  For  the 
church  to  be  effective  in  the  twentieth 
century  and  in  a  revolutionary  age,  it 
must  be  abreast  of  the  transitions  of 
thought  in  our  time;  it  must  grapple 
with  frontal  issues;  it  must  be  where 
the  action  is.  It  must  be  fighting  to- 
day's battles,  not  yesterday's.  We  can't 
take  an  eighteenth-century  mentality 
and  apply  it  to  twentieth-century  issues 
and  expect  to  be  relevant.  We  can't 
take  nineteenth-century  cliches  and  ap- 
ply them  to  the  twentieth  century  and 
expect  that  they  will  automatically 
work.  We  can't  simply  speak  into  the 
world  without  hearing  that  world.  And 
if  we  are  going  to  minister  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  effectively,  we're  going  to 
have  to  seek  always  to  understand  our 
times,  our  culture,  our  people,  our 
problems.  Remembering  that  God  so 
loved  the  world,  that  Christ  died  for 
the  world,  and  that  the  field  of  missions 
is  the  world,  we  need  to  stand  once 
again  with  John  Wesley,  who  said, 
"The  world  is  my  parish."  We  need  to 
stop  thinking  as  Brethren  and  Menno- 

6     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


nites,  as  though  our  job  is  just  in  our 
own  group.  Something  needs  to  hap- 
pen to  turn  us  out. 

But  the  question  that  immediately 
follows  is,  are  we  able  to  produce  a 
generation  of  young  people  strong 
enough  to  stand  amid  the  freedoms  of 
our  day  and  declare  themselves  un- 
ashamedly for  Jesus  Christ?  That's 
daring.  It's  something  that  means  every 
young  man  and  young  woman  has  got 
to  know  what  it  means  to  be  radically 
committed  to  Jesus  Christ. 

There  is  an  interrelation  between  the 
secularization  of  our  world  and  the 
humanizing  benefits  of  the  Christian 
faith.  Man  has  always  been  less  than 
what  God  intended,  less  than  his  best. 
Jesus  Christ  came  and  showed  us  how 
you  could  live  a  fully  human  life  with- 
out perversions  and  sin.  So  Christi- 


anity, wherever  it  has  gone,  has  done 
something  to  create  a  better  humanity. 
In  fact  the  Bible  says  that  the  old 
passed  away  and  the  new  has  come  — ■ 
a  new  kind  of  humanity.  In  the  first 
century  it  was  the  early  church  that 
built  hospitals  and  took  care  of  old 
people  and  orphans.  It  was  the  early 
church  that  cared  about  the  social 
problems.  It  was  the  early  church  that 
did  something  to  liberate  and  elevate 
womanhood.  It  released  woman  from 
being  man's  chattel,  man's  plaything, 
back  when  both  the  Greeks  and  the 
Jews  were  neither  one  certain  that  she 
had  a  soul  and  that  it  made  any  sense 
to  educate  a  woman.  Christianity 
came  along  and  said  that  in  Jesus 
Christ  there  is  neither  male  or  female; 
they  are  equal.  Jesus  Christ  gave  wom- 
an a  dignity  and  a  character,  released 


her  to  be  a  real  person. 

Wherever  Christianity  has  gone  in 
the  world  it  has  done  something,  when 
taken  seriously,  to  transform  human 
life.  Where  men  have  really  heard  the 
Word  of  God  they  have  beaten  their 
swords  into  plowshares  and  their 
spears  into  pruning  hooks.  Seculariza- 
tion is  the  process  of  organizing  life 
around  the  achievements  of  man  from 
which  we  all  benefit.  But  secularism  is 
a  new  religion.  Secularism,  in  the 
words  of  Georgia  Harkness,  is  "orient- 
ing life  around  man  as  though  God 
didn't  exist."  Today  we  are  facing  the 
fact  that  all  about  us  are  people  who 
no  longer  believe  that  there  is  a  God 
whom  you  can  talk  to.  Secularism  is  a 
new  religion  in  American  society  in 
which  prayer  is  talking  to  yourself.  It 
it  sometimes  difficult  to  discern  wheth- 
er a  man  is  coming  through  with  a  gen- 
uine New  Testament  faith  response  to  a 
God  who  acts  in  Jesus  Christ,  or 
whether  all  he  has  are  nice  religious 
ideas  and  a  Christ-kind  of  philosophy 
and  the  Jesus-style  of  life  —  but  noth- 
ing that  is  really  transforming. 

How  shall  the  church  confront  secu- 
larism? Nothing  calls  us  more  realis- 
tically to  assess  our  faith  than  this  kind 
of  confrontation.  For  the  first  time  de- 
nominations in  America  are  grappling 
with  the  test  of  what  is  the  core  of  their 
faith. 

A  revolution  is  on,  and  it  has  done 
something  for  the  church.  It  has  forced 
us  to  look  beyond  ourselves.  It  has 
forced  us  to  shape  up  on  loving  our 
neighbor.  Instead  of  talking  about  mis- 
sions to  Africa,  we  have  discovered 
that  we  must  meet  the  person  next  door 
and  prove  that  we  can  be  neighbor  to 
him.  The  revolution  has  forced  us  to 
relate  social  responsibilities  to  mission. 
No  longer  can  we  get  by  with  the  old 
kind  of  pattern  of  going  out  in  mission 
without  relating  to  the  place  where  the 


hurt  is  in  society.  The  revolution  has 
forced  us  to  look  again  at  the  strength 
of  brotherhood  as  a  means  of  minister- 
ing to  our  society. 

In  the  twentieth  century  man  does 
not  have  what  it  takes  to  cope  with  his 
problems.  The  church  confronting  sec- 
ularism then  has  something  to  say.  We 
begin  by  realizing  that  we  stand  with  a 
kind  of  faith  from  which  we  must  learn 
to  witness.  Many  persons  in  our 
churches  don't  know  how  to  witness; 
they  are  better  at  being  prosecutors. 
We  know  how  to  prosecute  our  fellows, 
but  when  it  comes  to  sharing  something 
about  the  meaning  of  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ,  we  are  intimidated  and,  like 
cowards,  we  begin  to  run.  In  this  kind 
of  world  the  Christian  church  must  af- 
firm its  faith  and  its  hope.  There  is  no 
reason  in  the  world  for  us  to  become 
cowards. 


m. 


hat  do  we  do  in  the  process  of  in- 
teraction with  secularism?  One  thing 
is  to  prevent  the  secular  from  claiming 
wholeness  for  itself.  The  secular  man 
wants  to  assume  that  he  has  the  whole 
bag.  As  the  president  of  a  Christian 
college,  I  attend  educational  meetings 
where  I  talk  to  educators  who  ask  me 
where  I'm  serving.  I  tell  them,  and  I 
add  on  another  little  phrase.  I  say  I'm 
glad  I  can  serve  in  a  Christian  college 
because  it's  so  broad  in  its  approach. 
People  often  think  of  Christian  educa- 
tion as  some  narrow  kind  of  thing  and 
secular  education  as  broad.  Then  I  say 
as  far  as  I  can  understand  it,  I,  like  any 
secular  man,  can  permeate  the  realm  of 
the  secular  fully  and  completely  in  try- 
ing to  understand  it.  But  in  addition 
to  that  I  can  move  into  the  whole  di- 
mension of  the  spiritual,  and  the  secu- 
lar man  can't  do  that.  The  Christian 
church  has  the  responsibility  in  a  secu- 
lar world  of  keeping  the  secularists 


from  claiming  wholeness. 

The  second  thing  we  have  to  do  is 
to  expose  the  perversions  in  the  secular 
realm.    There  are  perversions  there. 
They  aren't  just  in  the  system,  either. 
There  are  perversions  in  the  philosophy 
and  patterns  of  life.  There  are  perver- 
sions about  the  kind  of  life  that  says 
persons  don't  count,  really  and  ulti- 
mately —  that  if  you  have  to  sacrifice 
a  few  heads  for  the  sake  of  the  cause, 
go  ahead  and  sacrifice  them.  Christian- 
ity must  affirm  in  a  secular  world  that 
every  person  is  of  infinite  worth. 

Third,  the  church  must  not  only  ex- 
pose the  perversions  of  a  secular  world 
but  enrich  it  by  what  it  brings  to  that 
culture.  The  Christian  church  doesn't 
live  in  isolation  from  cultural  society. 
It  operates  in  relation  to  it.  We've  got 
to  find  ways  to  bring  Christian  meaning 
through  in  the  arts,  in  the  humanities, 
and  in  the  sciences.  Many  scientists 
are  turning  to  a  Christian  faith  today. 
Sometimes  they  have  more  to  say  about 
genuine  faith  than  some  philosophers 
of  religion. 

Having  said  that  we  are  to  expose  its 
perversions  and  to  enrich  it,  I  think  the 
Christian  church  must  call  the  secular 
society  to  be  just  that;  secular. 

Franklin  Littell,  university  president 
and  champion  of  the  Free  Church 
Movement,  has  said,  "The  secular  state 
is  a  good  state;  a  secular  church  is  a 
rotten  church."  I  buy  that.  I  think  a 
secular  state  is  a  good  state  in  that  it 
remains  neutral  about  the  questions 
which  churches  do  answer.  It  does  not 
become  a  religious  organization.  It 
provides  for  freedom  for  the  church  to 
be  the  church.  In  one  sense,  then,  the 
Christian  church  in  a  secular  society  is 
to  call  society  to  be  secular,  rapping 
society's  fingers  when  it  approaches  an 
area  where  it  doesn't  belong  and  letting 
that  line  of  tension  and  difference  be 
one  of  dialogue  and  witness.  But  in 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     7 


SECULARISM  /  continued 


American  society,  we've  got  the  two 
areas  so  intertwined  that  God  and 
America  seem  indistinguishable.  Amer- 
icanism and  Christianity  are  practically 
synonymous.  One  thing  the  Christian 
church  must  do  Ln  this  kind  of  society  is 
to  help  people  understand  that  those 
two  are  not  synonymous  at  all,  and  that 
God  has  something  to  say  in  judgment 
upon  a  culture  and  a  society  so  that  the 
essence  of  the  Christian  faith  may  come 
through. 


Mar 


[any  persons  in  our  society  have 
the  idea  that  if  you  are  conservative 
about  your  theology,  you  have  to  be 
conservative  about  your  political  and 
social  concerns  as  well.  If  I  understand 
the  New  Testament,  it  ought  to  be  just 
the  other  way.  If  you  have  a  conserva- 
tive theology  —  in  which  you  take  the 
kingdom  of  Christ  seriously,  the  lord- 
ship of  Christ  seriously,  the  caUing  of 
the  church  seriously  —  you  can  be 
quite  liberal  and  flexible  about  your 
social  and  political  concerns  because 
your  kingdom  is  not  here.  You  are  a 
stranger  and  a  pilgrim;  you  are  a  uni- 
versal citizen. 

But  how  many  people  in  American 
society  understand  this?  Then  there 
are  young  people  going  away  to  college 
who  become  liberal  about  their  social 
and  political  concerns.  In  turn  they 
become  liberal  about  their  theology, 
though  they  may  never  have  examined 
it.  They  come  out  saying  it's  naive  to 
believe  that  the  Bible  is  the  inspired 
word  of  God,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  God; 
to  believe  in  the  resurrection  and  in 
conversion  is  impossible.  What  a 
shame  to  jump  from  one  camp  to  an- 
other and  never  take  a  real  stand  for 
Jesus  Christ,  who  liberates  you  to  be 
a  free  man  in  society  where  you  could 
call  the  secular  to  be  secular  and  the 
church  to  be  the  church! 


We're  going  to  sell  ourselves  down 
the  river  unless  we  understand  that 
when  you  take  the  lordship  of  Christ 
and  the  kingdom  of  heaven  seriously, 
then  you  stand  with  a  different  kind  of 
loose  relationship  to  earthly  institutions 
and  powers  and  organizations.  You 
"sit  loose  in  the  saddle,"  to  use  a  con- 
temporary expression.  You  roll  with 
the  punches;  you  know  how  to  look  at 
the  issues  because  you  don't  have  your 
security  tied  up  in  earthly  things.  And 
while  I  believe  in  being  a  good  citizen 
inside  the  judgments  of  Jesus  Christ 
where  I  participate  and  where  I  don't, 
I  serve  a  leader  who  makes  any  earthly 
leader  look  like  a  piker  — -  because 
Jesus  Christ  is  king  of  kings  and  lord  of 
lords  and  he  is  bringing  in  a  kingdom 
that  belts  the  globe! 

My  responsibility  is  to  help  Christian 
people  in  America  discover  that  our 
job  is  to  reach  that  man  in  yonder 
country  to  be  our  brother  in  Christ,  not 
to  take  his  life  to  safeguard  something 
that  keeps  us  from  being  good  neigh- 
bors to  the  world.  I  would  to  God  that 
America  could  be  known  as  a  good  na- 
tion, not  just  as  a  strong  nation. 

And  now  I  move  to  what  it  means 
for  you  and  me  to  take  this  seriously 
in  our  own  experience.  And  I  have 
these  three  observations  to  make  for  us 
as  a  part  of  the  church.  First  of  all, 
every  person  who  is  involved  in  an  un- 
derstanding of  Christian  faith  must  find 
a  way  to  an  authentic  commitment  of 
himself  to  Jesus  Christ.  Let  us  under- 
score the  word  authentic.  My  experi- 
ence can't  be  a  copy  of  yours,  nor 
yours  a  copy  of  mine.  But  I  can  tell 
you  whether  or  not  I  have  a  genuine, 
personal,  authentic  identification  with 
Jesus  Christ.  Don't  ask  me  to  analyze 
whether  my  experience  has  been  like 
that  of  Pascal,  of  Charles  Finney,  of 
D.  L.  Moody.  I  relate  to  my  wife  in  a 
way  that  is  authentic  for  me.  Some 


other  persons  may  show  a  more  dra- 
matic kind  of  affection  than  I  do,  but 
I  wouldn't  say  that  they  love  their 
wives  any  more  deeply  than  I  love 
mine.  I  relate  to  my  children  in  a  way 
that  is  authentic  for  me.  I  want  to  find 
a  way  to  do  it  better.  In  like  manner  I 
relate  to  Jesus  Christ  and  to  the  Holy 
Spirit  in  a  way  which  is  authentic  for 
me.  I  appeal  for  integrity  in  this  matter 
of  relation  with  Jesus  Christ,  lest  we 
force  Jesus  into  a  mold  where  we  can 
accept  him  without  his  really  causing 
us  any  discomfort.  Too  many  people 
want  to  redefine  Jesus  —  domesticate 
him  and  make  him  controllable  —  in- 
stead of  coming  to  One  who  is  really 
the  Lord  in  their  lives.  What  good 
does  it  do  to  talk  about  Christ's  being 
Lord  if  I  am  not  willing  to  be  his  sub- 
ject, his  servant?  Our  first  responsibil- 
ity is  to  commit  ourselves  to  Jesus 
Christ. 

Secondly,  we  must  be  unafraid  to 
grow  beyond  where  we  are  now.  I 
don't  know  what  changes  face  us  in  the 
next  decade.  I  am  concerned  that  we 
take  another  honest  look  at  the  rela- 
tionship between  symbol  and  meaning 
before  we  throw  away  symbols  and 
lose  the  meaning  too.  Let  us  redefine 
and  reinterpret  what  that  meaning  is 
and  let  the  symbol  come  along  in  some 
way.  We've  got  to  be  willing  to  grow 
beyond  where  we  are  now  without 
looking  back  to  the  good  old  days  and 
acting  as  though  we've  lost  the  basic 
meaning  of  faith.  Let's  get  where  the 
wind  of  God  is  blowing.  God's  solution 
is  not  to  shrink  the  problems  down  to 
our  capacity;  God's  solution  is  to  ex- 
pand our  capacities  to  meet  the  chal- 
lenges of  our  time. 

Finally,  we  must  be  willing  to  ex- 
plore the  implications  of  our  faith  for 
the  total  life.  More  and  more  we  will 
be  involved  in  the  secular  society,  and 
it's  a  different  thing  to  explore  the  im- 


8     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


plications  of  one's  faith  in  the  orders  of 
secular  society  than  it  was  when  I  grew 
up  on  a  forty-acre  farm  out  in  Allen 
County,  Ohio,  in  a  little  rural  commu- 
nity. Now  I  live  most  of  my  time  in 
cities  and  on  the  road,  meeting  all 
kinds  of  pressures,  problems,  and 
temptations,  all  together  different  from 
the  problems  of  the  farm.  But  we  have 
got  to  be  willing  to  explore  the  implica- 
tions of  our  faith  for  all  of  life  and  to 
refuse  the  compartmentalizing  in  which 
we  say,  "I  will  put  my  faith  in  Christ  in 
this  pigeonhole,  and  I'll  put  the  rest  of 
my  life  here  and  never  the  twain  shall 
meet." 

In  a  meeting  I  met  an  unhappy  attor- 
ney. He  was  a  member  of  the  church 
but  wasn't  really  a  meaningfully  com- 
mitted Christian.  At  a  counseling  ses- 
sion he  admitted  that  he  was  never 
willing  to  subject  his  faith  to  his  law- 
yer's mind.  And  when  he  was  willing 
to  do  that  he  got  turned  on  to  a  new 
faith. 


^here  is  nothing  about  Jesus  Christ 
that  is  mediocre  if  you  really  under- 
stand him.  I  don't  serve  Jesus  Christ 
because  he  is  the  only  fellow  I  know 
about.  I  serve  Jesus  Christ  because 
he's  the  greatest  person  I  know  about 
in  all  history. 

What  God  wants  to  do  in  the  world 
he  begins  by  doing  in  a  person's  life. 
There  is  a  direct  relationship  between 
what  God  is  trying  to  do  in  your  life 
and  what  he  wants  to  do  in  the  world. 
A  lot  of  us  talk  about  reconciliation, 
but  we  don't  take  seriously  what  it 
means  to  be  reconciled  to  God  in 
Christ  and  then  reconciled  to  our 
brother.  The  church  will  be  the  church 
in  the  New  Testament  sense  only  when 
we  become  a  microcosm  of  what  God's 
purpose  really  is  for  humanity  at  large. 
The  world  is  our  parish.   D 


WASTELANDS  REVISITED 

Ours  are  the  wastelands  of  history, 
The  graves  of  hopes  first  and  last. 
Kingdoms  and  empires  are  here, 
The  pyramids,  the  lost  civilizations, 
Including  the  bones  of  our  own. 
I  had  thought  to  see  some  design 
In  the  pattern  of  life,  a  goal  for  man. 
Yet  the  ages  have  brought  me  here 
To  wonder  in  the  ruins  of  worlds, 
The  splendors  now  spent  and  lost. 
Surely  these  are  the  wastelands, 
The  deserts  interminable  and  forever. 
Dead  suns  and  forgotten  destinies. 
Then  one  said  to  me,  as  of  old: 
"Son  of  man,  can  these  bones  live?" 
And  I  said:  "Never,  no  never,  my  Lord! 
For  these  bones  are  utterly  dry, 
And  these  are  the  final  wasted  flats 
Shelving  down  to  the  bitter  depths 
Where  the  dead  of  the  deadest  lie." 
Then  the  Bright  One  made  answer: 
"This  is  the  place  where  life  began, 
And  in  due  time  will  begin  again. 
The  waste  place  lies  fallow 
For  an  age,  as  though  nothing  mattered. 
Every  wasteland  is  a  place  of  waiting 
For  the  fullness  of  another  time 
When  the  swollen  and  fecund  universe 
Will  burst  as  a  bud  to  flower, 
As  a  nest  overcrowded  with  young, 
As  a  womb  disgorging  new  destiny! 
Speak  no  more  of  the  wastelands, 
Or  of  hopes  blasted  and  final. 
The  desert  shall  bloom  as  the  rose, 
Fallow  ground  yield  an  hundredfold. 
New  kingdoms  and  empires  shall  arise, 
The  towers  of  nobler  civilizations, 
And  all-  more  glorious  than  before!" 

by  Harry  A.  Brandt 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     9 


BftLL    BE 


Champions  of  Children 


by  JOSEPHINE  C.  WALKER 


No  other  organization  is 
more  keenly  aware  of  the 
needs  of  this  country's  de- 
prived, neglected  children 
than  the  Child  Welfare 
League,  which  celebrates  its 
fiftieth  anniversary  this  year 

In  a  large  eastern  city  there  is  a  little 
girl  waiting  for  a  home.  Her  name  is 
Jean,  she's  eight  years  old,  sensitive, 
highly  intelligent.  A  short  time  ago  she 
had  a  devastating  experience.  She  was 
a  witness  to  her  widowed  mother's  sui- 
cide. Jean  needs  to  be  adopted  by  a 
family  living  some  distance  from  her 
present  surroundings,  who  will  love  her 
and  give  her  a  home. 

In  a  midwestern  city  there's  nine- 
year-old  Allen.  His  mother  is  critically 
ill  in  a  hospital;  his  father  must  work 
every  day;  there  are  no  relatives  or 
friends  nearby  to  care  for  him.  Allen 
and  his  father  could  remain  together  if 
a  homemaker  could  assist  them. 

A  young  couple  in  New  England, 
parents  of  one  child,  have  a  strong  feel- 
ing about  the  plight  of  minority  chil- 
dren. They  feel  they  can  make  a  real 
contribution  as  parents  and  wish  to 
adopt  a  child  of  mixed  racial  back- 
ground. 

Three  different  situations  —  one 
common  denominator  — ■  children  who 
need  help.  In  every  state  of  the  union, 
there  are  children  waiting  for  help.  Of 


the  estimated  ten  million  children  who 
are  in  need  of  welfare  services,  only  a 
small  fraction  are  being  served. 

There  is  no  organization  more  keen- 
ly aware  of  this  situation  and  none 
more  dedicated  to  the  work  of  assisting 
local  agencies  to  improve  it  than  the 
Child  Welfare  League  of  America. 

Celebrating  its  fiftieth  anniversary 
this  year  the  Child  Welfare  League  is  a 
federation  of  almost  400  child  welfare 
agencies  in  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada. These  affiliates  serve  children  of 
all  races  and  faiths. 

For  half  a  century  the  Child  Welfare 
League  has  been  the  only  privately 
supported  organization  devoting  its 
efforts  completely  to  the  improvement 
of  the  care  and  service  for  the  country's 
deprived,  neglected,  dependent  chil- 
dren. The  league  serves  the  child  wel- 
fare field  in  many  ways :  It  develops 
standards  for  service,  conducts  re- 
search, provides  consultation,  surveys 
individual  communities,  works  with  na- 
tional and  international  organizations 
to  improve  policies  for  the  welfare  of 
children.  The  league  devotes  its  serv- 
ices to  aU  who  are  concerned  with 
meeting  children's  needs. 

The  words  orphan  asylum  are  sel- 
dom heard  today.  There  are  fewer  and 
fewer  of  them  in  operation  due  to  mod- 
ern medicine  which  has  cut  the  mortal- 
ity rate  so  that  only  a  small  percentage 
of  children  under  eighten  have  lost 
both  parents  by  death.  But  there  are 
stUl  thousands  of  "orphans  of  the  liv- 


ing" —  children  who  have  one  or  both 
parents  living  but  who  do  not  live  with 
them.  Nearly  half  the  children  in  foster 
homes  are  there  because  of  parental 
neglect  or  abuse;  others  because  of 
broken  homes,  sickness,  economic 
problems.  For  one  reason  or  another, 
the  parents  are  unable  or  unwilling  to 
care  for  their  children.  The  number  is 
increasing:  Today  more  than  300,000 
such  children  are  wards  of  public  and 
private  welfare  agencies.  Some  are 
living  with  foster  parents  awaiting  re- 
turn to  their  own  homes,  but,  according 
to  the  league,  more  than  100,000  have 
little  if  any  hope  of  rejoining  their  par- 
ents. They  are  permanent  foster  chil- 
dren. 

Twelve-year-old  Jimmy  is  an  exam- 
ple. He  has  been  under  foster  care 
since  he  was  two  years  old,  due  to  fam- 
ily discord.  His  father  drank  heavily 
and  was  abusive  to  the  family,  his 
mother  was  psychotic.  During  his 
short  life,  Jimmy  has  been  in  four  fos- 
ter homes;  he  is  a  nervous,  insecure 
boy.  The  shifting  from  one  home  to 
another  has  been  confusing  and  im- 
settling. 

Margaret  is  nine;  she  was  deserted 
by  her  parents.  Her  mother  married  at 
fifteen,  separated  from  her  husband  at 
nineteen,  with  no  divorce.  Her  subse- 
quent relations  with  other  men  were 
of  short  duration.  In  addition  to  Mar- 
garet, she  had  four  other  children,  all 
of  whom  are  now  in  foster  homes. 
Their  mother  has  lost  interest  in  them. 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     11 


CHAMPIONS  OF  CHILDREN  /  continued 


Why  are  there  so  many  children  for 
whom  temporary  care  is  their  only  way 
of  life?  Increase  in  child  population, 
shortages  of  professional  social  work- 
ers, a  dearth  of  foster  homes,  and  uni- 
versal lack  of  money  to  pay  for  essen- 
tial services  contribute  to  the  ever- 
increasing  problem. 

In  New  York  City  there  are  as  many 
as  1,500  children  waiting  in  shelters 
and  hospitals  because  there  are  no  fos- 
ter homes  or  institutional  beds  avail- 
able. Another  city  has  scores  of  chil- 
dren free  for  adoption  but  no  homes 
can  be  found  because  there  are  not 
enough  social  workers.  Foster  parents, 
group  homes,  and  public  and  private 
agencies,  together  with  the  Child  Wel- 
fare League,  are  all  doing  their  very 
best  —  but  too  often  today  "best"  is 
not  enough,  and  the  problem  grows 
with  every  ensuing  year. 

A  few  years  ago  Congress  amended 
the  Social  Security  Act  to  include  the 
following  mandate :  "By  July  1,  1975, 
child  welfare  services  must  be  available 
throughout  every  state  to  all  children 
who  need  them."  One  of  the  directors 
of  the  Child  Welfare  League  com- 
mented, "This  is  a  noble  mandate,  but 
it  will  only  be  a  pious  hope  until  federal 
money  is  available  to  make  it  a  reality." 


Msi  addition  to  the  foster  home  prob- 
lem, the  Child  Welfare  League  con- 
cerns itself  with  another  very  important 
phase  of  children's  needs  —  that  of 
adoption. 

Not  long  ago,  couples  were  often 
turned  away  when  applying  to  adoption 
agencies  because  of  age  restrictions, 
their  income,  or  other  reasons.  That 
was  when  there  were  more  applicants 
than  there  were  children  available.  To- 
day the  situation  is  reversed.  Now  the 
Child  Welfare  League  is  helping  agen- 
cies to  look  for  families  for  the  many 


children  awaiting  adoption.  Many  re- 
quirements have  been  modified,  age 
limit  for  adoptive  parents,  for  example. 
The  Child  Welfare  League's  new  stan- 
dards for  adoption  service  points  out, 
"A  child  might  be  better  off  with  older 
parents  than  with  no  parents  at  all." 
Families  are  being  sought  for  children 
who  are  older,  are  handicapped,  or  are 
of  mixed  racial  background.  There 
have  been  some  exceptional  families 
who  have  offered  permanent  homes. 

The  Wilsons,  a  family  in  the  Mid- 
west, adopted  blind,  nine-year-old 
Mike.  Their  own  son  John  had  been 
blind  from  birth  and  because  of  their 
experience  with  him,  the  Wilsons  felt 
they  would  have  something  special  to 
offer  Mike.  Today  he's  a  happy,  well- 
adjusted  boy  and  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  has  a  home  where  he  is  loved. 

A  New  England  professor  and  his 
wife  wanted  to  adopt  an  infant  of 
Mexican-American  heritage.  In  their 
area  there  were  no  such  children  avail- 
able. They  contacted  the  Adoption 
Resource  Exchange,  sponsored  by 
the  Child  Welfare  League.  The  result? 
Little  Tony,  two  years  old,  unwanted 
by  his  Mexican  mother  after  her  hus- 
band deserted  her,  has  a  family,  a 
home,  and  an  unusually  bright  future. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson,  a  couple  in 
their  late  forties,  wanted  to  adopt  sev- 
eral children.  They  had  hoped  to  do 
so  for  some  time  but  circumstances 
prevented  their  adopting  children  in 
their  earlier  years.  Again  there  was  a 
solution:  Frances  and  Mary,  aged  eight 
and  five,  and  their  young  brother 
Frank,  three  years  old  —  average  chil- 
dren with  normal  problems.  The  agen- 
cy felt  it  important  that  they  remain 
together  as  a  family  unit  and  hoped  to 
find  a  couple  with  space,  finances,  and 
a  desire  for  a  ready-made  family.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Johnson  were  just  such  a 
couple.  Today  all  five  members  of  the 


newly  formed  family  are  happy  they 
found  one  another. 

In  each  of  the  foregoing  cases, 
homes  were  found  for  the  children 
through  ARENA  (Adoption  Resource 
Exchange  of  North  America),  a  pro- 
gram established  by  the  Child  Welfare 
League  in  1967.  Its  function  makes 
the  formerly  isolated  adoption  agencies 
of  North  America  part  of  a  huge  net- 
work of  adoption  resources.  Through 
the  exchange,  agencies  with  children 
for  whom  they  can  find  no  adoptive 
families  are  put  in  touch  with  agencies 
in  other  parts  of  the  continent.  One 
special  objective  is  to  find  more  homes 
for  children  of  minority  groups  or  of 
mixed  racial  background  and  for  chil- 
dren with  various  physical  handicaps. 

Among  the  children  awaiting  homes 
are  those  with  various  eye  conditions, 
from  the  easily  corrected  cross-eyed  to 
the  congenital  cataracts  and  blindness; 
several  are  handicapped  by  deafness; 
some  are  afflicted  with  cerebral  palsy 
and  have  difficulty  walking.  Some  chil- 
dren like  these  are  lucky  —  they've 
already  found  homes. 

One  little  nine-year-old  boy  with  a 
congenital  hip  condition  requiring 
braces  on  both  legs,  was  recently 
placed  with  a  family  in  another  state 
in  which  the  father  also  wore  braces  on 
his  legs  for  a  different  kind  of  handi- 
cap. Not  only  did  this  little  boy  and 
his  adoptive  father  develop  a  strong 
bond  because  of  their  mutual  handicap, 
but  the  father  was  especially  eager  to 
see  that  the  boy  had  appropriate  medi- 
cal care  which  perhaps  will  make  it 
possible  eventually  for  him  to  give  up 
his  braces. 

A  four-year-old  deaf  child  also  had 
a  severe  heart  condition  which,  for- 
tunately, responded  to  surgery.  She 
was  placed  with  a  family  who  had  two 
children,  one  of  whom  was  deaf.  This 
family  had  learned  to  live  with  a  handi- 


12     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


cap  and  to  help  their  child  with  his 
special  education.  They  wanted  to 
share  their  home  with  another  child 
and  it  was  a  very  happy  little  girl  who 
went  to  live  with  them. 

During  the  first  six  months  of 
arena's  operation,  fifty-six  adoptive 
placements  were  made  by  agencies,  and 
during  the  same  period  1 74  children 
and  154  families  were  registered  with 
ARENA  and  plans  were  in  process  for 
placements  for  many  of  them. 


Mot  fifty  years  the  Child  Welfare 
League  has  been  a  leader  in  efforts  to 
improve  conditions  for  children  and 
their  families,  mainly  by  helping  agen- 
cies throughout  the  country  support 
and  supplement  parents'  efforts  to  care 
for  their  children  in  their  own  homes 
and,  if  this  is  not  possible,  to  find  foster 
homes  for  them.  There  have  been  no 
religious  or  race  boundaries  —  hun- 
dreds of  children  of  all  races  and 


creeds  have  been  helped.  The  league 
has  accomplished  miracles,  despite  in- 
creasingly complex  problems.  Social 
changes,  cultural  upheavals  and  new 
patterns  in  family  living  have  created 
problems  that  are  hazardous  to  the 
welfare  of  an  estimated  ten  million 
children  in  our  country  today.  The 
need  for  help  is  critical.  Three  years 
ago,  in  an  editorial  entitled  "America's 
Forgotten  Children,"  the  executive  di- 
rector of  the  Child  Welfare  League 
wrote,  "For  most  people  who  need 
help  —  the  aged,  the  disabled,  the 
widowed,  the  unemployed,  the  blind 
and  the  sick  —  the  federal  government 
shares  the  cost  of  public  assistance  pro- 
grams with  state  and  local  govern- 
ments. But  no  fixed  share  is  contrib- 
uted to  the  government  for  the  care  of 
dependent  children. .  .  .  Congress  will 
respond  to  the  plight  of  neglected  chil- 
dren if  it  knows  that  the  voting  public 
is  concerned  about  the  situation.  Each 
letter  will  help.  Children  cannot  wait 


— ■  their  needs  are  immediate.  For 
them,  tomorrow  is  too  late." 

No  community  in  the  United  States 
today  is  meeting  the  needs  of  all  its 
children.  This  is  an  established  fact. 
The  league  stresses  the  need  not  only 
for  new  approaches,  new  understand- 
ing, and  new  solutions,  but  for  public 
and  professional  concern  and  participa- 
tion. 

Today  Americans  can  be  grateful 
that  the  Child  Welfare  League  of 
America  is  in  existence.  At  its  begin- 
ning in  1 920  sixty-five  agencies  made 
up  the  membership.  Today  there  are 
nearly  400  member  agencies  in  the 
United  States  and  Canada,  directed  by 
a  board  of  lay  and  professional  leaders 
from  all  parts  of  the  country.  The 
league  is  the  standard-setting  agency 
for  the  child  welfare  field,  with  fifty 
years  of  dedicated  work  and  devotion 
for  a  single  cause,  helping  deprived, 
neglected,  dependent  children  and  their 
families.   D 


A  sightless  little  boy,  Johnny,  on 
an  afternoon  outing,  gets  a  pro- 
tective escort  from  his  own  broth- 
er who  has  normal  vision  and 
from  a  social  worker  who  is  help- 
ing the  family  with  their  problems 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     13 


On  the  summer  pastorate 


The  summer  pastor  often  brings  a 
freshness  and  objectivity  to  a  congrega- 
tion that  invite  insights  and  understand- 
ings less  well  reahzed  by  the  church's 
members.  The  views  of  eleven  summer 
pastors,  all  of  them  Bethany  Seminary 
students  and  working  as  assistants  in  con- 
gregations, might  substantiate  this.  Com- 
ments from  some  of  them  come  from 
their  weekly  reports  to  the  Parish  Min- 
istries staff. 

Most  of  them  assist  regular  pastors  in 
Brethren  congregations  and  occasionally 
their  own  pastor-father,  as  in  one  case 
this  year. 

Routine:  To  be  sure,  much  of  the 
comment  centers  on  the  routine:  read- 
ing, visiting  shut-ins,  working  with 
youth,  preparing  sermons.  But  such  ex- 
periences are  often  with  significant 
meaning. 

"There  are  many  reasons  why  I  am 
questioning  my  role  as  pastor,"  wrote 
one  summer  pastor.  "I  certainly  enjoy 
the  preaching  and  visiting.  But  I  have 
a  great  fear  of  going  to  someone's  home 
for  the  first  time.  And  there  are  other 
reasons  I  can't  just  put  my  finger  on, 
but  they  are  there." 

For  him  the  summer  experience  will 
mean  a  working  through  of  career  ex- 
pectations and  personal  development. 
Certainly  work  among  the  members  of 
their  congregations  was  a  large  part  of 
the  summer.  Robert  E.  Alley,  at  the 
Harrisonburg,  Va.,  church,  with  a  deacon 
conducted  an  anointing  service  for  a 
member  who  had  undergone  surgery  and 
assisted  in  the  funeral  of  his  own  great- 
uncle. 

Of  the  parish  Mr.  Alley  says,  "I  have 
been  impressed  by  the  variety  of  occu- 
pations and  talents  of  the  congregation. 
The  church  has  much  potential."  And 
observes  Dennis  L.  Brown  at  Nappanee, 
Ind.,  "There  isn't  a  nicer  congregation 
of  Brethren  than  here,"  noting  the 
church's  willingness  to  be  open,  listen, 
and   act.     "They    are    not   without   their 


problems,  but  they  are  seemingly  willing 
to  overcome  them,"  he  says. 

But  the  analysis  went  deeper,  too. 
Observing  his  local  situation,  one  sem- 
inarian writes,  "There  is  a  sense  of 
despair  among  many  of  the  members  of 
the  congregation.  They  do  not  under- 
stand the  new  approach  which  the 
church  is  taking  but  realize  that  the  old 
style  will  not  be  able  to  continue  much 
longer.  In  the  midst  of  this  despair 
they  struggle.  Hopefully,  their  struggle 
will  be  a  creative  force  which  will  be 
able  to  give  us  new  direction." 

Preaching:  Sermon  preparation  is 
time-consuming  but  is  taken  seriously  by 
the  summer  pastor.  One  student  pastor 
wrote:  "Ever  since  the  Cambodian  inci- 
dent I  have  been  gathering  materials  for 
a  sermon  on  the  Brethren  position  on 
war,  but  with  the  ever-present  knowledge 
that  I  would  be  delivering  that  sermon  to 
a  congregation  full  of  veterans  and  people 
both  with  and  without  Brethren  back- 
grounds who  did  not  agree  with  pacifism. 

"Almost  every  day  this  week  I  wanted 
to  change  my  mind  and  work  with  anoth- 
er subject,  but  I  felt  I  needed  to  do  this 
for  me  as  well  as  for  the  congregation." 

The  student  postulated  the  concern 
that  whether  the  congregation  agrees  with 
the  church  position  or  not,  they  should 
know  what  that  position  and  its  scriptural 
basis  are.  The  sermon's  reception  was 
mixed,  came  the  report,  but  the  approach 
and  concerns  of  the  student  were  appar- 
ently respected,  if  disputed. 

Allan  W.  Eickelmann,  working  with 
the  Ladera  church  at  Los  Angeles,  pre- 
sented one  of  his  sermons  on  the  unique 
historical  and  theological  contribution  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  as  seen  by  an 
"outsider."  Allan  is  a  member  of  the 
United  Church  of  Christ. 

Focusing:  The  brief  pastorates  often 
focus  concerns  and  thinking  for  some  of 
the  young  ministers.  Witness  the  observa- 
tions of  Dennis  Brown  at  Nappanee: 

"The  people  in  the  pews  are  'sick  and 


tired'  of  getting  beat  over  the  head  with 
their  responsibility  in  "Vietnam,  the 
ghetto,  and  other  portions  of  the  social 
gospel.  The  church  must  be  involved, 
the  church  must  be  aware,  the  church 
must  be  the  church.  But  for  heaven's 
sake,  the  church  must  be  the  presence  of 
the  Shepherd  in  the  community." 

Another  summer  pastor,  while  express- 
ing some  doubts,  noted  that  he  is  "more 
and  more  committed  to  the  belief  that 
Christianity  is  the  only  thing  I  can  see 
that  can  transform  the  world.  There  is 
a  tremendous  amount  of  potential  in 
every  situation.  But  before  I  become  use- 
ful, these  people  here  have  a  lot  to  teach 
me.    I  thank  God  to  be  here." 

Expectations:  In  their  experiences  the 
summer  pastors  see,  perhaps  on  a  smaller 
scale,  what  the  pastorate  might  hold  for 
them.  To  be  sure,  those  experiences  vary 
with  the  congregation  involved  —  for  the 
good  and  the  bad.  And  each  situation 
contains  both.  For  the  summer  pastors 
it  apparently  was  a  period  of  growing,  of 
relating,  of  examination.  That  in  itself 
remains  tremendously  important. 

Other  summer  pastorates  were  filled  by 
Ronald  D.  Beachley  at  Everett,  Pa.,  John 
D.  Bowman  at  Waynesboro,  Va.,  Ervin 
L.  Huston  working  in  the  Illinois-Wiscon- 
sin district.  Glen  F.  Taylor  at  New 
Carlisle,  Ohio,  Edward  L.  Carl  at  West 
Manchester,  Ind.,  Jefl'rey  H.  Johnson  at 
Johnstown,  Pa.,  and  James  Tice,  chaplain 
in  a  state  park  at  Wellsville,  Pa. 

That  summer  pastorates  have  their 
lighthearted  moments  is  amply  proven 
too.  No  lesser  example  is  that  reported 
by  Mary  Beth  Petcher  of  Troutville,  Va., 
summer  pastor  with  her  father,  who  min- 
isters at  the  Daleville  and  Trinity  church- 
es. A  temporary  shutdown  of  electricity 
silenced  the  carillon  that  usually  played 
hymns  at  noon  and  6  p.m.  at  the  Daleville 
church. 

Unable  to  reset  the  carillon  herself,  and 
with  the  two  persons  who  did  know  out 
of  town,  the  carillon  played  instead  at 
midnight  and  six  o'clock  in  the  morning. 
Said  Miss  Petcher:  "The  church  people 
thought  it  was  hilarious,  but  some  of  ths 
neighbors  didn't  think  it  was  so  funny." 


14     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


Peace  has  a  realism 

There  was  an  irony  about  the  year  1945 
that  is  renewed  in  1970.  Twenty-five 
years  ago  American  bombers  dropped  an 
atomic  payload  over  Hiroshima  and 
Nagasaki,  Japan,  forever  symbolizing  the 
hopelessness  of  war.  It  was  twenty-five 
years  ago,  too,  that  the  very  essence  of 
the  hopefulness  for  peace,  the  United  Na- 
tions, was  born  in  San  Francisco. 

The  two  events,  being  observed  this 
year  in  different  ways,  are  reminders  of 
the  tragedy  and  folly  of  war  and  the  al- 
ternative of  developing  "a  new  interna- 
tional situation"  in  which  nations  live 
by  mutual  trust  and  helpfulness. 

Peace  missioners:  The  relatedness  of 
the  occasions  was  drawn  sharply  into 
focus  in  July  by  two  Japanese  visitors  to 
the  La  Verne,  Calif.,  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. One  was  Dr.  Takuo  Matsumoto, 
chairman  of  the  World  Friendship  Center 
in  Hiroshima,  Japan,  who  headed  a  dele- 
gation of  six  Japanese  on  a  peace  mission 
to  the  United  States.  Hiroshima  Day  on 
August  6  was  commemorated  in  a  peace 
parade  and  the  presentation  of  a  peace 
message  to  President  Richard  M.  Nixon 
from  Hiroshima's  mayor. 

One  of  the  six  was  Naoyuki  Haguma 
—  or  Yuki,  as  he  preferred  —  who,  prior 
to  the  Washington  visit,  spent  a  month 
with  the  La  Verne  congregation,  sharing 
with  its  members,  speaking  to  service 
clubs,  participating  in  medical  meetings, 
and  submitting  to  newspaper  interviews. 

National  gap:  In  his  own  personal 
terms,  peace  in  the  world  depends  on 
mutual  understanding  among  peoples,  an 
understanding  lacking  between  the  Japa- 
nese and  American  peoples.  "Before  we 
can  have  peace  in  the  world,  we  must 
come  to  know  and  understand  each  oth- 
er," said  the  25-year-old  medical  student. 
In  a  small  way  at  La  Verne  Mr.  Haguma 
tried  to  bridge  that  national  gap  that  he 
now  feels  exists. 

"We  don't  really  know  anything  about 
the  United  States,"  he  explained  in  fluent 
English,  obtained  from  twelve  years  of 
study.  "Very  few  Japanese  people  read 
the  English  newspapers  and  most  Ameri- 


Joseph  Schechter,  left, 

lit  a  flame  which 

burned  throughout 

Naoyuki  Haguma's  visit 

icans  can't  speak  our  language." 

Throughout  the  peace  delegate's  visit 
to  La  Verne  a  flame,  Ht  by  La  Verne's 
church  board  chairman  Dr.  Joseph 
Schechter,  burned  as  a  symbol  of  peace 
and  friendship.  Accenting  the  peace 
candle  was  a  banner  created  by  Bill 
Henke  of  the  church. 

The  nine-foot  hanging  bore  the  symbol 
of  the  Hiroshima  fire  in  multicolored 
tongues  of  flame  on  a  soft  green  velvet 
background  and  had  the  superimposed 
word.  Peace,  over  the  flames.  The  banner 
bore  the  theme,  "We  have  a  hope,  we 
have  a  hope  for  peace,"  and  the  congre- 
gation's name.  The  banner  was  presented 
to  Dr.  Matsumoto  in  a  farewell  service 
at  the  end  of  Mr.  Haguma's  visit. 

Mutual  learning:  Yuki  Haguma  was 
eager  to  experience  and  adapt  to  the  hab- 
its of  American  living,  though  they  were 
often  dissimilar  from  his  own  practices 
and  customs.  And  the  learning  process 
worked  both  ways. 

Glenn  and  Helen  Bowlby  were  hosts 
for  part  of  his  visit  at  La  Verne  and  on 
one  occasion  asked  Yuki  to  fix  sukiyaki. 
Commented  Mrs.  Bowlby;  "We  and  our 
guests  watched  as  he  expertly  cooked 
each  item  in  separate  sides  of  the  pan, 
and  then  insisted  on  serving  each  plate. 
It  was  definitely  tasty,  including  the 
toofu,  the  special  noodles,  and  bamboo 
shoots." 

For  his  part,  Yuki  was  appalled  at  the 
way  Americans  "gobble"  their  food  and 
the  lack  of  ceremony  at  the  dinner  table. 
In  spite  of  the  impression  that  Japan  is 
westernized,  he  observed  that  the  tradi- 
tional Japanese  family  upbringing  is  in- 
tact. The  family  is  strictly  paternal  and 
only  in  the  large  cities  is  there  a  falling 
away  from  tradition. 

A  tie  with  his  homeland,  at  least  in 
heritage,  was  obtained  when  Yuki  met 
Sim  Togasaki  of  Berkeley,  Calif.,  in  La 
Verne  for  the  Pacific  Southwest  Confer- 
ence board  meeting.  Mrs.  Bowlby  noted 
the  deference  given  Sim  by  Yuki,  a  re- 
spect for  age.  "He  would  not  sit  down, 
even  though  I  asked  him  to,  until  he  and 
Sim  talked  and  Sim  told  him  to  sit  down." 

On    realism:    For   Yuki,    Dr.    Matsu- 


moto, and  others  of  the  La  Verne  church, 
the  issue  of  peace  became  a  more  realistic 
concept  in  their  common  encounters.  To 
those  who  might  say  that  peace  is  ideal- 
istic, that  only  a  balance  of  power  is 
realistic  in  today's  world.  Dr.  Matsumoto 
responded,  "What  are  the  things  or  values 
that  are  keeping  our  homes,  schools, 
churches,  societies,  and  nations  safe,  hap- 
py, and  steady?  Are  they  not  love,  mu- 
tual trust,  concern  for  one  another, 
forgiveness,  understanding?  .  .  .  Isn't  re- 
liance upon  these  spiritual  values  truly 
realistic,  after  all?" 

Peace  has  a  reahsm  of  its  own  for  Dr. 
Matsumoto:  In  the  bombing  of  Hiro- 
shima he  lost  his  wife,  352  women  stu- 
dents, and  1 8  colleagues  of  the  Christian 
School  for  Girls,  where  he  had  been 
president,  among  the  210,000  persons 
killed  on  Aug.  6,  1945.  For  him,  "the 
peace  problem  is  not  just  a  question  of 
theory  or  abstract  thought,  but  one  of 
vital  concern." 

Concluding  Mr.  Haguma's  visit,  the 
congregation  presented  him  with  a  banner 
stitched  with  the  dove  of  peace.  In  return 
he  encircled  Joe  Schechter's  shoulders 
with  a  lei  of  multicolored  paper  cranes, 
the  symbol  of  peace  in  Hiroshima. 

Chairman  Schechter  perhaps  best 
summed  up  the  meaning  of  Mr.  Haguma's 
visit  for  the  congregation  when  at  one 
point  he  remarked,  "In  working  for 
peace,  I  guess  we  all  would  like  tangible 
things  that  could  be  done,  but  I  have  a 
feeling  that  what  has  been  accomplished 
here  in  understanding,  empathy,  and  love 
is  a  start  and  is  what  somehow  will  need 
happen  before  world  peace  will  be  at- 
tained." 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     15 


special  report 


In  search  of  a  church  and  c 


An  educator  for  forty  years,  A.  G. 
Breidenstine  of  Lancaster,  Pa.,  fias 
distinguistied  fiimself  in  botti  ttie 
private  and  public  sectors  of  educa- 
tion. He  tias  been  dean  of  Hershey 
Junior  College,  Franklin  and  Mar- 
sf]all  College,  and  Millersville  State 
College,  all  in  Pennsylvania.  In 
1965  lie  was  named  deputy  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction,  the 
number  two  post  in  Pennsylvania's 
public  educational  system,  serving 
until  his  retirement  in  1968.  As 
moderator  this  year  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  Dr.  Breidenstine 
addressed  the  Annual  Conference 
on  several  concerns,  including  that 
of  education  fMessenger,  July  30, 
1970).  Interviewed  by  Ronald  E. 
Keener,  Office  of  Communication, 
he  expands  further  on  his  brief  re- 
marks to  the  Conference  concern- 
ing the  church  and  its  educational 
institutions.  Dr.  Breidenstine  was 
graduated  from  Elizabethtown  Col- 
lege, where  he  now  is  chairman  of 
the  board  of  trustees,  and  is  the 
executive  of  Brethren  Colleges 
Abroad,  an  overseas  study  program 
of  the  six  Brethren  colleges. 


•^rt 


Dr.  Breidenstine,  in  your  Annual 
Conference  moderator's  address 
you  said  that  "it  is  in  higher  educa- 
tion and  church  education  that  the 
greatest  changes  must  be  made"  in 
the  1970s.  What  changes  had  you 
in  mind? 

First  of  all,  I  think  it's  quite  significant 
that  today  higher  education  is  largely  run 
by  people  who  are  pre- 1945  and  pre- 
atomic  age.  They  are  operating  colleges 
in  the  business-as-usual  arrangement, 
though  in  a  great  many  ways,  following 
the  discovery  of  atomic  fusion,  things 
are  different.  The  world  is  different.  Our 
curriculum  needs  to  be  changed.  Colleges 
need  to  discover  a  whole  new  approach 
to  the  new  age  where  students  would  in 
fact  be  researching  their  futures. 

The  sociologist  in  college,  for  example, 
will  be  faced  at  graduation  with  sociologi- 
cal problems  which  he  will  have  to  tackle. 
And  he'd  better,  while  he's  going  through 
college,  study  the  sociological  problems 
of  race  and  urban  living  and  the  like  and 
make  this  a  part  of  his  education.  The 
scientist  of  environmental  cleansing  and 
the  new  ecology  would  focus  his  attention 
on  these  problems  and  get  a  feel  for  them 


while  he  is  going  through  his  science 
courses.  He  would  do  his  research  and 
laboratory  work  in  those  things  which  are 
going  to  be  very  vitally  a  part  of  his  fu- 
ture. Every  curriculum  will  somehow  be 
changed,  and  we'll  have  to  gear  up  to  this. 

The  second  change  I  believe  is  already 
starting:  a  whole  new  approach  to  con- 
tinuing education.  When  I  go  to  the 
Rotary  Club  on  Wednesday  and  sit  down 
at  a  table  with  businessmen  or  industrial- 
ists, invariably  the  discussion  turns  quick- 
ly to  "How  in  the  world  can  we  keep 
our  people  updated?"  A  new  way  of 
doing  things  is  discovered,  something  that 
changes  everything,  and  the  work  force 
will  have  to  be  trained  and  who's  to  do 
that?  The  colleges  and  universities  will 
have  to  gear  up  mightily  just  to  keep  re- 
tooling and  resharpening  the  work  force 
and  the  business  force  and  the  profession- 
al force. 

If  you  take  it  over  to  the  church  side, 
especially  church  education,  my  real  fear 
is  that  we're  just  going  to  go  along  as 
usual.  If  so,  I  can  tell  you  what  the 
Sunday  school  is  going  to  be  like  because 
I  have  seen  it  in  Europe.  It's  not  going 
to  be.  And  we'll  have  ourselves  to  blame 
because  we're  not  rising  up  fast  enough 


4k 


16     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


lege  partnership 


with  a  continuing  education  program  in 
the  church  and  a  new  corps  of  teachers 
who,  in  the  style  of  give-and-take,  can 
wrestle  through  some  of  the  real  prob- 
lems that  confront  our  people  today. 

If  you  would  ask  me  what  the  church- 
related  colleges  should  do,  I  would  say 
they  should  be  in  league  with  the  church- 
es on  a  continuing  education  program  the 
like  of  which  they  have  never  seen. 
Within  the  church,  there  ought  to  be  sem- 
inars for  people  where  theologians,  edu- 
cators, and  social  workers  can  sit  down 
together  and  wrestle  through  the  prob- 
lems. 

I  think,  therefore,  of  a  whole  new  ap- 
proach. Years  ago  the  churches  were 
centers  for  conferences  on  vital  issues  in 
society.  At  those  gatherings  you  wrestled 
through  the  problems  and  you  got  your 
theological  input  into  the  solutions  of  the 
problems.  And  because  you  had  the  the- 
ological input,  you  had  a  better  chance 
of  having  the  problem  solved. 

We  now  have  come  to  a  time  when  I 
think  the  church  ought  to  lead  out  and 
do  this  again,  because  it  seems  to  me  that 
the  problem  is  to  do  things  which  have 
a  lasting  impact.  If  I  were  to  summarize 
it,  rd  put  it  something  like  this:  A  whole 


'The  church's 

colleges  should  be 

in  league  with 

the  churches  on 

a  continuing 

education  program  .  .  . 

within  the  church 

there  ought  to  be  seminars 

where  people  can  wrestle 

through  the  problems 

of  our  society 


new  style  of  education  on  the  campuses, 
a  renewed  effort  at  church  education 
within  the  church,  and  both  of  them  de- 
voted to  continuing  education.  We're 
coming  to  the  point  in  society  where  just 
about  everybody  will  be  learning  and  for 
that  a  great  many  people  will  have  to  at- 
tend classes. 

It  might  be  a  partnership  between 
the  churches  and  the  colieges? 

That's  right.  I  think  I  can  see  a  level- 
ing off  of  the  so-called  youthful  genera- 
tion going  to  college,  but  I  can't  see  an 
end  to  the  adults  who  will  require,  always 
require,  more  and  more  education.  When 
you  get  to  the  humanities  —  art,  music, 
literature,  religion,  biblical  and  theologi- 
cal studies  —  for  the  layman  there  is  no 
end.  And  to  become  really  vibrant  our 
society  will  have  to  feed  on  this  kind  of 
learning  because  this  is  almost  the  only 
aspect  of  learning  that  has  any  perma- 
nency to  it.  We  -in  the  church,  and  in 
our  church-related  colleges,  have  not 
fully  caught  on  to  this.  I'm  not  sure 
whether  the  churches  will  catch  on  to  it. 
I  guess  I'm  not  too  optimistic  that  they 
will,  because  our  older  Brethren  sister 
churches  in  Europe  didn't  see  it  and  they 
lost  their  church  education. 

So  to  remain  vibrant  as  a  part  of 
the  society,  churches  need  to  worl< 
at  continuing  adult  education. 

Yes,  and  in  this  regard  the  new  cur- 
riculum [Encounter  Series]  is  a  grand 
idea.  I'm  not  too  sure  that  the  churches 
fully  see  the  impact  of  it,  or  have  an 
understanding  of  it,  and  again  I'm  not 
at  all  sure  that  we  have  grown  far  enough 
on  it,  because  the  new  curriculum  han- 
dled in  the  old  style  is  not  a  great  deal 
better  than  the  old  curriculum. 

It  Still  depends  on  the  teacher. 

It  still  depends  on  the  teacher,  but  at 
that  point  the  colleges  and  the  churches 
have  been  negligent.  They  have  not 
taken  that  seriously.  I've  seen  many  Sun- 


day schools  whose  days  are  numbered  be- 
cause they  do  not  really  understand  what 
has  taken  place  in  our  society  education- 
ally. 

What  HAS  taken  place? 

During  World  War  I  we  were  a  nation 
of  sixth  graders  in  our  average  education- 
al achievement.  It  was  quite  important 
then  to  have  the  International  Lessons, 
which  were  pretty  well  geared  to  about 
that  level,  in  Sunday  school.  At  the  end 
of  World  War  II  we  had  risen  by  four 
years  —  we  were  then  a  nation  of  tenth 
graders.  We  are  presently  a  nation  of 
twelfth  graders,  and  by  1975  or  1978 
we'll  be  a  nation  of  fourteenth  graders. 
But  back  in  the  churches  you  still  have 
a  World  War  I  or,  at  best,  a  World  War 
II  approach  —  not  nearly  sophisticated 
enough  for  the  kids  coming  along. 

You  mentioned  in  your  address 
that  "from  the  churches  there  will 
be  a  strong  reaction  to  the  changes 
required  in  church-related  col- 
leges." What  changes  in  the  col- 
leges were  you  speaking  of? 

We  may  not  like  it,  but  the  whole  the- 
ory of  higher  education  is  going  to  be 
more  and  more  personal,  with  the  college 
paying  much  more  attention  to  the  devel- 
opment of  a  critical  mind  of  a  student 
rather  than  to  a  hand-holding  operation 
of  looking  after  a  student's  morals  and 
interests.  Now,  the  churches  are  asking 
the  colleges  to  do  for  the  young  people 
what  the  churches  aren't  willing  to  do. 
I  can  illustrate  that  because  I  have  gone 
through  it  this  year.  Elizabethtown  Col- 
lege had  both  a  drug  and  an  alcohol  prob- 
lem. How  all  of  us  have  sweated  over 
this  situation  to  work  redemptively  with 
the  young  people  involved!  But  after 
working  with  them  a  whole  day  or  more, 
we  receive  letters  from  some  good  Breth- 
ren taking  me  to  task  for  allowing  this 
thing  to  happen  in  the  college.  And  I 
ask,  "Now  when  did  you  last  discipline  a 
member  of  your  church  who  misbe- 
haves?" 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     17 


special  report 


Young  people  are  coming  to  the  college 
campuses  with  problems  of  addiction  or 
having  had  a  wholesale  introduction  to 
liquor  already,  and  the  church  is  asking 
the  college  to  do  what  the  church  is  not 
willing  to  tackle.  I  can  see  it  down  the 
road  that  there  is  going  to  be  a  hard  time 
to  reconcile  this,  because  the  college  can 
not  rightfully  take  upon  itself  all  of  the 
responsibilities  for  the  raising  of  young 
people.  A  college  is  an  educational  insti- 
tution. It's  not  a  repository.  It's  not  an 
institution  that  can  take  on  all  of  the 
social  problems  that  can  be  loaded  upon 
it  because  of  the  deficiencies  of  society 
and  the  home. 

So  in  loco  parentis  [the  coliege 
assuming  tfie  role  of  the  parent]  is 
out. 

Well,  it's  out  or  it's  going  out  and  it's 
going  out  fast,  and  the  parents  can't  un- 
derstand it.  We  have  had  a  whole  group 
of  young  people  raised  who  even  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  have  certainly 
not  been  strongly  influenced  by  the  values 
that  we  say  the  church  holds.  So  a  young 
son  can't  be  handled  in  his  home  and 
Dad  says,  "I'm  going  to  send  him  to  a 
military  academy.  I'm  going  to  have  him 
disciplined."  Others,  even  under  the 
guise  of  being  true  to  the  church,  will 
send  theirs  instead  to  the  Christian  col- 
lege where,  they  secretly  believe,  perhaps 
the  college  can  do  what  Mom  and  Pop 
somehow  failed  to  do  and  what  the  local 
church  couldn't  quite  get  accomplished. 

Suppose  there  are  others  who 
honestly  believe  that  going  to  a 
church-related  college  is  the  best 
way  to  obtain  a  Christian  education. 
What  premise  do  these  parents 
face? 

Church-related  colleges  have  another 
contribution  to  make,  of  course,  which  in 
my  judgment  is  either  a  distinguishing 
feature  or  they're  not  deserving  of  any 
perpetuation.  That  is  the  Christian  way 
of  doing  things  and  regarding  the  worth 
of  a  person  in  the  teaching  and  in  the 


living  and  in  the  give-and-take  of  all  the 
situations  that  take  place  on  the  campus. 
If  all  these  things  can  be  in  the  frame- 
work of  the  Christian  ethos,  this  is  some- 
thing to  be  cherished.  It  would  then  be 
important  to  have  a  philosophy  depart- 
ment which  recognizes  the  Christian  input 
into  philosophy,  and  even,  you  see,  to 
have  Christian  men  and  women  in  the 
other  departments  of  the  college  because 
they  believe  in  a  Christian  way,  carry 
through  in  their  jobs  with  an  integrity 
which  is  becoming  of  the  true  Christian 
workman.  By  reason  of  the  church  rela- 
tion there  ought  to  be  within  the  admin- 
istration, within  the  faculty,  and  within 
the  student  body  an  ethos  —  a  way  of 
doing  things  which  is  a  measure  or  so 
beyond,  shall  we  say,  the  secular  college. 
And  my  guess  is,  if  you  lose  that,  there 
may  be  no  rationale  for  church-related- 
ness. 

How  do  you  reply  to  those  people 
who  say  we  have  lost  the  Brethren 
approach,  that  we  should  be  more 
sectarian? 

I  don't  think  we  ought  to  become  sec- 
tarian colleges.  I  do  think,  though,  that 
there  are  certain  Christian  persuasions  in 
our  historic  past  and  even  maintained  to 
the  present  which  we  might  well  seek 
to  perpetuate  on  our  college  campuses. 
For  example,  some  of  our  campuses  are 
doing  a  rather  noble  thing  in  having  a 
department  of  peace  studies.  They  have 
it  because  this  is  one  thing  in  which  the 
Brethren  church  believes.  Certain  other 
campuses  are  emphasizing  the  worth  of 
the  individual  and  have  unique  studies 
along  these  lines;  others  are  minded 
toward  the  world  service  approach.  This 
is  quite  becoming  because  this  is,  after  all, 
a  part  of  the  historic  background. 

A  consultant  from  strictly  non-Breth- 
ren sources  told  me  that  he's  been  amazed 
in  having  studied  our  history  to  realize 
how  often  we've  been  right  in  what  we 
have  declared  ourselves  on.  How  often 
we've  called  the  shots  right!  "You  have 
a  better  score  than  most  faiths  I've  been 
acquainted  with,"  he  said.    It  just  could 


'The  churches  are 

asking  the  colleges  to 

do  to  the  young  people 

what  the  churches 

aren't  willing  to  do' 


be  that  when  an  Annual  Conference 
speaks  on  an  issue,  a  world  issue,  it  might 
be  of  interest  for  the  colleges  to  take 
these  guides  with  a  certain  amount  of 
seriousness.  On  the  other  hand,  I  am 
amazed  at  how  often  the  national  church 
strikes  out  on  a  venture  without  having 
the  benefit  of  the  colleges"  research.  The 
church  would  be  well  advised  before  do- 
ing anything  to  hear  at  least  what  the 
adacemicians,  whose  life-style  of  work  is 
within  this  area,  say  about  this  venture. 

In  your  Lincoln  address,  you 
mentioned  that  six  priorities  in  the 
70s  will  be  peace,  city  rebuilding, 
race  relations,  crime  prevention, 
ecological  reform,  and  population 
control,  and  you  noted  that  "the 
locus  and  research  relating  to  these 
concerns  will  shift  to  our  churches 
and  colleges."  Where  will  they  shift 
from? 

At  the  present  time,  they  are  very 
largely  in  the  political  sphere.  We  could 
hang  our  heads  in  shame  that  it's  the 
political  sector  which  is  reminding  us  that 


18     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


'If  church  colleges 

are  going  to  be  like  the 

public  colleges,  then 

I  don't  doubt  that 

their  days  are  numbered' 


we're  lousing  up  the  firmament  and  the 
good  earth  and  destroying  its  fullness. 
Where  were  the  church  people  when  the 
raping  of  our  environment  developed? 
What  are  we  doing  in  the  churches  and 
in  the  church  colleges  to  lead  out?  Here's 
where  I  think  that  the  church  colleges 
and  the  churches  might  well  become  cen- 
ters for  ecological  reform. 

Do  you  see  the  churches  and  col- 
leges as  having  the  resources  and 
backing  for  the  sophisticated  type 
of  research  that's  often  required? 

No,  not  in  every  instance.  However, 
they'd  be  in  a  position  to  rally  them.  In 
some  cases  they  already  have  the  people. 
If  they  don't  have  them,  the  biologists  in 
the  Brethren  colleges  are  in  a  far  better 
position  than  our  ministers  to  know 
where  that  expert  in  environmental  sci- 
ence is.  But  having  that  in  hand,  I  would 
ask  where  are  the  religion  departments 
and  where  is  the  seminary  when  this  gets 
going  to  make  sure  that  you  have  the 
theological  input?  I'm  pretty  well  con- 
vinced that  if  the  church  as  a  whole  and 


the  church-related  educational  institu- 
tions do  not  rally  behind  the  solutions 
that  are  going  to  be  suggested,  we're  go- 
ing to  find  the  great  many  of  these  again 
handled  in  a  political  and  expedient  man- 
ner and  the  solution  will  not  be  one  which 
is  handled  aright. 

Why  do  you  so  closely  tie  the 
quality  of  the  Brethren  witness  to 
the  quality  of  our  higher  education 
institutions? 

For  instance,  Elizabethtown  College 
has  at  the  present  time  161  graduates  who 
are  now  pastors.  Multiply  that  with  the 
six  colleges  and  the  quality  of  life  in  the 
Brethren  churches  and  the  witness  that 
the  Brethren  church  can  make  is  going 
to  be  more  directly  related  to  the  quality 
of  these  men  and  women  than  anything 
else  we  have  in  the  church. 

A  display  at  the  Lincoln  Confer- 
ence said  that  all  21  of  our  district 
executives  were  educated  at  Breth- 
ren colleges. 

Okay.  Now  do  you  want  to  know 
what  the  quality  of  these  executive  secre- 
taries is?  This  is  more  directly  related 
to  their  background  and  education  than 
we  are  quite  willing  to  admit.  This  is  as 
true  of  our  missionaries  and  pastors  and 
Sunday  school  teachers.  The  Church  of 
the  Brethren  has  not  been  quite  vsdlling 
to  believe  that  as  go  these  institutions 
which  produce  their  leaders,  so,  to  a  large 
measure,  goes  the  church. 

The  future  of  church-related  col- 
leges is  often  questioned  or  pon- 
dered. As  one  with  experience  with 
the  private  and  public  sectors  of 
education,  do  you  see  church-re- 
lated education  as  having  a  role  to 
fulfill  and  a  future  to  look  to? 

Only  if  it  is  indeed  self-fulfilling  as 
Christian,  only  if  the  Christian  influence 
on  the  campus  is  recognizable.  If  there 
is  an  integrity  in  the  way  the  disciplines 
are  handled  which  is  indeed  unique,  and 


if  the  colleges  will  forge  a  field  for  them- 
selves, on  the  one  hand  serving  the  world 
in  this  manner  and  on  the  other  serving 
the  church,  especially  in  continuing  edu- 
cation. 

Once  again,  it  centers  more  on 
the  quality  of  the  human  beings  in- 
volved than  it  does  upon  com- 
pulsory chapel  or  this  type  of  thing. 

Oh,  yes.  I  wouldn't  even  mention  that, 
you  see.  Not  that  I'm  opposed  to  having 
worship  services.  That  isn't  the  point  at 
all.  But  I  think  it  goes  much  beyond  that. 
What  I  have  seen  again  and  again  is  this 
kind  of  thing:  people  from  the  philosophy 
department  going  into  a  community  offer- 
ing a  course  in  some  form  of  Christian 
philosophy.  They  get  good  classes  of 
people  from  the  community  and  the 
churches,  not  necessarily  just  professional 
people.  It's  this  kind  of  thing  that  our 
society  is  really  longing  for.  And  I  would 
say  let  the  artists,  musicians,  and  others 
from  the  college,  with  whatever  resources 
they  have,  offer  similar  courses.  If  this 
is  done,  then  surely  the  future  of  the 
Christian  college  is  going  to  be  assured. 
But  if  they're  just  going  to  be  like  the 
public  colleges,  without  this  kind  of  a 
function,  then  I  wouldn't  doubt  that  their 
days  are  numbered. 

Can  you  assess  whether  church- 
related  education  is  losing  ground 
on  the  American  educational  scene, 
or  is  it  on  the  verge  of  major 
change  and  new  life  as  some  pro- 
pose? 

There  is  in  the  country  at  large  a  deep 
yearning  to  have  values  and  to  focus  on 
values  in  education.  It  used  to  be  that 
church-related  colleges  had  something  of 
a  corner  on  this.  But  today  you  hear 
about  as  much  of  this  at  some  of  the 
great  universities  and  public  institutions 
as  you  hear  about  it  on  the  campuses  of 
the  church-related  schools.  My  guess  is 
if  the  church-related  colleges  read  the 
signs  of  the  time,  they  had  better  latch  on 
to  something  which  historically  is  theirs. 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     19 


news 


One  view  of  Cuba 

"The  ideals  to  which  the  Cuban  revolu- 
tion aspires  are  hard  work,  emulation  as 
opposed  to  competition,  individual  con- 
science, and  good,  solid  self-criticism.  By 
these  means,  Cuba  hopes  to  build  a  social- 
ist society  and  a  'new  man.'  " 

This  assessment  of  Cuban  society 
eleven  years  after  the  revolution  there 
came  from  former  Brethren  Service  vol- 
unteer Jim  Fitz  of  York,  Pa.,  who  visited 
the  island  country  earlier  this  year. 

Mr.  Fitz  was  one  of  687  Americans 
who  worked  and  lived  with  300  Cubans, 
for  six  weeks  cutting  sugar  cane  during 
the  harvest  and  for  two  weeks  touring 
the  country.  The  visit  was  made  on  his 
own  through  a  nationwide  coalition 
known  as  the  Venceremos  Brigade. 

The  conclusions  Mr.  Fitz  reached  after 
the  visit  are  unabashedly  positive.  He 
worked  for  three  years  in  Bolivia  and  has 
been  in  many  other  Latin  American  coun- 
tries. Only  Cuba,  he  says,  is  effecting  the 
reforms  needed  to  build  a  better  society 
for  its  people. 

"I'm  not  trying  to  defend  communism," 
said  Mr.  Fitz.  "There  certainly  was  some 
repression  in  Cuba,  but  many  of  the 
things  that  I  found  there  were  good,  and 
most  importantly,  the  people  are  support- 
ing the  revolution. 

"One  of  my  main  reasons  for  visiting 
Cuba  was  to  investigate  new  means  for 
development  of  these  countries  after  my 
utter  frustration  with  the  lack  of  progress 
of  the  present  development  programs  in 
Bolivia,"  he  said. 

Several  weeks  a  year  are  spent  working 
in  agriculture  by  anyone  who  claims  to 
be  a  revolutionary  in  Cuba.  While  Mr. 
Fitz  was  there.  Prime  Minister  Fidel  Cas- 
tro joined  workers  in  the  cane  fields  for 
half  a  day  and  spoke  with  them  later. 

While  religion  is  officially  discouraged 
—  "Christianity  is  not  the  socially  ac- 
ceptable thing  in  Cuba"  —  there  are  no 
laws  forbidding  worship.  Mr.  Fitz  con- 
versed with  a  Baptist  pastor  who  sup- 
ported Castro  on  nearly  everything  but 
his  atheism.  The  pastor  maintained  that 
Castro  was  forced  into  being  a  communist 


and  at  heart  is  not  atheistic. 

The  official  discouragement  of  religion 
has  eliminated  much  of  the  former  dead- 
wood  in  the  church,  according  to  the 
pastor.  The  result  is  a  much  stronger 
Christianity,  he  said. 

It  was  Mr.  Fitz'  observation  that  the 
Protestant  church  in  Cuba  is  "growing 
rapidly"  in  financial  support  and  member- 
ship. "For  the  first  time  the  Baptists  are 
meeting  monetary  goals,"  he  said.  There 
are  Baptist  and  Methodist  seminaries  on 
the  island. 

Disappointed  that  the  Cubans  failed  to 
show  the  American  visitors  the  implica- 
tions of  the  revolution  for  agriculture, 
education,  and  health,  Mr.  Fitz,  who 
speaks  Spanish,  dropped  from  the  tour 
group  and  made  his  own  investigations. 

Education:  Cuba's  1961  literacy  pro- 
gram has  nearly  eliminated  illiteracy,  he 
said.  In  the  program  youth  and  profes- 
sional people  from  the  city  went  into 
the  country  to  teach  the  illiterate  to  read 
and  write.  "This  not  only  eliminated  il- 
literacy but  created  a  new  understanding 


Jim  Fitz:  Optimistic  over  Cuban  reforms 


between  country  and  city  folk." 

A  new  respect  for  the  farmer  is  evolv- 
ing in  Cuba,  said  Mr.  Fitz,  and  Cuba 
hopes  to  move  all  secondary  and  uni- 
versities to  the  country.  Education  is 
free  and  students  are  clothed,  housed, 
and  fed  by  the  government,  he  reports. 

Agriculture:  Cuba  is  mechanizing  its 
cane  harvest,  Mr.  Fitz  said,  which  this 
year  had  a  goal  of  10  million  tons  (but 
failed  to  materialize).  Cattle  production 
is  also  a  major  industry  now,  and  a  breed 
of  animal  for  both  meat  and  milk  is  being 
developed.  Rice  which  has  been  imported 
in  recent  years  will  in  several  more  years 
be  an  export,  Mr.  Fitz  observed.  Other 
crop  diversification  is  taking  place,  too. 

"I  visited  one  modern  rice  mill  which 
consisted  of  equipment  from  the  United 
States,  Japan,  China,  Germany,  Russia, 
Bulgaria,  and  Spain.  It  showed  a  bit  of 
Cuban  genius  to  put  it  all  together,"  he 
observed. 

Health:  Medicine  and  health  services 
are  free,  and  rural  hospitals  have  been 
increased.  The  country  has  no  birth  con- 
trol program,  believing  it  can  support 
twice  the  present  population  of  seven  mil- 
lion persons. 

"The  whole  idea  of  the  government's 
providing  the  basic  needs  of  education, 
clothes,  food  for  children,  housing,  jobs, 
and  retirement  eliminates  much  of  the 
anxiety  many  in  our  society  deal  with.  .  .  . 
The  Cuban  can  live  much  more  for  the 
here  and  now,"  said  Mr.  Fitz. 

He  concludes:  "I  am  convinced  that 
if  there  is  any  hope  for  the  underdevel- 
oped world,  a  revolution  is  a  necessity; 
that  is,  a  change  of  government  from  one 
which  provides  for  the  ruling  few  to  one 
which  seeks  to  meet  the  needs  of  all  the 
people.  It  doesn't  necessarily  need  to  be 
communist." 

Some  persons  would  take  issue  with 
Jim  Fitz  on  much  of  what  he  finds  good 
in  the  Cuban  revolution.  But  for  him 
and  others  the  yardstick  of  measurement 
must  increasingly  be  what  is  being  done 
for  the  betterment  of  persons'  lives.  The 
Cuba  that  Jim  Fitz  saw  has  made  some 
strides  toward  this  end. 


20     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


Above,  far 

right:  Mrs. 

Hylton  shows 

traveling  pieces. 

Right:  Art  at 

eye  level 


Ministry  of  art  stresses  conviction 


"To  A  Christian,  all  art  is  religious. 
In  art,  as  in  all  of  life,  we  are  con- 
stantly working  through  problems  and 
finding  solutions  within  ourselves." 

Speaking  was  Mary  Ann  Hylton,  di- 
rector of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
art  school  in  Frederick,  Md.,  that  has 
offered  a  unique  experience  to  its  com- 
munity and  congregation. 

Of  45  students  last  year,  only  seven 
were  Church  of  the  Brethren  mem- 
bers. The  others  came  from  the  com- 
munity and  represented  differing 
faiths.  In  ages  from  nine  to  sixty-five, 
the  students  receive  instruction  from 
Mrs.  Hylton  in  drawing,  painting,  col- 
lage, pastel,  sculpture,  and  other 
media. 

Mrs.  Hylton  has  had  a  longtime 
interest  in  painting  and  has  studied 
privately  in  art.  She  remarks:  "I  feel 
that  what  is  actually  portrayed  is  sec- 
ondary to  its  effectiveness  in  convey- 
ing genuine  Christian  concern  or  emo- 
tion. A  work  of  art  must  be  conceived 


with  conviction,  and  if  this  is  not 
communicated,  it  has  failed." 

It  was  Mrs.  Hylton's  personal  con- 
victions about  artistic  expression  and 
the  Frederick  church's  desire  to  extend 
its  ministry  that  led  to  the  school's 
opening  two  years  ago. 

During  the  September-to-June  term, 
classes  travel  to  area  museums  and  art 
exhibits  and  receive  visiting  artists  who 
demonstrate  special  skills  and  present 
slide-illustrated  lectures  to  augment 
the  program. 

The  students  work  toward  the  spring 
Festival  of  the  Arts  when  hundreds  of 
art  objects  by  students  and  guest  ar- 
tists are  displayed  in  the  church  fellow- 
ship hall.  More  than  one  thousand 
persons  attended  this  year's  festival. 
One  feature  of  the  festival  is  a  reli- 
gious art  competition,  entered  by  30 
artists  from  the  Washington,  D.C., 
area  and  judged  by  local  professional 
artists. 

Twenty  original  paintings,  sculpture, 


tapestries,  and  prints  have  been  gath- 
ered as  a  touring  art  exhibit  in  the 
greater  Washington  area  to  Brethren 
and  other  churches.  The  traveling  ex- 
hibit was  first  displayed  this  year  at 
the  Lincoln,  Neb.,  Annual  Conference. 

One  measure  of  the  school's  impact 
is  the  comment  of  an  adult  student 
that  equally  as  important  as  the  in- 
struction is  the  atmosphere  of  ac- 
ceptance and  concern  in  the  classes, 
the  sharing  of  insights  as  personal 
problems  of  expression  are  resolved. 

A  significant  influence  of  the  school, 
observes  Mrs.  Hylton,  has  been 
through  the  students  who  are  initiating 
art  projects  in  their  own  churches. 
One  student  directs  art  activities  for  a 
summer  program  for  underprivileged 
children. 

Perhaps  as  important,  too,  is  the  be- 
lief that  art  can  have  a  ministry,  al- 
lowing amateurs  in  art,  but  profession- 
als in  faith,  to  express  the  message 
of  the  church  creatively. 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     21 


Hope  and  the  Social  Order 


by  FLOYD  E.  BANTZ 

This  second  in  a  series  of 
Annual  Conference  Bible 
study  messages  is  based  on 
Luke  4:16-21 

An  excellent  illustration  of  the  meaning 
of  the  biblical  word  hope  is  shown  in 
the  faith  of  Abraham  in  his  aborted  at- 
tempt to  sacrifice  Isaac. 

The  Bible  reports  that  God  promised 
Abraham  he  would  be  the  father  of  a 
great  nation.  Such  was  only  possible 
through  descendants,  and  it  was  much 
too  late  for  that.  Yet  a  son  was  born. 
Imagine  Abraham's  joy! 

Imagine,  also,  his  agony  when,  later, 
he  understood  God  to  desire  the  sac- 
rifice of  this  only  means  whereby  God's 
promise  could  be  kept.  But  he  stead- 
fastly set  out  to  do  as  he  was  told,  in 
the  irrational  confidence  that  somehow 
he  could  follow  God's  command  and 
still  realize  God's  promise  (Genesis  22; 
Hebrews  12:17). 

This  is  hope!  The  biblical  meaning 
of  hope  is  the  full  expectation  that  what 
is  envisioned  will  be  realized.  The  Bi- 


ble's hope  is  that  what  God  promises 
he  will  fulfill. 

"Social  order,"  as  it  appears  in  the 
title,  is  not  synonymous  with  "law  and 
order"  as  those  words  are  now  popu- 
larly used.  Social  order,  rather,  refers 
to  the  shape  and  form  of  individuals' 
relationships  to  other  individuals  and 
groups  of  individuals. 

With  these  understandings  in  mind, 
let  us  consider  our  text,  particularly 
these  words:  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  me,  because  he  has  anointed  me 
to  preach  good  news  to  the  poor.  He 
has  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the 
captives  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the 
blind,  to  set  at  liberty  those  who  are 
oppressed,  to  proclaim  the  acceptable 
year  of  the  Lord"  (Luke  4: 18-19). 

The  church,  throughout  most  of  her 
history,  has  not  accepted  these  words 
at  face  value.  She  has  chosen  to  deliter- 
alLze  them.  We  have  understood  these 
words  to  be  figures  of  speech  or  meta- 
phors and  have  made  "liberty"  and 
"sight"  refer  to  a  personal,  nonphysi- 
cal,  and  elusive  condition  we  have 
called  "spiritual."  The  words  have 
been  understood  to  be  Jesus'  pictorial 
way  of  telling  us  that  those  who  re- 
spond in  faith  to  God's  grace,  as  seen 
in  Jesus  Christ,  are  saved  from  death 


for  eternal  life,  and  they  have  not  been 
interpreted  as  referring  to  jail  cells, 
concentration  camps,  political  oppres- 
sion, or  disease. 

Have  we  indeed  been  misinterpret- 
ing the  words?  Did  Jesus  speak  here 
only  in  metaphors?  Are  liberty,  vision, 
and  prosperity  to  be  understood  only 
as  theological  figures  of  speech  for 
mental  and  moral  conditions  of  the 
individual  with  no  reference  to  man's 
physical  existence  in  the  sensuous 
world? 

The  answer  to  the  question  is  not  a 
simple  "yes"  or  "no."  It  is  not  an 
either/ or  answer.  It  is  a  both/ and  an- 
swer. I  am  convinced  that  Jesus  would 
not  have  even  understood  our  difficulty. 
Sophisticated  philosophical  distinctions 
such  as  are  implied  by  the  words  "liter- 
al" and  "figurative"  were  not  part  of 
his  thought-world.  To  him  the  passage 
was  both  personal  and  social. 

Therefore,  I  believe  these  words  of 
Jesus  as  presented  by  the  third  gospel 
not  only  proclaim  a  theological  gift  to 
individual  man  but  also  proclaim  God's 
sociological  intent  for  the  structure  of 
man's  society,  an  intent  to  which  the 
"saved"  person  is  called  to  witness  with 
word  and  deed. 

There  are  several  reasons  for  this 
conviction. 


22     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


1.    The  original  setting 

These  words,  which  to  us  are  a 
quote  from  Jesus  found  in  the  gospel 
according  to  Luke,  first  appear  in  our 
Bibles  under  Isaiah  61.  The  more  we 
know  about  their  use  there,  the  more 
adequately  we  will  be  able  to  reckon 
with  how  Jesus  and  his  followers  used 
the  words. 

During  the  days  of  Nebuchadnezzar, 
king  of  Babylon,  the  nation  of  Judah 
was  conquered  by  the  Babylonians.  In 
587  B.C.  Jerusalem  was  overrun  and 
sacked.  Such  defeated  nations  were 


held  in  check  by  shipping  the  most 
prestigious,  talented,  strong,  and  come- 
ly citizens  off  to  Babylon.  Jeremiah 
(52:28-30)  indicates  that  from  598 
B.C.  to  582  B.C.  about  5,000  people 
were  so  forcibly  relocated. 

Among  this  exiled  community  there 
existed  an  agony  of  ceaseless  longing 
for  return  to  Judah  and  Jerusalem  that 
expressed  itself  in  its  literature  and 
rituals.  Under  the  edict  of  Cyrus  of 
Persia  in  538  B.C.,  that  longing  for 
home  was  converted  into  an  exodus  of 
return.  The  prophetic  leadership  of  the 
exiled  community  understood  this  re- 
lease to  be  the  result  of  God's  decision 
that  Judah  had  been  punished  enough 
for  her  sin.  The  time  was  now  at  hand 
to  rejoice,  to  look  forward  with  great 
expectation  to  renewal.  The  chastised 
and  repentant  Judeans  could  once 
again  stand  in  God's  good  graces  in  the 
green,  green  fields  of  home. 

Many  Judeans  did  return,  and  by 
520  B.C.  reconstruction  of  the  temple 
had  begun.  However,  what  they  ex- 
pected did  not  immediately  materialize. 
Judah  was  still  dominated  by  other 
powers  and  subjected  to  guerrilla  raids 
from  desert  tribes  that  lived  in  the 
border  areas.  Internal  strife  and  con- 
fusion were  also  prevalent. 

In  spite  of  the  adversities,  the  pro- 
phetic leadership  of  the  Judeans  did 
not  abandon  the  hope  that  the  time 
would  come  when  God  would  bring 
liberty,  prosperity,  and  health  to 
Judah,  and  subsequently  through  God's 
people  to  all  men  everywhere. 
Through  the  suffering  and  restoration 
of  Judah  men  of  all  nations  would  be- 
come part  of  God's  kingdom. 

The  passage  in  which  the  gospel  of 
Luke  quotes  Jesus  states  this  hope  spe- 
cifically. It  reflects  the  expectation  that 
the  time  is  coming  when  God  will  free 
his  people  and  establish  them  in  their 
own  land  under  only  his  sovereignty. 


Thus  the  words  are  a  litany  of  hope. 
The  hope  was  for  something  tangible 
and  not  mystical:  political  self-determi- 
nation; freedom  from  poverty,  physical 
oppression,  and  captivity.  The  litany 
speaks  of  free  flesh  and  blood;  free  soil, 
water,  and  sky. 

This  hope  was  not  merely  a  wish.  It 
was  the  complete  confidence  that  God 
would  renew  and  restore  his  people.  It 
was  the  knowledge  that  the  people 
stood  in  God's  good  grace.  The  re- 
established nation  was  to  be  the  evi- 
dence of  the  renewed  covenant 
relationship  with  God. 

2.     No  Hebrew  body  and   soul 

Another  reason  for  the  conviction 
that  Jesus'  words  are  literal  and  figura- 
tive, and  to  be  socially  and  personally 
applied,  is  the  fact  that  Hebrew 
thought  recognized  no  such  separations 
as  we  try  to  suggest  with  the  words 
spirit  and  body.  Man  is  a  unity.  Flesh, 
body,  mind,  spirit,  and  emotion  are 
various  manifestations  of  the  same 
package. 

Therefore,  what  a  person  did,  that  is 
what  he  was.  What  he  did  was  what  he 
said.  One's  performance  revealed  his 
philosophy. 

Hebrew  thinkers  thought  it  impos- 
sible for  man's  relationship  to  God  and 
man's  relationship  to  man  to  be  con- 
tradictory. Thus  the  word  liberty  in 
the  text  refers  both  to  a  man's  mental 
condition  and  to  his  physical  condition. 
Sight  to  the  blind  means  healing  of  the 
eyes  in  the  head  and  mental  insight  as 
well. 

The  implications  of  this  philosophy 
applied  to  the  historical  situation  of  the 
Judeans  make  it  doubly  convincing 
that  what  was  hoped  for  by  the  author 
of  the  Isaiah  61  text  was  not  merely 
nonmaterial,  nonphysical,  personal, 
and  intangible,  but  tangible,  physical, 
material,  and  social. 


3.    Jesus  was  the   incarnation 

A  third  reason  for  my  conviction 
that  Jesus  meant  this  passage  to  be  un- 
derstood theologically  and  sociological- 
ly, personally  and  socially,  is  the  faith 
that  Jesus  was  what  historic  doctrine 
has  called  the  incarnation.  Over  the 
centuries  this  faith  has  caused  the 
church  to  resist  any  attempt  to  diminish 
the  humanity  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  He 
was  born  of  woman  (Luke  2:7) ;  he 
was  hungry  (Matthew  4:20) ;  he  wept 
(John  11:35).  He  experienced  disap- 
pointment and  despair  (Matthew 
27 :  42 ) .  He  was  a  real,  honest-to-God, 
flesh-and-blood  human  being. 

The  Church  has  also  insisted  that 
this  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  the  Christ 
and  has  resisted  any  attempts  to  dimin- 
ish his  divinity.  He  was  God  as  man, 
the  incarnation.  He  was  the  Word  be- 
come flesh  (John  1:14);  the  revelation 
of  God  himself  (John  1:18).  He  was 
the  physical  presence  of  the  heretofore 
unseen  creator  and  convenanter. 

Jesus  Christ  was  God's  love  in  hu- 
man form.  He  was  forgiveness  experi- 
enced in  personal  encounter.  The  in- 
carnation itself  affirms  that  no  word  of 
God  can  be  divorced  from  God's  ac- 
tion. Every  doctrine  is  exhibited  in  the 
world  of  flesh,  soil,  water,  and  air. 

The  deeds  of  Jesus  as  proclaimed  by 
the  church  also  support  the  conviction 
that  Luke  4:18-19  speak  both  personal 
and  social  implications. 

He  fed  the  hungry  and  healed  the 
sick  (Matthew  14: 13,  Matthew  9:35). 
He  healed  a  paralytic  by  forgiving  the 
man's  sins  (Matthew  9:2).  His  "spiri- 
tual" ministry  cannot  be  separated 
from  his  "service"  ministry.  The  first 
gospel  relates  that  Jesus  went  about 
"preaching  the  gospel  of  the  kingdom 
and  healing  every  disease  and  every 
infirmity  (Matthew  9:35). 

Many  Biblical  literalists  prove  the 
divinity  of  Jesus  by  citing  his  service 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     23 


HOPE  AND  SOCIAL  ORDER  /  continued 


ministry.  It,  his  deathi,  and  his  resur- 
rection, are  the  evidence  for  them  that 
his  words  are  authentic  and  authorita- 
tive. His  deeds  verify  his  words. 

The  next  step  is  easy.  If  his  deeds 
verify  his  words,  then  his  words  cannot 
be  only  metaphoric,  suggestive  of  some 
ethereal  covenant  with  God  not  made 
real  in  man's  relationship  with  other 
men. 

He  did  what  he  said.  What  he  said 
was  what  he  did.  He  set  his  words  to 
the  music  of  action. 

As  the  Word  became  flesh  and  dwelt 
among  us  in  the  person  of  Jesus,  so 
discipleship  is  evidenced  in  the  flesh 
and  blood  world  by  its  deeds.  What 
Christ  has  done  and  still  does  we  are 
also  commissioned  to  do. 

4.    The  new  age 

One  last  reason  I  am  convinced  that 
the  text  has  both  literal,  or  social, 
and  metaphoric,  or  personal,  implica- 
tions, is  found  in  the  New  Testament's 
picture  of  the  new  age  (Luke  18:30, 
Hebrews  6:5).  In  Romans  8  (19ff.) 
the  apostle  Paul  applies  what  we  call 
salvation  to  the  whole  creation,  and 
indicates  that  salvation  is  not  limited 
to  mankind.  The  purpose  of  Christ's 
ministry  goes  beyond  humanity  to  the 
whole  created  order.  "The  creation 
itself  will  be  set  free  from  its  bondage 
to  decay  and  obtain  the  glorious  liberty 
of  the  children  of  God"  (8:21).  What 
we  anticipate  at  the  end  of  our  lives  is 
ultimately  meant  to  extend  to  all  of 
creation,  the  world  of  stuff  and  things. 

In  his  Corinthian  correspondence 
Paul  speaks  of  the  resurrection  in  very 
tangible  and  objective  terms.  The  res- 
urrection is  not  to  be  merely  mystical 
and  ethereal.  The  whole  creation  is 
involved  in  the  experience  of  renewal 
(1  Corinthians  15:35ff.).  This  the 
Revelation  calls  the  new  heaven  and 
new  earth  (21: 1). 


When  the  historical  setting  of  Isaiah 
61:1-2,  Hebrew  philosophy's  view  that 
man  is  a  unity  and  not  a  duality,  the 
incarnation,  Jesus'  life  and  work,  his 
instructions  to  the  church,  and  the  New 
Testament  expectation  for  a  really  new 
creation  are  all  considered,  it  is  difficult 
for  me  to  conclude  other  than  that 
Jesus'  words  to  his  fellow  townsmen 
apply  not  only  to  man's  heart,  or  per- 
sonally, as  we  have  traditionally  said. 
They  apply  also  to  man's  actions 
toward  other  men,  or  socially.  Liberty, 
vision,  and  prosperity  are  not  just 
mental  attitudes.  They  are  conditions 
God  intends  man  sensuously  to  experi- 
ence. 

This  means  that  the  passage  upon 
which  our  attention  was  originally 
focused  carmot  be  made  to  apply  only 
to  the  nonsensuous  world  anymore 
than  thought  and  action  can  be  di- 
vorced. Jesus  anticipated  personal  re- 
newal but  not  personal  renewal  disas- 
sociated from  the  world  of  stuff  and 
things.  What  he  proclaimed  anticipates 
new  persons  and  a  new  social  order. 

The  passage  is  an  aria  of  hope  that 
voices  the  qualities  God  intends  to  be 
exhibited  in  mankind  and  in  that  new 
social  order.  As  those  who  are  called 
to  be  his  disciples  we  are  commissioned 
to  sing  this  aria  of  hope.  We  are  to  be 
film  clips  of  coming  attractions,  the 
vision  of  that  which  God  intends  for  all 
men. 

We  are  to  proclaim  that  liberty, 
vision,  and  prosperity  are  characteris- 
tics of  the  new  creation  God  intends  by 
revealing  those  characteristics  in  that 
part  of  society  in  which  we  live.  We 
are  called  to  affect  that  society,  and 
witness  to  it,  with  our  words  and  with 
actions  that  fit  the  words. 

Some  of  the  finest  proclamations  of 
the  implications  of  hope  and  its  appli- 
cation to  the  social  order  our  century 
has  yet  heard  are  found  in  the  speeches 


of  Martin  Luther  King  Jr.  On  August 
28,  1963,  in  the  Civil  Rights  March  on 
Washington,  D.C.,  he  said:  "I  have  a 
dream  that  one  day  on  the  red  hills  of 
Georgia  the  sons  of  former  slaves  and 
the  sons  of  former  slaveowners  will  be 
able  to  sit  down  together  at  the  table 
of  brotherhood.  .  .  . 

"I  have  a  dream  that  one  day  every 
valley  shall  be  exalted,  every  hUl  and 
mountain  shall  be  made  low,  the  rough 
places  will  be  made  plain,  and  the 
crooked  places  will  be  made  straight, 
and  the  glory  of  the  Lord  shall  be  re- 
vealed and  all  flesh  shall  see  it  together. 

"This  is  our  hope.  With  this  faith  we 
will  be  able  to  hew  out  of  the  mountain 
of  despair  a  stone  of  hope.  With  this 
faith  we  will  be  able  to  work  together, 
pray  together,  struggle  together,  go  to 
jail  together,  stand  up  for  freedom  to- 
gether, knowing  that  we  will  be  free  one 
day.  .  . ." 

Jesus  said,  "The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is 
upon  me,  because  he  has  anointed  me 
to  preach  good  news  to  the  poor.  He 
has  sent  me  to  proclaim  release  to  the 
captives  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the 
blind,  to  set  at  liberty  those  who  are 
oppressed,  to  proclaim  the  acceptable 
year  of  the  Lord." 

These  words  were  a  vision  of  Man 
freed  from  the  power  of  sin.  It  is  my 
conviction  that  these  words  were  also 
a  vision  of  that  Man's  responsibility  to 
other  men.  They  were  also  a  vision  of 
the  world  that  is  to  come.  As  Jesus  was 
not  bound  by  the  structure  and  limita- 
tions of  his  day,  as  Jesus  brought  the 
new  life  into  the  first  century,  so  the 
risen  Christ  of  God  calls  his  disciples 
today  to  live  as  if  the  expected  tomor- 
row were  already  here,  that  day  when 
"the  kingdom  of  this  world  has  become 
the  kingdom  of  Christ"  (Revelation 
1 1 : 1 5 ) ,  that  day  for  which  we  hope 
when  we  pray,  "Come,  Lord  Jesus" 
(Revelation  22:20).   D 


24     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


day  by  day 


pL,lviNG  IN  AN  AGE  when  nothing  seems  to  hold  still,  we  must 
constantly  remind  ourselves  that  there  is  stability  in  our 
world.  These  two  weeks  our  day-by-day  activities  will 
center  around  lessons  on  stability. 

Select  a  landmark  in  your  community  which  reflects 
the  stability  of  the  community.  Examples  for  our  landmark 
would  be  as  follows:  in  the  Midwest  grain  elevators  dot 
the  countryside  and  can  be  seen  for  miles  around.  In  the 
more  mountainous  regions  are  large  reservoirs  where  rivers 
and  streams  are  checked  to  stop  flooding  conditions.    A 


large,  stately,  magnificent  building  might  also  serve  as  a 
landmark. 

The  landmark  for  our  family  is  a  man-made  star  which 
towers  over  the  beautiful  Roanoke  Valley  of  Virginia. 
When  our  family  moved  to  Roanoke,  the  star  was  one  of 
the  very  first  things  that  we  saw.  Erected  in  1949  by  the 
Merchants'  Association,  it  stands  100  feet  high  atop  Mill 
Mountain  at  the  southeast  edge  of  the  city. 

The  landmark  you  select  for  your  community  should 
constantly  remind  you  of  God's  steadfast  love,  constant 
judgment,  and  honest  justice.  By  being  a  part  of  God's 
great  economy,  we  realize  our  responsibilities  and  obliga- 
tions to  be  good  citizens  and  to  witness  to  all  people  of  a 
consistency  in  our  own  judgments  and  certainly  in  our 
concept  of  justice.    Oiu"  children  will  learn  from  us  in  our 


daily  witness  an  appreciation  for  the  stable  and  constant 
application  of  our  energies,  and  they  will  learn  from  us 
an  appreciation  for  the  greatness  of  God's  stability.  Almost 
every  case  of  violent  activity,  be  it  murder  or  plundering 
of  property,  can  with  some  measure  of  consistency  be  traced 
to  an  unstable  home  and  childhood. 

Suggested  activities 

1.  Take  a  field  trip  to  the  landmark  which  you  select, 
making  sure  that  the  children  learn  something  of  its  histori- 
cal significance  and  the  purpose  which  it  serves.  Talk  about 
how  it  is  so  important  in  its  construction  that  it  has  stood 
there  these  many  years  and  vdll  stand  for  many  years  to 
come. 

2.  If  the  landmark  is  in  close  view  of  the  house,  take 
frequent  walks  during  these  two  weeks  to  a  spot  where  it 
can  be  seen.  On  these  frequent  excursions  you  can  have 
constant  and  frequent  reminders  of  the  stability  of  your 
community  and  God's  abiding  stability. 

3.  Have  a  family  discussion  on  how  God  is  constant  in 
the  rules  and  laws  which  govern  this  world;  how  he  created 
all  these  things  and  set  them  into  being  and  continues  to 
sustain  them.  Also  talk  about  what  punishments  we  bring 
upon  ourselves  by  trying  to  short-cut  God's  laws  or  by  trying 
to  assume  for  ourselves  our  own  private  way  without  think- 
ing about  that  which  will  be  abiding. 

4.  Memorize  the  following  snowflake  prayer,  and  repeat 
it  either  privately  when  you  see  the  landmark  or  as  a  family 
in  your  common  activities : 

Lord,  here  in  the  grandeur  of  this 

place,  help  me  to  know  that  there 

is  really  strength  and  justice  in  our 

world.    Make  me  a  witness  for  decent  action 

and  your  peace.   Amen.  —  Ruth  and  Eldon 

SfflNGLETON 

DAILY  READING  GUIDE      September    13-26 

Sunday     Psalm    19:1-4.     God's   everlasting   voice   Is   heard. 

Monday     Psalm  19:7-9.    The  testimony  of  the  Lord  is  sure. 

Tuesday     Psalm  25:1-6.    The  Lord's  mercy  and   kindness  is  known. 

Wednesday     Psalm  28:1-7.    Our  strength  is  renew/ed. 

Thursday    Psalm   29.    The   majesty  of  the  Lord  is  in  this  grandeur. 

Friday     Galatians   5:1-6.    Abiding   faith    brings   true    liberty. 

Saturday     Galatians   5:22-26.    These   characteristics   are   permanent. 

Sunday     Psalm  8.    The  psalmist  speaks  of  the  Lord's  majesty. 

Monday      1    Kings   6:11.    The   great   temple    illustrates    God's    steadfastness. 

Tuesday     Genesis  8:20-22.    The  earth  is  stable  and   dependable. 

Wednesday     1    John  1:5-10.    He  is  faithful   and   just. 

Thursday     Amos  5:23-24.    Justice  and  righteousness  never  cease. 

Friday     Revelation  19:l-2a.    His  judgments  are  true  and  just. 

Saturday     2  Corinthians  1 1:29-30.    God's  strength  can  overcome  our  w/eakness. 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     25 


Is  the  Task 
to  Build 
aChurch? 

by  JOEL  K.  THOMPSON 


His  name  is  Fumitaka  Matsuoka.  His 
parents  are  Japanese.  Their  religion  is 
Buddhist.  His  father-in-law  is  current- 
ly serving  a  pastorate  in  Michigan. 

Matsu,  as  he  is  called  by  friends,  is  a 
McPherson  College  and  Bethany  Sem- 
inary graduate.  An  ordained  minister 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  he  and 
his  wife  Charlotte  are  two  of  the  most 
recent  Church  of  the  Brethren  mission- 
aries to  begin  work  in  Indonesia. 

His  task  —  to  teach  in  a  theological 
school  in  Ambon,  to  help  train  pastors 
for  the  work  of  Christ  in  the  Church  of 
the  Moluccas.  That  is,  he,  along  with 
Indonesian  colleagues,  will  be  aiding  in 
the  building  of  Christ's  church. 

It  sounds  so  simple,  but  the  place- 
ment of  Matsu  was  not  a  simple  mat- 
ter. When  the  Ambonese  church  of- 
ficers and  staff  received  my  letter  indi- 
cating the  Church  of  the  Brethren  was 
prepared  to  appoint  Matsu  and  Char- 
lotte for  service,  they  spent  three  days 
discussing  the  matter.  Their  first  reac- 
tion was  one  of  disbelief,  I'm  told. 

"Mr.  Thompson  has  taught  here," 
they  said.  "He  knows  how  our  people 
feel  about  'orang  Nippon'  —  about 
'Japanese'  —  who  established  a  slave 
labor  camp  on  Ambon  during  World 
War  II  and  who,  upon  arrival,  system- 
atically killed  our  pastors  and  other 
church  leaders.  It  has  to  be  a  mis- 
take." 

But  as  the  discussion  continued,  the 
church's  staff  began  to  say,  "After 
twenty-five  years,  it  is  time  we  dealt 
with  the  problem  of  reconciliation  be- 
tween Ambonese  and  Japanese.  For  the 
sake  of  the  church,  as  a  witness  to  the 

26     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


brotherhood  of  man  through  Christ 
Jesus,  we  must  welcome  this  teacher  if 
we  are  to  be  the  chiurch." 

And  so,  the  Ambonese  church  did 
invite  a  Japanese  member  of  an  Ameri- 
can church  to  be  a  teacher  and  a  col- 
league. A  missionary  and  a  brother. 

Just  as  the  Ambonese  are  struggling 
with  what  it  means  to  be  a  reconciling 
church,  so  are  we  struggling  with  what 
should  be  our  denomination's  role  in 
building  the  worldwide  church  of  Jesus 
Christ. 

Fifteen  years  ago,  at  the  Annual 
Conference  of  1955  in  Grand  Rapids, 
Michigan,  a  policy  statement  was 
adopted.  We  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  charting  the  course  of  our 
mission  program  and  the  establishment 
of  indigenous  churches,  said,  "An 
indigenous  church  is  not  only  self- 
supporting,  self-propagating,  and  self- 
governing,  but  also  . .  .  identifies  itself 
with  the  culture  where  it  is  located." 

We  were,  I  believe,  guided  by  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  decided  it  would  be 
"our  policy  to  encourage  these  new 
churches  to  assume  financial  and  ad- 
ministrative responsibility  for  their 
churches  as  rapidly  as  possible."  We 
also  said,  "In  order  that  they  may 
make  a  more  effective  witness  ...  we 
encourage  them  to  affiliate  with  the 
overall  Protestant  church  in  their  re- 
spective areas." 

^he  adoption  of  that  forward  look- 
ing statement  was  a  sound  decision. 
And  in  1965  it  allowed  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  to  become  a  sister  church 
of  the  Evangelical  United  Church  of 
Ecuador.  After  seventy-five  years  of 
careful  church  development  and  matu- 
ration, it  is  this  policy  which  has  pro- 
vided the  base  for  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  India  to  choose  to  become 
a  part  of  the  Church  of  North  India. 


Some  in  our  Brotherhood  are  con- 
cerned when  they  hear  of  such  develop- 
ments. I'm  not.  I  rejoice  that  the 
Church  of  Christ  is  alive,  growing,  and 
vital  to  those  who  are  a  part  of  it. 
What  matters  is  that  Christ  has  been 
born  in  them  and  that  they  are  in  part- 
nership with  him  in  the  building  of  his 
church! 

You  know,  we  Brethren  are  a  New 
Testament  people  who  attempt  to  prac- 
tice a  New  Testament  discipleship.  We 
know  well  Matthew  5,  6,  and  7.  Mat- 
thew 25.  Luke  4.  The  Gospel  of  John 
and  Romans  12.  The  letters  to  the 
Corinthians.  We  like  and  we  under- 
stand the  heart  and  life-style  of  the 
author  of  James.  He  was  a  "Brethren." 

But  we  spend  little  time,  very  little 
time,  with  the  birthday  of  the  church 
passage  of  Acts  2.  Maybe  it  is  because 
we've  never  really  been  pentecostal. 
For  that  matter,  we  find  it  difficult  to 
be  Quakers,  waiting  in  silence  for  the 
movement  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  our 
midst.  I  know,  we  have  confessed  be- 
lief in  the  Holy  Spirit.  But,  think  for  a 
minute,  "Have  we  as  a  people  really 
believed  that  God  was  at  work  in  the 
midst  of  a  people  in  Nigeria  before 
missionaries  arrived?" 

Well,  he  was!  And  the  missionaries 
simply  introduced  persons  to  that  fact. 
They  did  not  take  Christ  from  here  to 
there.  They  simply  introduced  persons 
to  the  Christ  already  at  work  in  their 
midst.  And  when  Nigerians  or  Indians 
or  Ecuadorians  responded,  they  re- 
sponded in  their  own  way  —  their  own 
language  —  their  own  tongues. 

That's  the  story  of  Pentecost!  They 
heard  in  their  own  language!  So,  in 
some  parts  of  Africa  today  it  is  not 
unleavened  bread  and  grape  juice  but 
field  bananas  and  sweet  beer  at  the 
communion  table  because  that  is  what 
is  most  meaningful  to  those  who  sit  at 
the  Lord's  table  and  participate  in  the 


remembrance  of  his  blood  and  his 
body. 

Is  the  task  to  build  A  church?  Yes! 
Christ's  church.  And  the  form  of  that 
church  is  different  in  Ephrata,  and 
Pleasant  Hill,  and  Marshalltown,  and 
Twin  Falls,  and  Mubi,  and  Dahanu 
Road,  and  Ambon,  and  Llano  Grande. 
But  it  is  his  church  —  our  church,  for 
we  are  one  family  in  Christ  and  we 
build  together. 

Is  the  task  to  build  A  church?  Yes, 
and  so  this  past  year  in  order  to  build 
the  church,  your  World  Ministries 
Commission  staff  has  placed  a  Breth- 
ren teacher  in  the  Philippines  and  a 
teacher  in  Iran,  both  sponsored  by 
United  Church  of  Christ  funds.  A 
couple  was  placed  in  the  Congo  under 
Disciples  of  Christ  auspices.  In  Kenya, 
the  Millers,  supported  by  the  Quakers, 
will  be  teaching  in  a  seminary. 

In  the  Congo  another  couple  are  be- 
ing placed  for  us  by  the  Mennonites. 
In  Bolivia  it  is  the  Methodists  who  sup- 
port our  workers.  In  Nigeria,  we  are 
asking  the  Mennonites  to  obtain  visas 
for  two  couples  for  us. 

Is  the  task  to  build  the  church?  Yes, 
Christ's  church.  And  that  is  why  there 
are  still  Brethren  missionaries  who 
work  in  Ecuador.  They  are  supported 
by  your  monies.  There  are  still  Breth- 
ren who  serve  in  India.  But  the  day  is 
coming  when  Brethren  will  need  to 
decide  if  they  will  support  the  contin- 
ued growth  of  Christ's  church  through 
the  support  of  a  Mexican  Methodist 
teacher  in  Ecuador,  an  Indonesian 
youth  worker  in  India,  an  Egyptian 
Coptic  medical  doctor  in  Nigeria. 

If  the  task  is  to  build  our  denomina- 
tion by  overseas  growth,  we'll  have 
problems.  But,  if  our  task  is  to  help 
build  his  church,  then  let's  get  at  it  by 
joining  hands  with  those  who  are  eager 
to  get  the  job  done  and  ask  God's 
blessing  on  the  task  which  is  before  us. 


ACHIEVEMENT  September   1970 

Get  the  WORD  around.    That  is  what  the  Brethren  are  trying  to 
do  through  such  ministries  as: 

Pastoral  support  for  smaller  churches 

Development  of  study  materials 

Scholarship  aid  for  training  of  overseas  national  leaders 

Brethren  Volunteer  Service 

Efforts  at  racial  and  social  justice 

Leadership  in  evangelism  and  resources  for  new  approaches 

Group  training  in  personhood,  discipleship,  churchmanship 
The  Achievement  Offering  is  an  opportunity  to  make  an  extra  gift 
to  the  Brotherhood  Fund  which  supports  the  above  ministries  and 
many  more  besides.  Your  generous  response  is  needed.  Please 
send  your  contribution  today! 


Amount   $_ 


Name    _ 
St./RFD 
City 


State 


Zip 


Congregation 
District    


(Please  enclose  this  form  with  your  gift  and  send  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board, 
1451    Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120) 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     27 


REVffiWS  /  MOVIES 


Catch-22 


Not  often  in  the  world  of  art  do  four 
distinct  talents  coalesce  their  individual 
insights  into  a  creative  whole.  Happily, 
ill  Catch-22,  Joseph  Heller's  original 
frantic  world  view  has  been  captured  on 
paper  by  screenwriter  Buck  Henry,  pic- 
torialized  by  director  Mike  Nichols,  and 
personalized  by  Alan  Arkin  as  Yossarian. 
Catch-22  is  not  a  great  movie  —  for  it 
contains  some  definite  flaws  —  but  it  is 
a  very  good  film. 

It  is  important  to  realize  that  Catch-22 
is  not  really  an  antiwar  film.  As  a  novel 
Catch-22  is  closer  to  J.  R.  R.  Tolkien, 
Lewis  Carroll,  and  even  Jonathan  Swift 

—  creating  a  consistent  universe  out  of  a 
fantasy  life  which  touches  base  at  several 
points  with  our  understanding  of  reality 

—  than  it  is  to  a  book  like  From  Here  to 
Eternity.  As  a  film  Catch  22  is  perhaps 
more  comparable  with  If  .  .  .  than  with 
M*A*S*H  or  other  antiwar   films. 

Heller's  setting  is  an  air  force  squadron 
in  the  Italian  theater  of  World  War  II. 
Yossarian,  determined  to  be  grounded,  is 
confronted  by  the  ubiquitous  "catch-22," 
which  runs  something  like  this:  "You're 
crazy  to  fly  these  missions.  I  can  ground 
you  if  you're  crazy.  But  to  be  grounded 
you  have  to  come  and  ask  to  be 
grounded.   But  if  you  ask  to  be  grounded 


you  must  not  be  crazy.  TTierefore,  I  can't 
ground  you."   That's  catch-22. 

This  kind  of  sophistic  logic  occurs 
throughout  and  provides  the  nucleus  for 
Heller's  universe.  Catch-22  reaches  its 
apex  when  Yossarian  is  arrested  for  being 
AWOL  while  in  the  same  room  with 
Aardvark  (Chuck  Grodin),  who  has  just 
murdered  an  Italian  girl. 

Nichols  begins  his  film  with  Yos- 
sarian's  capitulation  to  Colonel  Cath- 
cart's  deal  to  send  him  home  —  a  deal 
the  audience  does  not  hear  because  of 
omnipresent  airplane  noise.  Believing 
himself  to  be  free  at  last,  Yossarian  is 
knifed,  and  in  fantasy-memory  goes  back 
to  the  death  he  witnessed  of  a  young 
gunner,  Snowden  —  an  event  to  which 
the  movie  keeps  returning  as  the  crystal- 
izing  moment  in  Yossarian's  world. 

All  this  does  not  come  clear  until  the 
penultimate  scene  in  which  we  are 
brought  back  to  that  deal  and  this  time 
can  hear  it.  The  film's  structural  uni- 
verse thus  has  the  appearance  of  a  closed 
circle.  However,  Yossarian  finally  breaks 
the  circle  in  a  last,  mad  act,  which,  in 
the  twisted  logic  of  this  universe,  is 
acutely  sane  because  the  obviously  in- 
sane Orr  has  used  it  as  his  successful 
bid  for  freedom. 


Available  again  after  60  years! 

INOLENOOK  COOK  BOOK- 1911  edillon 

Over   1400  cherished   recipes  of  Dunker  sisters. 


Please  send copies  of  the  INGLENOOK  COOK 

BOOK   at  $3.95   per  copy   plus  postage   (35c  for  one 
copy;  5c  per  dollar  thereafter). 

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CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN   GENERAL  OFFICES 
1451    Dundee  Avenue   •   Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


In  between  these  ends  of  the  circle 
Nichols  has  included  much  of  the  mad- 
cap humor  from  the  book  which  grows 
from  the  increasingly  frustrated  panic  of 
too  many  catch-22s.  These  include  bril- 
liantly furmy  vignettes  such  as  Yossarian 
impersonating  a  dying  son  (the  real  one 
is  already  dead)  for  a  family  who  has 
come  from  New  York  to  see  him,  and 
Yossarian  receiving  a  medal  from  Gen- 
eral Dreedle  completely  naked. 

There  are  also  quite  serious  moments 
of  death  and  despair  and  gore,  culminat- 
ing in  Yossarian's  walk  through  a  Dan- 
tesque  hell  in  the  streets  of  the  Italian 
town.  Nichols  moves  from  humor  to  de- 
spair and  back  in  a  well-modulated  pace. 

Unfortunately,  Nichols  has  flawed  his 
direction  by  a  brief,  unnecessary  nude 
scene  in  a  fantasy  sequence,  by  garish 
white  lighting  in  the  fantasy-memory 
scenes,  and  most  significantly  by  seem- 
ingly interpolated  scenes  involving  Nurse 
Duckett  (Paula  Prentiss),  Major  Major 
(Bob  Newhart),  and  General  Dreedle 
(Orson  Welles),  which  spoil  the  movie's  | 
pace. 

But  the  film's  strength  lies  in  carefully 
delineated  and  acted  characterizations 
which  make  each  individual  (except  the 
above  three)  believable  given  the  context 
of  Heller's  universe.  Martin  Balsam  is 
obsequious  and  greedy  as  Colonel  Cath- 
cart.  Buck  Henry  is  cruel  to  inferiors 
and  simpering  to  superiors  as  Colonel 
Korn.  Robert  Balaban  gives  the  right 
degree  of  sanity-insanity  to  Captain  Orr. 

Anthony  Perkins  is  a  cowardly  though 
good-hearted  Chaplain  Tappman.  Rich- 
ard Benjamin  is  a  bantering  Major  Dan- 
by.  Art  Garfunkel  nicely  underplays  the 
naive  Nately.  Jack  Gilford  is  properly 
balmy  as  Doc  Daneeka.  And  Jon  Voight 
gives  an  excellent  performance  as  the 
entrepreneurial  Milo. 

Catch-22,  though  flawed,  is  one  of  the 
most  important  films  of  the  year.  By 
creating  and  sustaining  a  universe  of 
frustrated  insanity  it  becomes  a  product 
of  an  emerging  counterculture  which  im- 
pinges upon  our  sane-insame  "real" 
world.  —  Dave    Pomeroy 


28     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


FOR  LESSONS 
WELL-TAUGHT 


THERE'S  NO  OTHER  WAY 

Ernest  Fitzgerald.  Find  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  the 
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WHAT'S  GOOD  ABOUT  GOD? 

Hoover  Rupert.  In  terms  realistic  and  understandable 
for  the  man  of  today.  Dr.  Rupert  defines  the  basic 
tenets  of  Christian  doctrine  and  presents  a  working 
theology  for  a  Christian  life.  $4.50 

THE  CHRISTIAN  RESPONSE 
TO  THE  SEXUAL  REVOLUTION 

David  R.  Mace  clarifies  ideas  about  the  role  of  sex 
in  a  Christian  life.  He  examines  the  biblical  refer- 
ences to  sex  and  the  real  effect  of  the  sexual  revolu- 
tion on  most  people's  lives.  Paper,  $  1 .75 

THE  RECONSTRUCTION  OF  THE 
CHURCH— ON  WHAT  PATTERN? 

E.  Stanley  Jones,  world  missionary,  bases  his  bril- 
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eral union  to  the  benefit  of  all  churches.  $4.95 

THE  INTERNATIONAL 
LESSON  ANNUAL,  1971 

Ed.  by  Horace  R.  Weaver.  Lesson  analysis  by 
Charles  M.  Laymon.  Based  on  the  International 
Sunday  School  Lessons.  A  commentary  for  each 
Sunday  from  January  through  August,  1971. 
$3.25 

DEATH  IS  ALL  RIGHT 

Glenn  H.  Asquith  speaks  in  compassionate,  yet 
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a  reinvigorated  view  of  life.  $2.50 


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9-10-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Juniata  College  campus  minister  Rob- 
ert Fa  us  has  accepted  a  post  with  the 
United  Ministries  in  Higher  Education 
at  Wichita,  Kansas,  University.  He  began 
his  new  work  Sept.  1.  .  .  .  Warren  F. 
Groff,  dean  of  Bethany  Theological  Sem- 
inary, met  in  August  at  Geneva,  Switzer- 
land, with  the  executive  committee  of 
the  faith  and  order  commission  of  the 
World  Council  of  Churches. 

Pennsylvania's  Historical  Society  an- 
nounces a  1973  publication  date  for  a 
doctoral  dissertation  by  Marlin  L.  Heck- 
man,  librarian  at  Bethany  Seminary.  The 
paper  studies  Abraham  Harley  Cassel,  a 
nineteenth-century  American  book  col- 
lector. 

^     ^     ^     ^     ^ 

Our  congratulations  go  to  two  couples 
marking  their  golden  wedding  anni- 
versaries: Mr.  and  Mrs.  Eld  ridge  Shock- 
ey,  Fayetteville,  W.  Va.;  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  David  W.  Weir,  Lonacoming,  Md. 
.  .  .  Other  couples  celebrating  wedding 
anniversaries  include  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alex- 
ander Hetrick,  Hanover,  Pa.,  fifty-one; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  E.  Travis,  Defiance, 
Ohio,  sixty-seven.  .  .  .  Two  couples  are 
observing  sixty-third  anniversaries:  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fred  Strofim,  Modesto,  Calif.; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  George  Masters, 
Johnson  City,  Tenn. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

Two  members  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  have  been  ordained  and  one 
licensed  recently.  Edith  Cosner  Griffith 
was  ordained  at  the  Coulson  church. 
Southern  Virginia,  where  her  husband 
will  be  pastor;  and  George  Snyder,  new- 
ly graduated  from  Ashland  Seminary, 
Ashland,  Ohio,  was  ordained  at  his  home 
church,  the  Twenty-Eighth  Street  church, 
Altoona,  Pa.  .  .  .  Edward  Callahan, 
student  at  Virginia  Western  College,  was 
licensed  at  First  Virginia's  Blue  Ridge 
church. 

Nigeria  missionary  Elvis  Cayford  has 
assumed  an  interim  pastorate  at  the 
Cajon  Valley  congregation  in  California. 

30     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


.  .  .  Northern  Indiana's  English  Prairie 
congregation  welcomed  as  its  new  pastor 
Floyd  Emrick,  who  resigned  from  his 
pastorate  at  the  White  Cottage  church 
in  Southern  Ohio. 

College  professor  Dale  Young  has  ac- 
cepted an  interim  part-time  pastorate  at 
the  First  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Akron, 
Ohio.  .  .  .  Another  college  faculty  mem- 
ber, James  E.  Weaver,  who  has  served 
as  librarian  at  McPherson,  Kansas,  col- 
lege, has  gone  to  a  pastorate  at  the  Ger- 
mantown  Brick  church  in  the  District  of 
Southern  Virginia. 

Caroline  Hazard  began  her  work  in 
August  as  director  of  religious  education 
at  the  Olympia,  Wash.,  church  in  the 
Pacific  Northwest  Conference.  .  .  . 

Beginning  a  new  pastoral  post  this 
month  was  Roy  Stern,  who  went  to  the 
Pontiac,  Mich.,  congregation  from  the 
East  Nimishillen  church  in  Northern 
Ohio. 

Accepting  the  call  of  a  yoked  parish 
was  Terry  Hatfield,  who  left  the  Batavia 
church  in  Illinois  for  his  new  post  with 
the  Bethany/ Rockingham  parish  in  Mis- 
souri. .  .  .  K.  Dean  Huntley  has  begun 
a  part-time  pastorate  at  the  Alliance 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Northern 
Ohio,  after  resigning  his  post  at  Kent, 
Ohio. 

Johnstown,  Pa.,  resident  Donald 
Hursh  has  accepted  pastoral  responsibil- 
ities for  the  yoked  parish  of  Center  and 
Middle  Creek  in  Western  Pennsylvania. 


SoiidiSGiia 


Sept.     12-13      District    conference,   Western    Penn- 
sylvania,   scattered    locations 
Sept.     18-19      District     conference.     West     Marva, 

Beaver  Run 
Sept.     18-20      District  conference,  Missouri, 

Rockingham 
Sept.   20      Brotherhood        Fund        achievement 
offering 
Sept.    25-26      District  conference.  Southern   Penn- 
sylvania, Codorus 
Oct.  4      Worldwide  Communion 
Oct.  9-10      District  conference,  Florida,  Georgia, 

and   Puerto  Rico,   Orlando 
Oct.  9-1 1       District    conference.    Pacific    South- 
west, Phoenix,  Ariz. 


.  .  .  Another  accepting  the  call  of  a  | 
yoked  parish  is  Edgar  Manges,  who 
went  this  month  to  the  Elk  Run/ Moscow 
congregation  in  the  Shenandoah  District 
of  Virginia.  He  had  been  pastoring  the 
Little  River  congregation  in  the  same  dis- 
trict. 


Licensed    minister    Andrew    Laslo    is 

serving  the  Leake's  Chapel  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  the  Shenandoah  District  of 
Virginia.  .  .  .  Having  retired  from  the 
full-time  pastoral  ministry,  Murray  Wag- 
ner Sr.  has  accepted  an  interim  part-time 
post  with  the  Wilmington,  Del.,  congre- 
gation in  the  North  Atlantic  District.  He 
was  pastor  of  the  Mechanic  Grove 
church  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania. 

POTPOURRI 

Special  music,  group  hymn  singing, 
and  a  history  of  the  congregation  will 
mark  the  125th  anniversary  of  the  Can- 
ton, III.,  church  Sept.  20,  1970.  District 
executive  secretary,  and  son  of  a  former 
pastor  of  the  Canton  congregation,  Carl 
Myers,  will  address  the  gathering.  .  .  . 
Dedicated  in  October  1870,  the  Union 
City  church.  Southern  Ohio  District,  will 
celebrate  its  100th  birthday  Sept.  20-27. 
Three  congregations  grew  out  of  the 
original  "mother  church":  Union  City, 
Poplar  Grove,  and  Pleasant  Valley.  All  I 
will  join  in  revival  services  and  will  re- 
turn to  the  site  of  the  mother  church 
Sept.  27  for  a  fellowship  meal  and  hymn 
singing. 

Four   Western    Plains   Church   of  the 
Brethren    congregations    cooperated    for 
the  ninth  year  in  sponsoring  a  coffee  and  |l 
cookie    stand    during    the    Labor    Day 
weekend.      Morrill,     Granada,     Sabetha,; 
and  Rock  Creek  churches  participated  in'i 
manning  the  stand,  set  up  at  the  junction  ,.i 
of  four  Kansas  highways. 

Delegates  to  First  Virginia's  District 
Conference,  listed  "communicating  the 
gospel  in  a  relevant  way  in  everyday  con- 
tact with  persons"  as  a  number  one  pri- 
ority for  the  church  in  the  seventies.  A 
questionnaire  asking  persons  to  help  set 


i 


priorities  for  district  work  listed  such 
concerns  as  "understanding  and  living  by 
highest  ethical  and  moral  values  as  seen 
in  Christ"  (cited  by  respondents  as  num- 
ber two)  and  "conservation  of  environ- 
mental factors  that  are  important  to 
life"  (number  nine).  Other  concerns  in- 
cluded improving  understanding  between 
the  generations,  youth  involvement  in 
district  functions,  and  studying  the  na- 
ture and  role  of  the  pastoral  ministry. 

The  United  Presbyterian  Board  of 
Christian  Education  has  announced  the 
publication  of  a  new  ecumenical  daily 
Idevotional  guide.  These  Days.  The  new 
guide  will  replace  devotional  magazines 
pf  the  Presbyterian  Church  (U.S.),  the 
[Presbyterian  Church  of  Canada,  and  the 
United  Church  of  Christ,  as  well  as  the 
United  Presbyterian's  Today.  The  first 
issue,  to  be  dated  January-February 
1971,  will  appear  in  November. 

DEATHS 

Baldner,    Laurence    N.,    Dallas    Center,    Iowa,    on 

June  5.    1970.  aged  63 
De  Vault,  Charles  W..  Union  City,  Ind.,  on  May 

1,    1970.    aged    85 
Firestone.    Emma.    Rockwood.    Pa.,    on    July    16, 

1970.   aged   88 
Howard.    Lemuel    J.,    Leeton.    Mo.,    on    Jan.     14 

1970,   aged  81 
Jenkins.    Harold    B.,    Jacksonville.    Fla..    on    Nov. 

12,    1969,   aged  64 
Jones,  Cora   F.,   Leeton,   Mo.,   on   April   29,    1970, 

aged  84 
Kemp,    Paul    William,    Dayton,    Ohio,    on    April 

18,   1970,  aged  72 
McDaniel,   Clyde  W.,   Johnstown,   Pa,,  on    March 

22,    1970,   aged  58 
Martin,    Jennie,    Greenville,    Ohio,    on    April    1, 

1970,   aged   81 
Martin,    Walter   B.,    Newville,    Pa,,    on    Dec.    12, 

1969,  aged  71 

Miller,   Mrs.  Russell,  North   Manchester,  Ind..  on 

April  23,   1970,  aged  84 
Moomaw,    Ella    Mae,    La   Verne,    Calif.,    on    Dec. 

1,    1969,    aged   81 
Moyer,  Margaret  Ellen,  Martinsburg,  Pa.,  on  May 

22,   1970,  aged  59 
Nason,    Elizabeth,    Kansas    City,    Kansas,   on    Jan. 

1970,  aged  91 
Neff,  Jacob  M.,  Ephrata,  Pa.,  on  Aug.    12.    1970, 

red  86 
Ober,    Ella,    Manheim,    Pa.,    on    April    15,    1970, 

ied  84 
Odgers,    Philip,    Cumberland,    Md.,    on    Jan.    16, 

1970,  aged  66 

O'Neille,  Bertha,  Cumberland,  Md,,  on  March  28, 

1970,   aged  67 
Owens,   Margaret  Via,  Nokesville,  Va.,  on  March 

24,  1970,  aged 'so 
Pefter,  Reuben  H.,  Ashland.  Ohio,  on  March  28, 

1970.  aged  82 


Reed,    Arthur    W..    Alpine,    Calif.,    on    April    19, 

1970,  aged  82 
Reed,    Frank,    Constantine,    Mich.,   on    March    11. 

1970,   aged   57 
Ringgold,   Carl   E.,   Bridgewater,  Va.,  on  Aug,   3, 

1970,   aged   54 
Roberson.   Clarence,   Bakersfield.   Calif.,    on   April 

15,   1970,  aged  57 
Roller,    J.    Elmer,    Harrisonburg,    Va.,    on    April 

18,    1970,   aged  85 
Sells,  Ralph,  Muskegon.  Mich.,  on  Feb.   22,   1970, 

aged   60 
Shirk,  Gertrude,  Ephrata,   Pa.,  on  May    16.    1970, 

aged  81 
Stubbs,  Jennie,  Richmond,  Ind.,  on  July   1,  1970, 

aged    85 
VVenger,  John,   Lebanon,   Pa.,  on  April    11,    1970, 

aged  65 
Wyles,  Elmer   H..   Martinsburg,    Pa.,   on   April    3, 

1970,  aged  86 

TRAINING  CONFERENCE 

Shenandoah  District  pastors,  youth, 
church  school  leaders  and  teachers,  and 
draft  counselors  will  be  among  partici- 
pants gathering  Saturday,  Sept.  12,  at 
Bridgewater  College  for  a  leadership 
training  conference. 

The  one-day  event,  sponsored  by  the 
district's  nurture  commission,  includes 
eight  interest  sections  as  well  as  a  pre- 
liminary address,  "Date  to  Care,"  by 
David  Rittenhouse,  pastor  of  the  Poca- 
hontas fellowship,  and  a  worship  service. 

For  choir  directors  of  preschool  and 
elementary  children,  pianists,  and  wor- 
ship committee  members,  techniques  for 
conducting  children's  choirs  will  be  of 
special  interest. 

The  section  on  incorporating  creative 
activities  with  the  Encounter  Series  will 
be  open  to  children's  directors  and  teach- 
ers of  elementary  and  kindergarten 
pupils. 

Other  section  topics:  background 
theology  for  Perspective  II,  Encounter 
Series;  draft  counseling;  national  and  in- 
ternational issues;  youth  in  the  70s;  crea- 
tive forms  of  worship,  and  teaching 
techniques  for  teachers  of  adults  and 
youth. 

Though  sections  have  been  planned  for 
designated  groups,  participants  may  select 
sections  which  interest  them  most. 

Registration  fee  for  the  conference  is 
50   cents  per  person. 

Dean  Neher  is  conference  director. 


.  .  .  the  real  Christmas  .  .  .  not 
Jingle  Bells,  but  the  carols  of 
the  Christ  Child  and  the  glory 
of  God's  gift  to  us  all  .  .  .  can 
now  be  yours,  for  the  Advent 
Season. 

The  real  message  of  Christmas 
has  been  captured  on  two 
ADVENT  SEASON  CASSETTE 
TAPE  recordings  from  The 
Upper  Room. 

Not  only  available  this  Advent 
Season  is  the  recording  of  The 
Upper  Room  daily  devotionals, 
but  also  a  special  undated 
tape  with  Christmas  music  and 
meditations  on  the  real  mean- 
ing of  Christmas  that  you  can 
use  and  en  joy  for  years  to  come. 
The  regular  two  month  (Nov.- 
Dec.)  cassettes  (two  tapes)  are 
$3.50;  the  special  Christmas 
cassette  is  $5.25. 

Also  espetlally  tor  Christmas — 

Three  Wise  Women 

of   the    cost  by  MARBL  BROWN 

Three  women  gain  new  mean- 
ing in  their  lives  by  giving  of 
themselves.  Intriguing,  and 
very  timely  for  Advent  and 
Christmas. 

This  booklet  makes  an  ideal 
gift  —  or  use  it  as  a  special 
Christmas  card  for  family  and 
friends.  Strikingly  beautiful 
blue  cover  with 
gold  stamping 
on  cover,  50^ 
each,  with 
matching  enve- 
lope. Ten  copies^ 
only  42<  each. 
Order  from 

THE  UPPER  ROOM 

1908  Grand  Ave. 
Nashville,  Tenn.  37203 


9-10-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


A  Parable  for  the  Start  of  the  Church  Year 


One  day  as  Jesus  stood  by  the  lakeside  he  noticed  two 
boats  at  the  edge  of  the  water.  They  obviously  belonged 
to  the  fishermen  who  were  wearily  washing  their  nets. 

The  men  appeared  to  be  tired  and  discouraged.  Jesus 
heard  them  talking  to  one  another.  "Here  it  is,"  they  said, 
"the  end  of  another  church  year,  and  what  do  we  have  to 
show  for  our  efforts?  Remember  how  we  began  last  Sep- 
tember? We  thought  we  had  the  perfect  organization  to 
bring  in  the  kingdom.  We  had  boards  and  committees, 
workshops  and  laboratories,  not  to  mention  printed  ma- 
terials and  films  and  tapes  and  recordings." 

Peter  said,  "I  was  confident  that  the  series  of  sermons 
I  prepared  on  basic  doctrines  would  make  a  difference. 
So  many  folks  came  around  afterwards  and  congratulated 
me  for  defending  the  faith.  But  I  don't  think  many  of  them 
remembered  what  they  heard.  Or  we  wouldn't  have  had 
so  much  bickering  over  things  that  don't  really  matter." 

John  said,  "Honestly,  the  devotional  materials  we  dis- 
tributed to  every  home  were  the  finest  we  could  obtain. 
Many  families  promised  to  use  them  regularly.  I  do  think 
they  helped  —  but  sometimes  I  wonder  just  how  much. 
Church  attendance  is  off  again.  And  we  are  far  from  reach- 
ing our  budget." 

James  said,  "You  all  know  how  much  I  expected  from 
the  counseling  series  we  arranged  with  the  man  from  the 
seminary.  Many  couples  signed  up  for  the  course  and 
others  joined  in  single  sessions.  But  the  pastor  tells  me  that 
we  have  more  marital  problems  than  ever  before,  and  he 
says  the  lack  of  understanding  between  teen-agers  and  their 
parents  affects  almost  every  family." 

Thomas  said,  "It  should  have  been  a  great  year  for 
discussions.  I  thought  there  was  a  real  spirit  of  openness 
and  frankness  in  the  forums  we  sponsored.  People  felt  free 
to  express  their  doubts  and  their  fears.  But  somehow  most 
of  us  were  satisfied  with  just  talking  about  issues.  I  feel  a 
general  sense  of  confusion,  and  frankly  I  don't  know  which 
is  the  best  way  to  go.  If  Peter  preaches  with  conviction, 
people  say  he's  too  dogmatic  or  authoritarian.  If  I  open 
a  discussion  up  wide  for  everyone  to  participate,  people  say 
they  are  bewildered." 

Judas  said,  "Our  stewardship  isn't  so  hot,  either.  We 
thought  we  had  a  budget  within  our  means,  but  we  won't 
make  it.  Personally  I  think  we  spend  too  much  money 
for  frills  —  like  fresh  flowers  each  Sunday  for  the  altar. 


We  ought  to  give  that  money  to  feed  the  poor.  And  we 
ought  to  have  some  funds  in  reserve.  But  people  just  don't 
give  sacrificially  anymore." 

Andrew  said,  "I  surely  thought  we  would  have  more 
volunteers  for  our  evangelism  campaign  after  we  played 
the  tape  of  Myron  Augsburger's  address  at  Conference. 
They  really  liked  what  he  said.  But  so  many  of  them  are 
busy  on  Sunday  afternoons." 

Simon  said,  "For  a  time  I  thought  we  had  an  experience 
of  real  involvement  in  our  peace  demonstrations,  but  they're 
too  controversial  for  some  —  and  too  tame  for  others. 
You  can  sign  up  a  delegation  to  go  to  Washington,  but  you 
can't  get  half  that  many  members  to  talk  to  their  neighbors 
about  peace." 

One  after  another  they  painted  a  discouraging  picture. 
They  blamed  the  news  media,  politicians,  entertainers, 
church  officials,  communism,  conservatism,  polarization  — 
as  if  these  were  all  demons  waiting  to  destroy  their  best 
efforts.  In  one  doleful  chorus  they  agreed,  "We  have  been 
working  hard  all  year  and  have  nothing  to  show  for  our 
pains." 

Then  Jesus  said,  "It's  time  you  stopped  hugging  the 
shore.    Put  out  into  deep  water." 

But  they  protested,  "We  must  be  prudent.  It's  risky 
out  there.  Suppose  we  went  under  completely;  then  what 
would  the  church  do?  We  have  important  values  to  pro- 
tect. And,  besides,  who  knows  what  to  expect  when  you 
get  beyond  familiar  landmarks?" 

Jesus  was  insistent.  "Put  out  into  the  deep  water. 
Take  some  risks  for  your  faith.  You'll  find  people  in  great 
need  of  all  you  have  to  offer  —  sermons,  discussions,  dol- 
lars, flowers,  demonstrations,  prayers,  and  counseling. 

"But  you  must  learn  to  live  dangerously.  Be  prepared 
to  lose  quite  a  bit  for  the  sake  of  the  kingdom  —  safety, 
comfort,  financial  security,  good  reputation,  and  respect- 
ability. And  what  if  you  should  get  beyond  your  depth? 
You  might  even  discover  new  resources  in  God  —  and  in 
yourselves." 

It  is  still  early  in  September,  at  the  morning  of  an- 
other church  year.  Will  today's  disciples  follow  the  cau- 
tious course  that  crawls  along  the  bank?  Or  will  they  heed 
the  counsel  of  the  One  who  risked  everything  he  had  — 
including  his  life  —  to  venture  far  beyond  the  old  familiar 
coastlines?  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    9-10-70 


l^ 


STUDIES 
OFPERSOIMSj  i 


who  make 
Americ^ii 


n  society    ^"^^M 


PEOPLE  NEED  PEOPLE 

b/  SAMUEL  SOUTHARD 

Here  is  a  self-help  book  that  can  aid  in  managing  insecurity  and  in  striking  a  balance 
between  dependence  and  independence.  Mr.  Southard  says,  "Dependency  is  a  part 
of  life.  It  is  conspicuous  in  the  lives  of  some  people  as  a  physical  handicap,  a  limiting 
circumstance.  In  other  persons,  it  will  come  and  go,  as  in  infancy,  age,  illness,  or 
misfortune.  The  individual's  responsibility  is  to  recognize  the  place  of  dependency  in 
his  life  and  to  be  responsible  in  his  response  to  it."  Paper,  $1.95 

A  BURDEN  AND  AN  ACHE 

by  CLARENCE  McCONKEY 

Concrete  sidewalks  .  .  .  soot-gray  tenements  .  .  .  rats  .  .  .  broken  bottles  .  .  .  This  is 
downtown  Omaha,  Inner  City,  Any  City,  USA.  Look  again  .  .  .  There  are  people  too  .  .  . 
hoping,  dreaming,  facing  problems  .  .  .  finding  a  few  solutions.  In  this  compelling  book, 
Mr.  McConkey  presents  his  friends  in  downtown  Omaha,  Nebraska.  Poignant  word 
portraits  reveal  the  individuals.  The  author  offers  no  miracles,  no  cure-alls  —  only  an 
opportunity  to  see  and  to  think,  to  know   and   to  feel,   and,   hopefully,   to   understand. 

Paper,  $1.65 

THE  RADICAL  SUBURB 

by  JOHN   B.   ORR  and   F.   PATRICK   NICHELSON 

Meet  "expansive  man"  —  the  emerging  suburban  radical  whose  tendency  in  life-stlye 
the  authors  believe  will  evolve  into  the  dominant  pattern  for  the  future.  In  this 
book  the  authors  trace  social  ethics  that  have  given  rise  to  the  expansive  man.  They 
contrast  him  with  other  ideal  types  (savage  man,  conscientious  man,  etc.)  with  whom  he 
interacts.  They  look  at  expansive  man's  artifacts:  his  politics,  his  aesthetic  production, 
his  family  life,  his  view  of  woman,  his  part  in  the  university,  his  practical  life,  and  his 
religion —  drawing  from  them  their  implications  for  major  institutions  and  activities  of 
American  life.  Paper,  $2.45 


I 

3 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  601 


4 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


The  Inglenook  — Journal  for  a  Gentler  Time.  Now  that  the  Inglenook 
Cook  Book,  dating  back  to  the  earhj  years  of  this  century,  has  been  reissued, 
it  is  appropriate  to  recall  the  famihj  magazine  that  Brethren  homes  received 
from  1901  to  1913  and  that  gave  the  cookbook  its  name,  by  Jeanne  Donovan, 
page  2 

The  Church  Confronts  Secularism.  Calling  for  authentic  commitment  to 
Christ,  a  willingness  to  grow  and  to  explore  the  meaning  of  faith  for  all  of 
life,  a  Mennonite  educator  urges  the  church  to  meet  the  challenge  of  a  "new 
religion  in  American  society."  an  Annual  Conference  address  by  Myron  S. 
Augsburger.  page  6 

Champions  of  Children.  Throughout  the  United  States  and  Canada  there  are 
hundreds  of  child  welfare  agencies  that  serve  children  of  all  races  and  faiths. 
But  the  need  for  help  is  still  critical,   by  Josephine  C.  Walker,   page  10 

In  Search  of  a  Church  and  College  Partnership.  At  the  Lincoln  Confer- 
ence the  moderator,  a  professional  educator,  suggested  that  great  changes 
must  come  in  higher  education  and  in  church  education.  In  a  subsequent 
interview,  A.  G.  Breidenstine  spells  out  some  urgencies  for  church  and  college 
partnership,   a  special  report,  with  questions  by  Ronald  E.  Keener,   page  14 

Hope  and  the  Social  Order.  A  familiar  passage  from  Isaiah,  quoted  by  Jesus, 
reflects  the  expectation  that  God  will  free  his  people  and  create  both  new 
persons  and  a  new  order,  second  in  a  series  of  Annual  Conference  Bible  study 
messages,  by  Floyd  E.  Bantz.   page  22 

Other  features  include  a  poem  by  Harry  A.  Brandt  (page  9);  a  news  story  about 
summer  pastors  (page  14);  a  volunteer's  view  of  Cuba  today  (page  20);  the  Frederick, 
Md.,  church's  "Ministry  of  Art"  (page  21 ) ;  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Ruth  and  Eldon  Shingleton 
(page  25);  "Is  the  Task  to  Build  a  Church?",  a  look  at  aspects  of  the  church's  world 
ministry,  by  Joel  K.  Thompson  (page  26) ;  and  a  review  of  a  recent  film,  by  Dave  Pomeroy 
(page  28). 


COMING  SOOA/i 


A  church  official  recently  predicted  that  the  most  divisive  issue  in  the  church  of  the  70s 
will  be  the  nature  of  its  ministry  to  youth,  especially  in  relation  to  unrest  and  turmoil  on 
college  and  university  campuses.  As  a  contribution  to  understanding  aspects  of  the  issue, 
if  not  resolving  it,  Messenger  offers  two  quite  different  viewpoints  on  student  unrest  in 
articles  by  two  college  professors,  T.  Wayne  Rieman  (Manchester),  and  Carl  H.  Read 
(La  Verne).  .  .  .  The  Annual  Conference  Bible  series  continues  with  studies  by  Allen 
Deeter  (Sept.  24)  and  by  Ronald  Morgan  (Oct.  8).  VOL.    1  1 9    NO. 


•JMT 


f 


:risis 
on  campus 


X 


■m^^M, 


readers  write 


A  QUESTION 

Today  too  many  of  us  seem  to  be  ashamed 
of  the  word  gospel  and,  by  the  same  token, 
ashamed  to  Hve  the  gospel  truths  in  our 
everyday  hves.  ...  I  sometimes  have  to 
wonder  if  we  as  a  church,  with  the  back- 
ground scriptures  our  church  was  founded 
on  and  the  New  Testament  as  our  only 
creed  —  are  we  coming  to  the  place  in  this 
day  and  age  of  confusion  and  change  that 
we  are  ashamed  of  the  name  "Gospel  Mes- 
senger" for  our  church  paper? 

Marguerite  Snoeberger 
Cumberland,  Md. 

BECOME   CREATIVE   BRETHREN 

Thank  you  for  reprinting  the  editorial 
"The  Vital  Center"  (July  2).  We  need  more 
gospel  in  the  Messenger,  more  freedom 
from  the  modern  scene.  .  .  . 

I  noticed  the  report  of  the  art  school  in 
Frederick,  Md..  in  the  same  issue.  Brethren 
need  to  be  active  not  only  in  art  but  in  mu- 
sic, creative  writing,  drama,  reading,  and 
every  type  of  cultural  activity,  instead  of 
the  overemphasis  on  war  and  on  dissidence. 
It  is  time  to  .  .  .  become  creative  Brethren. 

Galene  J.  Myers 
Los  Angeles,  Calif. 

IS  THIS  THE   BEST? 

It  was  with  considerable  surprise  and  a 
measure  of  dismay  that  I  read  in  the  press 
and  confirmed  in  Messenger  (July  30)  the 
action  of  Annual  Conference  in  placing  the 
CO  and  the  "civil  disobedient"  in  the  same 
category.  .  .  . 

For  two  centuries  and  better  the  church 
has  stood  opposed  to  active  participation  in 
the  military  program.  It  wasn't  until  the 
church  was  able  to  offer  a  positive  program 
of  a  better  way  that  the  world  in  general 
was  able  to  see  that  maybe  we  had  been  right 
all  along.  .  .  . 


Now  I  wonder  if  we  are  turning  a  good 
program,  a  well-planned  service  to  humanity 
and  a  practical  demonstration  of  second-mile 
belief,  into  a  group  psychology  of  martyr- 
dom and  obstructionism.  ...  I  wonder  if 
there  is  any  difference  between  the  psychol- 
ogy of  the  young  man  who  said  prison  isn't 
so  bad  and  the  psychology  of  the  drug  addict 
and  the  prostitute  who  offer  the  same  excuse. 
Certainly  a  major  facet  of  sin  is  failure  to  do 
our  best  in  the  way  we  should.  I  wonder  if 
any  of  the  above  trio  would  want  to  stand  on 
that  as  their  best. 

We  are  told  the  Son  of  Man  came  to  serve 
and  we  are  admonished  to  do  likewise.  .  .  . 

J.  Dana  Kintner 
Lacey,  Wash. 


ON   ECONOMICS 

I  have  just  finished  the  Aug.  13  issue.  It 
seems  as  if  the  status  quo  is  on  the  stage 
for  a  lot  of  attention,  so  that's  what  I  wish 
to  call  to  the  front  .  .  .  and  to  deal  expressly 
with  our  economy.  I  am  not  an  innovator 
but  an  analyst. 

We  have  never  known  any  other  economy 
except  that  carried  on  by  the  politicians  and 
the  dollar  bill.  Since  the  depression  of  the 
Thirties,  we  as  a  nation  have  jumped  from 
one  crisis  to  another,  until  now  we  have 
come  up  against  a  brick  wall.  The  hand- 
writing is  on  the  wall:  The  dollar  bill  is 
headed  down  the  drain,  on  roller  skates  with 
a  downhill  pull  and  the  wind  to  its  back; 
and  when  it  is  gone,  the  corrupt  politicians 
will  go  right  along  with  it.  And  what  a  day 
of  rejoicing  that  will  be! 

What  to  do  about  our  economic  problem? 
.  .  .  The  first  thing  to  do  is  to  take  our 
technology  and  our  economy  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  politicians.  Why?  Because  our 
scientists  and  technologists  make  our  abun- 
dant production  possible. 


PHOTO  CREDITS:    Cover  6-7   H.    Armstrong   Roberts;    3   Harry    Dehner   and   Associates;    12    Devaney; 
13  Tom  Stack  and  Associates;   17  courtesy  of  the  Glendale,  Ariz.,  News-Herald;  21   Church  World  Service 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Howard  E.  Rover,  director 
of  communication:  Linda  Beher  and  Jeanne  Donovan,  editorial  assistants.  Messenger  is  the 
official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918 
under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing  date,  Oct.  1,  1969.  Messenger  is  a  member  of 
the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious  News  Ser\ice  and  Ecumenical  Press 
Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from  the  Revised  Standard  V^ersion. 
Subscription  rates:  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  $3.60  per  year  for  church  group 
plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription  $60;  husband  and  wife,  $75. 
If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  address,  .\llow  al 
least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  every  other  I 
week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120. 
Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.    Sept.  24.  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  20 


I 
Let  us  put  the  distribution  of  our  abun- 
dance into  the  same  hands.  Give  each  indi- 
vidual an  energy  certificate;  then  his  energy 
outlay  would  provide  him  with  his  needs,  all 
his  needs.  .  .  . 

There  is  a  group  known  as  Technocracy, 
with  just  such  an  economic  program  all  in 
blueprint  ready  to  go  into  operation,  as  soon 
as  the  dollar  disappears  down  the  drain  — 
as  Isaiah  55:1  speaks  of  buying  without 
money  and  without  price.  I  know  that  we 
have  been  orientated  to  the  dollar  bill  until 
we  don't  believe  there  is  any  other  way  to 
live.    But  God  says  there  is. 

W.  R.  Shively 
Modesto,  Calif. 

THAT  COVER  AGAIN   .   .   . 

I  was  disturbed  by  the  printing  of  the  cruel 
letters  in  Messenger  concerning  the  cover 
of  the  April  23  issue.  .  .  . 

It  seems  to  me  such  activities  as  creative 
drama  [and]  crafts  ...  are  a  real  compliment 
to  the  work  being  done  at  [the  Fahrney- 
Keedy  Home].  .  .  . 

Would  that  the  Brethren  be  more  open- 
minded  and  gracious  in  their  comments  con- 
cerning such  creative  and  wholesome  activ- 
ities. 

John  L.  Huffaker 
Baltimore,  Md. 

.   .   .   AND   AGAIN 

...  I  am  acquainted  with  the  program  at 
Fahrney-Keedy,  and  I  know  the  genuine 
pleasure  the  residents  get  from  the  privilege 
of  demonstrating  that  "the  spirit  should  not 
grow  old."  There  is  a  kind  of  goodness  and  I 
beauty  here  that  those  who  sit  in  the  grand- 
stand, booing  and  criticizing  the  best  efforts 
of  those  who  are  playing  with  intensity  the 
game  called  life,  will  never  know.  .  .  . 

Donald  Plank 
Burnham,  Pa. 

ON  SPEAKING   IN   TONGUES 

.  .  .  My  letter  in  Readers  Write  (July  2) 
badly  misrepresents  the  idea  I  wished  to  con- 
vey, in  the  following  points: 

1.  In  the   letter  I  am  quoted  as   saying 
(correctly,  Ijut  in   different  context),  "I  am 
not  sure  what  to  suggest."   I  know  definitely  I 
what  to  suggest,  and  that  is  to  follow  Jesus'  ' 
teachings. 

2.  My  attitude  seemed  completely  nega- 
tive, but  I  stated  that  speaking  in  tongues  is 
one  means  of  worship  .  .  .  but  to  attribute 
to  the  speaking  in  tongues  the  only  means 


of  receiving  God's  Holy  Spirit  is  a  misrepre- 
sentation of  Clirist's  example  and  teach- 
ings. .  .  . 

I  ask  anyone  who  is  really  interested  in 
the  speaking  in  tongues  to  write  me  and  I 
will  send  a  complete  copy  of  my  study  to 
him. 

Everett  Groff 
Castaner,  Puerto  Rico 

ACROBATIC  STUNT 

...  I  have  attended  Annual  Conference 
many  times  since  held  at  Hershey  in  1915, 
but  I  have  never  seen  such  a  performance 
as  was  mixed  in  this  year  —  in  my  thinking, 
altogether  out  of  place. 

Such  a  performance  was  certainly  sacri- 
legious, to  say  the  least.  I  do  not  know  who 
was  responsible  for  the  make-up  of  the  pro- 
gram, but  such  an  acrobatic  stunt  does  not 
belong  to  a  religious  and  sacred  service,  and 
especially  not  to  the  highest  and  sacred  serv- 
ice that  we  hold  in  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. 

I  hope  and  trust  such  a  performance  will 
not  be  resorted  to  again.  In  my  opinion  it 
was  a  cheapening  act  to  add  to  a  demonstra- 
tion of  the  love  feast  occasion.  .  .  .  Let's 
keep  our  Conferences  sacred  and  in  keeping 
with  the  New  Testament  and  the  words  of 
Jesus. 

Harper  M.  Snavely 
Lawn,  Pa. 

WHY  I   AM  LEAVING 

I  am  leaving  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

In  recent  years  I  have  found  myself  more 
and  more  in  disagreement  with  its  teachings 
and  policies.  I  make  no  claim  that  I  am 
right  and  the  church  is  wrong.  I  can  only 
say  that  on  too  many  issues  the  church  does 
not  speak  for  me  and  I  no  longer  feel  at 
B  home  in  it.  The  recent  action  of  our  church 
conference  to,  quote,  "commend  and  sup- 
port" young  men  choosing  noncooperation 
with  the  draft  has  prompted  my  decision. 
To  stay  in  the  church  and  attempt  to  influ- 
ence it  more  to  my  way  of  thinking  seems 
useless,  inasmuch  as  this  measure  was  passed 
by  a  seven-to-one  margin. 

In  recent  years  the  selective  service  laws 
in  our  country  have  made  generous  allow- 
ances for  conscientious  objectors.  Recent 
court  decisions  have  made  them  even  more 
liberal.  Under  this  system  a  young  man 
can  hold  to  his  belief,  be  law-abiding,  and 
spend  his  time  of  service  in  a  worthwhile 
Continued  on  page  27 


Page  one... 


Last  month  a  newspaper  correspondent  covered  the  meeting  of  the  Na- 
tional Student  Congress,  held  at  St.  Paul,  Minnesota,  and  attended  by 
leaders  of  student  government  on  college  campuses.  He  observed  that 
"this  year  the  students  are  angrier  than  ever"  and  predicted  that  when 
they  would  return  to  their  colleges  this  month,  "the  anger  may  show 
quick  and  hard." 

A  church  official  notes  that  "the  most  divisive  issue  in  the  churches 
in  the  Seventies  will  not  be  the  war  or  race  or  poverty  but  the  nature  of 
the  church's  ministry  to  youth,  particularly  to  youth  on  college  campuses." 

On  the  assumption  that  Brethren  readers  are  also  concerned  about 
campus  unrest  and  likely  have  quite  divergent  opinions  about  it,  Messen- 
ger offers  in  this  issue  two  contrasting  viewpoints  in  parallel  articles, 
both  by  professors  in  Brethren-related  colleges.  The  articles  are  not 
necessarily  antithetical.  They  simply  approach  the  same  situation  from 
different  perspectives.  We  suspect  that  many  of  our  readers  will  identify 
at  some  points  with  each  writer  and  disagree  at  others  with  the  same 
writer.  One  article  is  basically  oriented  toward  understanding  the  dynam- 
ics of  student  activism,  especially  in  light  of  Christian  values  that  prompt 
some  of  the  demand  for  action.  The  other  reflects  the  concern  that  many 
educators  feel  about  the  dangers  of  violence  and  the  misuse  of  freedom. 

At  this  writing  we  cannot  predict  what  explosive  headlines  will  con- 
front our  readers  in  the  opening  weeks  of  a  new  college  year,  but  we  do 
suggest  that  instead  of  reacting  emotionally  to  them  and  taking  sides  too 
quickly,  it  would  be  wise  for  church  school  classes  or  informed  groups  in 
the  church  to  plan  for  a  discussion  of  student  unrest  and  to  look  at  it  as 
objectively  as  possible.  Toward  that  end  we  commend  the  reading  of 
both  the  contributions  in  this  issue  and  the  interview  with  Dr.  A.  G. 
Breidenstine  that  appeared  in  our  issue  for  September  10. 

Our  two  observers  of  the  campus  scene  are  T.  Wayne  Rietnan,  well 
known  to  Messenger  readers  for  his  celebrative  articles  in  other  issues, 
professor  of  religion  and  philosophy  and  head  of  that  department  at 
Manchester  College;  and  Carl  H.  Read,  who,  as  associate  professor  of 
education  at  La  Verne  College,  specializes  in  adult  education.  New  to 
our  readers,  he  served  for  eighteen  years  as  director  of  adult  education 
for  Burbank,  California,  public  schools  and  as  a  lecturer  in  the  same  field 
at  the  University  of  California  at  Los  Angeles. 

Other  contributors  include  Emily  Sargent  Councilman  of  Burlington, 
North  Carolina,  whose  short  story  appeared  in  the  March  issue  of  Chris- 
tian Herald. 

Another  Manchester  faculty  member,  A  lien  C.  Deeter,  spends  energy 
and  time  in  the  development  of  the  Peace  Studies  Institute,  of  which  he  is 
director;  the  program  in  conflict  resolution;  and  his  position  as  associate 
dean  of  the  college. 

Retired  pastor  A.  Jay  Replogle  lives  at  Windber,  Pennsylvania. 


9-24-70    AAESSENGER     1 


2     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


Heart  Beat  Again 


by  EMILY  SARGENT  COUNCILMAN 


Long  before  six  that  Sunday  morning 
I  was  on  my  way  to  Baptist  Hospital, 
and  driving  fast.  I  would  not  be 
permitted  to  see  Bob  until  six-thirty 
except  in  an  emergency.  They  had  my 
phone  number  in  Intensive  Care  and 
also  at  the  desk  on  the  hall  outside. 
Surely  they  would  have  called  if  there 
had  been  danger,  if. .  .  .  The  "if"  kept 
echoing  through  my  mind  as  I  hurried 
through  the  dark  city  streets  in  spite  of 
the  fog,  keeping  the  speedometer  on 
thirty-five,  making  the  first  stoplight 
barely  in  time  before  caution  yellow 
flashed  to  red. 

Just  two  more  lights,  then  the 
underpass  at  the  foot  of  the  hill.  This 
early  I  would  be  able  to  get  a  parking 
place  inside  the  lot  not  far  from  the 
ground-floor  entrance  where  the 
elevator  goes  straight  up  to  fifth. 

Pressed  by  an  inner  urgency  beyond 
any  one  of  the  past  fourteen  days,  I 
drove  faster,  forgetting  the  speed  limit. 
My  eyes  strained  as  I  met  and  passed 
cars,  their  dimmers  and  red  taillights 
fanning  out  in  the  fog,  their  drivers 
only  blurred  shapes  within  moving 
shadows. 

These  other  drivers  —  were  they 
going  to  work,  leaving  normalcy  at 
home?  Husband,  wife,  children,  safe 
at  home?  So  short  a  time  ago  was  our 
home  thus  for  Bob,  for  me.  Could 
some  of  these,  too,  be  on  their  way  to 
some  strange  hospital  where  one  much 
loved  holds  onto  life's  breath  with  weak 
heart  and  lungs?  Bob  was  one  of  the 
fortunate  ones,  in  an  intensive  care 
unit  with  around-the-clock  monitoring 
by  trained  people  and  modern  ma- 
chines providing  a  screen  with  every 
heartbeat  recorded,  its  sound  track  giv- 
ing out  each  irregular  beep,  beep,  beep- 
beep;  with  doctors,  nurses,  skilled  and 
mercifully  calm,  ready  to  act  in  any 
emergency,  to  do  all  that  could  be 
done,  to  fight  for  the  ebbing  life  of  one 


no  longer  able  to  fight  for  himself. 
How  do  they  learn  to  accept  what  they 
cannot  do?  How  do  I? 

Thank  God  for  giving  Bob  a  chance, 
for  letting  this  happen  to  him  now,  not 
ten  years  ago  when  there  were  no 
surgeons  like  Dr.  Hudspeth  to  replace 
a  damaged  heart  valve.  No  specialists 
like  Dr.  Sawyer  to  discover  both  his 
peril  and  his  chances.  No  hospitals 
equipped  for  open  heart  surgery. 

I  did  not  make  the  last  stoplight  in 
time.  Do  they  stay  on  red  forever? 
More  waiting  now. 

Let  me  find  him  alive  and  better 
than  six  hours  ago,  dear  God.  Trying 
to  cough,  to  move,  to  talk  as  they  want 
him  to,  as  they  say  he  must.  If  only  I 
could  see  him  longer  than  the  five 
minutes  allowed  every  hour  under  the 
perpetual  glare  of  fluorescent  lights.  In 
the  confusion  of  constant  surveillance, 
mechanical  and  human,  his  body 
bound  down  by  ropes  of  tubing  and  the 
heaviness  of  his  weakness,  his  mind 
inert  under  the  shock  of  surviving  for 
this  unbearable  impotence.  His  wUl 
exhausted  from  fighting,  still  without 
strength,  a  battle  expected  to  be  won 
merely  by  returning  to  consciousness. 


Th 


.  hirty-five  years  of  closeness  in 
marriage  had  taught  each  of  us  how  to 
fight  for  the  other  when  it  was  needed. 
Both  of  us  in  different  ways  learned  to 
be  whole  together.  Looking  back 
through  the  fullness  of  our  separate 
sharing,  I  know  that  nothing  had  ever 
been  unspeakably  bad  except  the  few 
times  when  he  had  tried  to  keep 
something  from  me  —  mistaken  male 
logic  that  thought  not  knowing  would 
keep  me  from  unnecessary  worry.  Of 
course  I  knew  enough  to  experience 
alienation,  and  I  died  a  little  each  time. 
It's  been  a  long  time  now  since  he 
tried  to  keep  worry  from  me  in  that 


way.  Neither  of  us  could  survive  that 
kind  of  separation. 

Never  sick  himself  (he  denied  ever 
having  as  much  as  a  headache),  he 
cherished  me  through  all  my  sicknesses. 
And  he  knew,  with  instinctive  wisdom, 
that  he  must  let  me  find  my  own  way 
in  things  of  the  spirit,  in  the  practicing 
of  my  commitment  to  self  and  family 
and  others  —  to  God.  He  stood  by  me 
in  all  my  crusades.  We  stood  together 
in  his  calling  to  the  Christian  ministry, 
in  each  church  with  its  differing  human 
needs.  It  took  me  much  longer  to  learn 
to  accept  his  way  always  as  the  right 
way  for  him.  Then  we  found  that 
Robert  Browning  was  right:  The  last 
years  were  the  best,  and  with  the  best 
yet  to  be.  Everything  before  us,  until 
that  day,  six  weeks  before,  when  I 
found  him  lying  unconscious  on  the 
floor,  blue  and  gasping  for  air. 

Finally!  The  light  turned  green.  Up 
the  long  hill,  into  the  parking  lot  and, 
yes,  a  space  near  the  door.  Along  with 
nurses  and  assistants  in  their  surgical 
green,  I  waited  impatiently  for  the 
elevator.  Other  operations  today.  Was 
it  only  three  days  ago  that  I  came  even 
earlier  than  this  to  see  Bob  before  the 
surgery  that  was  to  give  him  a  chance? 

It  did,  thank  God.  They  had  told  us 
the  probability  would  be  a  slight  one, 
with  his  age  against  him,  his  weight, 
the  sudden  flare-up  of  diabetes.  And 
the  frailty  which  showed  up  the  week 
before  in  heart  catherization  studies. 
He  went  into  shock  afterwards.  Was 
that  from  his  seeing  for  himself  on  the 
screen  the  mere  thread  of  blood 
squeezing  through  the  clogged  cortic 
valve  from  his  heart?  From  the  three 
hours'  ordeal  they  had  expected  to  take 
one  or  two?  Did  he  sense  then  what 
his  conscious  mind  could  not  yet 
accept:   the  imminence  of  death? 

The  elevator  —  where  was  it? 
Exasperated  before  my  foreboding,  I 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     3 


HEART  BEAT  AGAIN  /  continued 

wished  I  had  taken  the  stairs.  How 
much  longer? 

Bob  had  faced  death,  and  surgery  — 
his  only  hope  for  life.  He  made 
immediately  the  only  choice  he  could 
have  made,  for  life,  not  death.  After 
his  decision  there  were  four  days  of 
preparation.  The  doctors  had  told  us 
the  facts  so  that  we  could  learn  to  face 
them,  accept  them  —  the  probability  of 
only  a  few  weeks  to  live  as  an  invalid 
without  surgery,  but  with  it,  if 
successful,  more  years  of  health  and 
useful  living.  After  his  decision  they 
began  to  make  preparations  of  many 
kinds.  Therapists  taught  him  the  types 
of  breathing  he  would  need  to  avoid 
surgical  pneumonia,  how  to  cough  in 
order  to  clear  his  lungs  despite  intense 
pain  following  surgery.  All  kinds  of 
lab  tests  were  made  to  help  the 
surgeons,  such  as  a  check  on  his  blood- 
clotting  time. 

Perhaps  as  important  to  his 
readiness  were  the  four  days  I  was 
permitted  to  stay  in  his  room  with 
him.  Together,  we  learned  to  look  at 
the  nearness  of  death,  accept  him  where 
he  hovered,  and  confront  him  where 
he  threatened,  his  terror  over  both  of 
us.  We  clung  together,  I  for  his  sake, 
he  for  mine.  And  we  found  strength  in 
the  unity  of  our  confrontation.  We 
gained  a  closeness,  even  a  transcendent 
joy,  at  moments,  greater  than  we  had 
ever  known. 

The  second  day  Bob  said,  surprise 
and  release  in  his  voice,  "Why,  we 
have  known  this  would  come  someday, 
and  I  have  always  wanted  to  be  the 
one  to  go  first.  Remember?  We  have 
always  believed  you  could  get  along 
without  me  better  than  I  could  without 
you."  And,  yes,  I  knew  he  was  right. 
Now  we  must  take  only  this  one  step 
ahead,  thankful  for  those  few  days' 
grace. 

Once  we  admitted  certain  fear, 


shadows  could  no  longer  terrify.  Yes, 
afraid,  terribly,  horribly  afraid  of  the 
physical  separation  that  could  come, 
of  his  severance  from  life  when  there 
was  so  much  left  to  do,  to  be.  And 
then  we  began  to  savor  the  goodness  of 
those  remaining  days,  hours,  moments, 
knowing  we  were  together  and  in  God's 
hands,  whether  Bob  was  to  live  or  die. 
Those  were  good  days,  the  best  we  had 
ever  known,  in  spite  of,  perhaps 
because  of,  the  imminence  of  death. 


A, 


Lt  last,  the  elevator.  And  no  stops 
on  the  way  up.  The  others  stayed  on 
when  I  got  off  at  five  and  hurried  to  the 
end  of  the  corridor  and  the  doors  to 
Intensive  Care.  Although  it  was  still 
twenty  minutes  before  the  half-hour,  I 
could,  at  least,  stand  out  of  the  traffic 
at  the  right  of  those  double  doors  and 
look  through  the  small  glass  at  the  top 
toward  Bob's  cubicle  in  the  left  corner. 
But  something  in  me  was  already 
prepared  for  my  first  glimpse  through 
the  glass  —  the  six  heads  bending  over 
his  bed,  and  other  figures  in  green  or 
white  hurrying  in  and  out. 

Without  thought  I  pushed  the  door 
in,  almost  running  to  my  husband.  Dr. 
Ferguson,  who  had  stayed  all  night 
with  him  after  surgery,  stopped  me 
with  a  kind  but  firm,  "Give  us  a 
minute,  Mrs.  Councilman.  The  danger 
is  over  for  now."  I  saw  weariness  and 
relief  in  the  face  turned  toward  me  and 
I  began  to  breathe  again.  He  went  on, 
"Please  wait  outside.  We've  almost 
finished.  I'll  call  you." 

Straining  to  get  just  one  glimpse  of 
Bob,  I  backed  away  and  once  more  put 
the  doors  between  us. 

One  minute.  One  minute  for 
breathing  thanks.  For  yearning  toward 
the  one  who  was  myself,  still  alive, 
lying  across  that  twenty-five  feet  of 
space  that  could  not  separate  us.  One 


minute  for  realizing  that  there  was 
nothing  I  could  do  for  him  now  in 
there.  One  minute  for  perceiving:   the 
gift  of  life  this  time.  For  remembering 
the  gifts  we  had  given  each  other 
through  all  our  years  together  — 
birthdays,  anniversaries,  a  letter  each 
time  for  me,  a  poem  for  him.  Others 
received  the  small  material  gifts  we 
could  give,  but  for  each  other,  offerings 
had  to  be  more  creative,  a  deeper 
portion  of  ourselves,  words.  This  time, 
the  gift  of  life  —  Bob's  life. 

Two  years  ago  we  were  at  Windy 
Hill  Beach  a  few  days  before  his 
birthday.  At  twilight  we  were  sitting 
on  the  porch  of  the  cottage  we  always 
rented  for  our  vacation  in  off-season. 
We  were  tasting  the  salty  spray  of  the 
breakers,  near  at  high  tide,  and 
attuning  ourselves  to  the  rhythm  of  the 
breakers'  cadence  unevenly  spaced  but 
true  to  some  inner  pattern  of  design. 
The  last  of  the  sunset  colors  reflected 
in  sky,  on  sea,  and  sand,  had  faded, 
leaving  only  the  constant  motion  of  the 
white  ribbons  of  foam  accompanying 
each  wave  reaching  the  shore,  barely 
discernible  through  the  gray  of 
enveloping  dark.  The  omnipresent  sea 
promised  eternity  in  its  heaving 
darkness  and  its  moving  whiteness,  in 
■  its  reechoed  counterpoint  of  sound.  We 
needed  no  words.  We  were  together. 

When  it  was  quite  dark.  Bob  said, 
"If  you  should  die,  I  could  never  come 
back  to  this  place  again,  never  again." 
And  I  said,  "Oh,  I  think  ...  I  would 
have  to  come  back,  if  you  should  die." 

The  next  morning  he  went  home  for 
weekend  responsibilities  at  our  church, 
to  return  again  on  Monday,  and  I 
stayed  on.  After  he  had  left  I  began  to 
hear  his  words,  my  words:  if  you 
should  die  .  .  .  if  you  should  die.  .  .  . 
During  the  forty-eight  hours  of  his 
absence  I  lived,  in  some  sense,  our 
final  separation.  Except  for  brief  hours 


4     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


of  sleep,  I  experienced  that  loss.  Or  so 
I  thought.  Walking  by  the  sea  at  dawn, 
in  sunlight  or  rain,  at  dusk,  I  found  the 
experience  taking  form  in  a  poem. 
When  he  returned  I  had  it  ready  for 
him.  It  was  his  birthday.  We  both 
wept  a  little  —  good  tears,  as  I  read  it 
to  him,  secure  in  our  nearness,  our 
love. 

The  writing  of  the  poem  had  pre- 
pared me,  I  believed,  for  my  grief  if  he 
should  be  the  one  to  go  first.  And  I 
hoped,  if  he  were  left  without  me,  the 
poem  would  be  a  help  to  him.  It  en- 
larged us  both  then,  when  we  read  it 
together,  when  we  talked. .  .  .  We  had 
never  been  so  close  before. 

Did  I  realize  then?  Did  I  really 
realize?  Dear  God,  let  it  be  so: 

...  a  washing  of  peace, 

as  the  sea  on  the  incoming  tide 

fulfills  the  empty  shore.  .  .  . 

The  essence  of  our  oneness  still 
remains, 

you  forever  touching  my  shore, 

I  yours.  .  . . 

Time  and  space  can  have  no  power 
to  bind 

in  Love's  dimension. 

Then 

will  I  taste  again 

the  quiet  sweetness 

of  this  twilight's  pulsing  hush 

and  fearing  no 

dark  hours  yet  to  come, 

take  home  with  me 

full  overtones  of  rapture 

rolling 

rolling, 

toward  my  shore. 

The  busy  figures  leaning  over  Bob 
had  been  reduced  to  two  when  Dr. 
Ferguson's  nod  beckoned  me.  And 
when  I  reached  Bob,  he  and  I  were 
almost  alone,  only  technicians  hover- 
ing in  the  background,  checking  dials, 
glucose,  plasma.  His  weary  eyes  spoke 
relief  and  release  as  I  covered  his  hand. 


white  and  vulnerable,  with  mine  and 
touched  his  cheek  with  my  own.  His 
lips  spoke  slowly,  making  no  sound, 
"I'm  .  .  .  better  .  .  .  now."  Yes,  I 
knew.  Thank  you,  God.  His  eyes 
closed.  I  held  his  hand  for  five  minutes 
while  he  slept. 

Outside  I  asked  the  doctor,  "What 
happened?" 

"He  hasn't  been  coughing  enough, 
moving  enough.  He  was  drowning  — 
we  thought  we  would  have  to  do  a 
tracheotomy,  but  this  danger  is  past 
for  now.  He  gagged,  and  that  saved 
him." 

"And  now?" 

"The  lethargy  gives  us  concern.  He 
has  got  to  begin  to  cough  more  and 
move  and  talk.  Another  time  like 
this.  .  .  .  He  just  can't  give  up  now." 

"No.  I'll  try  to  help.  Thank  you." 


1  dragged  my  heavy  feet  outside  and, 
against  regulations,  sat  down  in  an 
empty  wheelchair  left  in  the  corridor. 
From  there  I  could  keep  in  sight  the 
doors  to  Intensive  Care.  In  another 
hour  I  could  go  in  again.  I  would  have 
to  be  ready,  ready  to  help.  But  how? 
They  were  afraid  for  hun.  "He  can't 
give  up  now  .  .  .  This  lethargy. .  .  ." 
And,  God  forgive  me,  I  had  been 
afraid  for  him  too,  appalled  by  what 
the  aftermath  of  surgery  was  effecting 
in  him.  We  had  been  prepared  even 
for  death,  but  not  for  this  tortuous  way 
back  to  life,  with  his  body  and  spirit 
depleted  of  all  power,  unprepared  for 
fighting  an  adversary  never  encoun- 
ered  before  —  consciousness  of  help- 
lessness, of  pain,  this  kind  of  pain. 

Ready  for  death  four  days  ago,  he 
chose  the  gift  of  life.  And  during  those 
nine  hours  of  surgery  when  Dr. 
Hudspeth  and  his  asssociates  presented 
their  best  skill  and  concern,  he  too, 
with  his  body  and  spirit,  even  in  un- 


consciousness, fought  to  live,  helped 
the  surgeons,  drew  strength  from  God. 
And  I,  waiting,  and  not  separate  from 
this  part  of  him,  prayed.  We  were 
ready.  I  did  not  weep. 

He  chose  the  gift  of  life,  so  much  so 
that  after  surgery,  while  still  uncon- 
scious, he  surprised  and  gladdened  the 
doctors  when  his  heart  took  over  from 
the  heart  pump  without  hesitation.  No 
external  stimulation  was  necessary. 

At  each  step  he  chose  the  gift  of  life, 
the  most  precious  gift  he  could  ever 
give  to  me.  How  could  I  ever  have 
doubted  his  will,  his  strength  through 
God,  to  bring  to  completion  this  new 
life,  no  matter  what  the  cost  or  how 
long  the  days  ahead?  He  chose.  But 
how  far  did  he  have  to  go  into  death 
without  me?  Where  I  could  not  go 
with  him?  And  where  was  he  now? 
Still  out  there  beyond  my  reach?  Be- 
yond my  capacity  to  help?  Yes,  in 
some  sense,  yes.  He  could  not  use  in 
there  now  the  obvious  ways  of  my 
"helping"  which  could  only  hinder  his 
return  to  health.  Recovery  depended 
on  his  using  strength  he  did  not  pos- 
sess, on  his  creating  new  strength  for 
each  halting  step  ahead. 

Then  what  could  I  do?  What  could 
I  give  to  him  who,  in  choosing  life,  had 
given  life  to  me?  I  could  learn  to  with- 
hold any  help  that  would  contribute  to 
his  inability  to  help  himself.  I  could,  I 
must,  proffer  my  gift  of  faith  in  him 
that  he  could  find  within  himself  the 
needed  strength.  In  our  separate  ways, 
we  would  continue  to  fight  together  for 
bis  life,  working  with  the  doctors, 
drawing  strength  from  God. 

It  was  seven  twenty-nine.  But  I  did 
not  need  sixty  seconds  to  reach  the 
doors  to  Intensive  Care  and  Bob.  I 
walked  as  if  running,  lightly  and  free, 
bearing  the  highest  of  all  gifts;  for  me, 
his  gift  of  life;  for  him,  my  faith  in  him, 
praise- wrapped.    D 

9-24-70    MESSENGER     5 


sy\ 


CRISIS  ON 


T.  Wayne  Rieman:  "By  and  large  the 
present  ferment  is  the  most  invigorating, 
cleansing,  and  challenging  phenomenon 
that  higher  education  has  faced  for  a 
century  or  two" 


CAMPUS 


Carl  H.  Read:  "There  can  be  no 
academic  freedom  without  a  solid  base 
of  personal  and  scholastic  responsibility 
and  complete  recognition  and  under- 
standing of  the  rules  of  fair  play" 


Turmoil  on  campus:  An  assessment 
of  the  causes  of  violence 


by  CARL  H.  READ 

Politically  and  socially 
American  society  is 
struggling  in  complicated 
currents  and  crosscurrents. 
The  result  —  turmoil 

The  most  shaken  segment  of  society 
by  all  the  upheaval  is  the  academic 
world.  A  tight,  secure  world  of  "aca- 
demic freedom"  in  which  the  aca- 
demician reigned  supreme,  working 
with  a  docile  student  body  willing  to 
jump  hurdles,  give  "correct"  responses 
to  gain  credits,  degrees,  and  a  "union 
card"  giving  them  entry  into  the  world 
of  professions,  business,  and  industry 
has  suddenly  changed.  Docility  has 
changed  to  rebellion  and  even  hostility. 
A  supposedly  well-ordered  world  sud- 
denly reveals  cracks  and  weaknesses  in 
the  structure. 

College  presidents  hired  and  ac- 
customed to  wooing  wealthy  alumni, 
riding  herd  on  a  generally  acquiescent 
faculty,  and  watching  over,  from  a  safe 
distance,  a  student  population  accept- 
ing of  dicta,  if  not  wholly  happy  with 
them.  Nowhere  in  the  background  of 
these  father  figures  was  there  any 
preparation  for  and  training  in  dealing 
with  students  and  some  faculty,  who 
began  to  kick  over  traces  and  suddenly 
seem  to  have  gone  beserk.  No  one  ever 
suspected,  let  alone  warned  them,  that 
instant  chaos  could  reign,  that  open 
rebellion  might  break  out,  and  that 
hostility,  to  the  point  of  violence,  could 
and  would  shatter  the  serenity  of  aca- 
demic halls. 

Coming  as  it  did  on  the  heels  of  the 
postwar  apathetic  generation  fresh 
from  the  battlefields  of  the  world, 
wearied  of  conflict,  and  searching  only 
for  the  safe  havens  of  home  and  job, 
the  violence  of  this  new  generation 
caused  a  state  of  shock  from  which  no 


one  has  quite  recovered.  In  some 
places  an  uneasy  truce  exists  with  all 
concerned  hoping  against  and  wonder- 
ing from  what  source  and  when  the 
next  outbreak  will  come.  On  other 
campuses,  as  yet  unmarked  by  conflict, 
modified  change  is  taking  place.  Ten- 
sions may  be  evident  on  smaller  cam- 
puses but  a  certain  built-in  flexibility 
associated  with  the  smallness  of  the 
institution  has  permitted  a  degree  of 
confrontation  without  the  traumatic 
violence  that  has  so  often  accompanied 
the  same  confrontation  at  large  institu- 
tions. 

What  are  the  elements  of  variance 
among  the  ranks  of  dissent?  Lack  of 
relevance  in  education  is  the  most  often 
used,  and  abused,  of  the  accusations 
hurled  at  educators  at  whatever  level. 
Peter  H.  Wagschal,  in  the  October 
1969  issue  of  Phi  Delta  Kappan,  chal- 
lenges the  thought  of  teaching  rele- 
vance "to  an  unhealthy  society."  If 
there  is  to  be  a  relevance  to  a  society 
that,  like  Stephen  Leacock's  horseman, 
rides  off  in  all  directions,  that  seeks 
change  without  assurance  that  such 
change  represents  healthy  growth,  con- 
trolled and  progressive,  then  it  were  far 
better  that  such  relevance  be  forgotten. 
Growth  toward  a  better  life,  a  better 
society  is  certainly  change,  but  change 
without  regard  to  the  direction  of  such 
change  can  be  an  open  invitation  to 
chaos  and  a  complete  breakdown  of 
the  orderly  processes  of  a  healthy 
society. 

John  Gardner  says  that  the  mere 
overthrowing  of  an  existing  social  order 
and  economic  system  will  not  insure 
anything  better  when  the  old  system  is 
supplanted.  Those  who  rail  against  the 
"system"  tend  to  play  god.  "Let  me 
have  the  reins  of  power  and  I  will 
change  the  system."  It  isn't  the  system 
that  is  at  fault,  it  is  those  who  are 
charged  with  its  operation. 


The  charge  of  irrelevance  is  not  to 
create  relevance  to  an  imperfect  society 
or  to  a  system,  but  to  a  constantly  im- 
proving system.  To  quote  Wagschal, 
"I,  too,  want  education  to  be  relevant 
—  to  the  cultivation  of  the  most  vital 
and  enriching  aspects  of  humanity  — - 
the  capacities  for  joy,  awareness,  and 
self-direction  that  are  the  hallmarks  of 
being  human." 

Following  the  plea  for  relevance  is 
the  one  for  freedom.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  misunderstood  and  certainly  the 
most  misused  word  in  the  English  lan- 
guage. The  dissident  cries  out  for  free- 
dom for  himself  but  is  frequently  un- 
willing to  grant  any  freedom  to  those 
with  whom  he  disagrees.  He  calls  for 
freedom  of  speech  but  shouts  down,  or 
in  other  ways  abridges,  the  same  right 
for  those  with  whom  he  disagrees. 

The  protestor  calls  for  freedom  to 
"do  his  thing"  —  select  his  own  cur- 
riculum, his  own  faculty,  his  own  sub- 
ject content  for  courses  to  be  taken  — 
but  is  vigorous  in  his  denial  of  the  right 
of  participation  in  such  decisions  by 
those  who  must  of  necessity  be  re- 
sponsible for  those  decisions.  Such 
responsibility  extends  to  the  institution, 
to  the  faculty,  and  to  that  faceless 
someone  who  must  bear  the  major 
share  of  the  cost  of  education. 

Too  many  faculty  members  call  for 
academic  freedom  to  advocate,  either 
covertly  or  overtly,  their  own  brand  of 
thought  or  action  without  consideration 
for  the  responsibility  that  they  have,  as 
scholars  and  as  teachers,  to  present  all 
points  of  view  fairly,  impartially,  and 
responsibly.  This  is  not  asking  of  them 
that  they  play  an  eunuch's  role.  They 
do  have  the  right,  and  their  students 
have  the  right  to  know,  that  after  hav- 
ing discharged  their  responsibility  for 
fair  play,  they  can  say,  "This  cause  or 
this  point  of  view  I  espouse"  or  "This  I 
believe  and  here  is  my  reasoning." 


8     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


Again,  in  this  area  of  academic  free- 
dom the  same  thought  and  action  is 
evident  that  is  witnessed  among  dis- 
sident students.  This  ii  the  attempt  to 
deny,  or  to  influence  others  to  deny, 
the  right  of  dissidence  to  those  with 
whom  there  is  disagreement.  Certainly 
a  Dr.  Marcuse  loses  some  respect  and 
stature  when  he  attempts  to  influence  a 
decision  to  disallow  a  speaker  holding  a 
diametric  point  of  view  to  his  own  to 
speak  on  his  campus.  His  belated  and 
somewhat  lame  reason  that  the  pro- 
posed speaker  lacked  the  qualities  of 
scholarship  to  deliver  such  an  address 
did  nothing  to  restore  such  respect. 

There  can  be  no  academic  freedom 
without  a  solid  base  of  personal  and 
scholastic  responsibility  and  complete 
recognition  and  understanding  of  the 
rules  of  fair  play.  Without  such  a  base, 
academic  freedom  becomes  a  travesty 
and  a  snare  to  the  unwary  student. 
Innumerable  problems  plague  modem 
society,  crying  for  understanding  and 
solution.  Failure  to  provide  opportu- 
nities and  encouragement  for  the  stu- 
dent to  examine  all  points  of  view,  all 
data,  all  evidence,  and  all  phenomena 
in  a  free  and  impartial  atmosphere  can 
only  compound  those  problems,  not 
eliminate  them. 

A  third  and  quite  valid  basis  for  dis- 
sent is  the  lack  of  dynamic  teaching  at 
the  college  and  university  level.  Gener- 
alizations are  dangerous  but  it  is  all  too 
obvious  that,  generally,  teaching  tends 
to  get  progressively  poorer  as  students 
move  toward  higher  levels  of  education. 
Probably  the  best  teaching  takes  place 
in  the  early  grades,  particularly  first 
and  second.  Anyone  who  has  sat 
through  dry,  boring  lectures  from  old 
notes  in  any  college  or  university 
knows  where  some  of  the  worst  teach- 
ing takes  place. 

Certainly  superior  teaching  has  gone 
on  and  is  currently  being  done  in  higher 


education,  but  it  doesn't  take  a  sleuth 
to  find  out  who  is  doing  it.  Such  teach- 
ers stand  out.  Students  are  eager  to  get 
into  their  classes.  So-called  "pipe"  or 
easy  credit  courses  can,  interestingly 
enough,  be  taught  by  outstanding  fac- 
ulty members  who  are  less  concerned 
with  putting  students  over  meaningless 
hurdles  and  the  assignment  of  boring 
and  too  often  meaningless  tasks  than 
they  are  in  provoking  thought,  stimu- 
lating original,  creative  reading  and 
action. 

Student  evaluations  of  teachers  on 
some  campuses  in  recent  years  attest  to 
the  fact  that  the  truly  outstanding 
teachers  are  well  known  for  their  ex- 
cellence and,  conversely,  the  poor 
teachers  are  shunned  even  though  their 
courses  may  represent  easy  credit.  To- 
day's students  are  impatient  with  mean- 
ingless hurdles,  outdated  lectures,  and 
authoritarian  teaching. 

The  pressure  upon  the  college  teach- 
er for  publication  is  in  part  responsible 
for  much  of  the  poor  teaching.  Where 
teaching  is  secondary  in  importance  to 
research  and  publication  of  that  re- 
search, it  must  suffer  to  that  degree. 
Students  are  not  generally  impressed  by 
the  publication  of  research  but  can  be 
impressed  if  the  teaching  is  enriched  by 
that  research. 

Finally,  there  are  alien  interests  and 
activists  who  are  both  overtly  and 
covertly  seeking,  and  rather  effectively, 
to  capitalize  upon  student  dissidence  to 
bring  about  their  own  brand  of  revolu- 
tion. Rebellion  and  radicalism  tend  to 
be  the  peculiar  province  of  youth.  This 
should  cause  no  great  dismay  and  hor- 
ror. 'Twas  ever  thus  and  it  is  tragic 
that  too  often  much  of  the  idealism  of 
youth,  from  which  springs  much  of  the 
rebellion  and  radicalism,  is  lost  in  the 
cynicism  and  the  mellowness  of  ad- 
vancing years. 

However,  the  aliens  can  have  only 


little  to  moderate  success  in  their  ap- 
peal for  violent  action  were  there  not 
some  rather  fertile  soU  to  feed  upon. 
Wanton  destruction  of  property  and 
flagrant  disregard  for  rules  of  fair  play 
and  the  rebuttal  of  free  speech  can 
flourish  only  in  an  atmosphere  of 
academic  authoritarianism.  In  a  simi- 
lar way,  fair  play  and  free  speech  too 
often  have  been  denied  in  a  classroom 
in  which  a  dictator  holds  sway  and  per- 
mits no  variance  from  and  opposition 
to  his  long-held  opinions  and  practices 
and  thus  creates  this  atmosphere. 

Nothing  that  has  been  written  in 
these  preceding  paragraphs  advocates 
any  abdication  of  responsibilities.  As 
the  ex-chancellor  of  the  University  of 
California  at  Los  Angeles,  Franklin 
Murphy  stated,  upon  the  eve  of  vio- 
lence in  the  universities  and  prior  to  his 
retirement,  "Too  much  importance 
should  not  be  paid  to  the  demands  of 
students  for  wholesale  changing  of 
rules  in  any  one  given  period  in 
the  life  of  a  university  because  of 
the  transient  nature  of  the  student 
population." 

Desirable  change  and  growth  should 
not  be  denied  by  recalcitrance  hiding  in 
the  guise  of  academic  freedom.  The  de- 
velopment of  good  teaching  practices 
should  not  be  handicapped  by  "publish 
or  perish"  practices.  And  most  of  all, 
continuing  education  in  the  many 
realms  of  thought,  action,  and  human 
endeavor  should  not  be  the  monopoly 
of  students.  It  must  be  the  continuing 
objective  of  everyone  interested  in  the 
betterment  of  society,  students,  teach- 
ers, and  laymen.  The  ancient  search 
for  the  real,  and  true,  and  the  good 
must  be  the  continuing  objective  of 
everyone.  Only  then  can  a  measure  of 
peace  and  harmony  be  restored  to  the 
academic  world  to  allow  for  true  differ- 
ences of  opinion  in  the  eternal  search 
for  light.    □ 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     9 


The  crisis  of  conscience 
on  campus 


by  T.  WAYNE  RIEMAN 

We  are  experiencing  a  na- 
tional crisis!   Thoughtful  ob- 
servers liken  it  to  the  tension, 
tumult,  and  turbulence  pre- 
ceding the  Civil  War.   It  is 
a  multiple  crisis.  It  is  a  crisis 
of  leadership,  of  morality, 
and  of  integrity 

Mark  May  1970  as  a  turning  point  in 
something  we  cannot  yet  name.  Some- 
one referred  to  the  spring  of  1970  as 
the  saddest  semester  in  higher  educa- 
tion. Youth  see  —  none  too  clearly, 
though  seemingly  more  clearly  than 
most  of  their  elders  —  some  inescap- 
able connection  between  higher  edu- 
cation and  the  brutality  of  street  and 
campus,  the  cancer  of  the  cities,  the 
insidious  race  hatred,  the  unconcern 
for  poor  and  dispossessed,  the  legiti- 
mized violence  and  terrifying  dehu- 
manization  of  man  in  Indochina,  and 
the  malaise  of  America. 

We've  been  building  toward  this 
crisis  for  some  years,  a  decade  or  more. 
Dean  Franklin  Ford  of  Harvard  de- 
scribes it  succinctly:  "The  thought- 
benumbing  blows  of  successive  assassi- 
nations, the  equally  tragic  though  more 
comprehensible  crisis  of  the  cities,  the 
growing  bitterness  of  the  poor  amid  the 
self-congratulations  of  affluence,  the 
even  greater  bitterness  of  black  Ameri- 
cans" —  to  all  of  these  must  be  added 
the  war  in  Vietnam  which  he  sees  as 
poisoning  and  exacerbating  everything 
else  and  contributing  a  sense  of  horror. 

He  continues :  "All  these  torments 
. . .  have  hit  thoughtful  young  people 
with  peculiar  force  ....  Youth  is  a 
time  of  extreme  vulnerability  to  grief 
and  frustration  ...  a  time  of  impatient, 
generous  sympathy." 

The  crisis  will  not  go  away!  Efforts 


to  dismiss  it  as  only  a  student  crisis,  or 
a  crisis  precipitated  by  a  minority  of 
students  —  these  are  wholly  inade- 
quate. By  and  large,  the  students  are 
not  the  problem.  They  are  calling  at- 
tention to  a  whole  cluster  of  problems 
with  which  we  must  deal  as  a  nation  or 
die. 

1 .  We  are  experiencing  a  crisis  of 
conscience.  Since  the  president's 
shocking  decision  to  widen  the  war  in 
Cambodia,  since  Kent  State  and  Jack- 
son State,  we  have  seen  millions  united 
in  a  kind  of  moral  outrage  against  our 
national  leadership.  Young  and  old, 
hawks  and  doves.  Republicans  and 
Democrats,  students  and  nonstudents, 
labor  and  management,  lawyers,  teach- 
ers, senators,  cabinet  members,  the 
man  on  the  street  —  these  have  ex- 
pressed indignation  and  revulsion. 

Students  are  told  to  respect  institu- 
tions. But  the  president  orders  an  at- 
tack on  a  foreign  country  in  disregard 
of  constitutional  procedures  for  mak- 
ing war. 

Students  hear  government  leaders 
declare  that  those  who  resort  to  vio- 
lence belong  not  in  a  dormitory  but  a 
penitentiary,  yet  they  observe  that 
America  spends  $  150  billions  on  pil- 
laging, defoliating,  obliteration  bomb- 
ing, and  legitimized  murder  in  the 
name  of  the  state. 

Students  know  that  once  the  Stars 
and  Stripes  were  symbols  of  freedom, 
equality,  liberty,  and  justice  for  all. 
They  know,  too,  that  for  many  in  the 
world  this  flag  has  become  a  symbol  of 
repression,  death,  destruction. 

How  can  students  forget  the  rhetor- 
ic: "We  will  honor  our  commitments"; 
"we  will  seek  to  prevent  a  Commu- 
nistic takeover";  "we  want  to  help  the 
Vietnamese."  We  have  kept  our  prom- 
ises! Obliteration  of  the  countryside, 
defoliation  of  the  forests,  poisoned  rice 
paddies,  villages  destroyed  to  "save" 


them,  disruption  of  economy  and  fam- 
ily life,  more  than  one  My  Lai,  618,000 
enemy  dead,  and  a  million  refugees. 

2.  We  are  unable  to  rearrange  our 
national  priorities.  The  military  domi- 
nates America!  Here's  where  we  spend 
the  bulk  of  our  national  budget.  Even 
the  prestigious  space  program  recedes 
before  the  demands  of  the  military. 
Meanwhile  the  inner  cities  cry  for  re- 
newal; education  is  in  dire  straits  as 
some  schools  close  for  lack  of  funds; 
we  know  of  two  to  three  millions  starv- 
ing and  of  seven  millions  malnourished 
and  of  thirty  millions  desperately  poor 
in  the  most  affluent  nation  on  God's 
earth.  Racial  inequities  are  perpetu- 
ated among  blacks,  Indians,  Mexican- 
Americans,  and  Puerto  Ricans.  Health 
care  for  the  masses  is  second-rate  and 
nonexistent  for  some;  and  pollutants 
press  us  to  the  point  of  suffocation. 

We  are  unable  to  put  first  things 
first!  No!  We  are  unwilling!  The  fact 
is  that  a  majority  of  Americans  put  up 
with  or  condone  our  war-making,  our 
racism,  and  the  affluence  that  many 
enjoy.  But  a  vocal  minority  of  students 
and  blacks  will  not  accept  such  perver- 
sions of  our  national  purposes.  They 
are  shouting  now,  because,  as  Soren 
Kierkegaard  said,  "During  a  fire  one 
has  to  shout  to  be  heard." 

3.  Students  feel  they  have  been  lied 
to  by  a  lot  of  people,  for  a  long  time, 
about  a  lot  of  things.  They  see  great 
differences  between  what  the  church 
says  and  what  it  does;  between  the  Bill 
of  Rights  and  the  rights  enjoyed  by  our 
dispossessed  in  America;  between  the 
oft-repeated  principle  "with  liberty  and 
justice  for  all"  and  the  justice  experi- 
enced by  the  exploited;  between  the 
product  advertised  and  the  product 
used. 

They  also  question  the  myths  we  ac- 
cept. According  to  the  textbooks,  it 
was  the  right  of  the  white  man  to  take 


10     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


over  the  Western  world  from  the  "sav- 
ages" in  order  to  develop  it.  The  hero 
was  the  pioneer  who  built  a  farmstead 
out  of  the  wilderness.  Nearly  everyone 
who  did  anything  of  importance  was 
white,  and  generally  of  English  descent, 
and  almost  always  Protestant.  The 
blacks  and  the  browns  were  clowns,  the 
yellow  insidious  or  invidious  —  or  at 
least  sinister  and  inscrutable.  Wealth 
was  happiness,  the  richer  the  better.  In 
the  perennial  game  of  cops  and  rob- 
bers, the  cops  always  won.  In  the  spy 
movies,  foreign  agents  were  sinister,  but 
ours  were  patriotic.  The  prevailing 
mythology  is  fraught  with  distortions, 
lies,  and  prejudices. 

A  credibility  gap  has  emerged  be- 
tween the  generations.  It  is  not  a  new 
phenomenon,  but  it  is  larger.  The 
elders  are  blamed  for  pollution,  racism, 
poverty  amid  affluence,  the  disease 
called  war,  the  population  explosion, 
a  crippling  bureaucracy,  the  fragmenta- 
tion of  education,  with  schools  and  col- 
leges offering  fact-glutted  courses 
which  avoid  the  tough  and  ultimate 
questions. 

4.  Many  students  feel  that  they  are 
the  first  generation  without  a  future. 
Two  major  events  contribute  to  this 
conclusion:  (a)  They  are  the  first  gen- 
eration to  live  their  whole  lives  under 
the  dangling  Damoclean  sword  called 
The  Bomb.  Though  they  never  felt  its 
impact,  it  has  been  ever-present.  It  did 
not  go  away.  They  have  seen  docu- 
mentation of  the  Bikini  blasts;  they  re- 
member air  raid  shelters  and  drills. 
Herman  Kahn's  argument  that  the  val- 
ue and  power  of  atomic  weapons  re- 
sides not  in  possessing  them  but  in  the 
willingness  to  use  them  has  been  very 
convincing,    (b)  This  is  the  first  gener- 
ation to  become  aware  of  the  lethal 
possibilities  of  our  ecological  crisis! 
The  Spaceship  Earth  spins  on.  It's 
taken  a  long  time,  but  suddenly  we  face 


inescapably  the  social  implications  of 
corporate  irresponsibility.  We  are 
about  to  die  from  our  own  poisons! 
Pollution  of  air,  water,  and  earth  with 
pesticides,  sewage,  garbage,  and  smoke 
—  the  lethal  husks  of  our  advanced 
civilization  —  can  "do  us  in." 

Living  under  the  decisive  aim  of 
missiles  loaded  with  atomic  warheads 
and  in  a  nation  that  finds  pollution 
profitable  (and  so  continues  to  do  it), 
students  can  easily  conclude  that  NOW 
is  when  we  live  —  now,  rather  than  in 
the  future.  This  is  the  NOW  genera- 
tion! 

5.  Students  want  more  voice  in  their 
own  destiny.  Multitudes  of  decisions 
are  being  made  for  them.  They  feel 
they  have  a  right  to  participate  in  larger 
ways  than  they  are  presently  permitted: 
to  go  or  not  to  go  to  Vietnam;  to  decide 
what  they  will  live  and  die  for;  to 
choose  what  they  study  and  when;  to 
evaluate  their  own  classwork,  the 
teaching,  and  the  teacher;  to  help  de- 
termine what  America  will  do  with 
its  money  and  energies;  to  vote  at  an 
earlier  age;  to  decide  how  they  will 
dress  and  where  they  will  live. 

Students  have  come  of  age  —  sever- 
al years  earlier  than  in  previous  gener- 
ations. The  times  have  pushed  them  to 
a  kind  of  maturity.  They  deserve  to 
participate  in  the  vital  policy-making 
life  of  a  college  — •  not  to  run  it  —  but 
to  be  a  part  of  whatever  groups  de- 
termine its  destiny. 

Some  of  our  college  policies  have 
been  stupid,  phony,  and  overly  rigid. 
We  have  played  God  and  acted  in  loco 
parentis  too  long.  This  generation  of 
students  has  been  reared  in  a  global 
village;  some  have  encircled  the  earth; 
many  have  lived  in  or  visited  other  cul- 
tures; TV  has  bombarded  them  with 
other  value  systems.  The  heady  wine 
of  modernity  cannot  be  contained  in 
old  wineskins! 


Recently,  in  discussion  with  an  ad- 
missions committee,  a  student  said: 
"You'll  accept  any  veteran  of  Vietnam 
—  even  if  he's  killed  a  dozen  human 
beings  or  burned  villages  or  dropped 
tons  of  death-dealing  bombs  or  searing 
napalm  —  with  no  questions  asked  if 
his  grades  are  good,  his  references  in 
order,  and  he  has  an  'honorable  dis- 
charge.' But  you're  scared  to  death  of 
the  activist,  the  demonstrator,  the  one 
who  passes  out  leaflets  or  participates 
in  an  underground  newspaper.  Some 
are  denied  admission  because  'they're 
not  our  kind.'  " 

6.  We  have  taught  students  to  be 
critical.  And  many  students  have 
thought  critically  in  regard  to  societal 
values  and  the  American  way  of  life. 
They  have  spoken  and  acted  decisively 
about  our  preoccupation  with  the  gross 
national  product  as  a  measurement  of 
national  progress;  about  the  materiali- 
zation of  life  with  so  little  regard  for 
the  quality  of  life,  acting  as  if  life  con- 
sisted in  the  abundance  of  things;  about 
our  participation  in  and  approval  of 
the  "daily,  brutalizing  rat  race"  for 
power  and  success;  about  the  diminish- 
ment  of  man  and  his  loss  of  worth  and 
dignity  (we  spend  so  litde  for  educa- 
tion, health  care,  art,  music,  travel,  and 
all  that  eruriches  and  elevates) ;  and 
about  our  general  indifference  to  our 
inner  cities  (we  vote  $40  billions  for 
space  programs  but  are  unable  to  vote 
$40  billions  for  rat  control  to  make 
human  habitation  livable) . 

There  is  a  new  morality  concerned 
about  the  irreconcilability  of  our  efforts 
to  save  our  own  children  and  our  readi- 
ness to  plaster  the  children  of  others 
with  napalm;  it's  about  a  dead  black 
GI,  home  from  Vietnam  in  a  coffin, 
denied  burial  in  a  segregated,  all-white 
cemetery;  it's  about  the  insistence  that 
the  "have-nots"  share  more  fully  with 
the  "haves";  it's  about  our  sixty-one 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     11 


CRISIS  OF  CONSCIENCE  /  continued 

national  violations  of  treaties  with  the 
Indians.  The  new  morality  is  about  the 
policy  of  pollution  perpetuated  by 
many  otherwise  respectable  corpora- 
tions. Moral  issues  are  at  the  heart  of 
the  student  revolt. 

7.  Some  students  are  revolting  "for 
the  hell  of  it."  For  some  it's  fun;  it's 
captivating,  much  more  interesting 
than  the  library.  It  beats  studying.  For 
others  the  campus  provides  sort  of  a 
monastic  escape  from  the  tough  real- 
ities of  a  job.  For  a  few,  campus  revo- 
lutions provide  the  time  and  place  to 
work  off  personal  frustrations  (though 
most  psychological  research  indicates 
that  political  activists  are  no  more 
neurotic,  suicidal,  enraged,  or  dis- 
turbed than  nonradicals.  Studies  find 
them  to  be  more  integrated,  self -ac- 
cepting, and  advanced  than  their  politi- 
cally inactive  contemporaries).  Some 
students  find  campus  ferment  more 
fascinating  than  the  studies  they  deem 
irrelevant,  so  they're  in  it  for  the  "hell 
of  it." 

Of  course,  this  writer  does  not  ap- 
prove or  support  campus  violence,  the 
irresponsible  flouting  of  laws  (though 
sometimes  unjust  laws  must  be  broken 
—  for  conscience'  sake),  or  revolution 
for  the  hell  of  it,  or  the  f adism  which 
accompanies  many  student  movements, 
or  the  irrationality  of  mobs  hell-bent  on 
confrontation.  To  these  we  must  say 
an  unequivocal  "No."  But  I  want  to 
affirm  that  student  activism  is  essential- 
ly a  constructive  force  in  American 
life.  It  is,  to  a  large  extent,  an  appro- 
priate, reasonable,  measured,  and  long 
overdue  response  to  our  smug  way  of 
life,  our  unexamined  educational  as- 
sumptions, and  to  "might  makes  right" 
foreign  policies.  By  and  large,  the 
present  ferment  is  the  most  invigorat- 
ing, cleansing,  and  challenging  phe- 
nomenon that  higher  education  has 
faced  for  a  century  or  two.   D 


12     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


day  hy  day 


A  CONCERNED  GROUP  of  laymen  met  in  a  Church  of  the 
Brethren  parsonage  for  an  evening  of  living  room  dialogue. 
They  were  discussing  the  question,  "Are  the  church  and 
modern  religion  making  their  appeal  to  people  today  in  a 
convincing  way?" 

The  chairman  of  the  deacon  board  said,  "It  seems  to 
me  the  church  would  be  much  more  effective  if  it  didn't 
make  so  many  drastic  changes.  There's  always  something 
new,  something  different,  something  untried.  It  leaves  me 
feeling  so  unsure  and  insecure." 

"That's  just  it,"  piped  the  president  of  CBYF.  "We 
just  want  things  to  stay  pretty  much  as  they  are,  do  things 
as  we've  always  done  them,  make  few  changes.  So  a  church 
like  ours  fails  a  world  like  ours.  It  has  too  little  to  offer. 
We  young  people  are  getting  pretty  sick  and  restless  of  so 
much  talking  and  so  little  doing,  so  little  tackling  the  real 
problems  of  the  day.  Some  of  us  are  beginning  to  wonder 
if  we  wouldn't  be  doing  a  greater  service  for  the  Lx)rd 
outside  the  church  as  we  know  it." 

At  this  juncture,  the  pastor  intervened,  asking  some 
pertinent  questions;  Is  our  security  in  forms  and  ideas,  or 
is  it  in  our  relationship  to  God?  Is  the  church  really  that 
irrelevant?  What  would  we  offer  as  a  substitute  for  the 
church? 

The  meeting  had  been  thought-provoking.  Some  of 
the  parents  discovered  that  their  own  children  had  like 
ideas  of  the  church  as  expressed  by  the  CBYF  president, 
though  they  had  not  verbalized  it.  How  can  a  Christian 
family  look  at  the  changing  church  today  and  still  retain 
its  faith? 

Suggested  activities 

1.  Read  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount  together  as  a  family 
and  discover  how  Jesus  Christ  brought  revolutionary 
changes  to  the  Judaistic  concept  of  the  kingdom,  and  the 
empty  Pharisaical  forms  of  religion. 

2.  Read  Acts,  particularly  the  fifteenth  chapter,  and 
see  how  the  early  church  broke  over  from  a  strictly  Jewish 
movement  to  a  universal  world  movement,  led  by  the 
apostle  Paul. 

3.  Read  a  short  history  of  the  Brethren  such  as  you  can 
find  in  Heritage  and  Promise,  by  Emmert  Bittinger,  and 
discover  how  Alexander  Mack  and  the  early  Brethren 
started  a  church  on  a  change  or  break  from  the  cold,  formal 
state  churches  of  Germany. 

4.  Let  the  family  read  some  minutes  of  early  Annual 
Conferences  and  see  how  many  of  our  changes  were  too 
much  of  external  things :  Shall  we  put  lightning  rods  on  our 


homes?  Shall  we  take  photographs?  How  shall  we  dress? 
Shall  we  have  instruments  in  the  church?  How  familiar  shall 
we  be  with  the  world? 

5.  Consider  whether  the  church  is  the  building  where 
you  worship,  or  you  wherever  you  are.  Try  something 
hard  as  a  family  project:  Get  into  a  Community  Con- 
tact Program  and  try  to  help  in  the  rehabilitation  of  a 
youth  who  is  on  probation  and  parole.  Visit  someone  in 
prison.  Help  an  unwed  mother  through  her  financial  strug- 
gle and  emotional  and  spiritual  apprehension  to  be  rein- 
stated into  the  warm  fellowship  of  the  church.  Start  an 
"Alternative  to  War"  group  in  your  church. 

6.  Keep  your  relationship  to  God  intact  and  growing 
through  prayer,  and  then  changes  in  methods,  ideas,  or- 
ganization will  not  be  disturbing.  —  Byron  and  Zola 
Miller 


DAILY  BIBLE  READINGS        September  27  -  October   10 

Sunday    Matthew   15:1-20.    Jesus  warns  against  empty  forms  and  traditions. 

Monday    Matthew   6:1-7;    16-18.     Avoid   this    kind   of   piety. 

Tuesday     Luke   5:33-39.    The   Spirit   of  Christ   can't    be    locked    up    in    some 

dead  form. 
Wednesday    John   3:1-17.    The   gospel   writer   points   to   the   necessity    of   a 

spiritual    change    within. 
Thursday     2    Corinthians    5:16-21.     The    inner    change    makes    us    a    "new 

creation." 
Friday    Romans   12:1-2.     What   is   a   gauge   for   all   change? 
Saturday    Matthew  7:21-27.    Hearing  is  not  enough;  doing  is  the  test. 
Sunday    James  2:14-26.     Faith  and   action   are   inseparable. 
Monday    Matthew   25:31-46.     Helping    our    brother   is    helping    Christ, 
Tuesday    Luke   10:25-37.    We   can   be  the   church   by   finding    a   neighbor   in 

need. 
Wednesday     Hebrews    12:1-11.     Discipline    is    necessary    for    change. 
Thursday    Ephesians  4:1-16.    How  can  we  move  toward   maturity   in  Christ? 
Friday    Hebrews  12:25-29.    We  belong  to  a  kingdom  that  cannot  be  shaken. 
Saturday     Matthew    16:13-19.     There   is   assurance   that   Christ's    church    will 

prevail. 


9-24-70    MESSENGER      13 


Rejecting  symbolism 

When  Jack  R.  Farrell  Sr.  told  his 
Syracuse,  Ind.,  congregation  that  he  could 
no  longer,  in  good  conscience,  take  part 
in  a  military  funeral,  the  reaction  in  the 
community  and  the  church  was  imme- 
diate and  with  feeling. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  pastor  was 
asked  to  officiate  at  a  funeral  service  in 
April  for  a  man,  a  veteran  of  the  Korean 
war,  who  died  while  at  work  in  a  local 
factory.  He  learned  that  it  was  to  be  a 
military  funeral  and  that  the  local  Ameri- 
can Legion  post  would  have  a  part  after 
the  committal  service  at  the  gravesite.  To 
this  he  agreed. 

The  American  flag  was  openly  dis- 
played in  the  church  service  on  the  casket 
at  the  front  of  the  sanctuary,  Mr.  Farrell 
observed,  in  noting  the  military  symbol- 
ism. "Just  before  the  service  began, 
American  Legion  members,  dressed  in 
civilian  clothes  but  with  Legion  caps  on 
their  heads,  formed  at  the  front  door  of 
the  church,  walked  down  the  center  aisle 
one  at  a  time  to  the  flag-draped  casket, 
saluted,  and  sat  down  in  the  front  pews. 

"After  the  service  in  the  sanctuary  and 
as  the  casket  was  being  placed  in  the 
hearse,  the  honor  guard,  in  uniform  and 
with  rifles,  stood  in  a  row  in  a  military 
position  by  the  door  of  the  hearse." 

Felt  uneasy:  At  the  cemetery  Pastor 
Farrell  went  immediately  to  his  car  after 
the  committal  service  and  listened  to  the 
21 -gun  salute.  In  reflection  upon  the  day, 
he  later  said,  "All  this  display  of  military 
symbolism  made  me  feel  extremely  un- 
easy, but  under  the  circumstances  I  par- 
ticipated and  officiated  in  the  complete 
service." 

The  following  week  was  a  period  of 
personal  searching  for  the  42-year-old 
minister,  himself  an  air  force  veteran 
before  turning  to  the  ministry.  He  joined 
the  military  service  in  1945  as  a  high 
school  dropout,  he  said,  and  before  his 
commitment  to  God.  Later,  he  was  grad- 
uated from  McPherson  College  and  took 
work  at  Bethany  Seminary  and  Mennonite 


Bible  Seminary  at  Elkhart,  Ind. 

From  this  background  and  the  Breth- 
ren teaching  on  war,  he  concluded  that 
the  nature  of  the  military  portion  of  the 
funeral  went  beyond  what  was  consistent 
with  his  understanding  of  the  gospel. 
The  following  Sunday  he  presented  a 
statement    to    his    church   council. 

Pastor  Farrell  noted  that  militarism  has 
strong  support  within  his  community  and 
that  the  church's  young  men  were  accept- 
ing induction  into  military  service.  (All 
five  of  the  draft-age  young  men  in  the 
Syracuse  church  are  in  military  service, 
and  another  was  recently  discharged  after 
service   in  Vietnam.) 

Embraces  peace:  Noting  the  posture 
of  the  Brethren  on  war  and  peace,  Mr. 
Farrell  told  his  church  board  that  "with 
the  strong  voices  calling  for  the  support 
of  our  military  system,  and  the  gospel  of 
Jesus  Christ  which  strongly  calls  man 
to  lay  down  those  weapons  of  warfare, 
your  pastor  has  no  other  choice  than  to 
proclaim  and  be  involved  in  the  work  of 
the  Lord  Jesus,  the  Prince  of  Peace. 

"Specifically,  if  I  were  asked  to  func- 
tion as  pastor  at  a  military  funeral,  at 
which  time  military  symbolism  is  dis- 
played, in  good  conscience  I  would  have 
to  refuse  such  service.  To  my  best  un- 
derstanding, a  military  funeral  is  lend- 
ing support  to  that  life-style  and  I  will 
not  take  part  in  it." 

He  asked  that  families  in  his  church 
desiring  military  funerals  call  on  another 
minister  to  officiate.  His  objection,  he 
later  amplified,  applied  to  the  symbolism 
and  ritual  of  the  military  as  part  of  the 
funeral  service  and  did  not  apply  to  a 
serviceman  killed  in  battle  or  veteran 
who  is  given   a  strictly  religious  burial. 

As  Mr.  Farrell  stated:  "Then  things 
began  to  happen."  Much  of  the  initial 
reaction  was  probably  due  to  a  grossly 
inaccurate  story  in  a  Goshen,  Ind.,  news- 
paper which  indicated  that  the  pastor 
had  removed  a  flag  from  the  casket  of  a 
Syracuse  serviceman  killed  in  Vietnam 
before  it  was  taken  into  the  church.  Two 
days  later  the  newspaper  corrected  itself. 


Legion  letters:  Letters  to  the  news- 
paper and  phone  calls  took  him  to  task 
for  his  position.  Positions  were  stated 
in  newspaper  letters  from  the  local  Amer- 
ican Legion  post  commander,  its  auxiliary 
president,  and  the  department  com- 
mander. 

Said  the  department  (state)  commander 
Robert  C.  Ayers,  "Personally,  I  believe 
most  strongly  that  it  shows  both  regard 
to  God  and  country  to  pay  this  final 
service  to  a  patriot  and  a  Christian  who 
has  given  his  life  that  Christianity  may 
abound  in  a  world  that  is  being  slowly, 
but  surely,  converted  to  an  atheistic 
ideology." 

One  16-year-old  Brethren  youth,  Kerry 
Barrett,  though  not  of  Mr.  Farrell's  con- 
gregation, in  a  letter  to  the  Syracuse 
newspaper  challenged  the  comments  of 
Commander  Ayers,  noting  his  own  con- 
scientious objection  to  war  and  that  he 
will  "soon  be  faced  with  the  decision  of 
how  to  serve  my  country." 

In  Mr.  Farrell's  estimation,  the  local 
American  Legion  is  very  influential.  In 
a  subtle  display  of  defiance,  the  Ameri- 
can Legion  segment  of  the  Memorial  Day 
parade,  which  passed  by  the  Farrell 
home,  stopped  in  front  of  the  house  and 
fired  their  rifles  into  the  air  as  if  part  of 
the  parade.  Mr.  Farrell  learned  that  the 
Legion  had  earlier  voted  to  "demon- 
strate" in  this  way. 

On  the  same  day  an  emblem  had  been 
placed  on  the  door  of  the  Main  Street 
church  with  the  message,  "America,  Love 
It  or  Leave  It." 

"Tremendous":  Mr.  Farrell's  declara- 
tion on  military  funerals  was  bound  also 
to  have  repercussions  in  his  own  208- 
member  church.  Beyond  the  men  of  the 
church  in  military  service,  many  of  the 
older  members  had  served,  too.  And 
of  three  Syracuse  boys  killed  in  Vietnam, 
two  of  them  were  from  families  who  were 
members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Services  for  the  servicemen  had  been 
held  prior  to  Mr.  Farrell's  arrival  in  the 
Syracuse  pastorate  last  September. 

But  the  overarching  response  to  Mr. 


14     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


Farrell's  declaration  within  his  congre- 
gation and  among  colleagues  in  Syracuse 
was  one  of  support,  if  not  approval,  far 
outweighing  the  criticism. 

Mr.  Farrell  termed  the  support  of  his 
congregation  as  "tremendous,"  notwith- 
standing one  parishioner  of  30  years  who 
commented  in  a  note,  "I  will  gladly  be 
one  of  the  contributors  to  donate  money 
to  get  you  out  of  Syracuse." 

Observed  the  pastor:  "I  feel  that  our 
people  have  come  through  a  situation  in 
which  the  hand  of  God  was  definitely 
upon  us  all.  No  splits  have  developed, 
only  one  membership  has  been  with- 
drawn, our  attendance  at  services  has  re- 
mained about  the  same,  and  I  still  feel 
a  part  of  the  total  fellowship." 

That  the  incident  has  not  marred  the 
church's  relationships  in  the  community 
was  indicated  last  month  by  the  donation 
of  $15,000  to  the  congregation  by  a  local 
resident  who  is  not  a  member  but  who 
has  worshiped  in  the  Syracuse  church. 
The  money  will  wipe  out  the  church's 
building  debt.  While  the  donation  cannot 
be  tied  directly  to  the  events  in  April,  Mr. 
Farrell  notes  that  "God  is  still  working 
among  his  people." 

Seminary  support:  One  of  his  first 
phone  calls  of  support  came  from  a 
former  Mennonite  seminary  professor, 
and  a  few  days  later  he  and  his  wife  had 
the  opportunity  to  share  informally  about 
the  incident  with  the  entire  seminary 
community.  One  student  came  up  to  Mr. 
Farrell  after  hearing  his  story  and  re- 
affirmed his  commitment  to  pastoral 
service,  which  until  then  had  been  in 
doubt.  Similar  support  from  the  Bethany 
Seminary  faculty  came  during  a  visit 
there,  from  Brethren  of  other  area  con- 
gregations, and  from  the  Pastors'  As- 
sociation of  Northern  Indiana. 

The  local  ministerium  association  stood 
by  him,  and  members  of  his  congregation 
in  phone  calls  and  visits  expressed  sup- 
port, if  not  agreement  with  his  total 
position.  Some  said  the  matter  helped 
them  to  sharpen  their  own  thinking  and 
they  were  grateful. 


From  law  to  lunches 


Filling  the  school  lunch  bag 


What's  in  the  school  lunch  bag 
these  days?  Perhaps  a  candy  bar, 
a  ten-cent  bag  of  chips,  and  a  bottle 
of  pop  —  if  anything  at  all. 

This  is  the  case  for  many  children. 
Even  in  those  schools  with  cafeterias 
—  and  many  city  schools  still  do  not 
have  them  —  the  needy  child  whose 
family  may  be  on  welfare  doesn't  have 
the  30  to  45  cents  he  must  pay,  even 
with  the  federal  subsidy  given  to  the 
lunch. 

Learning  affected?  The  key  con- 
cern lies  not  only  in  proper  nutrition 
for  the  child  but  in  the  effect  of 
hunger  on  his  learning.  For  some  the 
lack  of  food  means  cramps,  head- 
aches, drowsiness,  and  inattention. 
Scientists  are  now  looking  at  how 
hunger  stunts  brain  growth  and  the 
ability  to  learn  and  develop. 

And  more.  President  Nixon  in 
May  observed  that  "because  the  stu- 
dent who  is  well  fed  is  more  attentive 
and  learns  better,  improved  nutrition 
can  help  children  break  out  of  the 
cycle  of  poverty."  He  spoke  at  the 
signing  of  legislative  improvements 
to  the  National  School  Lunch  Act. 

The  law  now  states  that  every 
needy  child  must  be  served  a  free  or 
reduced  price  school  lunch,  that  need 
be  based  on  uniform  national  poverty 
income,  that  a  parental  declaration  of 
income  is  sufficient  (formerly  deter- 
mined by  local  school  authorities), 
and  that  no  more  than  20  cents  be 
charged  for  a  reduced  price  meal. 

Hot  meal:  The  law,  effective  Jan. 
1 ,  will  provide  concerned  citizens  with 
vigorous  handles  to  assure  one  hot 
meal  to  a  school  child  a  day.  The 
week  of  Oct.  11-17  has  been  desig- 
nated by  the  U.S.  Department  of 
Agriculture  as  National  School  Lunch 
Week  to  highlight  the  concern. 

Coordinating  local  efforts  through 
the  National  Council  of  Churches  is 
28-year-old  Hulbert  James,  whose 
goal  is  to  defeat  the  problem  of  hun- 
ger in  the  United  States.  His  program. 


named  the  Churches'  Crusade  on 
Hunger,  is  being  sponsored  by  six  de- 
nominations, including  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  which  has  donated  $800 
to  the  program.  Brethren  social  jus- 
tice consultant  Ralph  Smeltzer  is  a 
representative  to  the  NCC  committee 
on  domestic  hunger.  Administrative 
assistant  to  Mr.  James  is  Jay  B.  Koltz, 
21,  of  Kokomo,  Ind.,  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  alter- 
native service. 

Yet  to  see  that  school  children  re- 
ceive adequate  nourishment,  regard- 
less of  economic  status,  will  take  more 
than  a  new,  even  improved,  law.  That 
school  children  rummage  in  garbage 
cans  during  lunchtime  —  as  testimony 
before  the  McGovern  Committee  on 
Nutrition  and  Human  Needs  revealed 
—  despite  a  law  on  the  books  for  24 
years  attests  to  actual  evasion  of  the 
law  by  schools  and  local  authorities 
and  to  public  indifference. 

Urging  action:  It  is  Hulbert  James' 
task  to  press  school  boards  and  con- 
cerned citizens  to  carry  out  the  new 
legislation  by  either  establishing  free 
or  reduced  price  lunch  programs  or 
improving  those  programs  which 
schools  already  have.  School  lunches 
could  become  a  campaign  issue  this 
fall. 

On  such  grass  roots  levels  citizens' 
committees  are  being  urged  to  visit 
their  school  boards  to  find  out  how 
they  plan  to  implement  the  law,  urg- 
ing upon  the  boards  the  use  of  the 
poverty  level  guidelines  that  will  be 
mandatory  after  Jan.  1,  and  the  pub- 
licizing of  the  guidelines. 

Despite  the  dropping  of  financial 
and  legislative  barriers  to  extending 
a  lunch  to  all  needy  school  children 
(that  the  law  President  Nixon  signed 
represents),  local  zeal  and  concern 
may  determine  whether  law  can  be 
translated  into  lunches  and  whether 
the  "school  lunch  bag"  might  hold  a 
nutritious  meal  for  the  nation's  chil- 
dren. 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     15 


4- news 


The  changing  ways  of  ecumenism 


The  structures  of  ecumenism  are 
changing.  One  can  see  it  in  moribund 
councils  of  churches,  ineffective  minis- 
teriums,  fahering  associations.  On  all 
levels  conciliar  movements  are  threatened 
by  reduced  incomes,  changing  philos- 
ophies,  new   concepts   of  mission. 

No  better  example  can  be  given  than 
the  National  Council  of  Churches,  now 
in  the  throes  of  restructure  that  may  well 
diminish  its  spokesman  role  of  the  last 
20  years  for  Protestant  and  Orthodox 
Christianity. 

Yet  on  the  fringes  of  these  threats  to 
established  ecumenism  there  are  en- 
couraging, even  exciting,  signs  of  new 
life,  and  Brethren  are  finding  their  role 
in  several  of  them.  Consider  these  new 
bright  lights  in  the  conciliar  constellation: 

J/*  Brethren  pastor  Norman  L.  Harsh 
began  his  duties  July  1  as  coordinator  of 
Christian  ministries  in  a  new  cooperative 
venture  among  churches  in  Shenandoah 
County,  Virginia. 

]/^  An  Interfaith  Council  of  Metropoli- 
tan Baltimore  is  being  formed  that  will 
take  a  task-group  approach  to  social 
action  that  could  circumscribe  the  Mary- 
land Council  of  Churches.  Area  Church 
of  the  Brethren  congregations  will  be  in- 
volved. 

V^  At  Glendale,  Ariz.,  the  Ecumenical 
Parish  has  been  in  operation  for  two 
years,  formed  of  the  more  socially  con- 
cerned members  of  the  ministerium  as- 
sociation in  that  city.  The  Glendale 
Church  of  the  Brethren  is  among  the  six 
sponsoring    city   denominations. 

j^  The  Valley  Interchurch  Ministries 
was  formed  in  Augusta  County,  Va.,  of 
20  denominations,  including  Brethren, 
who  seek  to  work  collectively  at  creative 
tasks  in  Christian  ministry. 

\^  Brethren  congregations  in  the  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  area,  through  their  own 
Social  Action  Council,  are  considering 
their  affiliation  with  an  interfaith  Urban 
Religious  Coalition,  organized  to  identify 
and  resolve  such  community  concerns  as 
poverty  and  race. 

Most  of  these  ventures  in  ecumenism 
have  one  or  more  common  characteristics 
that  contrast  them  with  the  former  con- 


Mr.  Harsh 


ciliar  movement:  task-orientation,  en- 
abling members  to  participate  in 
programs  of  their  choosing  rather  than 
as  a  total  organization;  inclusiveness, 
drawing  in  all  faiths  which  wish  to  par- 
ticipate, especially  Roman  Catholics; 
social  action-centered,  dealing  with  the 
restructuring  of  society  itself;  and  local 
participation,  reflecting  a  first  concern  for 
the  locality,  not  the  national  purview. 
Shenandoah  County:  Of  the  five  new 
ecumenical  structures  sketched  here,  the 
least  likely  to  fit  the 
above  characteristics 
is  the  new  ministry 
of  Norman  Harsh  in 
Virginia. 

This  Brethren  min- 
ister sees  his  role 
in  the  Shenandoah 
County  Interchurch 
Planning  Service  as 
a  counselor,  enabler, 
and  catalyst  in  such  areas  as  development 
of  group  ministries,  yoked  parishes,  effec- 
tive utilization  of  facilities  and  resources 
of  various  faiths  within  a  town  or  area, 
cooperative  leadership  training,  and  spe- 
cialized ministries  to  senior  citizens  and 
youth,  in  recreation  areas  and  elsewhere. 
An  example  of  the  direction  proposed 
—  though  Mr.  Harsh  emphasizes  that  he 
has  no  ready-tailored  program  to  put  into 
action  —  would  be  the  forming  of  a  Sun- 
day youth  class  in  Woodstock,  the  county 
seat  from  where  Mr.  Harsh  operates, 
among  the  six  or  more  churches  within 
walking  distance  of  a  central  location. 
And  in  larger  ways,  too,  the  strength  of 
cooperative  action  will  be  explored. 

The  planning  service,  composed  of 
eight  participating  Protestant  denomina- 
tions in  the  county,  had  its  origins  in  ex- 
ploratory meetings  three  years  ago  with 
the  Virginia  Council  of  Churches. 

A  17-month-long  study  by  the  council 
of  the  church  life  of  the  county  had 
among  its  conclusions  that  "deployment 
of  pastoral  and  lay  resources  to  achieve 
the  most  effective  ministry  is  a  major 
concern"  and  that  "survival  is  the  main 
objective  for  many  of  the  churches."  The 
study  covered  1 1 1  churches  and  showed 


one  church  building  for  every  197  per- 
sons and  an  average  membership  of  147 
—  meaning  that  most  communities  had 
too  many  churches  to  carry  out  their 
ministry  effectively  and  eflSciently.  New 
patterns  of  cooperation  —  and  this 
doesn't  necessarily  mean  merger  —  would 
strengthen  the  total  ministry. 

In  essence,  Mr.  Harsh  finds  his  job 
description  saying:  "Find  a  strategy  for 
cooperative  church  renewal  for  Shenan- 
doah County."  Before  his  new  assign- 
ment, Mr.  Harsh  served  for  ten  years  as 
pastor  of  the  Barren  Ridge  church  near 
Staunton  and  was  a  General  Board  mem- 
ber. 

Baltimore:  One  conciliar  structure  in 
crisis  is  the  Maryland  Council  of 
Churches,  which  in  the  past  couple  years 
has  been  seeking  approaches  to  the  grow- 
ing charges  of  irrelevancy  and  inability 
to  work  with  other  faiths.  Brethren  ex- 
ecutive for  the  Mid-Atlantic  District, 
Ralph  G.  McFadden,  was  on  the  structure 
committee  making  the  study.    He  noted: 

"The  structure  committee  realized  that 
the  council  of  churches  movement,  as 
such,  was  not  able  to  deal  with  some 
kinds  of  tasks  due  to  their  present  struc- 
ture. One  of  the  major  problems  of  a 
council  of  churches  is  that  it  needs  a 
consensus  by  the  majority  of  the  partici- 
patory denominations  before  it  can  take 
a  position  on  a  particular  issue.  Many 
issues  are  thus  watered  down  or,  in  some 
cases,  completely  forgotten."  Others  ac- 
cuse it  of  an  inability  to  respond  in  a 
creative  and  innovative  way  to  given 
needs. 

Out  of  these  limitations  has  grown  a 
new  agency  alongside,  but  in  tension  with, 
the  Maryland  Council  and  of  many  of  the 
same  members  —  Interfaith  Council  of 
Metropolitan  Baltimore. 

In  structure,  the  new  council  contains 
Protestant,  Catholic,  and  Jewish  com- 
munions, and  the  three  faiths  are  repre- 
sented in  a  troika  chairmanship.  Areas 
of  mission  and  concern  lie  in  a  religious 
witness  in  urban  affairs,  education,  ser- 
vant ministries,  and  interreligious  un- 
derstanding. 

Membership  obligates  the  communions 


16     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


only  to  sharing  in  the  employment  of  an 
executive  coordinator  and  secretary. 
Thereafter,  programs  and  issues  are  par- 
ticipated in  only  at  a  task-group  level, 
whereby  any  two  or  more  communions 
may  initiate  a  program  without  involving 
the  entire  council  in  either  deployment  of 
funds  or  personnel. 

"With  this  approach  each  denomina- 
tion that  participates  in  the  task  group 
and  helps  in  terms  of  making  a  statement 
or  giving  a  direction,  rather  than  the 
total  agency,  is  responsible  and  can  be 
held  accountable,"  says  Mr.  McFadden. 

The  matter  of  Brethren  involvement  in 
this  emerging  interfaith  council  will  be 
before  the  Mid-Atlantic  District  confer- 
ence that  convenes  Oct.  10.  What  be- 
comes of  the  Maryland  Council  is  still 
problematical.  Its  future  is  being  studied, 
and  its  executive,  who  resigned  in  June, 
has  not  yet  been  replaced  and  may  not 
be.  To  those  who  contend  that  the  inter- 
faith council  represents  only  Baltimore 
and  not  the  state,  Mr.  McFadden  replies 
that  the  Maryland  Council  was  primarily 
responsible  in  the  area  of  Baltimore  any- 
way and  that  other  interfaith  agencies  are 
forming  in  Maryland. 

Glendale:    More  than  two  years  ago 


some  members  of  the  ministerial  associa- 
tion at  Glendale,  Ariz.,  began  to  feel  that 
the  group  was  failing  to  express  its  faith- 
fulness to  God  through  forms  of  Chris- 
tian mission  to  the  local  community. 
Some  felt  that  the  association  could  be- 
come a  force  for  change  and  ecumenical 
cooperation   in  the   community. 

A  tutoring  program  in  remedial  read- 
ing for  elementary  school  children  was 
selected  as  a  modest  form  of  involvement. 
It  could  also  focus  on  the  needs  of  the 
many  Mexican-American  children  in  the 
community. 

Glendale  Church  of  the  Brethren  pastor 
John  S.  Breidenstine  comments:  "A 
couple  months  later  we  realized  how 
naive  we  were  being,  when  it  was  clearly 
observed  that  all  of  the  tutors  were 
coming  from  five  churches  and  13  of  the 
previously  active  18  ministers  in  the  as- 
sociation had  failed  to  attend  our  meet- 
ings." 

Rather  than  attempt  to  revive  the 
obviously  defunct  association,  a  new 
structure  was  conceived  by  those  laymen 
and  clergy  interested  in  forms  of  Chris- 
tian mission.  Thus  was  born  Glendale's 
Ecumenical  Parish. 

"The  demise  of  the  ministerial  associ- 


At  Glendale: 
Farmworkers' 
children  are  cared 
for  in  childcare 
center  organized 
by  Ecumenical 
Parish 


ation  was  one  of  those  'blessings  in  dis- 
guise' that  ministers  have  a  penchant  for 
talking  about,"  said  Mr.  Breidenstine. 

The  Roman  Catholics,  not  members  of 
the  association,  joined  the  Ecumenical 
Parish,  and  while  they  have  not  been 
members,  the  Mennonites  and  Episcopa- 
lians have  contributed  support  to  a  Parish 
project.  Six  task  forces  identified  press- 
ing  problems    in   the    community. 

The  Parish  began  slowly,  building  on 
its  success  with  the  tutoring  program. 
Last  year  a  pilot  project  Child  Develop- 
ment Center  was  begun  as  a  preschool 
childcare  center  for  farm  laborers. 
Proved  successful,  this  year  both  budget 
and  enrollment  increases  are  planned, 
and  the  program  will  serve  some  50 
children  who  might  otherwise  be  in  the 
fields   with   their  working   mothers. 

This  program  has  also  led  to  represen- 
tation on  the  town's  development  board 
and  a  voice  at  state  legislative  sessions  on 
licensing  migrant  camps.  A  twice-de- 
feated housing  code  for  the  city  was 
passed  after  the  Parish  board  publicly 
supported  the  measure  and  with  the  city 
sponsored  a  series  of  public  hearings. 

In  assessing  the  Parish's  beginnings 
Pastor  Breidenstine  notes  that  it  has  "ex- 
cited some  enthusiasm  on  the  part  of 
many  people.  I  know  that  traditional 
denominational  barriers  are  being  broken 
down.  I  also  know  that  the  ecumenical 
voice  of  the  church  does  have  a  powerful 
influence  which  can  effect  changes  in  a 
community  —  the  kinds  of  changes  for 
human  betterment  which  even  the  un- 
churched will  be  willing  to  rally  behind." 

Augusta  County:  Unlike  other  new 
ecumenical  structures  that  were  formed  at 
the  expense  of  the  existing  ministerium 
or  council,  the  Valley  Interchurch  Minis- 
tries was  partially  conceived  and  com- 
mended by  the  Staunton-Augusta  County, 
Va.,  Ministerium  Association. 

Still  in  the  formative  stages,  the  VIM 
is  striving  toward  "working  collectively 
and  cooperatively  to  discover  new  and 
creative  dimensions  of  the  common 
tasks"  of  the  county's  Christians.  Some 
20  congregations  of  several  denomina- 
tions, plus  Catholic  and  Jewish  parishes, 

9-24-70    MESSENGER     17 


news 


are  involved. 

Selective  participation  by  the  members 
is  endorsed  in  any  "particular  program, 
project,  or  prophetic  pronouncement." 
Claude  O.  Harris,  a  member  of  the  steer- 
ing committee  and  the  Staunton  Church 
of  the  Brethren,  said  that  three  projects 
have  been  undertaken  in  VIM's  first  year. 
Support  was  lent  to  the  summer  lunch 
program  of  a  Presbyterian  church  in 
Staunton  for  students  in  the  Summer 
Catch-Up  Program.  A  day-care  center 
for  children,  many  of  them  black,  re- 
ceived support  for  a  building  debt  and 
the  purchase  of  additional  property. 

A  third  involvement  is  a  home  being 
established  for  girls  who  would  otherwise 
be  placed  in  foster  homes  or  kept  in 
their  own  difficult  home  situations  be- 
cause of  the  lack  of  foster  home  place- 
ments. Mrs.  Mary  Francis  Steffey,  a 
member  of  the  Staunton  congregation, 
is  a  founder  of  the  home,  called,  at  her 
inspiration,  Bethany  Home. 

Des  Moines:  Last  year  Brethren 
churches  clustered  around  the  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  area  formed  a  Social 
Action  Council  to  enable  Brethren  to 
share  in  urban  ministry.  This  month  the 
council  discusses  its  involvement  in  Des 
Moines'  Urban  Religious  Coalition,  a  new 
ecumenical  structure  coordinating  the 
ministries  of  the  city's  religious  bodies. 

The  coalition  staff  will  be  represen- 
tatives who  are  already  working  in  areas 
of  social  concern  and  action  in  their  own 
denominational  groups.  Stressing  p)er- 
sonal  rather  than  institutional  involve- 
ment, the  coalition  works  at  placing  a 
denomination's  socially  concerned  mem- 
bers in  contact  with  the  social  problems 
of  the  civic  community. 

Ecumenical  in  thrust,  it  aims  for  an 
inclusive  membership  of  Catholic,  Protes- 
tant, Jewish,  and  Unitarian  communions. 
Although  the  Des  Moines  Area  Council 
of  Churches  is  seeking  a  relationship  to 
the  coalition,  the  approaches  of  the 
groups  are  different.  The  council  is  con- 
gregational, the  coalition  denominational 
in  orientation,  and  councils  of  churches 
have  traditionally  not  been  strongly  cen- 
tered in  social  programs,  perhaps  because 

18     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


of  their  parish   orientation. 

A  prime  mover  in  the  coalition,  Cath- 
olic Bishop  Maurice  J.  Dingman  of  Des 
Moines,  observes  that  the  coalition  is 
mainly  concerned  with  civic  ecumenism 
and  servant  ministries.  Still  left  to  the 
council  of  churches  are  the  important 
concerns  of  spiritual,  social,  and  theologi- 
cal ecumenism. 

While  for  the  Brethren  the  coalition  is 
a  metropolitan  undertaking,  not  state- 
wide, Lyle  C.  Albright,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  executive  for  the  Iowa-Min- 
nesota District,  has  been  working  with 
the  Des  Moines  Brethren  in  their  re- 
lationship to  the  coalition. 

Of  the  coalition's  features  he  observes 
that  structure  is  minimal,  "allowing 
groups  to  opt  in  or  out  of  given  issues 
or  causes."  Furthermore,  "sufficient  trust 
among  the  coalition's  staff  and  board  per- 
sons permits  an  immediate  response  to 
need,  as  contrasted  to  a  pattern  of 
constant  check  and  balances  usually 
required  by  organized  committees  or 
bureaus."  Finally,  he  points  out,  the 
coalition  represents  "a  first  solid  example 
in  Des  Moines  of  the  closer  Roman 
Catholic  and  Protestant  relationship  now 
spanning  our  globe." 

Involvements:  Thus  in  these  five  ex- 
amples. Brethren  are  working  in  new 
creative  structures,  more  often  across 
faith  lines,  and  in  at  least  four  of  the 
citations  in  servant  ministries  intended  to 
effect  social  change. 

National  Council  president  Cynthia 
Wedel  remarked  in  June  that  the  NCC 
must  communicate  with  the  churches' 
membership  in  clearly  explaining  why 
the  church  must  be  in  the  world.  It  has 
been  precisely  the  fact  that  the  National 
Council  has  been  "in  the  world"  that 
has  contributed  to  its  organizational  crisis, 
dependent  as  it  is  on  uncertain  support 
and  attempting  to  reflect  a  united,  center 
position  in  a  controversial  world  that 
shuns  the  center. 

Grass  roots  organizations  seeking  a 
servant  ministry  in  their  community  have 
found  that  it  takes  a  new  structure  and 
a  differing  philosophy  to  be  "in  the 
world"  effectively.  —  R.E.K. 


Congregational  briefs 

Olympic  View  Community  Church  of 
the  Brethren  at  Seattle,  Wash.,  broke 
ground  in  July  for  a  198-unit,  $2  million 
retirement  apartment  residence  for  low- 
income  senior  citizens. 

The  undertaking,  to  be  called  North- 
aven,  is  being  built  through  a  separate 
corporation  under  the  Federal  Housing 
Act  of  1968.  U.S.  Senator  Henry  M. 
Jackson  spoke  at  the  groundbreaking. 

The  project  was  initiated  by  the  church 
to  meet  the  needs  of  older  members  of 
the  community  living  on  a  low,  fixed  in- 
come. The  460-member  congregation  in 
the  past  two  years  has  put  some  $25,000 
into  preliminary  planning,  a  portion  of 
which  will  be  recovered.  As  Pastor 
Robert  G.  Mays  said:  "In  any  case,  God 
asked  us  to  get  with  it.  That's  pretty 
good  insurance."  Occupancy  is  in  au- 
tumn 1971. 

Folk  musical:  When  the  young  people 
of  Lynnhaven  Community  Church  of  the 
Brethren  at  Phoenix,  Ariz.,  asked  the 
youth  of  Asbury  United  Methodist 
Church  to  show  them  what  a  folk  musical 
was  like,  the  Methodists  responded  en- 
thusiastically. At  Asbury  Methodist,  the 
young  people  annually  give  a  youth 
service. 

Some  25  youth  from  both  churches  re- 
hearsed for  eight  weeks  to  prepare  the    | 
folk    service    "Listen,    Christian,"    using    ^ 
singing,   guitar  music,   and  dance. 

In  the  process,  youth  from  the  com- 
munity's Congregational,  Mormon,  and 
Lutheran  churches  joined  in.  Pastor  D. 
Eugene  Lichty  said  that  the  object  of 
the  musical  was  to  present  the  needs  of 
the  world  and  then  go  out  and  do  some- 
thing about  them. 

One  adult  commented  that  "the  words 
of  some  of  the  songs  they  sing  are  more 
relevant  than  some  of  the  hymns  we 
sing." 

Yoked  parish:  Seeking  to  do  more  in 
their  ministries  together  than  they  might 
accomplish  alone,  the  First  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  the  First  United  Church  of 
Christ  at  Virginia  Beach,  Va.,  have 
agreed  to  a  yoked  parish. 


J 


Both  congregations  had  their  own  pas- 
tors previously,  but  have  called  a  Breth- 
ren, Forest  O.  Wells,  to  pastor  their  total 
ministry. 

The  yoked  relationship  was  decided 
upon  after  a  vote  on  a  merged  congre- 
gation failed  narrowly  among  the  UCC 
members.  The  parishes  began  joint 
services  this  summer  in  the  First  United 
Church  and  in  December  will  reexamine 
their  united  ministry. 

Their  cooperative  ventures  in  the  past 
two  years  have  included  such  common 
experiences  as  a  communion  service, 
Christmas  cantata,  vacation  church 
school,  summer  worship,  and  the  sharing 
of  a  Brethren  Volunteer  Service  worker. 

Baby  clinic:  A  child  screening  service 
operated  by  the  local  health  district  is 
using  the  facilities  of  the  Wenatchee 
Valley  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Wash- 
ington State.  Six  church  women  are  in- 
volved weekly  as  volunteers. 

The  "screening"  consists  of  measuring, 
weighing,  and  hearing  and  visual  tests, 
as  well  as  giving  basic  shots  to  infants. 
Referrals  are  made  where  appropriate  to 
a  medical  doctor,  mental  health-mental 
retardation  board,  or  to  the  child  guid- 
ance center. 

The  program  in  the  church  has  run  for 
about  nine  months,  says  pastor  Eugene 
E.  Gnagy,  and  he  notes  that  it  has  opened 
the  church's  doors  to  such  other  com- 
munity groups  as  Head  Start  Mothers  and 
for  educational  programs  dealing  with 
low-income  families.  Another  project 
under  recent  consideration  has  been  a 
child  day-care  facility. 

Bilingual  services:  Good  Friday  serv- 
ices in  McFarland,  Calif.,  in  previous 
years  had  seldom  involved  many  of  the 
area's  Latin  people,  although  nearly  half 
of  the  town's  population  is  of  Mexican 
extraction. 

However,  this  spring  a  crowd  of  over 
300  persons,  up  from  160  last  year,  over- 
flowed the  McFarland  Church  of  the 
Brethren  where  the  united  service  was 
held. 

Where  few  Mexican-Americans  had 
been  present  before,  the  congregation  was 
composed    equally    of    Spanish-speaking 


Northaven  home,  providing  residence  for  Seattle  senior  citizens,  will  be  ready  in  1971 


and  English-speaking  persons. 

The  Latin  involvement  was  attributed 
by  Brethren  pastor  Clifford  R.  Ruff  to 
the  participation  for  the  first  time  of  the 
pastor  of  the  Mexican  church  in  the 
town's  ministerial  planning. 

Bilingual  approaches  facilitated  the 
worship,  with  the  order  of  service,  ser- 
mons, and  greetings  in  both  languages. 
Hymns  were  sung  in  the  worshipers'  own 
tongues. 

The  congregation  followed  translations 
in  English  and  Spanish  of  Bach's  "Christ 
Lag  in  Todesbanden,"  sung  in  German 
by  the  La  Verne  College  choir. 

Observed  Pastor  Ruff:  "Here  in  one 
service  of  worship  were  Catholics  and 
Pentecostal  Protestants,  Anglo-Americans 
and  Mexican-Americans,  growers  and 
farm  laborers.  Brought  together  by  their 
common  devotion  to  their  Lord,  they 
worshiped  as  one  congregation.  In  an 
area  ill-famed  by  the  Delano  grape  strike 
just  six  miles  away,  this  service  was  a 
needed  testimony  to  the  power  of  recon- 
ciling love  to  heal  the  broken  relation- 
ships of  men.  It  was  truly  an  exciting 
adventure  in  community,  a  fitting  ob- 
servance of  the  death  of  One  who  died 
for  all." 

Youth  serve:  "Just  compare  them  as  a 
group  with  any  other  in  the  church;  see 
how  tall  they  stand!"  Church  school 
youth  teacher  Marvin  Sherman  was  re- 
ferring to  the  young  people  of  the  Beacon 


Heights  Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind. 

In  the  congregational  newsletter  Mr. 
Sherman  asked,  "What's  good  about  our 
youth?"  and  then  went  on  to  answer  his 
question  —  20   times  over. 

Among  the  services  rendered  and  the 
wholesome  struggle  for  identity  and 
meaning  in  life,  he  noted  .  .  . 

jX  as  many  as  one  quarter  of  "adult" 
choir  members  are  senior  highs; 

]^  they  have  an  80  percent  attendance 
record  in  church  school,  perhaps  the  high- 
est in  the  church; 

]/^  one  fourth  of  their  numbers  at- 
tended the  congregational  meeting  and 
presented  the  only  new  business  item  to 
come   from   the   floor; 

i/^  they  held  a  four-hour  "paint-in"  to 
prepare  biblical  posters  for  a  fall  wor- 
ship service;  helped  raise  funds  to  bring 
a  foreign  exchange  student;  serve  in  dis- 
trict leadership  posts;  planned  a  summer 
of  special  events;  and  have  remained 
faithful  in  their  attendance,  interest,  and 
interaction  with  the  congregation. 

Mr.  Sherman  urged  his  fellow  parish- 
ioners; "If  we  have  not  looked  beyond 
the  bell  bottoms,  the  groovy  hair,  sounds 
of  rock,  or  the  throb  of  youthful  energy 
which  we  may  envy,  let's  try  to  be  aware 
of  the  intrinsic  worth  of  our  youth  and 
not  become  hung  up  on  the  world's  stand- 
ard of  judging."  Bob  and  Glenda  Shull 
are  youth  counselors  of  the  congregation. 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     19 


PERU  EARTHQUAKE 


The  Baileys:  'Family  is  well' 


"TODA     LA     FAMILIA     ESTA     BIEN."    ThoSe 

words  over  a  radio  phone  patch  that  "all 
the  family  is  well"  meant  for  one  Breth- 
ren couple  that  their  family  and  friends 
in  earthquake-torn  Peru  had  survived  the 
May  31  disaster  which  in  42  seconds 
took  70,000  lives  and  made  800,000 
homeless. 

Now  that  the  emergency  is  over,  the 
task  of  reconstruction  and  rehabilitation 
begins.  Sharing  in  this  mammoth  job,  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  has  committed 
funds  and  personnel  in  joining  churches 
and  relief  agencies  there. 

Immediate  needs  are  for  10,000  emer- 
gency shelters  against  the  heavy  rains 
that  come  in  September  and  October. 
Plastic  sheetings  have  been  rushed  to 
Peru  as  a  temporary  measure  to  protect 
families  until  their  houses  can  be  made 
less  vulnerable  to  quakes. 

CWS  area:  The  Peruvian  government 
designated  an  area  the  size  of  Rhode  Is- 
land in  the  earthquake  region  as  the  site 
of  Church  World  Service  responsibility. 
The  section  extends  from  the  coastal  city 
of  Huarmey  to  the  mountain  city  of  Aija, 
some  40  miles  inland,  cutting  a  swath 
across  the  southern  end  of  the  affected 
area. 

It  is  under  CWS  auspices  that  four 
workers  sent  by  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren are  assisting  in  the  recovery  and 
rehabilitation  effort  during  the  next  year. 

Now  in  Peru  are  Melvin  B.  Townsend, 

20,  and  his  brother,  Philip  L.  Townsend, 

21,  of  Woodland,  Mich.,  and  Harold  L. 
Myer,  24,  of  Okanogan,  Wash.  Each  of 
the  men  is  working  under  the  Brethren 
Service  program  and  have  rebuilding 
skills;  Mr.  Myer  also  has  a  degree  in 
architecture. 

Nurse:  The  fourth  Brethren  in  the  re- 
lief efforts  is  Mary  Ann  Packer,  29,  of 
Westover,  Md.,  a  registered  nurse  as- 
signed with  a  CWS  medical  team.  She 
has  been  a  BVSer  at  the  hospital  in 
Castaner,  Puerto  Rico. 


In  support  of  these  team  members 
funds  up  to  $20,000  have  been  designated 
from  the  Brethren  Emergency  Disaster 
Fund.  An  immediate  response  earlier  dis- 
patched $5,000  from  the  fund  for  ma- 
terial aid  to  Peru. 

The  earthquake  in  Peru,  so  far  distant 
for  most  Americans,  took  on  a  very  per- 
sonal meaning  for  Gary  and  Shoco  Bailey 
of  Thompson,  Iowa,  who  are  members  of 
the  Prairie  View  Church  of  the  Brethren 
at  Curlew. 

Mrs.  Bailey  is  Peruvian  and  from  the 
town  of  Caraz,  situated  in  the  middle  of 
the  earthquake  area.  The  couple  met 
while  Mr.  Bailey  served  in  the  Peace 
Corps  there  and  were  married  last  year. 

TV  news:  The  Baileys  were  watching 
the  evening  television  news  on  May  31 
when  they  first  heard  of  the  earthquake. 
No  towns  were  mentioned,  he  recounts, 
but  the  map  indicated  that  the  site  of  the 
quake  was  near  Callejon  de  Huaylas,  the 
valley  where  Mrs.  Bailey's  parents  and 
most  of  her   relatives   and   friends   live. 

They  contacted  a  local  ham  radio 
operator  who  tuned  in  on  an  American 
priest  reporting  back  to  his  seminary  in 
Indiana  from  Huaraz,  a  city  of  40,000 
persons  only  30  miles  from  Caraz  and 
nearly  completely  destroyed  in  the  quake 
and   slides. 

The  tension  for  the  Baileys  mounted 
as  they  suspected  the  worst  for  their 
friends  and  family  in  Peru.  The  same 
evening  they  were  able  to  obtain  radio 
contact  with  Shoco's  sister  Maria  in 
Lima,  but  she  had  no  information  from 
Caraz  because  communications  had  been 
out. 

"The  next  day  was  agony.  The  news 
got  worse  as  the  day  passed.  Caraz  was 
said  to  be  under  water  because  a  moun- 
tain lake  had  burst,"  said  Mr.  Bailey,  a 
social  studies  and  Spanish  teacher  in 
Thompson. 

Radio  contacts:  The  couple  made  res- 
ervations for  a  flight  to  Peru  and  con- 


tinued to  make  ham  radio  contacts  hop- 
ing for  some  news  of  the  family.  At  11 
P.M.  they  made  another  contact  with 
Lima  and  the  news  was  good.  "Just  to 
make  sure  that  my  Spanish  had  not  failed 
me,  I  made  Maria  repeat  three  times, 
'toda  la  familia  esta  bien'  (all  the  family 
is  well).  Excited,  the  two  sisters  talked 
joyfully  between  the  two  Americans,"  Mr. 
Bailey  said. 

The  Baileys  went  to  Peru,  believing 
nevertheless  that  many  of  their  friends 
and  relatives  had  lost  their  lives.  Per- 
haps miraculously  the  personal  tragedy 
for  the  Baileys  was  less  than  for  many 
others.  "Shoco's  parents  and  immediate 
family  came  through  the  disaster  with 
only  material  damage.  However,  21  dis- 
tant relatives  were  killed. 

"The  family  home  was  badly  cracked 
and  made  uninhabitable,  as  were  about 
90  percent  of  the  homes  in  Caraz.  The 
people  were  living  on  the  side  of  a  moun- 
tain in  makeshift  tents  of  blankets  or 
branches.  Reconstruction  was  being 
hampered  by  a  lack  of  materials  and  the 
uncertainty  of  changing  the  location  of 
the  town. 

A  new  life:  "Many  of  the  people  who 
have  relatives  in  Lima  or  other  coastal 
cities  were  planning  to  start  life  over 
again  in  a  new  location.  Shoco's  parents 
were  fortunate  in  that  they  had  been 
buying  an  apartment  in  Lima  and  had 
somewhere  to  go.  But  the  vast  majority 
of  the  estimated  800,000  homeless  have 
no  choice  but  to  try  to  scratch  out  a 
living  in  the  same  area." 

Among  those  persons  are  118  families 
from  the  devastated  state  of  Ancash  who 
will  learn  the  difficulties  of  beginning  a 
new  life  in  an  entirely  different  environ- 
ment. The  government,  in  what  has  been 
an  unsuccessful  project  for  years,  will 
relocate  these  families  in  the  vast,  rich 
jungles  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Andes, 
an  undeveloped  area  with  much  potential. 

The  families  are  farmers  from  the  high- 
land valleys  where  both  days  and  nights 
are  cold.  Their  new  home  will  be  the 
hot,  humid  climate  of  the  jungle.  Where 
their  crop  used  to  be  wheat,  it  will  now 
need  to  be  fruits  and  other  jungle  crops. 


20     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


It  is  in  the  Ancash  state  where  Church 
World  Service  is  working.  Most  of  the 
70,000  inhabitants  of  the  area  are 
Quechua  Indians  with  their  own  language 
and  culture.  The  rest  are  Spanish-speak- 
ing Peruvians. 

Three-year  program:  CWS  sees  its 
work  as  a  three-phase  timetable  for  a 
three-year  period  of  rehabilitation  and 
reconstruction.  The  first  two  phases  have 
been  completed:  setting  up  an  operations 
network  and  the  distribution  of  food  for 
work  projects  and  to  feeding  centers  for 
mothers  and  children. 

The  repair  of  damaged  irrigation  sys- 
tems and  the  clearing  of  footpaths,  mule 
trails,  and  roads  essential  to  communica- 
tion and  transportation  were  also  high 
priorities  at  first. 

Phase  three  will  extend  for  the  next 
three  years  and  while  it  will  see  the 
continuation  of  food  for  work  projects 
and  material  and  childcare  clinics,  "the 
concentration  will  be  on  long-range 
agricultural  development  that  might  in- 
clude producer  cooperatives,  terracing, 
and  forestry  for  erosion  control  and  mar- 
keting," says  Richard  F.  Smith,  CWS 
director  for  Latin  America.  In  these 
areas  of  work,  construction  and  agricul- 
tural skills  of  the  three  Brethren  male 
volunteers  will  be  importantly  utilized. 

Building:  Harold  Myer's  architectur- 
al training  may  also  be  called  into  use 
in  the  construction  of  community  build- 
ings and  model  houses  as  an  option  in  the 
third  phase.  CWS  has  already  purchased 
600  panels  of  aluminum  roofing  and 
1,000  panels  of  asbestos  roofing,  valued 
at  $8,000,  for  the  immediate  repair  of 
some   homes   and  community   buildings. 

"Housing  is  primarily  a  government 
responsibility,"  said  Mr.  Smith.  "The 
Peruvian  government  is  not  encouraging 
rapid  rebuilding  at  this  time,  and  for  a 
very  good  reason,  even  though  90  per- 
cent of  the  housing  in  the  earthquake 
area  was  either  destroyed  or  severely 
damaged." 

He  says  that  time  is  needed  to  come 
up  with  plans  for  construction  that  will 
not  be  so  vulnerable  to  quakes.  "The  old 
houses,  of  adobe  bricks  and  with  roofs 


that  were  not  self-supporting,  accounted 
for  the  majority  of  the  50,000  fatalities 
in  the  quake  —  for  more  deaths  than  the 
avalanches." 

Valley  hit:  Especially  hard  hit  in  the 
quake  was  the  Calle  jon  de  Huaylas  Can- 
yon which  lies  between  two  great  moun- 
tain chains  running  the  length  of  the 
country.  In  the  Huaylas  canyon  great 
areas  of  the  mountains  simply  dropped 
off  and  fell  down  into  the  famed  valley, 
sometimes  called  the  Switzerland  of  Latin 
America. 

On  the  Baileys'  flight  to  Lima  their 
plane  went  over  the  canyon.  Noted  Mr. 
Bailey:  "Even  three  days  after  the  disas- 
ter a  dust  cloud  hung  over  the  valley. 
At  30,000  feet  we  could  still  make  out 
what  had  happened  below." 

Smiles  lit  up  their  faces  as  they  went 
over  Caraz  and  found  that  it  had  not 
been  swept  away  as  reported,  but  their 
sorrow  returned  as  they  flew  further 
down    the    valley. 

Only  mud:  "Where  the  beautiful  town 
of  Yungay  should  have  been  there  was 
nothing  —  nothing  but  mud.  The  path 
of  the  aluvion  [avalanche]  was  visible 
from  where  it  started  at  the  base  of  the 
glacier-capped  peak  of  Huascaran  to 
where  it  widened  into  a  two-mile-wide  fan 
of  mud  covering  Yungay,"  Mr.  Bailey 
reports. 

Of  Yungay's  former  28,000  population, 

Peru:     An    earthquake's    destructiveness 


only  2,500  persons  remain.  Three  large 
towns  in  the  canyon  were  completely 
erased,  as  was  the  seaport  town  of  Casma. 
Ten  other  large  towns  were  destroyed 
between  80  and  95  percent.  Chimbote, 
an  important  fishing  port  on  the  coast 
north  of  Lima,  was  up  to  80  percent  de- 
stroyed. 

"Scientists  concluded  that  the  earth- 
quake had  broken  loose  several  million 
cubic  feet  of  ice  from  the  top  of  Huas- 
caran," said  Mr.  Bailey.  "When  the  ice 
hit  the  ground  after  a  verticle  drop  of 
over  a  mile,  it  broke  loose  some  1.3  bil- 
lion cubic  feet  of  earth  and  stone,  creat- 
ing the  fatal  avalanche. 

Few  escape:  "The  heat  generated  by 
the  friction  of  the  avalanche  converted 
the  ice  into  water  and  then  mixed  with 
the  dirt  to  create  the  mud  that  covered 
Yungay.  The  avalanche  hit  Yungay  at  an 
estimated  speed  of  230  miles  per  hour, 
allowing   few   to    escape." 

The  dollar  damage  in  Peru  runs  to 
about  $230  million,  half  of  the  national 
debt  of  the  South  American  country,  says 
William  Rayman,  CARE  representative 
in  Peru.  "This  is  an  impossible  amount 
of  money  and  the  Peruvians  need  all  the 
help  they  can  get  from  everybody  con- 
cerned with  helping  this  country,"  he  ob- 
served. 

Church  aid:  That  people  all  over  the 
world  are  responding  is  apparent.  The 
forecast  for  church  aid  is  that  the  final 
figures  will  run  into  several  million 
dollars  cash  and  perhaps  several  times 
that  in  relief  supplies. 

In  one  example  of  public  concern  the 
people  of  Peru,  N.Y.,  auctioned  every- 
thing from  a  lively  Labrador  Retriever 
pup  to  an  old-fashioned  red  plush  family 
photo  album  to  benefit  the  victims  of 
Peru,  South  America.  The  sponsor,  the 
Peru  Community  Church,  sent  a  check 
of  $2,400  to  Church  World  Service. 

For  Brethren  like  Gary  and  Shoco 
Bailey  the  Peruvian  earthquake  had  its 
own  personal  meaning.  But  all  Brethren 
can  share  their  concerns  and  loss,  and 
through  the  material  and  personnel  re- 
sources made  available  by  their  denom- 
ination all  have  shared  in  the  recovery. 

9-24-70    MESSENGER     21 


"Man  of  Peace,"  woodcut  by  Leonard  Baskin, 
courtesy  ol  The   Museum  of   Modem  Art, 
New    York 


HOPE 

AND 

THE  MORAL  LIFE 


22     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


d 


by  ALLEN  C.  DEETER 

This  third  in  a  series  of 
Annual  Conference  Bible 
study  messages  is  based  on 
Matthew  25:1-13 


Ihe  parable  of  the  wise  and  foolish 
virgins  is  simple  and  direct  in  its  mes- 
sage. "Be  prepared  for  the  return  of 
Christ.  He  may  come  at  toy  moment. 
Have  the  resources  so  that  you  may 
celebrate  with  him  God's  rule." 

Clearly,  Matthew  had  in  mind  the 
problem  of  delay.  The  church  had 
waited  long.  The  banquet  of  the  Mes- 
siah, the  wedding  feast  of  our  parable, 
had  been  inexplicably  slow  in  coming. 
Christians  were  failing  to  prepare 
themselves.     They    were    no    longer 
eagerly  looking  forward  to  Christ's  tri- 
umphal, joyous  return.  Their  moral 
and  spiritual  resources  were  too  limited 
for  this  delay  and  uncertainty. 

In  Matthew  we  find  this  parable  in 
the  midst  of  material  which  Matthew 
has  taken  from  Mark.  He  recounts  the 
woes  which  are  to  precede  the  coming 
age.  Those  who  endure  through  be- 
trayal, hatred,  natural  disasters,  and 
the  sacrilegious  displays  of  the  power 
of  evil  without  allowing  their  love  to 
grow  cold  will  be  vindicated.  Wars, 
persecutions,  suffering  are  the  trials 
and  signs  of  the  coming  kingdom. 

The  steadfast  Christian  who  has  not 
followed  false  messiahs,  says  Matthew, 
will  light  the  way  for  Christ  to  the 
great  wedding  of  heaven  and  earth 
when  God  and  men  shall  feast  to- 
gether. One  can  find  parallels  to  this 
in  Revelation  19:9  and  in  various  Jew- 
ish apocalyptic  writings.  Just  as  in 
Matthew,  the  surrounding  verses  sug- 
gest struggle  and  painful  turmoil.  In 


Revelation  the  Lamb's  War,  in  which 
Christ  puts  down  the  forces  of  Satan, 
comes  before  the  celebration.  Thus 
set  over  against  each  other  are  always 
pain  and  celebration,  tragedy  and  vic- 
tory. A  judgment  of  exclusion  of  the 
wicked  and  the  unprepared  precedes 
the  messianic  victory  dinner. 

Many  scholars  puzzle  over  the  idea 
that  Jesus  taught  both  that  the  king- 
dom was  at  hand  and  that  the  disciples 
would  be  tested  by  an  indefinite  delay. 
While  uncertain  in  its  meaning,  the 
Greek  for  the  kingdom  is  "at  hand" 
probably  means  God's  rule  is  "present" 
or  "upon  you."  This  meaning  would 
be  consistent  with  passages  indicating 
that  the  ministry  and  miracles  of  Jesus 
were  evidence  that  God's  reign  had  be- 
gun. Thus,  the  messianic  banquet 
would  be  a  future  completion  of  God's 
rule.  To  use  a  military  metaphor, 
Jesus  began  the  assault  on  evil  and  the 
disciples  continue  the  battle  until  he 
returns,  when  a  final  victory  will  be 
won. 

Yet  we  are  left  with  the  same  prob- 
lem the  early  disciples  had.  How  ex- 
actly should  we  live  waiting  for  the 
final  vindication?  When  will  the  final 
victory  come? 


W. 


r  hat  does  waiting  mean  for  us?  Is 
it  like  a  child  waiting  and  hoping  for  a 
certain  toy  he  wants  very  much  for 
Christmas?  Or  is  it  like  the  time  my 
wife  waited  and  waited  for  me  to  show 
up?  It  was  our  second  date,  April  1 , 
1950.  She  had  about  decided  that  I 
had  played  an  April  Fool's  joke  —  and 
therefore  that  we  had  had  our  last  date 
—  when  I  arrived,  red-faced.  I  had 
fallen  asleep  after  a  strenuous  baseball 
practice  and  too  bountiful  a  training 
table.  Like  God  in  our  parable,  she 
forgave  one  who  fell  asleep  waiting. 
Often  our  waiting  has  more  of  pain 


and  worry.  As  a  child  I  remember  a 
time  when,  unable  to  drag  me  away 
from  the  toy  counter,  my  mother  said 
she  would  return  after  doing  a  few 
errands.  For  the  first  half  hour  or  so, 
I  delighted  in  watching  all  the  wonder- 
ful toys  and  contemplating  what  might 
be  in  Santa's  sack  for  me.  Then  I  be- 
gan to  wonder  if  she  would  ever  come 
back.  It  seemed  like  forever  before 
she  finally  appeared.  Or  I  think  back 
on  a  time  when  we  were  at  the  old 
Bethany  campus  and  my  wife  was 
finishing  her  master's  program  at 
Northwestern.  She  did  not  get  home 
by  ten  o'clock,  as  expected.  It  was 
eleven,  and  then  eleven-thirty,  and 
still  she  was  not  home.  Some  nasty 
things  had  happened  near  the  seminary 
and  every  terrible  possibility  raced 
through  my  mind  as  I  became  more 
and  more  panicky.  Her  eventual  ar- 
rival was  an  indescribable  relief.  At 
such  times,  clocks  do  not  measure  what 
we  experience.  Such  moments  of  anxi- 
ety or  impatience  help  us  understand 
that  our  time  sense  is  not  unvarying. 
When  we  look  into  the  Bible,  we 
must  realize  that  God's  time  is  not  our 
time.  God  does  not  measure  time  in 
hours  and  years.  Rather,  scripture 
measures  time  in  terms  of  promise  and 
fulfillment.  Time  is  always  pregnant 
with  God's  purposes  eagerly  straining 
to  be  bom.  God  awaits,  at  times,  the 
midwifery  of  men  to  aid  in  the  birth 
struggles  of  infant  goodness.  The  new 
world  of  God's  kingdom  is  ever  on  the 
threshold  seeking  entrance.  Christ  is 
ever  coming  to  his  own  and  only  being 
recognized  after  the  fact.  Sometimes 
only  too  late  are  we  able  to  see  him  in 
a  helpless  babe  or  a  needy  sufferer. 
Have  we  missed  him  in  almost  a  mil- 
lion Arab  refugees  from  the  Palestine 
conflict,  or  in  the  rat-bitten  children 
not  far  from  where  Bethany  Seminary 
used  to  be,  or  in  the  sufferers  in  Viet- 


nam or  Nigeria? 

Biblical  man,  like  us,  was  ever  miss- 
ing what  God  was  saying  and  doing: 
God's  promising  a  kingdom  which  man 
sees  as  never  arriving;  Jews  of  a  very 
orthodox  stripe  continuing  to  look  for 
a  messiah  on  his  first  trip  from  God  to 
man;  Christians  expecting  a  second 
visit.  Both  become  impatient.  Perhaps 
we  miss  his  many  visits,  assuming  that 
the  world  must  be  totaOy  remade  for 
him  to  have  really  been  here.  "Inas- 
much as  you  have  done  it  unto  the 
least  of  these  you  have  done  it  unto 
me." 

Everything  must  change  or  we  think 
nothing  has  changed.  All  evil  must  end 
or  we  suspect  that  evil  has  triumphed. 
With  a  strain  of  romantic  universalism, 
we  Brethren  are  prone  to  think  all  men 
must  sit  around  the  table  of  the  Lord, 
or  there  could  be  no  celebration  or  re- 
joicing. 

Thus  we  want  to  make  it  too  simple 
—  either.  .  .  or.  But  the  special  time 
of  God's  coming  is  both  then  and  now. 
God's  coming  is  future  as  promise; 
present  and  past  as  fulfillment.  Thus 
we  must  live  in  a  tension,  a  tension  be- 
tween heaven  and  earth..  We  are  being 
stretched  by  what  God  has  done,  is  do- 
ing, and  will  do.  He  works  in  promise 
and  fulfillment,  and  they  are  the  meas- 
ure of  his  time. 


T. 


.his  suggests  that  our  first  priority 
is  to  reorder  our  thinking.  We  must 
rethink  what  it  means  to  live  in  history 
with  a  biblical  sense  of  time.  We  must 
both  hear  God's  Word  of  promise  and 
eagerly  strain  toward  his  fulfillment. 
Thus  this  first  demand  is  that  we  re- 
member the  past  in  such  a  way  that  it 
enriches  the  present  and  prepares  us 
for  the  future.  We,  like  Israel,  must 
remember  those  saving  moments  when 


our  life  was  renewed  —  the  camp  or 
school  or  home  or  college  experiences 
of  excitement  and  growth  —  saving 
moments  when  we  were  freed  of  out- 
grown understandings  of  our  gifts  and 
tasks,  of  our  limitations  and  short- 
sightedness. 

One  of  the  things  which  separates 
those  of  us  in  our  late  thirties  and  older 
from  those  younger  is  the  memory  of 
the  depression  and  World  War  II. 
These  symbolize  for  us  the  danger  of 
disaster  to  personal  dreams  and  goals. 
We  remember  the  struggle  with  debts 
and  the  anxiety  of  where  food  and 
jobs  might  come  from.  We  remember 
the  insecurity  of  a  war  that  many 
thought  we  might  well  lose,  which 
might  come  to  our  shores  and  not  stay 
thousands  of  miles  away. 

The  young  today  have  had  no  such 
experiences.  They  carmot  remember 
that  strange  feeling  on  Sunday,  De- 
cember seventh,  when  we  were  sudden- 
ly in  it  and  no  longer  onlookers. 
They  seem  less  concerned,  many  of 
them,  for  material  things  because  they 
can  scarcely  imagine  not  having  them. 
They  have  grown  used  to  the  constant 
specter  of  war,  yet  always  at  a  dis- 
tance. 

The  young  are  in  one  sense  freer. 
Security  seems  the  least  of  their  con- 
cerns. In  another  sense  they  are  in 
bondage  to  an  almost  unconscious  as- 
surance that  security  financially  is  a 
phony  goal.  So  too  can  we  perceive 
our  own  preoccuations  with  economic 
concerns  or  social  and  political  dis- 
turbances as  both  bondage  and  prom- 
ises of  freedom.  It  depends  on  how 
God  is  seen  working  in  and  through 
our  lives  as  to  whether  these  experi- 
ences result  in  crippling  fears  or  spurs 
to  concerned  action  on  behalf  of  those 
who  now  experience  the  worst  that  we 
have  seen  or  fear. 

Israel  suffered  so  that  she  could  rear 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     23 


HOPE  AND  MORAL  LIFE  /  continued 

a  Son  who  could  teach  love  of  hated 
enemies,  forgiveness  of  long  religious 
rivalries,  trust  in  God  such  as  that  of 
the  sparrow  or  lily  of  the  field.  Per- 
haps we,  too,  have  suffered  that  we 
might  produce  sons  and  daughters  such 
as  those  arising  today.  Just  as  Jesus' 
mother  misunderstood  him  —  she 
thought  Jesus  had  gone  mad  —  so  may 
we  misunderstand  our  children  and 
their  responses  to  God's  call.  If  they 
do  not  share  our  fears  or  have  our  way 
of  looking  at  things,  let  us  rejoice.  Per- 
haps out  of  their  vision  we  all  may 
come  nearer  to  God's  kingdom.  This 
generation  is  unusually  aware  of  the 
pain  and  pretense  that  "business  as 
usual"  often  masks.  I  think  God  may 
be  appealing  to  us  through  them.  But 
he  may  also  be  appealing  to  them 
through  us. 

There  is  much  that  we  can  remem- 
ber that  was  and  can  be  enriching.  We 
experienced  great  moments  of  together- 
ness at  large  family  gatherings.  We 
had  much  more  time  and  less  money  to 
distract  us  from  simple  joys.  We  can 
remember  a  time  when  atomic  wea- 
pons, pollution,  traffic  accidents,  and 
nerve  gas  were  not  continuously  at  the 
edge  of  our  awareness;  a  time  when 
dropping  in  on  friends,  or  stacking 
their  porch  furniture  around  their  door 
for  a  joke  when  they  were  not  there, 
was  a  part  of  the  good  life. 

Without  unduly  romanticizing,  the 
past  has  much  that  was  good  and  that 
can  be  enriching  both  in  remembering 
and  in  changing  our  minds  about  what 
is  really  worthwhile.  Such  memories 
can  help  us  mold  a  better  present  and 
future.  Most  of  us  take  life  insurance 
and  retirement  plans  seriously  precise- 
ly because  we  remember  the  desolation 
of  those  who  were  left  totally  without 
resources  in  hard  times. 

We  are  not  fully  educated  until  we 
understand  what  has  made  us  what  we 


are.  Thus  it  can  help  both  old  and 
young  to  remember  and  reflect  upon 
our  pasts.  In  terms  of  our  parable, 
God  would  seem  to  be  saying  that 
there  are  resources  in  our  experiences 
—  of  both  old  and  young  — which  may 
help  us  be  ready  for  the  future.  Re- 
sources of  readiness  for  whatever 
comes,  just  as  for  God's  kingdom,  are 
available  if  we  are  responsive  to  God's 
gifts  and  opportunities. 

To  remember  in  ways  that  enrich 
is  to  live  in  hope.  To  live  in  regret,  or 
the  bitterness  of  memories,  is  to  fail 
to  be  open  to  God.  It  is  to  live  in  the 
bondage  of  inexperience.  God  has 
made  us  a  community  of  old  and 
young,  so  that  we  may  share  experi- 
ences and  perspectives.  We  can  learn 
from  one  another,  each  escaping  the 
tyranny  of  partial  experience  and  lim- 
ited awareness.  So  long  as  we  do  not 
become  alienated  from  our  families 
and  churches,  schools  and  neighbors, 
most  of  us  understand  this. 


W,. 


'hat  is  more  difficult  is  my  second 
point.  We  must  live  in  the  present  in 
such  a  way  that  our  memory  and  par- 
ticipation in  the  past  and  present  do 
not  block  the  future's  coming.  It  is  at 
this  point  that  our  youth  have  most  to 
teach  us.  Just  as  perhaps  in  the  last 
point  those  who  have  lived  longer 
have  more  to  teach.  I  think  most  of  us 
have  not  yet  begun  to  be  aware  of 
how  radically  the  future  is  going  to 
differ  from  what  we  have  known.  Vio- 
lence and  depersonalization  are  part  of 
highly  efficient,  industrialized  life. 

My  five  and  one  half  months'  stay  in 
Asia  and  North  Africa  showed  me  the 
same  loss  of  close  community,  the 
same  rebelliousness  of  youth,  the  same 
feeling  of  insecurity  that  most  West- 
erners feel.  Yet  Asia  is  only  started 


down  the  road  we  have  been  traveling 
for  150  years.  Family  life  is  breaking 
up  everywhere.  The  more  modernized 
and  wealthy  a  country,  the  more  mar- 
riages are  dissolved.  Where  pxjpulation 
mobility  and  new  ways  of  earning  an 
income  do  not  threaten  the  family,  na- 
tional purposes  do.  Red  China  sends 
its  youth  away  to  school  and  jobs  far 
from  home  and  tries  to  keep  them  sin- 
gle as  long  as  possible. 

The  ability  of  any  society  to  enforce 
strict  moral  codes,  even  totalitarian  so- 
cieties with  little  freedom,  is  decreasing 
rapidly.  We  can  no  longer  enforce 
premarital  chastity  or  prevent  experi- 
mentation with  alcohol  and  drugs,  not 
even  to  the  extent  we  could  a  few 
years  ago.  This  can  be  tragic,  or  it 
can  be  a  way  for  youth  to  learn  what 
they  believe  and  are,  without  our  forc- 
ing them. 

Far  more  disturbing  are  the  dangers 
of  political  tyranny  or  revolution.  One 
might  well  bring  the  other.  The  young 
today  often  have  deep  concerns  about 
the  dangers  we  face.  They  resist  bu- 
reaucratic regimentation,  new  forms  of 
colonialism,  injustice,  and  the  draft. 
Sometimes  they  are  more  sensitive 
and  discriminating  than  we  are  who 
have    become    accustomed    to    these 
things. 

I  don't  want  to  paint  our  youth  as 
all  being  saints  or  marvels  of  wisdom. 
But  I  do  want  those  of  us  who  may 
well  block  God's  future  to  be  willing 
to  listen  to  them  and  stand  aside  when 
they  have  a  good  idea  or  can  lead  us 
to  a  deeper  human  response.  Hope- 
fully, our  years  of  struggling  with  prob- 
lems can  contribute  something,  but  so 
can  youth's  fresh  way  of  seeing  things. 
Let  us  not  help  turn  their  dreams  and 
idealism  to  despair.  They  will  soon 
enough  learn  how  tough  sin  is,  espe- 
cially when  they  see  it  in  themselves  as 
well  as  in  us.  Their  courage  and  pro- 


24     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


phetic  spirit  may  well  speak  God's 
hopes  to  us. 

The  revolution  is  upon  us.    But 
God's  kingdom  is  just  as  revolutionary! 
We  can  resist  change  and  perhaps 
cause  it  to  be  more  violent  and  de- 
'   structive  and  thus  no  longer  a  tool  of 
God.  But  so,  too,  can  youth  misuse 
their  power  and  bring  a  rightist  tyran- 
ny upon  us  all.  We  can  remember  and 
j  hope  in  ways  that  help  our  world  to 
I   change  in  the  direction  of  God's  king- 
i   dom,  moderating  extremes,  bringing 
]   love  and  sympathy  into  the  revolution's 
i   methods  as  well  as  its  goals. 

This  is  a  crisis  time  —  a  Kairos,  to 
use  a  biblical  Greek  word  —  when 
something  genuinely  new  is  seeking  to 
be  born.  The  youth  revolution  and 
today's  crisis  can  help  the  new  world 
to  be  born,  or  they  can  destroy  God's 
imprint  upon  its  newness.  We  can  re- 
sist with  all  our  might,  and  perhaps 
the  new  world  will  be  born  without  us. 


Then  we  may  become  relics  of  the  past 
somehow  surviving  as  museum  pieces. 
Or  we  can  join  with  our  youth,  each 
helping  the  other  to  participate  in  our 
God-given  past  and  present,  so  that 
we  can  celebrate  together  the  coming 
kingdom. 

The  barriers  that  both  we  and  they 
have  raised  must  be  overcome  as  we 
dream  together  of  what  the  new  world 
must  be  like.  God  will  reign  sooner 
or  later  with  or  without  us,  but  we  can 
work  toward  changes  in  our  institu- 
tions, families,  and  society  which  are 
prophetic    signs    of    God's    victory. 
Change  is  coming.  Let's  be  ready  and 
help.  Let's  have  oil  in  our  lamps  so 
we  may  join  the  joyous  throng  in  cele- 
brating the  fulfillment  of  our  hope. 

Our  desire  to  help  blacks  and  the 
poor,  to  end  wars  and  riots,  to  seek 
justice  and  universal  brotherhood  is 
the  valid  implication  of  the  good  news 
that  God  in  Christ  transforms  men  and 


nations  through  his  sons.  But  we,  like 
the  revolutionary  disciples  of  Jesus' 
time,  face  the  temptation  to  try  to  bring 
in  the  kingdom  by  force  and  violence. 
Like  God,  we  must  patiently  invite 
men  into  that  new  reality,  full  man- 
hood in  the  likeness  of  Jesus  Christ. 
As  God  woos  our  minds  and  hearts,  so 
must  we  work  with  our  fellows.  The 
kingdom  is  also  compared  by  Jesus 
with  leaven  that  works  slowly  and 
silently,  and  with  a  tree  that  grows 
quietly  from  something  very  small  and 
unnoticed  to  something  great. 

We  must  discipline  ourselves  to  ac- 
tions which  are  signs  and  promises  of 
the  coming  kingdom.  We  cannot 
coerce  God  or  our  fellowmen  to  be 
good  in  our  understanding  of  the 
good.  We  cannot  take  heaven  by 
storm.  But  the  spin-off  of  our  vision 
of  the  new  world  straining  to  be  bom 
can  light  the  path  to  the  wedding 
feast.    D 


FAITH  LOOKS  UP 


Well  do  I  recall  the  inspiration  of  the  day  when  I  read 
the  Book  of  Job  at  one  sitting.  Job  was  a  blameless 
and  upright  man.  There  was  a  time  in  his  life  when 
the  bitterness  of  loss  and  grief  fell  upon  him  and  laid 
him  low.  Thousands  of  his  sheep,  camels,  and  oxen 
were  destroyed  by  the  sword,  and  all  his  children  and 
countless  servants  were  lost  in  storm  and  wind  and  their 
houses  razed.  Job  was  in  utter  despair.  His  soul  was 
laid  bare  and  he  was  put  to  trial.  In  deep  darkness  he 
talked  with  God  and  eventually  could  come  up  saying, 
"I  know  that  thou  canst  do  all  things, 
and  that  no  purpose  of  thine  can  be  thwarted" 
(Job  42:2). 
The  story  of  Job  was  written  a  long  time  before  the 
Christian  era.  When  Jesus  walked  the  roads  of  Pales- 
tine, he  gave  men  renewed  hope.  When  troubled  men 
and  women  saw  and  felt  what  he  could  do  to  remove 


illness  of  mind  and  body,  they  looked  up  and  took  cour- 
age. They  pondered  his  words,  "I  am  the  way,  and  the 
truth,  and  the  life"  (John  14:6). 

Storm,  loss,  illness,  hunger,  grief,  hopelessness  are 
interwoven  in  the  struggle  of  life  for  many  of  the  world's 
peoples.  In  the  teachings  of  Jesus  in  the  gospels  there 
is  a  sure  way  —  if  and  when  they  can  find  it  —  to  live 
with  disaster  and  discouragement. 


EDITH  BARNES,  now  living  at  Elgin, 
Illinois,  has  had  a  long  association  with 
the  General  Offices.  For  thirty-eight 
years  she  filled  various  roles  in  the 
church  school  editorial  office.  She  re- 
tired in  1959,  as  assistant  editor,  although 
she  continued  her  relationship  for  some 
years  to  editorial  tasks  in  the  editing  of 
a  revised  primary  graded  series  of  les- 
sons. She  now  volunteers  her  time  to 
identify  and  classify  materials  in  the  Gen- 
eral Offices'  historical  library. 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     25 


GORETIA 


by  Octavia   Vivian 


A 

biography 

of  Mrs. 

Martin  Luther 

King,  Jr. 

In  this  book  a  friend 
tells  the  story  of  one 
woman's  dedication 
and  courage.  Octavia 
Vivian  writes  about 
Coretta  King  in  a  sim- 
ple and  warm  manner. 
She  tells  in  detail  about  Mrs.  King's  life  with 
her  late  husband  and  her  relation  to  his  work 
and  looks  back  at  the  years  of  her  childhood, 
education,  and  courtship.  Octavia  Vivian 
says  that  the  story  she  tells  is  "an  assessment 
of  a  woman  with  a  commitment  that  remains 
unwavering  in  spite  of  the  assassination  of 
her  husband.  Mrs.  King  has  been  in  close 
contact  with  the  author  throughout  the  writ- 
ing of  this  book,  for  which  Dr.  King  had 
plaimed  to  write  an  introduction. 

Cloth,   $3.50;  paper,  $1.95 

CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 

GENERAL  OFFICES 

Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


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Ithiel,  Henry  B.  Ebersole,  5702  Shasta  Dr.,  Or- 
lando,    Fla.      32810,    phone    305-644-0900. 

26     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


REVffiWS  /  MOVIES 


"Z"  -  Film  Treatment 

of  Conscience  and  Compromise 


Sometimes  there  is  value  in  waiting 
to  see  a  critically  acclaimed  picture  until 
after  the  initial  wave  of  acclaim  has  died 
down.  Z  was  released  last  year  to  near- 
unanimous  raves,  and  despite  being  for- 
eign-language and  political  in  content,  it 
is  now  playing  across  the  country.  It 
well  deserves  this  kind  of  exposure,  for 
it  is  a  technically  excellent  and  tension- 
holding  experience;  but  I  will  want  to 
enter  one  caveat  about  film  as  a  political 
medium. 

"Z"  is  a  symbol  for  the  resistance 
in  Greece  which  signifies  "he  is  alive." 
In  the  film  it  refers  specifically  to  an 
assassinated  deputy  minister  (Yves  Mon- 
tand),  although  it  is  also  a  universal  sym- 
bol of  resurrection  hope.  Indeed,  the 
strongest  feature  of  Z  is  that  characters 
and  symbols  are  universalized  without 
losing  their  particularity  —  perhaps  the 
most  difficult  and  easily  misused  tech- 
nique of  any  art  form. 

This  particular-universal  dynamic  is 
most  evident  in  the  character  of  the 
murdered  man's  wife  (Irene  Pappas).  She 
appears  in  only  a  few  scenes  with  very 
few  lines  but  is  very  quickly  established 
as  a  grieving  widow  despite  the  inferred 
problems  of  their  marriage.  Yet  in  the 
excruciatingly  beautiful  expressiveness  of 
Miss  Pappas'  face  is  encompassed  the 
suffering  of  women  who  must  stand  by 
while  their  men  act  upon  their  con- 
sciences. She  also  embodies  hope  un- 
filled for  when,  toward  the  end,  a 
companion  rushes  to  tell  her  that  the  plot 
has  been  uncovered  and  the  responsible 
officials  are  being  indicted  ("It  is  as 
though  he  were  still  alive").  Miss  Pappas 
simply  turns  away.  We  realize  through 
her  what  we  then  learn  quickly  in  jour- 
nalistic terms:  that  for  the  moment  at 
least  this  is  false  hope. 

"Z"  appears  as  a  charismatic  figure 
addressing  a  peace  rally.  Several  levels 
of  military  and  government  officials  con- 
spire to  have  him  killed  at  the  rally  and 
then  squelch  any  investigation  by  claim- 
ing the  murder  to  be  an  accident.  Only 
through  the  scrupulous  investigation  of 
the  magistrate  in  charge  of  the  investi- 
gation  (Jean-Louis  Trintignant)   are  the 


varying  degrees  of  culpability  uncovered. 

Greece  is  never  mentioned,  and  the 
film  itself  is  a  French  production 
magnificently  directed  by  Costa-Gavras. 
Based  as  it  is,  though,  on  Vassilis  Vas- 
silikos'  novel  about  the  1963  Lambrakis 
affair  in  Greece  shortly  before  the  take- 
over by  a  military  junta,  Z's  intentions 
for  particularity  of  time  and  place  are 
obvious.  Costa-Gavras  does  not  stress 
the  particularity,  however,  and  thus  Z  re- 
lates to  any  situation  in  which  polari- 
zation is  occurring  around  national 
aspirations  and  goals.  Part  of  the  re- 
ception Z  is  receiving  here  must  surely 
be  because  of  its  direct  applicability  in 
many  respects  to  our  own  situation. 

At  the  beginning  a  medical  analogy  is 
offered    by    the    military    officials    as    a 
rationale:    Persons  advocating  peace  and 
bomb   banning   are   germs   infecting   the 
healthy   body   of   society.     Attackers   of 
these  advocates  are  thus  enabled  to  see  \ 
themselves    as    "antibodies"    cauterizing   ' 
the  effects  of  dis-ease.    Such  an  analogy 
is  effectively  dehumanizing,  and  thus  the 
efforts  of  the  peace  advocates  to  appeal  ; 
to  reason  are  futile:     You  don't  reason  '' 
with  a  germ  that  is  destroying  your  body. 
Z,   among  other  things,  is  a  case  study 
in   the   efficient   use   of   political   propa- 
ganda. 

The  caveat  I  would  enter  is  whether 
film  utilized  as  a  political  medium  can 
actualize  its  potential  as  an  art  form. 
The  camera  is  basically  an  objective  in- 
strument, and  editing  which  has  as  its 
goal  editorializing  tends  to  subvert  this 
objectifying  principle.  A  few  years  ago 
The  Battle  of  Algiers  demonstrated  that 
film  could  work  as  an  art  form  in  a  . 
political  situation.  This  was  largely  due 
to  the  documentary  style  of  that  film. 

Z  also  effects  a  semidocumentary  style, 
but   it   veers   perilously   close   to   simple 
propagandizing   through   using    a   "good 
guys-bad  guys"  syndrome   (for  example, 
the  irrelevant  homosexual  proclivities  of 
one  of  the  assassins).  The  film  is  rescued 
from    this    danger,   though,    by    its    uni-   i 
versality:     The    "good    guys"    and    "bad   | 
guys"  are  actually  those  whose  life-style   | 
operates  from  an  informed  conscience  as 


over  against  those  who  capitulate  to  a 
corrupt  governmental  system  for  survival. 
Fear  is  the  animating  principle  for  the 
latter,  and  one  of  the  most  trenchant 
aspects  of  Z  is  that  fear  is  never  obvious, 
only  the  manipulative,  behind-the-scenes 
motivating  factor. 

Trintignant,  as  the  investigator,  is  the 
key  figure,  for  it  is  his  integrity  that  holds 
together  all  the  pieces.  In  the  most  im- 
portant scene  of  the  film  the  executive 
prosecutor  offers  him  a  compromising 
governmental  proposal  and  then  tells  him 
to  act  upon  his  conscience  —  implying 
that  conscience  should  let  him  accept 
compromise.  The  camera  lingers  on 
Trintignant's  face,  and  for  a  few  mo- 
ments we  honestly  do  not  know  how  he 
will  react  to  these  conflicts  of  internal 
and  external  pressures. 

Z  is,  in  a  way,   a  pictorialization  of 


James  Russell  Lowell's  still  insightful 
words:  "Truth  forever  on  the  scoffold, 
Wrong  forever  on  the  throne."  But  the 
mentality  of  Z  will  not  yet  allow  it  to 
accept  Lowell's  next  line:  "Yet  that 
scafl^old  sways  the  future."  It  is,  at  best, 
a  deferred  hope.  There  is  as  yet  work 
for  all  of  us  to  do  who  believe  in  con- 
science and  integrity.  —  Dave  Pomeroy 


The  purpose  of  reviewing  current  films  in 
Messenger  is  not  to  recommend  or  to 
promote  specific  films  for  viewing  or  to 
offer  a  rating  service  covering  many 
films.  We  hope,  rather,  by  examining  a 
few  pictures  critically,  to  help  readers 
develop  their  own  criteria  for  evaluating 
pictures  and  to  become  more  aware  of 
the  way  current  films  treat  basic  theo- 
logical and  moral  issues.  —  The  Editors 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued 


endeavor.  A  majority  of  people  today  re- 
spect a  young  man  who  honestly  feels  that 
he  cannot  be  a  soldier  and  chooses  alternate 
service.  In  many  cases  he  makes  a  more 
significant  contribution  in  this  way. 

But  now  this  is  not  enough.  The  course 
the  church  is  now  taking  encourages  defiance 
of  the  law  and  will  place  young  men  in 
prison  instead  of  in  fruitful  service. 

Some  of  those  who  believe  in  this  kind  of 
martyrdom  compare  the  situation  to  the  per- 
secution of  Christ,  the  Apostle  Paul,  and  our 
own  early  church  leaders.  Both  Christ  and 
Paul  taught  respect  for,  and  obedience  to, 
the  law.  They  were  killed  by  a  hostile  reli- 
gious group  and  a  cruel  harsh  government, 
from  which  there  was  no  mercy.  The  early 
leaders  of  our  church  were  forced  to  go  to 
war  or  prison.  There  was  no  alternative,  as 
there  is  today,  where  a  young  man  is  offered 
a  choice.    But  we  choose  to  reject  the  offer. 

This  can  only  create  more  strife  and  ill 
will.  Our  church,  which  has  traditionally 
taught  its  members  to  love  one  another  and 
settle  our  differences  among  ourselves,  is  now 
encouraging  arrests,  court  proceedings,  and 
litigation. 


Our  church,  which  loves  and  preaches 
peace,  is  commending  young  men  for  resist- 
ing the  law. 

Our  church,  a  leader  in  relief  work  and 
service  to  the  needy,  now  supports  its  young 
men  to  sit  in  prison,  as  certainly  they  will, 
rather  than  to  work  for  the  good  of  man- 
kind. If  a  young  man  is  honestly  opposed 
to  war  and  seeks  to  promote  peace,  he 
cannot  do  it  by  causing  strife  and  then  doing 
nothing.  War  is  wrong,  so  let  him  work  to 
show  that  there  is  a  better  way,  and  perhaps 
someday  we  can  live  in  peace.  To  be  a 
martyr  for  a  worthy  cause  is  commendable. 
To  martyrize  your  life  for  nothing  is  a 
waste  of  human  resources.  In  my  opinion, 
a  young  man  who  wishes  to  follow  the  spirit 
of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  will  choose 
to  obey  the  law  and  give  his  testimony  in 
worthwhile  service. 

In  writing  this  letter  I  do  not  seek  to 
start  a  controversy,  or  a  pro  and  con  letter- 
to-the-editor  campaign.  I  ask  no  support 
from  those  who  may  feel  as  I  do.  To  those 
who  disagree,  I  simply  ask  that  you  respect 
my  belief  just  as  I  respect  yours. 

May  God  continue  to  bless  and  direct  us 
all  as  we  seek  to  do  his  will. 

Charles  W.  Wampler 
Harrisonburg,  Va. 


Someone  once  said  that  God 
couldn't  be  everywhere,  and  so 
He  made  mothers.  The  world  changes, 
and  man  reaches  into  space, 
but  nothing  changes  the  warm  love 
of  the  one  who  "keeps  the  house." 
The  Bible,  too,  stands 
constant  in  a  changing  world. 
The  University  of  Cambridge, 

through  its  Press,  is  proud  of  the 
privilege  of  having  printed  the  Bible 
for  longer  than  any  press  in  existence. 


AT  ALL  BOOKSTORES 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     27 


.  .  the  most  comprehensive  and 
authoritative  Bible  dictionary  to 
appear  in  English  in  over  half  a 
century. " 

— Library  Journal 

"Designed  for  the  discriminating 
professional  scholar  as  well  as  the 
beginner  in  Biblical  studies,  these 
four  volumes  provide  authentic 
answers,  so  far  as  they  are  available, 
to  questions  of  fact  about  the 
Bible." 

—World  Outlook 


"...  a  worthy  companion  to  its 
predecessor,  The  Interpreter's  Bible 
....  using  the  best  scholars  around 
the  norld  for  its  writers,  the 
Dictionary  is  as  reliable  and  val- 
uable as  the  previous  work  has 
proved  to  be." 

— Presbyterian  Life 

"Many  of  the  7,500  entries  are 
long  and  beautifully  written  articles, 
frequently  illustrated  with  helpful 
photos,  detail  maps,  and  drawings. 
Every  idea  is  explored,  with  full 
objectivity,  to  its  utmost  implica- 
tions." 

— Saturday  Review 

THE  INTERPRETER'S  DICTIONARY 
OF  THE  BIBLE 

FoDr'TolDBie  set,  $45 


At  your  local  bookstore 

abingdon  press 


28     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


ii^  speak  up 


Spiritual  renewal  begins  with  ourselves 


What  is  wrong  with  the  church  today? 
This  is  a  famihar  question  that  is  heard 
quite  frequently.  Putting  it  another  way; 
Why  is  the  witness  of  the  church  not  as 
effective  as  it  should  be?  We  can  raise 
the  same  questions  about  our  own  per- 
sonal witness  for  Christ  in  the  world. 
If  we  find  the  answer  concerning  our  own 
personal  witness,  we  will  have  the  answer 
to  the  question  about  the  church,  because 
we  are  the  church. 

Some  typical  answers  we  hear  to  the 
question,  "What  is  wrong  with  the 
church?"  are:  "The  church  is  no  longer 
evangelistic."  "Merge  with  other  denomi- 
nations." "Get  out  of  the  National  Coun- 
cil of  Churches."  "Preachers  no  longer 
preach  the  gospel."  "We  are  involved  too 
much  in  political  or  social  affairs,  or  not 
involved  enough."  And  so  it  goes.  Each 
critic  of  the  church   has   an   answer. 

Perhaps  all  these  criticisms  may  be  true 
at  times  or  in  some  situations,  but  in  my 
judgment  none  of  them  touches  the  basic 
cause.  Jesus  said  to  his  disciples,  "But 
you  shall  receive  power  when  the  Holy 
Spirit  has  come  upon  you;  and  you  shall 
be  my  witness  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all 
Judea  and  Samaria  and  to  the  end  of 
the  earth"  (Acts  1:8).  Paul  called  atten- 
tion to  very  much  the  same  idea  when 
he  wrote  to  Timothy  of  "holding  the 
form  of  religion  [godliness]  but  denying 
the  power  of  it"  (2  Tim.  3:5). 

Luke  tells  us  that  before  Jesus  went 
back  to  the  Father,  he  told  his  disciples 
that  prior  to  going  ahead  with  his  work, 
they  should  tarry,  wait  until  they  received 
the  promise  of  the  Father,  which  was 
that  they  would  be  baptized  with  the 
Holy  Spirit  not  many  days  hence.  Then 
he  told  them,  "You  will  receive  power 
or  strength  when  the  Holy  Spirit  has 
come  upon  you.  When  that  happens  then 
you  are  to  go  out  and  be  my  witnesses, 
bear  witness  of  me,  among  your  neigh- 
bors and  those  with  whom  you  work, 
even  to  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  earth." 

The  Greek  word  for  spirit  is  the  same 
root  word  as  for  our  English  word  dy- 
namite. We  have  some  idea  of  the  power 
and  strength  of  dynamite.    So  as  we  live 


our  lives  and  make  our  witness  for  Christ, 
we  must  depend  for  our  power  and 
strength  on  the  Holy  Spirit.  If  our  wit- 
ness is  not  effective,  if  we  feel  that  we 
do  not  have  the  power,  then  the  con- 
clusion must  be  that  we  are  short  on 
dynamite  —  that  we  lack  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Although  we  believe  in  the  Holy  Spirit 
and  his  power,  many  times  we  do  not 
put  our  belief  into  practice.  Most  of 
the  time  we  seem  to  do  pretty  well  with- 
out it.  We  admit  that  there  are  times 
when  we  get  into  difficult  situations  and 
then  in  a  rather  formal  way  seek  the 
help  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  When  our  church 
boards,  committees,  or  commissions  meet 
to  consider  and  plan  for  the  work  of 
the  church,  we  open  with  a  word  of 
prayer.  But  many  times  we  then  go 
ahead  and  plan  according  to  our  own  , 
ideas  based  on  our  own  knowledge  and  i 
training.  We  should  get  all  the  education 
and  training  that  we  can,  but  we  must  ' 
not  allow  that  to  replace  the  guidance 
and  power  of  the' Holy  Spirit. 

Paul,  in  2  Timothy  chapter  three, 
describes  the  situation  in  the  last  days, 
how  the  people  will  be  and  how  they 
will  act.  He  says  they  will  appear  to 
be  religious,  "having  the  form  of  religion 
(godliness)  but  denying  the  power  of  it." 
Maybe  that  description  fits  our  situation 
today  —  even  in  our  local  churches. 

Maybe  we  had  better  take  a  good  look 
at  ourselves.  It  would  be  well  to  ask 
ourselves,  "Do  we  really  depend  upon 
the  guidance  of  the  Holy  Spirit  or  do  we 
go  it  on  our  own?  Do  we  honestly  and 
sincerely  seek  the  guidance  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  each  day  before  we  start  out  or 
before  we  make  a  decision?" 

If  we  really  want  spiritual  renewal 
in  the  church,  we  must  want  it  first 
within  ourselves.  Before  we  can  expect 
it  in  the  church,  we  must  have  it  in  our 
own  individual  lives.  Why  not  make  a 
sincere  effort  to  have  it,  by  following 
the  words  of  Jesus  to  his  disciples:  "You 
will  receive  power  when  the  Holy  Spirit 
has  come  upon  you,  then  go  out  and 
bear  witness  for  and  of  me."  —  A.  Jay 
Replogle 


'How  do  you  know  the  six  colleges  are  doing  a  good  job?' 


'Listen!  They  have  some  old  pros  who  know  the  score. ..They  listen." 


"...and  some  young  kids  who  won't  shut  up..." 


.that  makes  a  pretty  good  team  in  my  book." 


OGEWATER 
UEGE 


ijident 

lyne  F.  Geisert 

dgewater, 
ginia  22812 


ELIZABETHTOWN 
COUECE 


President 
Morley  J.  Mays 

Eliiabethtown, 
Pennsylvania  17022 


JUNIATA  CCllEGE 


President 

John  N.  Stauffer 

Seventeenth  and 
Moore  Streets 
Huntingdon, 
Pennsylvania  16652 


LA  VERNE  COLLEGE 


President 

Leiand  B.  Nev/comer 

1950  Third  Street 
La  Verne, 
California  91750 


MANCHESTER 
COLLEGE 


President 

A.  Biair  Helman 


North  Manchester, 
Indiana  46962 


McPHERSON  COLLEGE 


President 

J.  Jack  Melhorn 

1600  East  fuclid 
McPherson, 
Kansas  67460 


in  brief 


PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

Three  men  in  Northern  Indiana  have 
been  hcensed  recently  by  the  district: 
Ronald  Clark,  transferring  his  member- 
ship from  the  United  Missionary  Church 
to  the  Union  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
where  he  is  serving  as  pastor;  Michael 
Stutzman  of  Goshen  City  church;  and 
Leiand  Harding  of  Auburn.  A  letter 
from  Pastor  Clark  appears  as  part  of  the 
editorial  in  this  issue. 

Accepting  the  call  of  the  Stanley/ 
Maple  Grove  yoked  parish  in  the  Illinois- 
Wisconsin  District  is  Larry  Moreland  of 
the  United  Missionary  Church.  ...  A 
tape-recorded  sermon  by  Russell  Burriss 
contributed  to  his  call  from  the  Twenty- 
eighth  Street  Church  at  Altoona,  Pa.  Mr. 
Burriss  is  resigning  after  seven  years  as 
pastor  at  the  Santa  Ana,  Calif.,  church. 

D.  Eugene  Lichty,  pastor  of  the  Lynn- 
haven  congregation  in  Phoenix,  Ariz., 
has  been  elected  chairman  of  the  newly- 
formed  Clergy  for  Peace  group  there. 

PERSONAL  MENTION 

Former  Ecuadorean  field  secretary 
George  Kreps  will  take  anthropology 
studies  at  The  Ohio  State  University  this 
fall  and  plans  to  return  to  Ecuador  in 
two  years  to  a  new  assignment.  His  pre- 
vious post  was  dissolved  in  administra- 
tive changes  there.  .  .  .  After  ten  years' 
service  as  general  editor  of  Christian 
education  publications  for  the  General 
Board,  Ercell  V.  Lynn  in  August  joined 
the  education  department  of  Western 
Illinois  University  to  coordinate  student 
teaching  in  the  western  Chicago  suburbs. 

A  professional  photographer  with 
twenty  years"  experience  has  been  named 
assistant  administrator  for  public  rela- 
tions and  ministry  at  Friendship  Manor. 
Maurice  E.  Wright  comes  to  the  Roan- 
oke, Va.,  post  from  a  television  station, 
where  he  was  a  photography  lab  techni- 
cian. An  ordained  minister,  he  has  served 
Church  of  the  Brethren  pastorates  in  the 
First  and  Southern  districts  of  Virginia. 

Retired  director  of  women's  work  for 
the    Brotherhood,    Anna    Warstler,    has 


settled  at  Goshen,  Ind.,  after  returning 
from  studies  in  India.  Her  new  address 
is  29  Skyview  Mobile  Village,  Route  5, 
Goshen,  Ind.  46526. 

Lynn  Blickenstaff,  for  twenty-seven 
years  a  missionary  in  India,  died  in  Au- 
gust at  his  home  at  La  Verne,  Calif.  He 
was  81.  During  his  tenure  in  India,  he 
was  mission  secretary  and  treasurer  and 
co-managed  the  Intermission  Business 
Office  at  Bombay. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples 
celebrating  golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ralph  W.  Hoffman,  Roann, 
Ind.;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fred  Paul,  Sala- 
monie  congregation.  Middle  Indiana.  .  .  . 
Other  couples  observing  anniversaries  in- 
clude Mr.  and  Mrs.  O.  Clark  Anspach, 
Lima,  Ohio,  fifty-eight,  and  the  Samuel 
Bells,  Hummelstown,  Pa.,  sixty. 

POTPOURRI 

Marking  its  125th  anniversary  this 
month  is  the  Salamonie  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  Middle  Indiana,  with  special 
homecoming  services.  .  .  .  Group  sing- 
ing, a  guest  speaker,  and  a  basket  dinner 
will  highlight  homecoming  activities  at 
Middle  Indiana's  Roann  church  Oct.  11. 

In  Northern  Indiana  the  Osceola 
Church  of  the   Brethren  is  among  co- 


«'i; 


Sept.     25-26      District   conference,   Southern    Penn- 
sylvania,  Codorus 
Oct.  4      Worldwide  Communion 
Oct.  9-10      District  conference,  Florida,  Georgia, 

and    Puerto   Rico,    Orlando 
Oct.  9-1 1      District    conference,    Pacific    South- 
west,  Phoenix,   Ariz. 
Oct.   9-1 1       District     conference.     Eastern     Penn- 
sylvania,   Lititz 
Oct.    10-11       District    conference.    North    Atlantic, 
Lititz,  Pa. 
Oct.    1 1       Laymen's  Sunday 
Oct.   12      Columbus  Day 
Oct.   18      World  Order  Sunday 
Oct.    18-24      United  Nations  Week 
Oct.   24      United    Nations    Day 
Oct.   25      Universal  Bible  Sunday 
Oct.  25      Reformation   Sunday 
Oct.  25      Youth   Sunday 
Oct.    25  -  Nov.         Youth    Week 
Oct.   31       Reformation    Day 


operating  denominations  in  The  Com- 
munity Cupboard,  which  supplies  food 
and  clothing  to  families  sustaining  severe 
hardship  due  to  fire,  prolonged  illness, 
or  unemployment. 

Elizabethtown  College  has  reordered 
its  administrative  structure  for  the  1970- 
71  academic  year  to  allow  President 
Morley  J.  Mays  more  time  for  fund  rais- 
ing and  long-range  planning.  While  Dr. 
Mays  will  be  available  for  consultation 
on  general  budget  and  staff  decisions,  he 
will  spend  the  bulk  of  his  time  off 
campus  contacting  foundations  and  other 
sources  of  financial  support. 

OPPORTUNITIES 

Postal  chess  tournament  director  Ward 
B.  Crabill  announces  an  Oct.  15,  1970, 
deadline  for  entries  in  the  sixth  annual 
round.  Players  are  grouped  into  sections 
of  approximately  the  same  skill,  with 
each  player  in  a  section  playing  all  the 
other  members  of  the  section  simulta- 
neously. Winners  in  each  section  receive 
certificates.  A  point  system  enables 
players  to  progress  to  a  more  advanced 
section  in  subsequent  tournaments. 
Novices  and  experts  are  welcome,  but 
all  entrants  should  have  a  general  knowl- 
edge of  the  rules  of  chess  and  the  ability 
to  read  chess  notations.  Interested  per- 
sons may  send  name,  address,  and  ap- 
proximate strength  (average,  above  aver- 
age, below  average)  to  Mr.  Crabill,  11819 
Mentone  Road,  Silver  Spring,  Md. 
20906.    There  is  no  entry  fee. 

"Ministries  of  the  Church  for  a  New 
Day"  will  direct  the  activities  of  a  three- 
day  Church  Leaders  Conference  Oct. 
19-21  at  Manchester  College.  Guest 
leaders  will  include  Ernest  T.  Campbell, 
pastor  of  New  York's  Riverside  Church; 
Martin  E.  Marty,  professor  of  modern 
church  history  at  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago and  associate  editor  of  the  Chris- 
tian Century;  and  Paul  M.  Robinson, 
president,  Bethany  Theological  Seminary. 
Registration  fees  and  other  conference 
information  may  be  determined  by  writ- 
ing the  conference  office  at  Manchester 
College,    Box    175,    North    Manchester, 


30     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


Ind.  46962. 

Later  in  October  and  during  Novem- 
ber, on  five  successive  Monday  evenings 
(Oct.  26,  Nov.  2,  9,  16,  23),  the  annual 
Religion  and  Life  School  will  be  hosted 
by  Manchester  College.  Leaders  for  the 
event:  William  H.  Genne,  coordinator  of 
family  ministries,  National  Council  of 
Churches  of  Christ;  Ivan  F.  Bennett, 
senior  physician,  medical  research  divi- 
sion, Eli  Lilly  and  Company,  Indian- 
apolis; Norman  P.  Metzger,  director, 
legal  services  program.  Legal  Aid  of 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.;  T.  Wayne  Rieman, 
chairman,  department  of  religion  and 
philosophy  and  professor  of  religion, 
Manchester  College;  and  Paul  W.  Keller, 
:hairman,  division  of  humanities  and 
professor  of  speech,  Manchester  College. 
Registration  fee  of  $6  is  payable  only  on 
the  first  evening,  though  a  reservation 
tvould  ensure  participation.  Persons  in- 
terested in  attending  the  school  may 
ivrite  Dean  L.  Frantz,  director.  Religion 
md  Life  School,  Manchester  College, 
North  Manchester,  Ind.  46962. 
4.     ^     ^     ^     ^ 

Members  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren Men's  Fellowship  will  gather  at 
Winona  Lake,  Ind.,  Nov.  21-22  for  the 
iiinth  annual  Interdistrict  Retreat.  "God 
n  the  Marketplace"  is  the  theme  for 
presentations  and  discussions,  with  Clyde 
E.  Weaver,  a  member  of  the  Parish  Min- 
stries  Commission  staff  at  the  General 
Dffices  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  as 
juest  leader.  Participants  may  register 
before  Nov.  13  with  a  fee  of  $16.  After 
:hat  date  the  fee  is  $17.  Commuters' 
-egistration  is  $5  with  meals  at  hotel 
■ates.  Registrants  may  write  Cletis 
Bowers,  Route  9,  Box  440,  Muncie,  Ind. 
^7302. 

rHE  MEDIA 

Newly  elected  General  Board  member 
tosa  Page  Welch  has  released  a  new 
itereo  longplay  album,  "Rosa  Page  Welch 
Sings  God's  World  and  His  Wondrous 
Love."  Records  may  be  ordered  at  $4 
;ach,  including  postage  and  handling, 
[rom  Rosa  Page  Welch,  P.  O.  Box  2072, 


Waynesboro,  Va.  22980. 

Bridgewater  College  student  John 
Michael  Fike  has  released  a  twenty-page 
illustrated  book.  History  of  the  Eglon 
Congregation  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  researched  and  prepared  as  a 
class  project.  Author  Fike  unveiled  the 
book  at  the  Maple  Spring  harvest  home- 
coming at  Eglon,  W.  Va.,  in  August. 
Copies  of  the  history  may  be  ordered 
from  John  Michael  Fike,  Eglon,  W.  Va. 
26716,  at  $1.25  per  copy. 

ON   QUESTIONNAIRES 

Recent  In  Brief  columns  have  report- 
ed results  of  congregational  question- 
naires often  enough  that  we  wonder  how 
many  other  congregations  are  using  that 
time-honored  form  to  determine  where 
they  are  and  where  they  are  going. 

At  First  church  in  Akron,  Ohio,  mem- 
bers of  the  Homebuilders  Class  answered 
questions  about  the  peace  position  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Three  class 
members  favor  U.S.  policy  in  Vietnam, 
while  twelve  reject  that  policy.   Fourteen 


of  fifteen  respondents  advocate  immedi- 
ate or  rapid  withdrawal,  while  thirteen 
of  fourteen  prefer  that  Congress  "again 
assume  Constitutional  authority  on  war." 

In  northern  Illinois,  youth  at  the  York 
Center  church  at  Lombard  responded  to 
a  two-question  questionnaire:  Do  you 
feel  the  sanctuary  is  sacred?  and  How 
do  you  feel  about  the  Sunday  morning 
worship  service? 

Definitions  of  sanctuary  varied.  One 
wrote  that  it  is  a  sacred  place  in  the 
sense  that  there  the  "Lord  is  praised, 
thanked,  and  communicated  with."  An- 
other said  that  the  sanctuary  is  no  more 
sacred  "than  one  of  God's  trees."  One 
youth  maintained  that  "sacred"  is  some- 
times used  as  a  shield  in  order  to  keep 
out  new  forms  of  worship. 

About  worship  services  in  general 
comments  such  as  "When  I'm  in  church 
I  feel  like  I'm  in  school"  contrasted  with 
responses  stressing  the  importance  of  be- 
ing "united  in  common  experience," 
though  some  respondents  felt  that  too 
often  services  are  "boring  and  lifeless." 


ACHIEVEMENT  September   1970 

Get  the  WORD  around.  That  is  what  the  Brethren  are  trying  to 
do  through  such  ministries  as: 

Pastoral  support  for  smaller  churches 

Development  of  study  materials 

Scholarship  aid  for  training  of  overseas  national  leaders 

Brethren  Volunteer  Service 

Efforts  at  racial  and  social  justice 

Leadership  in  evangelism  and  resources  for  new  approaches 

Group  training  in  personhood,  discipleship,  churchmanship 

The  Achievement  Offering  is  an  opportunity  to  make  an  extra  gift 
to  the  Brotherhood  Fund  which  supports  the  above  ministries  and 
many  more  besides,  your  generous  response  is  needed.  Please 
send  your  contribution  today! 


Amount   $_ 


Name    _ 
St./RFD 
City 


State 


Congregation 
District    


Zip 


(Please  enclose  this  form  with  your  gift  and  send  to  Cliurch  of  tlie  Bretlnren  General  Board, 
1451   Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  III.  60120) 


9-24-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


No  Time  to  Opt  Out 


You  can  scarcely  talk  to  anyone  for  half  an  hour  without 
discussing  serious  reasons  for  alarm  —  the  days  seem  evil, 
leaders  are  confused  and  unresponsive,  children  are  re- 
bellious, their  parents  are  reactionary,  and  the  institutions 
we  have  most  cherished  seem  threatened  from  without  and 
within.  We  may  be  experiencing  on  a  national  scale  what 
one  Harvard  historian,  looking  at  New  England  and  observ- 
ing its  flowering  fade  into  a  withering,  described  as  a  "fail- 
ure of  nerve."  The  problems  are  really  no  greater  than  they 
were  a  hundred  years  ago,  but  we  seem  to  have  lost  the 
nerve,  the  spirit,  that  will  prompt  us  to  tackle  them. 

We  are  subject  to  the  same  "loss  of  nerve"  in  the  church. 
We  can  easily  become  defeatist  in  our  attitudes,  forgetting 
or  neglecting  the  resources  of  our  faith  which  should  "lift 
your  drooping  hands  and  strengthen  your  weak  knees  and 
make  straight  paths  for  your  feet."  For  this  reason  Mes- 
senger welcomes  and  commends  to  our  readers  a  letter  that 
came  to  us  unsolicited  from  a  pastor  we  do  not  know  per- 
sonally. We  accept  his  remarks  as  a  firm  rebuke  to  our 
pessimism  and  as  a  testimony  to  the  victory  that  is  implicit 
in  our  deepest  convictions.  —  k.m. 


For  the  past  several  issues  I  have  been  reading  "Readers 
Write"  very  closely  and  come  to  the  following  conclusion. 
We  have  a  most  serious  case  of  "defeatism"  in  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  which  needs  treatment  immediately.  A 
neurosis  has  been  made  out  of  our  smallness  and  declining 
membership. 

I  love  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  presently  know 
of  no  other  church  where  I  would  rather  spend  my  minis- 
try. My  background  is  not  Brethren.  My  contact  with 
the  church  came  as  a  college  student  looking  for  a  parish 
in  which  to  serve.  There  has  been  a  lot  of  growth  in  the 
past  few  years.  And  in  this  growth  I  have  come  to  know 
the  Brethren  very  well.  Possibly  my  knowledge  of  the 
history  and  practices  of  the  church  are  greater  than  some 
who  were  reared  in  the  church. 


One  of  the  things  that  finally  led  me  to  join  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  is  the  spirit  of  fellowship  and  the  accept- 
ance of  one  another.  I  have  travelled  in  many  denomina- 
tional circles,  but  none  has  exemplified  this  great  character. 

Another  ideal  which  led  me  to  the  church  was  the 
openness  and  honesty  of  thought.  The  willingness  to  open 
the  scriptures  and  to  look  into  them.  Not  with  precon- 
ceived ideas  or  doctrine  but  simply  trying  to  have  the  holy 
spirit  reveal  what  is  there  for  us  today. 

This  is  no  time  to  opt  out  of  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren. Those  who  feel  they  are  going  to  find  a  "paradise" 
in  another  denomination  are  fooling  themselves.  They  are 
going  to  find  the  same  problems  but  in  a  different  social 
structure.  The  time  is  now,  for  those  who  feel  there  are 
inadequacies  and  procedure  within  the  Brotherhood  to  be  t 
improved,  to  remain  and  work  for  their  correction.  We 
need  these  people.  The  Brethren  have  a  significant  pro- 
gram and  message. 

The  message  of  peace  and  reconciliation  is  a  great 
biblical  and  Brethren  message.  This  is  a  message  the  world 
needs  and  one  which  we  as  Brethren  can  supply.  Yes, 
this  message  will  bring  persecution  and  hardship.  Let  us 
remember  our  forefathers  suffered  for  Christ  that  we  might 
have  this  message  today.  The  Brethren  message,  with  the 
help  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  can  change  the  world. 

This  is  no  time  for  "defeatism."  I  am  not  defeated  and 
neither  should  anyone  else  be.  I  am  proud  that  I  am  Breth- 
ren and  proud  of  the  message  we  proclaim.  Every  chance 
I  have,  I  proclaim  this  message  of  peace  and  reconciliation. 
Instead  of  writing  an  obituary,  let  us  tell  the  world  we're 
alive  and  going  to  grow. 

Let  us  be  about  the  work  of  Christ  reconciling  man 
to  himself  and  men  to  men,  the  building  of  a  new  world, 
and  making  Christ  real.  This  will  dissipate  our  "defeatism." 
When  we  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  get  busy  fulfilling 
the  Great  Commission  and  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount,  there 
won't  be  enough  time  to  worry  about  "defeatism." 

Christ  has  won  the  victory!  Let's  start  living  like  it. 
Ronald  Clark 
Lakeville,  Indiana 


32     MESSENGER    9-24-70 


The 
Alphabet 
of  Grace 

Frederick 
uechner 


:reative 
5uffering 


THE  ALPHABET  OF  GRACE 

FREDERICK  BUECHNER 

Here,  in  a  sustained  celebration  of 
life,  is  Frederick  Buechner's  theology 
—  that  all  life  is  holy.  The  book  is  a 
spiritual  autobiography  without  all 
the  usual  trappings.  The  experiences 
recounted  are  ordinary,  but  running 
through  the  whole  is  that  sense  of  life 
as  wonder  and  mystery  which  is  the 
basis  of  all  rehgious  experience.  This 
is  a  new  Buechner,  writing  without  in- 
hibition, ,  baring  very  personal  experi- 
ences, and  saying,  "Look  at  this  life  — 
it  is  very  much  hke  yours."    $3.95 


CREATIVE  SUFFERING 

By  AUN  PATON   AND  OTHERS 

Alan  Paton  and  seven  other  authors, 
in   the  main   nontheologians,   explore 
suffering  in  its  broadest  meaning  and 
find  it  a  creative,   human  force  that 
can    change    society    and    can    bring 
hope.   Their  subject  is  not  the  morbid 
nor  the  syrupy  pious.   Rather,  the  suf- 
fering they  talk  of  is  that  of  the  poli-^ 
tician,  the  artist,  the  scientist.    Thejw 
highhght  the  creative  suffering  which    ' 
is  the  responsibility  of  everyman:  the 
willing  acceptance  of  the  vulnerability 
and   risk   that   come  to  the   man   or 
woman  who  expresses   an  unpopular 
view,  who  works  for  peace  and  jus-j 
tice.    $2.25  paper 


The  Quality  of  Life 

JAMES  A.  MICHENER 

One  of  America's  best-knowTi  and 
most  widely  read  authors  addresses 
hjmself  to  the  major  issues  confronting 
this  country.  James  A.  Michener  ex- 
amines the  problems  of  our  cities, 
of  race,  education,  youth,  drugs,  and 
crime.  He  comments  on  television 
and  the  role  of  a  free  press,  the 
population  crisis,  and  conservation. 
At  a  time  when  the  angry  on  all 
sides  of  these  issues  are  shouting  more 
and  listening  less,  Mr.  Michener 
makes  a  reasoned  plea  for  balance  and 
for  an  enlightened  response  to  our  so- 
cial problems.  An  October  publica- 
tion.   $4.95 


CHURCH     of    the     BRETHREN     GENERAL     OFFICES 


i^p«  NEW 
?^iR  BOOKS 

authors 


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LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Heart  Beat  Again.  His  illness  had  struck  stiddenltj.  What  reserves  could  a 
long-ynarried  couple  call  upon  to  confront  the  imminence  of  death?  a  short 
story  by  Emily  Sargent  Councilman,    page  2 

Two  Views:  Crisis  on  Campus.  Two  observers  of  the  academic  scene  ex- 
amine the  current  turmoil  at  colleges  and  imiversities  across  the  coimtry. 
T.  Wayne  Rieman  insists  the  situation  is  invigorating  and  challenging  in  "The 
Crisis  of  Conscience  on  Campus."  Carl  H.  Read  suggests,  on  the  other  hand, 
that  the  bases  of  dissent  may  permit  some  less-than-responsible  protesting  in 
"Turmoil  on  Campus:  An  Assessment  of  the  Causes  of  Violence."  page  6 

The  Changing  Ways  of  Ecumenism.  From  Maryland  to  Arizona  the 
structures  of  ecumenism  are  changing  as  new  associations  replace  faltering 
ministeriums  and  councils  of  churches,  a  special  report  by  Ronald  E.  Keener, 
page  16 

The  Baileys:  'Family  Is  Well.'  One  Brethren  couple  agonized  more  than 
most  when  news  of  the  devastating  Peru  earthquake  began  flying  north: 
Many  of  their  family  and  friends  live  in  one  of  the  hardest-hit  areas,  page  20 


Hope  and  the  Moral  Life.  In  the  tension  that  exists  between  promise  of 
a  new  kingdom  and  the  ftdfilhnent  of  that  promise,  how  many  Christians  live 
fruitfully  and  hopefidlyP  an  Annual  Conference  Bible  study  message  by 
Allen  C.  Deeter.    page  22 


Other  featuees  include  a  poem  by  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh  (page  12);  "Day  by  Day," 
by  Byron  and  Zola  Miller  (page  13);  news  of  a  Brethren  pastor  who  is  "Rejecting 
Symbolism"  (page  14);  a  look  at  a  school  lunch  program  for  needy  children  (page  15); 
Ijrief  summaries  of  congregational  happenings  (page  18);  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  Edith 
Barnes  (page  25);  a  review  of  a  recent  Hkn,  by  Dave  Pomeroy  (page  26);  and  a  Speak 
Up  selection,  "Spiritual  Renewal  Begins  With  Ourselves,"  by  A.  Jay  Replogle  (page  28). 


COMING  SOON  I 


Examples  of  I.  J.  Sanger's  wood  cuts,  block  prints,  and  silk-screen  prints  have  traveled 
in  exhibits  across  this  country  and  Europe.  Ronald  E.  Keener  introduces  the  Maryland 
artist  to  Messenger  readers,  along  with  a  sampling  of  his  landscapes  and  rural  scenes  that 
depict  a  "vanishing  America." .  .  .  It  is  David  Waas's  contention  that  too  many  Brethren 
have  been  content  to  let  the  church's  peace  heritage  vanish  into  history,  and  calls  upon 
them  to  "Come  Down  From  the  Attic"  with  a  message  that  is  urgently  needed  today.  .  .  . 
The  last  of  a  series  of  Annual  Conference  Bible  messages  ori  hove  is  offered  by  Ronald 
Morgan.   The  subject:  "The  Urgency  of  Celebration." 


VOL   119  NO.  20 


essehger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  ^^  10/8/70 


f,,       y'jv      >\ 


Viei/i/s  of  a  Vanishing  America 


BENEFICIAL 

I  have  read  with  much  interest,  satis- 
faction, and  blessing  the  article  "The  Mag- 
nificence of  Jesus,"  by  Harold  S.  Martin 
(Aug.  27).  I  consider  it  one  of  the  best 
and  most  helpful  essays  or  sermons  that  has 
appeared  in  Messenger.  I  am  sure  that 
such  presentations  will  be  most  beneficial 
and  encouraging  to  a  great  number  of  the 
members  of  our  church  and  to  other  Chris- 
tians as  well. 

The  article  was  well  written.  Every 
sentence  was  to  the  point,  inspiring,  full  of 
meaning,  rich  in  content,  and  scripture- 
centered. 

I  believe  Messenger  was  originally  de- 
signed for  the  purpose  of  expressing  high 
spiritual  and  biblical  ideals  and  for  the 
edification  of  hungry  hearts,  as  this  article 
does  so  magnificently. 

I  for  one  would  welcome  the  inclusion  of 
many  more  such  helpful  and  timely  articles. 

Elgin  S.  Moyer 
Sebring,  Fla. 

FORTIFICATION   IN   DISTURBING  TIMES 

I  am  writing  to  compliment  you  on  pub- 
lishing the  wonderful  message  written  by 
Harold  Martin  on  "The  Magnificence  of 
Jesus"  (Aug.  27).  We  need  more  of  this 
kind  of  writing  to  fortify  us  in  these  dis- 
turbing times.  .  .  . 

We  complain  about  the  slow  growth  of 
the  church;  let's  remedy  it  where  the  prob- 
lem is  —  give  the  people  the  word  of  the 
Lord  from  the  pulpit  and  the  Messen- 
ger. .  .  . 

Lucy  Hendrickson 
Modesto,  Calif. 

MAN-MADE   RESOLUTIONS 

Twenty-five  years  ago  my  young,  eager 
heart  would  have  gone  along  with  the  An- 


readers  write 


nual  Conference  resolutions  100  percent. 
But  not  so  today.  Many  trials  and  errors 
later,  I  have  learned  that  emphasis  on  so- 
cial-political concerns  and  pacifism  can  be 
downright  sinful,  if  made  central.  "Man's 
ways  are  not  God's  ways." 

I  reaped  what  I  sowed.  My  children 
heard  me  speak  of  these  side-emphases  more 
than  the  central  ones  —  the  blood  of  Jesus, 
the  cross  of  Jesus,  the  resurrection  of  Jesus, 
being  born  again  by  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
pronouncement  that  "greater  things  shall  ye 
do,  for  I  go  unto  my  Father."  There  he  in- 
tercedes for  us  while  we  continue  doing  in 
his  name  exactly  what  he  did  —  "healing  the 
sick,  cleansing  the  lepers,  casting  out  de- 
mons, raising  the  dead."  "Jesus  is  the  same 
yesterday,  today,  and  forever."  Either  we 
believe  or  we  do  not  believe. 

Emphasis  on  man-made  resolutions  got 
me  into  a  lot  of  living  hell.  But,  thank 
God,  the  foundation  laid  when  I  was  a 
little  tot  hearing  evangelists  with  less  formal 
education  but  more  anointing  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  was  protected  through  the  years  and 
is  seeing  a  family  through  to  deliverance 
from  error,  and,  yes  —  from  the  devil! 
Just  when  are  we  going  to  wake  up  and  see, 
and  say  with  our  mouths  just  who  our 
enemy  really  is,  and  arm  ourselves  accord- 
ingly? 

The  warfare  is  not  social  and  political. 
It  is  spiritual.  "For  we  are  not  contending 
against  flesh  and  blood,  but  against  the 
principalities,  against  the  powers,  against  the 
world  rulers  of  this  present  darkness,  against 
the  spiritual  hosts  of  wickedness  in  the 
heavenly  places"   (Eph.  6:12). 

How  do  we  arm  ourselves?  "Stand  there- 
fore, having  girded  your  loins  with  truth, 
and  having  put  on  the  breastplate  of  righ- 
teousness, and  having  shod  your  feet  with 
the  equipment  of  the  gospel  of  peace;  above 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  detail  from  "Northeaster,"  woodcut  by  I.  J.  Sanger;  2,  6  J.  Waring 
Stinchcomb;  4.  5  woodcuts  by  I,  J.  Sanger;  7,  13  Paul  M.  Schrock;  10  Ed  Carlin;  15  Edward  Buzinski; 
18  courtesy  of  Elizabethtown  College;    19  Religious   News  Service 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor:  Ronald  E.  Keener,  director  of  news 
service;  Linda  Beher,  editorial  assistant.  Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  I9I8  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing 
date,  Oct.  1,  1970.  Messenger  is  a  member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religiotis 
News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from 
the  Revised  Standard  Version,  Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  $3.60  per 
year  for  church  group  plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription,  $60;  hus- 
band and  wife,  $75.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  ad- 
dress. Allow  at  least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  I 
every  other  week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  I45I  Dundee.  Ave., 
Elgin,  III.  60120.    Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  III.,  Sept.    10,   1970. 

Copyright,   Church  of   the   Brethren   General   Board,    1970.     Vol.    119,    No.   21 


all,  taking  the  shield  of  faith,  with  which  i 
you  can  quench  the  flaming  darts  of  the 
evil  one.  And  take  the  helmet  of  salvation, 
and  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  which  is  the 
Word  of  God"  (Eph.  6:14-17). 

We  are  on  the  defensive  until  that  two- 
edged  sword  that  cannot  miss  is  placed  in 
our  hands.  That  means  knowing  the  Word, 
the  whole  Word,  not  little  fragmented  pieces 
of  it.  And  realizing  that  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation,  it  is  telling  us  where  we  stand 
with  God,  and  why,  and  what  we  can  do 
about  it  because  of  what  Jesus  did  first. 
With  the  combination  of  feeding  on  these 
words  that  God  said,  with  claiming  prayer, 
plus  the  gracious  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit  as 
described  in  1  Cor.  12,  the  believer  knows 
that  "greater  is  he  that  is  in  me  than  he 
(Satan)  that  is  in  the  world." 

"Praise  God  from  whom  all  blessings 
flow." 

Lois  Teeter 
Gaithersburg,  Md. 

RETURN   NATURALLY 

The  suggestion  in  the  July  30  issue  of 
Messenger  from  Mrs.  Dorothy  Ewalt  that 
the  name  of  our  denomination.  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  be  changed  because  the  name 
"might  prevent  women  from  feeling  that 
they  were  equal  members  of  the  Brother- 
hood" has  caused  a  great  deal  of  comment 
in  our  home.  What  would  Mrs.  Ewalt  plan 
to  do  with  all  the  scriptures  containing  the 
words  brethren  or  brother?  Are  they  to  be 
discarded,  too,  or  will  we  have  another 
version  of  the  Bible? 

In  our  Bible  dictionary,  I  found  various 
meanings  for  the  word  brother  [including] 
.  .  .  "one  affectionately  or  familiarly  ad- 
dressed" [and]  "a  member  of  the  human 
race,  the  brotherhood  of  man."  Aren't 
there  more  urgent  things  to  do  in  this  world 
than  changing  the  word  brother  into  some- 
thing more  acceptable  to  women? 

And  why  do  women  feel  they  must  be 
"liberated"?  Liberated  from  what?  Why, 
I  did  not  even  know  I  was  being  discrim- 
inated against  until  the  Women's  Libera- 
tion Movement  issued  their  statements!  Men 
have  allowed  women  to  smoke  their  ciga- 
rettes, drink  their  liquor,  wear  their  pants. 
Too  many  women  have  lost  their  womanli- 
ness by  their  owii  choice,  and  now  they 
complain  that  men  won't  respect  them  as 
women.  Why  should  men  do  that?  In  too 
many  women  there  is  nothing  left  to  respect! 


Page  One... 


It's  time  for  women  to  return  naturally 
to  the  place  of  respect.  Let  us  be  moth- 
ers, really,  even  though  we  may  work  out- 
side the  home.  Let  us  be  concerned  about 
those  in  our  world  less  fortunate  than  we, 
instead  of  demanding  our  "rights." 

Gladys  Eikenberry 
Scottville,  Mich. 

MORE  SCRIPTURE  AVAILABLE 

When  one  of  my  letters  is  printed,  the 
first  thing  I  do  is  look  up  the  carbon  copy 
to  see  what  has  been  left  out.  If  some  of 
my  opinions  have  been  left  out  that  is  not 
too  important  because  I  am  no  authority. 
However  if  scripture  quotations  have  been 
left  out  it  concerns  me  greatly.  Therefore  if 
you  read  my  letter  in  the  9/10/70  issue  and 
would  like  more  scripture  references  on  the 
subject,  please  write  to  me.  By  the  way 
the  6th.  word  in  line  14  of  the  letter  should 
have  been  "become"  instead  of  "been". 

Mrs.  Dan  Deal 
Onekama,  Mich. 

FAITH   AND  GOOD  WORKS 

I  want  to  express  my  appreciation  for 
the  article  "The  Magnificence  of  Jesus,"  by 
Harold  S.  Martin  (Aug.  27)  ....  Are 
reprints  of  the  article  available?  ...  It  is  an 
article  that  deserves  wide  distribution  and 
would  be  acceptable  and  thought-provoking 
in  our  evangelism  program. 

I  am  not  an  advocate  of  the  idea  that 
our  good  works  make  us  acceptable  in  the 
kingdom.  But  when  we  by  repentance  have 
accepted  redemption  through  the  atoning 
life,  death,  and  resurrection  of  Christ,  the 
fruit  of  good  works  is  the  result  of  our 
obedience  and  fellowship  with  him. 

We  are  very  free  in  quoting  Matthew 
25:31-46.  But  I  haven't  noticed  the  giving 
of  much  prominence  in  our  Messenger  to 
Matthew  7:21-27.  There  is  such  a  thing  as 
a  good  house  needing  a  sure  foundation  to 
stand  on,  if  it  is  to  endure  eternally.  Paul 
was  a  proponent  of  good  works  but  was 
clear  in  his  teaching  that  Christ  and  his 
mission  of  redemption  have  the  preeminence 
(Col.   1:9-23). 

Barbara  M.  Nickey 
La  Verne,  Calif. 

Editor's  Note:  Reprints  of  "The  Magnifi- 
cence of  Jesus"  and  other  similar  articles  are 
indeed  available,  at  no  cost,  by  writing  Bible 
Helps,  Amos  Lehigh,  Editor,  Route  3, 
Hanover,  Pa.  17331. 


Ron  Keener  is  a  man  with  a  message. 

Charged  since  May  1970  with  editing  and  writing  the  news  pages  of 
Messenger,  he  might  be  called  a  chronicler  of  Brethren  news. 

"Reporting  perceptively  and  interpreting  not  only  the  church  to  the 
world  but  the  world  to  the  church  are  among  challenges  set  for  me  in  news 
coverage,"  he  relates.  In  his  work  also  he  prepares  press  releases  and 
helps  assess  communications  needs  of  local  congregations. 

Until  his  Elgin  appointment  as  director  of  news  service  for  the  office 
of  communication,  Ron  served  as  director  of  public  information  for 
Bridgewater  College  in  Virginia. 

At  thirty-one,  then,  Ron  brings  several  years'  experience  as  well  as 
a  master's  degree  in  journalism  to  the  General  Offices. 

He  brings  also  some  distinct  ideas  about  the  church  and  the  media. 

"If  the  church  is  to  be  effective  in  its  mission  of  sharing  the  Christian 
gospel,  it  must  make  itself  visible  to  the  entire  community  in  the  same 
way  that  the  community  receives  the  important  information  by  which  it 
lives,"  he  says  —  and  that  means  using  modem  communications  channels. 

"Chinches  are  realizing  that  they  are  involved  in  a  tremendous  com- 
munications challenge,"  Ron  says.  "People  are  receiving  their  daily  in- 
formation by  the  most  modern  means  of  instant  communications,  while 
the  church  limps  along  with  nineteenth-century  methods." 

Ron's  interest  in  communicating  does  not  diminish  outside  the  office. 
An  avid  photographer,  he  is  developing  an  interest  also  in  personal  print- 
ing and  the  graphic  arts. 

In  this  issue  Ron  introduces  us  to  Andrew  W.  Cordier,  a  former 
chairman  of  the  Brethren  Service  Committee  and  one  of  the  architects 
of  the  United  Nations. 

Other  contributors  to  this  Messenger  include  writer  Robert  J. 
Hastings,  author  of  several  feature  articles  in  the  past  and  editor  of  the 
Illinois  Baptist. 

Asking  us  to  "Come  Down  From  the  Attic"  is  David  A.  Waas, 
chairman  of  the  division  of  social  sciences  at  Manchester  College,  and  head 
of  the  department  of  history  there. 

Evelyn  Bollinger  is  newsletter  editor  and  office  secretary  of  the 
La  Verne,  California,  congregation. 

Emerson,  New  Jersey,  resident  Ruby  Rhoades  coordinates  advertis- 
ing and  promotion  for  the  Revell  Company,  publisher  of  religious  books. 
She  and  her  husband  Benton,  now  secretary  of  agricultural  development  for 
the  National  Council  of  Churches,  were  the  first  Brethren  missionaries  in 
Ecuador,  serving  there  from  1946  until  1956. 

Annual  Conference  speaker  Ronald  K.  Morgan  has  pastoral  respon- 
sibilities at  the  Mack  Memorial  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Dayton,  Ohio, 
and  serves  on  the  Southern  Ohio  District  missions,  Brethren  service,  and 
social  action  commission. 

Another  pastor,  W.  Clemens  Rosenberger  of  Eastern  Pennsylvania's 
Lititz  congregation,  is  a  member  of  the  Annual  Conference  Central 
Committee. 

The  Editors 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     1 


I.J.  Sanger's 

Viei/i/s  of  a  Vanishing 

America 


i    f 


by  RONALD  E.  KEENER 


In  an  unpretentious  work- 
shop in  the  corner  of  the 
basement  of  his  suburban 
Washington,  D.C.,  home, 

J.  (Dick)  Sanger,  master 
woodcut  craftsman,  spends 
his  retirement  continuing  to 
fulfill  his  lifelong  ambition 
to  he  an  artist 

"The  first  time  I  can  remember  ever 
thinking  of  drawing  was  when  I  was 
just  a  small  child,"  recalls  Sanger.  "I 
saw  a  horse  cut  out  of  a  thin  board, 
something  my  playmates  had,  and  I 
wanted  one."  His  brother  and  father 
couldn't  help  him  make  one,  so  he 
drew  his  own. 

From  that  beginning,  Dick  found 
creating  with  pencil  and  paper  a  con- 
stant source  of  enjoyment.  While  he 
made  his  living  as  a  commercial  artist 
until  three  years  ago,  his  interest  in 
woodcuts  and  engravings  has  given  him 
notable  success  in  exhibitions  and 
personal  recognitions. 

Mr.  Sanger  was  born  seventy-one 
years  ago  near  Port  Republic,  Virginia, 
near  the  Mill  Creek  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  His  family  moved  to  Fairfax 
County  about  three  years  later  where 
his  father,  Samuel  Abraham  Sanger, 
a  farmer/ preacher  was  instrumental  in 
organizing  the  Oakton  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

Later,  when  the  family  was  living 
near  Charlottesville,  a  school  principal 
learned  of  young  Dick  Sanger's  talent 
and  encouraged  him  to  pursue  his 
interest.  One  year  she  invited  him  to 
accompany  her  in  attending  summer 


school  at  the  University  of  Virginia  to 
take  classes  in  industrial  art  and  paint- 
ing. 

One  of  Mr.  Sanger's  instructors  that 
summer  apparently  thought  he  had 
some  talent;  the  following  year  — 
though  he  wasn't  attending  the  summer 
session  —  she  located  his  home  and 
urged  him  to  take  private  art  lessons 
in  Indianapolis  while  living  with  an 
elderly,  wealthy  woman  for  the  ex- 
change of  doing  chores. 

"Dad  was  a  little  cool  to  the  idea  at 
first,  but  later  he  went  along  when  he 
found  that  we  had  a  church  there 
where  I  could  attend.  So  it  was  all 
agreed  on.  And  then  this  woman  was 
taken  ill  and  she  had  to  have  a  person 
with  her  all  the  time,  so  that  fell 
through." 

Still  another  teacher  became  instru- 
mental in  setting  I.  J.  Sanger  onto  a 
career  of  art  and  drawing.  She  was 
going  to  Columbia  University  in  New 
York  to  take  work  in  education  and 
persuaded  him  to  spend  the  summer 
months  there  following  his  graduation 
from  high  school  in  1920,  working  part 
time  and  taking  a  few  courses  in  art. 
He  agreed  and  found  employment  in  a 
carpenter's  shop  in  the  afternoons  and 
took  two  courses  in  art  in  the  mornings 
at  Columbia.  And  despite  his  return 
to  Virginia  and  the  next  two'  years  in 
studies  at  Bridgewater  College,  the 
opportunities  for  art  studies  at  Colum- 
bia remained  in  the  back  of  his 
thinking. 

Nearly  everyone  advised  him  to 
complete  his  four  years  at  Bridgewater, 
then  take  further  work  at  Columbia. 
But  he  had  one  supporter  on  the 
Bridgewater  faculty.  Dr.  Frank  Wright, 
who  agreed  that  perhaps  in  his  specific 


case  a  transfer  to  the  university  might 
be  best.  Thus  in  1926,  Dick  Sanger 
received  his  bachelor's  degree  in  fine 
arts  education  from  Columbia. 

Shuiuiing  teaching,  he  took  a  job  as 
a  furniture  designer  for  the  building 
bureau  of  the  International  YMCA  in 
New  York  City.  Needing  to  withstand 
rough  wear,  the  furniture  was  espe- 
cially designed  for  social  rooms  of 
YMCAs  across  the  country. 

Between  the  depression  and  a  year 
in  the  army  he  free-lanced.  And  it  was 
during  this  time  that  a  friend  and 
former  teacher,  Albert  Heckman, 
introduced  him  to  block  printing  and 
woodcutting.  "He  obtained  the  tools 
and  showed  me  how  to  get  started,  and 
I  kind  of  took  to  it  like  a  duck  to 
water.  It  just  appealed  to  me  right 
off." 

It  was  Mr.  Heckman,  too,  who  di- 
rected him  to  the  Federal  Art  Project, 
intended  to  provide  work  for  unem- 
ployed artists,  in  New  York  after  he 
had  done  book  illustrations  and  had 
designed  wallpaper  and  book  jackets. 
"The  pay  wasn't  much,"  he  recalls  of 
the  depression-era  project,  "but  you 
could  work  at  the  things  you  wanted  to 
do.  We  thought  that  was  just  too  good 
to  be  true.  Just  do  the  thing  you 
wanted  to  do,  enough  to  at  least  make 
a  living." 

"We  had  shows  at  our  own  gallery 
and  good  reviews.  I  remember  at  the 
Chicago  International  Print  Show,  I 
counted  about  thirty  or  forty  of  the 
people  as  coming  from  the  Federal  Art 
Project  of  just  our  city  alone."  One 
of  his  prints  was  exhibited  at  the  1939 
New  York  World's  Fair,  where  he  also 
spent  a  couple  days  a  week  demon- 
strating the  wood-block  printing 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     3 


Old  Mill,  Stockbridge,  Mass. 


'9B>WVAy 


SANGER  /  continued 


technique. 

Association  with  a  silk-screen  print- 
ing business  until  it  moved  to  New 
Jersey  and  additional  graduate  work  at 
Columbia  University  under  the  G.I. 
bill  preceded  Dick  Sanger's  marriage 
to  Marjorie  Graybill  of  Nokesville, 
Virginia,  in  1948. 

Although  he  had  been  a  New  York 
resident  since  1922,  he  decided  to 
leave  the  "rat  race"  there  and  live  in 
Washington  where  his  wife  had  a 
teaching  position.  There  he  worked  in 
the  graphics  department  for  the  MUi- 
tary  Air  Transport  Service  at  Andrews 
Air  Force  Base  and  later  transferred 
to  the  U.S.  Department  of  Health, 
Education,  and  Welfare  designing  the 
graphics  for  maps,  brochures,  and 
booklets. 

Over  the  years  he  has  exhibited  and 
won  recognitions  for  his  wood  cuts  at 
the  Philadelphia  Print  Club.  Two 
prints  were  included  in  a  book  pub- 
lished in  London  called  "Fine  Prints  of 
the  Year."  Others  were  exhibited  four 
years  in  succession  in  the  American 
Institute  of  Graphic  Arts'  "Fifty  Prints 
of  the  Year." 


Woodcuts  are  simply  a 
form  of  printing  by  relief. 
But  where,  as  in  print- 
ing, the  type  letter  is  left 
after  the  excess  is  cut  away 
—  essentially  giving  a  black 
impression  on  a  white  sheet 
of  paper  —  the  woodcut  is 
a  design  of  white  lines  on  a 
black  surface.  This  is  done 
by  gouging  out  with  the 
V-shaped  tools  the  lines  of 
the  design,  which  when 
inked  and  laid  to  paper  wUl 
give  the  finished  illustration 

6     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


Examples  of  his  work  have  traveled 
in  exhibits  across  the  country  and  to 
Europe.   ("Incidentally,  one  of  my 
wood  engravings  was  in  Czecho- 
slovakia when  the  war  broke  out  and 
we  almost  didn't  get  it  back.")  Of  his 
block  prints,  he  notes:  "I  guess  my 
work  isn't  really  modem  anymore.  I 
was  considered  modern  in  the  early 
days.  Now  I'm  old  hat,  I  guess.  But  I 
do  exhibit  here  every  year  in  the  Wash- 
ington Society  of  Print  Makers,  to 
which  I  belong.  I  had  a  one-man  show 
at  the  Smithsonian  six  or  eight  years 
ago,  and  have  shown  block  prints  at 
the  Virginia  Print  Makers  at  Char- 
lottesville in  past  years." 

And  in  the  past  several  years  the 
artist  collaborated  with  Clarence  E. 
May  of  Bridgewater  College  to  design 
its  coat  of  arms,  the  official  seal,  and 
the  large  stone  plaque  that  faces  on 
the  college  library. 

In  his  paintings  as  well  as  wood 
cuts,  the  countryside  is  a  common 
theme.   Fishing  villages,  farmhouses, 
and  farm  buildings,  with  landscape 
backgrounds,  are  often  his  subjects.  "I 
always  liked  nature,  especially  moun- 


tain scenery  and  the  country  life. 

"Subject  matter  doesn't  make  a  good 
artist.  What  makes  the  art  is  the  way 
you  handle  the  subject  matter.  A  scene 
might  to  one  person  make  a  nice  sub- 
ject, but  to  the  artist  it  must  have 
appeal.  He  must  be  interested  in  it  and 
have  a  feel  for  it. 

"Some  people  can't  understand  why 
I  like  to  do  buildings  like  the  old  Penn- 
sylvania barns;  but  their  structures  fit 
into  the  landscape. 

"In  looking  for  a  subject,  I  want 
something  that  makes  a  good  design 
and  good  structure.  Not  just  a  scene." 

Mr.  Sanger's  subjects  come  from  the 
inspiration  of  life  around  him  —  in- 
cluding such  points  as  Guatamala  and 
Alaska,  where  he  and  his  wife  have 
traveled. 

Nor  has  Mr.  Sanger  attempted  to 
put  across  any  social  point  of  view  in 
his  art.  "In  the  thirties  when  I  was  on 
the  Federal  Art  Project,  many  of  the 
artists  did  have  a  point  of  view.  Some 
of  them  criticized  me  when  I  did 
landscapes  when  there  were  other 
things  much  more  important.  They 
were  for  doing  social  themes.  But  the 
strange  inconsistency  of  it  is  that  a 
little  later,  when  abstract  art  came 
around,  they  deserted  their  social 
themes  and  went  completely  abstract. 
I  still  think  my  landscapes  have  more 
meaning  than  abstract  designs  for 
design's  sake." 

Reflecting  further  on  his  own  moti- 
vations as  an  artist,  Dick  Sanger 
admits  a  nostalgia  for  what  he  calls 
"the  vanishing  America"  —  the  rural 
scene.  "I  didn't  like  the  farm  as  a 
farmer,"  he  says.  "I  wanted  to  be 
painting  instead  of  doing  chores." 

But  in  his  wood  cuts  and  silk-screen 
prints  he.  captures  a  certain  spirit  of  the 
land,  its  rusticity,  its  color.  In  that 
way,  I.  J.  Sanger  is  an  historian,  re- 
cording in  his  art  a  disappearing  soci- 
ety and  the  values  it  held.    Q 


\ 


by  ROBERT  J.  HASTINGS 


■rank  K.  Kelly  recently  wrote,  "Man 
lives  on  a  beautiful  colored  ball, 
traveling  at  high  speed  through  enor- 
mous darkness  toward  the  fires  of 
countless  suns." 

But  the  "beautiful  colored  ball" 
which  we  call  earth  is  in  peril.  Grave 
peril.  Like  Apollo  13,  which  limped 
back  to  earth  with  dangerously  low 
levels  of  oxygen,  fuel,  and  water, 
spaceship  Earth  is  literally  running  out 
of  room,  food,  air,  and  water  for  its 
burgeoning  population,  destined  to 
leapfrog  from  the  current  3^/^  billion 
souls  to  7  billion  by  the  year  2000,  less 
than  30  years  away. 

Alarmist  or  realist?  You  be  the 
judge,  based  on  the  following  evidence, 


which  can  be  multiplied  endlessly: 

One  of  the  Great  Lakes  —  Lake 
Erie  —  is  already  dead,  the  victim  of 
acidic  wastes  from  surrounding  indus- 
try. Only  sludge  worms  and  a  mutant 
of  the  carp  can  now  exist  in  its  murky 
waters. 

Sewage  pollution  in  Raritan  Bay, 
New  Jersey,  infected  the  clams,  which 
in  turn  led  to  an  epidemic  of 
hepatitis,  with  the  result  that  the 
clamming  industry  was  closed  down. 

Not  far  from  Tampa  and  St.  Peters- 
burg, fluorides  from  phosphate  plants 
affect  the  bone  structure  of  cattle  so 
severely  that  they  cannot  support 
themselves  but  sink  to  their  knees. 

The  Gulf  of  Mexico,  the  dumping 


ground  for  two  thirds  of  the  nation's 
waterbome  waste,  could  become  a 
dead  sea,  like  Lake  Erie,  unless 
remedial  action  is  taken.  So  predicts 
James  M.  Sharp,  president  of  Gulf 
Universities  Research  Corporation. 

Airline  pilots  report  that  whiskey- 
brown  miasmas,  visible  from  70  miles 
on  all  sides,  shroud  almost  every  U.S. 
city,  including  remote  towns  like 
Missoula  in  Montana's  "big  sky" 
country. 

Almost  every  other  day,  school 
children  in  Los  Angeles  are  forbidden 
to  exercise  lest  they  inhale  too  deeply. 

Re  id  A.  Bryson,  a  scientist  at  the 
University  of  Wisconsin,  says,  "Our 
grandchildren  may  never  see  a  blue 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     7 


DEADLIEST  PERIL  /  continued 


sky."  A  thickening  shield  of  man- 
made  dust  is  enclosing  the  earth, 
bouncing  back  the  sun's  rays,  and 
dropping  temperatures  around  the 
globe.  The  dustiest  air,  the  noted 
meteorologist  says,  is  billowing  out  of 
the  deserts  of  northern  India  and 
Pakistan,  where  generations  of  inten- 
sive farming  have  devegetated  the  land. 

In  the  early  1980s,  air  pollution  com- 
bined with  a  temperature  inversion  will 
kill  thousands  in  some  U.S.  city.  For 
the  first  time,  the  car  census  in  the 
United  States  passed  the  100  million 
mark  in  1969,  and  these  cars  pour  90 
million  tons  of  pollutants  into  the  air 
each  year,  to  say  nothing  of  the  nox- 
ious fumes  from  jet  aircraft. 

Smog  from  Los  Angeles,  swept  east 
by  wind,  is  killing  the  majestic  pon- 
derosa  pines  in  the  San  Bernardino 
National  Forest,  fully  80  miles  away, 
at  the  rate  of  3  percent  a  year. 

DDT,  which  is  airborne  throughout 
the  world  regardless  of  where  used, 
accumulates  in  the  fatty  tissues  of  the 
human  body.  The  DDT  content  in  the 
milk  of  many  nursing  mothers  is  al- 
ready two  to  six  times  the  amount 
allowed  in  milk  for  commercial  sale. 
A  growing  menace  of  DDT  is  cancer 
of  the  liver. 

Such  respiratory  ailments  as  asthma, 
bronchitis,  and  lung  cancer  are  multi- 
plying at  alarming  rates,  with  emphy- 
sema leading  the  way  as  the  fastest 
growing  cause  of  death  in  the  United 
States. 

Two  major  causes 

The  ecological  crisis  has  two  major 
causes:  man's  technological  skill  and 
man's  desire  to  reproduce  himself. 

The  industrial  revolution  has  raised 
the  standard  of  living,  bringing  untold 
luxury,  convenience,  and  pleasure. 
But  technology  has  given  birth  to 
effluence  as  well  as  affluence.  We 


cannot  endlessly  blacktop  more  park- 
ing lots,  clear  more  forests,  strip  more 
mines,  blanket  more  land  with  high- 
ways, build  more  pollution-belching 
factories,  and  raise  the  heat  level  of 
rivers  and  streams. 

"Progress"  means  that  to  run  our 
air-conditioners,  we  will  strip-mine  a 
Kentucky  hillside,  push  the  rock  and 
slate  into  a  nearby  stream,  and  burn 
coal  in  a  power  plant  whose  smoke- 
stack contributes  to  a  plume  of  smoke 
massive  enough  to  cause  cloud  seeding 
and  premature  precipitation  in  Gulf 
clouds,  which  should  be  irrigating  the 
wheat  farms  of  Kansas. 

The  second  cause  is  just  too  many 
people.  Paul  R.  Ehrlich,  population 
biology  specialist  at  Stanford  Univer- 
sity, describes  a  grim  future  in  his 
book,  The  Population  Bomb.  His 
thesis  is  that  "too  many  cars,  too  many 
factories,  too  much  detergent,  too 
much  pesticide,  multiplying  contrails, 
inadequate  sewage  treatment  plants, 
too  little  water,  too  much  carbon 
dioxide  —  all  can  be  traced  easily  to 
too  many  people." 

Ehrlich  compares  runaway  popula- 
tion to  a  cancer.  "A  cancer  is  an  un- 
controlled multiplication  of  cells;  the 
population  explosion  is  an  uncon- 
trolled multiplication  of  people,"  he 
says. 

The  population  expert  sees  only  two 
alternatives :  Slow  the  birth  rate,  or  in- 
crease thq  death  rate.  Unless  we  find 
methods  to  control  birth  rates,  Ehrlich 
says,  the  "death  rate  solution"  will  find 
us.  He  sees  three  of  the  apocalyptic 
horsemen  as  the  ultimate  "solution"  — 
war,  pestilence,  and  famine  —  unless 
we  put  a  brake  on  runaway  births. 

On  the  CBS  program  "60  Minutes," 
Harry  Reasoner  predicted  that  at  the 
present  rate  of  growth,  every  square 
foot  of  America  will  be  used  as  a  cem- 
etery in  the  year  2470! 


Public  reaction 

"The  great  question  of  the  70s  is: 
Shall  we  surrender  to  our  surroundings 
or  shall  we  make  our  peace  with  na- 
ture and  begin  to  make  reparations  for 
the  damage  we  have  done  to  our  air, 
to  our  land,  to  our  water?"  With  these 
words  in  his  January  1970  State  of  the 
Union  Message,  President  Richard  M. 
Nixon  set  the  stage  for  a  massive 
"Teach-In"  on  Earth  Day,  April  22, 
when  on  college  campuses  across  the 
nation  millions  debated  the  question, 
"Can  man  survive?"  Even  the  U.S. 
Congress  recessed,  since  so  many  of  its 
members  were  involved. 

But  for  all  the  evidence  that  earth  is 
truly  a  plundered  planet,  some  have 
shown  negative  attitudes. 

The  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  resolved  that  Earth  Day 
was  "subversive"  and  that  reports  of 
an  environmental  crisis  were  "dis- 
torted and  exaggerated." 

In  a  similar  spirit,  James  L.  Bentley, 
state  comptroller  of  Georgia  and  Re- 
publican candidate  for  governor  in  that 
state,  sent  out  $  1 ,600  worth  of  tele- 
grams at  taxpayers'  expense,  pointing 
out  that  Earth  Day  fell  suspiciously  on 
Lenin's  birthday.   (Campaign  advisers 
later  persuaded  him  to  pick  up  the 
tab.) 

Several  newspapers  also  took  note  of 
the  fact  that  April  22  was  Lenin's 
birthday.  The  Richmond  News-Leader 
said,  "The  date  was  not  selected  by 
chance.  Here  we  have  a  classic  ex- 
ample of  how  the  Communists  pervert 
idealism  and  worthwhile  causes  to  their 
own  purpose." 

Several  industrialists  in  Georgia, 
including  Glenn  Kimble,  an  official  of 
the  Union  Camp  paper  mills  in  Savan- 
nah, have  complained  vigorously  about 
"hysteria"  over  ecology.   Kimble's 
plant  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  the 
world  and  one  of  Georgia's  largest 


8     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


single  sources  of  pollution,  according 
to  William  K.  Stevens  of  The  New 
York  TIMES. 

By  contrast,  Senator  Gaylord  A. 
Nelson  (D.,  Wis.)  claims  that  "no 
administration  has  understood  the  size 
of  the  issue.  It  is  much  more  im- 
portant than  space,  weapons  systems, 
or  the  money  we're  wasting  in  Viet- 
nam." 

What  churchmen   are   saying 

Where  do  church  leaders  stand  on 
the  issue  of  the  environment?  Do  they 
feel  the  threat  is  real,  that  it  is  "hys- 
teria," or  that  it  is  irrelevant  to 
spiritual  matters? 

Sherwood  Wirt,  editor  of  Billy 
Graham's  Decision  magazine,  says  the 
evangelical  churches  have  largely  met 
the  problem  with  silence.  He  warns 
that  environmental  pollution  "is  a  so- 
cial issue  of  the  first  magnitude  .  .  .  yet 
somehow  the  evangelical  churches 
have  not  considered  it  their  problem." 
Wirt  believes  that  whether  the  Chris- 
tian likes  it  or  not,  "he  is  bound  in 
stewardship  to  take  care  of  this  earth 
until  he  gets  abetter  one."  As  evi- 
dence, he  quotes  Numbers  35:34, 
"Defile  not  therefore  the  land  which  ye 
shall  inhabit,  wherein  I  dwell :  for  I  the 
Lord  dwell  among  the  children  of 
Israel"  (KJV). 

At  the  opening  rally  of  his  eight-day 
crusade  in  Dortmund,  West  Germany, 
in  April  1970,  evangelist  Graham  said 
the  world  seems  to  be  moving  toward 
suicide.  "We  are  building  gigantic 
armaments;  pollution  is  destroying  our 
water  and  air. . .  .  Despite  all  tech- 
nology, more  people  than  ever  are 
starving.  . . .  Despite  modern  medicine, 
various  new  diseases  are  sweeping  the 
world.  All  over  the  world  there  is  a 
population  explosion,  and  all  of  these 
problems  are  besetting  us  at  the  same 
time." 


At  their  twenty-eighth  annual  con- 
vention in  Kansas  City  last  April,  the 
National  Association  of  Evangelicals 
passed  a  resolution  asking  for  "every 
legitimate  effort  to  maintain  balance  in 
ecology,  preservation  of  our  resources, 
and  avoidance  of  the  cluttering  of  our 
natural  beauty  with  the  waste  of 
society." 

Dr.  Cynthia  Wedel,  president  of  the 
National  Council  of  Churches,  has 
warned  that  "the  church  boldly  pro- 
claims that  'the  earth  is  the  Lord's  and 
the  fulness  thereof,'  but  her  actions 
give  little  credence  to  this  affirmation." 

At  least  one  denomination  —  the 
United  Church  of  Christ  —  has  estab- 
lished an  office  in  charge  of  ecology. 


John  Moyer  of  New  York  City  will 
head  the  office  in  the  Board  of  Home- 
land Ministries.  His  goal  is  to  make 
specific  proposals  on  what  churches 
can  do  nationally  and  locally  to  com- 
bat pollution. 

In  its  general  conference  in  St.  Louis 
last  April,  the  United  Methodist 
Church  recognized  the  problem  of 
population  control,  and  went  on  record 
as  favoring  legalized  abortion,  volun- 
tary sterilizations,  and  the  two-child 
family. 

And  at  the  eighty-third  assembly  of 
the  Christian  Church  (Disciples  of 
Christ)  in  Fort  Worth  last  spring, 
Donald  E.  Moore  of  San  Antonio 
labeled  pollution  as  one  of  the  nation's 
most  pressing  problems.  He  said  it  is 
not  surprising  that  where  "sixty  percent 
of  the  taxed  national  wealth  is  ex- 
pended on  the  weapons  of  death  .  .  . 
the  remaining  forty  percent  is  in- 
efficient to  maintain  and  improve  the 
quality  of  life." 

And  speaking  to  the  American  Bap- 
tist Convention  last  May  in  Cincinnati, 
U.S.  Circuit  Court  Judge  Frank  M. 
Coffin  of  Portland,  Maine,  called  for 
an  "impartial  international  body"  to 
regulate  ecology  on  a  global  basis.  He 
said  all  nations  must  find  an  alternate 
to  spoliation  in  their  development  of 
natural  resources.  Is  the  Bible  to 
blame? 

Strangely,  some  are  quoting  the 
Bible  as  a  contributor  to  the  spoliation 
of  the  environment.  This  is  particu- 
larly true  of  Genesis  1 :26,  in  which 
God  says  man  is  to  have  "dominion 
over  the  earth."  Steven  Schomberg  of 
the  University  of  Minnesota  campus 
ministries,  speaking  at  a  university 
Earth  Week  teach-in,  accused  Judeo- 
Christian  teaching  of  leading  men  to 
see  themselves  as  superior  to  nature, 
with  the  earth  created  solely  for  their 
enjoyment  and  use. 

10-8-70    MESSENGER     9 


DEADLIEST  PERIL  /  continued 


Old  Testament  scholar  Walter 
Brueggemann  disputes  this  interpreta- 
tion of  Genesis  1:26.  Brueggemann, 
who  teaches  at  Eden  Theological  Sem- 
inary in  Webster  Groves,  Missouri, 
says  that  "to  have  dominion"  clearly 
means  "maintenance  of  order,  that  is, 
control  of  the  forces  which  injure  and 
threaten."  He  does  not  visualize 
"dominion"  as  a  license  for  tyranny  or 
exploitation.  "To  subdue  and  have 
dominion  is  not  a  charter  for  abuse, 
but  rather  a  command  to  order,  main- 
tain, protect  and  care  for,"  he  says. 
The  seminary  professor  cites  such 
scriptures  as  Leviticus  24:43,  46,  and 
53  which  warn  the  slave  owner  not  to 
rule  or  have  dominion  with  harshness. 
He  sees  in  Ezekiel  34:4  the  antithesis 
of  harshness :  "Strengthen  the  weak, 
heal  the  sick,  bind  up  the  crippled. 
Bring  back  the  strayed,  seek  the 
lost.  .  .  ." 

The  Old  Testament  has  much  to  say 
about  personal  cleanliness,  sanitation, 
and  hygiene.  For  example,  Leviticus 
14:8-9  gives  detailed  instructions  for 
washing  and  shaving  after  illness. 
Exodus  29 :  14  tells  how  "the  flesh  of 
the  bull,  and  its  skin,  and  its  dung, 
you  shall  burn  with  fire  outside  the 
camp."  Before  God  gave  the  Law  at 
Mt.  Sinai,  he  instructed  the  people  to 
"wash  their  garments"  (Exodus 
19:10).  The  blood  of  slain  animals 
and  fowl  was  to  be  covered  "with 
dust"  (Leviticus  17:13).  To  insure 
that  their  camps  would  be  fit  for  God's 
presence,  the  Israelites  were  instructed 
to  carry  a  trowel  or  paddle  with  them. 
"When  you  squat  outside"  the  camp, 
orders  Deuteronomy  23: 13  (NEB), 
"you  shall  scrape  a  hole  . .  .  and  cover 
your  excrement." 

When  God  finished  the  creation,  he 
saw  that  "it  was  very  good"  (Genesis 
1:31)  and  placed  man  in  the  garden 
"to  dress  it  and  to  keep  it"  (Genesis 


2:15).  This  does  not  mean  that  man 
is  to  act  like  a  hog.  He  is  to  be  a  good 
steward  of  life's  resources.  And  as 
Proverbs  13:22  predicts,  "A  good  man 
leaves  an  inheritance  to  his  children's 
children."  If  man  exploits  the  earth 
and  pollutes  the  atmosphere,  what  in- 
heritance will  he  leave  for  his  children, 
to  say  nothing  of  his  grandchildren? 

The  land  laws  of  Israel  illustrate  a 
basic  principle  of  man's  trusteeship  of 
spaceship  Earth.  In  Leviticus  25 : 1-23, 
God  told  the  Jewish  people  to  let  the 
land  rest  every  seventh  year.   (Any 
farmer  knows  how  the  land  is  depleted 
if  planted  year  after  year  with  the  same 
crop. )   In  addition,  the  land  was  to 
lie  idle  the  fiftieth  year,  which  was  the 
Jubilee.   In  that  year,  all  land  was  to 
revert  to  its  original  owners,  and  all 
slaves  were  to  be  freed.  The  price  of 
land  and  of  slaves  was  set  on  the  basis 
of  the  years  remaining  imtil  the  Jubilee. 
Land  bought  the  fortieth  year  was 
much  cheaper,  for  example,  than  land 
bought  the  fourth  year.  In  a  sense,  the 
land  was  leased  for  a  period  not  to 
exceed  forty-nine  years. 

"For  the  land  is  mine"  is  the  way 
God  expressed  it  in  Leviticus  25 :23. 
I  don't  know  how  rigidly  the  Jewish 
people  observed  this  law  in  Old  Testa- 
ment times.  I  am  not  advocating  a 
return  to  the  Year  of  Jubilee.  But  this 
land  is  not  ours  forever.  To  exploit  the 
soil,  foul  the  air,  or  pollute  the  water  is 
contrary  to  God's  will,  for  this,  too,  is 
his. 

If  God  numbers  the  hairs  of  every 
person  (Matthew  10:30),  this  tells  us 
of  the  exact  inventory  he  keeps  of 
earth's  resources.  God  is  not  the  au- 
thor of  waste,  of  destruction,  of  neg- 
ligence. Jesus  expected  the  fig  tree  to 
be  productive  (Matthew  21:19).  He 
condemned  the  faithless  steward  who 
had  no  profit  to  show  but  had  buried 
his  talent  in  the  ground  (Mat.  25 : 25 ) . 


After  feeding  the  5,000  Jesus  asked  his 
disciples  to  gather  the  fragments, 
which  filled  twelve  baskets.  Not  only 
was  this  a  lesson  in  consetvation,  but 
an  antUitter  demonstration  as  well! 

John  may  not  have  had  environ- 
mental pollution  in  mind  when  he 
wrote  his  Revelation,  but  there  is  an 
eerie  relevancy  to  1970  in  the  words  of 
Rev.  11:18,  "for  destroying  the  de- 
stroyers of  the  earth." 

"The  earth  is  the  Lord's  and  the 
fulness  therof,  the  world  and  those 
who  dwell  therein"  ( Psalm  24:1). 
Who  can  say  that  God  is  unconcerned 
with  the  care  of  what  he  has  created? 
And  if  he  is  concerned,  his  children 
should  also  be  concerned. 

The   new  earth 

The  Environpiental  Teach-in  Com- 
mittee of  the  city  of  Milwaukee  has 
prepared  what  they  call  "Ten  Com- 
mandments of  the  New  Earth."  They 
are  worth  thinking  about  but  most  of 
all,  worth  practicing.  Here  they  are: 

You  shall  Uve  in  harmony  with  all 
the  earth  and  with  every  living  thing. 

You  shall  return  to  the  earth  all  the 
organic  treasures  she  freely  gives  you. 

Do  not  put  greed  above  duty,  nor 
wealth  above  wonder. 

Do  not  demand  useless  things  or 
trade  for  unnecessary  things. 

Every  man  shall  have  his  fair  share 
of  the  earth  and  no  more. 

You  shall  fight  to  protect  the  earth; 
it  is  your  home. 

Be  masters  of  technology  and  not 
its  slaves. 

You  shall  make  beautiful  and  endur- 
ing whatever  is  to  be  made. 

You  shall  keep  faith  with  future 
generations  and  be  wise  guardians  of 
their  inheritance. 

When  all  this  is  done,  come  together 
with  all  your  brothers  and  sing  the  joy 
of  earth.   D 


10     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


Come  Doi/i^n  From  the  Attic 


Convictions  which  have  been  dear  but  about  which  we  are  now  unsure 

can  be  gently  laid  aside  where  they  no  longer  affect  our  lives.   It 

is  here  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren's  attic  that  we  find  its  peace  witness 


by  DAVID  A.  WAAS 


^— xploring  an  attic  is  an  interesting 
experience  for  young  and  old  alike. 
The  old  fondle  precious  items  which 
revive  dim  memories.  The  yoimg 
chuckle  at  the  strange  configuration  of 
things  now  old.  Bits  of  adornment  or 
furniture  are  there,  but  perhaps  much 
more.  Our  attic  may  contain  ideals 
unfulfilled  and  aspirations  yet  to  be 
realized. 

Let  me  take  you  into  the  attic  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Stand  among 
the  rafters,  touch  fragments  of  the 
past,  and  remember.  Perhaps  we  touch 
a  towel  or  a  small  white  basin,  mean- 
ingful once,  but  now  something  to 
bring  down  'when  the  children  come 
home.  Here  a  coat,  and  there  a  photo- 
graph or  a  book.  And  tucked  over 
here  in  a  special  place,  a  bundle  of 
ideas,  some  convictions,  and  a  portion 
of  our  faith. 

Convictions  which  have  been  dear 
but  about  which  we  are  now  unsure 
can  be  packaged  and  gently  laid  aside, 
quietly  confined  to  some  corner  of  the 
attic.  Lodged  where  they  no  longer 
affect  our  Uves,  no  longer  flow  in  the 
bloodstream  of  the  family,  the  chiurch, 
or  the  Brotherhood.  It  is  here,  in  the 
church's  attic,  that  we  find  the  peace 
witness  of  the'  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

How  strange  to  find  the  tradition  of 


pacifism  here  in  the  attic.  Decades  ago 
Gladdys  Muir  argued  that  it  was  the 
central  belief  of  the  church.  In  a  re- 
cent issue  of  the  Brethren  Life  and 
Thought,  John  Howard  Yoder  states 
that  it  is  at  this  point  that  Jesus  was 
most  severely  tempted.  He  was  tempt- 
ed to  use  force  to  be  a  king  and  to  es- 
tablish his  personal  power  among  men. 

During  the  triumphal  entry  the 
crowd  thought  he  would  change  and 
become  a  ruler.  They  would  have  been 
jubilant  if  he  had.  The  issue  was  con- 
stantly before  him,  but  Jesus  stood  fast 
in  love. 

In  my  judgment  aU  other  New  Tes- 
tament teachings  regarding  the  conduct 
of  man  to  man  and  man's  relationship 
to  the  world  are  given  fundamental 
recognition  by  any  healthy  society. 
Christianity  is  compatible  with  society 
and,  indeed,  is  supported  and  under- 
girded  by  society  except  in  the  issues 
of  violence,  power,  killing,  and  war. 
All  societies  have  short-term  views. 
All  have  waged  war.  All  seek  what  is 
called  "victory."  All  fight  for  survival 
and  none  has  been  able  to  respond  to 
Jesus'  suggestion  that  he  who  would 
fight  to  preserve  his  life  will  lose  it. 

Our  forefathers  were  aware  of  the 
significance  of  this  teaching.  They 
built  a  church  around  it,  and  it  inspired 


thousands  through  the  years.  How 
then  did  it  get  into  the  attic? 

1.  We,  even  as  Jesus,  are  tempted. 
We  are  subtly  tempted  to  fall  short  of 
the  law  of  love.  We  are  tempted  with 
power.  We  are  tempted  to  wrap  na- 
tional power  around  ourselves.  We 
are  tempted  with  easy  force  and  with 
all  forms  of  violence  against  our 
brothers.  Psychologists  tell  us  that 
such  temptation  comes  to  even  the 
most  powerful.  Indeed,  physical  pow- 
er brings  a  fear  and  an  insecurity  with 
it.  We  are  almost  compelled  to  look  to 
the  United  States  under  those  circum- 
stances. The  United  States  today  dem- 
onstrates the  fundamental  weakness  of 
temporal  power:  powerful  almost  be- 
yond measure  yet  pathetically  insecure. 

Jesus  was  tempted  with  physical 
power,  and  the  fleeting  centuries  have 
not  made  the  temptation  less  subtle  or 
strong.  Our  times  are  tense  and  full  of 
greed  and  hate  even  as  in  Jesus'  time. 
Good  men  are  threatened  as  they  were 
in  Gethsemane.  From  every  side  prac- 
tical and  honorable  men  call  upon  us 
to  identify  with  the  crises  we  find 
around  us.  Is  not  evil  almost  tri- 
umphant? Has  not  the  law  of  love 
proven  itself  inadequate?  Reasonable 
men  tell  us :  Call  on  your  legions  of 
angels  if  you  can,  but  if  you  cannot, 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     11 


ATTIC  /  continued 

then  be  men  and  call  upon  your  hand 
and  arm.  Our  enemies  have  no  regard 
for  human  life.  They  threaten  us. 
They  are  at  our  gates  and  we  are 
tempted.  With  the  sound  of  defeat  in 
our  ears,  we  turn  to  swift,  justifiable 
solutions,  and  we  seize  the  sword  as 
did  the  disciple  in  the  garden. 

The  temptation  is  subtle  and  theo- 
logical. Again  we  are  indebted  to  John 
Howard  Yoder,  who  has  pointed  out 
that  one  way  of  describing  atonement 
is  that  God  loves  his  enemies  and  that 
we  are  among  them.  And  in  the  New 
Testament  teaching  the  "gospel"  and 
"loving  one's  enemies"  are  inexorably 
intertwined.  Loving  enemies  and  sav- 
ing souls  cannot  be  pulled  apart  if  we 
read  Jesus  carefully.  Servant  and 
Savior  are  woven  into  the  common 
fabric  and  the  New  Testament. 

European  state  church  theologians 
had  overriding  concerns  with  some- 
thing else  —  defeat  of  the  infidel. 
Europe  was  confronted  with  severe 
enemies  in  the  middle  centuries.  It 
was  a  terrible  enemy,  even  as  our  own. 
The  infidel  was  for  the  middle  cen- 
turies what  the  communist  is  for  the 
Westerner  today.  All  of  Western 
Christendom  followed  their  theologians 
as  they  developed  a  systematic  theolo- 
gy which  allowed  atonement  without 
loving  enemies.  The  enemy  could  not 
be  saved,  he  must  be  destroyed,  and 
Western  Christendom  followed  —  all 
but  a  small,  radical  element  which 
testified  that  this  was  abandoning  the 
heartland  of  New  Testament  teaching. 
They  held  fast  in  love.  We  have  grown 
unsure  of  that  testimony.  We  were 
tempted,  and  in  the  test  found  our- 
selves gently  wrapping  and  storing 
away  an  embarrassing  tradition. 

2.  The  testimony  has  been  put  in 
the  attic  because  of  a  myth  about  the 
American  character.  America  is  the 
nation  we  love  and  revere.  Its  tradi- 


tions are  rich  and  worthy  and  inspiring. 
It  is  a  nation  which  has  reached  out 
again  and  again  to  the  needful  around 
the  world.  America  has  a  rich  politi- 
cal, secular  heritage.  But  in  the  course 
of  the  years  the  myth  has  developed 
that  states  that  because  the  men  and 
women  of  1620  came  to  America  to 
establish  a  religious  community,  and 
others  followed  for  the  same  purpose, 
the  character  of  early  America  was  re- 
ligious and  Christian.  The  myth  has 
grown,  and  we  are  a  part  of  it  and  it  is 
difficult  to  separate  ourselves. 

Historians  have  long  been  aware 
that  most  people  went  to  the  west  for 
much  the  same  reasons  they  came  to 
America.  Some  came  for  religious  rea- 
sons, to  escape  persecution  as  did  the 
Mormons,  to  establish  communities  as 
those  in  the  Amana  communities.  But 
probably  the  percentages  of  those  who 
came  to  the  East  Coast  for  religious 
purposes  of  the  colonial  America  are 
not  dissimilar  to  the  percentages  of 
those  who  came  into  the  West  for  reli- 
gious reasons.  The  growth  of  the  myth 
drew  Americanism  and  Christianity 
closer  and  closer  together.  Few  chal- 
lenged it,  and  they  were  not  heard.  We 
have  sung  hymns  at  public  meetings 
and  have  had  prayer  on  the  Fourth  of 
of  July.  But  the  holly  and  the  manger 
became  a  confused  single  concept  as 
did  the  Wise  Men  and  Santa  Claus,  and 
Rotary  sponsored  the  Community 
Sunrise  Service.  What  v/ns  American 
and  what  was  Christian  became  con- 
fused. 

The  belief  that  early  America  was  a 
Christian  nation  has  had  two  ramifica- 
tions. One  is  that  the  expectation  that 
it  was  and  should  act  as  a  Christian  na- 
tion has  brought  bitter  disappointment. 
The  great,  open,  free  republic  it  is  must 
act  amorally,  and  those  who  think  of  it 
as  a  religious  institution  find  disap- 
pointment in  the  fact  that  it  does  not 


act  with  decisive  moral  judgment. 

A  second  is  that  Christians,  especial- 
ly pacifist  Christians,  are  torn  when 
the  Christian  nation  calls  to  duty,  and 
the  New  Testament  says  No.  Chris- 
tians on  the  horns  of  a  dilemma  find 
both  the  Constitution  and  the  New 
Testament  clear.  The  Constitution 
dictates  a  separation  of  church  and 
state  and  the  New  Testament  says  be 
apart  from  this  world  and  "my  king- 
dom is  not  of  this  world."  Though 
secular  the  nation  desperately  needs, 
cries  out  for,  and  must  have  the  critical 
judgment  of  the  church  in  times  such 
as  these.  The  nation  needs  the  church 
standing  apart,  holding  its  heritage 
high.  In  the  midst  of  the  myth,  the 
American  heritage  and  Christian  duty 
are  sometimes  confused. 

But  Jesus  stands  in  love.  He  under- 
stands the  critical  time  in  which  we 
live.  And  he,  too,  was  tempted  to 
abandon  his  convictions.  But  he 
affirmed:  "If  your  enemy  is  hungry, 
feed  him;  if  he  is  thirsty,  give  him  to 
drink  ..."  Do  not  let  evil  defeat  you. 
Instead  conquer  evil  with  good. 

Three  decades  ago  General  Hershey 
said  to  Bob  Zigler,  "Zigler,  you  Breth- 
ren have  got  something.  In  God's 
name  be  evangelistic  about  it!" 

My  brothers  and  sisters,  the  children 
are  home  and  I  would  issue  the  call 
that  we  come  down  from  the  attic. 
That  we  take  this  heritage  and  open  it 
and  look  at  it  anew.  Refresh  its  mes- 
sage. Teach  it  to  our  children  and  cap- 
ture again  the  vision  of  the  radical 
reformation.  A  rejection  of  war  is  not 
negative.  Neither  is  it  embarrassing  nor 
unpatriotic.  It  is  a  proclamation  of  the 
Good  News  that  God  loves  his  enemies 
and  carries  us  along  in  his  servanthood. 
With  that  missionary  zeal  we  can  turn 
to  the  world  with  the  Good  News.  We 
can,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  come  down 
from  the  attic  and  go  into  the  world.  D 


12     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


dayhirday 


"Last  Christmas  I  had  a  very  bad  experience  with  a  drug 
called  mescaline.  I  had  smoked  a  little  pot  before,  but  I 
tried  mescaline  only  once.  Since  then  I  have  not  been  in 
control  of  my  mind.  The  drug  experience  has  filled  me  with 
fear  and  doubts  of  myself.  I  can  no  longer  run  my  own 
affairs.  I've  tried  to  straighten  myself  out,  but  things  are 
only  getting  worse.  My  mind  is  no  longer  my  friend.  It 
won't  leave  me  alone.  I  cannot  go  on.  I  have  killed  myself 
because  I  can  only  be  trouble  and  worry  to  those  who  love 
and  care  for  me.  Please  try  to  remember  my  good  points 
and  excuse  this  final  act  of  desperation,  for  I  cannot  live 
with  myself  any  longer." 

These  are  the  words  of  a  note  left  by  a  twenty-year-old 
University  of  Florida  junior,  whose  body  and  car  were 
doused  with  gasoline  and  burned  about  100  yards  from  his 
apartment  building  this  past  February. 

"How  sad,"  we  say,  "so  young  a  life  to  be  cut  off  —  but 
he  should  have  known  better!  I'm  glad  that  our  children 
and  the  youth  of  our  church  are  free  from  such  drug  traffic!" 

But  wait!  How  sure  can  we  be  that  many  Brethren 
youth  have  not  already  been  exposed  to  drugs  in  some  form 
or  another?  Ten  years  ago,  we  may  have  been  immune. 
The  drug  problem  existed,  but  it  was  far  away  —  in  ghettos, 
in  slums,  in  the  twilight  criminal  world.  But  today  if  you 
have  a  child  in  college,  high  school,  junior  high,  or  even 
elementary  school,  it's  no  longer  a  question  of  his  possible 
exposure  to  illicit  drugs.  He  is  being  exposed  to  them  — 
NOW.   To  assume  otherwise  is  blind  thinking. 

What  are  we  as  Brethren  families  going  to  do  to  fortify 
our  children  in  these  times  of  great  test  and  stress? 

Suggested   activities 

1.  Start  early  to  teach  the  child  that  there  is  a  "moral 
law"  of  right  and  wrong,  put  here  by  God  himself;  that  all 
behavior  has  like  consequences.  Hopefully,  when  a  child 
faces  testings,  he  will  have  a  sense  of  "inner  oughtness"  to 
do  the  right. 

2.  Provide  worship  experiences  in  the  home  that  are 
quieting  and  restful.  Youth  is  a  time  of  stress.  Some  young 
people  are  afraid  to  grow  up.  Instinctual  urges,  choices, 
finding  their  identity,  becoming  independent  of  parents  — 
this  is  the  climate  in  which  drugs  are  suggested  to  relieve 
the  distress. 

3.  Have  the  youth  of  your  church  in  your  home  with 
the  youth  counselors  and  the  pastor.  Let  them  discuss 
honestly  and  objectively  the  questions  they  face,  such  as 
acceptance  by  peers,  popularity,  standing  alone,  fear  of  be- 
ing a  square,  how  to  be  an  influential  Christian  youth. 


4.  Become  informed  about  drugs.  We  can't  wait  imtil 
youth  get  into  trouble  to  begin  education.  Write  to  the 
Social  Health  Association  in  your  county,  or  the  U.S. 
Department  of  Health,  Education  and  Welfare,  Washington, 
D.C.,  for  informational  pamphlets  on  amphetamines,  bar- 
biturates, and  other  drugs. 

5.  Get  hold  of  some  good  educational  films,  such  as 
"Narcotics,  Why  Not?"  "Marijuana,"  "Narcotics  and 
Health,"  "Drugs  in  Our  Society,"  and  "LSD  —  Trip  or 
Trap?" 

6.  Set  up  a  weekend  drug  abuse  workshop  in  your 
church.  Have  a  psychologist,  policeman,  pharmacist,  for- 
mer drug  addict,  minister,  on  a  panel  to  give  their  respective 
views  and  experiences  with  drug  users.  —  Byron  and  Zola 
Miller 

DAILY   READING  GUIDE        October    11-24 

Sunday    Genesis   9:20-27.     An   example    of   irresponsible   behavior. 

Monday     Proverbs    23:29-35.     Warning    against    drinking. 

Tuesday    Isaiah   5:18-24.     Woe   to  the  wicked. 

Wednesday    1    Thessalonians  5:14-22.    Turn   from  evil;   practice   goodness. 

Thursday    Colossians   3:5-10.    Put  to   death   the   old   neurotic   self. 

Friday    Galatians  5:19  —  6:10.    The   law  of  the   harvest. 

Saturday     1   Corinthians  3:16-17.    You  are  God's  temple. 

Sunday     1    Peter  3:10-16.     Keep  your  conscience   clear. 

Monday     1   Corinthians   10:31.    Do  all  to  the  glory  of  God. 

Tuesday     1    Timothy   6:3-10.     Godliness   with   contentment. 

Wednesday    Matthew    5:1-8.     The   life   of   blessedness. 

Thursday    1    Peter   1:13-21.    A  call  to  holy   living. 

Friday     Philippians   4:8-9.     Practice   constructive   thinking. 

Saturday    Ephesians  6:10-18.    Strength   from  the  Lord  to  be  strong. 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     13 


'Brethren  run  the  town' 


Political  clout  is  seldom  in  propor- 
tion to  the  size  of  one  who  wields  it. 
The  Church  of  the  Brethren  has  often 
been  able  to  extend  its  influence  on  the 
political  and  social  scene  much  beyond 
the  context  of  its  relatively  few  numbers. 
Yet  it  is  seldom  that  the  Brethren  have 
come  under  attack  for  "running  things" 
as  has  the  La  Verne,  Calif.,  congrega- 
tion during  April  elections  for  city  coun- 
cilmen. 

"It  will  be  my  purpose  to  break  the 
power  of  the  Brethren  church  in  this 
community  if  I  am  elected,"  was  the 
opening  statement  of  candidate  Dan 
Lopez,  a  lifelong  Mexican-American 
resident  of  La  Verne,  at  the  public 
forum  prior  to  the  election.  Looking 
around  the  La  Fetra  Hall  auditorium  at 
La  Verne  College,  he  added,  "I  know 
I'm  hurting  some  very  prominent  people 
here,  but  it's  been  too  long.  We  don't 
want  this  any  more."  He  enlarged  on  his 
basic  theme  and  included  Hillcrest 
Homes  and  La  Verne  College  in  his 
targets. 

Sitting  with  him  on  the  platform  as 
fellow  candidates  were  two  Brethren 
men.  One  was  Frank  Johnson,  an  in- 
cumbent councilman,  and  the  other, 
Jack  Russi. 

Enmity:  It  was  apparent  that  Mr. 
Lopez  spoke  out  of  a  long-held  bitterness 
going  back  to  the  time  when  Mexican 
children  were  sent  to  segregated  schools 
and  the  superintendent  had  been  Breth- 
ren. And  there  were  other  discrimina- 
tions. 

The  Brethren  in  the  audience  were  al- 
ready in  bewilderment  from  an  attack 
launched  by  two   previous   speakers. 

In  an  apparent  coalition  of  his  own, 
one  said,  "It  has  become  obvious  in  this 
campaign  that  a  coalition  of  three  has 
been  formed,  namely,  Frank  Johnson, 
Jack  Russi,  and  Mike  Morales.  The 
election  of  these  would  mean  a  factional 
control  of  this  city.    We  must  not,  and 


cannot,  allow  this  coalition  of  three,  rep- 
resenting a  minority,  to  have  major  con- 
trol of  our  city  government." 

Three  places  were  to  be  filled  in  the 
election  on  a  five-member  council.  The 
inclusion  of  Mike  Morales  as  a  part  of 
a  "factional  control"  must  have  been 
prompted  by  rumors  that  he  is  Brethren, 
although  he  is  not.  The  incumbent  may- 
or, up  for  election  himself,  added  his 
weight  to  the  accusation. 

No  coalition:  Although  there  was  no 
actual  coalition,  many  of  the  workers 
for  the  three  men  were  in  consultation 
and  some  actually  campaigned  for  two 
or  three  of  them.  The  three  candidates 
are  friends  and  did  share  many  view- 
points about  the  development  of  the  city. 

There  was  a  special  urgency  about  the 
election  of  the  trio  on  an  undercurrent 
level.  No  one  knew  for  sure,  but  there 
had  been  rumors  about  ties  of  some  of 
the  candidates  with  a  cafe  owner  who 
was  trying  to  get  a  license  to  open  a  card 
parlor  in  La  Verne.  These  three  were 
known  to  be  in  opposition.  Frank  John- 
son had  introduced  a  move  in  the  coun- 
cil last  December  to  tighten  the  city's 
ordinance.  Until  that  time  residents 
were  unaware  of  the  intentions  of  the 
cafe  owner.  Many  in  this  community 
laughed  at  the  idea.  "La  Verne  and 
gambling!    They  just  don't  go  together." 

The  move  to  keep  two  Brethren  men 
off  the  council  was  subtle.  There  were 
no  personal  attacks  made,  just  such  state- 
ments as  "Frank  and  Jack  are  both  good 
men,  but  we  shouldn't  elect  both.  They 
are  Brethren." 

No  help:  Perhaps  for  the  first  time 
since  1890,  when  the  Brethren  moved  in 
to  create  a  college  out  of  a  "boom-time" 
hotel,  it  seemed  to  be  a  hindrance  rather 
than  help  to  be  Brethren  if  you  wished 
to  be  elected  to  the  council  in  La  Verne. 

Dan  Lopez  voiced  loud  and  clear  what 
had  been  said  outside  the  hearing  of  most 
Brethren  for  some  time:  "The  Brethren 


run  La  Verne."  The  tone  of  voice  did 
not  display  any  appreciation  of  the  fact. 

The  accusation  has  some  basis.  But 
the  Brethren  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
discounting  it  because  they  feel  like  in- 
dividuals and  not  just  members  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  And  among 
themselves  they  know  that  they  do  not 
agree  on  a  lot  of  things  and  act  very 
independently.  Nevertheless,  the  number 
of  Brethren  found  in  leadership  roles  on 
all  levels  of  the  community  from  the  city 
administration  down  is  greater  than  one 
would  expect. 

When  Leland  Wilson  became  senior 
minister  at  the  La  Verne  church  a  year 
ago,  he  thought  a  survey  of  the  mem- 
bership's service  to  the  community  would 
make  a  good  subject  for  the  monthly 
newsletter  of  the  church.  But  he  recon- 
sidered when  noting  that  the  news-letter 
does  not  remain  within  the  membership 
and  could  have  been  widely  used  with  the 
wrong  implications. 

As  the  election  campaign  progressed 
no  one  knew  how  much  effect  the  "Lopez 
influence"  was  having,  not  only  in  his 
own  behalf  but  for  other  candidates.  One 
thing  the  attack  perhaps  did  was  to  unite 
the  Brethren  and  those  who  liked  the 
town  as  the  Brethren  had  helped  make  it. 
At  least  the  results  seemed  to  prove  this. 

Results:  Frank  Johnson  won  easily. 
In  fact,  through  a  later  survey,  it  was 
learned  that  he  would  have  won  even 
though  every  Brethren  voter  had  re- 
frained from  voting.  Jack  Russi  came 
in  third,  upsetting  a  strong  campaign  by 
the  incumbent  mayor,  who  had  secured 
the  endorsement  of  the  president  of  the 
Chamber  of  Commerce  and  former  pres- 
ident of  the  Jaycees,  as  well  as  the  editor 
of  the  weekly  newspaper,  and  other  well- 
known  citizens,  some  of  them  Brethren. 
Mike  Morales  came  in  a  strong  second. 

So  neither  the  coalition  accusation  nor 
the  threat  of  Brethren  domination  seemed 
to  have  been  effective.  However,  there 
are  many  unknowns  in  an  election.  Who 
but  each  voter  knows  why  he  voted  as  he 
did?  Mr.  Lopez  did  very  little  campaign- 


14     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


ing,  yet  he  came  in  fifth.  The  incumbent 
mayor  took  fourth  place  far  enough  be- 
hind Mr.  Russi  to  be  conclusive. 

There  have  been  two  interesting  post- 
scripts to  the  election.  One  of  them  may 
have  proved  to  the  community  that  the 
Brethren  are  not  that  powerful. 

Surveyed:  Because  there  continued  to 
be  a  rumble  heard  here  and  there  in  the 
community  that  "the  Brethren  did  it 
again,"  a  member  of  the  congregation 
made  a  survey  of  the  voting  tally  lists  of 
more  than  5,000  registered  voters.  The 
research  included  a  count  of  members  of 
the  La  Verne  Brethren  and  those  who 
attend  the  four  churches  in  the  area  but 
live  in  La  Verne.  They  totaled  489  regis- 
tered and  456  voting.  The  total  vote  in 
the  election  was  3,241.  These  statistics 
were  included  in  a  report  of  the  compre- 
hensive study  submitted  to  the  local 
weekly  newspapers. 

A  second  postscript  is  that  the  issue  of 
gambling  is  very  much  alive.  The  cafe 
owner  seeking  to  gain  a  license  to  open 
a  card  parlor  openly  defied  the  law  and 
was  arrested.  He  apparently  plans  to 
make  a  test  case  to  challenge  the  validity 
of  the  city's  ordinance  against  gambling 
either  for  games  of  chance  or  skill. 

License  suspended:  Because  of  the 
arrest,  the  city  suspyended  the  cafe  own- 
er's license  for  live  entertainment.  On 
the  evening  he  made  an  appeal  to  the 
council  to  lift  the  suspension  he  orated 
for  an  hour  or  so  about  gambling  and  its 
innocence  in  relation  to  other  vices.  He 
also  stated  that  two  of  the  councilmen 
had  encouraged  him  earlier  in  his  efforts. 
Though  prodded  by  Mayor  Frank  John- 
son to  name  them,  he  refused,  saying 
that  he  would  at  the  proper  time. 

While  the  La  Verne  Brethren  have  had 
an  important  political  role  in  the  life  of 
their  community,  it  appears  that  they 
have  some  social  fence-mending  to  do. 
Perhaps,  too,  the  spring  elections  have 
brought  the  undercurrent  of  criticism 
into  the  mainstream  of  political  life,  and 
there  can  be  dealt  with  responsibly.  — 
Evelyn  Hollinger 


The  other  America 

To  A  16-YEAR-OLD  GERMAN  visiting 
America,  the  setting  in  which  Volker 
Hauswald  found  himself  was  nearly 
ideal.  The  host  family  near  Cincinnati, 
its  10-room  house,  suburban  estate,  and 
swimming  pool  all  in  Volker's  words 
were  "groovy." 

Comfort  and  affluence  notwithstand- 
ing, in  time  Volker  entertained  some 
second  thoughts  about  his  mode  of  life 
as  an  exchange  student  under  American 
Field  Service.  He  yearned  to  discover 
the  country  beyond  his  plush,  walled-in 
world.  No  sooner  had  he  returned  to 
his  home  in  Cologne  than  he  resolved  to 
return  to  America  for  a  second  look. 

That  look  came  when  as  a  Brethren 
Volunteer  Service  worker  he  was  as- 
signed to  participate  in  the  youth  min- 
istry of  the  Shepherd  of  the  Valley 
Lutheran  Church  in  Lament,  near  Bak- 
ersfield,  Calif.  For  a  20-year-old  with  an 
engaging  personality  and  admirable 
command  of  English,  identification  with 
teen-agers  was  not  much  of  a  problem, 
he  found;  he  related  readily  and  well. 

Earned  trust:  Yet  one  of  Volker's 
initial  discoveries  was  that  a  relationship 
of  depth,  one  in  which  there  is  candor 
and  trust,  cannot  be  hurried.  Enthralled 
as  he  was  with  the  sensitivity  sharing  of 
his  peers  in  training  at  New  Windsor, 
he  was  eager  to  recreate  something  of 
the  same  interchange  with  his  new 
friends  in  Lamont.  The  attempt  quickly 
flopped.  In  the  closing  months  of  his 
work,  however,  the  youth  groups  with 
which  he  was  working  were  beginning  to 
have  encounters  of  some  seriousness. 

Confessing  to  only  nominal  interest  in 
the  church  back  home,  Volker  was  grati- 
fied to  see  congregations  like  the  Shep- 
herd of  the  Valley  and  some  Brethren 
parishes  working  with  issues  that  touch 
people  at  the  really  sore  points,  that  go 
beyond  "just  preaching  the  gospel  on 
Sunday"  and  take  a  stand  on  injustice. 

While  acknowledging  that  his  own  in- 
volvements   were    in    a    situation    where 


there  were  no  blacks,  he  believed  he 
gained  somewhat  a  feel  for  this  country's 
minorities  by  becoming  caught  up  in 
Mexican-American  relations.  It  is  his 
judgment  that  a  vast  lag  exists  in  the 
educational  opportunity  open  to  Mexican 
youth,  and  perhaps  most  youth  of  low- 
income  background.  And  as  an  outsider 
related  to  the  development  of  minorities 
over  the  past  two  years,  he  would  criti- 
cize whites  generally  for  moving  far  too 
slowly  in  adjusting  their  attitudes  and 
practices. 

Pacifist:  On  the  question  of  war, 
Volker  commented,  "I  think  I  am  a  paci- 
fist. At  least  I  am  a  conscientious  ob- 
jector to  the  German  draft.  I  try  to  be 
pacifistic,  but  it's  hard  at  times  really 
to  stick  to  it." 

As  a  German  CO,  Volker  is  one  of  the 
first  draftees  to  take  alternative  service 
outside  his  own  country.  While  given 
verbal  permission  to  enter  BVS  by  draft 
authorities  at  home,  he  had  no  conclu- 
sive word  that  his  two  years  in  BVS 
would  be  credited,  though  he  remained 
hopeful.  It  was  through  Operation  Rec- 
onciliation, a  German  church  organiza- 
tion, that  he  learned  of  BVS. 

"I   have   only   the   best   things   to  say 

Volker  Hauswald:  Finding  two  Americas 


+  flews 


about  BVS,  both  the  training  at  New 
Windsor  and  the  project  in  California," 
he  said.    "It  was  all  fantastic." 

His  term  completed,  Volker  was  to 
round  out  his  second  stay  in  America 
with  a  return  to  Cincinnati,  to  the  very 
different  world  he  had  enjoyed  so  thor- 
oughly three  years  before.  He  was  ap- 
prehensive about  that  visit,  no  longer 
sure  of  what  values  he  held  in  common 
with  the  former  host  family  whose  way 
of  life  by  now  had  become  foreign. 

Back  in  Cologne,  before  he  did  any- 
thing else,  Volker  wanted  to  "sort  of  let 
the  whole  experience  sink  in."  College 
perhaps,  social  service  perhaps:  For 
awhile  such  decisions  could  wait. 

For  the  moment,  the  great  event  in 
Volker  Hauswald's  life  was  to  know 
there  is  a  different  America,  one  which 
though  it  is  engulfed  in  crucial  human 
problems  affords  meaning  and  joy 
through  service. 

Bibles  given  seminary 

Given  a  spare  hour  in  a  new  city  some- 
where on  this  globe,  the  late  Brethren 
peace  statesman  Ora  I.  Huston  would 
probably  be  found  frequenting  an  out- 
of-the-way  bookstore  or  antique  shop  in 
search  of  a  new  addition  to  his  Bible 
collection. 

At  Mr.  Huston's  death  in  1967,  he  had 
spent  nearly  forty  years  collecting  some 
300  English  Bibles.  The  collection  has 
now  been  donated  to  Bethany  Seminary 
by  his  widow,  Mrs.  Barbara  Huston. 

His  special  interest  was  in  new  trans- 
lations or  versions  of  the  entire  Bible  or 
individual  books  of  the  Bible.  The  earli- 
est printed  book  in  the  collection  is  a 
copy  of  the  Great  Bible  printed  in  1549. 
Twenty  of  the  Bibles  were  printed  before 
1630.  Other  significant  volumes  in  the 
collection  include  a  1566  Great  Bible,  a 
1574  Bishops  Bible,  and  the  first  edition 
of  the  King  James  Bible  to  be  printed  at 
Cambridge   in    1629. 

Housed  in  a  special  collections  area  of 
the  Bethany  library,  the  Bibles  may  be 
used  by  the  seminary  community  and 
visiting  scholars. 

16     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


Growth  for  Friendship 

A  FIVE-MILLION-DOLLAR  expansion  proj- 
ect in  the  next  two  years  is  planned  for 
Friendship  Manor  at  Roanoke,  Va.,  the 
geriatric  center  sponsored  by  the  First 
and  Southern  districts  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren. 

Construction  begins  this  fall  on  the 
first  of  four  new  facilities  along  Hersh- 
berger  Road  that  will  complement  the 
present  $1.5  million  manor  opened  in 
1966.    These  buildings  are  planned: 

V^  A  four-story,  75-unit  apartment 
building  to  accommodate  90  persons  will 
be  started  this  fall  and  will  take  a  year 
for  construction. 

l^  A  12-story,  high-rise  apartment 
building  of  200  units  for  250  persons 
will  be  started  next  spring  and  will  take 
up  to  two  and  a  half  years  to  complete. 

1/^  A  four-story  convalescent  center 
with  162  beds  will  be  started  in  January 
and  will  be  completed  in  about  a  year. 

]^  A  single-story,  100-bed  mental 
health  center  will  be  constructed  next 
summer,  taking    12   to    15   months. 

The  four-story  apartment  building  will 
be  built  on  the  present  Friendship  Manor 
site,  while  the  others  will  go  up  across 
Hershberger  Road.  A  pedestrian  walk- 
way under  the  road  will  connect  the  two 
sites.  Projected  for  future  construction  is 
another  12-story,  high-rise  apartment  on 
the  new   12-acre  tract. 

The  expansion  program  is  being  under- 
taken with  present  funds  and  borrowing. 
No  federal  funds  will  be  used,  though  a 
loan  insured  by  the  Federal  Housing  Ad- 
ministration will  finance  construction  of 
the  convalescent  center.  A  fund-raising 
campaign  will  be  held  in  the  Roanoke 
Valley  for  funds  for  the  mental  health 
center,  said  H.  Lawrence  Rice,  admin- 
istrator. 

Present  manor  facilities  accommodate 
150  persons  in  91  residence  units.  Six 
one-story  apartments  for  80  persons  are 
nearby,  the  final  two  completed  only  last 
month.  The  new  construction  will  in- 
crease Friendship  Manor's  capacity  by 
some  600  persons. 

Mr.  Rice  calls  the  manor  a  "complete 


FRIENDSHIP  MANOR  EXPANSION  PLAN: 
A  four-story  apartment  building  (2),  a  12- 
story  apartment  building  (3),  a  four-story 
convalescent    center    (4),    and    a    one-story 


care  center,"  providing  facilities  for 
those  who  are  completely  able  to  care 
for  themselves  through  those  requiring 
permanent  or  temporary  nursing  care. 

The  mental  health  center  will  have 
both  in-patient  and  out-patient  facilities, 
provide  day  hospital  care  for  mental  pa- 
tients, and  will  not  be  limited  to  older 
patients. 

Additional  staff  recently  named  were 
Maurice  E.  Wright  as  assistant  adminis- 
trator for  public  relations  and  ministry 
and  Mrs.  Ruth  Regnier  as  director  of 
social  services. 

Lincoln  communicators 

The  sign  on  the  door  of  124  North 
Concourse  read  Press  Room.  As  each 
day  of  the  Lincoln  Annual  Conference 
lengthened,  the  activity  within  that  room 
at  Pershing  Auditorium  became  "press- 
ing" indeed. 

Throughout  business  sessions,  local 
television  cameramen  sought  details  on 
debate,  reporters  from  the  city  news- 
papers required  briefings  on  the  latest 
agenda   items,   and  correspondents  from 


i 


menral  health  center  (5)  will  be  built  dur- 
ing the  next  t\vo  years  in  northwest  Ro- 
anoke, Va.,  at  a  cost  of  $5  million.  Con- 
struction begins  this  fall  on  the  four-story 


apartment  building.  The  present  manor 
and  nearby  one-story  apartments  are  num- 
ber 1.  Building  6  is  another  12-story 
apartment  to  be  built  in  the  future. 


The  New  York  Times  and  the  Associated 
Press  wanted  new  information  on  the 
Statement  on  War  revisions. 

And  as  noon  approached  the  Annual 
Conference  News  tooi<  shape  for  that 
day:  final  decisions  on  stories  to  be  used 
and  layout  to  be  employed  were  made 
and  the  pages  prepared  for  the  printer's 
messenger  who  would  arrive  shortly. 

Unknown  to  the  Conference  news  staff 
as  they  worked  was  the  existence  a  few 
blocks  away  of  another  contingent  of 
"newsmen"  also  preparing  a  Conference 
news  sheet.  But  they  had  only  one  dead- 
line, not  four;  and  conferences  with  tele- 
vision cameramen  were  not  required 
though  they  did  relate  to  the  broadcast 
media  during  the  week  at  Lincoln,  Neb. 

The  newsmen  were  16  children  in  the 
third-grade  class  that  met  four  mornings 
at  St.  Mary's  School  during  Conference 
week.  Studying  the  church  and  com- 
munications, the  children  elected  to  pub- 
lish the  "Newstime"  paper  using  their 
own  news  reports. 

"We  attempted  to  reach  various  ways 
of  communication  the  church  uses  to  tell 
the  Good  News,  and  in  turn  the  children 


became  reporters  of  their  experiences," 
says  Mrs.  George  A.  Eisele,  who  con- 
ducted the  class  with  Mrs.  John  Ward. 
Both  women  belong  to  the  Lincoln  con- 
gregation. 

"Not  everyone  was  able  to  express  his 
experience  in  stories,  so  we  encouraged 
other  means  of  sharing  feelings,"  Mrs. 
Eisele  said.  Through  the  media  of  news- 
papers, church  publications,  television, 
tape  recording,  records,  art,  and  speak- 
ing, the  class  examined  the  means  of 
conveying  the  church's  message. 

Wax  tablets:  Means  of  communica- 
tion in  biblical  history  were  examined, 
and  the  children  made  wax  tablets  in- 
scribed with  the  shape  of  a  fish. 

The  three-page,  mimeographed  News- 
time,  distributed  after  the  Conference, 
contained  reports  of  the  children  on  a 
tour  of  a  local  television  station  (and  a 
class-made  "television"  movie  set),  a  visit 
to  the  class  by  Messenger  editor  Ken- 
neth Morse,  a  film  on  newspaper  pub- 
lishing that  appealed  to  children  and  an- 
other which  communicated  the  feelings 
of  helpfulness  and  sharing,  and  some 
personal    experiences    of    a    few    of    the 


children.  A  case  of  mumps  just  prior  to 
Conference  that  nearly  prevented  her  at- 
tendance was  the  subject  of  the  written 
contribution  of  Rebecca  Weaver,  Elgin, 
III.  Richard  Landrum's  Friday  evening 
address  to  the  Conference  provided  grist 
for  the  pen  of  reporter  Charles  Landrum, 
his  son. 

Being  famous:  Among  our  favorite 
contributions  was  that  of  Jenny  Klem- 
medson  of  Aurora,  III.,  who  wrote: 

"My  Grandpa  wrote  something  like  a 
poem  in  the  Messenger.  Maybe  he 
thought  he  could  get  sort  of  famous. 
Well,  I  think  he  already  is  famous  .  .  . 
just  a  little  bit. 

"The  editor  of  the  Messenger  talked 
to  our  class.  I  asked  him  if  a  person 
named  Dr.  Alvin  Brightbill  wrote  a  story 
or  a  poem  in  his  magazine.  He  said  yes, 
so  I  know  it  was  my  Grandpa." 

We  always  suspected  that  AI  Brightbill 
was  "famous"  beyond  his  acquaintance 
to  many  as  a  former  Bethany  Seminary 
professor.  Now  we  have  it  on  good  au- 
thority —  his  granddaughter.  And  be- 
sides, we  saw  it  reported  in  the  News- 
time  paper.    That's  good  enough  for  us. 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     17 


news 


Getting  down  to  earth 

Much  is  being  said  in  higher  education 
today  about  "making  the  world  a  labora- 
tory" for  collegiate  education.  For  plac- 
ing, for  example,  student  sociologists  in 
inner-city  situations,  psychologists  in 
community  mental  health  contacts,  and 
business  administration  majors  in  the 
corporate  world  in  which  they  will  even- 
tually  work  —  all    for   academic   credit. 

This  summer  a  course  in  earth  science 
at  Elizabethtown  College  took  twenty 
students  out  of  the  traditional  four- 
walled  classroom  and  lecture  setting  of 
the  campus  and  into  the  "classroom"  of 
the  world  on  which  the  course  zeroed  in. 

The  eleven  men  and  nine  women  spent 
eight  hours  a  day  for  four  weeks  tramp- 
ing around  Lancaster  County,  Pa.,  and 
the  surrounding  region,  the  Jersey  sea- 
shore, and  the  West  Virginia  mountains 
to  study  firsthand  the  earth's  processes. 

Full  notebooks:  In  so  doing,  they  not 
only  picked  up  notebooks  full  of  infor- 
mation about  earth  science  and  other 
closely  related  disciplines,  but  they 
learned  also  to  know  and  to  appreciate 
one  another.  The  participants  believed 
the  course  was  like  none  other  they  pre- 
viously had  taken,  and  they  invariably 
noted  the  community  spirit  it  generated 
among  them. 

Christopher  Miller  of  Elizabethtown, 
a  graduate  last  spring  of  the  local  high 
school,  took  earth  science  as  his  first 
college-level  course.  Chris  is  a  freshman 
at  Manchester  College  this  fall. 

He  described  the  four  weeks  as  more 
of  an  "experience"  than  a  course.  "Every- 
body worked  together  so  much;  it  wasn't 
like  any  other  class  where  kids  came  and 
then  left.  You  practically  lived  together 
with  your  class.  It  was  as  much  a  psy- 
chology course  as  it  was  anything  else," 
he  said. 

"A  real  group":  Barbara  E.  Snader 
of  Leola,  Pa.,  a  senior,  agreed:  "Maybe 
it's  because  I'm  a  sociology  major,  but  I 
noticed  that  we  were  not  only  a  class  but 
we  also  became  a  real  group  and  we  got 
close  together.  Even  now,  when  we  see 
each  other,   it's  like  a  ray  of  sunshine. 


Geological  formations  seen  at  Seneca  Rock 

We  were  in  the  class  together  and  we 
went  through  a  lot,  helping  each  other 
through  caves  and  over  mountains,"  she 
said. 

The  course  was  conducted  by  Glenn 
H.  Thompson,  an  assistant  professor  of 
earth  science,  who  wanted  the  students 
to  investigate  the  earth  scientifically  in 
its  natural  context  and  not  from  the 
classroom. 

He  planned  a  basically  unstructured 
course  in  which  students  would  spend  75 
percent  of  their  time  in  field  investiga- 
tions either  on  their  own  or  in  groups, 
and  25  percent  in  the  classroom. 

On  campus:  In  the  first  three  weeks, 
the  class  used  the  Elizabethtown  campus 
and  its  lake  as  models  for  various  natural 
phenomena  and  then  took  field  trips  to 
study  the  topography  and  map  portions 
of  the  Lancaster  County  countryside,  to 
view  an  impressive  anticline  rock  fold  at 
Chiques  Rock  near  Columbia  and  more 
complex  folds  at  a  quarry  near  Rheems, 
and  to  study  the  historical  geology  of  the 
Colebrook  area.  During  all  of  these 
excursions  they  collected  rock  and  min- 
eral samples. 

In  the  first  of  several  longer  field  trips, 
the  students  studied  the  historical  devel- 
opment of  the  earth  between  South 
Mountain  in  Adams  County,  through 
Carlisle,  into  Perry  County. 

"From  South  Mountain  to  Perry 
County  the  rocks  are  progressively 
younger  and  so  we  were  able  to  look  at 
the  Pre-Cambrian  volcanics  and  the  later 
sedimentary  rocks  as  they  got  younger 
and  younger,  particularly  in  terms  of 
fossils  of  the  life  that  would  have  been 
abundant  in  those  times,"  Mr.  Thompson 
observed. 


Then  came  a  two-day  trip  to  Island 
Beach  State  Park,  N.J.,  to  study  ocean- 
ography and  long  shore  current  and 
beach  processes,  and  to  Delaware  Water 
Gap  near  Stroudsburg  to  view  what 
instructor  Thompson  considers  the  most 
prominent  display  in  Pennsylvania  of  the 
marks  and  deposits  of  the  ice  age. 

For  most,  however,  the  highlight  of 
the  course  was  a  geological  field  trip  to 
Pendleton  County,  W.  Va.,  located  about 
40  miles  west  of  Harrisonburg,  Va.  Mr. 
Thompson  selected  the  area  because  rock 
formations  there  are  uncovered,  making 
geological  structures  easier  to  under- 
stand. He  also  wanted  students  to  gain 
an  appreciation,  for  a  remote  area  un- 
touched by  mass  civilization  and  to  be 
able  to  explore  caves. 

Another  and  perhaps  more  important 
purpose  was  to  give  individual  students 
an  opportunity  to  work  together  in  an 
isolated  experience,  and  he  believes  this 
purpose  far  exceeded  his  expectations. 

Mapped  cave:  In  keeping  with  Mr. 
Thompson's  practice  of  letting  students 
concentrate  on  what  interested  them 
most,  Chris  Miller  spent  most  of  his 
time  in  caves  and  actually  mapped  one. 
"There's  a  thrill  about  going  into  a  hole 
in  the  ground  and  finding  yourself  in 
a  space  very  small,  pulling  yourself 
through,  and  finally  breaking  into  a 
room  that  has  40-foot-high  ceilings,"  the 
youth  said. 

"The  pressure  was  on  in  West  Vir- 
ginia," Miss  Snader  says,  "not  because 
Professor  Thompson  put  it  on  us  but 
because  we  put  it  on  ourselves.  There 
was  so  much  to  do  that  we  tried  to  get 
into  as  much  as  we  could.  We  went  up 
mountains  and  crawled  through  caves. 
I've  never  been  so  dirty  in  my  life." 

When  it  was  over.  Miss  Snader,  for 
one,  believed  that  the  course  had  been 
more  beneficial  than  a  classroom  session 
would  have  been.  She  recommended  that 
the  college  develop  similar  programs  in 
other  disciplines,  especially  in  sociology. 
"I  don't  see  how  they  could  lose.  It 
could  only  benefit  the  students  and  fac- 
ulty; it  would  give  them  a  chance  to 
learn  about  the  world  they're  living  in." 


18     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


■  The  emphasis  is  shifting  in  television's  religious  pro- 
gramming from  secular  and  social  activism  to  sacred  and 
spiritual  concerns,  according  to  one  survey  of  the  field. 
One  clergyman  described  it  as  the  revolt  of  the  "religious 
silent  majority."    Episcopalian  William  M.  Sheraton  re- 
ferred to  the  "men  and  women  who  hunger  for  spiritual 
nurture  but  are  being  fed  a  crazy  concoction  of  Marx 
and  mush  and  mod.    They've  now  begun  to  click  off  and 
tune  out."  But  United  Presbyterian  official  Richard  Gilbert 
sees  it  another  way;  "What  we  need  now  is  a  two-legged 
gospel  —  the  left  leg  being  social  concern  and  the  right 
being  salvation.    Protestantism  has  been  limping  along  on 
the  left  leg  for  15  years.    What's  needed,  both  in  the 
church  and  in  religious  programming,  is  body  and  soul." 


■  When  Americans  are  in  trouble  they  still 
seek  a  clergyman  first.    "In  spite  of  the  low 
esteem  achieved  by  the  church  today,  this  figure 
seems  to  be  on  the  increase,"  Donald  E.  Smith 
told  the  American  Association  of  Mental 
Health.   With  psychologists  and  psychiatric  social 
workers  in  short  supply,  Mr.  Smith  said,  "the 
clergyman  represents  the  most  natural  and  obvi- 
ous source  of  adjunctive  service  to  the  mental 
health  team."   He  noted  that  the  day  is  passing 
when  professionals  in  religion  and  medicine  re- 
gard each  other  as  enemies. 


/Gleanings  from 
the  world 
of  religion     *~" 
in  our  times 


■  Can  God  be  assigned  30  acres  of  California's 
real  estate?  A  Superior  Court  judge  said  no  when 
a  defendent  deeded  the  acreage  to  the  Almighty 
to  avoid  legal  actions.    An  attorney  contended 
that  the  judge  should  have  first  ruled  on  God's 
right  to  legal  counsel. 


J^^# 


■  A  White  United  Methodist  congregation  in  Detroit  sold  its  sanctuary, 
educational  building,  and  parsonage  to  a  black  congregation  for  one  dollar. 
The  white  church  merged  with  another  congregation  and  turned  its  plant 
over  to  the  black  church  for  servant  ministries  among  its  900  members. 


A  BROKEN  CROSS.    Demon's  eye.   Witch's  foot.    These  are  among  the  rep- 
resentations attributed  to  the  familiar  peace  symbol  (left)   used  by  many 
peace  movements.   The  symbol  came  under  attack  recently  by  the  John  Birch 
Society  and  a  unit  of  the  American  Legion  as  a  satanic  device  or  Commu- 
nist-inspired.  The  symbol  is  actually  a  composite  of  the  semaphore  signals 
for  the  letters  N  (flag  held  vertically)  and  D  (flags  held  at  a  45-degree 
angle)  with  an  encircling  sphere.    It  stands  for  "Nuclear  Disarmament  in  the 
whole  world"  and  was  originated  in  England  in  1958  during  a  time  of  con- 
cern about  nuclear  testing  in  the  atmosphere.    Other  peace  groups  and  indi- 
viduals have  since  adopted  it. 


Prayers 

for  the  Working  Woman 

by  Ruby  Rhoades 


G 


fod,  I'm  tired  tonight.  .  .  . 
It's  been  a  long,  hard  day. 
I'd  like  to  talk  with  you, 
I  hope  you  understand. 
But  I'm  just  too  tired  to  find  the  words. 
Maybe  if  I  just  sit  in  silence 
You'U  understand  — 
And  I'U  find  strength. 


fee 


■  f  I  drive  an  extra  mile 

Or  window-shop  a  minute 

On  my  way  home  at  night, 

It's  just  the  way  I  shift  my  gears. 

Sometimes  it  takes  a  little  while 

To  leave  the  world  of  deadlines, 

Memos,  conferences,  and  dictation 

And  get  prepared  for  home, 

For  pickups  after  football  practice. 

Potatoes,  baked  or  mashed. 

Call  the  dentist,  do  a  load  of  wash, 

And  listen  to  the  woes  or  joys 

Of  teen-age  growing  pains. 

The  trouble  is,  I  try  to  do  it  all  alone, 

The  shifting  gears,  when  I  should 

Call  on  you  to  make  me  ready. 

God,  thanks  for  being  always  there 

When  you're  needed. 

And  forgive  my  failure 

To  acknowledge  your  presence. 


m^ 


We, 


iTeU  .  .  . 
Here  we  are  again. 
Why  is  it 

I  always  speak  first? 
Don't  I  give  you 
A  chance  to  start? 
Am  I  so  busy 
Telling  you  my  troubles 
That  I  cut  you  off? 
So  —  I'll  be  quiet. 
I'll  wait. 

I'm  waiting.  .  .  . 
Lord,  why  don't  you  speak? 
Why  don't  you  tell  me 
The  things  I  want  to  hear? 
The  silence  grows  heavy; 
I  can't  wait  all  night  — 
There's  so  much  to  do. 
This  is  supposed  to  be 
A  two-way  conversation. 
Who  put  the  barrier  up? 


20     MESSENGER     10-8-70 


I  feel  so  satisfied  tonight! 

You  know,  God,  I'm  sure  you  do. 

How  great  it  is  to  meet  a  challenge, 

Struggle,  sweat,  maybe  cry  a  little 

In  trying  to  figure  out  the  way 

To  tackle  something  hard  —  and  win. 

Today  I  did  it! 

A  problem  of  approach  that's  just 

Been  hanging  on 

And  gnawing  at  my  mind 

And  vying  for  my  time. 

But  then  I  figured  out 

The  way  it  can  be  done. 

And  I  feel  used  and  useful, 

And  it's  great! 

I'm  so  thankful  for  such  times 

That  challenge,  even  though  they  cost 

In  energy  and  nervous  strain. 

It's  worth  it  when  it's  done, 

And  I  feel  as  if  I've  grown  a  little 

And  have  the  confidence  that's  needed 

To  take  another  try 

At  something  hard. 


|-A=..,A 


forgive., 
show. . . 

teach. . . 

thank  you... 


■ehned  in  .  .  . 

That's  how  I  feel. 

Does  everybody  feel  that  way, 

Wishing  it  were  possible 

To  take  wings  and  fly? 

To  leave  that  everlasting  schedule 

Of  getting  up  and  going  to  work 

And  coming  home  at  night 

To  get  supper  and  do  the  work 

The  family  and  the  house  require? 

Too  tired  and  no  time 

To  do  the  things  that 

Make  life  rich  and  fuU? 

So  —  I  come  to  you  tonight, 

God;  show  me  the  way 

To  live  my  life  each  day 

So  that  I  can  feel  free 

Even  within  the  boundaries 

Of  my  time  and  energy, 

Of  schedules  and  demands. 

Teach  me  the  joy  of  soaring  wings 

When  mine  feel  clipped,  imprisoned. 

Show  me  .  .  . 

Teach  me.  .  .  . 


'"*s'. 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     21 


The  Urgency 
of  Celebration 


by  RONALD  K.  MORGAN 

This  fourth  in  a  series  of 
Annual  Conference  Bible 
study  messages  is  based  on 
Luke  14:15-24 


Celebration  and  eating  together  are 
experiences  common  to  all  people.  In 
the  Bible  the  celebrations  of  the  great 
anniversaries  of  God's  acts  for  Israel 
were  called  feasts.  Banquets  (feasts) 
were  held  at  the  time  a  stranger  visited, 
a  birthday  came,  a  child  was  weaned, 
sheepshearing  was  done,  the  harvest 
was  in,  a  building  was  completed,  a 
treaty  was  ratified,  a  wedding  was  held. 
And  when  the  day  of  the  Lord's  Mes- 
siah came,  the)  Jews  believed  it  would 
be  celebrated  with  the  messianic  ban- 
quet. 

So  when  Jesus  taught,  he  employed 
symbols  and  acts  which  picked  up  the 
motifs  of  eating  and  celebration. 

When  the  prodigal  son  returned 
home,  the  father  threw  a  party  and 
invited  the  neighbors  to  celebrate  with 
him. 

Jesus  fed  a  multitude.  He  attended 
a  wedding  celebration  at  Cana.  He  ate 
a  meal  with  his  disciples  as  a  memorial 
before  his  death  and  gave  them  bread 
and  a  cup  as  symbols  of  himself.  He 


broke  bread  and  served  fish  as  a  Risen 
Lord. 

In  the  early  church  the  practice  con- 
tinued. Christians  gathered  for  feasts 
of  love  to  celebrate  their  faith. 

When  Jesus  began  telling  a  parable 
about  a  great  banquet,  his  hearers 
knew  right  away  that  he  was  talking 
about  God's  banquet  in  honor  of  the 
Messiah.  Many  were  invited,  and 
when  all  was  ready,  the  host  sent  his 
servant  out  to  give  a  second  invitation. 
This  was  not  unusual,  since  in  Oriental 
cultures  it  is  standard  procedure  for 
guests  to  accept  invitations  only  when 
repeatedly  asked. 

So  the  servant  announced  to  the 
guests,  "Come;  for  all  is  now  ready." 
That  is  an  important  line  for  a  correct 
understanding  of  this  parable.  Unless 
you  catch  the  urgency  of  accepting  the 
invitation  now,  you  miss  the  point.  It 
was  common  practice  for  banquets  to 
begin  in  the  late  afternoon  and  last 
until  midnight.  One  was  still  welcome 
as  long  as  he  came  before  the  first 
course  was  over.  After  that  he  was 
confronted  by  a  sign  at  the  door,  clos- 
ing the  banquet  to  anyone  else.   (You 
may  recall  the  same  theme  occurring 
in  the  parable  of  the  wise  and  foolish 
virgins.) 

The  Pharisees  would  never  reject  an 
invitation  to  celebrate  the  reign  of  the 
Messiah  at  the  Lord's  banquet,  but 
they  could  conceive  of  that  only  as 


something  in  the  future,  to  be  expected 
and  anticipated.  Jesus  was  telling  them 
by  this  parable  that  "the  time  is  now" 
to  celebrate,  for  the  kingdom  is  among 
you  now. 

The  problem  with  the  Pharisees  was 
not  with  seeing  the  desirability  of  cele- 
brating the  kingdom.  They  had  the 
hope  of  the  resurrection,  of  the  king- 
dom, of  the  heavenly  banquet,  but  they 
had  projected  it  totally  into  the  future. 
So  when  the  urgency  of  responding 
immediately  was  upon  them,  they,  like 
the  men  in  the  parable,  stumbled  all 
over  themselves  to  make  excuses. 

The  inane  excuses  are  an  indication 
of  Jesus'  use  of  satirical  humor.  Who 
would  buy  a  field  or  five  yoke  of  oxen 
without  examining  them  before  pur- 
chase? I  can  see  the  wife's  saying,  "No, 
you  can't  go"  —  men  know  that  isn't 
so  far-fetched! 

We  have  to  raise  the  question  for 
ourselves  here  about  how  we  fall  into 
the  error  of  the  Pharisees  —  thinking 
our  hope  and  its  celebration  is  future. 
We  too  stumble  over  some  rather  petty 
excuses  as  a  means  of  refraining  from 
joining  in  the  kingdom  celebration  in 
life  right  now. 

Do  we  allow  that  the  kingdom  has 
celebrative  expression  "in  the  now"? 
What  less  than  ultimate  interests  are 
we  unwilling  to  forego  to  join  any  all- 
out  celebration  of  ultimate  things  now? 
Investments  in  defense  businesses,  a 
hide-out  in  the  suburbs,  petty  doctrinal 
controversies,  an  image  to  maintain,  a 
racial  domination  to  secure,  a  grudge 
to  protect? 

When  the  originally  invited  excused 
themselves,  the  host  wouldn't  cancel. 
He  sent  the  servant  back  out  to  the 
streets  and  lanes  of  the  city  to  bring 
in  the  poor,  the  maimed,  the  blind,  and 
the  lame.  When  there  was  yet  room 
the  host  sent  him  out  to  the  highways 
and  hedges  with  instructions  to  "com- 


22     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


pel"  them  to  come  in.  The  house  was 
to  be  filled. 

It  is  probably  not  just  a  coincidence 
that  at  the  beginning  of  this  chapter, 
also  at  the  Pharisee's  house,  Jesus 
healed  a  man  with  dropsy.  It  was  the 
assumption  of  the  Pharisees  that  those 
present  at  the  messianic  banquet  would 
all  be  good,  devout  Jews  gathered  with 
Abraham,  Isaac,  Jacob,  Moses,  and 
the  prophets  —  all  "our  kind  of  peo- 
ple," in  other  words.  Not  only  does 
Jesus  correct  the  Pharisee's  verb  tense 
from  future  to  present;  he  also  corrects 
his  membership  assumptions  by  includ- 
ing society's  undesirables.  He  reversed 
his  expectations. 

Mad  magazine  had  a  page  in  a 
recent  issue  on  which  there  was  a 
picture  of  a  beautiful  Southern  belle 
and  a  Colonel  Sanders-type  gentleman 
standing  behind  her  white  wicker 
chair.  Below  was  a  quotation  from 
Senator  Richard  Russell  of  Georgia: 
"If  there  is  a  nuclear  holocaust  and 
there  is  only  one  couple  left  on  earth, 
I  want  that  couple  to  be  American." 

But  the  magazine  went  on  to  say 
that  if  such  a  disaster  were  to  occur, 
more  likely  than  that  picture  is  what 
appeared  on  the  next  page.  There  was 
the  same  scene  and  the  same  girl,  but 
by  her  side  was  no  Southern  colonel 
but  a  black  slave.   That  is  the  kind  of 
jolt  Jesus  gave  the  Pharisee  with  this 
parable. 

Consistent  with  what  he  had  said  at 
the  time  he  found  such  remarkable 
faith  in  a  Roman  centurion  —  that 
people  would  come  from  east  and 
west,  north  and  south  to  their  places  at 
the  feast  in  the  kingdom  —  Jesus  again 
makes  his  point.  Membership  in  the 
kingdom  is  not  on  the  basis  of  nation- 
ality, race,  political  persuasion,  age, 
physical  or  mental  or  emotional  capac- 
ity. It  is  simply  based  on  who  will 
accept  the  invitation. 


The  invitation  was  extended  beyond 
the  "religious"  who  were,  in  spite  of 
their  future  hopes,  too  tied  up  in  the 
pursuits  of  this  world  to  begin  living 
now  in  the  kingdom  which  had  come 
in  Christ.  So  the  invitation  'was  ex- 
tended to  those  who  had  no  ties,  who 
were  so  dispossessed  that  they  had  no 
conflict  in  accepting. 

So  it  is  that  God's  kingdom  and  the 
joy  of  living  in  it  now  is  given  to  the 
humiliated  and  abused,  to  those  with 
no  right  to  be  invited  on  any  of  their 
merits.  The  kingdom  for  them  an- 
nounces in  the  present  a  restoration  to 
humanity,  to  wholeness,  salvation  from 
dehumanizing  sins  of  theirs  and  soci- 
ety's. In  the  kingdom  of  God  welfare 
recipients  don't  have  to  "apply"  for 
and  demand  their  "rights."  They  are 
invited  to  share  in  the  full  riches  of 
God's  grace.  And  that  kind  of  king- 
dom, again,  Jesus  announces  is  present 
now  in  him. 


If  you  find  it  difficult  now  enjoying 
the  company  of  and  sharing  power  and 
wealth  with  the  outcasts  of  our  society, 
you  are  also  having  difficulty  celebrat- 
ing the  kingdom  now.  If  you  do  not 
want  your  denomination  or  your  mon- 
ey to  be  used  for  support  of  humaniz- 
ing organizations  through  Fund  for  the 
Americas,  you  may  be  having  trouble 
with  Jesus'  parable  about  who  gets  into 
the  kingdom  banquet. 

In  the  1960s  the  church  engaged  in 
some  serious  and  intensive  self-criti- 
cism and  self -study.  Not  all  of  us  have 
yet  worked  it  through.  But  now  a  new 
mood  is  developing.  If  the  mood  of 
the  60s  was  "criticism,"  can  it  be  the 
mood  of  the  70s  might  be  called  "cele- 
bration"? 

The  mood  of  the  60s  produced 
despair  and  feelings  of  futility.   Now 
we  are  recovering  the  hope  perspective. 


We  are  calling  our  occasions  of  meet- 
ing for  worship  "celebrations  of  hope." 
As  we  noticed  earlier,  this  is  in  the 
biblical  tradition  of  feasting  over  the 
anniversaries  of  God's  acts  in  our  be- 
half, and  of  witnessing  to  our  hope. 

The  Pharisees  missed  the  point  of 
Jesus'  eating  with  sinners.  It  was  a 
kingdom  celebration.  They  called  him 
a  "winebibber,"  but  he  insisted  men 
ought  to  rejoice  while  the  birdegroom 
is  with  them  in  the  wedding  feast!  And 
isn't  the  New  Testament's  witness  that 
he  never  left? 

If  you  ask  an  activist  where  he  gets 
the  strength  and  motivation  to  labor  at 
kingdom  tasks,  he  is  not  likely  to  tell 
you  he  gets  it  by  cutting  out  parties, 
banquets,  having  friends  in,  rapping 
with  his  comrades,  and  other  time- 
consuming  activities.  Cutting  out  the 
celebrative  does  not  produce  hope  and 
action.  It  produces  despair  and  gloom. 
Moments  of  joyful  celebration,  flinging 
wide  the  portals  of  the  spirit,  are  es- 
sential to  active  Christian  faith. 

I  think  the  Brethren  of  past  genera- 
tions must  have  had  that  spirit  in  the 
love  feast,  and  I  think  it  needs  to  be 
activated  again  in  what  it  was  for  the 
early  church  —  a  festival  of  love 
among  those  who  accepted  the  invita- 
tion of  Christ  to  come,  and  a  celebra- 
tion of  Jesus'  sacrifice.  The  melan- 
choly mood  of  most  love  feasts  I've 
attended  does  not  make  me  want  to 
participate  in  any  kingdom  banquet, 
does  not  motivate  me  to  activate  king- 
dom concerns  where  I  live.  The  lunch 
counter,  coffee  shop,  restainant  table, 
snack  bar  communions  of  the  Annual 
Conference  are  closer  to  the  celebra- 
tion to  which  God  invites  those  who 
will  come.  I  have  a  notion  the  heaven- 
ly banquet  will  be  more  like  a  straw- 
berry festival  and  an  ice  cream  social 
than  a  morose  church  meeting.  Why 
not  celebrate  like  that  now?   D 


10^8-70    MESSENGER     23 


SING  O^         „y^ 


This  is  a  collection  of  160  songs  and 
hymns  having  to  do  with  life  and  living 
and  witli  man's  expressions  of  faith.  The 
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from  the  poetic  and  musical  offerings  of 
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wide  variety  of  ethnic  origins  over  a  long 
span  of  time,  representing  familiar  as 
well  as  less  well-known  tunes  and  words. 
Selections  have  been  chosen  witli  con- 
cern for  the  theological  and  biblical 
soundness  of  the  te.xts,  their  literary 
quality,  and  their  value  for  worship  and 
educational  use.  Musically,  the  material 
offers  great  variety  in  form,  including 
compositions  from  a  rich  historical  past 
and  from  an  exciting,  challenging,  and 
exploratory  present.  Recommended  for 
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vance by  singing  these  fresh  and  vigor- 
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Church  of  the   Brethren 

General  Offices 

Elgin,   Illinois  60120 


24     MESSENGER     10-8-70 


Hoi/i/  to  live  with  a  pastor 


The  role  of  the  pastor  has  changed 
from  being  an  authority  to  serving  as 
an  enabler,  coordinator,  counselor, 
servant,  and  shepherd.  He  speaks  the 
Word  and  the  people  are  more  free  to 
accept  or  reject  it.  His  success  may  be 
determined  by  his  oratory,  winsome 
personality,  and  preaching  what  they 
want  to  hear.  As  a  result,  many  peo- 
ple often  develop  a  loyalty  to  a  person 
and  not  to  Christ. 

In  seminary  we  were  told  that  the 
minister's  task  was  twofold.  He  was  to 
comfort  the  afflicted  and  afflict  the 
comfortable.  Perhaps  it  is  at  this  latter 
point  where  a  pastor  has  his  greatest 
difficulty.  Most  of  us  want  to  be  at 
ease  in  Zion  and  don't  want  our  beliefs 
and  behavior  of  the  past  disturbed.  If 
he  makes  us  feel  guilty,  we  may  be- 
come uneasy,  defensive,  and  threat- 
ened. To  handle  our  feelings,  we  may 
find  it  necessary  to  get  rid  of  the  pas- 
tor. 

Yet  if  we  are  to  follow  Paul's  ad- 
monition to  Timothy  (2  Timothy  4: 
2),  we  must  "preach  the  word,  be  ur- 
gent in  season  and  out  of  season,  con- 
vince, rebuke,  and  exhort,  be  unfailing 
in  patience  and  in  teaching."  If  the 
pastor  is  serious  in  doing  these  things, 
he  may  expect  to  disturb  some  people. 

Christ's  instructions  to  the  seventy 
when  he  sent  them  out  were,  "When- 
ever you  enter  a  town  and  they  re- 
ceive you,  eat  what  is  set  before  you; 
heal  the  sick  in  it  and  say  to  them, 
'The  kingdom  of  God  has  come  near 
to  you.'  But  whenever  .  .  .  they  do 
not  receive  you,  go  into  its  streets  and 
say,  'Even  the  dust  of  your  town  that 
clings  to  our  feet,  we  wipe  off  against 
you'  "  (Luke  10:8-11).  This  approach 
does  not  recognize  the  validity  of  the 
status  quo  of  religion.    It  also  implies 


that  the  preacher  may  have  to  move. 
But  it  was  easier  to  move  in  those 
days.  Living  was  simpler.  Moving 
nowadays  is  costly  in  money,  energy, 
emotions,  and  time  both  to  church  and 
preacher. 

This  text  would  suggest  too  that 
perhaps  there  might  always  be  tension 
between  pastor  and  people.  If  he  is  on 
the  growing  edge,  sensitive  to  the 
Spirit,  perceptive  of  the  church's  mis- 
sion, he  is  apt  to  come  in  conflict  with 
what  is.  The  degree  to  which  this  hap- 
pens may  be  dependent  upon  how 
open  the  congregation  is  to  what  God 
is  saying  to  it  in  our  day. 

But  I  recognize  the  right  of  every 
Christian  to  determine  in  his  own  mind 
what  his  witness  should  be,  for  Chris- 
tianity is  a  personal  matter.  At  the 
same  time  the  work  of  the  church  is 
the  work  of  both  pastor  and  people. 


How,  then,  do  we  reconcile  the  indi- 
vidual's right  to  determine  his  faith 
with  the  right  of  the  pastor  to  disturb 
and  challenge  him?  How  do  we  have 
our  convictions  and  at  the  same  time 
allow  the  pastor  to  express  his,  and  be 
able  to  continue  working  together  and 
loving  one  another?  It  isn't  easy  con- 
sidering the  various  interpretations  of 
scripture  and  the  cultural  backgrounds 
each  has.  Here  are  some  suggestions 
for  the  congregation. 

1 .  Keep  an  open  pulpit.  If  you  want 
a  preacher  to  confirm  your  prejudices 
then  you  don't  need  a  pastor  but  a 
chaplain.  The  minister  who  is  hin- 
dered by  economic  and  social  pressure 
in  his  preaching  cannot  be  an  effective 
pastor,  prophet,  or  a  true  man  of  God. 

2.  Keep  talking.  I  recognize  the 
church's  right  to  disagree  with  the  pas- 
tor. If  he  says  something  with  which 
you  disagree  vigorously,  tell  him  about 
it.  Don't  talk  behind  his  back  or  hold 
in  your  angry  feelings. 

Keep  a  dialogue  with  him.  It  is 
imperative  that  there  be  dialogue  with 
every  sermon.  Dialogue  can  clarify 
points  he  did  not  make  clear;  express 
your  own  feelings  about  what  he  said; 
help  your  pastor  better  speak  to  your 
needs;  build  a  more  Christian  com- 
munity. He  may  try  ever  so  hard  to 
do  the  right  things.  Because  he  is 
human,  he  is  apt  to  make  mistakes. 
He  needs  to  know  when  he  has  erred. 
TeU  hkn  about  it  in  the  form  of  a  sug- 
gestion or  by  asking  a  question.  "What 
did  you  mean  by  this?"  Or  "This  thing 
you  did  bothered  me."  If  you  have  a 
concern,  make  it  in  the  form  of  a  sand- 
wich. Acknowledge  first  your  appre- 
ciation for  his  efforts.  Then  express 
your  concern.  Then  encourage  him  in 
his  efforts.   I  have  yet  to  see  a  pastor 


eiPTMAS  m  CHRISTMAS 

Is  "Giftmas"  getting  in  the  way  of  your  Christmas? 

With  all  of  the  gift  giving  and  receiving,  have  we  forgotten 
the  greatest  gift  of  all? 

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10-8-70    MESSENGER     25 


SPEAK  UP  /  continued 

who  isn't  committed  to  doing  his  best 
in  serving  Christ  and  his  church. 

Having  made  your  suggestion,  the 
pastor  must  have  the  right  to  accept 
or  reject  it.    Suppose  there  are  several 


Faith  Looks  Up 


others  who  have  different  views  on  the 
same  concern.  All  these  situations 
need  to  come  together  in  the  spirit 
of  Matthew  18:15-17. 

3.  Provide  a  job  description.   This  is 


a  difficult  assignment  but  needs  to  be 
done  for  each  congregation.  It  need 
not  be  detailed,  but  you  need  to  be 
clear  what  it  is  you  expect  him  to  do. 
Discuss  the  duties  together.   This  helps 


Eduh  Kung  was  a  peasant  woman  who  lived  with  her 
family  in  a  little  village  about  three  miles  from  the  mis- 
sion station  at  Showyang,  Shansi,  China.  She  was  bom 
in  the  foot-binding  age,  and,  even  after  grown  to  adult- 
hood, she  wore  homemade  shoes  about  four  inches  in 
length.  She  was  illiterate  until  thirty  years  of  age  when 
she  came  into  a  missionary  home  to  care  for  young 
children  there  in  order  that  the  missionary  mother  might 
find  time  to  help  in  the  program  of  church  and  school. 

While  in  this  home  two  things  happened  to  her  that 
completely  changed  her  life:  She  learned  to  read  God's 
Word,  and  later  she  came  to  know  and  to  love  her  Lord. 
After  her  conversion  she  accompanied  and  assisted  the 
women  missionaries  on  country  evangelistic  tours, 
taught  in  the  women's  Bible  school,  and  was  always 
available  wherever  there  was  a  need.  She  was  always 
ready  to  testify  about  the  great  change  that  had  come 
into  her  life  when  she  accepted  Jesus  as  Lord  and  Mas- 
ter of  her  life. 

One  midsummer  afternoon  she  went  to  her  home 
village  to  visit  some  sick  friends.  She  gathered  up  some 
pears  and  placed  them  in  a  square  piece  of  cloth,  tying 
the  four  corners  together  (Chinese  suitcase).  Chinese 
pears  are  supposed  to  be  a  panacea  for  all  diseases, 
especially  in  fever  cases,  and  dear  Sister  Kung  never 
went  into  a  sickroom  without  "pears  and  prayers." 
Enroute  to  her  old  home  she  had  to  cross  a  deep  gully 
which  contained  very  little  water,  but  on  a  bridge  which 
was  a  split  log,  turned  broad-side-up. 

During  her  two-hour  visit  the  sky  suddenly  turned 
very  dark,  with  ominous  thunder  and  lightning  fol- 
lowed by  an  awesome  downpour  of  rain.  The  sudden- 
ness of  the  storm  was  nothing  strange  for  this  season  of 
the  year,  but  this  storm  was  different  —  it  was  a  real 
cloudburst  which  continued  for  about  an  hour,  after 
which  the  sun  burst  through  the  clouds  again  and  the 


skies  were  clear. 

Sister  Kung  knew  now  that  she  must  be  on  her  way 
home  in  order  to  arrive  before  nightfall.  When  she 
reached  the  gully  which  had  been  only  a  trickling  stream 
a  few  hours  previous,  she  found  it  a  raging  torrent 
rushing  down  the  valley.  What  should  she  do?  She 
knew  now  that  she  could  never  cross  on  that  makeshift 
narrow  bridge!  It  didn't  require  much  time  for  her  to 
decide  what  to  do,  so  without  further  hesitation,  she 
knelt  on  the  bank  of  that  turbulent  stream  and  asked 
for  wisdom,  guidance,  and  a  safe  crossing. 

The  answer  came  quickly:  "Remain  on  your  knees 
and  cross  over,"  and  this  she  did,  creeping  bravely  and 
fearlessly  across  the  swirling  water.  With  a  glad  and 
thankful  heart  she  arose  from  her  knees  and  hobbled 
homeward,  too  happy  to  notice  the  rough,  stony  path 
that  led  into  the  city.  Needless  to  say,  she  had  a  marvel- 
ous testimony  for  her  friends  and  fellow  Christians, 
missionaries  included. 

This  incident  has  been  a  great  "faith  lifter"  for  me. 
As  we  journey  through  life  we  find  that  there's  always 
a  "river  to  cross"  and  many  of  them  are  "deep  and  wide 
with  a  troubled  tide."  We  cringe  with  fear,  wondering 
how  we'll  ever  be  able  to  pass  over,  or  through,  in 
safety.  We  formulate  our  own  plans  and  build  our  own 
bridges  —  all  risky,  to  say  the  least.  The  only  safe  way 
is  to  follow  the  example  of  this  faithful  Chinese  Chris- 
tian and  "cross  over  on  our  knees." 


V.  GRACE  CLAPPER  served  in  educa- 
tional and  evangelistic  work  in  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  mission  in  China 
from  1917  until  1943.  A  native  of  Yel- 
low Creek,  Pennsylvania,  she  attended 
Bethany  Bible  School  and  Juniata  Col- 
lege. In  recent  years  she  has  been  living 
at  Sebring  Manor,  Sebring,  Florida. 


26     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


both  the  pastor  and  congregation  to 
know  what  to  expect. 

4.  Plan  together.  It  is  not  the  pas- 
tor's job  alone  to  determine  what  the 
church  does  or  will  do.  It  is  a  joint 
task  for  pastor  and  people  together. 
Every  church  needs  a  program  and 
goals  committee  whose  responsibility  it 
is  to  lead  the  congregation  in  making 
plans  and  goals.  Joint  planning  puts 
the  responsibility  for  the  success  of  the 
church  on  the  whole  congregation  and 
enables  them  to  feel  they  are  a  part  of 
the  church  and  feel  that  they  are  cap- 
able persons.  It  brings  a  spirit  of  unity 
by  getting  more  people  involved;  it 
gives  a  sense  of  direction  for  all  to 
follow.  Joint  planning  develops  a 
vital  program  to  which  people  want  to 
belong,  helps  the  pastor  know  what 
his  responsibilities  are,  and  may  pre- 
vent the  pastor  from  being  an  "authori- 
tarian." 

5.  Evaluate  what  is  happening  in 
the  church.  Having  formulated  and 
implemented  plans,  it  is  good  for  each 
group  and  class  to  ask  itself.  How 
well  did  we  meet  our  goal?  Are  we 
fulfilling  the  purpose  for  our  existence? 
What  should  we  have  done  that  we 
didn't  do?  How  could  we  have  done 
better?  What  should  we  do  next  year? 

6.  Keep  the  pastor  informed.  He 
may  or  may  not  be  involved  in  all 
group  activities.  You  may  see  the  pas- 
tor's major  role  as  counselor,  preacher, 
visitor,  and  trainer.  Whatever  his  role, 
he  needs  to  keep  in  touch  with  every 
group  in  a  warm,  personal  way.  With- 
out communication,  icebergs  and  dis- 
unity may  begin  to  develop. 

He  should  be  invited  to  all  meetings 
though  circumstances  may  not  make  it 
possible  for  him  to  attend.  Every  class, 
commission,  or  committee  should  keep 
careful  minutes  and  submit  a  copy  to 
the  pastor.  This  is  important  in  his  ad- 
ministrative duties,  his  being  able  to 


answer  questions  intelligently  and  for 
the  development  of  meaningful  per- 
sonal relations. 

7.  Treat  the  pastor  as  a  human  be- 
ing. The  pastor  is  human.  He  may 
make  errors  of  judgment.  Like  you, 
he  has  feelings.  His  message  and  work 
have  to  grow  out  of  his  own  life  and 
experiences  based  upon  his  understand- 
ing of  the  Bible.  Because  of  this,  his 
message,  skills,  and  abilities  will  differ 
from  yours  or  mine. 

The  pastor's  life  may  be  a  lonely 
life.  For  the  most  part,  he  does  not 
make  close  friends  in  the  church,  so 
that  he  can  better  serve  equally  the 
whole  congregation.  Your  considera- 
tion of  social  needs  will  go  far  in  help- 
ing you  relate  to  him  and  he  to  you. 
It  fulfills  a  deep  human  need  in  the 
pastor  and  his  family  to  have  you  care 
about  them  as  persons. 

Don't  put  your  pastor  on  a  pedes- 
tal. Take  him  into  your  confidence 
and  let  him  share  your  struggles  and 
you  his.  To  think  of  him  as  being 
above  you  only  increases  his  loneliness 
and  your  separation  from  him. 

The  pastor  is  not  a  god.  He  is  a 
servant  of  Jesus  Christ  and  of  the 
congregation.  As  you  find  fellowship 
one  with  another,  work,  and  worship, 
you  will  find  God  more  real  in  your 
lives.  —  James  W.  Simmons 

Editor's  Note:  Messenger  is  eager  to 
encourage  its  readers  to  speak  up  and 
speak  out  on  topics  about  which  they 
have  serious  concern.  We  welcome  their 
comments,  in  the  form  of  brief  letters  we 
can  publish  in  our  Readers  Write  page, 
in  longer  statements  under  our  "Speak 
Up"  heading,  or  as  still  longer  articles 
that  develop  a  particular  point  of  view. 
Such  statements  may  or  may  not  reflect 
the  views  of  a  majority  of  readers.  But 
we  respect  each  writer's  right  to  be  heard, 
and  we  try  also  to  be  sensitive  to  the 
reader's  right  to  disagree. 


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ute v^^alk  to  Bridgewater  College  or  to  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  Baptist,  Methodist,  and 
Presbyterian  churches  in  tow/n.  Due  to  the  death 
of  my  wife,  the  following  property  will  be  sold 
by  owner,  E.  M.  Gardner:  Lot  and  one-story 
frame  home  with  permanent  brick  siding,  1 V2 
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on  50' X  100'  lot,  including  building  or  parking 
lot  50' X  100'  adjoining.  Paul  A.  Strayer,  919 
Chestnut  St.,  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.   16673. 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     27 


A  novel  by  MOLLIE  PRIDDY  pub- 
lished by  Carlton  Press,  New  York, 
will  be  available  through  June  1971. 

The  novel  is  a  story  of  one  man's  strug- 
gle with  mental  illness,  for  his  rightful 
place  in  society,  and  for  physical  and 
spiritual  survival. 

Dr.  John  Boitnott,  Dean  Emeritus  of 
Bridgewater  College,  writes  in  his  review, 
"People  interested  in  behavior  of  one  with 
mental  illness  and  who  wish  sound  ideas 
about  the  treatment  of  mental  illness 
should    read    this    novel." 

Dr.  Clarence  May,  former  head  of  the 
English  Department  of  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege, writes  In  a  review,  "Many  of  Power's 
experiences  as  a  bear  man  suggest  Robin- 
son Crusoe  as  he  struggled  for  survival 
on  his  island.  Power's  return  to  civili- 
zation after  twenty  years  recalls  Rip  Van 
Winkle;  and  the  sympathetic  portrayal  of 
life  lived  close  to  nature  reminds  one  of 
Rousseau's  paradoxical  thesis  that  civili- 
zation has  brought  degeneration  to  man- 
kind." 

Luther  H.  Hodges,  former  Governor  of 
North  Carolina,  writes  in  his  review, 
"Mrs.  Priddy  has  woven  a  very  interest- 
ing plot,  entirely  consistent  with  its  char- 
acterization. With  both  of  these  and  with 
a  simplicity  of  style  she  has  taken  an  old, 
old  theme  —  the  miracle  of  man's  redemp- 
tion—  and   given   a   freshness   to   it." 

The  author  writes,  "This  is  my  message. 
In  this  novel  I  have  told  the  story  of  the 
Savior   and   his    love   in   many    ways." 


MRS.  MOLLIE  PRIDDY 
Route  2,  King,  N.  C.  27021 


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INC. 

Opening  the  Way  to  Loving 


OUR  BED  IS  FLOURISHING,  by  Robert  B.  Mc- 
Cready,  M.D.  Sheed  and  Ward,  1969.  211 
pages,    $5.50 

I  WILL,  by  Urban  G.  Steinmetz.  Ave  Maria  Press 
and  Pilgrim  Press,  1969.  134  pages,  $1.35 
paper 

WHEN  PARENTS  DIVORCE,  by  Bernard  Steinzor. 
Pantheon  Bool<s,  1969.    243  pages,  $5.95 

THE  SAME  SEX,  by  Ralph  W.  Weltge,  Editor. 
Pilgrim    Press,    1969.     164    pages,    $3.45    paper 

In  our  present  day  of  rapid  social 
change,  shifting  values,  and  moral  decay 
—  an  historical  moment  in  America 
when  the  divorce  rate  is  rapidly  ap- 
proaching one  out  of  every  three  mar- 
riages, when  the  cry  for  women's  libera- 
tion and  homophile  acceptance  is  louder 
than  ever,  and  the  survival  of  marriage 
as  an  institution  is  itself  very  much  in 
question  —  it  behooves  society,  and  the 
Christian  community  especially,  to  re- 
examine attitudes  and  convictions  about 
such  subjects  as  marriage,  divorce,  and 
homosexuality. 

These  four  books  help  the  reader  to 
do  precisely  this.  They  aim  with  one  ex- 
ception (Steinmetz)  at  treating  the  sub- 
jects academically  and  thoroughly.  Their 
easy  style,  with  the  exception  of  another 
(Steinzor)  makes  for  rapid,  informative, 
and  helpful  reading.  In  a  sense  they  offer 
little  that  is  very  new  (Weltge  excluded), 
and  yet  they  bring  together  something 
which  is  unquestionably  most  important 
of  all  —  the  very  thing  Jesus  was  con- 
cerned about  more  than  anything  else  — 
the  unhidden  attempt  to  open  up  for 
every  individual  the  way  to  genuine,  au- 
thentic loving. 

Steinzor,  a  psychotherapist,  lecturer, 
and  writer  of  some  repute,  insists  that 
divorce  may  often  be  the  best  solution  to 
marital  brokenness.  Whereas  the  1964 
Annual  Conference  Paper  on  Divorce 
and  Remarriage  states  that  "under  some 
circumstances  this  redemptive  approach 
may  include  divorce  as  a  means  of  re- 
solving the  former  bond,  and  the  free- 
dom to  enter  a  new  marriage  with  the 
guidance  and  blessing  of  the  church," 
Steinzor  goes  further  in  stressing  that  "an 
unhealthy  marriage  is  far  more  damaging 


than  a  healthy  divorce.  Indeed,"  he  says, 
"if  you  are  married  without  love,  you 
must  seek  a  divorce." 

Dr.  Steinzor's  book  is  meant  for  both 
parent  and  child.  By  offering  specific 
counsel  in  such  practical  matters  as  the 
nature  of  the  contact,  custody,  and 
visitation  rights,  property  and  support 
payments,  the  visitation  and  custodial 
relation,  dating,  and  remarriage,  this 
book  can  help  make  the  turbulent  period 
of  adjustment  —  just  prior  to  and  imme- 
diately after  the  separation  —  a  period 
of  growth  and  fulfillment  for  the  former- 
ly married  and  their  children. 

All  of  the  natural  fears  and  anxieties 
which  surround  the  disruption  of  a  home 
are  dealt  with  and  allayed  by  Dr.  Stein- 
zor's forthright  convictions  and  experi- 
enced counsel.  Moreover,  he  puts  in  the 
place  of  all  the  hopelessness  and  sense  of 
loss  that  characterize  most  broken  mar- 
riages a  real  ray  of  light,  a  true  gateway 
to  new  identity  and  happiness.  Perhaps 
the  crux  of  his  counsel  is  best  summed 
up  this  way:  "Divorce  itself  is  not  a 
tragedy;  the  tragedy  lies  with  those  who 
do  not  take  advantage  of  it,  who  bemoan 
their  fate  and  arrogantly  punish  them- 
selves because  they  are  unable  single- 
handed  and  forevermore  to  overcome 
all  the  conditions  that  cause  pain  and 
suffering,  as  well  as  love  and  creativity." 

The  Ralph  Weltge  book  deals  with  the 
sensitive  and  controversial  subject  of 
homosexuality.  He  does  this,  realizing 
that,  because  the  whole  discussion  of  sex 
has  moved  so  rapidly  in  our  day  from  the 
private  sphere  to  the  public  arena  — 
thus  posing  the  issue  of  homosexuality 
with  such  frankness  that  it  cannot  be  ig- 
nored by  the  church  and  other  institu- 
tions —  we  had  best  give  it  the  open  dis- 
cussion and  reappraisal  that  it  warrants. 

The  impetus  for  this  book  came  from  a 
United  Church  of  Christ  staff  consulta- 
tion on  homosexuality.  It  gathers  to- 
gether in  a  most  informative  and  forth- 
right style  the  contributions  of  eleven 
writers  which  its  editor,  Mr.  Weltge, 
calls,  "a  conversation  —  and  sometimes 
an  argument  —  between  sex  researchers, 
ethicists,  lawyers,  and  homosexuals  them- 


28     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


selves."  Unquestionably,  each  author 
writes  in  his  own  integrity,  sometimes 
with  disturbing  passion  and  always  from 
his  particular  competence  in  dealing  with 
this'  issue. 

The  intent  of  Weltge's  book  is  to  at- 
tack the  fears,  myths,  questions,  and 
prompt  negative  reactions  which  are 
frequently  associated  with  homosexuality 
and  the  homosexual.  Further,  it  defines 
the  homophile  movement  in  America 
and  calls  for  law  reform,  attitude  re- 
form, and  a  new  homosexual  ethic.  Some 
of  its  contributors  even  argue,  contrary 
to  the  teaching  of  the  New  Testament, 
that  "gay  is  good."  This  volume  is  in- 
tended as  a  resource  for  individual  or 
group  study  and  discussion  on  the  issue 
of  homosexuality,  and  as  such  fulfills  the 
hope  of  its  editor  that  "this  book.  .  . 
contribute  to  the  emerging  dialogue  be- 
tween the  church  and  the  homophile 
community." 

McCready  and  Steinmetz  discuss  in 
their  books  the  present  and  future  of 
marriage.  Both  Roman  Catholics,  the 
former  is  a  gynecologist/obstetrician 
who  in  his  more  than  twenty  years  of 
practice  has  built  a  reputation  as  a  "doc- 
tor who  listens"  —  patiently  and  end- 
lessly —  and  as  a  result  can  speak  with 
compassion  about  every  aspect  of  mar- 
riage. 

Like  most  marriage  manuals.  Our  Bed 
Is  Flourishing  (a  rather  misleading  title) 
addresses  such  topics  as  the  engagement, 
honeymoon,  and  early  years  of  marriage, 
feminine  response  to  intercourse,  sexual 
growth  and  maturity,  love,  the  masculine 
mystique.  However,  as  a  manual  on  sex- 
ual technique  it  is  less  recommended 
than  some  others.  Its  best  chapters  are 
those  dealing  with  the  problems  brought 
into  marriage  and  the  problems  that  arise 
in  marriage. 

Dr.  McCready  brings  wholesome, 
fatherly.  Christian  philosophy  to  his 
book.  While  he  is  far  from  a  new  mo- 
rality advocate,  neither  is  he  legalistic. 
The  writer's  philosophy  is,  in  fact,  con- 
textual. McCready's  book,  while  advo- 
cating new  freedom  for  Catholics  who 
still  suffer  the  outdated  rulings  of  the 


Roman  Church  on  such  matters  as  birth 
control,  is  not  overly  tainted  with  pro- 
Catholic  propaganda,  and  those  planning 
for  marriage,  those  married  one  year  or 
twenty,  and  persons  who  counsel  the  mar- 
ried will  find  guidance  and  inspiration  in 
Dr.  McCready's  warmth  and  quiet  wis- 
dom. 

Perhaps  more  interesting  and  helpful 
still,  even  in  its  terse  and  simplified  style, 
is  Urban  Steinmetz's  little  book  about 
marriage,  /  Will.  Here  is  a  relatively 
young  and  rugged  marriage  counselor, 
author,  and  lecturer  who  sounds  more 
like  a  Brethren  than  a  Roman  Catholic. 
In  ten  brief  chapters  he  succeeds  at  get- 
ting through  with  the  basic  things  that 
make  for  a  healthy  marriage.  This  prob- 
ably is  due  to  the  fact  that  after  several 
occasions  of  embarrassing  failure,  he 
learned  the  secret  of  effective  communi- 
cation with  young  people. 

His  message  is  this:  No  one  can  pre- 
dict the  future  of  marriage.  It's  com- 
pletely up  to  the  individual  himself. 
Nearly  every  marriage  can  be  a  good 
one.  But  it's  up  to  you.  And  that  means 
you  must  work  at  it,  and  work  at  it  hard. 
Where  does  one  find  the  best  advice  for 
his  marriage?  He  goes  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment. He  listens  seriously  to  Jesus, 
whose  teachings  and  advice  comprise  the 
best  marriage  manual  ever  written.  Jesus 
has  all  the  answers.  Information,  com- 
munication, and  genuine  work  are  the 
building  blocks  of  marriage.  Develop 
these  simple  building  blocks,  with  a  sin- 
cere and  honest  respect  for  your  partner 
as  a  person  with  his  own  feelings,  idio- 
syncracies,  and  rights,  and  you  cannot 
fail  to  build  a  happy  marriage. 

As  Steinmetz  expresses  it  best  in  the 
preface;  "The  key  to  the  future  of  mar- 
riage does  not  lie  with  the  church,  or 
the  clergy,  or  the  professional.  The  best 
we  can  do  is  to  provide  basic  information 
and  a  framework  in  which  people  can 
work  out  their  lives  —  if  they  want  to." 
Herein  lies  the  meaning  of  /  Will.  Indi- 
viduals, newlyweds,  study  groups  — 
everyone  will  find  practical  help  from  this 
profound    little    book.  —  W.    Clemens 

ROSENBERGER 


books  for 
children 


Young  Readers 
Book  of  Bible  Stories 

HELEN  DOSS 

As  real  as  today's  headlines,  the  Bible 
characters  and  their  surroundings  are 
revealed  to  young  readers.   Each 
Testament  is  divided  into  sections  so 
that  the  continuity  in  history  is  clear. 
Based  on  the  Revised  Standard 
Version,  the  137  stories  were  selected 
from  Biblical  lore  on  these  criteria: 
importance  in  our  religious  and 
literary  heritage,  and  value  in  under- 
standing the  historical  and  cultural 
background  of  the  Bible.   Each 
separate  story  leads  to  the  next  — 
revealing  the  complete  chronological 
story  of  the  Bible  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation.   The  brilliant  design  of 
this  book  adds  to  interest  as  well  as 
understanding.   The  artwork  is 
traditional,  yet  new  and  dynamic. 
IVIaps,  a  pronunciation  guide,  and  an 
index  to  selected  proper  nanies  are 
included.  Ages  8-12.   Size  8V2  x  11 
inches.   S7.95 

ALSO  AVAILABLE 

Young   Readers   Bible,   $6.95 
Young   Readers   Dictionary  of  the  Bible, 
$5.95 

Young  Readers  Book  of  Religious  Sym- 
bolism, $3.95 


H 


Paul  and  The 
World's  Most  Famous  Letters 

ROSEMARY  HAUGHTON 

Paul,  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  and 
the  man  most  responsible  for  the 
spread  of  Christianity,  left  a  rich 
heritage  of  letters  that  has  continued 
to  live  through  the  ages.   Why  did  he 
write?   To  whom?   Why  are  his  letters 
so  important?   As  though  she  were 
chatting  with  a  friend,  Rosemary 
Haughton  describes  Paul's  remarkable 
achievements.  Photographs,  maps, 
activities,  bibliography,  and  index 
guide  the  reader  to  deeper  study. 
Ages  10  up.   $3.75 

CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN 
GENERAL  OFFICES 
Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     29 


NOMINATIONS   SOLICITED 

Annual  Conference  Standing  Com- 
mittee seeks  from  individuals  or  groups 
names  of  nominees  for  the  various  offices 
listed  here  to  be  filled  by  election  at  the 
1971   Conference. 

Individuals  or  groups  submitting  a 
name  must  affirm  the  person's  willingness 
to  have  his  name  considered. 

Deadline:  Dec.  1,  1970.  Send  to  the 
Annual  Conference  Office,  1451  Dundee 
Ave.,  Elgin,  111.  60120,  indicating  the 
name  of  the  person  or  group  suggesting 
the  nominees. 

Offices  open  are: 

1.  Moderator-elect,  one  person 

2.  General  Board  members,  seven 
elected  as  district  representatives  (in- 
eligible: any  person  from  Northern  In- 
diana, Middle  Pennsylvania,  Mid-Atlan- 
tic, Illinois-Wisconsin,  Florida-Puerto 
Rico,  Western  Plains,  Southern  Ohio, 
and  Southern  Virginia  districts);  two 
elected  as  at-large  representatives  (in- 
eligible: none,  except  the  limitation  of 
only  one  person  from  a  given  congrega- 
tion) 

3.  Committee  on  Interchurch  Rela- 
tions, one  person 

4.  Elector  of  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary,  one  representing  colleges,  one 
representing  laity 

5.  Annual  Conference  Central  Com- 
mittee, one  person 

6.  Committee  to  review  and  evaluate 
the  work  of  the  General  Board  (see  Min- 
utes, 1968,  p.  85),  five  persons,  to  report 
to  Annual  Conference  in  1972. 

PERSONAL  MENTION 

Chester  H.  Petry,  a  Church  of  the 
Brethren  minister  for  well  over  half  a 
century,  is  traveling  in  the  Holy  Land, 
his  three-week  tour  a  gift  from  the  Fort 
Myers,  Fla.,  congregation  of  which  he 
is  a  member. 

^     ^     .J.     ^     4. 

Fahrney-Keedy  Home  resident  Clara 
Gohdes  celebrated  her  one  hundredth 
birthday  last  month. 

William  Robert  Miller,  for  five  years 
reviewer  of  recordings  for  Messenger, 


died  Aug.  7  at  his  home  in  New  York 
City.  The  author  of  many  books,  he  had 
also  served  as  an  editor  of  various  pub- 
lishing houses. 

4.  ^  ^  ^  4. 
Our  congratulations  go  to  couples 
marking  golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
the  Lester  Gardners,  Sipesville,  Pa.;  the 
Harry  Kimmels,  Somerset,  Pa.;  the  Roy 
Critchftelds,  Sipesville,  Pa.;  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Royal  Johnson.  Waterloo,  Iowa;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Charles  E.  Mohr,  Quakertown,  Pa.; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Virgil  Mock.  Middle- 
bury,  Ind.  .  .  .  The  fiftieth  anniversary  of 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Henry  Stover,  McPherson, 
Kansas,  coincided  with  the  celebration  of 
Mr.  Stover's  fiftieth  year  in  the  ministry. 

Other  couples  observing  wedding  an- 
niversaries include  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edwin 
Jacoby,  Quakertown,  Pa.,  fifty-four;  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Allen  Landis,  Quakertown,  Pa., 
fifty-five;  the  Cleveland  Lams,  Astoria, 
111.,  fifty-nine;  the  Irvin  L.  Riipps,  Fort 
Wayne,  Ind.,  sixty-two;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
George  Masters.  Johnson  City,  Tenn., 
sixty-three. 

Two  couples  are  celebrating  sixtieth 
anniversaries:  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Frank  G. 
Replogle,  West  Lafayette,  Ind.;  and  the 
Arthur  Smiths,    Baltimore,   Md. 


"■^i 


Ei 

Oct.  9- 

Oct.  9 

Oct.   9 

Oct.   10- 

Oct. 

Oct. 

Oct.    16. 


Oct. 
Oct.  18 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct. 
Oct.  25- 
Oct. 


10 


District  conference,  Florida,  Georgia, 
and    Puerto  Rico,   Orlando 

-1 1  District  conference.  Pacific  South- 
west,  Phoenix,  Ariz. 

-1 1  District  conference.  Eastern  Penn- 
sylvania,   Lititz 

-1 1  District  conference.  North  Atlantic, 
Lititz,  Pa. 

1 1  Laymen's  Sunday 

12  Columbus  Day 

■17  District  conference.  Middle  Pennsyl- 
vania,  Duncansville 

17  District  conference  business  ses- 
sion, Western  Pennsylvania 

IS     World  Order  Sunday 

24      United  Nations  Week 

24  United   Nations   Day 

25  Universal  Bible  Sunday 
25     Reformation   Sunday 
25     Youth   Sunday 
-Nov.    1    Youth    Week 

31      Reformation   Day 


POTPOURRI 

Flat  Creek  Mission  staff  report  the 
initiation  of  a  Head  Start  program  at 
Mud  Lick.  Since  its  June  inception  the 
program  has  enrolled  twenty  students, 
with  an  average  attendance  of  twelve  or 
thirteen. 

Sixty  members  of  the  Snake  Spring 
Valley  congregation  along  with  twenty 
others  from  the  Middle  Pennsylvania 
community  have  been  involved  in  a  re- 
habilitation program  for  four-year-old 
David  Bennett,  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Merle  Bennett,  members  of  the  Snake 
Spring  Valley  church.  Volunteers  work 
with  David's  mother,  guiding  him  in 
creeping,  crawling,  and  walking  exer- 
cises known  as  patterning. 

Two  congregations  are  celebrating 
their  one  hundredth  anniversaries  this 
month.  The  North  Bend  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  Danville,  Ohio,  marks  its  ob- 
servance with  special  guest  speaker 
Russell  V.  Bollinger  Oct.  11.  .  .  .  Beth- 
lehem congregation  near  Boones  Mill, 
Va.,  will  conduct  special  services,  a  love 
feast,  and  a  fellowship  meal  for  its  Oct. 
24-25  gathering. 

Groundbreaking  exercises  in  July  sig- 
naled construction  of  a  new  church 
building  for  the  Sangerville  congrega- 
tion in  the  Shenandoah  District  of  Vir- 
ginia. 

Major  revisions  in  size  and  graphic 
presentation  earned  Manchester  College 
an  award  for  excellence  for  its  1969-70 
catalog  from  the  American  College  Pub- 
lic Relations  Association.  Rewritten  in 
a  contemporary  style,  the  catalog  makes 
use  of  more  photographs  and  colored 
paper  for  different  sections  of  the  vol- 
ume. 

Acknowledging  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary's  contribution  to  the  beauty  of 
the  Oak  Brook,  III.,  area  was  a  certificate 
of  recognition  from  the  Illinois  Audubon 
Society. 

Persons  seeking  advanced  degrees  in 
adult  education  and  who  plan  to  pursue 


30     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


adult  educational  careers  in  religious  in- 
stitutions may  be  elegible  for  a  Lilly 
Fellowship  in  adult  education,  award- 
ed each  year  by  Indiana  University. 
Preference  will  be  given  candidates  seek- 
ing the  doctor's  degree,  and  appointments 
will  be  based  upon  the  applicant's  scho- 
lastic record,  experience,  and  recom- 
mendations. Applications  must  be  in  the 
hands  of  the  committee  by  Feb.  15, 
1971.  Interested  persons  may  contact 
the  Bureau  of  Studies  in  Adult  Educa- 
tion, Indiana  University,  309  S.  High- 
land, Ave.,  Bloomington,  Ind.  47401. 

"Life  for  Modern  Man"  will  keynote 
the  National  Bible  Week  Nov.  22-29. 
The  thirtieth  annual  interfaith  observ- 
ance is  co-sponsored  by  the  American 
Bible  Society,  the  Catholic  Biblical  Asso- 
ciation, and  the  Laymen's  National  Bible 
Committee. 

BVS  ASSIGNMENTS 

Brethren  Volunteer  Service  workers 
from  the  July  1970  unit  have  been  as- 
signed to  posts: 

Margaret  Baker,  Mother  Goose  Child 
Development  Center,  Elgin,  111.;  Mark 
Benz,  Lend-A-Hand  Center,  Walker, 
Ky.;  Barbara  and  Philip  Berkey,  Eu- 
rope; Deborah  Bohrer,  Mother  Goose 
Child  Development  Center;  Janice  Buch, 
Appalachian  Regional  Hospitals,  Lexing- 
ton, Ky.; 

Daniel  Burgette,  Bolivia;  Allen  Burs- 
ley,  Mississippi  disaster  team,  Pass 
Christian,  Miss.;  Edwin  Eduard,  Europe; 
Mary  Frantz,  Lend-A-Hand  Center; 
Thomas  Freese,  National  Institutes  of 
Health  (NIH),  Bethesda,  Md.;  Janice 
Gilbert,  First  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Harrisburg,  Pa.;  Rebecca  Graybill, 
Quaker  Action  Program,  New  York  City; 

Carolyn  Harbaugh,  First  church, 
Harrisburg,  Pa.;  Diane  Hoover,  The 
Youth  Home,  Lorain,  Ohio;  Linda  iken- 
berry.  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Klamath 
Falls,  Oregon;  Marcia  and  Jerry  Kindy, 
Spain;  Margaret  Kovas,  United  Farm 
Workers,  Lamont,  Calif.;  Mary  Krehbiel, 
Monroe  County  Ecumenical  Ministries, 


Bloomington,  Ind.;  Ikla-Maria  Lofflath, 
Monroe   County  Ecumenical   Ministries; 

Dean  Maust,  Material  Aid,  New 
Windsor,  Md.;  Karen  Michael,  Bethle- 
hem Preschool  Center,  St.  Charles,  111.; 
Ann  Morgan,  Tri-City  Youth  Project, 
St.  Charles,  111.;  Harold  Myer,  Peru  dis- 
aster team;  Wayne  Overholser,  Breth- 
ren Service  Center,  New  Windsor,  Md.; 
Tom  Rose,  NIH;  Marsha  Sams,  Child 
Care  Center,  Phoenix,  Ariz.; 

Eric  Schuman,  Area  Church  Coopera- 
tive, Freeport,  111.;  Grant  Shockey, 
Church  of  the  Brethren  Home,  Windber, 
Pa.;  Melvin  Townsend,  Peru  disaster 
team;  Phillip  Townsend,  Peru  disaster 
team. 

Assignments  are  pending  for  Jerry 
Clingenpeel  and  Gale  Ebie. 

PASTORS  AND   PARISHES 

A  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  couple  have 
joined  the  staff  of  the  Flat  Creek  Mission 
at  Creekville,  Ky.  They  are  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Ausby  Swinger,  who  have  held 
pastorates  in  Illinois  and  Indiana.  .  .  . 
Howard  Ogburn  returned  to  Nigeria 
following  Annual  Conference,  after  serv- 
ing as  pastor  of  Middle  Pennsylvania's 
Aughwick  congregation  during  his  fur- 
lough. John  D.  Keiper  from  Somerset 
has  assumed  the  pastorate  there. 

One  licensing  and  two  ordinations  oc- 
curred recently  in  Middle  Pennsylvania. 
Eastern  Mennonite  College  student  Alan 
E.  Miller  was  licensed,  and  Paul  Whar- 
ton and  George  Snyder,  both  of  Al- 
toona.  Pa.,  were  ordained.  Mr.  Snyder, 
a  recent  graduate  of  Ashland  Seminary 
in  Ohio,  has  accepted  the  call  of  the  Owl 
Creek   congregation    in   Northern   Ohio. 

In  August  the  Guy  Fern  family  moved 
from  Pine  Glen  to  Altoona,  Pa.,  where 
Mr.  Fern  became  pastor  of  First  church. 
Taking  up  the  charge  at  Pine  Glen  is 
Lee  A.  Weaver,  who  will  be  replaced  at 
Curryville  by  James  McAvoy  from  the 
Moscow/ Elk  Run  parish  in  the  Shenan- 
doah District. 

Assistant  pastor  at  Stone  church, 
Huntingdon,  Pa.,  Robert  Hess  this  month 
became  a  part  of  a  new  ministry  at  Fort 


Wayne,  Ind.  .  .  .  The  Martinsburg,  Pa., 
congregation  loses  a  director  of  religious 
education  when  Evelyn  Simmons  goes  to 
Clifton  Fords,  Va.,  to  become  a  teacher 
of  weekday  religious  education. 

DEATHS 

Adams,  Mary  Jane,  Greencastle,  Pa.,  on  April  U, 

1970,  aged  44 
Adcock,    Edna,    Bremen,    Ohio,    on    Feb.    1,    1970 
Allread,    Jeanette,     Warren,     Ind.,    on    Jan.     22, 

1970,  aged  69 
Ankeny.    Murray    R.,    Shelocta,    Pa.,    on    July    7, 

1970,   aged   84 
Barclay,  Clyde,  Rockwood,  Pa,,  on  June  5,   1970, 

aged  41 
Brower,  Estella,  Waterloo,  Iowa,  on  Aug.  18,  1970. 

aged  80 
Brown,    Cora    E.,    Wichita,    Kansas,    on    May    7, 

1970 
Brumbaugh,    Mattie,    Easton,    Md.,    on    June    11, 

1970,  aged  84 
Burnett,   Maude  L.,  McComb,  Ohio,  on  May   12, 

1970,  aged  57 
Butler,    Fannie,    Salem,    Va.,    on    May    20,    1970, 

aged  91 
Click,    Janet,    Wayton,    Va.,    on    May    19,    1970, 

aged  18 
Coffman,   Frank  R.,   Harrisonburg,  Va.,   on  June 

9,   1970,  aged  80 
Cook,   David   B.,   Mount  Solon,  Va.,  on   May    19, 

1970,  aged  21 
Craighead,    George    W.,    Roanoke,    Va.,    on    June 

15.   1970.  aged  75 
Crowl,   Kathryn   A.,  York,    Pa.,   on   July    1,    1970, 

aged  53 
Davis,  Clyde,  Wilmington,  Del.,  on  June  6,  1970, 

aged  82 
Deshong,    Lulu   Mae,    Dayton,   Ohio,   on   June    3, 

1970,    aged    68 
Dunham,    Jerri    Walker,    Bakersfield,    Calif.,    on 

June  22,   1970,  aged  59 
Dupler,  Mary,  Millersport,  Ohio,  on  Feb.  23,  1970, 

aged  88 
Dwire,  Clyde,  Rockwood,  Pa.,  on  April  27,  1970, 

aged   72 
Egan,  Olive,  Boonesboro,  Md.,  in  May  1970,  aged 

88 
Enyeart,    Susie,    Warren,    Ind.,    on   June    8,    1970, 

aged  75 
Fike,  Charles,  Mims,  Fla.,  on  June  10,  1970,  aged 

38 
Flory,   Sam,  Sherwood,   Ohio,   on  April  25,    1970, 

aged  81 
Fox,    Minnie,    Easton,    Md.,    on    June    28,    1970, 

aged  84 
Fox,  Orpha.  Greencastle,  Pa.,  on  April  25,  1970, 

aged  73 
Gardner,    Grace,    Bridgewater,    Va.,    on    June    6, 

1970,  aged  73 
Gibson,   Stephen    D.,   Jacksonville,    Fla.,   on   June 

17,   1970,  aged   18 
Guy,    Mary,    Lake    Odessa,    Mich.,    on    May    28, 

1970,   aged  82 
Harader,  Salome  K.,  Albany,  Oregon,  on  July  9, 

1970,  aged  92 
Harris,    Ella,    Denver,    Colo.,    on    April    15,    1970, 

aged  80 
Hetrick,   Ervin,   Hanover,    Pa.,   on   April  5,    1970, 

aged  85 


10-8-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


A  Fei/i/  Specks  of  Sawdust 


John  allowed  an  extra  ten  minutes  for  the  one-hour  drive. 
He  didn't  look  forward  to  the  special  district  meeting,  and 
he  wanted  plenty  of  time  to  think  over  the  problem  that 
prompted  district  officers  to  schedule  an  evening  session 
fifty  miles  from  his  home. 

According  to  the  moderator's  letter,  there  was  a  lot  of 
dissatisfaction  in  the  district  about  recent  actions  of  Annual 
Conference.  Some  influential  members  were  threatening 
to  leave  the  church;  others  said  they  would  withhold 
contributions.  It  was  bad  enough,  they  argued,  when  Con- 
ference in  1969  adopted  a  paper  that  approved  of  civil 
disobedience.  But  when  the  Lincoln  Conference,  by  a 
substantial  vote,  counseled  support  for  young  men  who 
would  not  cooperate  with  the  draft  —  that  was  too  much. 

John  was  one  of  the  delegates  who  had  voted  for  the 
controversial  statement,  but  he  knew  how  some  of  the  folks 
in  his  own  church  felt  about  it.  Maybe  he  had  been  mis- 
taken. Could  it  be  that  he  was  encouraging  disrespect  for 
law?  Was  it  true  that  the  church  was  giving  its  sanction 
to  anarchy? 

John  looked  at  his  speedometer.  The  indicator  hovered 
near  65  —  the  posted  limit  —  but  he  was  careful  not  to 
exceed  the  maximum.  This  gave  him  abundant  opportu- 
nities to  study  the  cars  that  went  around  him  at  higher 
speeds.  Here  was  a  late-model  sports  car  driven  by  a  young 
man  in  a  hurry.  But  not  all  the  drivers  were  young.  And 
not  all  the  cars  were  new.  Some  of  the  drivers  were 
patriotic,  boasting  an  American  flag.  One  large  car  that 
passed  John  at  eighty  mUes  an  hour  carried  a  placard 
indicating  that  "Jesus   saves."    And   a  Volkswagen   bug. 


decorated  with  daisies  and  peace  symbols,  narrowly  missed 
a  pedestrian  as  it  left  John  behind. 

Among  those  who  went  by  him  at  excessive  speeds, 
John  recognized  two  members  of  his  own  church,  men  who 
were  most  dogmatic  in  supporting  strict  enforcement  of  the 
law  of  the  land.  Surely,  thought  John,  they  must  have  good 
reason  for  risking  their  own  lives  and  the  lives  of  others. 
But  when  he  arrived  at  the  church,  with  ten  minutes  left 
before  the  session  was  to  start,  he  found  them  waiting  and 
talking  about  how  successfully  they  had  evaded  an  un- 
marked police  car.  One  of  them  said  that  even  if  he  had 
been  ticketed,  he  knew  exactly  how  and  where  he  could 
get  the  ticket  fixed. 

All  through  the  discussions  that  followed  John  debated 
the  issues  in  his  own  mind.  He  listened  to  arguments  based 
on  Romans  13  ("He  who  resists  the  authorities  resists 
what  God  has  appointed")  which  in  turn  were  countered 
with  arguments  based  on  Acts  5  ("We  must  obey  God 
rather  than  men").  When  it  was  all  over  John  knew  that 
it  was  still  his  own  responsibility  to  decide  what  to  render 
to  Caesar  and  what  to  offer  to  Christ. 

But  on  the  way  home  (it  was  dark  now,  and  John  drove 
just  a  little  more  slowly)  he  was  impressed  again  with  the 
strange  paradox.  Here  he  was,  a  law-abiding,  limit-observ- 
ing member  of  the  church,  forced  to  defend  his  vote  in 
support  of  noncooperation  and  civil  disobedience  for  rea- 
sons of  conscience,  and  there,  at  seventy  miles  an  hour, 
their  taillights  flashing  in  his  eyes,  went  his  good  friends, 
the  loyal  defenders  of  law  and  order  who  were  threatening 
to  leave  the  church  because  it  was  moving  too  fast.  — k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    10-8-70 


PRAYER 
in  , 

todays 
world 


PRAYER  AND  MODERN  MAN 

JACQUES   ELLUL 

Translated   by  C.   E.   HOPKIN 

Jacques  Ellul,  the  French  lay  theologian  and  social  critic  whose  works  have  drawn  worldwide  attention,  eon- 
fronts  head  on  the  tough  problems  which  contemporary  man  encounters  in  his  attempt  to  pray.  Drawing  on 
his  own  experiences  with  prayer,  the  lawyer  and  former  resistance  leader  establishes  a  significant  and  secure 
basis  for  prayer  today,  relating  it  affirmatively  to  freedom  and  hope.   The  chapter  headings  suggest  the  scope 


late  and   Reassuring  Views  of  Praye 

Fragile   Foundations   of   Prayer 

The  Reasons  for  Not  Praying 


The  Only  Reason  for  Praying 
Prayer  as  Combat 


TO  PRAY  AND  TO  GROW 

FLORA  SLOSSON  WUELLNER 

By  presenting  the  powers  and  problems  encountered  in  building  an  active  prayer  life,  Mrs.  Wuellner  opens 
new  vistas  of  understanding  for  those  who  feel  a  genuine  need  for  guidance.  She  helps  Christians  explore  the 
deeper  dimensions  of  prayer  and  understand  the  experiences  of  personal  change  and  growth  in  Christ.  With 
great  depth  of  understanding  Mrs.  Wuellner  answers  such  questions  as:  How  do  I  get  beyond  thinking  prayer 
is  good  discipline  to  finding  it  the  most  exciting  experience  in  the  world?  How  can  I  know  God's  will?  How 
does  God  guide  me?  $4.2S 


TODAY  MAKES  A  DIFFERENCE! 

MARGUERITTE   HARMON   BRO 

Drawing  on  resources  from  eii  over  the  world  and  from  varied  religious  experiences,  the  author  of  this  daily 
devotional  book  manages  to  be  both  practical  and  profound.  Gone  are  the  days  for  most  people  when  the 
family  can  sit  down  together  for  an  extended  "worship."  Yet  the  need  for  a  quiet  time  of  communication 
with  God  is  still  felt.  This  book  contains  messages  that  can  either  be  read  "on  the  run"  or  that  can  be  the  basis 
of  meditation  for  the  person  with  more  time.  All  are  up  to  date:  taking  up  very  modern  problems,  the  selec- 
tions provide  relevant  reading  for  today's  world.  $2.95 


BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFiCES 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Views  of  a  Vanishing  America.  Though  he  has  lived  much  of  his  life 
in  metropolitan  areas,  I.  J.  Sanger,  a  Church  of  the  Brethren  artist,  looks  to 
the  countryside  for  subjects  for  his  wood  cuts  and  block  prints.  Thus,  he 
seeks  to  preserve  some  of  the  values  of  a  vanishing  rural  scene,  by  Ronald 
E.  Keener,    page  2 

Man:  Earth's  Deadliest  Peril.  The  planet  tliat  God  provided  as  a  home 
for  man  is  in  peril  because  of  man-made  pollution,  overpopulation,  and  the 
misuse  of  natural  resources.  Is  this  what  God  intended  when  he  asked  man 
to  be  a  trustee  of  the  good  world  he  made?  by  Robert  J.  Hastings,   page  7 

Come  Down  From  the  Attic.  Not  everyone  would  agree  that  the  Brethren 
peace  witness  is  the  central  belief  of  the  church,  but  most  would  think  of  it 
as  a  distinctive  conviction.  Yet  sometimes  the  church  acts  as  if  this  basic 
testimony  could  be  conveniently  stored  away  in  the  attic.  In  this  Annual 
Conference  message  a  college  professor  urges  Brethren  to  become  evange- 
listic in  sharing  their  peace  heritage,   by  David  A.  Waas.   page  11 

The  Urgency  of  Celebration.  "I  have  a  notion  the  heavenly  banquet  will 
be  more  like  a  strawberry  festival  and  an  ice  cream  social  than  a  morose 
church  meeting."  Last  in  a  series  of  Annual  Conference  Bible  messages,  this 
one  is  based  on  Luke  14:15-24.    by  Ronald  K.  Morgan,    page  22 

Opening  the  Way  to  Loving.  A  review  article  looks  critically  at  recent 
books  dealing  with  marriage,  divorce,  and  homosexuality  and  calling  for  a 
reexamination  of  Christian  attitudes  and  convictions,  by  W.  Clemens  Rosen- 
berger.    page  28 

Other  features  include  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Byron  and  Zola  Miller  (page  13);  news 
features  about  Brethren  in  La  Verne,  Calif,  (page  14),  expansion  at  Friendship  Manor 
in  Roanoke,  Va.  (page  16),  and  earth  science  at  Elizabethtown  College  (page  18);  a 
series  of  "Prayers  for  the  Working  Woman,"  by  Ruby  Rhoades  (page  20);  "How  to 
Live  With  a  Pastor,"  by  James  Simmons  (page  24);  and  "Faith  Looks  Up,"  by  V. 
Grace  Clapper  (page  26). 


COMING  SOON 


Pictures  showing  man's  poor  stewardship  of  natural  resources,  along  with  observations 

regarding  pollution  and  waste,  need  to  he  placed  in  the  context  of  the   Christian's 

faith  that  "the  earth  is  the  Lord's."    Such  a  setting  is  offered  in  "A  Litany  for  the 

Earth,  Man,  and  God,"  as  arranged  htj  John  Esau.   .   .   .   Insights  concerning  youth 

are  detailed  by  an  experienced  teacher,  writer,  and  pastor's  wife.    On  the  basis  of  her 

day-by-day  contacts  with  teen-agers  Inez  Long  says  that  "Evertjone  Must  Do  His  Own 

Growing."  .  .  .  But  young  people  themselves  should  be  able  to  speak  with  authority 

about  their   generation.    A   nineteen-year-old  college   student   explains   why   she   and  \ 

others  are  tired  of  being  counseled  to  be  patient  with  adult  leaders.    Kathy  Goering  ' 

says  "I  Am  Not  Willing  to  Wait.  ..."   On  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the  United 

Nations  a  Messenger  reporter  interviews  Andrew  W.  Cordier,  one  of  the  architects 

of  the  UN  and  an  energetic  participant  for  many  years  on  its  executive  staff.  VOL.    I  19    NO.    21 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 


-^^^    The  UN  al  25 
A  calhoilc  LOOKS  al  the  Reformation 


wwmm 


WHY  HUNGER? 

The  Elgin  offices  sent  out  an  appeal  on 
hunger  that  exists  in  our  schools  today.  .  .  . 
Why  do  we  have  hungry  people  in  our 
country  or  in  any  other  country  today? 
Why  is  .  .  .  land  lying  idle,  growing  up  in 
weeds,  polluting  the  air  with  pollen  dust  — 
when  people  are  dying  daily  from  hun- 
ger? .  .  . 

I  have  worked  with  CROP  for  a  number 
of  years,  and  I  have  knocked  on  many  a 
door  to  explain  my  mission.  Many  times  I 
have  been  rejected  because  people  could  not 
see  a  need  to  help.  ...  In  our  community 
we  can  raise  much  food  and  give  to  needy 
families,  but  do  we?  .  .  .  Our  laws  have 
denied  us  the  right  to  can  food  for  needy 
families  unless  it  is  canned  in  metal  cans 
and  by  a  recognized  canning  factory.  But  it 
does  not  deny  us  from  buying  a  case  of 
canned  food  and  giving  it  to  a  needy  family, 
or  potatoes  that  we  could  raise  in  our  gar- 
den. 

I  attend  church  each  Sunday  and  see 
people  come  and  go.  But  do  we  take  our 
Christianity  with  us  out  into  our  com- 
munity among  our  poor  and  show  to  them 
the  Christ-way  of  life?  .  .  . 

If  I  close  my  eyes  to  the  hungry  today 
God  may  close  his  eyes  on  me  in  the  day 
that  I  stand  before  him.  .  .  .  "If  a  brother 
sees  one  in  need  and  closes  his  bowels  of 
compassion  against  him  how  dwelleth  the 
love  of  God  in  him?"  So  let  us  be  about 
our  Father's  business. 

John  B.  Alexander 
Middletown,  Ind. 

LIFE  AND  SOUL 

The  Messenger  containing  "Turning  the 
Tables"  (Aug.  13)  merits  nationwide  recog- 
nition.   Many  other  of  your  editorials  are 


readers  write 


highly  deserving  of  acclaim.    Depth  of  life 
and  soul  are  found  in  them. 

Ernest  Crumrine 
Dayton,  Ohio 

VIBRANT  MOVEMENT 

Thank  you  for  Terry  Pettit's  article  on 
the  Bruderhof  (Aug.  27).  My  family  re- 
cently spent  a  week  at  Woodcrest  and  were 
deeply  impressed  with  the  quality  of  Chris- 
tian life  we  found  there.  To  understand  the 
depth  of  Christian  community  they  have, 
one  must  visit  with  them  and  experience  it 
for  oneself. 

I  went  to  visit  them  with  many  precon- 
ceptions, but  they  turned  out  to  be  mis- 
conceptions which  could  not  stand  up  to  the 
reality  I  found  there.  Far  from  being  ir- 
relevant, they  are  a  vibrant  movement  on 
the  cutting  edge  of  finding  new  alternatives 
to  our  bankrupt  society.  They  are  living 
the  radical  discipleship  I  go  around  and 
talk  about. 

Hopefully  we  can  develop  more  dialogue 
and  sharing  with  them,  for  we  have  so  much 
to  learn  from  them. 

Arthur  Gish 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

THE   HOLY  SPIRIT 

In  the  past  several  weeks  some  of  us  have 
been  discussing  the  Holy  Spirit  and  prayer 
in  the  life  of  a  Christian  today.  .  .  . 

Many  of  us  are  actually  afraid  to  pray 
and  to  speak  about  the  Holy  Spirit.  We 
really  shouldn't  be.  It  is  really  a  marvelous 
experience  to  be  able  to  feel  the  presence  of 
God  and  to  know  he  is  able  to  answer  our 
many  prayers. 

Recently  there  was  a  fellow  Brethren  in 
our  congregation  who  became  desperately 
ill.   He  was  rushed  to  the  hospital  not  know- 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover.  18,  19  United  Nations;  2  Religious  News  Service:  4,  5  (left,  right).  7  (first 
tour),  8,  10  Edward  Wallowitch;  5  (center)  Ed  Carlin;  7  (far  right),  8  (far  left)  Everett  C.  Johnson  from 
De  Wys;   15,  20  Don  Honick 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Ronald  E.  Keener,  director  of  news 
service;  Linda  Beher,  editorial  assistant.  Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17.  1917.  Filing 
date.  Oct.  1,  1970.  Messenger  is  a  member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious 
News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from 
the  Revised  Standard  Version.  Subscription  rates;  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per 
year  for  church  group  plan:  S3. 00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription.  S60:  hus- 
band and  wife.  $75.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  ad- 
dress. Allow  at  least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  I 
every  other  week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board.  1451  Dundee,  Ave.. 
Elgin,  III  60120.    Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.  Oct.   22.  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  22 


ing  whether  or  not  he  would  live.  The  peo- 
ple decided  to  have  an  all-day  prayer  meet- 
ing for  him.  Thanks  be  to  God,  he  is  on  the 
road  to  recovery  after  spending  about  six 
weeks  in  the  hospital. 

This  proves  that  God's  word  is  the  same 
yesterday,   today,   and  forever. 

Patricia  Brate 
Naperville,  111. 

READ   AND   ABSORB 

Thanks  for  that  "magnificent"  article  by 
Harold  S.  Martin  (Aug.  27).  I  love  it  and 
can  read  it  and  reread  it! 

This  we  all  need  to  read  and  absorb 
and  "take  to  heart."  .  .  .  This  is  worth  the 
price  of  Messenger! 

Medford  D.   Neher 
Pompano,  Fla. 

THE  RIGHT  WORDS 

It's  Sunday  morning  and  I  just  finished 
reading  your  editorial,  "Turning  the  Tables" 
(Aug.  13).  What  a  way  to  prepare  myself 
for  worship! 

Thank  you  for  having  just  the  right 
words  in  the  right  place  at  the  moment  that 
I  needed  them.  .  .  . 

Shirley  Wampler 
Richmond,  Va. 

ON   ABORTION 

I  was  shocked  that  our  church  would 
need  a  committee  to  consider  the  question 
of  abortion.  ...  If  a  committee  meets,  I 
trust  its  work  will  be  short  and  that  it  will 
agree  if  it  is  wrong  to  kill  an  enemy  soldier 
on  a  field  of  battle,  it  is  also  wrong  to  kill 
an  innocent  child  in  its  mother's  womb. 

To  legalize  abortion  would  not  stop 
famine  because  the  faraway  masses  in  Africa 
and  India  often  reject  birth  control.  ...  As 
I  see  it,  only  the  more  advanced  countries 
would  get  rid  of  their  babies,  and  they 
could  feed  them  in  the  first  place. 

Why  not  try  to  farm  the  sea  as  Mr. 
Fonts  suggested  in  [Reader's  Write,  Sept, 
10]?  Why  not  urge  our  government  to  insist 
that  farmers  plant  more  food  rather  than 
let  land  lie  idle  while  people  starve?  .  .  . 
To  limit  one's  family  is  very  necessary,  but 
by  not  conceiving.  Stand  up  and  condemn 
the  taking  of  human  life  in  any  manner. 

How  long  will  it  take  these  people  who 
would  like  to  see  abortion  legalized  to  say 
—  away    with    the    aged,    the    sick,    or   the 


Page  one... 


mentally     retarded?     These     too     consume 
food.  .  .  . 

J.    L.    Werstler 
Louisville,  Ohio 


OTHER  METHODS 

After  reading  the  letter  by  Linn  Bell 
(Sept.  10)  I  am  amazed  that  he  or  she 
would  even  consider  the  thought  of  legalized 
abortion  for  the  control  of  population,  es- 
pecially from  a  religious  viewpoint.  Rape  or 
incest  should  be  the  only  reason  for  this 
act.  .  .  . 

Family  planning  with  the  utmost  thought 
in  mind  for  population  control  is  the  first 
consideration  for  married  couples.  There 
are  several  methods  approved  of  by  honest 
physicians  and  sensible  married  couples  that 
prevent  pregnancies.  Abortions  legalized  or 
otherwise  should  be  considered  homicide  or 
murder.  .  .  . 

Vesta  Hall,  R.N. 


Parker  Ford,  Pa. 


VOICES   CRYING  OUT 

I  am  grateful  to  Messenger  for  its  ar- 
ticles about  college  campus  unrest  (Sept. 
24)  and  especially  for  T.  Wayne  Rieman's 
defense  of  the  students. 

For  so  long  we  have  conceded  to  the  col- 
leges their  ideals  of  intellectual  freedom 
which  were  mostly  conservative.  But  these 
times  are  different.  Our  government  has 
been  pursuing  the  interests  of  the  highly  or- 
ganized exploiters  of  our  resources,  includ- 
ing the  lives  of  our  youths  and  the  skill  and 
toil  of  the  workers.  The  government  has 
disregarded  some  of  the  hard-fought-for 
principles  of  our  democracy.  The  conse- 
quence is  that  our  boys  are  forced  into  a 
war  for  which  Congress  has  never  voted 
while  parents  are  faced  with  grief  and  strug- 
gle to  make  ends  meet  in  the  face  of  ever- 
rising  costs. 

Somehow  there  must  be  protest  and  it 
must  be  heard,  not  just  murmured.  While 
we  quietly  despair  or  mildly  protest,  we  are 
called  the  silent  majority  and  assumed  to 
favor  the  Nixon  program.  Dr.  Rieman  has 
helped  us  to  see  the  urgency  of  the  youths' 
cause,  and  we  can  now  feel  that  we  have  a 
voice  crying  out  in  protest  for  us.  I  feel 
that  our  youth  too  have  ideals  we  can  trust. 

Ruth  H.  Ashley 
North  Manchester,  Ind. 


"If  I  want  to  know  what's  going  on  in  the  world,  I  can  read  that  in  news 
magazines  and  newspapers.  But  I'd  like  Messenger  to  provide  something 
different." 

The  man  was  speaking  for  himself.  But  we  hear  from  many  others 
who  think  church  publications  sometimes  devote  too  much  space  to  current 
issues,  not  enough  to  the  "something  different." 

We  agree  that  they  may  have  a  point.  But  we  would  like  to  suggest 
that  the  "something  different"  may  not  always  have  to  do  with  subject 
matter  but  the  way  in  which  a  topic  is  handled. 

For  instance,  look  at  what  this  Messenger  contains.  Yes,  there  is  a 
feature  on  pollution,  a  topic  in  almost  every  newspaper  these  days.  But, 
the  something  different  is  the  reminder,  by  banner  and  by  biblical  quotation, 
that  the  earth  is  the  Lord's. 

And  then  there  is  the  birthday  of  the  United  Nations.  Yes,  the  anni- 
versary will  be  on  every  newspage  in  late  October.  But,  the  something 
different  on  page  14  and  following  is  the  point  of  view  that  a  Brethren 
minister  and  educator  can  bring  regarding  an  organization  he  probably 
knows  better  than  most  diplomats. 

Or  take  the  questions  many  persons  have  regarding  teen-age  youth. 
Yes,  the  subject  pops  up  everywhere  and  other  papers  have  plenty  of 
columns  devoted  to  youth.  But,  Inez  Long,  a  pastor's  wife,  mother,  and 
teacher,  and  Kathy  Goering,  a  college  student,  both  speak  from  a  definitely 
Christian  perspective. 

Or  consider  the  dilemmas  posed  for  modern  man  by  developing 
technology.  You  hear  all  kinds  of  theories  —  and  read  of  them,  too  —  but 
some  Christian  thinkers  are  already  at  work  pointing  up  the  issues  and 
concerns  that  we  must  face.  And  Harold  Bomberger  reviews  some  recent 
books  they  have  written. 

Yes,  we  confess  to  taking  a  look  at  issues  that  are  treated  in  secular 
sources,  but  we  think  there  is  something  different  in  the  context  or  the 
treatment  that  deserves  the  special  attention  of  Brethren  readers.  And,  of 
course,  each  issue  of  Messenger  also  contains  features  that  are  more 
obviously  church-related  —  like  the  Reformation  article  that  begins  this 
issue  and  the  interchurch  and  denominational  news  features  we  carry. 

Roman  Catholic  layman  Douglas  J.  Roche  edits  the  Western  Catholic 
Reporter,  has  authored  a  book  dealing  with  the  turbulence  within  his 
church,  participates  in  ecumenical  seminars  in  Canada  and  the  United 
States. 

John  Esau,  pastor  of  the  Faith  Mennonite  Church  at  Mimieapolis, 
Minnesota,  prepared  his  litany  for  use  in  a  church  service. 

Public  schoolteacher  Inez  Long,  a  former  member  of  the  General 
Board,  has  contributed  frequently  to  Messenger. 

Kathy  Goering,  Oregon,  Illinois,  resident,  attends  Manchester  College 
in  Indiana. 

Noah  S.  Martin,  pastor  of  the  Moxham  Colonial  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren, makes  his  home  at  Johnstown,  Pennsylvania. 

McPherson,  Kansas,  pastor  Harold  Z.  Bomberger  will  guide  the 
denomination  through  the  1970-71  church  year  as  moderator.  He  attended 
a  science  and  religion  conference  at  Yale  University  which  spoke  to  the 
concerns  raised  in  his  review. 

The  Editors 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     1 


A  Catholic 
Looks 
at  the  Reformation 


by  DOUGLAS  J.  ROCHE 


The  big  Christian  picture  today,  to  put 
it  mildly,  is  bewildering.  Change, 
backlash,  radicalism,  alienation,  unity. 
And  always  that  overriding,  agonizing 
question:   Can  the  church  buUd  a 
bridge  for  man  over  the  troubled, 
roaring  waters  of  our  time? 

Forget  the  big  picture.  Leave  it  to 
the  experts  —  or  anyone  bold  enough 
to  consider  himself  a  rehgious  expert 
today.  The  only  way  I  can  keep  my 
balance  in  the  swirling  forces  of 
Christianity  is  to  look  at  myself.  To 
recognize  that  my  own  life  as  a 
Christian  has  been  enriched.  To 
remember  that  I,  in  my  little  sphere, 
am  an  instrument  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
who  broods  over  troubled  waters. 

I  wouldn't  be  this  sanguine  were  it 
not  for  my  relationship  with 
Protestants.  For  it  was  only  when  I 
began  to  encounter  men  and  women  of 
other  Christian  denominations,  when 
I  began  to  think,  work,  and  pray  with 
them,  that  I  discovered  the  power  of 
Christianity. 

I  was  raised  a  Catholic  and  learned 
nothing  of  Protestant  beliefs  and 
traditions.  Naturally,  in  my  adult  Ufe, 
I  had  associations  with  all  kinds  of 
believers  and  nonbelievers,  but  it 
never  occurred  to  me  to  wonder  what, 
exactly,  Protestants  believed  and  why 
we  should  be  separated.  Then  two 
things  happened. 

I  went  to  the  Vatican  Council  and 
suddenly  the  wind  (some  people  call  it 
a  hurricane)  let  into  the  Cathohc 
Church  by  Pope  John's  open  window 
hit  me  full  in  the  face.  Religious  lib- 
erty. Deculturing.  Conciliar  govern- 
ment. Co-responsibility.  Christian 
unity.  Involvement  with  the  modem 
world.  Vatican  II  laid  the  groimdwork 
for  us  to  become  an  open,  developing, 
pilgrim  church. 

Between  sessions  of  the  CouncU 
I  went  to  the  Holy  Land  and  it  was 


2     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


there,  as  I  walked  through  the  Church 
of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  where  denomi- 
nations compete  for  space  and  time, 
that  the  scandal  of  Christian  division 
branded  itself  on  me.  No  wonder  the 
keys  of  the  church  are  entrusted  to  a 
Moslem. 

Shortly  after,  I  settled  in  Edmonton, 
a  modern,  western  city  of  nearly  half 
a  million  people.  And  as  editor  of  a 
Catholic  paper  built  on  the  ideas  of 
Vatican  II,  I  realized  that  speaking 
just  to  Catholics  was  no  longer  enough. 
Either  there  is  one  baptism  and  one 
Christian  family  —  or  there  is  not.  I 
found  myself  in  dialogue  groups,  joint 
prayer  services,  common  community 
projects,  and  it  wasn't  long  before  the 
artificiality  of  denominational  lines  fell 
away. 

I  came  to  realize  what  a  void  there 
had  been  in  life,  in  never  hearing  the 
word  preached  or  the  faith  confessed  in 
a  tradition  other  than  my  own.  I  had 
thought  that  it  was  only  the  Catholics 
who  stood  for  a  church  —  one,  holy, 
catholic,  and  apostolic  —  and  was 
amazed  to  see  these  characteristics 
written  into  the  Principles  of  Union 
for  the  negotiations  now  taking  place 
between  the  Anglicans  and  United 
Church  of  Canada. 

As  I  listened  to  deeply  committed 
people  expressing  their  hopes  and  joys, 
their  griefs  and  sorrows,  what  they 
were  saying  about  Jesus,  about 
housing,  about  communion,  about 
marriage  came  through  rather  than  any 
denominational  stance.  Their  search- 
ing creativity  for  new  and  better  ways 
to  reflect  the  timelessness  of  Christ's 
love  made  a  deep  impression  on  me. 
Their  struggle  to  deepen  their  faith  in 
an  age  of  change  was  my  struggle. 

One  day  I  realized  these  people  were 
not  business  acquaintances  or  in- 
tellectual sparring  partners  but  my 
friends.  A  bond  imited  us  that  was  far 


stronger  than  the  divisions  separating 
us.  It  became  clear  that  we  possessed  a 
spiritual  unity,  the  institutional  ex- 
pression of  which  is  bound  to  follow. 

I'm  not  suggesting  that  I  and  my 
friends  have  solved  the  problems  of  the 
ecumenical  movement.  But  that's  just 
the  point.  We're  groping,  analyzing, 
experimenting,  examining  our  own 
beliefs  as  well  as  those  of  the  other 
fellow.  In  our  own  way,  we're  building 
a  community  that  is  transdenomina- 
tional.  I  think  that's  the  way  the 
formalities  of  union  will  come,  rather 
than  having  a  plan  created  at  the  top 
that  is  meaningless  on  Main  Street. 

What  about  the  theological 
distinctions?  The  authority  of  the 
Pope?  Intercommunion?  I  haven't 
abandoned  my  theology.  And  I  don't 
expect  Protestants  to  abandon  theirs. 
That  would  be  phony  fellowship.  But 
as  I  look  at  the  words  of  the  Creed  and 
consider  the  implications  of  the 
common  Bible,  I  have  confidence  that 
the  renewing,  healthy,  ecumenical 
climate  is  emphasizing  the  unity  of  our 
belief  in  the  risen  Christ  and  his  one 
people.  This  is  already  a  tremendous 
advance  in  healing  the  wounds  of 
disunity  and  prepares  the  way  for  a 
new  theology  of  the  one  church.  I  feel 
that  I  have  a  responsibility,  in  my 
corner  of  the  world,  to  contribute  to 
this  new  age  of  enlightenment.  I  can 
see  a  new  community  being  built  — 
and  that's  what  helps  me  keep  my  per- 
spective in  the  clamor  and  confusion 
of  the  universal  scene. 

We  hear  that  the  Christian  church 
is  finished  as  an  institution  in  the  Age 
of  Aquarius.  We  see  the  disaffection 
of  youth.  We  lament  the  polarization 
between  the  prophets  of  radicalism  and 
the  opponents  of  change. 

Somehow  we've  gotten  the  idea  that 
we  can  have  a  wonderful  new  church 
—  easily.  But  we  can't.  For  there  is 


within  Christianity  that  paradoxical 
quality  that  keeps  it  in  and  out  of  this 
world  at  the  same  time.  It  is  most 
successful  when,  by  the  world's 
standards,  it  fails.  The  new  standard 
for  all  the  churches  is  not  the  security 
of  our  safety  islands  but  our  personal 
commitment  to  live  our  love  out  in  the 
high-speed  traffic  lanes. 

I  was  comfortable  and  complacent 
in  the  Catholic  Church  for  too  long. 
Now  I've  been  shaken  up.  I  thought 
the  Catholic  Church  was  successful 
when  there  were  protective  walls 
around  it.  Now  I  see  that  the  inter- 
action of  Christians,  who  are  inter- 
dependent on  one  another,  is  what 
Christ  wants.  And  so  we  strip  away 
the  culture  of  another  age  to  allow  the 
transcendence  of  Christ  to  shine  anew, 
to  find  a  new  manifestation  of  him, 
understandable  in  a  secular  culture. 


I  can  see  all  around  me  that  when 
people  reject  old  forms  of  institutional 
religion  they  are  not  thereby  rejecting 
religion  itself.  There's  an  obvious 
searching  for  God  in  the  midst  of  our 
soulless  technology.  The  new  meaning 
of  the  Reformation  observance  in  the 
seventies  is  that  we  are  all  pilgrims  to- 
gether, searching  for  the  ultimate  truth 
and  willing  to  keep  on  purifying  our 
churches.  I  want  us  all  —  Catholics 
and  Protestants  —  to  communicate 
that  truth  together  so  that  the  world 
will  know  that  Christ  has  saved  man- 
kind and  cares  about  our  human 
dignity  in  this  life. 

Together  as  Christians  in  our  own 
communities,  loving  one  another,  re- 
specting our  beliefs  and  traditions, 
rejoicing  that  we  have  found  one 
another,  we  are  helping  to  buUd  a 
better  world.  We've  found  a  new  — 
and  old  —  power,  the  power  of  love. 
Mysterious,  creative,  healing  love.   D 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     3 


TheEarlhlsTheLQ 


A  LITANY  BY  JOHN  ESAU 


The  earth  is  emptied  clean  away 

and  stripped  clean  bare. 
For  this  is  the  word  that  the  Lord  has  spoken. 
The  earth  dries  up  and  withers, 
the  whole  world  withers  and  grows  sick; 

the  earth's  high  places  sicken, 
and  the  earth  itself  is  desecrated  by  the  feet  of  those  who  live  in  it. 

—  Isaiah  24:3-6 


The  point  then  is  not  how  many  people  one  can  feed  on  this  planet,  but  what  population  can  best  fulfill  human  poten- 
tialities. One  is  interested  not  in  the  quantity  but  in  the  quality  of  human  life.  From  that  point  of  view  the  world  is 
probably  already  overpopulated.  —  George  Wald 

4     MESSENGER     10-22-70 


irSAndAllThallsl 


The  problems  of  nuclear  warfare,  of  population,  of  the  environment,  are  impending  planetary  disasters.  We  are 
in  trouble  as  a  species.  We  are  seized  by  a  kind  of  paralysis  of  the  will.  It  is  like  a  waking  nightmare.  — John 
Gardner 

Lake  OBric  is  DeaD.  Cf)e  tieacfjes  at  ©anta  'Barbara  are  DeserteD,  Cf)e  air  in  Jl^eto  gorfe  is  dan* 
gerous  to  ftreatfje.  Mit  are  Drotoning  in  a  sea  of  stoill.  —  Robert  !|)eilbroner 

A  recent  scientific  analysis  of  New  York  City's  atmosphere  concluded  that  a  New  Yorker  on  the  street  took  into  his  lungs 
the  equivalent  in  toxic  materials  of  thirty-eight  cigarettes  a  day.  —  Robert  Rienow 

The  result  of  massive  production  is  massive  filth.  Every  year,  Americans  junk  seven  million 
cars,  100  million  tires,  20  million  tons  of  paper,  28  billion  bottles  and  48  billion  cans.  —  TIME 

10-22-70    MESSENGER     5 


niLTheWorldAnd 


.^1^.^.. 


For  everything  its  season,  and  for  every  activity  under  heaven  its  time: 
a  time  to  be  born  and  a  time  to  die; 
a  time  to  plant  and  a  time  to  uproot; 
a  time  to  kill  and  a  time  to  heal; 
a  time  to  pull  down  and  a  time  to  build  up; 
a  time  to  weep  and  a  time  to  laugh; 
a  time  for  mourning  and  a  time  for  dancing; 
a  time  to  scatter  stones  and  a  time  to  gather  them; 
a  time  to  embrace  and  a  time  to  refrain  from  embracing; 
a  time  to  seek  and  a  time  to  lose; 
a  time  to  keep  and  a  time  to  throw  away; 
a  time  to  tear  and  a  time  to  mend; 
a  time  for  silence  and  a  time  for  speech; 
a  time  for  love  and  a  time  to  hate; 
a  time  for  war  and  a  time  for  peace.  —  Ecclesiastes  3:1-8 


6     MESSENGER     10-22-70 


//  you  wanted  to  design  a  transportation 
system  to  waste  the  earth's  energy  reserves 
and  pollute  the  air  as  much  as  possible, 
you  couldn't  do  much  better  than  our  present 
system  dominated  by  the  automobile. 

—  Garrett  De  Bell 


Every  day  we  produce  1 1 ,000  calories  of  food  per 
capita  in  the  United  States.    We  need  only  2,500 
calories.  —  Barry  Comnnoner 


loseWhoDwellTh 


ACCORDING  TO  THE  FOOD  AND  DRUG  ADMINISTRATION,  AT  LEAST  800  TO  1,000  PEOPLE  DIE  EACH  YEAR  FROM  PESTICIDE  POISONING,  AND  ANOTHER 
80,000  TO  90,000  PEOPLE  ARE  INJURED  FROM  THESE  CHEMICALS.  THERE  HAVE  BEEN  MASSIVE  KILLS  OF  FISH,  BIRDS,  AND  BENEFICIAL  INSECTS.  BUT 
WORSE  YET  WILL  BE  THE  SLOW  BUT  INCREASED  NUMBER  OF  HUMAN  DEATHS  CAUSED  BY  THE  CARCINOGENIC,  MUTAGENIC,  AND  TERATOGENIC  EFFECTS 
OF  CHEMICALS   LIKE  DDT  OR  2,4,5-T  AFTER  A   LIFETIME   OF   EXPOSURE.  -  STEVEN   H.   WODKA 


Thou  dost  visit  the  earth  and  give  it  abundance, 

as  often  as  thou  dost  enrich  it 
with  the  waters  of  heaven,  brimming  in  their  channels, 

providing  rain  for  men. 

For  this  is  thy  provision  for  it, 
watering  its  furrows,  levelling  its  ridges, 
softening  it  with  showers  and  blessing  its  growth.  ...  —  Psalm  65:9-13 


What  we  do  about  ecology  depends 

on  our  ideas  of  the  man-nature  relationship. 

More  science  and  more  technology  are 

not  going  to  get  us  out  of  the  present 

ecologic  crisis  until  we  find  a  new  religion, 

or  rethink  our  old  one.  —  Lynn  White  Jr. 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     7 


ereinlheEartms 


The  LORD  is  my  shepherd;  I  shall  want  nothing. 

He  makes  me  lie  down  in  green  pastures, 
and  leads  me  beside  the  waters  of  peace; 

he  renews  life  within  me, 
and  for  his  name's  sake  guides  me  in  the  right  path. 
—  Psalm  23:1-3 


The  essential  cause  of  environmental  pollution  is  over- 
population, combined  with  an  excessive  population  growth 
rate;  other  antipollution  measures  can  be  used  temporarily, 
but  so  long  as  the  central  problem  is  not  solved,  one  can 
expect  no  lasting  success.  —  Jon  Breslaw 

8     MESSENGER     10-22-70 


Although  the  United  States  contains  only  5.7% 
of  the  world's  population,  it  consumes  40%  of 
the  world's  production  of  natural  resources. 
In  70  years  of  life,  the  average  American  uses 
26  million  gallons  of  water,  21,000  gallons  of 
gasoline,  10,000  lbs.  of  meat,  28,000  lbs.  of  milk 
and  cream.  —  TIME 


heLORD'SAndAir 


The  battle  of  the  enviionmentalists  is  to  preserve  the  physiological  integrity  of  people  by  preserving  the  natural 
integrity  of  land,  air,  and  wafer.  The  planet  earth  is  a  seamless  structure  with  a  thin  slice  of  sustaining  air,  water, 
and  soil  that  supports  almost  lour  billion  people.  This  thin  slice  belongs  to  all  of  us,  and  we  use  it  and  hold  it  in 
trust  for  future  earthlings.   Here  we  must  take  our  stand.  —  Ralph  Nader 


Then  I  saw  a  new  heaven  and  a  new  earth,  for  the  first  heaven  and  the  first  earth  had  vanished,  and  there  was  no 
longer  any  sea.  .  .  .  Then  he  showed  me  the  river  of  the  water  of  life,  sparkling  like  crystal,  flowing  from  the  throne 
of  God  and  of  the  Lamb  down  the  middle  of  the  city's  street.  On  either  side  of  the  river  stood  a  tree  of  life,  which 
yields  twelve  crops  of  fruit,  one  for  each  month  of  the  year;  the  leaves  of  the  trees  serve  for  the  healing  of  the  na- 
tions.—  Revelation  21:1;  22:1-3 

All  scripture  quotations  from  The  New  English  Bible 

10-22-70    MESSENGER     9 


by  INEZ  LONG 


The  high  school  junior  was  bronze-tan, 
her  skin  stretched  with  strength  both 
natural  and  cultivated.  She  looked  a 
dead-level  security,  except  for  her 
eyes  which  were  up  to  the  brim  with 
tears.  The  tears  were  held  with  the 
intensity  of  an  angry  four-year-old  and 
the  restraint  of  the  cool  generation. 

"I'm  keeping  a  diary,"  she  told  me, 
"so  that  when  my  children  are  teen- 
agers, I  can  read  what  I'm  writing  now 
and  recall  what  it  is  like  to  be  a 
teen-ager." 

As  I  listened,  I  thought  of  a  box  in 


the  attic,  full  of  my  own  scribblings 
from  junior  high  days  to  marriage. 

"Wouldn't  that  be  a  good  idea?" 
she  asked. 

"Yes,"  I  answered.  "I  found  it  to 
be  a  very  good  idea." 

"So  that's  why  you  know  exactly 
how  I  feel!"  she  exclaimed. 

The  compliment  escaped  me.  I 
didn't  know  how  she  felt.  I  can  only 
know  at  my  age  how  it  feels  to  be  one 
of  her  years  plus  thirty-five.  The 
bundle  in  the  attic  is  always  in 
formation. 

"What  do  you  think  when  you 
reread  your  diaries?"  she  queried. 

"I  haven't  read  them  in  a  long  time,' 
I  told  her,  "because  when  I  did,  about 


ten  years  ago  when  my  own  children 
were  teen-agers,  I  decided  not  to  look 
at  them  again." 
"Why  not?" 

"Because  they  made  me  feel  sad  for 
the  girl  I  was  then  and  for  those 
around  me  who  were  powerless  to 
help." 

After  seven  years  of  teaching  teen- 
agers in  an  urban,  black -white-tan 
high  school,  in  Upward  Bound 
programs  for  poverty-level  students,  in 
a  suburban  parish,  in  my  own  home,  I 
read  in  every  teen-ager  the  sure  fact 
that  in  maturing,  everyone  must  do  his 
own  growing.  We  can  only  hope  that 
the  people  around  won't  make  it  too 
easy  on  one  hand  or  too  hard  on  the 


other.  I  have  learned  to  be  com- 
passionate as  nature  pushes  the  mid- 
teen-ager  into  the  adult  world  and 
secular  man  exposes  him  to  countless 
ways  of  life  in  that  world.  No  longer 
is  the  teen-ager  faced  only  with  the 
question  of  how  to  be  an  adult. 
Secular  man  offers  him  many  options 
on  where  to  invest  his  life.  Early  in 
his  growing,  he  has  to  answer,  "Which 
way  of  life?" 

My  compassion  for  the  mid-teen- 
ager is  in  three  areas.  First,  he  is  a 
potential  victim  of  merchandisers  who 
make  their  pitch  to  the  teen-ager's 
desperate  need  to  belong  and  who 
stake  their  survival  on  the  investment 
of  the  teen-ager  in  current  fads.  Our 
prior  generation  did  not  have  money. 
Dogged  by  the  Depression,  we  used 
mass  production  and  mass  spending  as 
a  way  out  of  scarcity.  Now  our  kids 
are  spending  for  material  things  into  a 
scarcity  of  the  soul.  We  did  not  know 
that  as  we  hired,  manufactured,  sold, 
exported,  imported,  and  wasted  in 
order  to  keep  up  the  Gross  National 
Product  and  keep  down  unemploy- 
ment, we  would  flood  the  market  with 
stuff  as  destructive  as  war  artillery  and 
love  machines.  The  market  we  have 
created  is  using  our  own  children. 

Teen-agers  are  a  vast  potential 
market  because  they  can  dip  into  the 
projects  of  the  older  generation  before 
they  have  learned  the  cost  of  a  dollar 
in  terms  of  their  own  muscle  and 
sweat.  Rock  festivals,  for  instance,  are 
mass  evangelism  to  win  adherents  to  a 
way  of  life  complete  with  heroes, 
television,  movies,  recordings,  drugs; 
a  way  of  life  with  its  own  messiahs, 
rituals,  and  customs.  Fashions  in 
songs,  hemlines,  and  slogans  are 
moved  along  rapidly  in  order  to 
furnish  new  markets.  A  teen-age  girl 
will  cry  "mini-mini"  one  season  but 
two  or  three  issues  later  of  Seventeen 


or  Essence,  the  black  counterpart,  she 
will  have  been  made  to  cry  "midi"  or 
"maxi"  with  equal  zest.  The  teen- 
ager is  controlled  by  mass  merchan- 
dising unless  he  has  been  taught, 
contrary  to  his  nature,  to  avoid  im- 
pulsive dreaming,  believing,  and 
belonging. 

Second,  the  teen-ager  has  been  an 
easy  victim  of  his  own  generation  of 
college  campus  peers.  Generally 
speaking,  the  college  student  who 
shocks  his  way  into  mass  publicity  is 
affluent  in  brains,  prestige,  and  money. 
By  accident  of  birth  he  is  not  common; 
he  is  superior  to  most  of  his  gen- 
eration.   Youth  are  not  all  born  free 
and  equal. 

Any  mother  with  common  sense  who 
has  two  children,  one  with  advantages 
and  one  with  disadvantages,  knows 
that  it  would  be  cruel  to  treat  both 
alike.  Any  overindulgence  in  the 
slogan  "born  free  and  equal"  is  a 
symptom  of  her  guilt  that  she  did  not 
produce  two  superior  offspring.  Within 
the  youth  generation  there  are,  also, 
vast  differences.  The  mid-teen-ager, 
especially  if  he  is  poor,  average,  or 
common,  cannot  afford  the  risks  of  the 
popularized  college  student.  Yet,  be- 
cause campuses  produce  the  peer 
group  for  high  schoolers,  the  result  in 
high  school  is  more  booze,  more  drugs, 
more  individuality,  more  mobility, 
more  latitude,  more  license.  The  ex- 
ample set  by  the  affluent  and 
advantaged  coed  can  be  costly  to  the 
common  mid-teen-ager. 

When  I  was  twelve,  we  were  moved 
from  the  farm  to  the  city  by  a  back- 
slap  from  the  Depression.  Without 
training  for  city  life,  we  managed, 
somehow,  to  get  along,  like  fish  out  of 
water.  We  seemed  never  to  have 
enough  of  what  city  people  took  for 
granted.  Yet  my  parents  remained 
realistically  rooted  in  the  statement. 


"We  cannot  afford  it."  They  were  pain- 
ful words  to  a  country  girl  trying  to  be 
a  city  girl.  Yet  what  we  couldn't  afford 
sent  me  to  the  free  public  library,  to 
church  socials,  into  extracurricular 
activities  at  school,  and  finally  into  a 
sense  of  pride  that,  without  all  the 
fluff,  I  had  made  the  grade  with  flying 
colors. 

This  past  summer  I  taught  in  an  Up- 
ward Bound  program  in  which  high 
school  students  from  poverty-level 
homes  were  brought  to  an  affluent 
college  campus  for  a  six-weeks' 
residence  program  to  motivate  them  to 
better  performance  in  public  school 
with  the  sure  hope  of  college.  The 
students  were  given  college-student 
tutors  to  help  them  get  to  class  on 
time,  attack  their  homework,  and  in- 
dicate reasonable  goals.  Yet  the  tutors, 
involved  in  proving  their  own  identity 
in  the  upper-middle-class-campus  cult, 
failed  to  see  their  role  as  examples  to 
the  mid-teen-agers.  They  dressed  in 
expensive  clothes  which  they  dabbed 
with  paint  and  clorox.  They  went  bare- 
foot. They  left  their  hair  and  skin 
unwashed  and  untended.  They  could 
afford  to  appear  poor  because  they 
were  rich.  And  if,  by  chance,  anyone 
mistook  their  true  identity,  they  could 
always  do  the  name-dropping  act  and 
call  prestigious  friends  or  parents  to 
the  rescue. 

Not  so  the  poor.  Every  mistake  or 
sloven  habit,  every  run-in  with  police 
or  authorities  because  of  marijuana, 
booze,  speed,  or  sex  leaves  them  dread- 
fully exposed.  Their  offenses  exact 
penalities  which  the  poor  cannot 
afford.  For  them,  there  is  no  one  to 
pay  the  bill  except  society,  which 
already  feels  overburdened  with  the 
mistakes  of  the  poor.  As  offenses  are 
exposed  and  costs  become  irreversible, 
the  poor  risk  the  loss  of  their  fair  share 
of  American  affluence.  For  the  mid- 


EVERYONE  MUST  DO  HIS  OWN  GROWING  /  continued 


teen-ager,  the  risk  is  never  greater  than 
when  he  follows  the  example  of  his 
affluent  college  campus  peers.  Let  the 
rich  live  out  the  old  maxim,  "Three 
generations  from  shirt  sleeves  to  shirt 
sleeves."  A  maxim  for  the  poor  might 
better  be,  "We  have  been  in  shirt 
sleeves  long  enough.  We  cannot  afford 
risks  that  will  thwart  our  way  out  of 
poverty." 

Third,  the  mid-teen-ager  has  been 
an  enthusiastic  victim  of  religious 
mucksters  who  have  capitalized  on  his 
need  for  commitment.  Teen-agers 
have  willingly  submitted  to  the  wooing 
of  pseudoprophets,  those  of  naturalism 
and  romanticism  on  one  hand,  and 
those  of  hard-core  confrontation  on  the 
other.  Indeed,  I  have  seen  mid-teen- 
agers commit  themselves  to  both  when 
they  can  afford  neither. 

The  roving  religious  prophets  are 
trademarks  of  teen-age  longing  for  a 
way  of  life  of  their  very  own.  Teen- 
agers are  on  the  brink  of  new  birth. 
Rootless  because  of  a  natural  urge  to 
get  into  a  path  of  their  own  clearing, 
they  find  themselves  more  and  more 
mobile,  unhooked,  free.  They  are 
ready  for  hucksters  of  religious  fads 
who  pipe  their  tunes  while  teen-agers 
dance  to  dead-end  exhaustion. 

Roving  religious  prophets  come  by 
way  of  groups,  festivals,  paperbacks, 
underground  papers,  campus,  school, 
or  retreat  and  typically  strum,  sensitize, 
touch,  poeticize,  or  pictorialize,  some- 
times all  at  the  same  time.  They  run  a 
hop-skip-and-jump  montage  of  new 
fads  mixed  in  with  old  idealism.  After 
a  series  of  emotional  flicks,  they  leave 
for  distant  parts,  having  sold  them- 
selves, plus  psychedelic  wares  (of 
which  the  producer  is  you-know-who). 
They  leave  behind  fragmented  teen- 
agers and  stripped  wallets  before  their 
youthful  audiences  think  of  asking, 
"Who  are  you,  really?  Where  do  you 


come  from?  What  does  your  home 
community  think  of  you?" 

Teen-agers  are  generally  satisfied 
when  prophets  sing  with  soul  the  sure- 
fire depths  of  love,  or  make  the  peace 
sign  or  the  power-to-the-people  fist. 
Such  strangers  flout  the  valid  question 
marks  on  the  foreheads  of  adults  who 
live  and  work  with  mid-teen-agers  on 
home  ground  during  hours  of  listening, 
days  of  waiting,  years  of  hoping,  and, 
if  they  are  lucky,  a  few  moments  of 
warning  when  the  teen-ager  is  wilhng. 

We  should  welcome  the  fact  that 
educators  and  counselors  of  mid-teen- 
agers are  beginning  to  be  haunted  by 
basic  morality  and  daily  disciplines,  as 
if  they  were  ghosts  that  refuse  to  die. 
Yet  when  educators  look  to  religious 
leaders  for  guidance,  they  often  receive 
youth's  answer:   the  naturalism  of  the 
man  who  has  come  of  age,  or  the  con- 
frontation of  protest.  So,  in  the  irony 
of  our  own  absurd  age,  the  cycle  of 
youth  is  completed  by  adults. 


T 


een-agers  are  my  environment 
during  school  hours,  home  hours,  work 
hours,  and  free  hours.  While  others 
talk  of  ecology  in  terms  of  pollution, 
overpopulation,  and  waste,  I  am  think- 
ing of  the  ecology  of  teen-agers  in 
terms  of  authority  erosion,  corruption 
of  youthful  resources,  and  emotional 
overstimulation.  I  tend  to  ask  in  every 
situation,  from  TV  commercial  to 
religious  service,  "How  does  a  teen- 
ager see  all  this?"  In  our  day,  I  see 
him  caught  in  a  pinch :   a  pinch  be- 
tween the  easy  hands  of  naturalism 
beckoning  him  to  effortless  paradise  on 
one  hand,  and  the  hard  fists  of  con- 
frontation saluting  him  to  action  on  the 
other. 

We  have,  therefore,  a  crop  of  flower 
children  who  believe  that  modern  man, 
if  immolested  by  corrupted  ideas  about 


the  fall  and  about  guilt,  will  be  sweet- 
ness and  light.  These  children  follow 
the  rituals  that  celebrate  what  is.  They 
sound  "their  barbaric  yawps  over  the 
roofs  of  the  world."  Simultaneously, 
the  hard-core  revolutionaries  see  man 
caught  in  a  power  struggle  on  a 
grandiose  stage  which  he  must  enter 
and  take  over  for  the  cause  of  right. 
They  force  powerful  blocs  to  contest 
with  each  other  and  have  it  out,  even 
if  heads  roll.  They  divide  and  con- 
quest by  using  shock  techniques  which 
they  devise  in  order  to  manipulate 
troops  while  they  sit  behind  electronic 
media  and  turn  switches  with  sterile 
gloves. 

Both  groups  are  caught  in  a 
braggadocio  about  man's  potential. 
While  the  flower-crowned  clap  and  sing 
as  if  celebration  of  life  will  hold  off 
death,  the  tight-fisted  confronters 
would  hold  back  death  with  their  own 
bare  hands.  So  the  teen-ager  is  caught 
in  the  pinch  of  cults  as  old  as  ancient 
mystery  religions,  Dionysian  cults, 
fertility  rites,  and  crusades. 

The  pinch  on  teen-agers  is  loosened 
when  adults  unlock  the  viselike  grip  of 
two  contending  cults,  each  with  a  false 
god  grabbing  the  other's  neck  while 
young  idealists  are  strangled  in  be- 
tween. Adults  who  loosen  that  grip  are 
those  who  believe  that  God  is  not  a 
pseudonym  attached  by  man  to  his  own 
handwritten  history  for  purposes  of 
grandiose  claims.  Adults  who  loosen 
the  grip  are  those  who  believe  that  God 
was  not  a  contrivance  of  man  for  his 
own  comfort.  They  believe  that  with- 
out that  Name,  which  was  neither 
named  nor  given  by  man,  we  are  all 
orphans  or  missing  persons,  lost  and 
unregenerative.  They  are  adults  who 
have  confessed  with  Hosea, 
"We  will  say  no  more  'our  god'  to  the 

work  of  our  hands; 
In  Thee,  the  orphan  finds  mercy."   D 


12     MESSENGER     10-22-70 


I  Am  Not  Willing  to  Walt 


by  KATHY  GOERING 

Patience  may  not  always  be 
a  virtue  —  if  you  are  young, 
have  reason  to  be  frightened, 
and  wonder  if  your  genera- 
tion has  a  future.  A  teen-ager 
calls  for  action  —  now 


Throughout  my  life  people  in  the 
church  and  the  establishment  have 
been  telling  me  that  the  virtue  I  lack 
the  most  (along  with  others  of  my 
generation)  is  that  virtue  that  they 
themselves  have  so  fully  adopted.  The 
virtue  is  simply  that  of  patience.  They 
repeatedly  ask  me  only  to  wait  and 
the  changes  that  are  necessary  will 
come.  They  say  that  I  should  only 
wait  and  the  war  will  end.  In  time 
integration  will  take  place.  I  should 
accept  the  reality  of  starving  people 
and  not  take  it  so  seriously.  They 
continue  to  ask,  "Why  won't  you  just 
wait?" 

This  is  just  the  beginning  of  the  en- 
counter, as  they  continue  to  cite 
examples  from  the  Bible,  as  well  as 
from  history,  of  times  when  patience 
conquered  all.  "It  took  the  Christians 
2,000  years  to  get  this  far."  They 
proceed  to  justify  the  rights  of  blacks, 
but  then  at  the  same  time  say  that  300 
years  of  waiting  is  not  really  that  long. 

I  have  long  pondered  over  this 
question.  Why  am  I  not  willing  to 
wait?  I  have  found  several  answers  in 
my  own  personal  life  that  answer  the 
question  for  me. 

I  am  the  child  of  this  Atomic  Age. 
One  of  the  first  memories  I  have  is  that 
of  President  Kennedy  on  television 
during  the  Cuban  crisis.  At  the  time  I 


was  frightened  into  long  months  of 
nightmares;  now  I  am  discovering  that 
I  had  good  reason  to  be  frightened. 
The  growing  awareness  of  the 
possibiUties  of  atomic  wars  has  become 
a  reality  in  my  life.  I  rationalize  my 
way  out  of  that  fright  on  the  belief  in 
the  goodness  of  people  only  to  find 
myself  facing  germ  warfare,  napalm, 
and  other  more  "primitive"  forms  of 
war. 

Therefore,  I  am  part  of  that  genera- 
tion who,  beyond  any  other  generation, 
has  no  future.  I  never  believed  that  I 
would  live  to  be  eighteen.  Now  I  am 
nineteen,  and  I  cannot  see  myself 
twenty-five.  That  is  not  to  say  that  I 
do  not  have  the  same  desire  for  the 
future,  only  that  I  cannot  see  the  future 
as  a  realistic  possibility. 

But  that  is  not  the  reason  for  my 
impatience.  I  do  not  feel  that  my 
generation  has  any  new  insight  into  the 
world  situation,  only  much  more 
communication  with  the  rest  of  the 
world.  Television  has  brought  places 
and  people  unheard  of  in  the  past  into 
my  living  room.  The  automobile  has 
brought  me  into  the  inner  city  if  I  take 
the  time.  It  is  harder  now  to  be  both 
truly  sensitive  and  also  to  hide  and 
escape  from  reality. 

When  I  first  went  to  camp  in  high 
school  I  wore  my  rose-colored  glasses, 
but  when  I  returned  I  had  learned 
about  the  suffering  of  my  black 
brothers;  I  had  learned  about  the 
suffering  of  my  Vietnamese  brothers. 
I  could  no  longer  feel  isolated  in  my 
little,  white,  small  town  of  the  Mid- 
west. I  was  thrown  into  the  world.  I 
was  thrown  into  a  world  that  I  could 
not  face  without  feeling  the  pains  of 
thousands  and  millions  who  were  not 
living  in  my  affluent  life.  I  knew  that  I 
had  to  leave  that  life  of  the  privileged. 

I  have  seen  starving  children  in 
Nigeria;  I  have  seen  the 


napalmed  children  of  Vietnam;  I  have 
seen  the  ghetto  child  die  of  lead 
poisoning.  I  have  seen  the  faces  of 
hundreds  of  nationalities  of  mothers 
all  crying  over  their  dead  sons.  Not 
only  have  I  seen  these  faces;  I  have  felt 
the  pain.  I  have  felt  the  hate  from 
people  who  look  only  at  the  way  I 
dress.  I  have  heard  the  obscene  calls 
from  people  who  see  my  peace  button. 
I  have  known  what  it  is  like  to  be 
hated  for  being  young.  I  have  heard 
the  predictions  of  the  future  with  the 
population  explosion.  I  have  seen  my 
river  turned  into  a  mudhole.  I  have 
felt  the  hate  and  seen  the  hurt.  And  I 
am  not  willing  to  let  this  continue. 

Some  call  me  pessimistic,  and  others 
call  me  idealistic.  But  mankind  is  at 
that  point  in  history  when  it  has  only 
one  choice :   the  choice  of  making  this 
the  best  generation  or  the  last.  I  am 
not  trying  to  do  the  job  myself,  for  I 
am  calling  on  all  mankind  to  help. 

If  there  is  another  generation,  I  do 
not  want  them  to  live  in  this  polluted, 
hate-filled  world.  I  will  not  be  silent, 
for  silence  is  a  crime.  I  will  not  permit 
thousands  to  die  in  the  name  of  prog- 
ress, nor  children  to  die  in  war.  I 
will  not  let  these  people  suffer  and  only 
keep  still.  I  am  not  willing  to  wait 
for  years,  for  the  years  may  not  come. 

I  am  willing  to  go  to  jail  or  prison; 
I  am  willing  to  give  love  and  time  and 
money;  I  am  willing  to  help;  I  am 
willing  to  devote  my  life  to  serving 
mankind  in  every  way  I  can  —  but  I 
am  not  willing  to  wait.    D 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     13 


news 


India  forms  new  church; 
Brethren  is  named  bishop 


Forty-one  years  ago  a  core  of  Protes- 
tant and  Anglican  denominations  in  India 
conferred  on  the  need  for  a  wider  union 
of  missionary  cooperation.  A  year  later, 
in  1930,  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
India  joined  the  conversations,  and  next 
month  Brethren  will  participate  in  a  unit- 
ing service  for  the  Church  of  North  India 
(CNI),  the  fruition  of  long,  often  agoniz- 
ing discussions  toward  providing  a  single 
Protestant  church  for  northern  India. 

The  birth  of  the  new  church  will  bring 
together  the  ministry  and  program  of  six 
mission  denominations  under  Indian 
leadership.  The  authority  of  the  forming 
church  will  be  shared  among  17  bishops 
who  make  up  the  synod  of  the  CNI. 

Bishop:  Named  one  of  the  bishops 
was  Ishwarlal  L.  Christachari,  execu- 
tive secretary  for  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  India.  While  the  term  bishop 
is  alien  to  Brethren  polity,  it  is  different 
more  in  nomenclature  than  in  function. 

Not  of  the  sacramentarian,  "holy  fa- 
ther" nature,  the  office  and  title  of 
bishop,  an  elective  position,  is  more  like 
Mr.  Christachari's  present  executive 
function.  That  is,  he  will  be  administra- 
tively responsible  for  the  Gujarat  Diocese 
or  district  where  he  now  resides  and  will 
function  more  as  "a  pastor  to  pastors" 
and  coordinator  of  corporate  church  life, 
much  in  the  same  way  that  district  ex- 
ecutives operate  in  the  United  States. 
Pastoral  oversight,  evangelism,  teaching, 
and  worship  will  be  among  his  primary 
concerns. 

Mr.  Christachari  has  served  significant- 
ly for  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in 
India,  previously  as  moderator  of  First 
District,  and  as  deacon,  elder,  and  pastor. 
His  association  with  the  Brethren  began 
when,  as  a  child,  his  family  migrated  in 
a  time  of  famine  to  Bulsar  in  search  of 
food.    There  they   attended  the  church. 


became  members,  and  he  went  to  the 
mission  school,  later  becoming  a  teacher. 
After  further  training  he  was  called  to 
full-time  Christian  service.  Mr.  Christa- 
chari is  married  and  the  father  of  ten 
children. 

Represented  church:  He  has  repre- 
sented the  Brethren  in  the  Gujarat  Re- 
gional Christian  Council  and  in  the 
Church  Union  Negotiations  Committee 
of  North  India.  In  the  latter  capacity, 
he  has  been  closely  associated  with  the 
work  of  organizing  the  new  church. 

When  the  mission  churches  moved 
from  interreligious  cooperation  to  serious 
attempts  at  forming  a  single  church  in 
the  1950s,  the  Brethren  became  observers 
to  the  negotiations  in  1955  and  three 
years  later  joined  in  full  participation. 
Eventually,  overwhelming  approval  was 
given  by  the  two  Brethren  districts  in 
India  to  the  CNI  plan.  Geographically, 
the  new  plan  places  the  First  District  in 
the  Gujarat  Diocese,  under  Mr.  Christa- 
chari's purview,  and  the  Second  District 
in  the  Bombay  Diocese  where  the 
Marathi  language  is  used. 

As  diocese  may  be  translated  to  dis- 
trict for  Brethren,  so  may  the  synod, 
comprising  all  of  the  dioceses,  be  thought 
of  as  the  Annual  Conference.  The  con- 
gregation or  pastorate  expresses  in  the 
church  polity  the  life  of  the  church 
locally. 

A  common  communion:  An  Indian 
Christian  church  will  enable  all  Chris- 
tians to  take  communion  together,  said 
Mr.  Christachari  in  an  interview  in 
Messenger  in  1961.  "Nothing  makes 
us  feel  quite  so  bad  as  to  be  at  a  large 
meeting  of  Christians  and  to  have  a  few 
go  off  to  have  private  communion  or 
refuse  to  commune  at  all  because  of  their 
denominational  ties,"  he  said. 

The   remark   emphasizes   that   denom- 


inationalism  is  a  Western  import  for 
which  most  Indians  have  little  apprecia- 
tion. The  newly  named  bishop  also  not- 
ed that  a  larger  church  "can  speak  with 
one  voice  on  matters  of  discipline.  In- 
roads made  by  proselytizing  groups 
among  Christians  will  be  more  difficult 
after  the  new  church  is  born." 

The  CNI  inaugurating  service  will  oc- 
cur November  29-30  in  Nagpur  when 
the  participating  denominations  will  be 
formally  brought  together  in  a  common 
church.  Official  representatives  from  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  the  United 
States  will  be  General  Secretary  S.  Loren 
Bowman  and  World  Ministries  executive 
Joel  K.  Thompson.  Shantilal  P.  Bhagat, 
WMC  community  development  consul- 
tant and  an  Indian  citizen,  will  also  at- 
tend during  a  home  visit  then. 

Participants:  Negotiating  with  the 
Brethren  for  the  formation  of  the  church 
have  been  the  Council  of  the  Baptist 
Churches  in  Northern  India,  the  Dis- 
ciples of  Christ,  the  Church  of  India, 
Pakistan,  Burma,  and  Ceylon,  the  Meth- 
odist Church  (British  and  Australasian 
conferences),  the  United  Church  of 
Northern  India,  and  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Southern  Asia.  A  recent  set- 
back to  the  process  was  the  withdrawal 
earlier  this  summer  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Southern  Asia,  a  communion 
of  600,000  members,  over  a  concern  for 
the  office  of  bishop.  The  mission  groups 
in  the  plan  represent  some  738,000 
Christians  in  India,  including  18,000  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

Given  the  presence  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  in  India  for  the  past  76 
years,  and  with  its  earnest  participation 
in  the  new  church  since  the  1950s,  Breth- 
ren have  exerted  an  influence  upon  the 
shaping  of  the  Church  of  North  India 
itself. 

A  key  role  was  played  in  defining  the 
task  of  the  bishops  in  the  forming  church, 
says  Merle  Crouse,  World  Ministries 
church  development  liaison  with  India, 
and  in  such  aspects  as  baptism,  com- 
munion, and  other  forms  of  worship. 


14     MESSENGER     10-22-70 


Receiving,  giving:  Mr.  Christachari 
has  commented:  "While  we  will  be  able 
to  draw  on  leadership  from  larger 
churches  and  to  take  advantage  of  the 
many  resources  that  will  be  available  to 
us  in  church  union,  we  will  be  benefited 
most  by  what  we  have  to  give  to  the 
new  church. 

"These  things  include  teachings  on 
believer's  baptism,  peaceful  means  of 
settling  disputes,  living  the  Christian  life, 
and  the  meaning  of  the  simple  life." 

Essentially  the  practices  of  the  par- 
ticipating churches  will  continue  to  be 
accepted  in  the  CNI.  Baptism  may  be 
administered  by  immersion,  affusion,  or 
sprinkling,  and  both  infant  and  believers' 
baptism  will  be  accepted.  A  minister 
with  scruples  against  infant  baptism  is 
free  to  invite  another  to  perform  the  rite. 

The  bread  and  cup  remain  central  to 
the  communion  experience.  The  inaugu- 
ral document  states  that  "any  form  of 
service  of  Holy  Communion  which  be- 
fore the  union  was  in  use  in  any  of  the 
uniting  churches  may  be  used  in  the 
Church  of  North  India,  and  any  pres- 
byter and  congregation  shall  have  free- 
dom to  choose  the  form  of  service  which 
they  shall  use." 

Women  in  church:  The  plan  further 
states  that  the  church  holds  to  "the 
priesthood  of  all  believers,"  the  ministry 
of  the  laity,  including  women  (who  may 
hold  the  office  of  deaconess).  Ordination 
of  women  still  is  to  be  decided. 

Two  concerns  yet  to  be  dealt  with  by 
the  CNI  will  be  related  to  the  service 
institutions  and  the  missionaries  of  the 
sending  churches.  Long-term  involve- 
ments of  the  service  boards,  such  institu- 
tions as  the  Dahanu  Road  Hospital  of 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  probably 
will  fall  under  CNI  operation,  though 
assisted  financially  by  the  participating 
churches. 

The  missionaries  themselves  will  be 
seconded  to  the  CNI  by  their  respective 
mission  boards  and  the  boards  will  con- 
tinue to  provide  a  resource  for  such 
personnel. 


Former  missionary  Don  Stern  and  Ishwarlal  L.  Christachari  at  1966  Annual  Conference 


With  the  creation  of  the  larger  church 
in  India,  what  now  is  the  role  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  there?  Says 
Merle  Crouse: 

"The  Church  of  North  India  does  not 
represent  the  Brethren  in  India  giving 
themselves  and  their  ministry  away  and 
merging  into  an  ecumenical  body  foreign 
to  their  feeling  and  doctrine. 

Newr  organism:  "Rather,  the  Brethren 
in  India  are  participating  in  the  creation 
of  a  church  of  their  own  making.  A  new 
organism  is  being  formed,  and  the  Breth- 
ren have  helped  form  it  according  to 
their  understanding  of  the  Christian  faith 
and  how  that  faith  needs  to  be  lived  in 
India.  They  have  been  working  for  41 
years  with  other  Christians  to   do  this. 

"The  formation  of  the  CNI  makes 
sense  only  as  we  understand  what  it 
means  to  be  a  Christian  in  India,  a 
basically  non-Christian  society.  Their 
need  is  for  visibility  and  strength  for  the 
Christian  community  and  not  primarily 
for  visibility  and  strength  for  Brethren 
as  a  small  portion  of  the  Christian  com- 
munity." 

The  changing  nature  of  the  Indian 
mission  field  was  noted  recently  too  by 
Dr.  Leonard  Blickenstaff,  home  on  fur- 
lough,  who   with   his   wife   has   worked 


with  the   Indian  Brethren  for  30  years. 

While  the  number  of  missionaries  on 
the  Indian  field  has  decreased  during  his 
tenure,  he  noted  that  "there  are  more 
Indians  working  in  the  responsible  posi- 
tions now  and  the  missionary  has  as- 
sumed the  role  of  giving  encouragement 
and  help  rather  than  in  making  all  of  the 
decisions."  Of  this  direction  he  approved. 

Service  exchanges:  Dr.  Blickenstaff 
foresees  the  day  when  service  personnel 
will  go  to  India  for  short-term  projects 
and  when  Indians  will  go  on  similar  mis- 
sions to  other  countries.  Less  likely  to 
occur  again  are  such  placements  as  his 
own  where  workers  spend  their  entire 
lives  in  a  country,  he  observes. 

When  Wilbur  Stover  went  to  India  for 
the  Brethren  in  1895  he  planted  a  banyan 
tree  in  Bulsar  as  the  symbol  of  the 
growth  he  hoped  for  the  church  there. 
The  tree  he  planted  in  India  was  native 
to  India  and  the  church  that  has  grown 
is  Indian.  As  Indian  Christians  are 
joined  together  in  a  common  church. 
Brethren  may  rejoice  with  their  Indian 
friends  for  the  vision  that  was  shared  by 
Wilbur  Stover  and  others  many  years 
ago  and  which  increasingly  becomes 
visible  as  the  Church  of  North  India  is 
born. 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     15 


special  report 


A  conversation  with 


XU^  I  IIVI   ^4-   OC  /  ^  conversaiion  wi 
I  tie  UIM  at   ^O /Andrew  W.  Cordier 


■  Andrew  W.  Cordier  is  said  to  be  able 
to  recite  the  United  Nations  charter  from 
memory.  Indeed,  he  helped  draft  it. 
And  certainly  from  his  17  years  as  a  top 
official  of  the  world  organization,  from 
its  very  beginnings,  he  could  recount 
much  of  its  history  as  well.  This  month 
the  United  Nations  will  note  its  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary,  commemorating  the 
signing  of  the  charter  at  San  Francisco 
in  1945. 
For  nearly  two  decades  Dr.  Cordier 
shared  the  presiding  rostrum  of  the 
General  Assembly  with  the  president  of 
the  assembly  and  the  secretary-general  in 
his  position  as  executive  assistant  to  the 
secretary-general  with  the  rank  of  under- 
secretary.  He  retired  from  the  United 
Nations  in  1962  and  became  dean  of  the 
School  of  International  Afl'airs  at  Colum- 
bia University  and  in  1968  was  named 
acting  president,  and  later  president, 
of  Columbia. 
The  following  interview  in  noting  the 
UN's  first  quarter  century  was  held  with 
Ronald  E.  Keener,  Office  of  Communica- 
tion, in  New  York  before  Dr.  Cordier 
relinquished  the  university  presidency 
and  returned  to  the  deanship  of  the 
School  of  International  Affairs  on  Sep- 
tember 1.  Dr.  Cordier,  69,  is  an  or- 
dained Church  of  the  Brethren  minister, 
an  alumnus  and  former  professor,  and 
now  a  trustee,  of  Manchester  College, 
and  a  former  chairman  of  the  Brethren 
Service  Committee. 
He  presently  is  working  on  a  seven- 
volume  publication  of  the  public  papers 
of  the  UN  secretary-general  to  be  pub- 
lished by  Columbia  University  Press.   His 
personal  philosophy  well  sums  up  his 
professional  life  when  he  observed  that 
"the  good  life  is  the  active  life"  —  a  life 
that  contributes  creatively  to  the 
spiritual,  moral,  physical,  and  mental 
health  of  a  society. 


DR.  CORDIER,  IN  VIEW  OF  THE  STATE 
OF  WORLD  PEACE  today,  Is  1970  the 
time  to  celebrate  the  25th  anniversary 
of  the  United  Nations?  Is  there  some- 
thing worth  celebrating?  If,  by  the 
word  celebration,  we  simply  mean  exalta- 
tion, I  would  say  it  is  the  wrong  interpre- 
tation of  what  we  ought  to  do  this  year. 
It's  not  exaltation;  it's  an  appraisal,  a 
reappraisal,  a  look  to  the  future.  It 
should  be  a  period  in  which  we  come  to 
assess  the  weaknesses  and  the  strengths  of 
the  UN  and  to  develop  a  move  forward 
on  as  many  fronts  as  possible  to  in- 
crease its  effective  role  in  the  world 
today.  So  I  apply  that  interpretation  to 
the  word  celebration. 

There  will  be  many  forums  in  which 
the  UN  will  be  remembered  this  year 
and  I  hope  that  some  good  will  come 
out  of  it  in  terms  of  developing  either 
new  directions  or  more  solid  commitment 
to  old  directions  which  were  not  fully 
tried  and  which  need  to  be  tried  from 
different  angles. 

THE  CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN,  YOU 
MAY  REMEMBER,  in  the  past  year  has 
talked  about  the  celebration  of  hope. 
In  fact,  that  was  the  theme  of  Annual 
Conference.  Can  you  apply  this  as 
well  to  the  UN?  I  think  it's  possible  to 
apply  that  phrase  to  the  UN.  As  it  has 
been  said  so  often,  if  the  UN  didn't  exist 
it  would  have  to  be  created.  That  implies 
quite  clearly  that  the  UN,  despite  its  de- 
ficiencies, does  perform  a  very  salutary 
service  to  humanity  as  a  catalyst  and  in 
talking  things  over,  in  ironing  out  the 
issues  that  lie  behind  the  issues,  and  in 
providing  an  atmosphere  in  which  solu- 
tions are  found. 

I  used  to  say  at  the  UN,  and  I've  said 
it  here  at  the  university,  that  failures 
should  not  cause  us  to  be  too  pessimis- 
tic, because  we  live  another  day  to  fight 


back,  strengthening  the  institution  of 
which  we  are  a  part. 

Neither  should  successes  give  us  too 
much  exaltation,  because  we  know  that 
successes  operate  within  the  framework 
of  possible  failures.  It  seems  to  me,  then, 
while  there  are  successes  and  failures, 
one  should  approach  both  with  a  sense 
of  equanimity,  a  sense  of  coolness,  a 
sense  of  balance  which  is  the  best  way  to 
assure  one's  strength  for  the  future. 

COULD  YOU  ASSESS  THE  PROMISE 
AND  PERFORMANCE  of  the  UN  in  the 
past  quarter  century?  In  preserving 
peace  during  the  last  25  years  the  UN 
has  a  checkered  history,  but  not  as 
checkered  as  some  people  seem  to  feel. 
I  feel  for  example,  that  if  the  UN  had 
not  existed,  we  could  have  had  World 
War  III  several  times  in  the  last  25 
years.  So  that  in  itself  makes  the  UN 
highly  worthwhile. 

Another  way  of  putting  it  is  that  the 
UN  often  put  out  brush  fires.  Brush 
fires  often  lead  to  larger  fires,  and  in 
putting  out  brush  fires  we  were  in  fact 
keeping  the  fire  from  spreading  and  in- 
volving other  nations  and  other  areas, 
thus  stopping  the  trend  toward  World 
War  III. 

In  the  field  of  mediation  and  concilia- 
tion, part  of  the  process  of  putting  out 
brush  fires,  the  UN,  particularly  in 
[former  Secretary-General]  Dag  Ham- 
marskjold's  day,  was  very  often  dramat- 
ically successful.  And  I'd  even  add  a 
third,  reconciliation,  which  was  a  very 
important  trait  which  Dag  Hammarskjold 
had  as  the  heart  of  his  diplomacy  and 
which  he  regarded  as  a  very  central  part 
of  the  process  of  diplomacy.  When  you 
get  people  together,  you  do  not  merely 
get  them  together  for  a  solution  of  an 
immediate  problem.  You  attempt,  in- 
stead, to  establish  a  climate  in  which  they 


16     MESSENGER     10-22-70 


'The  highest 
nationalism 
is  that 
expressed  in 
a  recognition 
of  interests 
of  the 
whole  of 
humanity" 


can  stay  together  and,  in  staying  together, 
produce  the  working  relationship  which 
will  last,  hopefully,  for  many  years. 

We  had  also  developed  a  system  of 
stationing  UN  personnel,  uniformed  per- 
sonnel, in  the  Middle  East  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  world  in  crisis  areas.  This 
system  has  had  very  good  benefits;  un- 
fortunately it  isn't  being  used  now  as 
much  as  it  was  before  in  1966.  But  the 
presence  of  the  UN  quasimilitary  person- 
nel as  observers,  as  people  who  solved 
problems  on  the  spot,  reporting,  in  the 
Middle  East  for  example,  to  the  Mixed 
Armistice  Commissions,  represented  a 
type  of  service  which  was  very  important 
to  the  peace  of  that  area.  I  hope  we  get 
back  to  that  arrangement  again,  because 
it  was  most  helpful  and  worthwhile.  Now 
this  is  the  political  phase,  the  phase  in- 
volving threats  to  peace. 

But  there  are  other  areas,  too,  in  which 
the  UN  has  served  extremely  well.  I  refer 
particularly  to  the  economic  field  where 
the  United  Nations  Development  Pro- 
gram has  been  responsible  for  many  de- 
velopment   programs    in    more    than    a 


hundred  countries  of  the  world.  If  there 
is  any  tragedy  in  that  program  at  all,  it 
arises  from  the  population  trends  of  the 
world  today.  The  population  is  racing 
ahead  of  economic  development;  it's 
racing  ahead  of  food  production,  and, 
therefore,  it's  causing  the  UN  to  go  into 
new  fields  —  population  control,  family 
planning,  and  the  development  of  what 
is  called  the  "green  revolution"  —  that  is 
to  say,  the  increase  of  food  production. 
The  nations  of  the  Third  World  are  be- 
ginning to  backtrack  and  to  recognize 
that  to  engage  in  one  great  leap  into 
economic  stability  through  industrializa- 
tion was  not  in  fact  the  solution.  Some- 
thing else  was  required.  And  that  was  to 
revert  to  solid  programs  for  agricultural 
development  with  an  expansion  of  food 
production. 

DOES  THIS  INCLUDE  UNESCO  (UN 
ECONOMIC,  SOCIAL,  and  Cultural 
Organization)?  It  includes  quite  a  num- 
ber of  specialized  agencies.  The  Food 
and  Agricultural  Organization,  for  ex- 
ample, is  centrally  involved  in  food  pro- 


duction. The  World  Health  Organization 
has  done  a  very  good  job  in  the  field  of 
disease  and  health,  but  now  it  too  is  be- 
coming involved  in  population  questions. 
UNESCO  has  had  a  considerable  influ- 
ence in  education  and  the  encouragement 
of  education  in  various  parts  of  the 
world.  It  has  not  done  what  some  people 
thought  it  would  do  initially,  that  is  to 
say,  establish  the  intellectual  basis  of  the 
peace  of  the  world.  Since  war  begins  in 
the  minds  of  men,  peace  must  begin 
there  too.  On  the  other  hand,  the 
process  of  affecting  the  minds  of  men  is 
so  broad,  sweeping,  and  comprehensive 
that  a  single  organization  can't  hope  to 
encompass  all  of  this  responsibility. 
Other  specialized  agencies  have  consid- 
erable responsibility  in  various  aspects  of 
economic  growth  and  social  development. 
So  the  family  of  agencies  related  to  the 
United  Nations  are  in  fact  doing  a  very 
good  piece  of  work  —  not  big  enough, 
not  comprehensive  enough,  but  helpful. 

SECRETARY-GENERAL  U-THANT  HAS 
BEEN  REPORTED  TO  say  that  the 
United  Nations  has  ten  years  to  be- 
come effective  or  disappear.  Is  there 
any  basis  for  this  prognosis?  Is  the 
UN  not  now  an  effective  organization? 
I  question  that  formulation,  because 
the  UN  is  to  some  degree  effective 
now.  To  say  that  it  might  disappear 
in  ten  years  is,  of  course,  to  fail  to  take 
into  account  the  overriding  need  of  some- 
thing like  the  United  Nations. 

If  very  tragically  we  should  come  to 
World  War  III,  that  no  doubt  would 
bring  an  end  to  the  UN  as  World  War  II 
brought  an  end  to  the  League  of  Nations. 
But  I  ardently  hope  and  believe  that  it 
will  be  possible  to  avoid  World  War  III. 

WHAT  STRUCTURAL  OR  ORGANIZA- 
TIONAL REVISIONS  in  the  United  Na- 
tions and  its  charter  might  make  it 
more  effective  and  more  likely  to 
survive  the  next  25  years?  The  real 
fault,  the  real  weakness  of  the  UN  is  not 
in  its  charter  but  in  its  membership.  And 
therefore  —  Dag  Hammarskjold  and  I 
used  to  talk  this  over  repeatedly  —  we 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     17 


were  very  much  in  agreement  that  char- 
ter change  is  not  necessary  at  this  stage. 
As  Dag  put  it,  as  long  as  there  are  so 
many  parts  in  the  charter  that  are  not 
used  effectively  and  could  be  used  to  the 
benefit  of  the  United  Nations,  he  didn't 
see  any  reason  why  it  should  be  changed. 

It  is  in  fact  the  attitude  of  member 
nations  that  makes  the  difference  in  the 
United  Nations.  That  is  to  say,  if  they 
are  going  to  be  nationalistic  in  attempts 
to  carry  out  either  unilaterally  or  through 
the  United  Nations  their  nationalistic  de- 
sires, it  weakens  the  UN,  and  that  weak- 
ness is  reflected  in  the  UN. 

Fortunately  there  are  many  members 
of  the  UN  who  really  sincerely  follow 
through  the  implications  of  their  signing 
and  ratifying  the  charter.  As  one  French 
ambassador  put  it  to  me,  "I  wear  two 
hats  —  the  hat  of  the  United  Nations  and 
the  hat  of  my  country.  But  the  hat  that 
I  respect  and  consider  as  the  greater 
challenge  is  the  hat  of  the  United  Na- 
tions. That  is,  I'm  representing  France 
as  a  UN  member,  rather  than  France  as 
France."  That's  a  very  good  distinction 
to  make,  and  I  can  say  that  many  coun- 
tries in  the  past  have  on  many  issues  put 
the  interests  of  the  UN  first.  If  more 
of  them  had  done  it  and  had  done  it  more 
consistently,  we'd  have  a  stronger  UN. 
So  I  come  back  to  the  beginning  and 
repeat  that  the  problem  is  not  in  the 
charter   but   in   the   UN   membership. 

OF  COURSE,  EACH  NATION  HAS  ITS 
OWN  NATIONALISTIC  interests.  Is 
there  a  way  of  drawing  a  line  bet>veen 
international    and    national    interests? 

I  would  say  that  the  line  is  drawn  at  the 
point  where  a  nation  engages  in  efforts 
which  are  obviously  in  violation  of  the 


On  the  UN 
presidential 
rostrum  in  1959: 
the  late  Dag  Ham- 
marskjold, 
present  Secret ary- 
General  U-Thant, 
and  Andrew 
Cordier 


charter.  If  the  Security  Council  or  the 
assembly  take  actions  which  are  entirely 
in  the  interests  of  peace  and  a  govern- 
ment refuses  to  follow,  it's  an  open 
violation  of  not  only  the  UN  organ  but 
of  the  charter  itself.  It  seems  to  me  that's 
the  main  border  line  between  the  two 
positions. 

There  ought  to  be  recognition  by  now 
in  our  kind  of  a  world  that  the  highest 
nationalism  is  that  expressed  in  a  recog- 
nition of  interests  of  the  whole  of  hu- 
manity, and  if  it's  that  kind  of  national- 
ism, then  all  of  us  could  support  it. 

ARE  THE  SOUTHEAST  ASIA  AND  THE 
MIDDLE  EAST  CONFLICTS  examples  of 
this  type  of  thing?  Yes.  The  Middle 
East  was  under  my  direct  jurisdiction  for 
14  years  at  the  UN,  and  I  worked  on 
every  issue  in  the  Middle  East  at  that 
time.  There  are  many,  many  cases  where 
countries  did  respond  or  failed  to  re- 
spond to  the  requirements  of  peace  in 
that  area. 

In  Southeast  Asia,  of  course.  Dag 
Hammarskjold  and  I  started  to  work  on 
that  issue  as  early  as  1954.  He  was 
working  on  the  diplomatic  settlement  of 
those  issues  and  with  great  difficulty  to 
be  sure,  because  the  Soviet  Union  and  to 
a  lesser  extent  the  United  States  were  un- 
happy about  the  secretary-general's  in- 
tervention in  those  questions.  But  he 
persisted,  and  if  he  had  been  living  today, 
it  is  conceivable  —  of  course  one  can 
n3ver  be  sure  about  matters  of  this  sort 
—  that  the  Vietnam  picture  would  be  a 
very  different  one. 

Personally  I  do  not  feel  that  the  United 
States  will  be  able  to  gain  anything  out 
of  continued  military  intervention  in 
Vietnam.     It's   just    not    the    kind    of   a 


situation  where  a  military  victory,  in  the 
traditional  sense,  can  be  meaningful. 
And  since  it  can't  be  meaningful, 
it's  an  additional  reason  why  we 
should  withdraw  at  the  earliest  pos- 
sible moment.  Vietnam  itself  is  so 
weak,  split,  and  unstable  that  a  military 
presence  there  will  not  provide  the  unity 
and  stability  and  forward  movement  that 
the  country  requires.  Regrettably,  the 
people  will  have  to  learn  it  the  hard  way, 
on  their  own,  and  develop  to  the  largest 
degree  possible  that  measure  of  national 
unity  which  will  make  it  possible  for 
them  to  carry  on. 

Korea  was  a  very  different  story. 
South  Korea  was  much  stronger,  far 
more  unified,  far  less  split  by  tension 
and  deception  internally  than  South  Viet- 
nam. And  so  it  was  possible  to  work  in 
Korea  more  effectively  than  in  South 
Vietnam. 

ARE  THERE  OVERTURES  THAT  THE 
UNITED  STATES  GOVERNMENT  might 
make  during  this  anniversary  year 
toward  specific  proposals  to  strength- 
en the  UN?  One  of  the  things  I  think 
we  should  do  is  to  desist  from  opposing 
Chinese  representation  in  the  UN.  Now 
I  don't  think  China  will  accept  such  rep- 
resentation or  would  come  in,  but  the 
point  is  that  we  give  her  all  sorts  of 
arguments  in  the  world  community 
by  our  refusal  to  open  the  door.  China's 
leaders  provide  so  many  conditions  for 
her  representation  in  the  UN  that  would 
be  unacceptable.  But  the  point  is  if  the 
vote  were  in  favor  of  her  being  seated  in 
the  UN  —  I  would  think  it  would  be 
some  years  before  she  actually  seated 
herself  —  the  ball  should  be  thrown  over 
into  her  court  rather  than  leaving  it  in 
the  American  court. 

YOU  WOULD  FAVOR  A  UNIVERSAL 
MEMBERSHIP  IN  the  United  Nations? 

Yes,  a  universal  membership  I  think 
would  be  very  good. 

IS  THE  UN  ANY  CLOSER  TO  WORLD 
GOVERNMENT?  IS  world  govern- 
ment the  thing  that  we  ought  to  strive 


18     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


toward?  In  theory  it  would  be  a  won- 
derful thing  to  have  world  government. 
In  practice  you  have  to  pull  these  nations 
along  into  a  recognition  of  their  overall 
responsibilities  to  the  world  community. 
And  until  you  have  that,  you  can't  have 
world  government.  I  mean  there's  just 
not  the  kind  of  situation  that  world  gov- 
ernment  would   require. 

IS  THERE  SOME  WAY  IN  BRINGING 
NATIONS  ALONG  to  think  this  way? 

I've  seen  many  cases  in  my  17  years  in 
the  UN  of  countries  that  were  rather 
indifferent  toward  their  world  responsi- 
biHty  but,  once  becoming  involved,  began 
to  show  a  great  sense  of  responsibility. 
So  I  think  the  UN's  positive  contribution 
is  also  a  fact  that  ought  to  be  considered. 

WHAT  ARE  THE  INGREDIENTS  FOR 
COLLECTIVE  SECURITY?  Beyond  the 
sense  of  responsibility,  what  makes  a 
United  Nations  work?  Article  42  of 
the  charter  provides  for  what  you  could 
call  collective  security  in  the  UN  in 
which  the  great  powers  form  a  staff  com- 
mittee with  forces  under  their  direction 
and  from  which  they  would  in  turn  com- 
mand contingents  from  other  countries. 
But  that's  never  been  implemented.    And 


I'm  not  too  unhappy  about  it.  I  am  un- 
happy about  the  reason  for  it;  that  is, 
the  reason  for  it  was  simply  disunity.  If 
unity  had  prevailed,  then  it  would  have 
been  unnecessary.  I  would  have  sup- 
ported a  different  course.  By  continuous 
stressing  of  measures  to  encourage  max- 
imum unity  in  UN  membership,  peace- 
keeping organs  like  the  United  Nations 
Emergency  Force  could  have  increased 
their    scope    and    effectiveness. 

HAVE  WE  MADE  PROGRESS  TOWARD 
COLLECTIVE  SECURITY  in  the  world 
since  '45?  Is  it  a  brighter  world  today 
than  perhaps  it  was  then?  I  think  so. 
But  I  wouldn't  say  the  word  "collective 
security"  quite  covers  it.  The  meaning 
of  collective  security  is  so  distinctly  mili- 
tary that  I'm  not  happy  about  it.  If  by 
collective  security  we  mean  something 
broader,  a  wider  recognition  of  what  it 
takes  to  preserve  peace  including  all  the 
arts  of  diplomacy  and  education,  the 
catalystic  impact  of  the  UN  and  other 
agencies,  then  I  would  say  yes. 

THE  NEW  YORK  POST  IN  1945 
CALLED  THE  SAN  FRANCISCO  meet- 
ing "the  most  important  human  gath- 
ering  since  the   Last  Supper."    Would 


you  still  consider  that  an  open  ques- 
tion? I  would  consider  that  something 
of  an  exaggeration.  That  is,  I  would  put 
it  a  little  differently.  I  wouldn't  want  to 
compare  it  to  the  Last  Supper.  I  would 
say  it  was,  to  be  sure,  an  extremely  im- 
portant gathering.  But  my  feeling  about 
San  Francisco  is  that  many  people  had 
their  hopes  stimulated  to  too  high  a  pitch. 
Yes,  it  gave  the  world  a  charter  for 
preserving  preace  —  a  charter  that  would 
become  effective  if  we,  the  human  beings 
and  the  nations  that  worked  with  it,  made 
the    most    out    of    it. 

If  you  use  a  different  term,  there  are 
those  who  said  this  charter  would  now 
guarantee  peace.  I  never  accepted  that 
word  guarantee;  I  used  to  say  rather 
that  it  gives  us  a  better  chance  to  have 
peace  if  we  apply  ourselves  to  the  ob- 
jectives of  the  charter. 

THE  UN  MAY  BE  A  STRUCTURE  OF 
HOPE  MORE  THAN  REALITY?  Yes.  I 
think  hope  and  reality  ought  to  go  hand 
in  hand.  Your  hopes  cannot  be  realized 
unless  you  work  for  them.  And  you  can- 
not work  for  them  effectively  unless  you 
start  where  the  starting  point  is,  so  to 
speak,  and  then  move  forward.  Then 
your  hopes  become  realized. 


UN  theme:  Peace,  justice,  progress 


English   imprint  of  com- 
memorative medal 


Under  the  theme  "peace,  justice,  and  prog- 
ress" the  United  Nations  observes  its  silver 
jubilee  this  month  in  a  commemorative  session 
culminating  with  United  Nations  Day  October 
24.  More  than  ceremony,  the  observance  is 
intended  to  consider  substantive  matters  that 
affect  the  role  and  effectiveness  of  the  world 
body.  The  persistent  problems  facing  the  UN 
—  decolonization,  human  rights  and  apartheid, 
principles  of  friendly  relations  among  nations, 
economic  development,  disarmament,  and 
peace  keeping  ^ — will  figure  in  an  historic 
document  that  is  to  be  signed  by  the  heads  of 
state  and  government  who  attend  the  com- 
memorative session. 


The  UN's  twenty-fifth  anniversary  coincides 
with  the  launching  of  the  Second  United  Na- 
tions Development  Decade,  aimed  at  economic 
and  social  advancement  of  all  peoples.  In  this 
year  also  UNESCO  is  mounting  a  special  at- 
tack on  the  problem  of  mass  illiteracy  and 
ignorance  known  as  the  International  Educa- 
tion Year.  Already  the  1970s  have  been  desig- 
nated the  "Disarmament  Decade"  and  efforts 
toward  worldwide  disarmament  will  be  tackled 
with  renewed  determination.  Finally,  the  issue 
of  colonial  problems  is  highlighted  this  year 
on  the  tenth  anniversary  of  the  adoption  of  the 
Declaration  on  the  Granting  of  Independence 
to  Colonial  Countries  and  Peoples. 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     19 


PROGRAM  PERSPECTIVES 


in   a  series 


Reclustering  for 
parish  concerns 

by  Earl  W.  Fike  Jr. 

Associate  General  Secretary  and  executive  for  Parish  Ministries  Commission 


One  look  at  the  Parish  Ministries  Commission  staff 
task  groupings  and  someone  is  likely  to  ask,  "Another 
change  in  organization?"  The  answer  is  no.  The  orig- 
inal teams  (Planning  Counselors,  Human  Resource  De- 
velopers, and  Material  Resource  Developers)  are  still  in 
existence  as  administrative  units.  They  are  still  an  im- 
portant perspective  from  which  PMC  works  in  relation- 
ship to  the  congregations  and  districts. 

Then  what  is  a  task  group?  An  answer  to  that  ques- 
tion must  first  deal  with  a  short  review  of  the  commis- 
sion meeting  in  March  where  four  priorities  for  staff 
response  to  congregational  concerns  were  established. 
The  priorities  were  drawn  from  input  by  Annual  Con- 
ference participants  and  sounding  conferences  held  across 
the  Brotherhood.  Given  single  word  names  for  simplicity, 
they  might  be  summarized  as  follows; 

1/^  Identity  —  assisting  persons  and  congregations  in 
their  search  for  meaning  in  Christ. 

(^  Celebration  —  assisting  persons  and  congregations 
in  sharing  their  joy  in  who  they  are  and  what  they  are 
becoming. 

U^  Evangelism  —  encouraging  persons  and  congrega- 
tions to  tell  their  story  of  how  life  is  meaningful  and 
invite  others  to  share  in  fellowship  and  commitment  to 
Christ. 

1/^  Participation  —  assisting  persons  and  congrega- 
tions in  turning  to  and  being  involved  in  the  world  in 
such  a  way  that  they  may  be  open  to  new  life  yet  faithful 
in  change. 

A  sequence:  These  priorities  are  seen  as  having  an 
experiential  sequence.  One  follows  the  other  and  builds 
on  it.  It  is  only  as  we  know  Christ  and  who  we  are 
through  him  that  we  can  celebrate  that  good  news,  en- 
courage others  to  join  with  us  in  life-style  and  commit- 
ment to  him,  and  live  a  responsive  and  involved  life  in 
the  world.  But  that  experience  in  the  world  calls  our 
identity  into  constant  review.  It  is  a  continuing  cycle. 
Since  the  gospel  is  whole,  you  cannot  be  involved  in  one 


and  ignore  the  others.  Yet  each  is  significant  in  its  own 
way.  As  Christians  we  may  emphasize  different  priorities 
at  different  times,  yet  in  reality  we  are  in  all  of  the  pri- 
orities at  the  same  time. 

Clustering:  A  task  group,  then,  is  a  cluster  of  staff 
persons  related  to  one  of  the  four  priorities.  Here  are 
some  specifics  which  task  groups  will  do: 

The  Identity  task  group  carries  responsibility  for  edu- 
cational ministry,  for  personal  growth  models  (such  as 
Mission  Twelve  and  group  life  labs),  and  curriculum 
overview  and  teacher  training. 

Responsibility  for  ministry  (including  placement  and 
education),  and  for  resources  and  training  opportunities 
related  to  celebration  and  worship  will  be  carried  by  the 
Celebration  task  group. 

The  Evangelism  task  group  includes  all  church  exten- 
sion matters,  equipping  and  training  of  evangelism  coun- 
selors, special  evangelism  workshops,  and  certain  new 
ministries. 

Congregational  involvement  in  community  issues,  spe- 
cial ministries  related  to  community  concerns,  family  life 
development,  and  youth  resource  development  are  the 
tasks  of  the  Participation  cluster. 

While  this  list  is  not  exhaustive,  each  task  group  has 
specific  goals,  objectives,  and  budget  items  for  which  it 
is  responsible. 

Key  to  the  innovation  of  the  task  team  is  to  have  de- 
cision making  and  power  to  act  as  close  as  possible  to 
the  source  of  interest  and  information.  When  the  Gen- 
eral Board  was  reorganized  an  effort  was  made  to  pro- 
vide for  flexibility  so  that  it  would  be  possible  at  any 
given  time  to  respond  to  new  priorities  as  they  emerge. 
The  formation  of  task  groups  was  the  commission's  way 
of  using  our  flexibility  to  respond  to  these  four  priorities 
as  they  emerged.  It  has  meant  some  rejuggling  of  assign- 
ments. But  the  staff  is  enthused  about  the  approach  and 
the  way  it  will  allow  them  to  devote  time  and  energy  to 
four  crucial  congregational  concerns. 


20     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


dayiiiriiair 


How  Jesus  emphasized  forgiveness!  That's  reason  enough 
to  beUeve  it  is  important.  But  we  also  have  medical  docu- 
mentation that  resentment  and  bitterness  cause  as  much,  if 
not  more,  physical  distress  than  any  other  emotions. 

Our  family  is  trying  various  ways  of  helping  one  an- 
other to  forgive  as  an  immediate  response.  Otherwise  the 
sediment  of  unforgiven  wrongs  (real  or  imagined)  sinks 
into  our  inner  consciousness  to  rankle  and  fester  and  re- 
appear in  an  unrecognizable  but  equally  malignant  form. 

There  is  ample  opportunity  to  practice  forgiveness  in 
any  family  situation,  let  alone  outside  the  home.  We  dis- 
cuss the  direct  effects  of  anger  on  our  bodies,  realizing  that 
forgiveness  benefits  the  one  forgiving  as  much  as  the  for- 
given one.  We  feel  better  at  once,  and  unhealthy  emotions 
aren't  being  fed  into  our  subconscious  to  trouble  us  later. 
We  feel  this  is  one  area  in  which  we  adults  really  must  be- 
come like  children,  who  rarely  hold  a  grudge. 

One  day  I  was  expounding  on  various  happenings  that 
had  me  stirred  up  —  to  be  honest,  I  was  mad.  And  rightly 
so,  I  told  myself.  It  was  a  perfect  illustration  of  the  fact 
that  at  times  we  have  cause  for  "righteous  indignation." 
As  I  was  stewing,  one  of  the  children  gently  reminded  me, 
"Mommy,  your  body  doesn't  know  you  have  a  right  to  be 
angry."  That  called  a  halt  at  once,  and  I  began  the  process 
of  forgiving.  We  reviewed  the  fact  that  our  bodies  do  not 
know  the  difference  between  righteous  and  unrighteous  in- 
dignation. The  digestive  tract,  nerves,  and  circulatory 
system  suffer  just  as  much  from  one  as  the  other. 

Sometimes  we  kid  ourselves  by  saying'  we  feel  hurt  in- 
stead of  admitting  that  we  haven't  forgiven.  There  is  an 
Oriental  idea  that  power  can  be  gained  over  someone  by 
learning  his  name.  Jesus  at  times  made  demons  name 
themselves  before  he  expelled  them.  Dr.  William  Parker's 
book  Prayer  Can  Change  Your  Life  points  out  that  we 
cannot  cast  out  demons  like  resentment  by  calling  them 
more  acceptable  names  like  "righteous  indignation"  or  "hurt 
feelings."  Children  don't  do  this,  just  we  "nice"  adults  — 
another  way  in  which  becoming  childlike  could  help  us. 

The  Bible  says,  "Let  not  the  sun  go  down  upon  your 
wrath."  Psychology  and  other  schools  of  thought  teach 
that  our  last  waking  thoughts  are  very  important.  And 
how  often  we  go  to  bed  reviewing  the  problems  of  the  day 
or  nursing  hurt  feelings.  We  are  trying  to  prevent  this 
habit  in  our  children  by  using  tucking-in  time  to  review 
the  day,  sorting  out  the  upsetting  times  and  putting  there 
the  healing  balm  of  forgiveness  —  asking  for  and  receiving 
it  if  we  were  to  blame,  and  giving  it,  if  we  were  the  innocent 
party. 


Children's  vivid  imaginations  can  be  a  great  asset  if 
used  constructively.  So  we  imagine  that  the  aura  around 
the  human  body  is  the  Christ-light  which  is  our  protection. 
We  see  each  negative  attitude  as  an  arrow  that  dents  the 
armor.  Then  we  deliberately,  with  an  act  of  the  will,  for- 
give. "Set  the  will  and  emotions  will  foUow,"  as  Catherine 
Marshall  says.  We  then  imagine  God,  the  Divine  Tinsmith, 
hammering  out  the  dents,  patching  any  holes,  if  the  arrow 
pierced  the  armor.  (An  especially  bad  experience  requires 
a  patch  job.)  Seeing  the  armor  shining  and  whole  again 
does  away  with  guilt  feelings. 

Depending  on  the  age  of  the  child,  he  may  use  the 
armor  idea  to  protect  himself  during  the  day  if  insults  or 
other  angry  darts  are  hurled.  Some  vivid  imaginations  can 
just  see  them  bounce  off  as  they  strike  the  circle  of  pro- 
tection in  which  we  move.  A  replacement  for  the  usual 
off-to-£chool  farewell,  "Good-bye,  be  good,"  might  be 
"Good-bye;  remember  that  you  have  on  the  whole  armor 
of  God." 

Nights  when  there  isn't  opportunity  for  extensive  tuck- 
ing in,  "Don't  forget  to  get  your  armor  in  shape"  is  some- 
times all  that's  done  together.  As  children  outgrow  this 
procedure  the  basic  concepts  are  still  there  and  can  be  re- 
vamped to  fit  their  current  method  of  prayer.  —  Don  and 
Shirley  Fike 

DAILY   READING  GUIDE        October   25  -  November   7 

Sunday  Luke  6:35-38.  A  forgiving  person  always  brings  good  to  himself 
as   well    as   to   his   "enemy." 

Monday  2  Corinthians  2:5-11.  When  we  refuse  to  forgive,  we  give  Satan 
an   advantage   over  ourselves. 

Tuesday  Ephesians  4:30-5:2.  An  unforgiving  spirit  is  the  antithesis  of 
love. 

Wednesday  Colossians  2:13-15.  Receiving  and  understanding  God's  for- 
giveness  help   us  to   forgive   more    readily. 

Thursday    Colossians   3:12-17.     Forgiveness   brings   inner   peace. 

Friday  Matthew  6:12-15.  Receiving  and  giving  forgiveness  go  hand  in 
hand. 

Saturday  Matthew  9:1-8.  A  direct  relationship  exists  between  forgiveness, 
release   from   sin,    and    health. 

Sunday    Luke    17:1-4.     Our  forgiveness   must   be   constant   to   be   valid. 

Monday  Matthew  18:23-35.  Our  "freedom"  (physical,  emotional,  and 
spiritual)   is   assured   as   we   "release"   others. 

Tuesday  Luke  15:25-35.  Lack  of  forgiveness  makes  reconciliation  im- 
possible. 

Wednesday  Matthew  18:15-18.  What  we  release  temporarily  will  be  re- 
leased eternally. 

Thursday  Luke  7:44-48.  Love  generates  forgiveness;  forgiveness  generates 
love. 

Friday  Romans  5:17-21.  Abundant  forgiveness  puts  an  abundance  of 
grace    into    action. 

Saturday     Luke    19:5-10.     Forgiveness    inspires    restitution. 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     21 


To  affirm  your  faith  is  one  thing.   To  face  the  hard  realities  of  life 
is  another.   What  does  it  mean  "to  see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord" 

IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  UVMG 


by  NOAH  S.  MARTIN 


I  once  read  of  a  minister  who  was 
having  a  difficult  time  preparing  his 
sermon.  He  was  reading  books,  look- 
ing up  subjects,  trying  to  find  an 
appropriate  text.  But  somehow  his 
ideas  were  routine  and  even  a  bit  dull. 
He  asked  himself  what  his  problem 
might  be,  and  it  became  for  him  a 
moment  of  honest  introspection. 

Leaving  his  study,  he  walked  out 
into  the  sanctuary  and  sat  in  the  pews 
where  his  people  sat  on  Sunday  morn- 
ings. He  asked  himself  the  question: 
"Now  if  I  were  to  sit  in  this  seat  on 
Sunday  morning,  what  needs  do  I  have 
that  I  would  like  to  hear  my  pastor 
speak  about?  What's  on  my  mind  to- 
day? What  problems  do  I  have  on 
which  I  need  help  and  understanding? 
All  human  beings  have  basically  the 
same  concerns.  And  probably  my  con- 
cerns, if  I  can  be  honest  about  them 
with  my  people,  are  also  the  basic  con- 
cerns of  the  people  of  my  parish." 

I  tried  that  same  experiment.  I  left 
my  study,  entered  the  sanctuary,  and 
sat  down  in  a  pew.  I  bowed  my  head 
and  tried  to  listen  to  my  own  soul.  The 
longer  I  did  this,  the  more  I  became 
aware  of  how  difficult  it  is  to  listen  to 
one's  own  soul;  to  be  aware  of  one's 
own  heartbeat;  to  be  alone  where 
things  were  quiet  and  restful.  I  actu- 
ally had  to  force  myself  to  remain,  be- 
cause the  silence  became  awkward. 


In  this  period  of  meditation  many 
thoughts  entered  into  my  mind.  I  be- 
came keenly  aware  of  my  fears  —  fears 
of  my  own  illness  and  others';  the  fear 
of  the  security  of  my  job;  the  fear  of 
war,  famine,  economic  chaos,  and 
death  itself. 

But  I  also  became  keenly  aware  of 
my  joys!  A  good  church  in  which  to 
serve;  numerous  friends;  many  en- 
couraging words;  a  wonderful  family; 
a  wife  with  a  sense  of  humor;  two 
small  boys. 

I  began,  thus,  to  become  aware  that 
all  of  us  are  really  quite  confused  in 
our  feelings  about  life.  We  view  life,  to 
say  the  least,  with  mixed  emotions. 
The  comments  of  a  seventy-four-year- 
old  man  recently  brought  this  home  to 
me.  The  man  has  not  been  well  for  a 
number  of  years  and  his  prognosis  is 
not  good.  He  said,  "You  know,  pastor, 
I've  lived  seventy-four  years.  They 
have  been  hard  years.  I  don't  want  to 
come  back  and  live  them  over  again, 
but  I  do  want  to  live  as  long  as  I  can." 
Living  was  not  enjoyable  enough  to  do 
it  all  over  again,  but  it  had  enough 
meaning  for  him  to  continue  to  do  it 
for  as  long  as  he  could.  There  are  the 
joys  that  keep  us  going,  the  concerns 
that  keep  us  working.  But  there  are 
also  the  suffering,  the  evil,  the  in- 
justices, the  human  hurts  that  some- 
times play  very  serious  doubts  in  our 


mind  if  this  thing  we  call  living  is  really 
worthwhile. 

When  you  consider  the  span  of  a 
man's  life,  from  birth  to  death,  and 
realize  that  if  the  time  span  we  are 
allowed  to  live  were  graphed  out  for  us 
on  a  hugh  scale  of  time,  the  amount  of 
time  we  occupy  would  hardly  be 
noticeable. 

In  the  book  Great  Lion  of  God,  by 
Taylor  Caldwell,  a  novel  based  on  the 
life  of  Paul,  Joseph  of  Arimathea  says 
to  the  father  of  Paul :   "Hillel  ben 
Borush,  death  is  not  the  most  mon- 
strous of  calamities.  Man's  life  at  its 
best  is  brief  and  full  of  pain  and  de- 
spair, and  a  century  from  now,  few 
among  us  will  be  remembered,  whether 
saints  or  demons,  traitors  or  patriots." 
And  we  wonder,  does  our  living  make 
any  difference? 

I  hear  people  speaking  of  their 
desire  to  get  away  from  the  rat  race. 
Competitive  living  drives  many  of  us  to 
the  very  edge  of  the  cliff,  and  we  al- 
most get  that  same  feeling  we  have 
when  we  look  down  from  a  very  high 
building  and  see  everything  moving 
mechanically  below  us:  people  dashing 
across  the  street;  drivers  honking  their 
horns  at  fleeing  pedestrians.  Everyone 
seems  to  be  in  a  hurry,  but  not  too 
many  seem  to  know  where  they  are 
going  or  why  they  are  in  a  hurry.  Then 
you  pick  up  the  paper  and  read  of 


22     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


entire  villages  that  are  wiped  out  in 
Vietnam  or  Cambodia;  you  hear  of 
children  who  are  wrestled  from  the 
arms  of  their  mother  in  the  rice  fields 
of  Southeast  Asia  and  killed  so  the 
mother  can  be  raped  —  by  American 
soldiers.  And  then  we  realize  that  we 
are  a  part  of  this  way  of  life.  But  we 
can  think  about  it  no  more!  We  some- 
times wonder  if  indeed  we  are  our  own 
selves,  or  if  we  are  merely  acting  out  a 
part  given  to  us  by  the  director  of  a 
play,  or  simply  reading  the  lines  in  a 
prepared  script. 

Do  you  ever  feel  this  way?  Does  life 
ever  confront  you  with  the  reality  of 
what  it  really  is?  Do  you  ever  stop  to 
listen  to  the  beating  of  your  own  heart 
and  the  yearning  of  your  own  soul?  Do 
you  ever  give  expression  to  those  vague 
feelings  that  sometimes  overpower  you 
and  cause  you  to  do  strange  and 
unnatural  things?  Do  you  ever  sit  in 
the  quietness  of  the  sanctuary  of  your 
own  soul  and  think  about  yourself  and 
the  world  in  which  you  live? 

Most  of  us  don't  desire  to  listen  to 
our  own  souls  because  of  what  we  hear. 
We  turn  the  radio  louder,  discover 
another  hobby,  take  another  trip,  not 
necessarily  to  get  away  from  it  all,  but 
basically  to  get  away  from  ourselves 
and  the  deep,  agonizing,  soul-searching 
questions  that  arise  when  we  stop  and 
listen  to  our  souls. 

In  the  novel  The  Shoes  of  the 
Fisherman,  by  Morris  West,  the  chief 
character  is  a  Roman  Catholic  pope 
who,  one  night  when  he  goes  out  for  a 
walk,  wanders  into  one  of  the  poorer 
sections  of  Rome.  As  he  walks  along 
unnoticed,  dressed  in  a  simple  cassock, 
he  is  met  by  a  man  who  rushes  into 
him  and  nearly  knocks  him  down.  The 
man  catches  sight  of  his  cassock  and 
says,  "There's  a  man  dying  up  there. 
Maybe  you  can  do  more  for  him  than 
I  can." 


Entering  the  house,  the  pope  finds  a 
dying  man  attended  by  a  young  nurse. 
The  pope  seeks  to  bring  comfort  but  is 
unable  to  receive  any  response.  Within 
a  short  time  the  man  dies. 

The  nurse  says :   "We  should  go, 
Father;  neither  of  us  will  be  welcome 
now." 

But  the  pontiff  replies  that  he  desires 
to  remain  to  help  the  family. 

But  again  the  nurse  says,  "We 
should  go."  Then  she  adds  this  affect- 
ing view  of  life:   "They  can  cope  with 
death.  It's  only  living  that  defeats 
them." 

Being  Christians,  our  view  of  life 
is  expected  to  have  another  dimension 
that  is  unique  just  of  its  own.  That 
dimension  which  we  have  is  not,  as 
many  would  like  it  to  be,  a  cure-all 
drug  for  all  problems  of  living.  Indeed, 
I  find  myself  many  times  feeling  guilty 
for  having  thoughts  about  the  meaning 
of  life,  because  as  Christians  we  have 
been  taught  to  accept  our  lot  bravely, 
looking  forward  to  our  reward  in 
heaven.  Still,  being  honest,  we  must 
say  that  even  this  hope  does  not 
remove  the  pain  of  living. 


Wo  here  we  are  —  torn  between  the 
hope  of  our  faith  and  the  reality  of  our 
living.  This  is  exactly  what  faith  is : 
our  hope  in  the  midst  of  reality.  And 
our  hope  is  this:  that  the  God  of  time 
and  history,  the  God  who  initially 
breathed  into  man  the  breath  of  life 
and  thus  became  our  Father,  will  not 
forget  us  among  the  millions  of  his 
creation;  that  time  will  not  erase  his 
memory  of  us,  and  that  as  the  Creator 
of  life  there  is  always  the  possibility  of 
setting  into  motion  the  dynamics  of  a 
redemptive  process  out  of  human 
chaos. 

The  Psalmist,  a  man  who  experi- 


enced the  bitter  cup  of  life  as  well  as 
its  joys,  cried  out  from  the  depth  of  his 
being:   "I  had  fainted  unless  I  had 
believed  to  see  the  goodness  of  the 
Lord  in  the  land  of  the  living." 

"I  had  fainted  unless  I  had  believed 
.  .  .  ."  This  statement  of  faith  needs 
our  careful  attention.  It  speaks  of  two 
situations  —  the  hope  of  our  faith 
amidst  the  reality  of  our  living. 

Our  living  itself  we  cannot  basically 
change.  Social  structures  can  be 
changed,  conditions  can  be  improved; 
but  the  limitations  of  time  and  self,  of 
sickness  and  sorrow,  of  failure  and 
disappointment  —  these  we  cannot 
basically  change.  We  cannot  undo 
events  that  have  already  happened,  nor 
can  we  be  selective  of  the  future.  We 
do  have  the  freedom  of  choice,  some- 
times, but  we  do  not  have  the  freedom 
to  select  the  events  that  come  our  way. 
We  cannot  stand  along  the  conveyor 
belt  of  life  as  a  farmer  stands  alongside 
his  potato  grader,  or  a  factory  worker 
along  the  assembly  line,  and  retain  only 
what  is  good  and  beneficial  and  discard 
the  rest.  We  must  take  what  comes. 

The  farmer  can  be  careful  of  the 
kind  of  seed  he  sows  and  how  well  he 
cares  for  what  he  has,  but  there  will 
still  be  a  certain  amount  of  spoilage. 
The  industrial  worker  can  reduce  his 
"margin  of  error"  by  using  extra  care 
in  his  preparation  and  concentrating 
on  his  work,  but  there  will  always  be 
a  certain  percentage  of  waste. 

Jesus  recognized  the  mixture  of 
"good  and  evil"  even  within  the  work 
of  the  kingdom.  He  says  the  wheat 
and  tares  must  grow  together  until  the 
day  of  judgment  when  God  will  set 
things  in  their  proper  order. 

What,  then,  was  the  hope  of  the 
Psahnist  within  a  situation  where  he 
describes  himself  as  surrounded  by  his 
enemies  who  have  come  "to  eat  up  his 
flesh"  (Psalm  27)?  This  psalm  was 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     23 


IN  THE  LAND  OF  THE  LIVING  /  continued 


written  while  the  Jews  were  in  exile, 
scattered  abroad  as  leaves  taken  by  the 
wind.  Yet  his  hope  in  the  goodness  of 
God  saves  him  from  falling  into  the  net 
of  his  own  despair,  which  is  even  more 
deadly  than  the  net  spread  by  an 
enemy.  He  pulls  himself  to  his  feet, 
looks  through  the  bars  that  have  been 
separated  by  his  faith,  and  he  says:   "I 
had  fainted,  unless  I  had  believed  to 
see  the  goodness  of  the  Lord  in  the 
land  of  the  living."  Someone  once 
said:   "Two  men  can  look  through  the 
same  bars.  One  sees  only  dirt  and 
dismay,  the  other  sees  the  stars.  It  de- 
pends whether  you're  looking  up  or 
down." 

In  the  book  God  Can  Do  It  Again, 
a  bereaved  mother,  Mrs.  Dora  Lutz, 
writes  of  her  own  experience  when  she 
lost  her  only  two  sons,  Stevie  and 
Mikie,  in  a  drowning  accident.  It  is  a 
heartrending  story  of  two  brothers 
who  were  supposed  to  be  playing  in  the 
snow  covering  the  driveway  of  their 
home.  But  they  wandered  along  a  golf 


course  behind  their  house  and  fell 
through  the  ice  of  a  shallow,  man-made 
lake.  She  endured  the  darkest  days  of 
her  life  because  she  believed  to  see  the 
goodness  of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the 
living.  She  writes:   "God  had  given  me 
a  double  portion  of  his  strength  to  meet 
the  needs  of  the  hour.  I  could  not  be- 
lieve it  was  me.  ...  I  felt  this  great 
strength  flowing  through  me,  over  me, 
around  me.  ...  I  looked  up  and 
thanked  Jesus  for  his  presence  with 
me." 

No  matter  how  dark  the  night  may 
be,  one  can  always  hope.  Without 
hope,  one  can  find  little  meaning  in  life, 
whether  it  be  tragic  or  joyful,  and  the 
real  meaning  in  life  will  pass  you  by. 

A  boy  who  lived  on  an  isolated  farm 
heard  a  circus  was  coming  to  town  and 
asked  his  dad  if  he  might  have  some 
money  to  see  the  circus.  The  father 
thought  this  would  be  a  good  idea.  He 
gave  his  son  a  five-dollar  bill  and  told 
him  to  go  to  the  barber  first,  with  the 
understanding  that  he  could  use  the 


CRUCIFIED 

Three  o'clock 

the  blood  has  nui  dry 

ivory  niunbers 

only  a  few  cry 

Piercing  agony 

of  bone  and  steel 

muscles  stretched 

no  longer  feel 

Filthy  face 

vinegar  red 

the  garment  is  ripped 

three  o'clock  is  dead. 

by  Anthony  R,  Petrosky 


remaining  money  to  see  the  circus. 

While  the  boy  waited  his  turn  in  the 
barbershop,  he  suddenly  heard  the 
sound  of  music  coming  down  the  street. 
Running  to  the  door  he  was  surprised 
to  see  the  people  of  the  circus,  along 
with  their  animals,  marching  down  the 
street.  He  watched  until  the  last  person 
passed  —  the  clown. 

The  boy  rushed  out  to  the  clown  and 
cried,  "Whom  do  I  pay?"  The  clown 
said,  "Me."  The  boy  gave  him  two 
dollars  and  hurried  back  to  get  his  hair 
cut.  He  returned  home,  satisfied  that 
he  had  seen  the  circus.  Only  years 
later  did  he  discover  that  he  had  missed 
the  whole  show. 

This  is  exactly  what  happens  to 
many  people  in  life.  The  years  come, 
times  flies  along,  and  not  until  later  do 
they  discover  that  they  have  settled  for 
a  review  when  they  might  have  had  the 
real  thing. 

You  learn  what  the  real  values  in  life 
are  when  you  listen  to  those  who  have 
had  everything  taken  from  them  and 
discover  what  they  had  left.  In  the 
case  of  the  Psalmist  it  was  hope!  For 
Mrs.  Lutz  it  was  hope!  "I  had  fainted, 
unless  I  had  believed  to  see  the  good- 
ness of  the  Lord  in  the  land  of  the 
living." 

Sometime  ago  I  was  visiting  with 
an  elderly  man  who  was  practically  re- 
living the  experiences  of  Job.  As  I 
entered  his  room,  he  said,  "How  are 
you  doing?"  It  happened  that  I  was 
not  doing  too  well  that  day.  He  must 
have  sensed  my  look  of  discouragement 
when  I  replied  casually,  "Oh,  I  have 
good  days  and  bad  days;  that's  life." 

He  tried  to  raise  his  trembling  body 
to  life  at  that  reply.  He  reached  for  my 
hand,  clasped  it  tightly,  and  said  these 
words:   "Young  man,  preach  hope  to 
your  people  —  preach  hope!  It's  the 
only  thing  you  have  left  when  every- 
thing else  is  gone."   D 


24     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


REVIEWS  /  BOOKS 


Agonizing  Dilemmas -No  Easy  Answers 


COME,  LET  US  PLAY  GOD,  by  Leroy  G.  Augen- 
stein.    Harper  and  Row,  1969.    150  pages,  $4.95 

TECHNOLOGY  AND  PEOPLE,  by  Cameron  P.  Hall. 
Judson    Press,    1969.     159   pages,    $2.95    paper 

SPACE:   A   NEW   DIRECTION    FOR   MANKIND,    by 

Edward   B.   Lindaman.     Harper   and   Row,   1969. 
158  pages,  $4.95 

RELIGION  IN  THE  YEAR  2000,  by  Andrew  M. 
Greeley.  Sheed  and  Ward,  1969.  175  pages, 
$4.95 

These  four  captivating  books  that  could 
easily  be  missed  by  many  ministers  and 
laymen  have  these  features  in  common: 
They  are  (1)  deeply  concerned  about 
people;  (2)  filled  with  data  and  illustra- 
tions generally  about  people;  (3)  oriented 
toward  the  future;  (4)  well  written;  and 
(5),  given  today's  pessimism,  strikingly 
optimistic. 

Come,  Let  Us  Play  God  is  a  highly 
provocative  book  dealing  with  the  ethical 
and  moral  dilemmas  confronting  man 
with  the  almost  godlike  powers  bestowed 
by  science  in  his  possession.  A  pleading 
patient  poses  this  question: 

"Doctor,   I   realize  that  I'm   asking 
you  to  play  God,  but  we  need  your 
advice  very  much.    As  you  know,  my 
grandfather  will   die   in   a  very  short 
time  if  he  doesn't  get  a  kidney,  and  all 
the    medical    tests    indicate    that    if    I 
donate   one    of   mine   he   will    almost 
certainly  live  for  a  year  or  more.    If 
I  don't  do  what  I  can  to  save  his  life, 
I'll  never  forgive  myself.    Yet  if  I  do 
give  up  one  of  my  kidneys  I  may  be 
cheating  myself  and  my  own  family, 
because  then  there's  a  good  chance  I'll 
die  at  a  much  earlier  age  than  normal. 
What  should  I  do?" 
Essentially  the  same  agonizing  dilem- 
mas are  raised  regarding  population  con- 
trol,   abortion,    retardation,    sterilization, 
defective  genes,  postponing  or  hastening 
death,  manipulation  of  mind,  motivation, 
personality,  and  conduct. 

The  author  asks.  How  can  these  in- 
credible powers  be  used  constructively 
and  consistently  with  ethical,  moral,  and 
religious  values?  And  who  should  be 
authorized  to  make  decisions?  Science 
provides  us  with  techniques  for  obtain- 


ing crucial  knowledge  but  cannot  tell  us 
what  to  do;  hence,  sensitive  people  must 
make  responsible  decisions.  Man  dare 
not  abdicate  his  responsibility  to  be  his 
brother's  keeper  when  he  can  control  to 
such  a  frightful  extent  his  life  and  death. 

Augenstein  pleads  for  responsive  and 
responsible  public  officials,  medical  au- 
thorities, citizens'  groups,  educators, 
churchmen,  and  parents.  When  indi- 
viduals such  as  the  retarded,  the  illiter- 
ate, children,  the  unborn,  and  those  upset 
by  devastating  crises  are  unable  to  make 
decisions,  help  should  be  available  for 
them.  Who  these  people  should  be  is,  of 
course,  the  supreme  question.  Augen- 
stein personalizes  the  question:  Would 
you  serve  on  a  jury  to  decide  who  should 
be  sterilized,  receive  an  abortion,  have 
his  mind  or  personality  manipulated? 
Also,  what  values  are  to  go  into  the  mind 
or  personality  being  manipulated? 

An  optimist,  the  author  believes  that 
the  oncoming  generation  which  must 
deal  with  these  crucial  issues  will  be  able 
to  do  so.  Chairman  of  the  department  of 
biophysics  at  Michigan  State  University, 
adjunct  professor  at  San  Francisco  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  previously  employed 
with  the  U.  S.  Atomic  Energy  Commis- 
sion, he,  from  wide  personal  and  clinical 
experiences,  excellently  documents  and 
illustrates  the  issues  and  answers  he  pro- 
poses. 

Cameron  P.  Hall  has  devoted  a  life- 
time to  dealing  with  social  issues  and 
their  religious  implications.  His  Tech- 
nology and  People  is  not  only  well  titled, 
but  an  eloquent  and  well-documented 
plea  that  society  protect  human  values 
as  it  becomes  increasingly  more  techno- 
logical. His  study  is  concerned  with  man 
rather  than  with  technology.  His  analy- 
sis of  what  can  happen  both  positively 
and  negatively  to  man  if  he  confuses  his 
values  is  insightful  and  reliable. 

Like  Augenstein  he  views  with  dismay 
the  advances  of  modern  science  if  they 
debase  rather  than  elevate  man.  Accord- 
ingly, he  examines  controversial  issues 
such  as  the  Protestant  middle-class  work 
ethic,  unemployment,  the  right  to  an  in- 
come when  without  a  job,  manipulation 


of  people  for  economic  or  technological 
advantage,  overpopulation,  and  poverty. 
With  Augenstein,  he  raises  hard  ques- 
tions regarding  ethical  decisions.  Who 
decides  who  shall  have  a  job  in  the  midst 
of  technological  reshuflBing?  Who  is  to 
be  retrained?  Who  manipulates  genes, 
enforces  population  control,  and  be- 
comes a  guardian  of  social  change? 

Hall,  a  former  executive  secretary  of 
the  department  of  church  and  economic 
life  in  the  National  Council  of  Churches, 
pleads  for  church  and  community  con- 
cern and  suggests  the  development  of 
reflection  and  action  groups.  He  right- 
fully insists  that  the  chief  problem  in- 
volved in  technological  advance,  along 
with  environmental  pollution,  unemploy- 
ment, and  poverty,  is  essentially  a  crisis 
of  conscience.  The  church  should  and 
can  be  an  effective  agency  for  social 
change.  Christian  people  are  urged  to 
press  for  answers  to  the  Big  Questions  — 
the  ones  involving  the  welfare  of  persons 
and  to  help  to  remove  the  ignorance  and 
biases  which  thwart  true  human  develop- 
ment. 

A  United  Presbyterian  layman  who 
works  closely  with  the  U.S.  space  pro- 
gram offers  Space:  A  New  Direction  for 
Mankind,  an  exciting,  sometimes  elo- 
quently written,  and  almost  encyclopedic 
book  on  the  contributions  and  possibil- 
ities of  the  current  space  program.  Few 
books  are  as  fresh,  fascinating,  and  in- 
formative. (See  Messenger,  May  23, 
1968,  for  another  taste  of  Edward  Linda- 
man's  work.) 

Lindaman  forecasts  and  discusses  al- 
most unbelievable  new  directions  for  man 
in  space,  such  as  permanent  orbiting  hos- 
pitals, health  resorts  a  few  hundred  miles 
above  the  earth,  cosmodromes  as  way 
stations,  tourist  flights  to  the  moon,  sky- 
scrapers five  times  higher  than  the  Em- 
pire State  Building,  suspension  bridges 
twice  as  long  as  today's  longest,  the 
elimination  of  air  and  water  pollution, 
conversion  of  wastes  and  litter,  earth- 
quake prediction  through  space  informa- 
tion, weather  forecasting  dominated  by 
data  from  space,  inspection  satellites  to 
strengthen    world    peace,    satellites    and 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     25 


A  Bible  guide  for  our  day 
by  George  A.  Buttrick 

Dr.  George  A.  Buttrick,  internationally 
known  Bible  scholar,  in  his  new  book  of- 
fers guidance  on  how  to  read  the  Bible. 
His  profound  insight,  plus  practical  sug- 
gestions, show  how  God  speaks  to  you 
through  the  Bible.  The  simplicity  of  style 
and  practical  approach  lead  to  new  dis- 
coveries  by  all  who  use  this  helpful 
guide.  35<  each;  ten  or  more,  30^  each; 
100  or  more,  20^  each. 

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An  Ideal  Companion 

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to  one  address,  15^  each. 
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BRETHREN  TRAVEL  -  Leaving  mid-July  1971  for 
thirty-day  tour  of  South  America.  Included  will 
be  visits  to  Church  of  the  Brethren  mission  sta- 
tions in  Ecuador;  Machu  Picchu,  holy  city  of 
Inca  royalty  high  in  the  Andes;  Iguacu  Falls, 
larger  than  Niagara;  Indian  markets;  banana, 
cocoa,  and  coffee  plantations;  orchid  gardens; 
and  the  great  cities  of  Bogota,  Lima,  Quito, 
Santiago,  Buenos  Aires,  Sao  Paulo,  and  Rio  de 
Janeiro.  Write  J.  Kenneth  Kreider,  Route  3, 
Elizabethtown,    Pa.    17022. 


REVIEWS/  continued 

billion-dollar  savings  to  world  economy, 
increased  and  higher  quality  food  pro- 
duction, better  use  of  natural  resources 
to  avert  world  famine,  and  the  emerging 
phenomenon  of  "future  shock." 

Lindaman's  chief  concern  is  people. 
He  is  concerned  about  the  readily  recog- 
nized irony;  that  it  is  easier  for  man  to 
go  to  the  moon  than  to  wipe  out  a  slum; 
easier  for  him  to  coast  through  space 
than  to  clean  up  his  own  polluted  skies; 
easier  for  him  to  manage  cooperation  in 
a  vast  technological  enterprise  than  to 
forge  brotherhood  in  a  city  block. 

This  realism,  however,  does  not  dimin- 
ish his  enthusiasm  and  optimism  for  the 
Space  Age.  As  incalculable  good  has  re- 
sulted from  the  explorations  from  Europe 
made  by  Columbus  and  other  oceanic 
explorers,  so  the  good  that  now  lies 
ahead  is  incomprehensible.  "We  are  en- 
tering the  most  splendid  chapter  of  the 
long  epic  of  man's  dogged  determination 
to  explore  the  universe  and  know  the 
unknown."  Man  will  go  on  because  he 
must  —  it's  part  of  his  inherent  bio- 
logical, evolutionary  makeup. 

Frank  Borman  on  Apollo  8  signed  off 
with  the  prayer:  "O  God  .  .  .  show  us 
what  each  of  us  can  do  to  set  forth  the 
coming  of  the  day  of  universal  peace." 
Lindaman  believes  this  can  be  achieved. 
NASA  is  zealous  and  many-sided  in  its 
assigned  mission  of  "cooperation  with 
other  nations  for  the  benefit  of  all  man- 
kind." It  is  working  with  eighty  govern- 
ments of  Ascension  Island  to  Zambia 
toward  this  lofty  goal  for  humanity. 

As  one  interrupts  the  typing  of  this 
review  to  watch  the  latest  news,  he  won- 
ders about  Lindaman's  optimism.  But, 
this  too,  is  our  hope,  and  his  arguments 
are  strong,  his  faith,  contagious. 

Religion  in  the  Year  2000  is  really 
something  as  one  listens  to  the  prophets 
of  doom  wail  about  religion  and  the 
church!  This  is  the  most  optimistic  book 
on  religion  I've  read  in  a  decade.  Those 
who  are  pessimistic  or  discouraged  about 
the  church  should  order  it  immediately. 
White  House  chapel  audiences  should 
love  it! 

The  author,  a  Roman  Catholic  priest 


with  impressive  credentials  (a  doctorate 
in  sociology,  lecturer  at  the  University 
of  Chicago,  and  program  director  for 
higher  education  at  the  National  Opinion 
Research  Center),  confessing  that  he  will 
not  permit  his  religion  to  interfere  with 
his  research,  prophesies  about  the  future 
of  religion.  He  concludes  that  "both  the 
data  and  theory  of  sociology  would  sug- 
gest that  by  the  latter  third  of  the  twenty- 
first  century,  religion,  as  well  as  God, 
will  be  alive  and  well." 

His  evidence  for  this  conclusion  is  that 
the  secularization  trend  is  not  as  strong 
and  encompassing  as  we  have  been  led 
to  believe;  there  will  always  be  a  society 
and,  inasmuch  as  a  society  cannot  be 
held  together  without  rehgion,  there'll 
always  be  religion;  man  will  always 
search  for  meaning  and,  since  religion 
gives  him  meaning,  there'll  always  be 
religion;  and,  inasmuch  as  religion  has 
been  deeply  imbedded  into  our  culture, 
even  though  frequently  unobservable,  it 
is  still  there  and  will  remain.  An  impres- 
sive list  of  sociologists,  their  research, 
charts,  and  Greeley's  deductions  lend 
credulity  to  his  conclusions. 

But  the  reader  gets  the  impression  that 
he  garners  too  quickly  data  which  con- 
form to  his  purpose  and  that  his  case  is 
rather  sketchily  based.  We  hope  he  is 
right!  But  other  evidence  haunts  us. 
Granted,  there  are  many  more  church 
members  today  than  during  the  Depres- 
sion of  the  thirties  and  abundantly  more 
than  the  fragmentary  number  when  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed. 
There  is,  however,  evidence  that  mem- 
bership does  not  keep  pace  with  the 
percentage  of  population  growth,  there 
is  a  drop  in  church  attendance,  and  the 
church  dollar  is  shrinking  and  harder  to 
come  by.  Regarding  the  clergy,  imagine 
this  statement:  "The  major  Protestant 
denominations  once  again  have  an  ample 
supply  of  ministers  in  service  and  also  of 
candidates  for  the  ministry  .  .  .  "! 

Greeley's  definition  of  religion,  his 
analysis  of  secularization,  the  way  he 
uses  statistics,  and  the  ambiguity  with 
which  he  sees  the  future  give  him  con- 
siderable  latitude   and   consequent   opti- 


26     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


mism.  Anyway,  it  is  good  to  read  some- 
thing as  hopeful  as  this!  We  need  en- 
couragement —  and  there  is  much  that  is 
valuable  here.  We  dare  not  forget  that 
the  church  is  Christ's  —  and  it  is  in  safer 
hands  than  we  sometimes  think.  "The 
Celebration  of  Hope"  will  not  overlook 
his  many  valid  insights. 

The  author  is  often  at  his  best  when 
he's  not  attempting  to  prove  too  much. 
For  instance,  his  chapter  on  "Liturgy  of 
the  Future"  is  excellent,  especially  as  he 
discusses  the  dialectic  between  psyche- 
delia and  traditional  religion. 

The  first  three  listed  books  could  be 
excellent  study  resources  for  alert  and 
hard-working  church  school  classes  or 
other  groups  who  care  deeply  about 
people,  society,  the  church,  and  the  fu- 
ture and  are  eager  for  some  exciting 
discussions.  Hall,  instead  of  giving  a 
traditional  bibliography,  lists  a  number 
of  helpful  audio-visual  resources.  Those 
who  would  choose  Religion  in  the  Year 
2000  for  study  should  also  attempt  to 
evaluate  responsible  contradictory  evi- 
dence. —  Harold  Z.  Bomberger 

REVffiWS  /  MOVIES 


Joe 


Joe  is  a  disturbing  movie,  unsatisfying 
in  many  of  its  parts,  yet  the  whole  leaves 
an  undeniable  impact.  Some  reviewers 
have  touted  Joe  as  doing  for  uptight 
right-wing  polarization  what  The  Gradu- 
ate did  so  brilliantly  for  youthful  aliena- 
tion. I  don't  think  this  film  has  that  kind 
of  potency.  More  accurately,  Joe  is  a 
kind  of  Easy  Rider,  Part  II  —  depicting 
the  fathers  whose  children  are  on  those 
motorcycles  to  identity  and/ or  despair. 
The  plot  premises  for  Joe  are  intricate 
and  interesting.  Sixty-thousand-dollar-a- 
year    ad    executive    William    Compton's 


does  Hf  Martha. 
You  must 
huyntea 
hookV 


f-«?# 


do  sotnething  Sor  yourself  this  Sail 
^read  some  good  Word  boohs! 


HABITATION  OF  DRAGONS        Keith  Miller 

The  best-selling  author  offers  his  unique, 
personalized  view  of  the  hangups  that 
plague  most  people  in  their  struggle  for 
purpose.  $4.95 

THE  EMERGING  CHURCH 

Bruce  Larson  and  Ralph  Osborne 

This  is  an  intense,  hopeful  look  at  the 
emerging  Church  and  the  new  goals  and 
priorities  necessary  for  a  more  personal, 
creative  ministry.  $3.95 

PROMISES  TO  PETER       Charlie  W.  Shedd 

In  his  own  lively  style.  Dr.  Shedd  tells 
how  parents  can  understand  and  enjoy 
their  children  —  and  each  other.       $3.95 

COME,   FILL  THE  CUP  Lee  Bryant 

Frank  and  dramatic  account  of  a  young 
woman's  personal  experiences  with  alco- 
hol, drugs,  and  sex,  and  her  painful  jour- 
ney back  to  God.  $4.95 


VOICES  ABOVE  THE  CROWD 

Daniel  R.  Taylor 

Famous  people  like  Charles  Schuiz,  Tom 
Landry  and  Charles  Percy  give  personal 
answers  to  a  wide  variety  of  important 
questions.  $2.95 

TEACHING   CONVERSATIONAL  PRAYER 

Rosalind  Rinker 

This  book  brings  a  fresh,  vital  approach 
to  stimulating  group  prayer  by  becoming 
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GOD  VENTURES  Irene  Harrell,  Ed. 

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ing through  men  and  women  today  — 
from  a  gangleader  to  a  Medal  of  Honor 
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REVIEWS  /  continued 

daughter,  Melissa,  is  living  with  a  hippie, 
drug-pusher  Frank  Russo.  She  trips  out 
on  an  overdose  of  speed.  Compton,  con- 
fronting the  boy,  kills  him  —  inadver- 
tently but  vengefully.  Repairing  to  a  bar, 
Compton  encounters  Joe  Curran,  a  $160- 
a-week  flowering  garden  of  prejudicial 
invective  ("the  niggers  are  getting  into 
everything";  "forty-two  percent  of  all 
liberals  are  queer  —  the  Wallace  people 
took  a  poll"). 

Initially,  Joe  is  all  right-wing  cliche. 
But  as  the  film  develops  his  frustrations, 
family  life,  sexual  love  for  his  guns  are 
carefully  revealed  —  giving  us  a  full 
characterization  and  also  an  enigma  as 
to  the  point  of  view  director  John 
Avildsen  takes  toward  him.  It  is  never 
possible  really  to  identify  with  Joe,  but  it 
is  not  hard  to  feel  some  sympathy  toward 
the  man,  if  not  his  opinions,  as  he  weari- 
ly chugs  a  beer  or  becomes  timid  when 
meeting   Compton's    upper-class   friends. 

Compton  lets  slip  to  Joe  what  he  has 
done,  and  Joe  later  calls  him  —  not  to 
blackmail  but  vicariously  to  revel  in 
Compton's  "accomplishment"  ("I  just 
talk  about  it  —  you  really  killed  one 
of  them").  The  most  fascinating  thing 
in  the  film  is  the  symbiotic  relationship 
that  develops  between  the  two.  With 
Joe,  Compton  comes  to  feel  that  what 
he  did  was  right  —  a  humanitarian  act. 
Joe  feeds  on  the  glamor  he  senses  in 
Compton  —  a  glamor  that  does  not  come 
from  their  class  difference  but  solely 
from  Compton's  act  of  violence. 

It  is  the  increasing  symbiosis  of  this 
relationship  that  leads  Compton  to  wel- 
come and  to  participate  in  the  convulsive 
violence  that  ends  the  film  on  a  heavily 
ironic  note.  However,  despite  his  ex- 
cellent premises,  Avildsen  does  not  really 
lead  us  to  a  deep  enough  penetration  of 
the  relationship  to  make  the  final  scene 
quite  believable.  As  in  Easy  Rider  the 
ending  deaths  do  not  tell  us  enough  about 
the  frustrated  polarizations  with  which 
we  can  identify  the  incipient  violence 
that  is  in  us  all.  The  ending  is  simple 
irony,  not  profound. 

Avildsen  for  his  lack  of  profundity 
substitutes    careful    characterization    and 


an  eye  for  detail  (for  example,  the  right 
brake  light  is  out  on  Joe's  years-old 
Chevy).  In  one  marvelous  scene  as  the 
Comptons  come  to  the  Currans'  for  din- 
ner ("We  sent  out  to  a  Chinese  restau- 
rant so  it  would  be  special"),  the  in- 
evitable barriers  are  superbly  depicted. 
These  are  crossed  only  when  Joe  displays 
his  guns  to  Compton  —  a  kind  of  sex 
symbol  that  bridges  any  gaps.  Avildsen 
is  cautious  and  therefore  meaningful  with 
his  symbolism  at  this  point. 

Avildsen  has  directed  great  perform- 
ances from  K.  Callan  as  Joe's  wife  and 
Peter  Boyle  as  the  belching,  foul-mouthed 
steelworker.  Dennis  Patrick  and  Audrey 
Claire  are  better-than-average  as  the 
Comptons,  although  Susan  Sarandon  is 
disappointingly  bland  as  their  daughter. 
Avildsen  has  manned  his  own  camera 
and  uses  New  York  backgrounds  in  a 
carefully  crafted  way. 

Because  of  who  Joe  is  there  is  quite  a 
bit  of  profanity  in  the  film  as  well  as 
some  nudity  when  Joe  and  Compton  in- 
vade a  Greenwich  Village  "orgy"  —  with 
a  hard  "g"  as  Joe  would  have  it.  None 
of  this  is  inappropriate  to  the  film's  pur- 
pose. 

Since  no  one  in  this  film  is  portrayed 
in  a  salutary  light  (the  young  hippies  are 
as  callous  and  irresponsible  as  their 
elders),  there  is  no  strong  point  of  view 
that  filters  through  Joe.  We  are  left  with 
a  sense  of  loss  and  frustration  as  to  how 
to  reverse  the  ever-increasing  spiral  of 
polarization.  Joe  offers  no  answers,  and 
perhaps  we  are  now  entering  a  time  when 
answers  are  more  important  than  raising 
the  right  questions.  —  Dave  Pomeroy 


The  purpose  of  reviewing  current  films  in 
Messenger  is  not  to  recommend  or  to 
promote  specific  films  for  viewing  or  to 
offer  a  rating  service  covering  many 
films.  We  hope,  rather,  by  examining  a 
few  pictures  critically,  to  help  readers 
develop  their  own  criteria  for  evaluating 
pictures  and  to  become  more  aware  of 
the  way  current  films  treat  basic  theo- 
logical and  moral  issues.  —  The  Editors 


White 
Racism 
in  1970 


Consider  white  racism.  It  is  deeply, 
subconsciously  imbedded  in  man  across 
generations  and  centuries.  The  black, 
the  Indian,  the  Spanish-American  are 
asked  as  any  other  citizens  to  give,  work, 
fight,  and  die  for  democracy  in  all  areas 
of  the  world.  But  racism  has  become 
such  a  part  of  man  that,  while  showing 
it  in  both  speech  and  action,  he  flatly 
denies  its  existence. 

Ultimately  we  must  go  back  to  origins. 
We  know  of  only  one  Adam  and  one 
Eve  as  our  progenitors.  We  thus  con- 
clude that  in  some  way  or  another  we 
all  sprang  from  the  same  stock.  Before 
Adam  and  Eve,  of  course,  we  have  to 
think  of  God  as  Creator.  We  read  in 
Acts  17  (KJV)  "And  [God]  hath  made 
of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men  for  to 
dwell  on  all  the  face  of  the  earth."  There- 
fore, it  logically  follows  that  God  is  the 
father  of  all.  Our  Lord  taught  us  to  pray, 
"Cur  Father."  If  both  black  and  white 
pray  "Our  Father,"  then  it  natural- 
ly follows  that  all  who  have  the  same 
heavenly  Father  are  brothers. 

In  this  total  brotherhood  we  are  cre- 
ated with  diverse  gifts  which  through 
the  ages  have  made  possible  outstanding 
varieties  of  culture,  behavior,  and  life- 
style within  a  universal  family  from 
which  no  one  is  excluded.  In  spite  of 
this  nomenclature  there  can  be  found  no 
place  for  favoritism  on  the  part  of  the 
white,  black,  brown,  yellow,  or  any  oth- 
er form  of  race.  We  are  all  God's  chil- 
dren by  creation. 

The  Church  of  the  Brethren  rather 
prides  itself  that  it  has  no  creed  except 
the  New  Testament.  But  many  staunch, 
dyed-in-the-wool  Brethren  overlook  the 
fact  that  the  same  domestic  picture  which 
we  find  in  the  Old  Testament  appears  in 


28     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


our  blessed  creed  in  a  form  that  is  not 
sometimes  glibly  but  more  often  deeply 
cherished.  We  think,  we  preach,  we 
teach,  we  write  that  the  church  of  the 
New  Testament  is  the  "body  of  Christ." 
The  church  might  be  called  a  new  race 
in  Jesus  Christ,  a  race  that  one  cannot 
identify  by  locality  or  pigmentation  of 
the  skin. 

Paul  describes  this  new  race  in  2 
Corinthians  5:17:  "Therefore,  if  anyone 
is  in  Christ,  he  is  a  new  creation;  the 
old  has  passed  away,  behold,  the  new 
has  come."  Prejudice,  hatred,  selfish- 
ness, looking  down  one's  nose  on  a  broth- 
er of  another  race  or  color  have  com- 
pletely passed  away.  Man  has  been  trans- 
formed. He  is  no  longer  a  caterpillar 
but  a  wing-spread  butterfly  in  all  the 
characteristics  that  changes  a  Saul  of 
Tarsus  into  the  great  apostle  Paul  of 
the  New  Testament.  He  is  a  new  crea- 
tion and  belongs  to  the  new  race.  The 
new  person  is  identified  as  a  person 
changed  and  known  by  his  daily  life, 
demonstrations,  actions,  teachings,  qual- 
ities which  he  now  exhibits  —  all  the 
product  of  this  becoming  a  new  creature 
inherited  from  the  new  birth. 

All  reputable  scientists,  be  they  an- 
thropologists or  sociologists,  who  have 
made  any  genuine  study  of  man  acclaim 
the  oneness  of  the  human  family.  Basi- 
cally they  find  there  is  no  difference. 
Blood  transfusions  and  heart  transplants 
can  be  made  from  man  to  man  regardless 
of  race.  All  men  spring  from  the  same 
source.  The  youth  of  the  world  have 
grasped  this  truth  and  will  never  be 
duped  by  the  nonsense  of  racism  when 
cited  to  support  claims  that  one  race 
is  superior  to  another. 

Philip  the  evangelist,  on  a  cross-coun- 
try tour,  met  an  Ethiopian  eunuch.  Be- 
lieve me,  Philip  did  not  keep  this  man  at 
ghetto  distance  from  him.  He  climbed 
in  the  chariot  and  conversed  about  the 
fundamental  and  dynamic  experiences  of 
life  and  finally  immersed  him  in  a  pool 
of  water  for  the  salvation  of  his  soul. 
This  is  but  another  experience  of  the 
human  and  the  divine  authenticating  the 
universality  of  mankind. 


The  story  of  Nicodemus  has  been  used 
so  frequently  on  radio  that  practically 
everyone  knows  the  exact  words  Jesus 
spoke  to  Nicodemus.  You  can  find  the 
story  in  the  third  chapter  of  John.  Jesus 
said,  "Unless  one  is  born  anew,  he  cannot 
see  the  kingdom  of  God."  In  effect  Jesus 
is  saying,  "You  must  become  a  new  crea- 
ture. Leave  the  old  race  and  be  part 
of  the  new  race  which  I  came  to  estab- 
lish." Someone  put  it  in  modern  lan- 
guage for  Jesus:  "Nicodemus,  I  have  di- 
agnosed your  case  and  it  will  be  neces- 
sary for  you  to  have  a  spiritual  heart 
transplant."  But  white  racism  is  so 
steeped  in  ordinary  man  that  spiritual 
transplants  may  be  more  difficult  than 
physical  heart  transplants. 

Another  example  of  the  brotherhood 
of  man  may  be  found  in  the  parable 
of  the  good  Samaritan.  In  this  study  we 
discover  the  bitterness  and  aloofness  of 
the  Hebrews  and  their  neighbors.  We 
need  this  lesson  in  1970,  for  the  black 
man  has  not  only  been  pushed  to  the 
ghettos,  but  the  mainstream  of  society 
would  today  keep  him  there  as  long  as 
possible.  People  with  a  heart  are  the 
only  hope  of  the  black  man  short  of 
bloodshed. 

White  racism  exists  in  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren.  It  is  there  to  stifle,  blind, 
and  prevent  its  own  advancement  in 
evangelism  in  this  field  where  it  is  tre- 
mendously needed.  Jesus  said  to  Peter, 
"When  thou  art  converted  strengthen  the 
brethren."  We  need  to  pray  for  conver- 
sion; for  a  real  infilling  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  free  us  to  love  all  our  brothers. 

McKlNLEY   COFFMAN 


REMEMBER  NOW 

THY  CREATOR 

IN  THE  DAYS  OF 

THY  YOUTH 

—  Ecclesiastes  12.1 


KOI.V  HHH.K 


There  is  no  book  of  guidance,  no 
textbook  for  the  young,  that  can  equal 
the  Great  Textbook  of  the  Ages  — 
the  Book  that  gives  us  rules  for  living 
that  will  never  be  superseded, 
that  will  never  p^ss  away. 

There  are  no  Bibles  made  with  more 
care  and  skill  than  the  Bibles  made  in 
Cambridge,  where  the  printing  of  Bibles 
has  been  a  responsibility  of  fine 
craftsmen  since  the  sixteenth  century. 


Cam 


mdc 


Bi()(t 


9^ 


es 


AT  ALL  BOOKSTORES 


10-22-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

A  former  Brotherhood  staff  member 
and  currently  a  participant  on  the  Inter- 
church  Relations  Committee,  A.  StaufFer 
Curry,  has  resigned  his  post  as  director 
of  interfaith  activities  for  the  Fellowship 
of  Reconciliation,  Nyack,  N.Y.  He  joins 
the  department  of  psychiatry  at  Beth 
Israel  Medical  Center,  New  York  City, 
as  a  program  analyst. 

Our  apologies  to  Charles  W.  Wam- 
pler  Jr.,  whose  letter  "Why  I  Am  Leav- 
ing" appeared  in  the  Sept.  24  issue  of 
Messenger.  By  our  omitting  the  "Jr." 
readers  may  have  confused  Mr.  Wam- 
pler  Jr.  with  his  father. 

Edward  K.  Ziegler,  pastor  at  Bakers- 
field,  Calif.,  will  be  united  in  marriage 
on  New  Year's  Eve  with  Mary  Grace 
Vivolo.  She  was  formerly  a  member 
of  the  Dominican  Order  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  ^  Church,  worshiped  in  the 
Bakersfleld  congregation,  and  has  joined 
the  church.  A  musician,  she  teaches  in 
a  local  elementary  school  and  the  church 
school. 

•r        %•        V        "I*        V 

Three  Manchester  College  faculty 
members  will  appear  in  the  1970  edition 
of  Outstanding  Educators  of  America: 
Howard  A.  Book,  academic  dean;  Paul 
W.  Keller,  chairman  of  the  division  of 
humanities  and  head  of  the  department 
of  speech  and  drama;  and  David  A. 
Waas,  chairman  of  the  division  of  social 
sciences  and  head  of  the  department  of 
history. 

To  spend  five  months  in  research  in 
Germany  and  the  Soviet  Union  will  be 
Henry  Glade,  head  of  Manchester  Col- 
lege's department  of  modern  languages. 
His  study  will  be  sponsored  by  a  Ful- 
bright-Hays  faculty  research /study  award 
for  a  project  entitled  "The  Reception  of 
Twentieth-Century  German  Literature  in 
the  Soviet  Union." 

After  thirty  years  in  the  ministry 
Eugene  E.  Gnagy  has  resigned  his  pas- 
torate at  Wenatchee,  Wash.,  church  and 


has  begun  teaching  duties  in  that  com- 
munity's school  system.  "I  feel  very 
strongly  that  a  man  derives  his  ministry 
from  the  church,"  he  wrote  to  explain 
his  keeping  his  ordination  in  the  ex- 
change of  one  ministry  for  another. 

"Wherever  there  are  people  with  needs 
the  church  plays  a  role."  That  was  the 
impetus  for  Ronald  A.  Beverlin,  pastor 
of  Middle  Pennsylvania's  Rockhill/ 
Blacklog  parish,  who  has  joined  a  police 
chaplaincy  sponsored  by  the  Huntingdon 
Council  of  Churches.  In  his  work  with 
the  project,  Pastor  Beverlin  will  ride  with 
the  night  man  one  night,  be  on  twenty- 
four-hour  call  for  two  assigned  days,  and 
help  with  juveniles  who  have  been  de- 
tained and  in  domestic  situations  in  which 
the  police  have  been  called. 

Celebrating  her  one  hundredth  birth- 
day Sept.  9  was  Mrs.  Ida  Grubb  of  Pal- 
myra, Pa.,  and  a  member  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  there. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples  who 
have  recently  celebrated  wedding  anni- 
versaries. Mr.  and  Mrs.  David  Reighard, 
Martinsburg,  Pa.,  marked  their  fifty- 
fourth;  the  Paul  Balsbaughs,  Newmans- 
town,  Pa.,  their  fifty-fifth.  .  .  .  Mr.  and 
Mrs.   A.   Irvin  Hostetter,   Hanover,   Pa., 


SoniaciiSBiiD 


Oct.   24      United   Nations   Day 
Oct.   25      Universal  Bible  Sunday 
Oct.  25      Reformation   Sunday 
Oct.  25     Youth   Sunday 
Oct.    25  — Nov.    1    Youth    Week 
Oct.   31      Reformation   Day 
Nov.    1      World   Temperance  Day 
Nov.   3      Election   Day 
Nov.   6      World   Community  Day 
Nov.   6-7      District     Conference,      Illinois     and 

Wisconsin,   Decatur 
Nov.   6-8      District  conference.   Southern   Ohio, 
Donnels  Creek 
Nov.   8      Pecce   Emphasis  Sunday 
Nov,    10-13      Church     of    the    Brethren     General 
Board,   Elgin,   Illinois 
Nov.   22      Thanksgiving  Sunday 
Nov.   26      Thanksgiving   Day 
Nov.   29      First  Sunday  in   Advent 


observed  a  sixty-third  anniversary,  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Clarence  B.  Rhodes  cele- 
brated sixty-five  years  of  mafriage  at  their 
home  in  Martinsburg,  Pa.  The  J.  S. 
Messicks,  Middletown,  Pa.,  marked 
sixty-seven  years  this  month. 

Six  additional  Polish  agricultural  ex- 
change specialists  arrived  in  the  United 
States  in  September,  bringing  the  total 
of  exchangees  to  twenty-three  in  the 
Brethren-Polish  program.  Other  present 
participants  include  four  Czechoslovak- 
ian  and  three  Bulgarian  exchangees.  Five 
Brethren  are  serving  as  exchangees 
in  Poland  and  two  others  have  been  serv- 
ing in  Czechoslovakia. 

THE  MEDIA 

A  Lot  of  Growing  to  Do,  a  film  deal- 
ing with  the  experiences  of  teachers  in 
a  teacher-training  program,  has  been  pro- 
duced by  the  Parish  Ministries  Commis- 
sion for  use  in  local  churches.  The  twen- 
ty-minute documentary  was  filmed  by 
Parish  Ministries  staff  member  John  G. 
Fike  at  the  Friendship  Church  of  the 
Brethren  near  Baltimore,  Md. 

Designed  for  use  with  teachers,  nur- 
ture commissions,  church  boards,  district 
educators,  and  pastors,  the  film  allows 
teachers  to  say  in  their  own  words  what 
they  feel  about  Christian  education,  their 
part  in  it,  and  how  they  have  been  in- 
volved in  teacher-training  experiences. 

Some  television  stations  will  carry  The 
Golden  Years,  a  new  series  which  this 
season  will  look  at  second  careers,  legis- 
lation affecting  retirement-age  persons, 
legal  questions  during  retirement,  health 
frauds,  and  other  concerns.  Moderated 
by  Mark  Evans,  Washington,  D.C.,  the 
program  will  feature  such  persons  as 
Harrison  A.  Williams,  chairman  of  the 
Senate  Committee  on  Aging;  Elizabeth 
Hanford  of  the  President's  Office  on 
Consumer  Affairs;  and  other  experts  on 
retirement  subjects.  The  series  will  be 
presented  jointly  by  the  American  Asso- 
ciation of  Retired  Persons  and  the  Na- 
tional Retired  Teachers  Association. 
Persons  wishing  to  view  programs  in  the 


30     MESSENGER    10-22-70 


series   may   check   their   local   television 
logs  for  time  and  channel. 

POTPOURRI 

The  Germantown,  Pa.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  opened  its  doors  to  two  classes 
of  forty  children  when  a  teachers"  strike 
occurred  last  month  in  Philadelphia. 
The  church  is  also  reopening  its  tutoring 
program,  according  to  Ronald  Lutz, 
pastor. 

Trailers  carrying  Church  World  Serv- 
ice materials  from  the  four  service  cen- 
ters are  sporting  new  signs.  Identical 
for  each  of  the  centers,  the  signage  on 
the  trucks  lists  the  four  locations  at  New 
Windsor,  Nappanee,  Houston,  and  Mo- 
desto, and  identifies  with  appropriate 
words  and  design  the  agencies  served  in 
the  hauling  of  materials  —  Church 
World  Service,  Interchurch  Medical  As- 
sistance, and  Lutheran  World  Relief. 
•!•     •!*     +     H"     •!" 

Pitsburg's  congregation  of  Brethren 
in  Southern  Ohio  marked  its  one  hun- 
dredth anniversary  this  month  with  a 
love  feast,  an  old-fashioned  breakfast, 
and  an  informal  afternoon  worship  serv- 
ice during  two-day  festivities.  .  .  .  Two 
churches  will  observe  anniversaries  in 
November.  The  Lynchburg,  Va.,  Church 
of  the  Brethren  Nov.  1  will  celebrate  its 
fiftieth  year.  Mrs.  Anna  Mow,  daughter 
of  I.  N.  H.  Beahm,  the  founder,  will 
preach  at  the  Sunday  worship  hour.  .  .  . 
A  basket  dinner  and  special  services  will 
mark  the  one  hundredth  year  of  the 
Shelby  County  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  northeastern  Missouri  Nov.  22. 

Dedication  services  for  the  Calvary 
church  at  Winchester,  Va.,  will  occur 
Dec.  6,  with  S.  Earl  Mitchell,  past  chair- 
man of  the  Shenandoah  District  Board, 
as  guest  speaker.  The  new  building, 
scheduled  for  completion  late  this  month, 
includes  sanctuary,  classrooms,  and  pas- 
tor's study. 

Shipping  of  some  materials  via  United 
Parcel  Service  has  gone  into  effect  on 
customers'  requests  to  the  marketing  de- 
partment  of   the    General    Offices.     All 


states  east  of  the  Mississippi  River  and 
parts  of  Missouri,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Ne- 
braska, Minnesota,  and  North  Dakota  are 
covered  in  the  service.  Though  rates  are 
slightly  higher  than  parcel  post  for  some 
items,  particularly  books,  service  is  quick- 
er and  each  package  is  insured.  Mini- 
mum charge  is  fifty  cents.  Customers 
may  indicate  on  their  orders  whether 
they  wish  materials  sent  United  Parcel 
Service,  and  charges  will  be  included  on 
their  invoices. 

•!•      +      4-      ^      + 

To  deal  with  any  "manifestation  of 
racial  intolerance"  on  the  campus,  Eliza- 
bethtown  College  has  established  a  Com- 
mission for  the  Advancement  of  Racial 
Equality  (CARE).  The  new  group,  es- 
tablished on  the  theory  that  development 
of  human  understanding  between  persons 
of  different  racial  and  ethnic  groups 
ought  to  be  an  ongoing  concern  of  the 
college  community,  will  be  headed  by 
Robert  D.  Sherfy,  campus  minister,  and 
Fred  M.  Rice,  assistant  to  the  dean  of 
the  faculty,  and  will  seat  two  other  fac- 
ulty members  and  four  students. 

At  Juniata  College,  a  new  complex  of 
residence  halls,  the  East  Houses,  have 
been  named  after  four  trustees  of  the 
college:  hotel  executive  William  R. 
Flory,  attorney  Joseph  V.  Kline,  business- 
man W.  Newton  Long  (a  former  General 
Board  member),  and  the  late  Robert 
E.  Miller. 


DEATHS 

Bussey.  Emma,  Somerset,  Ohio,  on  Aug.    1,    1969 
Hodgden,  Alpha  S..  Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  on  June 

22,   1970.  aged  76 
Howell,    Sylvia    M..    Tavares,    Fla.,    on    Feb.    22, 

1970,  aged  75 
Hurt,    Amanda    Strickler,    La    Verne,    Calif.,    on 

July  27,  1970,  aged  96 
Jamison,    William,    Baltimore,    Md.,    on    Feb.    4, 

1970 
Jones,    Harry   W.,   Baltimore,    Md.,   on   April   29, 

1970 
Kulp,    William    K.,    Dunkirk,    N.Y.,    on    Dec.    18, 

1969,  aged  81 

Landis,  Willa  Rusmisel,  Lima,  Ohio,  on  Feb.   3, 

1970,  aged  82 

Laugerman,   Charles,   Hanover,   Pa.,   on  June    19, 

1970,  aged  93 
Leatherman,    Melvin    H.,    Fairfield,    Pa.,    on   July 

13,    1970,   aged  57 
Leiter,  William  W.,  Greencastle,  Pa.,  on  Jan.   11, 

1970,  aged  86 


KING  JAMES   VERSION 


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e  through  thy  ow 
f  many  hearts  ma 


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TWO 


SONG 
BOOKS 


by  Perry  lee  HufFaker 

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Thirty  Christmas  hymns  and  anthems, 
with  music  and  some  words  by  Mr. 
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CREATIVE  VOICES   FOR  MEN 

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10-22-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


Is  There  No  Balm  in  Gllead? 


Harvest  is  past,  summer  is  over, 
and  we  are  not  saved. 

I  am  wounded  at  the  sight  of  my  people's  wound; 

I  go  like  a  mourner,  overcome  with  horror. 

Is  there  no  balm  in  Gilead, 

no  physician  there?  (Jeremiah  8:20-22,  NEB) 
Some  great  calamity  had  once  come  upon  the  people  of 
Palestine,  particularly  in  its  eastern  region.  Jeremiah,  the 
sensitive  prophet  whose  poems  so  often  read  like  elegies  or 
laments,  did  not  spell  out  the  reasons.  There  may  have 
been  a  drought  with  a  resulting  famine,  or  there  may  have 
been  an  invasion.  What  concerned  him  rather  was  the  hurt 
and  the  cry  of  people  who  were  wounded  but  for  whom 
there  seemed  to  be  no  healing.  No  doubt  Jeremiah  himself 
had  often  castigated  the  Palestinians  for  their  sins,  but  in 
these  lines  he  looks  with  compassion  on  the  suffering  of 
those  who  live  in  Gilead. 

If  you  take  a  map  from  a  recent  newspaper  and  compare 
it  with  one  you  can  find  in  a  Bible  atlas,  you  will  discover 
that  Gilead,  now  largely  in  the  kingdom  of  Jordan,  is  the 
area  where  a  civil  conflict  has  brought  new  suffering  to  an 
already  troubled  land.  Jeremiah's  words  speak  almost  liter- 
ally —  and  certainly  his  vivid  figures  of  speech  also  apply 
—  to  a  situation  which  now  threatens  the  peace  of  the 
world. 

The  events  of  the  past  month  have  been  dramatic  —  in- 
volving attempts  to  reach  a  settlement  of  issues  between 
Israel  and  her  Arab  neighbors,  efforts  at  negotiation,  re- 
peated announcements  of  a  cease-fire,  a  series  of  hijackings, 
concern  for  the  welfare  of  hostages,  the  unexpected  death  of 
the  best-known  Arab  leader,  behind-the-scenes  maneuver- 
ing on  the  part  of  the  United  States  and  the  Soviet  Union  as 
well  as  other  major  powers,  and  a  general  feeling  of  confu- 
sion and  pessimism  because  there  is  no  obvious  way  out  of 
an  extremely  difficult  and  newly  complicated  crisis. 

We  are  grateful  for  the  efforts  that  our  own  leaders  have 
made,  both  through  the  United  Nations  and  through  diplo- 
matic channels,  to  cool  the  conflict  in  the  Middle  East  and 
to  counsel  restraint  on  each  side.  We  wish  however  that  the 


major  powers,  including  our  own  government,  were  less  in- 
clined to  provide  the  arms  that  help  to  prolong  the  fighting. 
We  appreciate  the  efforts  made  to  obtain  the  safe  return  of 
persons  held  as  hostages.  But  all  of  us  need  to  have  a  cor- 
responding compassion  for  those  Palestinians,  Jews  and 
Arabs  alike,  who  have  lost  homes  and  livelihood,  whose 
lives  are  daily  in  danger,  and  whose  hearts  must  experience 
the  wounds  that  Jeremiah  viewed  with  horror. 

We  need  to  be  on  guard  lest  we  too  quickly  take  up 
sides  for  one  party  or  another.  Both  Jews  and  Arabs  can 
appeal  to  history  for  evidence  of  their  claims  to  disputed 
land.  We  may  forget  that  Palestine  contains  "holy  places" 
regarded  as  sacred  by  followers  of  three  major  religions.  It 
has  often  been  the  occasion  as  well  as  the  setting  for  bloody 
religious  crusades.  Sometimes  one  wonders  if  there  is  ever 
a  victor  in  such  struggles  over  sacred  soil.  But  there  are  al- 
ways victims  and  they  include  Moslem  and  Christian,  Arab 
and  Jew. 

We  can  sympathize  with  Jews  who  were  driven  from 
their  homes  in  Eastern  Europe,  persecuted  in  Nazi  Ger- 
many, and  discriminated  against  elsewhere,  as  now  they 
seek  a  homeland  in  Palestine.  But  we  need  not  at  the  same 
time  espouse  the  aims  and  the  tactics  of  Zionism.  We  can 
be  sensitive  to  the  plight  of  Arab  refugees  who  were  made 
homeless  by  the  partition  of  Palestine.  But  we  need  not  at 
the  same  time  condone  the  terroristic  plans  of  the  com- 
mando leaders  who  want  to  push  Israel  off  the  map.  Some- 
how, before  long,  there  must  be  some  accommodation  that 
will  enable  the  sons  of  Isaac  and  the  sons  of  Ishmael,  who 
were  themselves  brothers,  to  live  side  by  side  in  a  land  that 
should  be  a  shelter  for  all. 

No  balm  in  Gilead?  We  remember  a  Southern  spiritual, 
born  out  of  slavery,  that  insists  there  is  "a  balm  in  Gilead  to 
make  the  wounded  whole"  and  "to  heal  a  sin-sick  soul." 
We  do  have  resources  in  our  faith  to  assist  us  when  we  are 
"overcome  with  horror"  at  the  cruelty  that  men  who  should 
be  brothers  can  inflict  upon  one  another.  But  if  we  are  to 
be  true  to  that  faith,  we  must  offer  more  than  guns  to  those 
who  suffer  and  those  who  have  been  dispossessed.  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER     10-22-70 


mtfk 


spuu 

of  Cfirisimas 


Seller 


A  Christmas  Gallery 

Handolph  E.  Haugan,  editor 

Since  1931,  the  Christmas  Annual  has  been  a  Christmastime  tradition 
ill  thousands  of  homes.  Though  each  volume  is  completely  new  in 
content,  the  theme  is  always  the  same:  it  combines  the  best  work  of 
\\  riters,  illustrators,  and  musicians  inspired  by  the  birth  of  Christ,  and 
the  customs  of  Christmas  around  the  world.  To  commemorate  the 
4()th  anniversary  of  this  distinctive  Christmas  book,  here  is  a  special 
edition  with  a  collection  of  the  outstanding  features  which  have  ap- 
peared tluoughout  the  years.  This  beautiful  artbook  is  a  matchless 
gift  item  and  a  treasured  addition  to  anyone's  library.  Size  lO/sx 
13  13  16  inches.  128  pages.  Cloth  binding.  Prepublication  price, 
$7.95;  after  December  1,  $9.95. 

Advent:  A  Calendar  of  Devotions,  1970 

Dennis  F.  Nyberg 

The  Beatitudes  is  the  theme  for  27  daily  devotional  readings  beginning 
with  November  29,  1970,  the  first  Sunday  in  Advent.  Candlelighting 
services  included.    Size  3/8  x  5^8  inches.    64  pages.    $10.50  per  100. 

The  Christmas  Carol  Miracle 

Luise  Putcamp  Jr. 

A  heartwarming  account  of  how  the  people  of  a  small  western  town 
find  the  true  meaning  of  the  spirit  of  Christmas.  A  surprise  ending 
and  a  Christmas  message  that  will  touch  the  heart  of  each  reader 
make  this  book  a  delightful  addition  to  every  family's  library.  The 
book  is  for  reading  by  adults,  but  may  be  read  and  explained  to 
children.    $2.95 

The  Fourth  Candle 

Per  Lonning 

Here  are  eleven  fresh  and  rewarding  sermons  for  the  Advent-Christ- 
mas season  written  by  well-known  Norwegian  theologian  Per  Lonning. 
He  applies  these  festive  messages  to  the  present  day,  bringing  biblical 
truths  into  meaningful  experiences  for  modern  man.  With  an  elo- 
quence both  refreshing  and  compelling,  the  author  conveys  a  deep 
spiritual  understanding  and  awareness  of  the  nearness  of  God.    $2.50 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES 
Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


A  Catholic  Looks  at  the  Reformation.  Changes  taking  place  in  the  Ro- 
man Catholic  church  have  "shaken  up"  one  editor.  Noiv  he  believes  that 
"the  interaction  of  Christians,  who  are  interdependent  on  one  another,  is  what 
Christ  wants."  by  Douglas  J.  Roche,   page  2 

The  Earth  Is  the  Lord's.  A7nid  all  the  discussion  of  pollution,  it  is  easy  for 
reformers  to  overlook  the  biblical  context  within  which  Christians  look  at 
the  earth  and  its  stewardship.  Photographs,  quotations,  and  scripture  passages 
underline  the  biblical  perspective,  a  special  feature  based  on  a  litany  devel- 
oped by  John  Esau,   page  4 

Everyone  Must  Do  His  Own  Growing.  A  teacher  of  teen-agers  sees  them 
as  caught  in  a  pinch,  a  pinch  between  "the  easy  hands  of  naturalism"  on  the 
one  hand  and  "the  hard  fists  of  confrontation"  on  the  other,  by  Inez  Long, 
page  10 

I  Am  Not  Willing  to  Wait.  A  teen-ager  speaks  up  in  regard  to  the  counsel 
she  hears  most  often  from  adults,  to  the  effect  that  she  must  wait  for  needed 
changes  to  come.  She  explains  why,  from  her  viewpoint,  patience  is  not  always 
a  virtue,  by  Kathy  Goering.   page  13 

The  UN  at  25:  A  Conversation  With  Andrew  Cordier.  In  1945  Dr. 
Cordier  helped  draft  the  United  Nations  Charter.  For  many  years  he  served 
as  executive  assistant  to  the  UN  secretary-general  and  was  its  chief  parliamen- 
tarian. On  this  anniversary  he  reflects  on  the  contribution  of  the  UN  to  world 
order,  in  answer  to  questions  by  Ronald  E.  Keener,   page  16 

In  the  Land  of  the  Living.  Many  persons  are  torn  between  the  hope  of 
their  faith  and  the  hard  realities  of  daily  living.  They  need  to  be  reminded 
that  the  God  who  created  them  still  works  redemptively  to  sustain  them. 
by  Noah  S.  Martin,   page  22 

Other  features  include  news  of  the  inauguration  of  a  new  church  in  India  (page  14); 
a  program  perspective,  "Reclustering  for  Parish  Concerns,"  by  Earle  W.  Fike  Jr.  (page 
20);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Don  and  Shirley  Fike  (page  21);  a  poem,  "Crucified,"  by  Andrew 
Petrosky  (page  24);  "Agonizing  Dilemmas  —  No  Easy  Answers,"  a  review  article  by 
Harold  Z.  Bomberger  (page  25);  a  review  of  a  current  film  by  Dave  Pomeroy  (page  27); 
and  "White  Racism  in  1970,"  by  McKinley  Coffman  (page  28). 


COMING  SOON 


A  Church  of  the  Brethren  minister  a  few  years  ago  gave  up  his  Indiana  pastorate  in 
order  to  concentrate  his  efforts  far  equal  opportunity  and  fair  housing  at  the  "Front 
Lines  of  the  World's  Problems."  Here  is  Orville  Gardner's  story,  as  told  by  journaliit 
Robert  McNeill.  ...  A  considered  look  at  "Family  Life-Styles  in  the  70s"  is  offered  by 
sociologisi  }.  Ross  Eshleman.  .  .  .  Fred  Swartz  views  the  current  task  of  the  church  in 
the  context  of  "Facing  the  End  of  the  World."  .  .  .  Artist  Ruth  Aukerman  illustrates 
creation  themes  in  several  appropriate  wood  cuts. 


VOL.   119  NO.  22 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE   BRETHREN     ^^    11/5/70 


Facing  the  End  of  the  World 


readers  write 


A  SUGGESTION 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  Messenger  is 
being  updated  in  various  ways,  I  would 
suggest  that  it  is  now  time  to  delete  the 
"Golden  Anniversaries"  and  "Deaths"  which 
appear  in  the  In  Brief  section. 

Marion  M.   Myers 
Covington,  Ohio 

ANOTHER   INTERPRETATION 

After  reading  the  letter,  "Twenty-Four- 
Hour  Days"  (Sept.  10),  I  read  again  the 
first  few  verses  of  Genesis  1.  I  cannot  think 
that  the  meaning  of  these  verses  has  "been 
hidden"  for  ages  from  consecrated  Bible 
students,  teachers,  ministers,  and  mission- 
aries "until  recent  years."  Scientists  and 
technicians  of  the  present  day  generally 
speaking  have  not  brought  us  closer  to  the 
Lord.  "Has  not  God  made  foolish  the  wis- 
dom of  the  world"  (1  Cor.  1:20)? 

Did  God  create  a  world  inhabited  by  life; 
then,  for  some  reason,  utterly  destroy  it, 
making  it  "without  form  and  void";  and 
then  proceed  to  do  it  all  over  again  in 
preparation  for  another  final  destruction 
mentioned  in  2  Peter  3:10? 

I,  of  course,  may  be  wrong,  but  my  inter- 
pretation of  "the  earth  was  without  form 
and  void"  is  that  all  elements  that  make  up 
our  earth  were  in  existence  in  various  forms, 
a  confused  mass  of  component  elements 
which  "the  spirit  of  God  moved  over"  (Gen. 
1:2).  The  unlimited  power  of  God  brought 
them  together,  coordinated  them,  and  our 
earth  is  the  result.  "The  world  was  created 
by  the  word  of  God,  so  that  what  is  seen 
was  made  out  of  things  which  do  not  ap- 
pear" (Heb.  11:3). 

How  long  were  those  first  three  days  — 
twenty-four  hours?  ten  years?  a  million 
years?  Take  your  choice.  They  were  long 
enough  for  God  to   prepare   the  earth   for 


life.  Geologists  disagree  as  to  the  time  re- 
quired for  this  preparation,  but  geological 
changes  could  have  taken  place  much  more 
rapidly  in  those  creative  periods  than  we 
today  deem  possible.  "With  God  all  things 
are  possible"  (Matt.  19:26).  Were  those 
first  three  nights  pauses  in  the  Almighty's 
work  of  creation?  What  was  the  source  of 
that  first  light?  The  sun  that  divides  our 
days  into  twenty-four  hours  each  was  not 
"created  and  placed  in  the  heavens"  until 
the  fourth  day  (Gen.  1:14).  There  was  no 
need  of  sun  during  those  first  days,  as  there 
will  be  no  need  of  sun  in  that  "new  heaven 
and  earth"  (Rev.  21:23). 

The  evolutionist  rejects  the  Genesis  ac- 
count of  creation,  but  he  has  never  been 
able  to  disprove  it.  He  overlooks  the  fact 
that  we  have  an  omnipotent  creator.  The 
ordinary,  sincere  layman  can  learn  more 
about  the  history  of  the  world  through  a  few 
hours'  study  of  this  inspired,  infallible  Word 
than  he  can  learn  in  a  thousand  years  with- 
out it. 

C.  L.  Cox 
Claysburg,  Pa. 

MODEST  DRESS 

The  pendulum  of  modest  dress  in  our 
church  is  due  to  swing  back.  I  can  recall 
when  a  woman's  dress  above  the  ankle  was 
considered  immodest.  And  two  or  more 
skirts  were  worn  to  hide  the  shape  of  the 
legs. 

Human  nature  has  not  changed  in  the 
meantime.  Men  are  as  much  animals  as 
they  were  then,  and  women  have  always 
wanted  to  attract  them.  Today  the  results 
are  in  evidence  by  this  abbreviated  report 
in  the  Toronto,  Ontario,  Daily  Star:  A  sur- 
vey of  sixty-three  cities  in  the  United  States 
found  that  ninety-one  percent  of  policemen 
believe  that  women  who  wear  miniskirts  are 


PHOTO  CREDITS:   Cover  William  Gieseke  for  Tom  Stack  and  Associates:    7  Harry   Dehner  and   Asso 
ciates:   13,  21    (first  on  left)  Don  Honick;    16-18  courtesy  of  the  Broadcasting  and   Film  Commission.  Na 
tional  Council  of  Churches;  22-23  Ruth  Aukerman;   26  Ed  Carlin;   29  from  Brian   Wildsmilh's  Illust 
Bible  Stories,  artwork  copyright  ©  1968  by  Brian  Wildsmith 


ted 


Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor:  Wilbur  E.  Brumbaugh,  associate  editor;  Ronald  E.  Keener,  director  of  news 
service:  Linda  Beher,  editorial  assistant.  Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  I9I7.  Filing 
date,  Oct.  1,  1970.  Messenger  is  a  member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious 
News  Ser\'ice  and  Ecumenical  Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from 
the  Revised  Standard  Version.  Subscription  rates:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per 
year  for  church  group  plan;  S3. 00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription,  $60;  hus- 
band and  wife,  $75.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  ad-  | 
dress.  Allow  at  least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published  I 
every  other  week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee,  Ave., 
Elgin,  111.  60120.    Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111,  Nov.  5,   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  23 


"more  likely  to  be  victims  of  rape"  or  other 
sex  crimes.  In  1964  Toronto  police  reported 
sixty-three  rapes;  in  1969  there  were  1,170. 
I  am  not  suggesting  that  immodest  dress- 
ing is  the  only  cause,  or  even  the  main 
cause,  of  sex  deviation.  But  why  did  this 
newspaper  publish  this?  (I  verified  this  news 
item  by  direct  correspondence.)  And  why 
did  Peter  give  his  admonition  [in  1  Peter 
3:3-4  to  "let  not  yours  be  the  outward 
adornment"  but  rather  a  "gentle  and  quiet 
spirit"]? 

O.  E.  Gibson 
Westmont,  111. 

NEED   NOT  BE  MARTYRS 

I  rejoice  that  our  church  took  action  to 
commend  and  support  young  men  choosing 
noncooperation  with  the  draft.  Those  sent 
to  prison  need  not  be  useless  martyrs.  They 
can  do  more  than  sit.  They  have  excellent 
opportunity  to  witness,  to  set  example,  to 
spread  the  gospel,  to  work  for  peace. 

Where  is  there  a  more  concentrated  area 
of  separation  from  God,  of  brokenness,  than 
in  a  prison?  Here  is  an  area  where  the 
church  is  desperately  needed  but  rarely 
found.  God  works  in  many  strange  and 
wonderful  ways.  Surely  he  can  work 
through  these  young  men,  too. 

Karen  Huffman 
Quinter,  Kansas 

RESULTS   OF  DEFIANCE 

Brother  Charles  Wampler  Jr.'s  letter  (Sept. 
24)  is  correct  in  stating  that  a  majority  of 
people  today  respect  a  young  man  who  hon- 
estly feels  that  he  cannot  be  a  soldier  and 
chooses  alternative  service.  In  this  way  he 
is  making  a  witness  for  his  Lord.  Many  have 
suffered  and  made  sacrifices,  but  they  did 
what  was  required  of  them.  In  so  doing, 
they  have  won  the  respect  of  our  nation  and 
have  all  grown  spiritually. 

What  are  some  results  of  defying  our 
generous  selective  service  laws?  Federal 
prisons  are  often  overcrowded  and  vice- 
ridden.  What  will  our  young  men  contribute 
while  sitting  there?  A  nephew  of  mine  was 
drafted  and  made  a  guard  at  the  Fort 
Leavenworth  prison.  He  told  of  bribery, 
gang  rivalry  and  beatings,  use  of  drugs,  and 
homosexuality,  especially  among  young 
boys.  Guards  cannot  function  well  when 
responsible  for  too  many  inmates,  even  when 
working  in  pairs  for  their  own  safety. 

On  one  occasion  my  nephew  recalled  fall- 


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Book  of  Worship:  Church  of  the  Brethren 

Brethren  Social  Policy:1908-1958,  R.  Sappington 

Courageous  Prophet,  R.  Sappington.  Story  of 
John  Kline 

AAinutes  of  the  Annual  Conferences,   1945-1954 

Minutes  of  the  Annual  Conferences,   1955-1964 

If  Two  Are  to  Become  One,  D.  Miller.  Study 
guide  on  marriage. 

Shepherd  of  the  Cowlitz,  G.  Elier.  Autobiog- 
raphy of  Elder  Ezra  Whisler  of  Washington 
state 

His  Pen  in  Her  Hand.  Poems  by  Brethren  women 

Ebony  Madonna,  M.  Bowman.  Novel  on  life  in 
Africa 

Faces  Among  the  Faithful,  I.  Long.  Sketches  on 
28  Brethren  women 

Sidelights  on  Brethren  History,  F.  Ankrum 

The  Gift  of  the  Year,  M.  Baker.  Book  of  inspira- 
tion 

The  Early  Rain,  C.  Long.  Novel  about  3  consci- 
entious objectors  after  World  War  11 

Studies  in  Christian  Belief,  W.  Beahm 

The  Adventurous  Future.  Addresses  given  at 
250th  anniversary  of  Church  of  the  Brethren 

Light  From  a  Hillside,  B.  Metzler.  Study  on  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount. 

Vietnam  Summons,  I.  Moomaw 

Handbook  on  Brethren  Hymns,  N.  Fisher  and 
R.  Statler 

The  Touch  of  the  Master's  Hand,  M.  Welch. 
Poetry 

The  Church  in  a  Changing  World,  R.  Bollinger. 
Report  on  2nd  Theological  Conference, 
1964 

Manual  of  Music  in  Worship 

No  Longer  Strangers,  M.  Kulp.  Biography  of 
H.  Stover  Kulp 


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.erved  basis.   Money  for  out-of-stock  titles  will  be  refunded  with  a  voucher  enclosed  in  the  package. 
ends  December  31,  1970.                                                                                                                                                             '. 

,    ^     iB.    ™    ■■            1     1       II      Bii              mt                        nil      Ki    III                                         ^    ^    B  ^                     n   ^   ^  ^  ■■  IB   ■■   Hi  ^  ^ 

2     MESSENGER    11-5- 

Cash  (D  check       D money  order)  is  enclosed  in  the  amount  of 

Plpfl<;p   <;pnH    in- 

AHdrp<;«; 

City                                                                         State                                    Zip 

CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES 
1451  Dundee  Avenue     •     Elgin,  Illinois  60120 

IPai^cB  TTDnrPCBO 


ing  and,  upon  waking  in  the  hospital,  dis- 
covered that  he  had  been  poisoned  by  in- 
mates who  were  disgruntled  at  his  serious- 
ness in  his  job.  He  was  transferred  to  Ger- 
many. Our  government  tries  to  take  good 
care  of  the  men  in  service.  Perhaps  we  can 
arrange  for  our  alternative  service  candi- 
dates to  be  made  prison  guards  where  they 
can  contribute  to  our  nation's  welfare. 

Another  consideration  for  our  young  men 
is  the  stigma  from  serving  a  term  in  prison 
—  no  matter  why  he  was  there.  Many  busi- 
nessmen would  likely  feel  that  if  the  young 
man  could  not  show  loyalty  to  his  country, 
he  would  not  show  loyalty  to  the  business. 
Most  state  governments,  recognizing  the 
risks  of  permitting  antisocial  persons  to  vote, 
remove  the  franchise  of  those  in  prison  for 
over  one  year  —  no  matter  why  they  were 
there.  What  can  a  disenfranchised  "citizen" 
do  in  socially  acceptable  ways  to  improve 
our  government?  We  need  well-adjusted, 
socially  responsible,  respected  Brethren  citi- 
zens to  help  run  our  government. 

I  wonder  if  some  of  the  "advice"  given 
by  our  elders  might  not  be  a  sort  of  psycho- 
logical projection  of  their  own  uncertainty. 
I  am  concerned  for  our  youth  as  we  seek 
to  encourage  them,  to  guide  them,  and  to 
lead  them  into  the  Lord's  will  for  each  of 
them.  I  believe  that  our  alternative  service 
program  is  at  least  one  of  the  ways. 

Yes,  Paul  was  in  prison  and  chained  to  a 
guard.  Human  nature  has  not  changed 
much  —  might  it  not  have  been  for  his 
protection  as  much  as  to  keep  him  from 
escaping?  Paul  did  not  defy  the  govern- 
ment; rather,  he  submitted  himself  to  its 
control.  Paul  related  the  spiritual  nature  of 
God's  kingdom  to  the  problems  of  his  day. 
We  have  the  same  problems. 

"We've  a  message  to  tell  to  the  nations"  — 
that  God  is  love.  If  we  taught  this  to  our 
young  men,  and  encouraged  them  to  hold 
up  their  hands  in  prayer,  we  would  not  have 
to  be  giving  them  such  inane  advice.  Rather, 
they  would  "go  to  all  peoples  everywhere, 
making  them  my  disciples"   (Matt.  28:19). 

Lelia  Zeigler 
Denton,  Md. 

UNIQUE 

"A  Parable  for  the  Start  of  the  Church 
Year,"  your  editorial  (Sept.  10),  is  unique, 
interestingly  written,  and  pungent.   .   .   . 

It   should  have   wider   distribution.   .   .   . 
W.  A.  Martin 
Pottstown,  Pa. 


It  might  have  been  a  typographical  error,  but  we  thought  it  was  a  good 
idea  anyway.  One  of  our  readers  addressed  her  letter  to  the  "Readers 
Rite"  column  of  Messenger.  And  that  started  us  thinking  about  the 
various  functions  of  a  letter  column. 

The  title  for  our  own  page  of  letters,  "Readers  Write,"  appeared  first 
in  Messenger  in  1944  soon  after  Desmond  Bittinger  became  editor. 
Actually,  there  was  provision  for  correspondence  in  earlier  issues,  but  the 
editors  in  1944  gathered  brief  quotations  from  letters  they  had  received, 
using  some  at  first  without  names  and  later  with  fuU  identification  after 
receiving  permission  from  the  writer. 

Readers  Write.  The  title  is  descriptive  of  what  happens  and  indicates 
the  importance  of  the  contribution  that  readers  make  regularly  to  a  maga- 
zine. This  is  still  the  title  —  and  the  purpose  — -  of  the  coltimn.  We  would 
subscribe  to  Desmond  Bittinger's  statement  that  "this  column  endeavors 
to  allow  freedom  of  individual  expression."  And  we  would  echo  his  ob- 
servation that  "opinions  expressed  here  are  not  necessarily  in  accord  with 
those  held  by  the  editors." 

All  of  which  is  to  suggest  that  we  might  also  have  titled  the  inside 
cover  page  Readers'  Right.  A  letter  column  is  more  than  a  privilege.  It 
reflects  the  reader's  right  to  respond,  to  talk  back,  to  be  heard. 

Many  persons  tell  us  quite  frankly  that  the  letter  coltimn  is  what  they 
read  first  when  Messenger  arrives.  Some  of  them  are  a  little  apologetic 
in  making  that  confession,  as  if  they  were  duty  bound  to  begin  somewhere 
else.  But  why  not  begin  where  readers  are?  For  that  is  where  the  church 
is  and  that  is  where  God  is  already  at  work. 

So,  for  those  persons  who  make  a  ritual  of  beginning  with  the  in- 
side cover,  we  offer  still  a  third  spelling  of  the  tide.  It  can  appropriately 
be  spelled  Readers'  Rite. 

Contributors  to  this  issue  who  might  spark  the  exercise  of  such  rites, 
rights,  or  writing  include  Pastor  Fred  W.  Swartz,  who  delivered  his  mes- 
sage of  hope  and  faithfulness  at  the  conference  of  the  Southern  Virginia 
District  last  summer. 

Indianapolis,  Indiana,  is  the  headquarters  of  Robert  H.  McNeill,  who 
is  with  the  interpretation  and  publicity  section  of  the  United  Christian 
Missionary  Society.  He  was  co-director  of  a  toux  group  in  Europe  during 
July. 

Sociologist  /.  Ross  Eshleman,  a  speaker  at  Annual  Conference  at  Lin- 
coln, Nebraska,  teaches  at  Western  Michigan  University  at  Kalamazoo. 

Ruth  A  ukerman's  block  prints,  suggested  by  James  Weldon  Johnson's 
poem  "The  Creation,"  illustrate  a  book  she  created  and  gave  several  years 
ago  to  her  husband  Dale,  pastor  at  Sunfield,  Michigan,  for  his  birthday. 
A  former  BVSer,  Mrs.  Aukerman  studied  art  at  Kassel,  Germany,  her 
home. 

Chicago,  Illinois,  resident  Richard  J.  Winsor  develops  church  safety 
program^s  as  director  of  religious  activities  for  the  National  Safety  Council 
where  he  has  worked  since  1967.  Prior  to  his  work  with  the  council,  he 
served  Lutheran  Church  in  America  parishes  in  Boston  and  Chicago. 

The  Editors 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     3 


'^kicEnm^  itDncB  ISmcfl  cD)f!  iIDqcb  XWcDipHdl 


by  FRED  W.  SWARTZ 

Here  is  a  new,  perhaps 
startling,  and  hopefully 
shocking  idea  about  the 
church's  renewal  in  the 
1970s:  hope  and  joy  in  the 
expectation  of  the  end  of 
the  old  world 

_LL  he  major  emphasis  of  Jesus 
in  his  teaching  and  the  primary  pre- 
occupation of  the  iirst-century  church 
was  how  to  face  the  impending  end  of 
the  world!  "The  end  is  near,"  wrote 
Peter  to  the  Christians  of  Asia  Minor. 
It  is  a  note  which  is  struck  consistently 
all  through  the  New  Testament.  It  is 
the  summons  of  Paul  to  the  Romans, 
Chapter  1 3 :   "The  night  is  far  spent, 
the  day  is  at  hand."  It  is  the  warning 
of  James  that  "the  coming  of  the  Lord 
is  near."  It  is  the  conviction  of  John 
who  writes,  "Children,  it  is  the  last 
hour."  And  in  his  dream  book. 
Revelation,  the  same  disciple  concludes 
with  the  master's  overture,  "Surely,  I 
am  coming  soon,"  and  the  response, 
"Come,  Lord  Jesus." 

It  is  evident  that  for  many  in  the 
twentieth  century  these  and  all  such 
passages  are  problems,  for  at  face 
value  they  suggest  something  which 
apparently  has  not  happened  and  they 
sound  an  alarm  which  men  of  little 
faith  cannot  bear  to  hear  without  great 


panic.  So  we  have  tended  to  suppress 
these  passages,  suggesting,  whenever 
pressed  to  pass  some  judgment,  that 
the  early  apostles  were  simply  mistaken 
in  their  interpretation  of  the  Parousia, 
or  the  coming  day  of  the  Lord. 

Yet,  rejecting  this  New  Testament 
theme  simply  on  the  basis  that  histori- 
cally the  end  of  the  world  has  not  re- 
sulted is  also  to  throw  out  the  motiva- 
tion —  and  I  think  the  essential  hope 
—  of  the  first  group  which  were  his 
church!   It  is  of  some  worth  to  note 
that  when  the  councils  of  the  church 
met  in  the  late  second  century  to  form 
the  canon  of  the  New  Testament,  they 
allowed  these  prophecies  of  the  end  to 
stay,  implying  that  the  second  and 
third  generations  of  Christians  still  be- 
lieved these  words  to  be  true. 


n 


t  seems  to  me  that  in  contrast  to  the 
biblical  end  of  the  world  being  a  gen- 
eral pronouncement  upon  history,  it  is 
more  so  and  more  meaningfully  an  in- 
dividual and  personal  truth.  For  every 
one  of  us,  the  end  is  near!  For  the 
church,  the  hour  is  hastening  on.  For 
the  nation,  for  the  family  of  nations, 
and  even  for  the  universe,  there  is  an 
urgency  to  existence  —  an  existence 
that  cannot  be  taken  for  granted  or 
complacently  assumed,  both  because  it 
is  the  dependent  child  of  the  Lord 
whose  judgments  are  righteous  and  be- 
cause it  is  entrusted  to  the  weak  and 
unpredictable  stewardship  of  man,  to 
whom  sin  is  a  live  option. 


Still,  the  New  Testament  writers 
were  talking  about  something  which  is 
considerably  more  than  a  change  in  the 
physical  order  of  creation.  I  find  in 
their  expectation  of  the  end  a  note  of 
joy  —  not  a  gloom  of  fear  and  finality. 
They  know  that  the  end  of  the  old 
world  will  usher  in  the  consummation 
of  the  new  existence  inaugurated  in  and 
through  the  grace  and  truth  of  Jesus 
Christ.  Something  new  was  coming 
into  history,  would  indeed  supercede 
history.  The  time  of  this  fulfillment 
was,  is,  at  hand.  The  end  of  the  old 
has  been  pronounced.  All  of  the 
world's  crises  and  tragedies  only  indi- 
cate its  continuous  ending  and  the  in- 
evitable conclusion  toward  which  it 
moves.  Standing  in  the  wings  is  the 
Lord  Jesus,  the  one  proven  life  who, 
through  the  incarnation,  atonement, 
and  resurrection,  has  survived  evil's 
greatest  blow.  And  he  shall  stride 
through  the  wreckage,  salvaging  those 
pieces  of  his  same  spirit  which  have 
enough  of  him  to  survive. 

But  therein  is  the  hope  —  that 
though  the  end  comes,  Christ  does  not 
leave  his  church  comfortless  or  forsak- 
en. He  rewards  faithfulness  with 
eternal  life!  And  so  —  affirm  the  New 
Testament  apostles  —  faithfulness  is 
urgent;  it  is  the  most  urgent  attention 
of  our  lives.  Upon  it  depends  the  con- 
summation of  our  existence! 

This  word  could  have  no  greater 
relevance  for  any  generation  since  the 
first  century  than  ours.  Our  contempo- 
rary world  is  in  a  state  of  revolution 


4     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


and  confusion.  In  the  words  of  the 
poet,  "Everything  loose  is  a-coming 
up,"  and  everything's  loose!  Many 
people  are  panicky.  Many  church  peo- 
ple are  boarding  up  their  religion  in 
fear  and  offense.  They  view  the  situa- 
tion with  sobbing  alarm,  as  though  we 
were  rapidly  approaching  a  return  to 
godless  chaos  and  cosmic  dust. 

I  don't  see  it  that  way.  Maybe  I'm 
too  naive,  but  I  am  still  very  hopeful. 
I  have  hope  that  the  revolutions,  the 
uncertainties,  the  liberation  of  long- 
oppressed  spirits  that  we  are  experi- 
encing in  our  day  are  but  the  manifes- 
tations of  the  signs  preceding  a  new 
righteousness  for  mankind.  Instead  of 
the  revolution,  tradition-wrecking  ac- 
tivity being  the  whiphand  of  evil,  it 
could  very  well  be  part  of  God's  final 
upheaval  of  evU. 

If  this  is  the  case,  then  I  want  to  be 
sure  I  am  a  part  of  it.  I  want  to  do  my 
part  in  it,  and  I  want  to  see  the  church 
emerge  as  the  leader  in  this  kind  of 
revolution!  Okay  —  how?  What  dif- 
ference does  it  make  to  see  our  dis- 
cipleship  as  preparation  for  the  end  of 
the  world?  When  viewed  with  hope 
for  the  consummation  of  the  new  order 
in  Christ,  it  makes  a  world  of  differ- 
ence! Instead  of  giving  up  or  wistfully 
yearning  for  the  good  old  times,  there 
is  urged  a  new  commitment  to  a  new 
way  of  life.  The  chief  end  of  existence 
becomes  the  glory  of  God.  For,  says 
Peter,  God's  is  the  final  glory  and  do- 
minion forever  and  ever. 

I  want  then  to  suggest  four  charac- 
teristics of  the  church  that  is  to  meet 
the  challenge  of  our  age  with  the  hope- 
fulness of  those  who  expect  the  dawn- 
ing of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  First  let 
me  list  them,  then  make  their  applica- 
tion. The  church  for  this  age:  must  re- 
gard nothing  here  as  permanent;  must 
have  a  free-flowing,  person-centered 
ministry;  must  cultivate  an  acceptance 


of  judgment;  and  must  not  underesti- 
mate her  faith. 


H 


The  church  must  not  regard  any- 
thing in  this  life  as  permanent.  The 
first-century  Christians  lived  in  full  ex- 
pectation of  the  end  of  the  world  order 
as  they  knew  it.  In  light  of  the  new 
and  different  age  to  come,  the  new 
order  with  its  primary  emphasis  and 
values  upon  the  intangible  things  of 
the  spirit,  how  insignificant  earthly 
treasures  and  earthborn  traditions  be- 
gan to  look!   "Lay  not  up  for  your- 
selves treasures  on  earth"  must  surely 
have  rung  loud  and  clear  in  the  ears  of 
the  dedicated  apostles.  Christ's  ad- 
monition to  the  Pharisees,  so  bound  by 
the  idolatry  of  their  earthbound  tradi- 
tions, became  more  and  more  illumi- 
nated for  the  disciples  as  they  took  the 
gospel  out  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
For  Peter,  it  was  a  traumatic  experi- 
ence to  admit  that  a  change  in  the  way 
he  had  been  thinking  and  doing  things 
was  demanded,  but  he  later  testified  to 
the  importance  of  that  change. 

The  church  that  is  Christ's  church 
can  never  become  complacent  or  self- 
satisfied,  a  defender  of  old  methods, 
old  customs,  and  traditions.  In  light 
of  the  changing  order  precipitated  by 
Christ,  hanging  on  to  earthly  institu- 
tions is  like  saving  your  Confederate 
money  in  expectation  that  the  South 
will  secede  again! 


^  The  real  revolution  taking  place 
in  our  culture  today  is  a  reaction 
against  the  impersonal  institutionaliz- 
ing of  life.  If  the  church  is  to  be  rele- 
vant, she  must  radically  and  quickly 
change  her  ministry  from  one  concen- 
trated upon  buildings  and  structure  to 


one  that  can  freely  adapt  to  the  shifting 
needs  of  persons. 

Recently  a  widely  circulated  maga- 
zine contained  this  observation:  "The 
order  of  the  future  will  certainly  call 
for  a  more  sensitive  citizen,  one  who  is 
attuned  to  his  own  feelings  and  the 
feelings  of  others,  one  who  has  learned 
a  new  sense  of  community  and  oneness 
with  all  the  other  individuals  of  his 
social  organism."  Beneath  the  fancy 
rhetoric,  what  that  secular  writer  was 
saying  is  that  this  is  a  new  era  in  hu- 
man relationships,  an  era  in  which  the 
most  important  value  tag  is  being 
placed  on  human  feelings,  not  on  sci- 
entific or  industrial  or  even  religious 
institutions.  Our  day  is  one  that  is 
moving  from  understandings  to  feel- 
ings, from  the  institutional  to  the  per- 
sonal, from  the  organized  to  the  free- 
formed,  from  the  planned  to  the 
spontaneous. 

According  to  the  reviews  there  is  a 
current  movie  to  which  youth  are 
flocking  in  great  numbers,  entitled 
Easy  Rider,  featuring  two  motorcycle 
drifters  who  by  their  nonconforming 
freedom  expose  the  hypocritical  and 
unreal  freedom  of  institutional  society's 
life.  The  film's  message,  however 
crudely  exposed,  is  this:  A  society's 
practices  are  more  sacred  to  it  than  its 
principles. 

Sadly,  this  is  too  often  true  of  the 
church.  One  congregation,  for  in- 
stance, was  approached  by  its  pastor 
and  board  to  involve  the  congregation 
in  the  human  concerns  of  the  day, 
even  though  the  participants  in  those 
concerns,  like  the  "easy  rider,"  move 
in  nonconforming  liberty.  What  hap- 
pened? The  trustees  immediately 
asked  for  the  resignation  of  the  pastor 
and  in  a  newsletter  to  the  congregation 
stated  their  view  thusly:  "The  church 
should  continue  to  minister  to  needy 
individuals,  of  course,  but  not  at  the 


11-5-70   MESSENGER     5 


END  OF  WORLD  /  continued 


expense  of  its  commitments  to  the 
congregation  and  the  structure  itself." 
How  many  times  have  we  paid  the  light 
bill  before  our  outreach  commitment? 
Could  we  carry  a  lantern  in  order  that 
someone  in  an  underprivileged  land 
might  have  the  light  of  Christ?  We 
don't  even  have  pegs  anymore  to  hang 
lanterns  on,  if  we  even  have  lanterns! 
If  the  electric  power  fails,  so  do  we! 
There  may  indeed  be  hard  times 
ahead  for  those  human  enterprises 
which  depend  for  their  existence  upon 
institutional  structure  at  the  expense  of 
human  involvement.  We  shall  be 
judged  by  our  devotion  to  the 
principles  we  proclaim,  not  by  the  in- 
stitutions we  maintain.  The  church  is 
called  to  spend  itself  in  mission,  not  to 
invest  itself  in  maintenance  or 
organization.  "The  end  is  near." 


QD  The  church  that  sincerely  wants 
to  be  Christ's  church,  to  bring  the  con- 
summation of  the  new  age,  must  be 
one  that  is  able  to  accept  the  judgment 
of  her  Lord  upon  her  weaknesses  and 
failures.  I  remind  you  that  the  judg- 
ment of  God  in  the  Bible  has  two 
prongs :  one  to  save  and  one  to  con- 
demn. Often  the  object  of  the  con- 
demning judgment  of  God  is  to  pull 
the  erring  child  back  under  the  saving 
judgment. 

The  church  is  prone  to  mistakes  be- 
cause she  is  partly  human,  and,  there- 
fore, no  church  can  assume  that  it  has 
possession  of  the  full  gospel  or  that 
what  it  does  have  will  never  need  re- 
vision. I  am  reminded  of  the  story  of 
the  boy  Samuel  in  the  temple  of  Eli, 
the  high  priest.  Samuel  heard  a  voice 
one  night,  and,  thinking  the  old  priest 
was  calling  him,  he  went  into  Eli's 
room.   "Yes,  sir,  you  called?"   But  Eli 
had  been  sleeping.  And  when  the  thing 


happened  three  successive  times,  Eli 
realized  the  Lord  was  trying  to  get 
through  to  the  boy,  so  he  gave  him 
directions  to  listen.  But  do  you  re- 
member what  the  word  was?  It  was 
disastrous  news.  The  house  of  Eli  was 
to  be  destroyed  because  Eli  had  done 
nothing  to  correct  the  blasphemy  of 
his  sons. 

Then,  in  the  morning  Eli  pumped 
Samuel  for  what  the  word  was,  and  the 
reluctant  lad  told.  The  beautiful  thing 
is  the  way  Eli  took  it.  The  word  of 
condemnation  enabled  him  to  identify 
it  as  God's  word.  He  recognized  its 
justice  and  was  ready  to  accede.  Good 
men  are  much  quicker  to  accept  judg- 
ment than  evil  men.  EU  may  have 
been  weak,  but  he  was  not  evil.  He  did 
not  whine  or  feel  he  had  been  badly 
dealt  with.  In  humility  he  said,  "It  is 
the  Lord:  Let  him  do  what  seems  good 
to  him." 

Would  that  more  of  our  churches 
and  more  of  our  pastors  could  accept 
the  righteous  judgment  of  God  that 
falls  upon  much  of  our  practice  and 
faithfulness!  The  fact  that  we  have  the 
tendency  to  defense  and  cringe  before 
judgment  may  indicate  that  our  moral 
temperature  is  not  as  high  as  we  think! 


41 


The  church  which  is  seeking 
power  in  this  age  must  never  under- 
estimate her  faith  and  strength.  Here  I 
want  to  illustrate  by  using  another  Old 
Testament  story,  the  story  of  what  hap- 
pened to  the  prophet  Elijah  after  his 
victorious  contest  with  the  prophets  of 
Baal  on  Mount  Carmel.  You  recall 
that  Elijah  won  the  bet  of  whose  God 
could  bring  rain  to  the  drought-stricken 
land,  and  as  his  booty  Elijah  got  to 
slice  the  heads  off  of  Jezebel's  850 
Baal  missionaries. 

The  next  morning,  the  wicked  queen 


threatened  to  make  a  jack-o-lantem 
out  of  Elijah's  head  the  minute  she 
could  get  her  carving  knife  on  him. 
The  lonely  prophet  panicked  and  fled 
as  fast  as  his  feet  would  carry  him  to 
a  secret  cave  at  Sinai,  at  the  other  end 
of  Canaan.  While  he  sulked  there  in 
the  isolated  cave,  the  Lord,  in  the  same 
innocent,  condemning  way  he  ap- 
proached Adam,  said,  "Hey,  fellow, 
what  are  you  doing  here?"  And  Elijah 
explained  that  he  was  the  only  one  of 
the  faithful  left  and  that  the  devil's  ad- 
versaries were  seeking  his  life. 

How  often  have  you  heard  similar 
statements  in  the  church?  "Everybody 
else  is  going  to  the  dogs  except  me,  and 
I'm  afraid."  Many  people  in  our 
church  today  are  letting  the  faithless- 
ness of  others  affect  them  adversely. 
Just  let  somebody  get  offended  in  the 
church  and  there  is  a  movement  on  to 
hold  the  church's  funeral  tomorrow! 

Though  I  have  only  ten  years  of 
pastoral  experience,  I  have  yet  to  find 
an  alarm  sounded  that  there  are  many 
upset  in  the  church  to  have  much 
validity.  One  of  the  most  equivocal 
phrases  that  a  pastor  hears  is,  "There 
are  a  lot  of  people  who  feel  the  way 
I  do."  I  always  say,  "Name  some," 
and  inevitably  the  response  is,  "Oh,  no, 
I'm  not  going  to  name  any  names." 
And  then  I  know  that  means,  "I  can't 
really  name  any  besides  myself." 

What  did  the  Lord  say  to  Elijah? 
"Look,  fellow,  there  are  7,000  in  Is- 
rael who  have  not  forsaken  me.  Now 
that  may  not  seem  like  many,  but  it  is 
an  important  start  that  you  cannot  af- 
ford to  let  down.  Get  out  of  here,  cele- 
brate that  you  have  some  company 
left  in  your  faith,  and  build  upon  it!" 

Brethren,  "the  end  is  near."  Either 
you  can  hide  in  a  cave  and  waste  away, 
or  you  can  get  busy  and  help  your 
brother  and  yourself  find  the  way  into 
the  new  world  that  is  coming!    D 


6     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


by  ROBERT  H.  McNEILL 

JLL  nis  is  a  story  of  a  rather  young  man 
who  — 

was  a  farmer  until  he  reached  age 
twenty-one; 

earned  three  academic  degrees  in 
higher  education; 

has  devoted  twelve  years  (1955-67) 
to  the  pastoral  ministry; 

is  now  in  his  fourth  year  of  helping 
to  enforce  Indiana's  open-housing 
laws. 

The  man  —  Orville  L.  Gardner  of 
Indianapolis,  a  Church  of  the  Brethren 
minister  with  a  wife  and  three  children, 


aged  seven  to  fourteen  years.  He 
dresses  neatly  and  has  dark  ciurly  hair, 
a  dimpled  chin,  a  ready  smile,  and  a 
twinkle  in  his  eyes.  He  is  a  quiet  man. 

All  of  this  may  raise  questions: 

Can't  he  make  up  his  mind  about  a 
vocation? 

How  can  a  minister  with  a  family 
and  a  serious  job  in  these  times  go 
around  with  a  smile  and  a  twinkle? 

How  can  he  be  concerned  and  yet 
be  called  quiet? 

To  begin  to  understand  Orville,  we 
can  first  turn  to  his  parents,  E.  M. 
Gardner  and  the  late  Mrs.  Gardner, 
retired  dairy  and  poultry  farmers  now 
in  Bridgewater,  Virginia,  and  formerly 


of  Eastern  Pennsylvania.  From  their 
example,  he  found  out  about  practical 
and  dedicated  churchmanship.  He 
learned  about  looking  ahead,  working 
hard,  and  accepting  disappointment. 

"Being  the  middle  one  of  nine  chil- 
dren, I  had  to  be  a  little  on  the  quiet 
side,"  Mr.  Gardner  said.  "It  was  im- 
possible for  me  to  talk  all  the  time. 
Besides,  there  were  chores  to  be  done." 

After  high  school,  he  worked  four 
years  as  a  dairy  farmer.  Here  his  bent 
toward  being  a  quietly  impatient,  re- 
sults-oriented man  came  into  play.  His 
experience  on  the  farm  and  his  innate 
abilities  to  deal  with  problems  helped 
immeasurably.  Though  success  in 


Orville  Gardner  enjoyed  his 
twelve  years  in  the  pastoral 
ministry.  But  three  years  ago 
he  became  a  consultant  with 
the  Civil  Rights  Commission 
of  Indiana.  He  considers  it 
amove 


rFi]?(iDmtt  ILnmcB 


(dH  ttDncE  XMiDipncfl^s  IPiPciDMcBnDns 


n-5-70    MESSENGER     7 


THE  FRONT  LINES  /  continued 

farming  seemed  possible,  he  had  a 
gleam  in  his  eye  and  an  inquiring  mind. 

So,  off  he  went  to  Bridgewater  Col- 
lege for  a  bachelor's  degree  with  hon- 
ors; forward  to  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary,  Chicago,  for  a  bachelor  of 
divinity  degree;  and  finally  to  Boston 
University  for  a  master  of  sacred  the- 
ology degree  in  psychology  and  coun- 
seling. 

Rushing  on  through  these  years,  we 
see  the  young  Mr.  Gardner  as  a  pastor 
for  three  years  in  New  England,  four 
years  on  the  West  Coast,  and  five  years 
in  Indianapolis.  Here  we  might  say 
Orville  Gardner  appeared  to  be  on  the 
Damascus  Road! 

"At  Indianapolis  I  made  a  decision 
that  the  world  and  our  country  needed 
so  much  specialized,  dedicated  help  so 
promptly  that  it  would  not  come  soon 
enough  through  the  usual  filtering- 
down  process  of  the  church  —  saving 
souls  and  those  souls  saving  the 
world,"  Mr.  Gardner  said. 

"In  spite  of  a  few  world-relevant 
committee  projects  and  resolutions,  the 
church  was  not  moving.  It  became 
more  apparent  to  me  that  many  of  us 
who  were  called  leaders  and  pastors  (if 
we  had  the  inclination  and  daring) 
ought  to  deploy  ourselves  to  the  front 
lines  of  the  world's  problems. 

"My  chance  came  with  the  offer  of 
a  position  with  the  Civil  Rights  Com- 
mission of  the  state  of  Indiana.  We 
moved  from  our  subiu^ban  parsonage 
and  bought  a  home  in  an  integrated 
neighborhood  of  the  north  side  of  In- 
dianapolis." 

Orville  Gardner  works  in  housing 
and  set  out  first  to  do  research  on  the 
spread  of  black  families  in  Indianapolis 
and  other  Indiana  cities.  Then  he  be- 
gan to  get  acquainted  with  a  variety  of 
neighborhood  associations. 

"Our  role  has  been  in  calming  fears, 
generating  block  clubs,  and  helping 


whites  and  blacks  to  meet  in  blocks 
and  talk  about  mutual  problems,"  he 
said. 

"We  instruct  as  to  the  economic 
benefits  of  a  given  area  and  how  to 
keep  cool  and  stable  when  a  first 
Negro  moves  into  a  neighborhood 
rather  than  allowing  fear  of  the  un- 
known to  cause  whites  to  run,"  Or- 
ville said.  "Panic  selling  can  cause  a 
problem  where  there  need  not  be  a 
problem." 

Perhaps  it  would  be  well  to  pause  in 
our  story  long  enough  to  review  some 
of  Orville's  early  experience,  which 
no  doubt  has  come  in  handy  many  a 
time:  Church  of  the  Brethren  youth 
field  worker  in  ten  Southeastern  states 
.  .  .  dormitory  director  for  college 
boys  for  two  years  .  .  .  teacher  of  cere- 
bral palsied  children  one  semester  .  .  . 
worker  in  a  mental  hospital  one  sum- 
mer .  .  .  counselor  for  boys  at  a  Chi- 
cago parental  school .  .  .  group  worker 
in  a  settlement  house  in  Chicago  .  .  . 
student  in  human  relations  training  at 
Massachusetts  General  and  Boston 
State  hospitals  .  .  .  part-time  chaplain 
for  three  years  of  the  Massachusetts 
Masonic  Home  .  .  .  coordinator  of  area 
workshops  and  retreats  for  church 
committees  with  pastors  .  .  .  partici- 
pant in  two  intensive  human  relations 
retreats  and  in  a  Purdue  extension  in- 
stitute for  the  clergy  .  .  .  leader  of  jun- 
ior high  and  senior  high  camps  and 
other  conferences. 

We  also  should  not  overlook  his 
family.  Orville  met  his  wife  Ardith 
Newcomer,  a  social  worker,  at  an 
Elgin,  Illinois,  student  summer  service 
project.  His  wife's  parents,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  M.  V.  Newcomer,  are  active  in 
the  Santa  Ana  Church  of  the  Brethren. 
Now  Orville  and  Ardith  have  Emily, 
14,  Laurie,  12,  and  Todd,  7,  and  she 
has  gone  back  half-time  to  social 
work  with  Appalachian  families. 


With  farm,  educational,  human  rela- 
tions, and  family  relations  experience, 
Mr.  Gardner  has  developed  his  own 
modus  operandi: 

.  .  .  analyze  a  situation,  seek  solu- 
tions to  problems,  make  decisions, 
and  get  moving  toward  results  .  .uni- 
fy and  motivate  the  forces  rather  than 
fragmenting  and  separating  them  .  . 
use  the  positive  approach  and  "sell" 
ideas  .  .  build  esprit  de  corps  .  .  do 
not  settle  for  pretense  or  head-in-the- 
sand  practices  .  .  be  sure  theories  (and 
theology )  are  related  and  relatable  to 
practices;  if  otherwise,  do  some  prun- 
ing; failing  either  of  these  —  maintain 
integrity  and  at  least  an  honest  descrip- 
tion of  one's  direction  by  erecting  a 
large  sign:  "SELLING  OUT!" 


krvo,  it  would  seem  that  Mr.  Gardner 
has  a  formula  for  success.  But,  says 
he,  "We  have  some  success  at  this 
point,  but  not  always."  To  bear  down 
on  civil  rights  problems,  he  has  specific 
suggestions : 

By  use  of  the  open-housing  law, 
positive  pressure  on  and  cooperation 
with  the  real  estate  industry  to  dis- 
courage their  feeding  upon  people's 
fears  or  prejudices,  and  good  public 
relations  programs  of  neighborhood 
associations,  the  rate  of  racial  change 
in  a  given  area  has  been  made  some- 
what orderly.  Encouragement  has 
been  given  toward  making  all  areas 
open  in  feeling  as  well  as  in  fact  to 
black  persons. 

"This  latter  point  is  slow  to  find 
implementation,"  Mr.  Gardner  said. 
"For  example,  many  good  people  of 
suburbia  might  be  willing  to  sell  to  a 
Negro,  but  actually  they  have  a  hidden 
fear  that  their  neighbors  would  hate 
them  for  selling  to  a  Negro." 

"That's  true  of  some  neighbors,  but 
not  nearly  all  of  them,"  he  added.  "If 


8     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


cDODdl  [pcBODjpIlcB  DDnngDnit  Ddcb  xwnllllnmg 
in  to  m  K3(BgrPcn)  Ibmtt  ffcBaiiP  tlDncEnrp  nQCBngDnlbaDrPS 
DaaiiJcE  ttDQCBnm^^ 


■)\y  have  the  blacks  and  other  minorities  related  to 

lother  on  this,  racial  discrimination  in  housing  or 

ly  right  atti-  house  financing  or  handling  of  federal 

h  supporting  housing  projects." 
aged  to  insist  The  open-housing  staff  works  in  its 

ouse  to  Ne-  own  offices,  at  hearings,  and  through 
branch  offices  and  serves  in  a  liaison 

igious  people,  role  with  cities  which  have  their  own 

,  who  are  local  ordinances  on  fair-housing  prac- 

Drejudices,  tices. 

igined  to  exist.  "Cases  are  processed  and  concUi- 

'ho  is  a  bit  ated  [settled  simply]  or  brought  to  a 

is  also  afraid  formal  hearing  at  the  state  level  for 

-  and  add  to  decision  similar  to  that  of  a  court, 
an  who  is  a  "In  this  work  there  is  much  room 

;t'  —  you  can  for  one's  best  efforts  in  public  relations, 

.w  needs  much  administration,  counseling,  justice  and 

jmentation."  ethics  and  law,  intergovernmental 

g  pioneer  is  work,  and  general  Christian  dedication 

neighbor-  and  concern  for  people,  especially  peo- 

iduals  can  pie  who  have  suffered  so  much  in- 

lat  "we  want  justice  right  here  in  our  America  as 

ws  and  we  a  result  of  our  own  and  our  country's 

rtise)  that  sins  of  omission  and  commission,"  he 

our  house  or  added. 

slacks  and  Just  this  one  further  word  — 

jld.  "Sad  as  it  is  to  say,  I  believe  open 

a  neighbor-  housing  is  coming  about,  if  it  really  is, 

lich  has  been  not  because  it  is  morally  right  but  be- 

stable  for  cause  we  as  a  nation  and  as  communi- 

'..  "We  wanted  ties  are  becoming  painfully  aware  that 

;n  to  live  in  from  an  economic  standpoint  alone  we 

can  no  longer  afford  two  segregated 

Darticular  societies,  one  black  and  the  other 

move,  be-  white. 

homogeneous,  "We  are  also  painfully  learning  what 
would  have  a  terrible  economic  loss  has  already 
en's  education  been  ours  over  the  years  due  to  the  re- 
sults of  myths  propagated  by  whites 
ig  in  Indiana  about  blacks.  Gross  National  Product 
)r  a  moral  is  related  to  productivity  and  pro- 
id  it  is  the  ductivity  is  related  to  the  effective  use 
involved  in  of  human  resources, 
it.  "What  a  price  we  have  paid  not  only 
diting  and  in  hxmian  depravity,  but  in  economic 
cases  from  loss  through  lack  of  utilization  of  hu- 
ained.  "The  man  resources!  Selfishness,  greed,  and 
aints  filed  by  prejudice  have  cost  us  dearly.  Perhaps 


we  have  learned,  or  have  we?" 

One  special  project  of  the  Indiana 
Civil  Rights  Commission  is  included 
in  a  book.  Toward  a  Free  Housing 
Market,  by  Daniel  Baum  (University 
of  Miami  Press,  1970).  Regarding  the 
book,  Orville  said: 

"It  tells  the  story  of  a  special  pro- 
gram in  Indiana  carried  out  with  the 
cooperation  of  local,  state,  and  federal 
governments  and  private  individuals. 
I  was  field  director  and  later  director. 
The  project  covered  a  period  of  more 
than  eighteen  months.  We  arranged 
for  the  selling  of  homes  to  blacks  and 
whites  dislocated  by  highway  projects. 
It  resulted  in  effective,  peaceful  inte- 
gration of  twenty-nine  areas  in  sub- 
urbia. 

"It's  quite  a  story  that  actually 
deals  more  in  quality  than  quantity. 
The  project  shows  for  a  fact  that 
blacks  can  move  into  suburban  white 
areas  and  do  it  naturally,  while  life 
goes  on  as  it  should.  The  project  dem- 
onstrates that  various  sections  of  so- 
ciety can,  if  they  will,  cooperate  to 
bring  about  a  truly  open  housing  mar- 
ket." 

"There  is  much  room  to  be  diplo- 
matic, but  our  love  must  be  with  firm- 
ness and  justice.  We  may  at  times  even 
need  to  imitate  the  indignation  of  Jesus 
as  he  drove  the  money  changers  from 
the  temple." 

"We  have  gone  into  this  work  with 
confidence,"  he  said.  "We  have  an  in- 
ventory of  housing,  dedicated  workers 
who  believe  the  job  can  be  done;  we 
have  the  tools  to  do  it  and  have  ob- 
tained good  results." 

"White  people  don't  hate  black  peo- 
ple," Orville  quietly  insists.  "People 
simply  are  afraid  of  the  unknown." 

"We  already  know  what  the  world 
needs.  People  are  starving,  hating,  and 
killing.  People  are  lost.  We  simply 
need  to  act."   D 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     9 


rF^nrmfin^  ELnffcE°S%n®s  nm  ilDncE  ^0s 


by  J.  ROSS  ESHLEMAN 

Given  the  current  state  of 
affairs  in  the  family  and  in 
the  nation,  what  can  we  ex- 
pect to  take  place  in  the  next 
ten  years?  What  many 
writers  are  proclaiming  is 
anything  but  encouraging 


First  of  all,  changes  that  take  place 
in  life-styles  are  not  necessarily 
pleasing  or  regretful,  good  or  bad, 
constructive  or  destructive  in  them- 
selves. Family  changes  are  likely  to 
be  welcomed  or  rejected  depending  on 
your  own  frame  of  reference.  Divorce 
can  be  viewed  either  as  a  problem  or 
as  a  solution  to  other  problems. 
Homosexuality  may  be  viewed  as  an 
illness  or  as  a  right  to  love  whom  one 
chooses.  This  is  not  meant  to  imply 


that  there  are  changes  which  are  not 
disruptive  to  the  social  order.  But 
social  matters  must  be  seen  in  the  con- 
text in  which  they  occur. 

Second,  although  many  people  see 
the  family  at  the  core  of  society  and  as 
the  most  basic  of  all  institutions,  it 
should  be  made  clear  that  the  family 
cannot  be  understood  as  an  isolated 
phenomenon.  It  must  be  viewed  in  re- 
lationship to  economic,  educational,  re- 
ligious, and  political  institutions.  In 
addition,  factors  such  as  population 
density,  mobility  patterns,  and  stratifi- 
cation divisions  must  be  taken  into  ac- 
count. It  is  not  by  chance  that  agri- 
cultural societies  will  tend  to  empha- 
size extended  families,  parental  in- 
volvement in  mate  selection,  and  often 
encouragement  of  plural  marriage. 
Neither  is  it  by  chance  that  the  United 
States  places  an  emphasis  on  romantic 
love,  separate  households,  and  monog- 
amous marriages. 

The  central  point  is  that  if  accurate 
family  predictions  are  to  be  made  for 


the  seventies,  it  is  essential  to  have  an 
understanding  of  what  is  going  to  take 
place  in  other  social  systems.  For  ex- 
ample :  It  has  been  fairly  well  estab- 
lished that  as  educational  level  in- 
creases, the  number  of  children  in  the 
family  decreases.  Generally,  divorce 
rates  drop  during  depressions  and  in- 
crease during  periods  of  inflation  and 
war.  Thus  it  is  highly  probable  that 
divorce  rates  will  increase  quite  rapidly 
this  year  and  next  if  the  withdrawal  of 
men  from  Southeast  Asia  continues.  A 
change  in  any  element  of  a  social  sys- 
tem is  likely  to  lead  to  changes  in  other 
elements,  including  the  family. 

Third,  the  family  is  not  a  uniform 
entity.  From  the  very  earliest  histori- 
cal moments  of  American  society,  the 
cultural  base  of  its  population  was  di- 
verse and  varied.  And  yet,  despite  the 
diversity  that  comprises  family  life  in 
America,  one  of  the  significant  changes 
has  been  the  assimilation  of  quite  dif- 
ferent cultural  heritages. 

Fourth,  any  type  of  social  projection 


10     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


into  the  future  is  hazardous.  Some 
trends  are  short-term,  tied  to  the  eco- 
nomic climate.  Some  trends  are  not 
necessarily  linear  or  even  directional 
but  may  be  highly  or  basically  unpre- 
dictable. Changes  may  be  internal  or 
external  to  the  system,  accidental  or 
planned,  behavioral  or  attitudinal,  ma- 
terial or  nonmaterial,  actual  or  ideal, 
patterned  or  nonpatterned,  peaceful 
or  violent,  continuous  or  spasmodic, 
rapid  or  slow.  This  suggests  that  pre- 
dictions should  be  made  cautiously. 

With  these  comments  as  background 
here  are  some  changes  which  have  oc- 
curred and  which  I  foresee  in  the  next 
ten  years.  Each  is  likely  to  intensify 
conflict.  And  each  is  going  to  necessi- 
tate a  greater  degree  of  tolerance  and 
understanding  if  we  expect  to  exist  in 
what  will  be  a  highly  heterogenous  and 
multistructured  society. 

1 .  First  and  perhaps  basic  to  most 
other  changes  that  are  occurring  is  the 
general  meaning  which  is  being  given 
to  marriage  and  the  family.  In  the 
1800s  most  Americans  viewed  mar- 
riage as  a  sacred  and  divine  institution. 
The  rules  of  the  marital  and  family 
system  were  not  instituted  by  persons, 
couples,  communities,  or  societies,  but 
by  a  supernatural  power  who  held  au- 
thority and  control  over  all  the  world 
including  man.  Certain  subcultures 
maintained  this  perspective,  and  as  a 
result  many  persons  in  American 
society  today  continue  to  adhere  to  this 
basic  meaning  of  marriage. 

Around  the  turn  of  the  century  mar- 
riage came  to  be  seen  as  a  social  con- 
tract. Community,  kin,  the  law  (writ- 
ten or  unwritten),  and  other  social  ob- 
ligations held  high  priority.  Thus,  cou- 
ples and  family  members  did  that 
which  would  enable  them  to  maintain 
social  respectability.  Divorce  was 
frowned  upon,  not  so  much  because  it 
was  against  the  dictates  of  God  as 


suggested  in  the  first  meaning,  not  so 
much  because  it  was  harmful  to  the 
persons  involved,  but  because  it  was 
disapproved  socially.  Sexual  relation- 
ships before  marriage  were  frowned 
upon  not  so  much  because  they  op- 
posed God's  will  or  because  they  were 
detrimental  to  the  persons  who  engaged 
in  the  relationship  but  because  of  what 
others  would  think  if  they  knew. 

A  third  meaning  of  marriage  (which 
I  forecast  will  predominate  in  the 
seventies)  is  that  marriage  will  be  seen 
as  a  relationship  rather  than  a  contract. 
Marriages  will  exist  for  personal  fulfill- 
ment and  interpersonal  reasons  rather 
than  for  contractual  or  sacramental 
ones.  That  which  leads  to  personal  and 
interpersonal  meaning  becomes  of 
ultimate  value. 

Within  this  meaning  of  marriage, 
rather  than  divorce  being  immoral,  the 
immorality  comes  in  not  getting  a 
divorce  when  for  all  practical  purposes 
the  relationship  has  been  broken  and 
is  nonfunctioning. 

Many  persons  will  continue  to 
adhere  to  the  sacramental  and  social 
meanings  of  marriage  throughout  the 
1970s.  But  the  latter  meaning  and 
perhaps  others  will  become  increasing- 
ly prevalent.  Unless  a  high  degree  of 
tolerance  accompanies  these  multiple 
meanings  and  structures,  a  vast  amount 
of  conflict  can  be  anticipated. 

2.  Second,  in  addition  to  the  mean- 
ing of  marriage  is  the  structure  which 
will  accompany  marriage  and  family 
systems.  The  1970s  will  witness  not  so 
much  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
diverse  forms  which  marriage  takes 
but  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
persons  who  engage  in  the  various 
forms. 

I  predict: 

a  vast  increase  in  the  number  of 

persons  who  choose  to  live  with  a 

person  of  the  same  or  opposite  sex 


without  assuming  a  marriage 
contract. 

•  an  increase  in  group  marriage 
practices. 

•  an  increase  in  the  exchanging  of 
marital  partners  in  monogamous  or 
group  marriages. 

•  an  increase  in  the  number  of  women 
and  couples  who  don't  want 
children. 

•  an  increase  in  local  or  state  nurseries 
and  day-care  centers  where  sub- 
stitute mothers  will  perform  many 
of  the  child  rearing  functions. 

•  an  increase  in  the  number  of 
persons  who  will  postpone  marriage. 
Some  persons  will  substitute  for 

marriage  some  type  of  communal 
living.  The  relationships  which  exist 
within  these  communal  groups  may  or 
may  not  have  formal  contracts  binding 
them.  The  interaction  of  the  members 
may  involve  everything  from  economic 
communism  to  sexual  communism. 
The  groups  may  have  some  degree  of 
permanency,  but  it  is  likely  that  new 
members  will  be  added  and  old  mem- 
bers will  leave.  Emphasis  will  be 
placed  on  "our"  children  rather  than 
"my"  children.  Although  some 
division  of  labor  by  sex  will  exist,  this 
sexual  division  will  be  minimal. 

Communal  groups  that  resemble 
group  marriage  will  likely  remain 
simply  experimental.  As  far  as  I  know, 
no  society  has  maintained  a  group 
marriage  practice  for  a  system  as  a 
whole  over  a  prolonged  period  of  time 
that  exceeded  many  generations. 

The  1970s  may  witness  an  increasing 
number  of  families  which  are  childless 
or  one-parent  families.  Today,  certain 
adoption  agencies  are  placing  children 
in  one-parent  homes.  Today,  certain 
students  and  others  are  saying  that 
they  desire  to  marry  but  don't  want 
children.  Since  I  also  predict  the 
legalization  and  availability  of 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     U 


FAMILY  LIFE-STYLES  /  continued 


abortion,  sterilization,  and  contracep- 
tives for  males  and  females,  having 
children  will  become  totally  voluntary. 

Extended  family  ties  will  probably 
continue  to  exist  much  as  we  have 
witnessed  in  the  sixties.  That  is, 
families  will  not  share  the  same  house- 
hold or  even  live  in  the  same  com- 
munity, but  maintain  kin  relationships 
via  letters,  visiting,  financial  assistance, 
and  various  means  of  communication. 
Rather  than  seeing  a  decay  in  the 
family,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  family 
wUl  increase  in  importance,  although 
obviously  in  many  different  forms  from 
what  has  been  traditionally  accepted. 

3.  Third,  the  personal  and  social 
functions  which  marriage  fulfills  will 
change.  It  is  likely  that  the  family  will 
decrease  its  economic,  educational, 
religious,  recreational,  and  protective 
functions.  However,  the  family  will 
increase  as  the  primary  source  of 
affection,  nurturant  socialization,  and 
stabilization  of  adult  members.  Thus 
while  it  is  true  that  the  American 
family  no  longer  represents  a  "little 
society"  to  its  members,  there  are  and 
will  continue  to  be  certain  functions 
which  the  family  system,  now  in  its 
nuclear  form,  will  continue  to  provide 
for  society  in  general. 

Although  there  may  be  a  decrease 
in  the  number  of  functions,  the  im- 
portance of  the  specified  functions  of 
the  family  will  likely  increase  as  mari- 
tal roles  will  be  increasingly  based  on 
personally  perceived  satisfactions  aris- 
ing from  interpersonal  relationships 
(the  third  basic  meaning  of  marriage ) . 
This  shift  in  function  certainly  does 
not  make  the  family  less  important  but 
in  many  ways  increases  its  importance, 
since  these  functions  are  not  ade- 
quately fulfilled  by  systems  other  than 
the  family,  at  least  at  this  time. 

4.  Fourth,  the  1970s  are  also  likely 
to  bring  a  further  shift  in  role  expecta- 


tions of  husbands  and  wives,  men 
and  women.  This  shift  is  perhaps  most 
recognizable  by  listening  to  members 
of  the  Women's  Liberation  Movement. 
At  the  center  of  the  feminists'  critique 
is  the  recognition  that  women  have 
been  forced  to  accept  an  inferior  role 
in  society  and  that  many  women  have 
come  to  believe  in  their  own  inferiority. 
They  have  been  taught  to  be  passive, 
dependent,  submissive,  and  to  be  taken 
care  of  and  protected.  Women  have 
been  expected  to  subordinate  their  jobs 
to  the  interest  of  their  husbands'  work. 
They  would  move  to  another  city  so 
husbands  could  take  promotions  — 
but  it  would  rarely  work  the  other  way 
around. 

It  is  my  understanding  that  most 
feminists  do  not  object  to  marriage  as 
such  but  to  the  assumption  that  it  is 
creative  and  fulfilling  for  an  adult  hu- 
man being  to  spend  her  life  doing 
housework,  caring  for  children,  and 
using  her  husband  as  a  precarious  link 
to  the  outside  world. 

The  transition  in  male-female  status 
includes  a  trend  away  from  the 
patriarchal  or  semipatriarchal  authority 
patterns  of  the  last  century  and  equality 
in  courtship  patterns  and  marital  re- 
lationships. It  would  be  my  guess  that 
the  tremendous  changes  accompanying 
the  female  roles  will  have  as  great  an 
impact  on  men  as  it  wOl  have  on 
women. 

5.  Fifth,  parent-chUd  relationships 
and  methods  of  child  rearing  vary 
among  social  classes  and  other  groups, 
and  they  change  with  amazing  speed. 
It  has  been  said  that  children  used  to 
be  brought  up  by  their  parents.  Per- 
haps it  would  be  more  realistic  to  say 
children  used  to  be  brought  up  by  their 
mothers. 

Now,  though,  children  are  presented 
with  many  quasiparents  in  the  process 
of  becoming  adults.  Siblings,  friends, 


teachers,  grandparents,  neighbors, 
ministers,  clerks,  and  babysitters  are 
likely  to  become  increasingly  important 
in  contributing  to  the  basic  parental 
function  of  child  rearing.  Perhaps  even 
television  should  be  included  as  a 
quasiparent! 

For  teen-agers  there  is  likely  to  be 
a  continuation  of  peers  as  a  major 
source  of  attitude  and  value  formation. 

Today,  and  probably  through  the 
seventies,  the  extent  of  permissiveness 
may  be  directly  related  to  the  social 
class  level  of  the  parents.  Working- 
class,  blue-collar  parents  will  adhere  to 
traditional  values.  Children  are  taught 
to  conform  to  externally  imposed 
standards.  They  are  supposed  to  be 
neat  and  clean.  They  are  supposed  to 
obey  and  to  please  adults. 

On  the  other  hand,  middle-class 
parental  values  pay  more  attention  to 
the  internal  dynamics  of  the  child. 
The  attempt  is  to  help  the  child  develop 
emotionally  and  socially.  This  means 
that  the  child  does  not  conform  to  a 
rigid  routine  and  does  not  have  fixed 
goals.  This  class  distinction  is  not 
unique  to  parent-child  relationships  but 
is  highly  consistent  with  what  is  found 
in  the  occupational  and  educational 
world. 

People  in  working-class  occupations 
likely  deal  more  with  the  manipulation 
of  things;  they  are  more  subject  to 
standardization  and  direct  supervision. 
Getting  ahead  is  likely  to  be  dependent 
on  collective  action  (unions).  On  the 
other  hand,  middle-class  occupations 
deal  more  with  the  manipulation  of 
ideas,  symbols,  and  interpersonal  re- 
lationships. Employees  are  more 
subject  to  self -direction,  aiid  getting 
ahead  is  dependent  more  on  one's  own 
actions. 

When  these  factors  are  carried  over 

to  the  family  situation,  you  are  likely  to 

Continued  on  page  25 


12     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


day  mr day 


Jerry,  a  sixteen-year-old,  was  quite  upset  when  his  parents 
came  home  from  the  shopping  center  with  his  fourteen 
year-old  sister  Ann.  The  car  was  laden  with  packages  — ^ 
and  as  they  were  brought  into  the  house,  Jerry  saw  that 
most  of  them  were  going  to  his  sister's  room.  This  had  been 
happening  too  frequently  for  Jerry  to  take. 

"Looks  like  you've  been  on  another  shopping  spree," 
said  Jerry.  To  this  they  all  agreed.  And  then  Ann  opened 
package  after  package  and  proceeded  to  try  on  her  four 
new  dresses  and  two  new  pairs  of  shoes  and  then  proudly 
walked  about  the  living  room  in  demonstration. 

"Don't  you  like  them  all?"  she  said  as  she  fondled  each 
new  tried-on  garment.   "I'm  just  crazy  about  them." 

"You  already  have  quite  a  wardrobe,  Ann,"  said  Jerry. 
"Seems  like  you  always  get  more  than  I.  I  can  see  you  get- 
ting one  dress,  possibly  two,  but  four.  ...???" 

"But  Ann  has  grown  so  fast  this  summer,  Jerry,  that 
she's  outgrown  most  of  her  dresses,"  the  mother  interrupted. 
"Your  turn  will  come,  Jerry." 

"Jerry!  Jerry!"  It  was  Dad's  voice  calling  from  the  ga- 
rage. He  needed  help  to  carry  in  a  larger  box  from  the  car 
trimk.  Jerry  obliged,  but  when  he  inquired  who  was  getting 
a  new  portable  hi-fi  and  was  told  it  was  for  Ann's  room,  that 
was  just  too  much.  Jerry  was  really  disgruntled  at  this, 
and  his  parents  had  quite  a  time  convincing  their  son  that 
they  were  not  partial  to  Ann  in  their  spending  and  getting 
things  for  her. 

This  incident  illustrates  only  one  of  the  many  problems 
that  occurs  in  the  average  home  over  money  matters.  Who 
has  not  faced  a  similar  situation?  Who  has  not  felt  the 
"pinch  of  funds"  at  one  time  or  another?  Money  indeed  is 
a  most  necessary  part  of  our  lives.  And  it  can  be  either  a 
good  servant  for  us  or  a  most  irritating  disruption.  How 
is  it  in  your  family?  What  is  a  Christian  attitude  toward 
money?  How  can  we  arrive  at  a  family  plan  to  which  all 
members  can  cheerfully  subscribe  and  be  mutually  satisfied 
about?  The  following  are  suggestive: 

1.  With  the  Bible  as  textbook,  discover  the  Christian 
concept  of  money.  See  from  both  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments that  God  is  the  owner  and  we  are  the  trustees. 

2.  Let  every  member  of  the  family,  including  the  chil- 
dren, know  exactly  what  the  family  income  is.  Discuss  the 
demands  placed  upon  it. 

3.  Have  the  fun  as  a  family  of  planning  a  workable 
budget  together.  Be  sure  you  start  vnth  what  you  vnsh  to 
give  to  the  Lord,  then  proceed  to  savings,  cultiural  improve- 
ment, and  living  needs. 

4.  On  occasion,  give  your  children  what  you  would 


normally  spend  for  a  week's  groceries  and  let  them  do  the 
week's  shopping  and  see  how  they  come  out. 

5.  Let  each  child  have  a  weekly  allowance.  Let  the  chil- 
dren, in  counsel  with  their  parents,  help  decide  what  this 
shall  be. 

6.  Let  each  child  be  responsible  to  pay  for  some  minimal 
personal  needs  from  his  own  allowance. 

7.  As  needs  arise,  come  to  an  agreement  on  priorities 
and  demands  upon  the  family  income.  Make  certain  that 
Mother  and  Father  get  their  just  turn  on  the  "go  around." 

8.  List  the  things  for  which  you  feel  the  family  is 
spending  money  unnecessarily.  See  if  you  can  discipline 
yourselves  to  eliminate  some  of  these. 

9.  Plan  what  you  will  give  to  the  Lord  as  a  family. 
Make  sure  each  member  of  the  family  has  an  envelope  for 
which  he  is  responsible  each  week.  —  L.  Byron  and  Zola 
Miller 

DAILY  READING  GUIDE        November  8-21 

Sunday    Genesis   14:   17-24.    Abram  offers  an  early  example  of  tithing. 
Monday    Exodus  19:1-8.    The  Hebrew  nation  is  called  to  a  trusteeship. 
Tuesday    Deuteronomy   8.    We  are  warned   against  a   self-centered   material- 
ism. 
Wednesday    Psalm  24:1-2;   Haggai  2:1-9.    God  is  sole  owner  of  everything. 
Thursday    Malachi  3:6-12.    The  Lord  gives  a  warning  and   a   promise. 
Friday    Matthew  6:19-20.    Money   is  not  to  be  hoarded. 
Saturday    Matthew  6:24.    God,  not  mammon,  is  to  be  sovereign. 
Sunday    Matthew  6:25-34.    Don't  be  overanxious  about  material  needs. 
Monday    Matthew  19:16-22.    Possessions  possessed  a  rich  young  man. 
Tuesday    Matthew   19:23-30.    It  is  difficult  for  a  rich  man  to  be  saved. 
Wednesday    Matthew  22:15-22.    It  is  lawful  to  pay  taxes  to  the  state. 
Thursday    Mark   12:41-44.    Motive   and  sacrifice  are  important  in  giving. 
Friday    Acts  8:14-24.    Spiritual  power  cannot  be  bought  with  money. 
Saturday    1   Timothy  6:1-10.    Godliness  with  contentment  is  great  gain. 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     13 


A  big  event  that  made  us  silent 


Besides  having  more  miniature  golf 
courses  per  square  foot  than  anywhere 
else  that  I've  ever  been,  there  isn't  much 
that  distinguishes  North  Webster,  Ind., 
from  any  other  small  town.  It  isn't  even 
situated  on  a  highway  that  connects  one 
city  to  another,  and  if  you  saw  a  picture 
postcard  of  the  countryside  that  sur- 
rounds the  town,  and  indeed  comes  right 
into  town,  you  would  probably  remark  on 
how  similar  it  is  to  other  places  that 
you've  lived  in  or  visited  in  the  Midwest 
—  and  you'd  be  right. 

The  third  (sometimes  annual,  some- 
times not)  reunion  for  men  who  had 
been  in  Civilian  Public  Service  camps 
Wellston  (42),  Stronach  (17),  and 
Manistee  (1)  was  held  Sept.  20  at  Ep- 
worth  Forest,  a  Methodist  campground 
near  North  Webster.  It  was  an  appro- 
priate place  for  the  former  CPSers  to 
have  a  reunion. 

Foresters:  The  three  Michigan  camps 
with  which  the  men  had  been  associated 
were  connected  with  the  U.S.  Forest 
Service  where  the  men  had  planted  trees, 
fought  fires,  and  practiced  soil  conserva- 
tion. Most  of  the  150  CPS  camps  had 
been  near  towns  as  small  and  removed  as 
North  Webster,  places  like  Buck  Creek, 
N.C.;  Lagro,  Ind.;  Wellston,  Mich.;  and 
Belton,  Mont.,  for  the  most  part  places 
as  unknown  as  CPS  itself  —  places  that 
you  may  never  have  heard  of  unless  you 
have  a  father  or  perhaps  a  husband  or  a 
brother  who  was  a  "camper." 

These  are  interesting  men,  if  only  be- 
cause they  were  conscientiously  opposed 
to  a  war  that  hardly  anyone  disputed. 
Even  now  most  of  the  people  who  feel 
that  there  is  something  drastically  wrong 
about  the  current  war  in  Southeast  Asia 
would  little  question  America's  partici- 
pation in  World  War  II.  Thirty  of  these 
men  came  to  Wesley  Hall  at  Epworth 
Forest,  many  of  them  accompanied  by 
their  wives  and  draft-age  sons,  for  a  re- 
union that  included  an  afternoon  peace 


seminar  and  addresses  by  Paul  Keller, 
a  former  CPSer;  Jeremy  Mott,  a  draft 
resister;  and  a  man  currently  in  alterna- 
tive service  (myself). 

Close  to  prison:  The  men  were  espe- 
cially eager  to  ask  questions  of  Jeremy 
Mott,  who  has  worked  for  the  Midwest 
Committee  for  Draft  Counseling  ever 
since  being  released  from  prison.  They 
wanted  to  know  about  recent  draft  legis- 
lation, why  he  thought  alternative  service 
was  a  questionable  position  for  the  peace 
churches,  and  how  they  could  become  in- 
volved in  the  peace  movement  and  draft 
counseling.  They  asked  none  of  the  "us- 
ual" questions  that  are  asked  a  man  who 
has  been  in  prison,  possibly  because  they 
were  pretty  close  to  that  experience 
themselves. 

Low  attendance:  But  why  only  30  of 
a  possible  350  attended  the  reunion  is 
hard  to  say.  I've  never  been  to  any  kind 
of  official  reunion  before,  and  although 
I've  deliberately  skipped  a  couple,  I'm  not 
sure  why  —  perhaps  because  I've  heard 
that  they  are  often  nostalgic,  backslap- 
ping  affairs  with  shades  of  disappoint- 
ment over  the  pretty  girl  who  got  fat,  or 
not  seeing  the  one  person  you  had  hoped 
to  see,  or,  even  more  deadly,  the  feeling 
that  you  really  don't  have  much  in  com- 
mon with  these  people  anymore. 

But  these  men  didn't  need  any  reunion 
to  provide  a  sudden  awareness  that  they 
were  different  from  one  another  in  many 
ways.  The  old  camp  newspapers  reveal 
that  even  the  men  in  the  same  camp  dif- 
fered greatly  in  many  ways.  Some  of  the 
men  were  grateful  that  the  National  Serv- 
ice Board  for  Religious  Objectors  was 
founded  and  empowered  to  cooperate 
with  the  Selective  Service  System  in  de- 
veloping programs  for  them,  while  others 
felt  that  the  work  they  were  doing  was 
often  meaningless  and  in  direct  support 
of  the  system  that  as  men  of  conscience 
they  could  not  support. 

But  despite  all  these  differences  there  is 


something  deep  within  these  men  that 
unites  them  in  an  uncomfortable  way  — 
something  that  goes  beyond  education, 
vocation,  and  maybe  even  conscience  — 
something  that  is  hard  to  get  at,  some- 
thing that  is  hinted  at  in  their  writings, 
the  camp  newsletters,  and  sometimes  in 
their  voices.  .  .  .  Whatever  it  is,  Paul 
Keller  was  walking  around  it  a  couple  of 
times  in  his  remarks  on  freedom  and  re- 
sponsibility and  the  conscientious  ob- 
jector. Keller  gave  examples  in  some 
stories  that  highlighted  three  main  points: 

]^  "To  be  free  requires  that  a  man 
must  follow  his  conscience  even  if  that 
puts  him  in  error  as  other  people  see 
him." 

li^  "To  be  free  means  to  choose  one's 
bonds  —  there  is  no  such  thing  as  abso- 
lute freedom." 

]^  "A  conscientious  objector  has  a  spe- 
cial responsibility  to  examine  the  rela- 
tionship of  his  means  and  ends." 

For  the  most  part  Dr.  Keller's  excel- 
lent address  could  have  been  directed 
toward   anyone  interested   in  conscience 

—  there  were  only  a  couple  of  specific 
references  to  CPS,  but  one  of  them,  a 
kind  of  offhanded  observation,  was  very 
interesting  to  me  because  it  hinted  at  this 
thing  about  the  CPS  experience  that  I 
can't  quite  grasp.  Keller  related  how  he 
happened  to  have  access  to  a  cottage 
deep  in  the  Manistee  forests  in  Michigan 

—  "back  in  some  fire  trails  near  where 
perhaps  some  of  you  campers  had 
worked." 

Same  question:  "I  tramp  those  woods 
in  every  season  of  the  year,"  he  con- 
tinued, "and  I  know  that  something  hap- 
pens to  me  when  I  go  into  those  woods 
that  is  calming,  quieting,  a  real  balm  .  .  . 
until  after  walking  around  for  awhile  I 
come  to  a  plantation  area  where  you  or 
some  other  CPSers  planted  the  trees. 
When  I  come  upon  these  plantation  areas 
it  nearly  always  injects  a  new  note  in  my 
reflections,  and  I  start  remembering  some 


14     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


of  the  problems  that  all  of  us  dealt  with 
25  years  ago,  and  the  questions  that  re- 
main unanswered  after  25  years." 

When  Dr.  Keller  said  that,  I  was  re- 
minded by  his  comments  of  some  pas- 
sages in  William  Stafford's  book  of  CPS 
stories  entitled  Down  in  My  Heart.  It  is 
a  beautiful  collection  of  short  stories  that 
reveal  the  frustrations  of  not  being  un- 
derstood by  local  communities  or  some- 
times by  anyone,  and  how  the  govern- 
ment officials  over  the  campers  "strug- 
gled between  humane  neighborliness  and 
a  half-hearted  idea  that  perhaps  they 
were  supposed  to  be  running  concentra- 
tion camps";  and  how  the  CPSers  often 
felt  that  they  were  foreigners  (especially 
on  the  day  that  the  war  ended),  and  how 
they  knew  that  although  they  might  have 
some  vision,  they  were  often  like  every- 
one else  except  that  they  "wanted  medals 


"...  and  this 
one  I  got  on  the 
Red  Rock  fire  in 
'43."    War  medals 
of  a  different 
kind  for  a  "fire- 
eater."    Cartoon 
taken  from 
Glendora,  Calif., 
CPS  camp  news- 
letter, the  San 
Dimas  Rattler 


for  not  taking  medals." 

And  indeed  as  I  looked  at  the  men 
around  me,  they  did  look  like  any  other 
men  in  their  late  40s  and  early  50s  — 
they  were  dressed  neatly,  their  sons  sit- 
ting next  to  them  were  healthy  with  mod- 
erately long  hair  .  .  .  but  I  couldn't  help 
remembering  one  passage  in  particular 
from  the  Stafford  book.    It  is  a  passage 


where  the  author  is  talking  to  a  fellow 
conscientious  objector  who  has  resisted 
and  is  unconscious  after  fasting  for  sev- 
eral days  in  prison:  "we  are  a  lost  peo- 
ple —  you  and  I  and  some  others  —  and 
we  saw  an  event  that  few  others  could 
experience,  a  big  event  that  made  us 
silent  and  engulfed  us  quietly."  —  Terry 
Pettit 


Youth  says  'no'  to  the  draft 


When  Barrel  Weybright  reached  his  eighteenth  birth- 
day last  December,  he  decided  against  registering  with  the 
Selective  Service  System  and  shared  his  conviction  on  the 
draft  with  federal  officials. 

The  youth,  a  member  of  the  Bethany  Church  of  the 
Brethren  at  New  Paris,  Ind.,  came  to  his  decision  out  of 
a  strong  peace  conviction  in  his  home,  out  of  his  activity 
in  his  congregation  and  the  Northern  Indiana  District, 
and  out  of  the  "bewildering  events  of  the  60s,"  notes  his 
pastor,  James  C.  McKirmell. 

But  most  decisive  for  Darrel  were  remarks  he  heard 
last  year  at  the  Brethren  citizenship  youth  seminar,  when 
a  speaker  said,  "You  don't  owe  two  years  to  your  country; 
you  owe  your  whole  life  to  humanity." 

Then  followed  conferences  with  Pastor  McKinnell  in 
which  together  they  read  over  some  of  the  experiences  of 
other  draft  resisters  and  reviewed  the  legal  procedures 
and  penalties  involved  in  noncooperation  with  the  draft. 

Darrel's  letter  to  the  government  in  lieu  of  register- 
ing brought  an  investigative  visit  from  an  FBI  agent  on 
Feb.  12.  Darrel  was  arrested  at  his  home  on  July  30  by 
a  federal  marshal,  indicted  for  violation  of  the  Selective 
Service  Act  of  1967,  and  released  on  bond.  Pleading  not 
guilty,  he  was  arraigned  in  federal  court  on  Sept.  4.  He 
is  awaiting  trial  in  South  Bend,  Ind.,  on  Dec.  28,  when  he 


is  expected  to  plead  guilty. 

Pastor  McKinnell  notes  that  his  congregation  is  at- 
tempting to  support  Darrel  in  his  stand:  Darrel  went 
into  this  experience  feeling  rather  alone.  We  are  trying 
to  give  him  undergirding  from  the  scriptures  and  from 
the  congregation." 

Letters  from  members  are  being  sought  as  testimony 
about  Darrel's  character  and  convictions.  One  member 
has  offered  him  temporary  employment  while  he  is  await- 
ing trial.  Many  youth  and  adults  of  the  church  hope  to 
be  with  him  in  court  when  the  case  comes  to  trial  in  De- 
cember. 

"He  is  not  the  first  person  to  defy  public  law  for  the 
sake  of  conscience,"  observes  Mr.  McKinnell.  "Daniel, 
Jeremiah,  and  the  apostles  got  into  some  pretty  tight 
squeezes  for  the  same  reason.  And  the  living  Christ  knows 
something  about  colliding  with  public  authority." 

With  the  action  of  Annual  Conference  in  June,  the 
church  now  supports  youth  like  Darrel  Weybright  who 
for  conscience'  sake  openly  and  nonviolently  choose  not 
to  cooperate  with  Selective  Service.  It  is  at  this  point  in 
Darrel's  personal  decision,  made  in  a  "spirit  of  humility, 
goodwill,  and  sincerity,"  that  the  hand  of  fellowship  is 
being  extended  to  him  from  his  congregation,  his  district, 
and  the  Brotherhood. 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     15 


news 


For  the  peasant 

a  medical  exam- 
ination costs  a 

week's  work.  If 
there  is  money 
enough  for  an 
exam,  rarely  is 

there  any  left  to 
buy  medicine 


"Moonlighting" 
for  the  rural 
peasant  is  a  must. 
He  works  his  own 
plot  of  land  —  // 
he  has  one  —  to 
produce  food  for 
his  family;  to 
get  cash  for 
taxes  and  other 
needs,  he  works 
at  a  pittance 
for  the  large 
landowners 


CONFRONl 


Upon  living  a  few  months  south  of  the 
equator,  a  European  observer  described 
how,  if  he  had  to  make  a  choice,  he 
would  spend  his  last  penny  in  affecting 
the  course  of  human  history.  "I  would 
not  spend  it  in  Latin  America,"  he  de- 
clared, "but  in  the  United  States,  to  in- 
form North  Americans  what  their  coun- 
try is  doing  to  the  people  here." 

What  the  critic  was  feeling  centered 
not  so  much  on  the  level  of  personal  re- 
lationships between  Americans  from 
North  and  South  as  on  the  effect  of  U.S. 
industry,  government,  military,  films, 
churches  and  other  institutions  on  the 
lives  of  the  people  there.  His  concern, 
if  it  were  summed  up  in  a  phrase,  was 
with  the  distribution  and  use  of  power. 

To  enable  churchmen  of  the  United 
States  to  grasp  something  of  this  concern, 
the  mission  film  for  1970-71  explores  the 
lives  and  fortunes  of  one  group  of  people, 
a  cross-section  of  Colombians.    Entitled 


16     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


The  barrios  of 
Bogota  are 
jammed  with 
persons  who,  in 
fleeing  from  the 
countryside,  have 
exchanged  orie 
kind  of  poverty 
for  another.  The 
majority  are 
squatters  who 
constantly  fear 
eviction,  for  the 
ownership  of  the 
land  is  unclear 


POWER  IN  LATIN  AMERICA 


"A  Problem  of  Power,"  the  film  was  pro- 
duced without  script  to  document  the 
truth  as  the  Latin  Americans  see  it.  The 
resulting  treatment  is  45  minutes  of  prob- 
ing, intense,  and  disturbing  reporting. 

Spokesmen:  From  rural  and  urban 
settings  come  the  voices  of 

1^  peasants  who  describe  pathetic  ef- 
forts to  support  their  families  on  totally 
impossible  incomes.  One  tells  of  labor- 
ing for  $1.50  a  week  and  needing  to  pro- 
vide his  own  tools,  of  which  a  single 
shovel  costs  three  weeks'  pay. 

1/^  a  rebel  priest  who  lives  and  works 
in  the  barrios,  or  slums,  of  Bogota,  where 
he  says  rural  people  move  in  and  ex- 
change one  kind  of  poverty  for  another. 
Since  completion  of  the  film  the  priest 
was  arrested,  disciplined  by  the  hierarchy, 
and  suspended  from   priestly  functions. 

u^  the  owner  of  a  large  estate  who 
speaks  kindly  but  patronizingly  of  the 
peasants  who  work  his  land.    It  is  his 


conviction  that  "the  only  way  to  teach 
the  peasant  is  by  example." 

/X  television  executives  who  hold  con- 
flicting viewpoints  about  importing  Amer- 
ican entertainment  programs.  Because 
foreign  films  and  TV  can  be  shown  at  a 
fraction  of  the  cost  of  originating  pro- 
ductions, the  creation  of  works  on  their 
own  national  culture  is  frustrated. 

l^  a  seasoned  missionary  to  the  area 
who  explains  the  stifling  effect  of  North 
American  influence.  As  to  the  church, 
he  said  that  while  Protestantism  was  at 
first  innovative  in  Colombian  culture, 
today  it  has  lost  that  posture.  Innovation 
now  comes,  he  said,  from  the  rebel  Ro- 
man Catholic  priests. 

1^  a  university  student  who  voices  the 
disillusion  of  young  people  with  the  es- 
tablishment and  their  powerlessness  to 
change  it.  After  the  successive  influence 
of  the  Spanish,  the  Soviets,  the  North 
Americans,  the  Cubans,  and  the  Chinese, 


the  youth  declared  "now  it  is  for  us  to 
determine  for  ourselves  our  own  means 
of  productive  development,  our  values, 
our  reality." 

Documentation:  In  the  course  of  film- 
ing in  the  slums  of  Bogota,  one  techni- 
cian asked  a  resident  how  many  children 
she  had.  "Three  yesterday,"  she  replied; 
"since  daybreak  today,  only  two."  As  she 
talked  on,  the  cameraman  recorded  the 
story  of  misery  she  told  —  her  child's 
illness,  the  futile  effort  to  find  a  doctor  or 
medicine,  finally  the  child's  death  of  a 
stomach  infection.  Her  face  documented 
the  despair  of  ghetto  life. 

For  another  episode,  the  crew  was  in- 
vited by  Octaviano,  a  farmer,  to  come  to 
his  tiny  farm  "only  a  short  distance 
away"  from  the  village  market  where 
they  met.  The  next  morning  the  film 
team  discovered  the  trek  was  up  a  rugged 
mountain,  to  a  5,000-foot  altitude.  Ex- 
hausted   upon    arrival,    they    found    the 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     17 


news 


farmer  apologizing  for  his  need  to  leave 
at  once  in  order  to  buy  a  cow  a  neighbor 
was  selling  cheaply.  They  persuaded 
him  to  hold  off,  bargaining  to  pay  him 
$18  for  the  interview,  enough  to  buy  any 
cow  he  wished.  The  man  consented,  and 
there  followed  a  poignant  profile  on  film 
of  the  farmer's  work,  his  family,  his  frus- 
tration, and  his  hopes. 

Disclosure:  In  treating  the  theme  of 
power,  the  film  does  not  debate  the  issues 
philosophically.  It  does  through  graphic 
camera  action,  by  bringing  contrastingly 
to  the  screen  both  the  people  in  power 
and  the  powerless,  disclose  a  feeling  of 
what  is  at  stake  in  human  terms. 

Further,  the  film  suggests  that  to  main- 
tain the  status  quo  is  to  fail  utterly  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  masses  who  exist 
on  tiny  mountain  plots  and  in  the  urban 
barrios.  It  challenges  the  viewer  who  is 
inclined  to  believe  that  stability,  however 
repressive,  is  preferable  to  sweeping 
reform. 

For  filming  "A  Problem  of  Power," 
the  production  crew  was  headed  by  Gus- 
tavo Nieto-Roa,  an  able  Colombian 
cameraman,  and  producer-director  Sum- 
ner Glimcher  of  Columbia  University's 
Center  for  Mass  Communication.  The 
team  was  assembled  by  Herbert  Lowe, 
director  of  film  for  the  Broadcasting  and 
Film  Commission,  under  assignment  of 
the  department  of  education  for  mission 
of  the  National  Council  of  Churches. 
Toward  the  cooperative  production  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  invested  $900. 

The  resulting  film  is  a  lesson  in  aware- 
ness for  the  North  American  who  wants 
to  look  responsibly  at  Christian  mis- 
sion as  it  relates  to  his  neighbor  to  the 
south. 

Timeliness:  That  the  concerns  depict- 
ed in  the  film  are  representative  of  the 
dilemma  currently  faced  by  Latin  Ameri- 
cans far  and  wide  is  attested  to  in  part 
by  the  account  on  the  succeeding  two 
pages  —  the  story  of  how  Ecuadorians, 
persons  known  to  and  closely  identified 
with  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  —  are 
beginning  to  confront  "A  Problem  of 
Power"  and  to  respond  in  their  own 
terms. 


Private  investment,  capitalism  tend  to 
require  stability;  otherwise  there  is  no 

assurance  of  return.  But  reformers  feel 

that  to  uphold  the  status  quo  is  only  to 

add  to  the  repression  of  the  masses 


Protestantism 
initially  brought 
an  innovative  in- 
fluence to  Colom- 
bia. Now,  one 
veteran  mission- 
ary sees  creative 
change  stemming 
largely  from 
"rebel"  Catholic 
priests 


"A  Problem  of  Power"  may 
be  obtained  for  congrega- 
tional use  from  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  General 
Offices,  1451  Dundee  Ave., 
Elgin,  ni.  60120.  16mm 
color,  $15  rental 


18     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


Rekindling  self-esteenn 

The  people  of  Llano  Grande  have 
won  an  important  victory  —  important 
because  Llano  Grande  traditionally  has 
not  been  a  scene  of  victory  but  rather  of 
much  defeat.  The  people  are  Indians 
living  in  a  rural  setting  on  the  south- 
eastern corner  of  the  high,  dry  Calderon 
Valley,  some  twelve  miles  east  of  Quito, 
Ecuador's  capital  city.  They  were  con- 
quered by  the  Incas  of  Peru,  then  by  the 
Spaniards.  Since  the  Spanish  conquest, 
they  have  been  subject  to  the  derision 
and  prejudice  of  the  white  man. 

The  struggle  for  self-esteen  and  self- 
determination  against  the  domination  of 
white  neighbors  provided  the  background 
for  their  recent  victory.  The  need  for 
transportation  to  urban  jobs  in  Quito 
provided  the   issue. 

A  combination  of  Brethren  mission 
work  come  of  age  and  the  fullness  of 
time  for  a  community  of  poor  and  power- 
less men  and  women  who  now  claim  the 
right  to  shape  their  own  future  provided 
the  leadership,  the  motivation,  and  the 
vision. 

Ninety-nine  percent  of  the  10,000  peo- 
ple in  Llano  Grande  are  Quechua  In- 
dians. They  are  bound  to  the  land,  but 
their  small,  arid  properties  are  not  ade- 
quate for  providing  them  subsistence. 
Their  labor  has  a  ready  market  in  Quito 
and  they  have  come  to  be  a  commuting 
people,  earning  their  income  in  the  city 
as  builders,  street  sweepers,  gardeners, 
cooks,  and  merchants.  They  sleep  at 
home  in  Llano  Grande,  traveling  to  the 
city  early  in  the  day  by  bus  and  returning 
home  for  a  late  supper.  Their  way  of  life 
has  come  to  depend  on  bus  transporta- 
tion, a  key  factor  second  only  to  the  job 
to  which  it  takes  them. 

Indians  exploited:  For  many  years  a 
bus  cooperative  owned  and  operated  by 
whites  from  the  nearby  town  of  Calderon 
transported  the  Llano  Grande  Indians 
to  and  from  the  city.  The  people  had  suf- 
fered long  under  the  discriminating  at- 
titudes and  scornful  language  of  the  non- 
Indians  who  exploited  and  mistreated 
them  because  they  were  Indians. 


In  1956,  a  pair  of  older  Indian  lead- 
ers, embittered  by  their  lot,  initiated  a 
bus  cooperative  for  Llano  Grande.  In- 
dividuals and  family  clusters  scraped  to- 
gether their  savings  and  sold  their  live- 
stock and  eucalyptus  trees  to  make  down 
payments  on  three  old  buses  with  wood- 
en bodies.  After  five  years  of  meetings, 
rebuffs  from  oificials,  and  fierce  opposi- 
tion from  the  Calderon  cooperative,  they 
gained  legal  status  for  their  organization. 
For  13  years  they  made  three  round  trips 
a  day,  each  bus  making  one  trip. 

The  Calderon  buses  continued  to  make 
the  three-mile  loop  into  Llano  Grande, 
controlling  the  transportation  business, 
and  charging  20  percent  more  to  do  it. 
During  these  years  two  of  the  Llano 
Grande  buses  had  burned  up  while  load- 
ed with  passengers,  both  times  leaving 
widows  and  orphans  in  Indian  homes. 
Other  old  buses  were  purchased  to  re- 
place them. 

Cooperative  collapsing:  By  early 
spring  of  this  year  the  Llano  Grande 
bus  cooperative  was  near  bankruptcy  and 


collapse.  The  poor  service  of  the  old 
buses  discouraged  people  with  schedules 
to  meet.  With  things  at  such  a  low  ebb, 
the  Calderon  drivers  and  conductors  in- 
tensified their  mistreatment  of  the  In- 
dian passengers  and  were  supported  by 
police  who  harassed  Llano  Grande 
drivers. 

In  late  April  permission  was  requested 
to  add  a  fourth  bus  to  the  cooperative 
since  a  new  family  wished  to  purchase 
and  place  a  unit  in  service.  The  authori- 
ties refused  permission.  The  people  got 
wind  of  rumors  that  bribery  had  been 
used  by  the  Calderon  people  to  have  the 
permission  denied. 

At  this  time  Raul  Tasiguano  had  be- 
come the  Llano  Grande  cooperative 
manager,  a  part-time,  salaried  position. 
His  brother  Enrique  was  recently  elected 
secretary  of  the  community  council,  and 
his  brother-in-law,  Andres  Guaman  Jr. 
was    chosen    council    president. 

The  timely  coincidence  that  found  the 
three  men  in  key  positions  of  respon- 
sibility when   crisis   came   made   all   the 


A  delegation  of 
Llano  Grande 
Indians  is  greet- 
ed by  Ecuadorian 
President  Velasco 
Ibarra.    Their 
plea  for  improved 
transportation 
facilities  received 
a  favorable  hear- 
ing by  the  gov- 
ernment following 
peaceful  action 
through  protest 
and  the  public 
press 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     19 


difference  in  the  community's  response. 
The  three  leaders  are  graduates  of  the 
Brethren  School  and  members  of  the 
Evangehcal  Church  of  Calderon,  the  first 
congregation  of  Brethren  heritage  in 
Ecuador. 

They  had  grown  up  with  a  Christian 
education  that  insisted  that  all  men  were 
loved  by  God  and  were  born  with  a  right 
to  be  treated  as  equals  by  their  neigh- 
bors. They  believe  that  an  Indian 
is  a  person  as  fully  deserving  of  op- 
portunities for  living  a  decent  life  as 
white  men  are.  Indians  in  Llano  Grande 
have  not  traditionally  believed  this.  Their 
heritage  had  conditioned  them  to  be  the 
servant  and  doormat  of  the  white  man. 

Raul,  Andres,  and  Enrique  have 
received  church-sponsored  secondary 
education.  They  have  participated  in  in- 
ternational meetings  related  to  the  prob- 
lems of  Indian  life  and  social  change. 
One  of  them  took  part  in  a  seminar  on 
nonviolence  which  Glenn  Shively  con- 
ducted in  Quito  in  October  of  last  year. 
World  Ministries  Commission  sponsor- 
ship and  the  leadership  of  Brethren  per- 
sonnel in  Ecuador  has  much  to  do  with 
developing  this  training  opportunity. 
And  so,  the  leaders  of  the  community 
were  uniquely  prepared  to  deal  with  the 
crisis  of  their  people. 

Blockade:  Discussion  in  the  commu- 
nity led  to  the  decision  to  boycott  the 
Calderon  cooperative  and  to  block  the 
roads  into  Llano  Grande,  preventing  the 
Calderon  buses  from  going  in.  On  the 
night  of  May  25,  trenches  were  dug  in  the 
two  roads  leading  into  the  community 
and  large  eucalyptus  trees  were  dropped 
across  the  roads.  Two  groups  of  peo- 
ple took  responsibility  to  wait  at  the 
blockades  to  prevent  others  from  open- 
ing the  roads. 

After  two  days'  loss  of  work  the  peo- 
ple began  to  walk  out  to  the  Pan 
American  Highway  and  catch  any  avail- 
able buses  to  Quito.  The  bus  line  of 
another  community  under  duress  from 
Calderon  cooperative  arranged  to  trans- 
port the  people,  free  of  charge,  from 
the  edge  of  Llano   Grande  to  the  city. 

City    police    stopped    the    contracted 


buses  and  jailed  the  drivers.  On  June  6, 
500  Llano  Grande  people  went  to  Quito 
and  walked  the  length  of  the  city  with  a 
loudspeaker  and  placards  to  inform  the 
general  populace  of  their  struggle  and 
need  for  justice.  They  went  to  the  of- 
fices of  the  National  Traffic  Council  and 
presented  their  requests  for  permission 
to  have  more  buses  and  more  daily  trips. 
They  did  not  get  a  good  hearing  and 
were  sent  away  with  the  threat  to  take 
away  their  permission  to  transport  peo- 

Merle  Crouse,  World  Ministries 
church  development  consultant,  wrote 
this  report  following  a  visit  this  sum- 
mer in  Ecuador. 

pie  to  Quito  at  all,  if  they  did  not  let  the 
Calderon  buses  move  freely  into  their 
community.   The  people  left  the  city. 

The  Llano  Grande  leaders  immediately 
paid  to  publish  an  account  of  their  situa- 
tion in  a  Quito  paper,  telling  of  the 
National  Traffic  Council's  lack  of  re- 
sponse, the  lack  of  transportation  for 
many  days,  and  of  the  partiality  of  the 
police.  The  general  public  and  the  traffic 
council  began  to  take  them  more  serious- 

ly. 

Protest  march:  A  second  march  was 
organized  after  a  few  days  and  placards 
were  carefully  prepared  to  tell  their  story. 
They  walked  to  Independence  Square  in 
front  of  the  presidential  palace  and  sat 
quietly  on  the  steps  of  the  National  Ca- 
thedral, under  the  windows  of  the  presi- 
dent. 

Raul  reports:  "By  coincidence  it  was 
our  good  fortune  that  at  that  hour  the 
president  was  receiving  the  ambassador 
of  Czechoslovakia  or  Russia.  The  secre- 
tary of  government  was  quite  upset  by 
their  presence,  especially  since  he  was 
also  the  president  of  the  National  Traffic 
Council. 

"He  offered  to  call  an  emergency 
meeting  and  respond  to  our  needs.  At 
the  National  Traffic  Council,  800  people 
sat  outside  while  five  representatives  went 
in  to  meet  with  the  council. 

"As    the    discussion    progressed,    the 


council  took  the  role  of  defenders  for 
Calderon  and  gave  our  argument  no  real 
credence.  As  a  result  of  this  meeting 
they  gave  permission  to  have  two  new 
trips  —  at  5:30  and  6:30  a.m.  from 
Quito  when  none  of  our  people  are  go- 
ing that  direction.  So  this  was  no  help 
at  all." 

When  the  people  heard  the  report  they 
were  upset  and  talked  of  lynching  the 
council  president.  But  they  decided  to 
seek  audience  with  President  Velasco 
Ibarra.  They  returned  to  Independence 
Square  in  spite  of  a  police  effort  to  turn 
them  back  with  tear  gas  and  got  an  in- 
vitation from  the  president  to  return  to 
see  him  with  a  delegation  one  week  later. 

Press  reports:  These  events  brought 
the  press  to  Llano  Grande  and  long, 
well-written  articles  were  published  with 
pictures.  Interviews  were  given  on  the 
radio.  But  harassment  of  the  buses  and 
arrests  continued.  At  one  point  a  con- 
frontation of  hundreds  of  people  from 
Calderon  and  Llano  Grande  took  place, 
but  no  violence  occurred.  Earlier  the 
police  had  gone  to  Llano  Grande  with 
Calderon  buses  to  break  the  blockade. 
They  appeared  with  rifles,  billy  clubs, 
and  tear  gas  bombs  at  the  blockade  and 
ordered  the  Indian  men  and  women  there 
to  fill  the  trench  and  move  the  trees. 
The  people  did  not  move.  They  asked 
them  to  get  axes  and  shovels.  No  one 
obeyed.  The  police  moved  the  trees,  but 
immediately  the  people  pulled  the  trees 
back.  After  offensive  talk,  but  without 
violence,  the  police  finally  left. 

The  press  made  much  of  this  incident, 
and  editorials  began  to  appear  as  well  as 
reports.  The  presidential  appointment 
went  very  well,  with  a  large  delegation 
of  typically-dressed  Indians  meeting  with 
President  Ibarra.  He  listened  sympathet- 
ically to  their  requests:  that  the  coopera- 
tive of  each  community  serve  its  own 
people;  that  permission  for  trips  be  given 
according  to  the  needs  of  the  people; 
and  that  the  Llano  Grande  bus  terminal 
in  Quito  be  located  in  a  different  area 
than  that  of  the  Calderon  Cooperative. 

Official  response:  The  president  re- 
Continued  on  page  24 


20     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


New  to  General  Board 

With  eight  persons  new  to  the  General 
Board  this  year,  two  to  three  times  a 
larger  turnover  than  usual,  some  of  the 
board's  time  during  its  Nov.  10-13  meet- 
ing will  necessarily  be  spent  in  forming 
new  working  relationships  around  which 
decision  making  can  take  place. 

Likewise,  half  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee are  new  to  their  assignments,  and 
they  found  in  dealing  with  interim  busi- 
ness of  the  board  in  September  that  time 
must  be  spent  in  backgrounding  and 
study,  perhaps  dictating  more  cautious 
progress. 

New  for  the  board  this  fall  too  will 
be  the  greater  representation  of  women, 
up  from  three  to  five;  the  first  member 
in  some  time  to  come  from  outside  the 
U.  S.  (Puerto  Rico);  the  first  non-Breth- 
ren member  since  this  was  facilitated  in 
the  1968  board  reorganization  plan;  and 
the  first  layman  (Ira  B.  Peters,  Roanoke, 
Va.)  to  serve  as  chairman. 

Joining  the  General  Board  for  the  first 
time  this  fall  are: 

A.  G.  Breidenstine.  Brotherhood  mod- 
erator for  1969-70,  Dr.  Breidenstine  is 
former  dean  of  three  Pennsylvania  col- 
leges and  retired  in  1968  as  deputy 
superintendent  of  public  instruction  for 
Pennsylvania.  As  moderator  he  served 
as  a  nonvoting  board  member.  The  lay- 
man, 67,  is  executive  for  Brethren  Col- 
leges Abroad  and  is  chairman  of  the 
trustees  board  of  Elizabethtown  College, 
his  alma  mater,  and  moderator  of  the  At- 
lantic Northeast  District.  He  resides  in 
Lancaster,  Pa.,  where  he  gardens  and 
cultivates  roses  as  time  permits. 

Donald  L.  Fike.   Pastor  of  the  Castan- 


er,  Puerto  Rico,  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
Mr.  Fike  worked  for  two  years  on  the 
Ecuadorian  mission  field  and  one  year  in 
mission  education  on  the  General  Staff. 
He  is  a  graduate  of  McPherson  College 
and  Bethany  Seminary.  Mr.  Fike,  37, 
translates  Christian  education  materials 
into  Spanish  and  is  on  the  Puerto  Rican 
Council  of  Churches. 

Wilbur  R.  Hoover.  A  Pennsylvanian, 
Mr.  Hoover,  53,  was  graduated  from  the 
University  of  Cincinnati  and  Bethany 
Seminary,  has  served  churches  in  Ne- 
braska and  Colorado,  and  presently  is 
in  the  Warrensburg-Mineral  Creek,  Mo., 
pastorate.  He  has  served  on  Standing 
Committee  five  times  and  was  a  Bethany 
Seminary  director'^or  five  years. 

Leon  C.  Neher.  A  farmer  and  sociol- 
ogy professor  at  Colby  Community 
College  in  Kansas,  Mr.  Neher,  36,  has  a 
special  interest  in  developing  innovative 
patterns  for  radical  discipleship  at  all 
church  levels.  Living  in  Quinter,  Kan., 
he  is  an  alumnus  of  McPherson  College, 
Bethany  Seminary,  and  Ohio  State  Uni- 
versity. Active  as  a  speaker  and  work- 
shop director,  he  formerly  taught  at 
Manchester   College    and   Ohio   State. 

Rosa  Page  Welch.  While  not  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Mrs. 
Welch  has  had  many  associations  with 
the  Brethren  as  a  resource  person  and  as 
missionary  to  Nigeria  for  two  years.  A 
vocalist  and  teacher  for  more  than  30 
years,  she  has  combined  her  musical  tal- 
ents with  Christian  service  for  the  Disci- 
ples of  Christ,  with  whom  she  holds  her 
membership;  Church  Women  United; 
and  the  United  Christian  Missionary  So- 
ciety.   She  resides  in  Chicago. 

Mary   Anna   White.     A  partner   in   a 


Petersime  family  enterprise  at  Gettys- 
burg, Ohio,  Mrs.  White  has  taught 
elementary  and  high  school  vocal 
music.  From  1962-66  she  Was  ad- 
ministrative assistant  to  the  president  of 
the  American  University  of  Beirut  in 
Lebanon  and  is  a  former  Brethren  Serv- 
ice volunteer  in  Nigeria.  She  was  grad- 
uated from  Manchester  College  and  now 
serves  on  the  Southern  Ohio  District 
board. 

Donald  E.  Willoughby.  Graduated 
from  Elizabethtown  College  and  Bethany 
Seminary,  Mr.  Willoughby,  35,  pastors 
the  Antioch  church  at  Rocky  Mount,  Va. 
He  previously  served  in  the  Crab  Run/ 
Damascus  parish,  Bergton,  Va.  He  is 
youth  counselor  in  the  Southern  Virginia 
District  and  active  in  peace  efforts  of 
area  Brethren. 

Jesse  H.  Ziegler.  Executive  director  of 
the  American  Association  of  Theological 
Schools  since  1966,  Dr.  Ziegler,  57,  was 
associate  director  from  1959-66  and  a 
Bethany  Seminary  professor  for  the  prior 
eighteen  years.  He  includes  Bridgewater 
College,  Catholic  University,  and  Beth- 
any Seminary  among  his  alma  maters 
and  resides  in  Dayton,  Ohio. 

Heading  the  areas  of  denominational 
concerns  are  Leland  A.  Nelson,  Los 
Angeles,  Calif.,  chairman,  Parish  Minis- 
tries Commission;  Charles  W.  Bieber, 
Brodbecks,  Pa.,  chairman,  World  Minis- 
tries Commission;  and  A.  G.  Breiden- 
stine, Lancaster,  Pa.,  chairman.  General 
Services  Commission. 

Serving  ex-officio  as  representatives  of 
Annual  Conference  to  the  General  Board 
this  year  are  Harold  Z.  Bomberger,  mod7 
erator,  McPherson,  Kan.,  and  Dale  W. 
Brown,  moderator-elect.  Oak  Brook,  111. 


New   board   members:    A.    Breidenstine,    D.    Fike,   W.    Hoover,    L.    Neher,   R.   Welch,   M.    White,   D.    Willoughby,    J.    Ziegler 


n-5-70   MESSENGER    21 


Em  tlDacB  [bcB^nmmnms 


o  o  o 


22     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


XWciDaDdlcBnmIs  Ibw  mUJinil 


I   |n  the  beginning  of  creation,  when  God 
made  heaven  and  earth,  the  earth  was 
witliout  form  and  void,  with  darkness 
over  the  face  of  the  abyss,  and  a  mighty 
wind  that  swept  over  the  surface  of 
the  waters.  God  said,  Xet  there  be 
hght,'  and  there  was  Hght;  and  God  saw 
that  the  Hght  was  good,  and  he  sep- 
arated Hght  from  darkness. 

God  said,  'Let  die  waters  teem  with 
countless  Hving  creatures,  and  let  birds 
fly  above  the  earth  across  the  vault  of 
heaven.'  God  then  created  the  great 
sea-monsters  and  all  living  creatures 
that  move  and  swarm  in  the  waters,  ac- 
cording to  their  kind,  and  every  kind 
of  bird;  and  God  saw  that  it  was  good. 
So  he  blessed  them  and  said,  'Be  fruit- 
ful and  increase,  fill  the  waters  of  the 
seas;  and  let  the  birds  increase  on  land.' 
Evening  came,  and  morning  came,  a 
fifth  day. 

God  said,  'Let  the  earth  bring  forth 
living  creatures,  according  to  their 
kind:  cattle,  reptiles,  and  wild  animals, 
all  according  to  their  kind.'  So  it  was; 
God  made  wild  animals,  cattle,  and  all 
reptiles,  each  according  to  its  kind; 
and  he  saw  that  it  was  good. 

Then  the  Lord  God  formed  a  man 
from  the  dust  of  the  ground  and 
breathed  into  his  nostrils  the  breath  of 
life.  Thus  the  man  became  a  living 
creature.  —  from  Genesis,  New  English 
Bible 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     23 


REKINDLING  SELF-ESTEEM 

continued  from  page  20 

sponded  to  their  requests  and  began  to 
turn  the  tide  of  bureaucratic  action  in 
their  favor.  Within  a  month,  two  top  po- 
lice officials  lost  their  positions  and  were 
replaced,  and  the  National  Traffic  Coun- 
cil was  dissolved.  Favoritism  was  the 
issue.  The  Llano  Grande  Cooperative 
was  given  a  terminal  of  its  own  in 
Quito,  and  permission  was  granted  for 
additional  strategic  trips  to  carry  pas- 
sengers. They  have  yet  to  win  the  legal 
right  to  be  the  exclusive  carrier  for 
their  community,  but  the  Calderon  buses 
have  not  returned  to  the  Llano  Grande 
scene.  New  buses  are  being  purchased. 
One  group  of  21  families  joined  to  buy 
a  bus. 

Llano  Grande  won  a  milestone  victory 
against  powerful  people.  Their  motto 
during  the  struggle  was  "Unity, 
Strength,  Progress."  They  have  taken 
the  word  Indian,  used  often  as  a  deroga- 
tory term  in  their  country,  and  have  iden- 
tified themselves  with  it  with  pride  and 
dignity.  Old  factions  in  the  community 
have  united  solidly  into  a  family  of 
10,000  newly  awakened  people.  Religious 
animosities  and  fears  have  given  way 
to  trust.  They  feel  a  sense  of  new  life 
and   freedom   that   is   strange   for  them. 

Neither  the  area  officials  in  Calderon 
who  have  had  jurisdiction  over  Llano 
Grande,  nor  state  and  national  authori- 
ties, have  responded  to  Llano  Grande's 
basic  needs  in  times  past.  They  need 
water  and  electricity  and  better  roads. 
They  need  to  prevent  exploitation  of  their 
people.  The  newly-found  power  of  the 
people  has  kindled  many  dreams  and 
high  hopes  for  a  better  future  for  Llano 
Grande,  and  the  people  are  planning  to 
work,  one  step  at  a  time,  for  these  com- 
munity benefits. 

Despite  intimidation  and  threats  the 
Llano  Grande  people  have  held  firmly  to 
their  purposes  and  walked  the  precarious 
road  of  discipline  and  self-control  that 
gained  great  public  admiration  and  sup- 
port for  them.  Their  nonviolence  and 
moral  strength  might  well  be  their  great- 
est victory,  of  greater  significance  than 
the  historic  gains  earned  for  their  bus 
cooperative. 

24     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


IT'S  GREAT  TO  GIVE. 


When  you  give  Messenger  you  are 
giving  more  than  a  magazine. 

You  are  giving  the  gospel  through 
writers  who  interpret  the  Bible  and 
tell  how  they  and  others  have  acted 
out  their  faith. 

You  are  giving  the  continuing  news 
of  the  people  and  program  of  the 
church  —  here  and  everywhere  —  be- 
cause more  information  about  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren  appears  in 
Messenger  than  in  any  other  single 
source. 

Arriving  at  your  friends'  homes  twen- 
ty-four times  a  year,  Messenger  will 
be  more  than  a  magazine.  It  will  be  a 
frequent  and  welcome  reminder  of 
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rafamily  tensions 
'  Tnited  States,  we 
"*  from  life 


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.^oiesomeness  of 

3)  give  emotional 

to  families;  (4) 
g  and  referral  ser- 

ducational  re- 
me  a  voice  in  social 
;  to  marriage  and  the 

not  be  separated  from 
fe.  Let  US  get  on 
roviding  meaningful 
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11-5-70    MESSENGER     25 


^DncE  AXunttaDiimcDlbnncBS 
Ulm^naMcBdl  BGnssnllcB 


by  RICHARD  J.  WINSOR 

A  Hebrew  dictum  says:  "He 
who  sustains  one  human  life 
is  regarded  as  if  he  had  sus- 
tained the  whole  earth." 
The  Bible  says:  "Thou  shalt 
not  kill."  What  role  can  the 
church  play  in  reducing 
death  and  injury  on  the  high- 
way? 

AAA  booklet  that  describes  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  says  in  part:  "The  con- 
victions and  the  teachings  of  the  Breth- 
ren have  been  expressed  by  various 
character  traits  and  courses  of  conduct: 
a  high  quality  of  family  life;  abstinence 
from  those  things  that  are  injurious  to 
physical  health;  a  sense  of  respon- 
sibility for  the  welfare  of  others;  and 
a  deep  respect  for  the  worth  and 
dignity  of  human  personality." 


Certainly  these  are  the  concepts  that 
motivate  those  of  us  who  work  in 
accident  prevention.  In  fact,  the 
church  played  a  dominant  role  in  the 
beginning  of  safety  consciousness.  In 
New  York  City  a  classic  sermon  was 
presented  at  a  1911  banquet  by  John 
McDowell,  a  pastor,  who  gave  the  key- 
note address  at  a  meeting  of  the  iron 
and  steel  industry.  His  address  focused 
on  the  idea  that  "we  are  our  brother's 
keeper."  Thousands  of  copies  of  Dr. 
McDowell's  speech  were  distributed 
throughout  various  industries,  and  the 
officers  of  the  safety  engineers  associa- 
tion were  persuaded  to  cooperate  in 
the  establishment  of  a  national 
organization  that  could  better  serve  the 
cause  of  safety.  The  National  In- 
dustrial Safety  Council  was  created  the 
following  year  —  a,  forerunner  of  the 
National  Safety  Council.  Religious 
leaders  not  only  played  a  significant 
role  in  the  beginning  of  the  safety 
movement,  but  they  continue  even  to 
this  day  to  make  a  major  contribution. 


And  so  it  should  be! 

For  safety  is  a  religious  concern. 
Because  religion  is  being  used  for  many 
causes  today,  that  phrase  may  seem 
suspect.  Concern  for  safety  is  seen  by 
some  as  a  peripheral  interest,  an 
obsession,  a  cultic  art,  a  fad. 

Martin  E.  Marty  of  the  Christian 
Century  has  suggested  one  reason  why 
some  have  failed  to  concern  themselves 
with  the  relation  of  religion  and  safety 
is  that  they  have  seen  from  the  churches 
too  much  moralism  and  too  little 
morality.  He  goes  on  to  say,  "In  this 
case,  another  burdening  of  moralism 
would  lead  to  a  further  dissipation  of 
vital  religious  energy." 

It  could  be,  also,  that  these  same 
people  have  seen  too  much  surface 
involvement  without  a  deep  penetration 
into  social  issues. 

Perhaps  another  reason  for  the 
church's  not  embracing  the  safety 
movement  is  that  we  live  in  a  time 
when  all  of  society,  including  the 
church,  is  saying,  "Take  a  chance, 
change  the  status  quo,  challenge  the 
system,  forget  security,  forget  your  own 
personal  safety." 

But  the  safe  outlook  does  not  mean 
a  hesitant  and  fearful  outlook.  It  does 
not  mean  that  one  is  afraid  to  take 
chances  —  provided  that  the  chances 
are  reasonable.  We  who  work  in  safety 
are  not  attempting  to  create  a  sterile 
environment.  We  are  not  opposed  to 
taking  a  chance  and  challenging  the 
status  quo.  We  are  not  opposed  to 
death  or  sacrifice,  so  long  as  that  death 
and  sacrifice  have  meaning.  How 
much  meaning  or  social  significance 
lies  in  the  giving  of  your  life  in  a  piece 
of  machinery  out  on  Highway  495?  If 
a  revolution  is  coming,  and  if  you  want 
to  be  a  part  of  it,  stay  alive  for  the 
revolution. 

The  book  of  Genesis  tells  us  that 
God  breathed  into  man  the  breath  of 


26     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


life.  He  lcx)ked  on  his  creation  and 
called  it  good.  Who  would  deny  that 
life  is  one  of  God's  most  precious  gifts? 
It  is  true  that  the  whole  Judeo- 
Christian  tradition  looks  on  this  world 
as  a  testing  ground,  a  pilgrimage,  "no 
lasting  city"  —  but  certainly  this  does 
not  mean  that  we  are  not  to  do  every- 
thing possible  to  keep  alive  and  whole 
while  we  are  here.  Another  has  said 
much  more  eloquently  what  I  have 
been  trying  to  say:   "I  believe  it  is  the 
proper  function  of  the  church  to  halt 
or  to  reduce  the  highway  carnage  that 
has  cost  us  millions  of  lives  since  the 
horseless  carriage  began  to  put 
America  on  wheels.  We  who  preach 
that  man  is  a  creature  in  the  divine 
image  cannot  make  peace  with  the 
purposeless  reduction  of  that  image 
to  blood-soaked  bundles  of  rags  and 
bones. 

"We  do  riOt  fear  death  any  more 
than  we  fear  life,  but  we  find  it  difficult 
to  accept  as  God's  will  when  avoidable 
human  error  brings  death  by  grinding 
violence  to  the  innocent  and  the  un- 
prepared." 

We  preach  about  the  violence  and 
riots  in  our  nation  today,  and  we 
demonstrate  and  speak  up  for  peace 
in  Vietnam.  Some  of  you  refuse  to 
be  a  part  of  the  killing  and  murder  that 
are  taking  place  there.  We  are  opposed 
to  poverty  and  the  lack  of  civil  rights 
for  certain  men.  But  there  is  more 
violence  on  the  highways  of  America 
today  than  in  Vietnam,  in  the  ghettos, 
and  on  university  campuses.  More 
people  have  been  killed  in  one  year  on 
our  highways  than  in  the  total  Vietnam 
War.  There  are  more  casualties  result- 
ing from  the  war  taking  place  on  our 
streets  in  America  that  from  the  war 
in  Indochina. 

We  are  concerned,  and  rightfully  so, 
about  poverty  and  the  loss  of  human 
rights  and  dignity  for  men.  And  yet 


when  a  man  suffers  a  disabling  injury 
from  an  accident,  he  certainly  is  cast 
into  the  role  of  poverty.  When  a  man 
is  on  his  back,  his  body  twisted  and 
tortured,  he  certainly  is  not  a  whole 
man.  His  dignity  has  been  smashed, 
and  his  right  to  independence  has  been 
violated  —  all  because  of  one  accident 
that  could  have  been  prevented.  And 
this  says  nothing  about  the  agony  and 
misery  that  his  family  must  endure. 

When  are  we  as  Christians  going  to 
become  impatient,  even  angry,  about  a 
situation  that  need  not  be?  Accidents 
can  be  prevented.  The  question  is: 
What  are  we  as  Christians  doing  to 
prevent  them?  What  is  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  doing?  The  religious 
editor  of  the  Boston  Globe  wrote 
recently:  "The  church  is  concerned 
and  interested  about  the  life  of  my  son 
in  Vietnam.  Religious  leaders  march, 
petition,  and  do  everything  possible  to 
protect  my  son  over  there.  But  where 
is  the  voice  of  the  church,  of  the  indi- 
vidual Christian,  when  my  son  returns 
safely  from  Vietnam,  gets  into  his 
automobile,  and  is  killed  on  the  high- 
way by  a  drunken  driver?" 

oUoseph  Stalin  once  said,  "The  death 
of  one  person  is  a  tragedy;  the  death 
of  a  million  is  a  statistic."  Here  are 
some  statistics.  Last  year  in  this  coun- 
try we  killed  56,400  human  beings  in 
motor  vehicle  accidents,  and  we  in- 
jured about  10,800,000.  These  are  sta- 
tistics. It  probably  means  no  more  to 
you  than  a  statement  that  so  many 
thousand  cancer  cases  were  diagnosed 
last  year.  But  how  different  and  mov- 
ing it  is  to  hear  the  word  du-ected  to 
one  individual:  "You  have  cancer." 
How  personal  it  becomes  when  you  are 
awakened  in  the  middle  of  the  night 
to  be  told  that  your  son  or  daughter, 
your  husband  or  wife  has  been  killed 


in  an  automobile  accident.  Then  these 
statistics  become  very  personal.  And  it 
is  because  these  statistics  are  personal, 
because  they  represent  creatures  of 
God,  that  you  and  I  should  be  con- 
cerned. 

Let's  get  to  the  heart  of  the  prob- 
lem. Even  though  Ralph  Nader  would 
tell  us  the  problem  is  the  unsafe  auto- 
mobile and  even  though  others  would 
tell  us  it  is  a  highway  engineering  prob- 
lem, we  must  ultimately  come  back  to 
the  overwhelming  problem  —  the 
driver. 

One  publication  had  this  to  say 
about  accident  responsibility:  "Despite 
many  claims  to  the  contrary  by  drivers, 
the  road  itself  causes  very  few  acci- 
dents. The  best  estimates  indicate  that, 
at  the  most,  maybe  three  to  five  per- 
cent are  caused  primarily  by  road 
conditions.  Another  one  percent  are 
caused  by  genuine  "acts  of  God"  (I'm 
not  sure  what  they  mean  by  that)  and 
five  to  seven  percent  are  traceable  to 
mechanical  defects.  This  leaves 
the  big  bulk  of  accidents  attributable  to 
human  error  on  the  part  of  one  or 
more  of  the  drivers  involved,  or  an 
error  on  the  part  of  a  pedestrian." 

If  you  want  more  evidence  that  this 
is  a  people  problem,  listen  to  the  lead- 
ing causes  of  accidents :  driving  under 
the  influence  of  alcohol,  speed  too  fast 
for  conditions,  improper  driving  which 
includes  failure  to  stop  at  a  stop  sign 
and  violation  of  the  rules  of  the  road. 
In  other  words,  it  is  a  faulty  attitude,  a 
faulty  behavior  that  contributes  to 
most  accidents.  It  is  not  the  missile  but 
the  unguided  or  misguided  missile. 

Studies  show  that  drivers  who  lack 
a  sense  of  moral  and  spiritual  values 
are  more  likely  to  become  involved  in 
an  accident.  The  feUow  who  is  not  in- 
terested in  his  fellowman  is  the  one 
who  has  the  greatest  difficulty  in  the 
realm  of  safety.  Studies  have  also 


n-5-70   MESSENGER     27 


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NEEDED  —  Lady  or  couple  to  live  in  and  care  for 
semi-invalid  lady  and  her  elderly  husband  at 
Buckhannon,  W.  Va.  if  a  couple,  man  could  have 
other  employment.  Contact  Mrs.  Arthur  Sum- 
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UNGUIDED  MISSILE  /  continued 

demonstrated  a  significant  correlation 
between  those  who  have  accidents  and 
those  who  have  demonstrated  dis- 
turbed behavior.  Our  lack  of  disci- 
pline, our  lack  of  concern  for  others,  in 
fact,  our  lack  of  self-value  show  up 
when  we  drive  too  fast  or  under  the 
influence  of  liquor  or  fail  to  give  the 
right  of  way.  Canadian  psychiatrist 
Dr.  William  Tillman  has  argued  that 
"a  person  drives  as  he  lives." 

Some  of  us  refuse  to  participate  in 
the  killing  taking  place  in  Vietnam 
today,  but  we  drive  our  automobile 
with  a  lack  of  moral  and  spiritual  re- 
sponsibility that  could  in  one  disastrous 
second  kill  our  brother  and  make  us  a 
murderer.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  re- 
minds us  that  we  are  to  love  our  neigh- 
bor as  ourselves  and  that  truly  we  are 
our  brothers'  keepers.  These  admoni- 
tions apply  most  severely  when  we 
accept  our  drivers'  licenses  and  get  be- 
hind the  wheel  of  an  automobile. 

What  can  we  as  individuals  do? 
What  can  the  church  do?  The  answer 
lies  in  the  question.  Tt  is  what  you  can 
do.  The  sense  of  responsibility  that 
you  have  for  the  welfare  of  others,  the 
deep  respect  that  you  have  for  the 
worth  and  the  dignity  of  the  human 
personality,  should  go  with  you  behind 
the  wheel  of  your  automobile.  Your 
love  should  produce  temperance  and 
absolute  self-control,  your  love  and 
concern  for  others  should  never  allow 
you  to  drive  if  you  are  under  the 
influence  of  alcohol  or  if  you  are 
mentally  disturbed  to  distraction. 

If  you  are  one  of  the  following, 
you  are  unsafe  and  should  not  accept 
the  responsibility  that  comes  when  you 
step  on  the  accelerator:  the  drunken 
driver,  the  dissipated  man  who  is 
below  par  physically  and  mentally;  the 
sick  man  whose  physical  powers  are 
disturbed  seriously;  the  mentally  and 
physically  lazy  man,  too  slow  to  act  in 


emergency  or  in  routine;  the  man  with 
a  grouch,  whose  driving  will  be  erratic; 
the  chance  taker;  and  the  tired  man 
who  will  be  confused  when  he  ought  to 
be  clear-headed.  It  is  up  to  such  peo- 
ple to  sense  their  own  unfitness  and 
positively  to  change  themselves  into 
constructive  accident-prevention  per- 
sonalities. You  are  responsible.  What 
can  you  do?  The  first  part  of  the  an- 
swer lies  with  you. 

Your  church  can  speak  up  for  safety 
before  your  local,  state,  and  national 
leaders.  Church  leaders  should  be- 
come acquainted  with  local  legislative 
needs  in  your  state. 


JJj  rom  the  pulpit  our  clergy  en- 
courages us  to  write  to  our  political 
leaders  for  gun  control,  open  housing, 
or  halt  to  the  war.  Why  not  a  halt  to 
the  slaughter  on  our  highways?  First, 
become  informed,  then  educate  others, 
and  then  speak  up  for  safety.  And, 
encourage  your  national  church  not 
only  to  keep  you  informed,  but  encour- 
age them  to  become  involved. 

The  highway  safety  problem  is  so 
profound  that  it  needs  more  than 
moralism  or  pious  statements.  It  needs 
more  than  legislation;  we  must  be  edu- 
cating. The  church  can  make  a  major 
contribution  in  education. 

The  National  Safety  Council  offers 
a  stimulating,  challenging  course  for 
the  licensed  driver,  called  the  De- 
fensive Driving  Course.  This  eight- 
session  course  discusses  safe  driving 
techniques  as  well  as  attitudes.  If  the 
DDC  isn't  being  offered  in  your  com- 
munity, investigate  through  your 
church  the  possibilities  of  providing 
this  life-saving  instruction. 

What  can  you  do?  You  can  do  some- 
thing about  your  own  unsafe  driving 
habits,  you  can  support  legislation,  and 
you  can  educate  for  safe  driving.   D 


28     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


REVIEWS  /  BOOKS 


[P(iD\w(Bff9  fflii(E8il(Bnm(Bmit?  A\m(D  nm  ai  (DDnnDdlffcBm^s  MMcbo  fccD 


THE  TAIZE  PICTURE  BIBLE,  illustrated  by  Eric  de 
Saussure.  Fortress  Press,  1969.  277  pages, 
$4.95 

BRIAN  WILDSMITH'S  ILLUSTRATED  BIBLE  STORIES, 

as  told   by   Philip  Turner.     Franklin  Watts,   Inc., 
1968.     135   pages,   $7.95 

At  age  ten  I  read  a  child's  version  of 
The  Three  Musketeers.  Our  school  li- 
brarian apparently  felt  that  our  yoting 
appetites  for  good  literature  could  not 
digest  Dumas'  classic  in  full,  for  the  un- 
abridged volume  was  not  to  be  had. 
Later,  savoring  the  lusty  (and  unex- 
purgated)  adventures  of  the  trio  of  com- 
rades, I  realized  how  much  I  had  missed. 

Children's  Bibles,  like  abridged  books, 
tend  to  the  unspectacular.  Somehow,  the 
process  of  recasting  biblical  epics  for 
young  palates  strains  much  of  the  vitality, 
the  strength,  and,  yes,  the  excitement. 
Even  Yahweh  himself  begins  to  seem  a 
tepid,  tired  spirit. 

Not  so  in  The  Taize  Picture  Bible. 
These  stories  from  the  scriptures  have 
been  adapted  from  the  Jerusalem  Bible, 
developed  as  a  translation  in  the  ver- 
nacular by  the  Dominican  Biblical  School 
in  Jerusalem.  The  text  has  been  altered 
for  young  readers  or  listeners  only  to 
foster  understanding  or  to  provide  the 
background  setting  of  a  story. 

For  example,  the  Jerusalem  Bible  be- 
gins: "In  the  beginning  God  created  the 
heavens  and  the  earth.  Now  the  earth 
was  a  formless  void,  there  was  darkness 
over  the  deep,  and  God's  spirit  hovered 
over  the  water."  In  the  section  "God 
Makes  the  Earth"  of  The  Taize  Picture 
Bible,  "the  earth  had  no  shape  and  there 
was  nothing,  only  darkness.  But  God's 
spirit  was  there." 

From  the  creation  to  the  conquering  of 
Babylon  and  the  release  of  the  Hebrew 
captives,  The  Taize  Picture  Bible  re- 
counts the  activities  of  the  Israelites,  in 
and  out  of  exile,  testing  the  patience  of 
Yahweh,  feeling  his  love,  and  reeling  un- 
der his  terrible  judgment.  No  tired 
spirit,  he! 

Brother  Eric  de  Saussure's  colorful 
illustrations  look  like  stained-glass  win- 
dows. A  member  of  the  Protestant  Taize 


Community  in  France,  Brother  Eric  has 
portrayed  for  this  ecumenical  venture  the 
fright  of  Moses  at  seeing  the  burning 
bush,  the  ferocity  of  Goliath,  the  plead- 
ing of  the  prodigal  son,  the  starkness  of 
the  scene  at  Golgotha  —  eighty-three 
drawings  and  paintings  in  all. 

Throughout,  Bible  personalities  come 
alive  with  a  forcefulness  not  often  found 
in  children's  versions  of  anything.  And 
the  omnipotence  and  omnipresence  of 
Yahweh  as  the  mover  of  history  will  not 
be  lost  on  the  youngest  reader. 

The  Bible  takes  on  a  diiferent  charac- 
ter altogether  with  the  telling  of  Philip 
Turner.  Mr.  Turner  has  a  flair  for  turn- 
ing words  into  pictures,  and  he  uses  his 
gift  throughout  the  forty-eight  stories  in 
this  volume: 

Then  there  was  a  week  of  making, 
such  a  week  as  God  had  not  known  be- 
fore. Dry  land  came  like  a  whale  out 
of  the  water.  .  .  .  God  made  creatures 
to  live  on  the  dry  land.  He  made  the 
dappled  fawn  standing  in  the  glade  by 
the  pool.  .  .  . 

His  narratives  take  on  the  feeling  of 
the  familiar  without  seeming  trite.    "So 


there  was  peace  in  the  stable,"  he  writes 
of  the  birth  of  Jesus.  "And  outside,  all 
the  people  in  the  little  town  slept,  un- 
aware of  the  great  thing  that  had  hap- 
pened. And  up  on  the  hills,  the  dogs  lay 
with  their  heads  on  their  paws,  watchful 
for  fear  of  danger." 

Besides  his  gift  for  words,  Mr.  Turner 
brings  to  his  stories  a  delicate  and  de- 
lightful sense  of  humor.  God's  first  gi- 
raffe has  a  "neck  like  a  fire-escape."  And 
"many  more  than  two  of  each  kind"  of 
animals  come  "stamping  and  snorting 
and  roaring  and  whinnying"  out  of  the 
confines  of  Noah's  grounded  ark. 

Striking  watercolor  and  ink  washes 
punctuate  every  page  in  this  Bible  story- 
book. Brian  Wildsmith's  work,  though 
certainly  different  in  tone  and  feeling 
from  Brother  Eric's  in  the  Taize  effort, 
appropriately  conveys  the  same  sense  of 
combined  delicacy  and  strength  that 
comes  through  in  the  text. 

Two  children's  Bibles  —  each  different 
from  the  usual  watered-down  story  Bi- 
bles, and  each  worth  using  to  introduce 
young  readers  to  the  power  and  the  ex- 
citement and  the  awesomeness  of  the 
scriptures.  —  Linda  Beher 


11-5-70    MESSENGER     29 


in  Uriel 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Mount  Joy,  Pa.,  resident  Robert  F. 
Eshleman,  professor  of  sociology  at 
Franklin  and  Marshall  College,  partici- 
pated in  the  second  international  confer- 
ence on  social  science  and  medicine  this 
fall  at  the  University  of  Aberdeen  in 
Scotland.  He  reported  on  cross-cultural 
research  and  presented  a  paper,  "Value 
Profiles,  Socioenvironmental  Change,  and 
Health." 

4*      4*      +      ^      -5" 

Newly  published  is  Harold  Pinter:  The 
Poetics  of  Silence,  by  Manchester  Col- 
lege professor  James  R.  Mollis.  The 
book  is  the  first  full-length  volume  on 
playwright  Pinter  to  go  beyond  an  intro- 
ductory study. 

Five  members  of  the  La  Verne  (Calif.) 
College  staff  and  faculty  have  been 
named  outstanding  educators  of  Amer- 
ica. President  L.  B.  Newcomer;  Nicholas 
Polos,  associate  professor  of  history; 
Robert  Neher,  chairman  of  the  biology 
department  and  professor  of  life  science; 
Katherine  Hoskins,  chairman  of  the  hu- 
manities division  and  associate  professor 
of  English;  and  Jewel  Meador,  assistant 
professor  of  education,  will  appear  in  the 
annually  published  list  of  educators. 

Marking  his  fiftieth  year  in  the  minis- 
try recently  was  Price  E.  Bowman  of 
Bassett,  Va.  ...  A  second  interim  as- 
signment since  retirement  takes  S.  L. 
Barnhart  from  the  Long  Beach  congre- 
gation to  the  Glendale  Church  of  the 
Brethren  in  California.  He  replaces 
Garnett  Phibbs,  who  has  accepted  em- 
ployment in  private  industry. 

Battle  Creek,  Mich.,  is  the  new  home 
of  the  Curtis  CofFmans,  who  began  pas- 
toral responsibilities  with  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  there  last  September.  They 
moved  to  the  Michigan  parish  from 
Stanley,  Va.,  where  he  was  pastor  of  the 
Leake's  Chapel  congregation. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples 
celebrating  golden  wedding  anniversaries: 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Albert  L.  Reber,  La  Verne, 
Calif.;  the  Harry  Schimelpfenigs,  Batavia, 


111.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  Morris, 
Churubusco,  Ind.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Charles 
R.  Burner,  Woodstock,  Va.;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Harley  A.  Cobbs,  members  of  the 
Pleasant  Chapel  Church  of  the  Brethren 
in  Northern  Indiana;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Rolla  Brim,  Flora,  Ind. 

^      ^     ^.      ^     ^ 

Marking  a  fifty-fourth  anniversary  are 
the  Harvey  Fryes,  Martinsburg,  Pa.;  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Daniel  Shriver  celebrated 
their  fifty-seventh  at  their  Martinsburg, 
Pa.,  home.  Bradford,  Ohio,  celebrants 
include  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Harry  Royer, 
marking  their  fifty-eighth  year  of  mar- 
riage. And  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Maynard 
Neighbors  of  Cabool,  Mo.,  also  observed 
their  fifty-eighth. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  D.  Michael,  Olympia, 
Wash.,  marked  their  sixtieth  anniversary; 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Kingery,  Flora, 
Ind.,  their  sixty-third. 

POTPOURRI 

Beaver  Creek  and  Sharpsburg  con- 
gregations and  the  Fahrney-Keedy  Home, 
all  in  Maryland,  have  joined  on  a  trial 
basis  in  a  shared  pastoral  ministry  for 
one  year.  Each  group  will  contribute  to 
support  of  a  pastor  and  will  pool  re- 
sources in  other  ways. 

The  Roaring  Spring  congregation  in 
Middle  Pennsylvania  dedicated  a  new 
parsonage  Nov.  1  with  an  open  house 
and  a  special  service. 

An  old-fashioned  worship  service  and 
hymn  sing  and  a  nineteenth-century  com- 
munion dinner  highlighted  a  two-day 
celebration  of  Southern  Indiana's  Nettle 


SQiSCJIiElia 


Nov.  6     World   Community  Day 
Nov.  6-7     District     Conference,     Illinois     and 

Wisconsin,  Decatur 
Nov.   6-8     District  conference.   Southern   Ohio, 
Donnels  Creek 
Nov.   8     Peace   Emphasis  Sunday 
Nov.   10-13      Church     of    the    Brethren     General 
Board,   Elgin,   Illinois 
Nov.  22     Thanksgiving  Sunday 
Nov.   26     Thanksgiving  Day 
Nov.   29      First  Sunday  in   Advent 


Creek  congregation's  150th  anniversary 
in  October.  ...  In  First  Virginia  the 
Peters  Creek  church  observed  its  125th 
anniversary  also  in  October,  with  the 
theme,  "Lord,  Speak  to  the  World 
Through  Us." 

"Focus  on  the  Seventies,"  a  ten-year 
capital  funds  campaign,  is  under  way  at 
Manchester  College.  An  auditorium- 
chapel  is  the  primary  first-phase  objec- 
tive. 

OPPORTUNITY 

Women  and  their  role  in  church  and 
society  will  be  the  subject  of  a  small 
group  study  conference  Feb.  11-15, 
1971,  at  the  Ecumenical  Continuing  Ed- 
ucation Center,  Yale  University.  Spon- 
sored jointly  by  the  center  and  by  the 
department  of  Church  Women  United 
of  the  National  Council  of  Churches,  the 
conference  will  examine  women  in  theo- 
logical education,  the  Women's  Libera- 
tion Movement  in  a  theological  perspec- 
tive, and  what  it  means  for  women  to  be 
free.  Persons  may  obtain  more  detailed 
information  from  the  Ecumenical  Con- 
tinuing Education  Center,  363  Saint 
Ronan  St.,  New  Haven,  Conn.  06511. 


DEATHS 

Andes,    B.    Harper,   Timberville,   Va.,    on    July    3. 

1970,  aged  78 
Baldner,  Laurence,  Dallas  Center,  Iowa,  on  June 

5,  1970,  aged  63 
Brown,   Daniel   P.,    Martinsburg,   Pa.,  on   May  8, 

1970,  aged  82 
Burkhart,   Lester,   Cando,  N.D.,  on  July  3,   1970. 

aged  64 
Carey,    Edna,    Salem    church.    Southern   Ohio,   on 

July   1.  1970,  aged  78 
Carper,  Delle,  Howe,  Ind..  on  June  18,  1970,  aged 

97 
Cripe,  Walter,  Goshen,  Ind.,  on  Aug.   13,  1970 
Crull,  Donna,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  on  Aug.  5,  1970 
Douglass,    Clarence,    Mexico,    Ind.,    on    June    21, 

1970,  aged  79 
Dusing,  Kenneth,   Dixon,  111.,  on  April  22,   1970, 

aged  61 
Eads,  Grace  Thomas,  Dixon,  111.,  on  July  24,  1970, 

aged  75 
Ellis.   Beulah,  Norristown,  Pa.,  on  April  12,   1970, 

aged  80 
Ellis,    Carrie,    Norristown,   Pa.,   on   Dec.    3,    1969, 

aged  86 
Fahnestock.  Amelia  B.,  Manheim,  Pa.,  on  Jan.  17,  . 

1970.  aged  68 
Pike,  Howard  C,  Empire,  Calif.,  on  Jan.  3,  1969, 

aged  81 
Forney,   Naomi    H.,    Manheim,   Pa.,   on   June    22, 

1970 


30     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


Gallentine,    Betty    McConnell,    Sterling,    111.,    on 

May  15,  1970,  aged  47 
Ganger,    Cora,    Goshen,    Ind.,   on    July    31,    1970, 

aged  89 
Garver,  Florence,  Hanover,  Pa.,  on  July  2,   1970, 

aged  77 
Guyton,    Lawrence,    Jefferson,    Md.,    on    April    5, 

1970,  aged  59 
Henneman,    Glenn   A.,   Lanark,   111.,    on   April   3, 

1970,  aged   15 
Hitchens,  Maleta,  Cumberland,  Md.,  on  Nov.  30, 

1969,  aged  73 

HoUinger,  Emma,  Manheim,  Pa.,  on  May  18,  1970, 

aged  72 
Honeyman,  Opal,  Piqua,  Ohio,  on  Aug.  23,  1970, 

aged  72 
Hostetter,  Clarence,   Annville,   Pa.,  on   March  31, 

1970,  aged  77 

Hostetter,   Ehzabeth,  Elizabethtown,   Pa.,  on  July 

14,   1970,   aged   43 
Keel,   Barbara,  South  Whitley,  Ind.,  on  June   17, 

1970,  aged  92 
Kiesewetter,    Minty,    Piqua,    Ohio,    on    June    27, 

1970,   aged   91 


King,   Lydia   A.,   New   Oxford,   Pa.,   on  June   29, 

1970,  aged  83 
Krall,   Miriam   H.,    Myerstown,    Pa.,   on   Aug.    19, 

1970,   aged   57 
Kulb,  Ada,  Ephrata,  Pa.,  on  July  19,   1970,  aged 

85 
Kyle,   Park  E.,  Ashland,  Ohio,  on  July   12,   1970, 

aged  58 
Orr,  Margaret  Young,  Plattsburg,  Mo.,  on  July  3, 

1970,  aged  55 
Ours,  Leslin,  Martinsburg,  W.  Va.,  in  June  1970, 

aged  70 
Patrick,  Lewis,  Allison  Prairie  church,  Illinois,  on 

July  9,  1970,  aged  86 
Petersime,    Bernice,   Gettysburg,   Ohio,   on    March 

10,  1970,  aged  71 
Roberts,    Edith    Applegate,    Norton,    Kansas,    on 

Sept.    14,   1969,  aged  84 
Rogers,  Paul  L.,  Burlington,  W.  Va,,  in  May  1970, 

aged   54 
Rush,  Winifred,  Defiance,  Ohio,  on  Aug.  20,  1970, 

aged  85 
Schlosnagle,  Elwood,   Oakland,    Md.,  on   May   14, 

1970,  aged  69 


Schwenk,   Mabel,  Annville,  Pa.,  on  June  2,   1970, 

aged  78 
Shirk,    Elmer,    Ephrata,    Pa.,    on    Aug.    4,    1970, 

aged  83 
Shock,   Elmer  M.,  Beaverton,   Mich.,   on  July  26, 

1970,  aged  80 
Sink,    Debert    C,    Wirtz,   Va.,    on   July    12,    1970, 

aged  59 
Smith,    Nettie,    Piqua,    Ohio,    on    July    15,    1970, 

aged  83 
Stutsman,   Wilma    M.,   Goshen,   Ind.,   on    June  4, 

1970,  aged  80 
Thomas,    Nora    B.,    Bruceton   Mills,   W.    Va.,    on 

June  22,    1970,   aged  80 
Van  Dyke,  George  E.,  Columbia,  Md.,  on  July  16, 

1970,  aged  73 
Wade,    Nannie    Rakes,    Eden,    N.C.,    on    Sept.    3, 

1970,  aged  77 
VVhisler,    Sarah,    Mossyrock,    Wash.,    on   June    26, 

1970,   aged   85 
Williford,   Anna,    Kansas   City,    Mo.,   on   Aug.    4, 

1970,   aged  76 
Wolfe,  David  I.,  North  Manchester,  Ind.,  on  April 

27,  1970,  aged  94 


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CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFJCES,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


11-5-70   /MESSENGER    31 


EDITORIAL 


QDm  nB(Ewn(B\5ming9  IIRcB5cBCEtlft]n^9  DBcecBciDiiQCBf 


In  January  1965  Messenger  first  included  reviews  of  com- 
mercial films  as  a  regular  feature.  At  that  time  we  suggested 
that  the  purpose  of  such  reviews  was  not  to  recommend  or 
to  promote  specific  films  for  viewing.  Rather,  by  examining 
a  few  films  critically,  we  hoped  to  help  readers  to  develop 
their  own  criteria  for  evaluating  pictures  and  to  become 
more  aware  of  the  ways  in  which  current  films  treat  basic 
theological  and  moral  issues.  We  suggested  that  what  is 
shown  in  our  neighborhoods  is  a  matter  of  concern  for  all 
of  us,  even  if  we  never  attend  the  movies.  Since  most  films 
eventually  find  their  way  to  the  TV  screen,  we  cannot  be 
indifferent  to  them. 

It  is  difficult  for  us  to  know  whether  film  reviews  reaUy 
serve  the  purpose  we  intend  for  them.  Some  readers  would 
like  us  to  select  a  few  movies  that  are  "safe"  for  family 
viewing,  to  recommend  them  and  to  ignore  the  rest.  Some 
readers  still  think  of  films  only  in  terms  of  entertaiimient 
and  would  prefer  that  we  do  not  raise  too  many  questions 
about  the  way  they  may  happen  to  deal  with  more  im- 
portant issues.  Others  think  that  reviews  are  helpful  in  other 
papers  but  out  of  place  in  a  church  periodical.  A  few 
persons  have  indicated  appreciation  for  serious  reviews 
even  if  they  might  disagree  with  a  reviewer's  judgment. 

In  recent  years  some  of  the  most  serious  films  have 
dealt  with  themes  that  used  to  be  discussed  only  privately, 
if  at  all.  The  viewer  can  expect  to  be  exposed  to  situations 
he  will  find  distasteful,  to  hear  language  he  will  regard  as 
repulsive,  and  to  be  confronted  with  ways  of  living  that  are 
the  exact  opposite  of  his  own.  And  he  may  easily  feel 
threatened  by  the  public  showing,  even  with  proper  age 
restrictions,  of  films  that  seem  to  challenge  the  values  by 
which  he  lives. 

A  case  in  point  is  a  recent  film  which  was  critically  re- 
viewed in  our  last  issue.  The  movie  Joe  has  been  acclaimed 
for  unquestionably  fine  acting  and  for  its  portrayal  of  con- 


trasting life-styles.  But  many  viewers  will  certainly  be 
turned  off  by  the  almost  constant  vulgarity  exhibited  both 
in  speech  and  in  action.  Some  of  us  are  embarrassed  by  dis- 
plays of  nudity,  and  we  think  there  is  need  for  limits  even 
in  the  frank  and  honest  treatment  of  human  situations.  Must 
language  always  be  so  explicit  in  reflecting  every  nuance  in 
profane  conversation?  As  our  reviewer  pointed  out,  the 
person  who  sees  Joe  is  made  vividly  aware  of  serious  con- 
flicts in  our  society,  but  he  is  also  "left  with  a  sense  of  loss 
and  frustration"  as  to  what  he  can  do  about  them. 


uVYhat  then  should  guide  Messenger  in  future  planning? 
Shall  we  say  to  Dave  Pomeroy  and  to  other  reviewers, 
"Please  spare  us  from  having  to  deal  with  films  that  ques- 
tion and  threaten  our  values"?  Shall  we  dispense  alto- 
gether with  reviews  of  serious  films  except  for  those  with 
an  explicit  religious  theme?  Shall  we  print  an  occasional 
article  regarding  ways  of  viewing  films  and  leave  it  to 
readers  to  develop  their  own  criteria  for  evaluating  what 
they  see?  Or  should  we  try  to  find  some  better  way  to  in- 
volve readers  in  an  examination  of  human  behavior  as  it  is 
reflected  both  in  art  and  in  life? 

In  the  meantime  we  who  call  ourselves  Christian  are 
daily  in  contact  with  persons  like  those  who  are  portrayed 
in  the  films  we  don't  care  to  see.  By  changing  the  chaimel 
on  a  TV  set,  by  twisting  the  knob  on  a  radio  dial,  by  re- 
fusing to  listen  to  someone's  vulgar  speech,  by  conveniently 
arranging  our  schedules  so  that  we  don't  have  to  confront 
a  way  of  life  we  don't  approve  —  by  such  devices  we  can 
tune  out  and  turn  off  what  is  not  to  our  taste.  But  do  we 
also  reject  those  people  who  are  not  to  our  taste?  And  how 
can  we  ever  be  used  in  reconciling  men  to  God  if  we  run 
away  from  them?  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    11-5-70 


'"ew.  brown 


New  from 
Brethren  Press! 


BRETHREN  AND  PACIFISM  brings  a  new 
perspective  to  the  issues  of  war  and  peace  for 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  at  a  time  when 
many  are  reexamining  what  it  means  to  be 
faithful  to  Christ  in  a  time  of  revolution  and 
rapid  change.    The  book  describes  various 
pacifist  stances,  considers  l<ey  ethical  and 
philosophical  issues,  relates  biblical  themes 
to  the  contemporary  situation,  suggests 


strategies  of  peacemaking,  and  indicates  the 
relevancy  of  the  Anabaptist  tradition  to  a 
radical  witness  of  the  church  today. 

The  writer.  Dale  W.  Brown,  is  professor  of 
Christian  theology  at  Bethany  Theological 
Seminary's  Oak  Brook,  Illinois,  campus.   The 
former  pastor  is  a  graduate  of  Bethany  (B.D.) 
and  Northwestern  University  (Ph.D.). 


CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  III.  60120.   $2.00 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


Facing  the  End  of  the  World.  A  'New  Testament  way  of  looking  at  dis- 
cipleship  is  to  see  it  as  preparation  for  the  end  of  the  world.  But  it  also  in- 
cludes hope  for  the  dawn  of  a  new  order  in  Christ.  How  can  the  church 
minister  to  an  age  that  is  ending  and  prepare  for  a  new  beginning?  by  Fred 
W.  Swartz.    page  4 

To  the  Front  Lines  of  the  World's  Problems.  After  twelve  years  in  the 
pastoral  ministry  Orville  Gardner  moved  into  a  new  ministry  with  the  Indiana 
Civil  Rights  Commission,  another  opportunity  that  calls  for  "specialized,  dedi- 
cated help."    by  Robert  H.  McNeill,    page  7 


Family  Life-Styles  in  the  70s.  Increasingly,  says  the  sociologist-author, 
marriage  will  he  seen  as  a  relationship  rather  than  as  a  social  contract  or  a 
sacred  institution.  The  church  will  need  to  be  aware  of  changes  and  to  pre- 
pare for  a  varied  ministry  to  families,   by  J.  Ross  Eshleman.   page  10 


Rekindling  Self-Esteem.  The  people  in  Llano  Grande  won  a  victory,  which 
is  imusiial  for  Indians  living  in  rural  areas  of  Latin  America.  The  story  in- 
volves the  responsible  use  of  power  —  a  matter  with  which  the  Ecuadorian 
church  is  concerned,   by  Merle  Grouse,   page  19 


The  Automobile:  Unguided  Missile.  Safety  is  a  religious  concern.  So  is 
the  lo.ss  of  life  that  occurs  too  often  on  American  highways.  What  can  Chris- 
tians do  to  prevent  accidents?  by  Richard  J.  Winsor.    page  26 


Other  featubes  include  "Day  by  Day,"  by  L.  Byron  and  Zola  Miller  (page  13);  "A 
Big  Event  That  Made  Us  Silent,"  reflections  on  a  CPS  reunion,  by  Terry  Pettit  (page 
14);  news  and  photos  of  new  General  Board  members  (page  21);  "In  the  Beginning," 
scripture,  with  woodcuts  by  Ruth  Aukerman  (page  22);  and  "Power,  Excitement!  And 
in  a  Children's  Bible,  Too,"  a  review  article  by  Linda  Beher  (page  29). 


COMING  SOON 


A  pastor  and  a  farmer  are  subjects  of  feature  stories  soon  to  appear  in  Messenger.  The 
pastor  is  Harold  Bomherger  of  McPher.wn,  Kansas,  who  carries  unusual  responsibilities 
this  year  as  "Brother  Moderator."  The  farmer  is  Ralph  Dull  of  Brookville,  Ohio,  who 
because  of  his  peace  convictions  ventured  into  a  new  arena  last  spring  as  an  "Unlikely 
Politician."  Ron  Keener  interviewed  the  moderator  and  Lois  Paul  introduces  Ralph  Dull 
.  .  .  Carroll  Petry  shares  with  readers  "A  Letter  to  a  High  School  Graduate."  .  .  . 
Thanksgiving  perspectives  are  underlined  in  a  brief  article  by  Levi  Keidel,  who  asks, 
"Me,  Be  Grateful?"  VOL.    119    NO. 


messen 


1URCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN 


readers  write 


IN   THE  SAME   MAGAZINE 

You  shock  me  a  bit  when  you  have  both 
"Creation  Story  Retold"  p.  18,  and  "The 
Magnificence  of  Jesus"  on  p.  21  in  the  same 
magazine  (Aug.  21).  The  first  is  based  on 
sound  thinking  and  the  second  upon  the 
sentimental  mythology  which  is  killing  the 
church.  Yes,  I  believe  Jesus  was  "magnifi- 
cent" if  one  can  say  that  word  along  with 
his  humility  and  loving  nature  but  what  does 
Mr.  Martin's  magnificence  have  to  offer  a 
world  which  has  outgrown  myth? 

Dorothy  Ewalt 
Harmony,  Minn. 


DIVINE    RIGHT   OF   KINGS 

Two  thoughts  in  the  editorial  "A  Few 
Specks  of  Sawdust"  (Oct.  8)  struck  me 
favorably.  Romans  13,  written  by  Paul, 
seems  to  contradict  Acts  5  ("We  must  obey 
God  rather  than  man").  Paul  seemed  to  be 
sold  on  the  theory  of  the  divine  right  of 
kings,  as  it  was  traditional  at  the  time  to 
think  that  way.  Kings  encouraged  the  idea, 
as  it  enhanced  their  power  over  the  people. 
Paul  must  have  been  sold  on  the  idea,  as  he 
included  it  in  Romans  13.  The  idea,  of 
course,  was  wrong,  as  the  centuries  proved. 

I  think  it  was  Samuel  who  appointed  and 
crowned  both  Saul  and  David.  God  had 
nothing  to  do  with  it.  If  he  had,  he  would 
not  have  crowned  that  old  scalawag  Saul, 
who  spent  most  of  his  life  at  war  and  in  his 
old  age  went  insane  and  committed  suicide 
by  falling  on  his  sword.  Who  would  accuse 
God  of  appointing  Solomon,  who  wasn't 
half  as  intelligent  as  he  thought  he  was?  .  .  . 

No!  The  fallacy  of  the  divine  right  of 
kings  has  caused  harm  all  down  the  cen- 
turies. Who  in  his  right  mind  would  contend 
that   Hitler,    Napoleon,    the   Caesars,    Alex- 


ander the  Great,  and  a  host  of  other  kings, 
generals,  and  dictators  had  any  monopoly 
on  the  divine  mind?   Preposterous! 

V.  P.  Mock 
Chippewa  Falls,  Wis. 

RELYING   ON   FORMS 

"Many  of  the  most  bitter  controversies 
in  the  history  of  religions  have  been  fought 
by  strict  constructionists  who  adhered  to  tra- 
ditional prescriptions  and  by  revisionists  who 
sought  to  adapt  both  moral  and  ceremonial 
requirements  to  the  changing  situation"  (En- 
cyclopaedia Biitannica). 

The  "way-out"  communion  service  that 
was  celebrated  at  the  1970  Annual  Confer- 
ence is  known  to  me  only  by  hearsay.  A 
similar  service  held  recently  in  our  congre- 
gation neither  turned  me  on  nor  turned  me 
off.  If  it  were  advocated  as  a  replacement 
for  the  traditional  service,  of  course,  I  could 
not  approve.  It  did  set  me  thinking,  how- 
ever. 

To  what  extent  should  we  rely  on  fixed 
forms?  My  parents  were  members  of  the 
Old  Order  River  Brethren,  a  sect  probably 
more  conservative  than  any  of  the  most 
fundamentalist  Brethren.  Their  faith,  it 
seems  to  me,  rested  largely  on  the  traditions 
of  "the  good  old  way,"  as  they  called  it. 
When  this  foundation  was  shaken  by  a  split 
in  the  church,  my  parents  were  terribly  dis- 
tressed. 

I  do  not  believe  in  change  for  the  sake 
of  change.  Let  us  not  make  a  god  of  novelty. 
Yet  forms,  traditions,  and  customs  are  man- 
made  things.  Even  if  they  were  precisely 
spelled  out  by  God  (and  obviously  they  are 
not),  they  would  still  be  things  that  are 
made.  And  we  must  not  put  our  trust  in 
things  that  are  made  but  in  him  who  made 
us.    God  finds   it   necessary   now  and  then 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  artwork  by  Chuck  Wood;  9  Don  Honick;  1,  11  Religious  News  Service;  13,  14, 
51  Gregory  B.  Moyer  tor  the  North  Penn  Reporter;  20,  21  Everett  C.  Johnson  for  De  Wys,  Inc.;  24 
"Study  for  'Germany's  Children  Starving,'  Empty  Dishes,  by  Kathe  Kollwitz,  Three  Lions  photo 


Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumhauch,  associate  editor;  Ronald  E.  Keener,  director  of  news 
service;  Linda  Beher,  editorial  assistant.  Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing 
date,  Oct.  1,  1970.  Messenger  is  a  member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious 
News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from 
the  Re\'ised  Standard  Version.  Subscription  rales:  $4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions;  S3. 60  per 
year  for  church  group  plan;  $3.00  per  year  for  every  home  plan;  life  subscription,  $60;  hus- 
band and  wife,  $75.  If  you  move  clip  old  address  from  Messenger  and  send  with  new  ad- 
dress. Allow  at  least  fifteen  days  for  address  change.  Messenger  is  owned  and  published 
every  other  week  by  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1451  Dundee,  Ave., 
Elgin,  111.  60120.    Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.  Nov.    19,   1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.    Vol.  119    No.  24 


to  shatter  our  false  securities.  What  real 
security  other  than  God  can  we  have  in  the 
hour  of  death  and  the  day  of  judgment? 

If  we  are  standing  on  the  Rock,  we  cannot 
be  shaken.  If  we  can  be  shaken,  we  are 
not  standing  on  the  Rock.  It  is  that  simple. 
"If  you  feel  sure  that  you  are  standing  firm, 
beware!  You  may  fall"  (1  Cor.  10:12, 
NEB). 

Christian  Bashore 
Gettysburg,  Ohio 

A   LETTER   TO   CHARLES   WAMPLER,   JR. 

I  have  just  read  and  reread  your  letter  in 
Messenger  (Sept.  24).  It  is  a  great  letter. 
Your  arguments  and  basic  position  made  me 
rejoice  but  your  conclusion  made  me  weep. 

You  and  I  have  our  roots  in  the  same 
soil  —  the  same  soil  that  produced  John 
Kline,  H.  C.  Early,  I.  S.  Long,  M.  R.  Zigler, 
Rufus  Bowman,  and  others.  Across  the 
years  our  paths  have  crossed  only  a  few 
times  but  I  trust  as  significantly  for  you  as 
for  me.  Therefore,  I  hope  it  will  be  mean- 
ingful to  you  when  I  implore  you  with  sin- 
cere appreciation  and  deep  affection  to  not 
leave  the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  if  you 
have  not  already  done  so. 

My  reason  for  asking  this  can  be  stated 
in  a  paraphrase  of  the  words  of  Mordecai 
to  Esther:  You  are  a  layman  of  influence 
and  tremendous  leadership  potential  within 
the  church  and  who  knows  but  that  God 
has  brought  you  to  the  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren for  such  a  time  as  this. 

As  may  or  may  not  be  the  case  in  the 
country  as  a  whole,  it  is  my  studied  convic- 
tion that  there  is  within  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  a  silent  majority  for  whom  you 
have  spoken  and  which  with  your  encourage- 
ment and  perhaps  a  little  more  could  be- 
come vocal  and  active. 

For  reasons  which  I  will  not  enumerate 
we  middle-of-the-roaders  are  apparently 
caught  in  the  cross-fire  between  two  power- 
ful forces  which,  I  am  persuaded,  out  of 
deep  conviction  and  a  real  sense  of  dedica- 
tion are  seeking  the  "soul"  of  our  church. 

The  one  group  —  biblically  and  theologi- 
cally conservative  —  is  seeking  to  answer  to- 
day's problems  with  yesterday's  answers  as 
if  the  new  wine  of  the  gospel  could  ever  be 
contained  in  the  wine-skins  of  a  former  day. 

The  other  group  —  socially  sensitive,  just 
as  committed  and  caught  up  in  the  revolu- 
tionary spirit  of  our  time  —  would  relate  our 
historic  past  to  the  dynamic  present,  but  with 


Page  One... 


one  serious  oversight,  it  seems  to  me.  They 
have  failed  to  distinguish  between  the  pohti- 
cal  milieu  of  the  late  17th  and  early  18th 
centuries  and  the  greater  freedom  of  our 
own  day  —  a  distinction  which  you  so  clear- 
ly set  forth  in  your  letter  makes  the  civil 
disobedience  of  that  day  less  appropriate 
now. 

It  is  my  conviction  that  the  great  majority 
of  the  Brethren  are  conservative,  biblically 
and  theologically,  but  not  so  radically  as 
the  first  group  I  mentioned  and  for  the  most 
part  tend  toward  a  tolerance  for  those  who 
are  more  liberal  which  members  of  their 
group  do  not  always  exhibit. 

It  is  also  my  conviction  that  the  majority 
of  the  Brethren  want  to  be  socially  relevant 
and  make  a  positive  witness  in  Christ's  name 
and  Spirit  for  peace,  racial  equaUty,  eco- 
nomic justice,  and  all  the  rest  of  the  issues 
that  bedevil  our  modern  world,  but  in  a 
winsome,  persuasive  manner  rather  than  in 
a  way  that  irritates  and  alienates,  believing 
this  to  be  more  nearly  in  keeping  with  our 
"style"  of  life. 

You,  my  brother,  and  the  hundreds  like 
you  in  our  brotherhood,  hold  the  answer  to 
this  dilemma  in  your  hands,  provided  you 
do  not  abdicate.  .  .  . 

Not  only  in  our  denomination  but  across 
the  board  the  church  is  roughly  divided  into 
those  who  want  the  church  to  be  evangelis- 
tic —  to  save  souls  —  and  those  who  want 
to  change  the  social  order.  We  have  had 
this  division  since  the  days  of  St.  Paul.  The 
tragedy  is  that  most  of  the  time  we  drain 
off  our  spiritual  energies  in  endless  debate 
and  in  recriminations  that  vitiate  the 
church's  influence  and  witness.  We  need  to 
recall  the  words  of  E.  Stanley  lones  who 
said  years  ago,  "We  need  both  conservatives 
and  liberals  in  the  church.  If  we  were  all 
conservatives  the  church  would  dry  up;  if 
we  were  all  liberals  (radicals)  the  church 
would  blow  up." 

Once  and  for  all  we  need  to  accept  as  a 
basis  for  our  operation  the  fact  that  our 
world  will  never  be  saved  by  institutions 
either  sacred  or  secular.  The  world  will  be 
saved  only  by  converted,  committed  persons 
whose  first  loyalty  is  to  God  ■ —  His  Word, 
His  Will,  and  His  Way  —  as  revealed  in 
lesus  of  Nazareth.  So,  we  need  to  get  on 
with  the  business  of  evangelism  as  never 
before. 

Just  as  devotedly  we  need  to  accept  the 

Continued  on  page  29 


Take  a  good  look  at  this  banner  which  hangs  in  a  Baptist  church  in  San 
Antonio,  Texas.  Is  there  any  truth  in  its  implication  that  the  church  must 
be  willing  to  adopt  some  new  ways  or  it  is  in  danger  of  dying?  We  doubt 
if  the  persons  who  designed  the  banner  were  advocating  anything  revolu- 
tionary. But  they  do  suggest  that  we  cannot  meet  every  new  proposal  with 
the  old  refrain,  "We  never  did  it  that  way  before."  Hence,  the  seven  "last" 
words.  This  may  be  a  good  time  and  place,  therefore,  to  announce  that 
Messenger  will  soon  be  reflecting  some  changes.  For  example,  beginning 
in  January  our  magazine  will  come  to  you 
twice  a  month  (on  the  first  and  the  fifteenth) 
rather  than  every  other  week.  Almost  as  often, 
but  not  quite.  The  slight  change  in  frequency 
will  enable  us  to  gear  our  contents  more  closely 
to  monthly  emphases  in  the  church's  life  and 
provide  a  few  extra  pages  available  for  special 
inserts  and  bonus  features. 

Look  also  for  some  changes  in  format. 
For  the  first  time,  Messenger  news  pages  will 
be  set  apart  and  given  more  prominence  in  the 
front  of  the  magazine.  This  means  that  we  will 
have  more  flexibility  in  treating  questions  and 
concerns  as  they  are  lifted  up  by  Annual  Con- 
ference or  as  they  develop  out  of  programs  of  local  churches. 

What  this  adds  up  to  is  roughly  the  same  number  of  pages  in  a  year's 
time  as  we  now  have,  no  price  increase,  but  a  way  of  effecting  some 
economies.  At  the  same  time  we  want  more  flexibility  in  reflecting  the 
creative  efforts  already  at  work  in  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  and  in 
responding  to  the  task  that  all  of  us  face  as  Christians  today. 

In  a  salute  to  writers  in  this  issue  we  note  the  contribution  of  Levi 
Keidel,  author,  former  evangelism  and  journalism  missionary  to  the  Congo, 
and  ordained  minister  in  the  General  Conference  Mennonite  Church.  He 
lives  and  works  now  in  Newton,  Kansas,  while  on  extended  furlough. 

Lois  Teach  Paul  (Mrs.  Galen)  has  appeared  in  Messenger's  pages 
in  other  years.  She  is  now  teaching  in  Three  Rivers,  Michigan,  after  earn- 
ing a  degree  from  Western  Michigan  University.  In  preparing  the  feature 
on  Ralph  Dull,  whom  she  has  known  since  childhood,  she  was  assisted  by 
her  sister  Carolyn  Denlinger,  who  lives  in  Tipp  City,  Ohio. 

Dispelling  some  myths  about  the  poor  is  Jack  McDonald,  assistant 
director  of  communications  for  the  Urban  Coalition. 

Former  Brethren  Volunteer  Service  worker  Prudence  Engle  Lenharr 
worked  with  the  Brethren  Action  Movement  at  North  Manchester,  Indiana, 
before  her  marriage  and  move  to  Waynesboro,  Pennsylvania,  last  spring. 

One-time  missionary  to  Nigeria,  Carroll  M.  Petry  now  serves  as 
pastor  of  the  Eel  River  Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Claypool,  Indiana.  He 
shared  his  "letter"  as  a  sermon  for  graduating  seniors  of  his  congregation. 

A  member  of  the  Tucson,  Arizona,  Church  of  the  Brethren,  Sylvia 
Claytor  directs  the  activities  of  Handi-Camp,  a  preschool  for  retarded 
children.  The  Editors 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     1 


So  Grateful 
for  So  Little 

I  ate  my  usual  breakfast 

of  oatmeal  and  dried  milk, 

brushed  my  teeth 

with  a  glass  of  boiled  water, 

picked  up  my  freshly  packed  suitcase, 

and,  with  two  Congolese  co-workers, 

piled  into  the  loaded  literature  van... 


Have  you  heard  of  any  more  fight- 
ing?" I  asked,  as  I  threaded  the  heavy 
van  onto  a  rough  dirt  road  leading 
southeast  out  of  the  city. 

"They  say  many  villages  have  been 
burned  to  the  ground,"  replied  Barna- 
bas. "But  the  soldiers  are  in  control, 
and  the  rebels  have  fled  to  the  forest." 

"People  no  longer  give  rebels  sup- 
port as  they  once  did,"  added  Boni- 
face.   "Ever  since  independence  came 
four  years  ago,  we  have  suffered. 
People  are  tired  of  war." 

We  never  took  the  van  into  an  area 
where  we  knew  there  was  trouble. 
Civil  war  had  just  raged  across  an  area 
seventy-five  miles  southeast  of  us.  In 
its  aftermath,  people  were  beginning  to 
emerge  from  hiding  in  the  forest.   A 
pastor  was  among  them.  He  had  writ- 
ten us  a  letter:  "Please  come  with  the 
book  truck  to  our  village  of  Tshint- 
shianku.  Bibles  and  hymnbooks  have 
been  destroyed  in  the  fighting.   People 
are  weeping  for  new  ones." 


by  Levi  Keidei 


The  truck  slowly  ground  its  way 
through  a  sandpit.   Then  tires  edged 
their  way  over  huge  round  stones  pro- 
truding above  the  roadbed.  The  steer- 
ing wheel  tried  to  wrench  itself  from 
my  grasp.   The  truck  body  twisted  and 
groaned  in  compaint. 

Tshintshianku  was  a  pleasant  vil- 
lage, I  recalled.  Huts  for  its  1,000 
people  lined  the  approaches  to  an  im- 
portant road  intersection  and  nestled 
on  adjacent  slopes.  Tall,  stately  palm 
trees,  their  trunks  frocked  with  light 
green  fernery,  flanked  the  roads  with  a 
natural  disorderliness  that  was  beauti- 
ful. 

The  palms  framed  scenes  of  domes- 
tic tranquillity.   Clean  paths  lined  with 
blooming  cannas  or  zinnias  led  to  the 
huts.  Hut  walls  were  of  red  earth,  their 
doors  of  rough-sawn  lumber,  their 
roofs  of  neatly  trimmed  thatch.  These 
were  cherished  homes  around  which 
the  activities  of  families  centered. 

There  was  a  mother  pounding  mani- 
oc flour  under  a  banana  tree  in  the 
backyard.  A  baby  was  tied  to  her 
back,  reverse-papoose  fashion,  asleep 
with  the  rocking  of  her  body  as  she 
rhythmically  bent  at  her  waist  to  drive 
pestle  into  mortar  again  and  again.  A 


hen  and  chicks  scurried  at  her  feet, 
pecking  at  particles  which  fell  to  the 
ground.  Two  older  children  sat  playing 
on  a  reed  mat  which  lay  on  the  bare 
ground  nearby.   A  tethered  goat  con- 
tentedly munched  lush  grass  in  the 
front  yard. 

My  mental  picture  was  soon  to  be 
shattered.  About  sundown  that  eve- 
ning we  entered  the  village  and  ap- 
proached the  intersection.   I  was 
numbed  by  the  sight.   The  palms  re- 
mained, mute  witnesses  to  the  devasta- 
tion. 

Not  a  home  was  left  standing.  Every 
hut  had  been  reduced  to  a  heap  of 
broken  earth.  From  the  rubble,  sticks 
which  had  been  part  of  the  wall  struc- 
ture jutted  upward,  their  ends  burnt  to 
ugly,  black,  twisted  points.  The  land- 
scape was  deserted  of  anything  living. 
The  scene  overwhelmed  me  with  a 
sense  of  utter  desolation. 

"Do  you  think  we'll  find  any  peo- 
ple?" I  asked. 

"Let's  go  on  to  the  house  of  the  pas- 
tor who  wrote  us  the  letter,"  Barnabas 
replied. 

We  drove  through  the  road  intersec- 
tion to  the  opposite  edge  of  town. 
There  was  the  road  which  arched  off  to 


2     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


the  left  and  circled  in  front  of  the 
church.  There  was  the  church.  It  was 
built  of  cement  block  with  a  corrugated 
metal  roof;  it  was  intact. 

But  the  parsonage-hut  to  the  left  of 
it  had  been  reduced  to  a  heap  of  rubble 
like  all  the  others.  To  the  right  of  the 
church  was  an  old  hut,  walls  near  its 
corner  entryway  crumbling  either  from 
age  or  warfare;  its  tattered  thatch  roof, 
black  with  age,  tipped  toward  the 
entryway  like  a  lopsided  hat  ready  to 
fall. 

"Where  could  the  pastor  be?"  I 
asked,  as  I  braked  the  truck  to  a  stop 
in  front  of  the  church. 

Then  in  the  gray  of  gathering  dusk  I 
saw  him,  stooped  low  to  clear  the  edge 
of  the  tipped-over  roof,  emerging  from 
the  broken  entryway.  Then  followed 
his  wife.  He  straightened  to  his  full 
height,  smiled  broadly,  waved  a  wel- 
come, and  called,  "Hello,  preacher!" 

They  insisted  we  stay  for  the  night. 
They  found  chunks  of  log  for  us  to  sit 
on  until  they  could  borrow  chairs.  She 
hunted  something  for  us  to  eat,  and 
found  three  white  sweet  potatoes.  She 
put  them  into  what  appeared  to  be  her 
only  cooking  utensil  —  a  shallow, 
white  enamel  dish.  She  covered  them 


with  water  and  set  them  to  cook  on  an 
open  fire  nearby. 

The  flat-bottomed  basket  she  used 
to  carry  things  on  her  head  was  turned 
upside  down  on  the  ground  at  our  feet; 
its  up-turned  bottom  was  to  be  our 
table.  She  drained  the  water  off  the 
sweet  potatoes  and  set  them  before  us. 
We  said  grace  and  ate  our  supper. 

It  was  eleven  o'clock  when  we  re- 
tired that  night.  The  pastor  and  his 
wife  recounted  to  us  in  detail  the  ter- 
rible events  of  past  weeks.   They  had 
fled  to  the  forest,  carrying  what  they 
could  in  their  hands.  They'd  lost  virtu- 
ally everything.   But  their  spirit  over- 
whelmed me.  Through  the  course  of 
the  entire  evening,  not  a  word  of  com- 
plaint fell  from  their  lips.  Rather,  they 
praised  God  that  their  bodies  were 
unharmed,  they  had  each  other,  and 
they  could  start  building  again. 

And  this  was  the  third  time  they'd 
passed  through  such  an  experience  in 
the  last  four  years. 

Some  months  later  my  car  was 
speeding  down  a  highway  in  the  mid- 
western  United  States.  I  had  just  re- 
turned from  the  Congo  and  was  stUl 
adjusting  to  such  accoutrements  of  an 
affluent  society  as  instant  balanced-diet 


breakfasts,  toothpaste  with  sex  appeal, 
and  soft-cushioned  machines  rocketing 
along  ribbons  of  smooth  cement.   I 
was  also  perusing  the  beauty  of  lush, 
green  fields  of  corn  which  lined  the 
highway,  fields  which  I  knew  had  un- 
failingly produced  a  generous  harvest 
for  more  than  thirty  consecutive  years. 
There  was  a  farmer  working  in  a  hay 
field.   "Aren't  those  big  cab  tractors 
nice,"  I  mused.   "And  look  at  his  shiny 
pickup  along  the  road." 

I  pulled  into  a  filling  station  for  gas. 
A  farmer  had  also  stopped.  I  struck 
up  conversation  with  him. 

"Crops  look  great,"  I  said,  gesturing 
to  a  nearby  freshly  tasseled  cornfield. 

"We're  hurting  bad  for  rain,"  he 
replied.  "Haven't  had  any  for  two 
weeks  now.  If  we  don't  get  some  soon 
the  crop's  going  to  be  short  this  year." 
Instantly  on  the  screen  of  my  mind 
there  flashed  the  picture  of  an  impover- 
ished pastor  and  his  wife  seated  at  a 
night  bonfire  telling  their  story.  It 
raised  a  question  which  has  been  un- 
comfortably nagging  me  ever  since. 

Why  is  it  that  people  who  have  so 
little  find  it  so  easy  to  be  grateful,  and 
we  who  have  so  much  find  it  so  easy  to 
complain?   D 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     3 


Ralph  Dull: 
Unlikely  Politician 


by  LOIS  TEACH  PAUL 

assisted  by  CAROLYN  T.  DENLINGER 


F, 


armer  Ralph  Dull  doesn't  look  much 
like  a  national  figure;  he  is  a  slightly 
built,  neatly  dressed  man  with  a  boyish 
grin  and  deep-set  eyes,  light  brown  in 
a  sun-lined  and  tanned  face.  Voters 
would  not  likely  be  impressed  until 
they  listened  to  what  the  firm,  quiet 
voice  said  or  grasped  the  callused 
hand. 

Ralph  Dull,  Church  of  the  Brethren 
layman  of  Brookville,  Ohio,  would  be 
the  first  to  insist  that  he  is  an  unlikely 
politician.  But  there  he  was,  in  the 
spring  of  1970,  seeking  to  be  chosen  as 
the  Republican  candidate  for  repre- 
sentative from  the  fourth  Congres- 
sional district  —  eight  and  a  half  south- 
western Ohio  counties.  He  was  running 

4     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


on  a  proclaimed  peace  platform,  a 
symbol  of  protest  against  America's 
military  involvement.  "Someone  had 
to  make  a  witness  for  peace  where  it 
really  counts  —  in  the  halls  of  Con- 
gress —  and  my  friends  convinced  me 
that  it  was  a  job  I  could  do." 

His  choice  as  a  candidate  did  not 
seem  unlikely  as  it  came  about.  Ralph 
is  no  stranger  to  the  legislative  process 
or  to  the  Congressional  office  building, 
for  he  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
peace  movement  in  southern  Ohio  for 
years.  It  began  two  years  earlier  when 
several  Brethren  joined  the  Laymen 
Concerned  About  Vietnam  group  that 
left  Dayton  for  Washington  to  lobby 
for  an  end  to  the  war.   In  the  Capitol 


David  Huflaker  and  Ron  McAdams, 
with  Mark  and  Mary  Dehers,  called  on 
Fourth  District  Congressman  William 
M.  McCulloch  to  discover  his  stand  on 
the  war.  They  left  his  office  con- 
vinced that  any  change  in  leadership 
for  peace  would  have  to  come  from  a 
new  congressman.  Why  not  a  peace 
candidate  in  the  Republican  primaries 
against  McCulloch?  In  this  strongly 
Republican  district,  by  voting  for  such 
a  candidate  those  who  took  their  peace 
witness  seriously  could  speak  where 
politicians  hear  —  at  the  ballot  box. 
During  the  faU  of  1969,  Huffaker, 
McAdams,  the  Darke  County  Peace 
Committee,  and  other  friends  collected 
quite  a  bit  of  interest  in  the  project. 


•■>  V  L-v^^  »*.  ij\r-^-^ 


Now  for  a  candidate.  One  of  the  com- 
mitteemen approached  Ralph,  explain- 
ing that  the  peace  committee  would 
like  to  run  his  name  for  Congress. 

"Use  my  name?  I  thought  they  were 
kidding.  A  name  like  Dull?  Majfbe  I 
should  change  it."  Ralph  stopped 
laughing  and  reflected  awhile.  "If  it's 
worthwhile,  someone  needs  to  be  will- 
ing to  be  batted  about  for  a  cause.  All 
right,  I'll  do  it."  The  committee  was 
delighted.  "In  Ralph  we  had  a  man  of 
strong  peace  convictions  and  back- 
ground, who  thinks  well  on  his  feet  and 
keeps  his  head  in  an  argument,"  re- 
marked Ron  McAdams,  who  became 
manager  for  the  Dull  for  Congress 
campaign. 


Jk 


UNLIKELY  POLITICIAN  /  continued 


When  anyone  runs  for  public  office, 
his  life  is  open  for  scrutiny.  What  in- 
terested voters  saw  was  a  man  who 
consistently  lived  by  his  beliefs.  His 
credentials  had  been  established  long 
before  the  peace  issue  became  popular. 
His  profile  was  sharp  and  clear:  Ralph 
was  born  forty-one  years  ago  on  a  farm 
where  he  now  lives,  the  fourth  child  of 
Vernon  and  Lucille  Brenner  Dull. 
Ralph's  parents  and  grandparents  were 
lifelong  members  of  the  Brookville 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  so  it  was  nat- 
ural that  the  Dull  children  became  ac- 
tive too.  "I  was  always  a  shy  boy. 
When  I  was  in  high  school  I  went 
out  for  sports  and  played  in  the  first 
football  game  I  ever  saw.  Athletics 
gave  me  confidence  in  myself."  He 
was  graduated  a  four-letter  man. 
Ralph's  year  at  Manchester  was  not  a 
singular  success.  "If  there  was  a  sub- 
ject that  I  liked  and  felt  was  important, 
I'd  lose  myself  in  it,  but  much  of  the 
curriculum  just  wasn't  for  me.  I  found 
study  for  study's  sake  very  difficult. 
I  did  not  plan  on  a  teaching  career  — 
I  was  a  farmer,  and  agriculture  wasn't 
one  of  Manchester's  courses." 

In  May  of  that  year  Vernon  Dull  be- 
came ill  and  was  hospitalized.  Ralph 
came  home  to  the  farm.  Later  he  was 
able  to  take  two  semesters  of  college 
work  in  agriculture  at  Purdue.  He 
finished  his  courses  at  the  top  of  his 
class.  Ralph  entered  BVS  (third  unit) 
in  the  fall.  As  a  member  of  the  peace 
caravan  in  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia 
he  learned  to  organize  his  thoughts  and 
speak  in  public. 

"When  I  came  home,  I  soon  found 
myself  on  the  Southern  Ohio  Youth 
Cabinet.  It  was  part  of  the  program 
that  year  for  cabinet  members  to  visit 
district  youth  groups.  Another  cabinet 
member  and  I  went  together.  She  was 
Russ  and  Vinna  Helstern's  daughter, 
Joy.    After  about  a  year  she  agreed 


with  me  that  we  made  a  good  team, 
and  we  have.  We  were  married  in 
1952.  We  have  four  children,  Peter, 
Michael,  Becky,  and  Kevin." 

Ralph  had  registered  with  Selective 
Service  as  a  conscientious  objector  and 
was  drafted  at  age  twenty-six.  He 
chose  to  do  his  alternative  service  at 
the  Baltimore  Pilot  House  Project,  so 
he  left  the  farm,  with  his  wife  and  baby 
son,  for  the  city  of  Baltimore.  Ralph 
and  Joy  were  project  directors  for  two 
years.  "While  we  were  in  Baltimore,  I 
used  to  go  to  Washington  and  sit  in  the 
Congressional  galleries.  I  became  more 
convinced  that  Christian  people  must 
make  their  beliefs  felt  in  Congress." 

When  they  returned  to  Ohio,  Ralph 
continued  his  partnership  with  his 
father,  raising  Black  Angus  cattle  and 
hogs.  He  took  over  the  farm  in  1960. 
"I  am  intrigued  by  possible  better 
ideas  and  I  like  to  study  a  problem, 
consider  new  methods,  and  put  them 
into  practice.  Failures  don't  throw  me, 
unless  it's  because  of  neglect  on  my 


Ralph  and  Joy  Dull 
talk  with  Ron 

McAdams,  director 
of  the  Dull  for 

Congress  campaign 


part."  The  busloads  of  visitors  that 
stop  at  the  Dulls'  farm  attest  to  his  ex- 
cellence as  a  farmer.  The  tours  are 
arranged  by  the  Agricultural  Extension 
Service. 

The  Dulls  are  an  active  family  in  the 
Brookville  church  and  in  the  Farm 
Bureau,  of  which  Ralph  is  a  past  presi- 
dent. He  is  currently  chairman  of  the 
County  Advisory  Council  and  Policy 
Development  Committee.  In  the 
church  he  is  active  locally  and  in  the 
district,  in  the  Heifer  Project,  foreign 
student  exchange,  and  racial  exchange. 

He  has  developed  political  know- 
how  in  the  back  halls  of  the  state  legis- 
lature and  learned  to  know  state  and 
national  political  figures.  "My  first  ex- 
perience as  a  lobbyist  was  in  1948. 
Five  boys  left  Manchester  for  Washing- 
ton to  protest  universal  military  train- 
ing. There  were  Gale  and  Dean  Del- 
inger,  Don  Miller,  my  brother  Ray,  and 
I."  He  has  made  several  trips  since 
for  youth  and  adult  seminars. 

For  the  last  eleven  years,  the  Dulls 


6     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


have  refused  to  pay  the  percentage  of 
their  income  tax  that  would  be  allo- 
cated to  military  spending,  an  amount 
of  one  half  to  two  thirds  of  a  tax  figure. 
The  government  has  attached  his  bank 
account  for  that  amount  plus  interest. 

"When  I  agreed  to  be  a  candidate,  I 
saw  it  as  another  way  in  which  I  could 
witness  for  my  convictions.  I  hoped  it 
would  be  a  force  to  make  other  people 
think  through  their  peace  position  in 
political  terms,  then  act  uncompromis- 
ingly on  their  beliefs.  It's  time  that  we 
prove  ourselves  and  stop  rationalizing 
our  lack  of  positive  activity.  I  am  con- 
vinced that  the  stewardship  of  life 
taught  by  the  Christian  church  is  sound 
and  practical  politics.  It  contends  for 
conservation  of  natural  and  human 
resources.  Where  in  this  belief  can  we 
justify  war?  As  I  see  it,  we  can  take  no 
other  stand." 

But  as  convincing  as  his  argument  is, 
not  as  much  support  from  churches  was 
forthcoming  as  McAdams  and  Dull  had 
hoped  for,  either  vocal  or  financial. 
But  many  Brethren  did  work  hard. 
Lacking  in  funds,  they  concentrated  on 
mailings.  Envelopes  stuffing  sessions 
were  held  in  Brookville  church.  Youth 
groups  in  several  counties  helped  with 
mailings.  "The  Darke  County  friends 
worked  very  hard  and  it  showed  in  the 
votes,"  said  Ron. 

Ralph  is  strongest  in  person-to- 
person  contact.  He  and  Ron  spent  two 
Saturdays  in  rural  towns  on  street  cor- 
ners, shaking  hands.  He  spoke  at  serv- 
ice clubs,  women's  meetings,  university 
classes,  newpaper  and  radio  interviews, 
and  Sunday  morning  and  evening  serv- 
ices. His  proposals  were  delivered  in 
straightforward  clarity  and  with  sly 
humor.   He  advocated  a  plan  for: 

—  removing  all  troops  from  Viet- 
nam in  twelve  months. 

—  reordering  priorities  to  reverse 
our  militaristic   foreign   policy.     "We 


can  eliminate  our  starving  enemies  by 
making    them    well-fed    friends." 

—  using  natural  resources  in  domes- 
tic needs. 

—  helping  American  blacks  to  find 
every  opportunity  to  full  citizenship 
privileges. 

—  in  agriculture,  reinstating  the  in- 
vestment, credit,  government  involve- 
ment in  crops  and  more  careful  study 
of  the  long-range  hazards  and  benefits 
of  insecticides  used. 

—  placing  our  hope  in  negotiation 
and  reconciliation,  not  in  antiballistic 
missiles. 

—  as  a  nation,  assuming  responsi- 
bility democratically  and  presenting  a 
strong,  imaginative  disarmament  plan 
to  the  world. 

In  one  letter  to  an  editor,  Ralph 
slyly  proposed  that  half  the  Pentagon 
be  turned  over  to  a  secretary  for  peace. 

"Being  chosen  as  a  candidate  over 
a  twenty-two-year  incumbent  was  a  re- 
mote possibility.  Anything  approach- 
ing 6,000  votes  we  felt  would  make 
our  point.  We  felt  the  time,  effort,  and 
money  spent  was  worth  it  in  peace 
education.  Incidentally,  we  did  get 
nearly  5,000  votes.  That's  5,000  adults 
speaking  their   peace   witness." 

"The  most  rewarding  part  of  the  ex- 
perience was  to  meet  and  get  letters 
from  like-minded  people.  We  were  a 
rallying  point  for  the  isolated.  They 
told  me  that  they  appreciated  a  chance 
to  come  together  and  to  be  a  part  of 
something  that  would  help  promote 
peace.  One  man  told  me  that  it  was 
like  a  breath  of  fresh  air  to  find  a 
candidate  with  our  views.  A  Washing- 
ton correspondent  who  came  to  inter- 
view me  said  when  he  left,  'You're  my 
kind  of  guy.' 

Both  Ralph  and  Ron  agree  that  they 
learned  much  in  this  campaign.  They 
are  already  talking  of  tactics:  organ- 
izers in  each  county,  getting  into  grass 


roots  party  positions  at  the  county 
level.  They  have  spotted  the  difficult 
areas  and  found  unexpected  support  in 
some  newly  formed  friendships.  "We 
strive  to  present  a  position,  not  a  man," 
said  Ron,  "and  that's  not  easy  in  a 
political  world  where  personality  is  the 
watchword  and  advertising  sells  a 
president.  We  feel  that  winning  the 
next  election  is  possible,  especially  in 
the  absence  of  the  well-known  incum- 
bent." 

What  does  Joy  say  about  Ralph's 
political  adventure?  She  was  reluctant 
at  first  but  saw  that  Ralph  felt  strongly 
that  this  was  his  duty.  "I  get  appre- 
hensive when  I  hear  talk  of  another 
campaign.  It  takes  such  a  total  in- 
volvement for  such  a  long  period. 
Ralph  was  gone  three  or  four  nights  a 
week  and  spent  hours  at  home  writing. 
Some  Saturdays  he  traveled  around 
shaking  hands,  all  on  top  of  the  work 
here  at  home.  Campaigning  makes 
such  a  heavy  demand  physically  that  I 
worry.  But  this  is  what  he  believes  he 
must  do  —  that's  Ralph  —  and  I  be- 
lieve in  him,  too.  Even  our  children 
took  part  during  the  campaign  in  lively 
political  discussions  at  school.  We  were 
in  this  together." 

This  kind  of  commitment  is  not  new 
to  Christians  or  to  Brethren.  Ralph 
witnesses  to  his  commitment  with  in- 
tegrity, a  sense  of  humor,  a  lot  of  dig- 
in-your-heels  grit  in  the  best  of  Breth- 
ren tradition. 

The  Dull  for  Congressman  head- 
quarters received  many  letters,  but 
among  those  valued  the  most  is  the  one 
that  Ralph  received  after  the  election. 
It  read  in  part:  "Congratulations  on 
winning  your  recent  campaign.  .  .  . 
You  didn't  get  as  many  votes  as  your 
opponent,  but  the  way  you  ran  your 
campaign  and  made  your  witness  to  so 
many  people  was  truly  a  victory.  .  .  . 
You  kept  the  faith."  D 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     7 


BROTHER  MODERATOR' 

One  of  the  extras  life  has  given  him 


"Being  a  Christian  for  a  layman  is  not 
as  easy  as  we  ministers  often  write  and 
say.  How  do  you  run  a  mill  and  do  it  as 
simply,  in  terms  of  being  a  Christian,  as 
some  of  our  little  20-minute  sermons 
imply  can  be  done?  I  have  always,  I 
think,  kept  a  little  realism  in  my  preach- 
ing because  of  the  experiences  I  have 
had  as  a  layman." 

This  year's  national  moderator  of  the 
Church  of  the  Brethren,  Harold  Z.  Bom- 
berger,  was  resf)onding  to  a  visitor's  in- 
terest in  his  secular  work  before  entering 
the  ministry  and  its  effect  on  his  min- 
istry. 

In  the  four  years  between  high  school 
graduation  in  1935  and  entrance  into 
Elizabethtown  College,  Mr.  Bomberger 
worked  on  the  family  farm  in  Lebanon 
County,  Pa.,  and  in  radio-television  en- 
gineering in  the  Kansas  City  and  Chicago 
areas. 

Varied  experiences:  He  attributes 
these  experiences  with  helping  him  un- 
derstand the  layman's  point  of  view  and 
his  struggles  with  faith.  They  were  ex- 
periences, too,  which  enabled  him  to 
move  progressively  in  responsibilities 
within  the  church:  as  pastor  of  the 
Allentown,  Pa.,  Westminster,  Md.,  and 
presently,  McPherson,  Kan.,  congrega- 
tions; executive  for  the  former  Eastern 
Region  in  Pennsylvania;  moderator  of 
the  Eastern  Maryland  and  Kansas  dis- 
tricts; General  Board  member;  commit- 
teeman on  various  study  and  planning 
panels  of  the  denomination;  and  now  the 
highest  elective  post  of  the  church  with 
his  installation  in  June  at  the  Lincoln, 
Neb.,  Annual  Conference. 

If  there  is  a  "success  story"  about 
Harold  Bomberger,  it  is  probably  told 
in  his  relationships  with  people.  One 
friend  has  noted  that  Harold  has  "never 


treated  anyone  less  than  a  person."  His 
ability  at  times  to  speak  bluntly,  without 
raising  resentment,  is  attributed  to  his 
having  "walked  in  the  shoes"  of  his 
listener  —  as  a  layman  when  a  pastor, 
as  a  pastor  when  a  regional  executive,  as 
an  executive  when  in  denominational 
work. 

Appreciation:  Pressed  to  comment  on 
this  evaluation,  he  remarked:  "In  a  lot 
of  ways  I'm  genuinely  grateful  for  ex- 
periences that  have  been  mine  and  peo- 
ple who  have  made  these  possible. 
Usually,  experiences  find  their  meaning 
chiefly  with  people.  I  think  I  have  a 
basic  respect  and  appreciation  for  peo- 
ple." 

Is  there  a  secret  for  working  with 
people?  "It's  pretty  much  doing  your 
homework,  establishing  confidence,  and 
never  betraying  a  confidence  that  people 
have  in  you,  at  least  never  intentionally. 
...  Concern  and  love  and  respect  for 
people  go  a  long,  long  way." 

If  one  expected  a  complicated  philoso- 
phy of  life  from  Harold,  he  would  be 
disappointed.  Apart  from  the  faith  that 
God's  undergirding  is  always  present  and 
always  a  guiding  force,  he  finds  it  in  this 
observation:  "You  win  and  you  lose  in 
about  everything  you  do."  As  moderator 
for  a  year  he  gains  a  closer  contact  with 
many  congregations  and  churchmen  but 
notes  the  loosening  of  family  ties  while 
doing  the  traveling  that  the  position  re- 
quires. He  believes,  too,  that  to  an  ex- 
tent there  is  a  tide  which  carries  men,  in 
which  God's  purpose  comes  through. 

The  52-year-old  minister  recalls  his 
service  at  various  levels  of  church  life  as 
best  preparing  him  for  the  denomina- 
tional moderatorship.  "Tremendously 
important,  too,  in  these  experiences  are 
what    they    suggest    of    the    confidence 


other  people  have,  and  have  had,  in  me, 
which  gave  me  a  sense  of  confidence  I 
needed  to  try  to  be  moderator." 

No  such  category:  He  recalls  his 
stunned  reaction  to  being  nominated  first 
for  the  office  at  the  1964  Annual  Con- 
ference, his  feeling  of  inadequacy  for 
the  position,  and  his  sense  of  relief  when 
he  lost  —  by  seven  votes  —  to  A.  Stauffer 
Curry.  "A  little  later  I  began  to  think 
about  this  and  decided  that  if  my  friends 
have  that  much  confidence  in  me,  why 
can't  I?  If  there  were  a  perfect  standard 
for  a  moderator,  few  of  them  would 
say  they  achieved  that,  and  certainly 
some  of  their  critics  would  deny  it. 

"Each  of  them  did  the  best  he  could, 
giving  his  life  and  time  and  energy. 
Why  couldn't  I  do  that?" 

Still,  Mr.  Bomberger  says  that  he  never 
honestly  expected  to  be  moderator  or 
even  get  close  to  it.  "I  was  not  a  person 
who,  when  he  got  out  of  seminary,  saw 
the  acme  of  his  existence  as  ending  up 
being  moderator."  For  him,  the  mod- 
eratorship has  been  "one  of  the  extras 
that  life  has  given  to  me." 

Being  prepared:  Harold  has  lived  by 
a  conviction  that,  over  the  long  span, 
things  will  come  to  a  man  when  he's 
ready  for  them.  His  churchmanship 
over  the  years  has  helped  him  to  "de- 
velop a  sense  of  responsibility  and  a 
sense  of  administration.  So,  when  a 
fellow  becomes  moderator,  there's  a 
sense  in  which  he  is  not  totally  unpre- 
pared even  though  he  may  not  be  totally 
prepared  for  it." 

Perhaps  coming  from  his  Pennsylvania 
Dutch  upbringing,  he  sees  no  substitute 
for  hard  work  and  "doing  one's  home- 
work." He  says  this  in  the  context  of 
his  frustration  of  being  among  people 
"who  know  so  much  and  yet  know  noth- 


8     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


ing  because  they  haven't  done  their 
homework." 

Being  a  "Dutchman"  has  had  its  helps 
and  hindrances,  he  observes,  "but  I  don't 
think  there's  any  magic,  Hke  being  Irish 
in  Boston."  Still,  with  more  Brethren 
in  the  East  than  elsewhere,  his  back- 
ground has  been  of  value  in  understand- 
ing and  appreciating  their  concerns. 

It  was  the  encouragement  and  friend- 
ship of  L.  John  Weaver  that  brought 
Harold  into  the  ministry.  Mr.  Weaver, 
now  pastor  at  the  Midway  church  near 
Annville,  Pa.,  was  a  student  at  Bethany 
Seminary  when  Harold  was  working  in 
Chicago. 

Career  choice:  Mr.  Weaver  brought 
him  into  the  seminary's  fellowship  while 
Harold  continued  to  work  in  Chicago 
and  attempted  to  determine  whether  his 
life  would  be  in  electronics  or  the  min- 
istry. The  ministry  won  and  he  entered 
Elizabethtown  College  in  the  fall  of  1939 
and  later  the  seminary. 

An  added  dimension  to  Harold's  life 


has  come  through  his  participation  in 
cooperative  church  life,  including  service 
as  president  of  the  Kansas  Council  of 
Churches  for  two  years  and  a  council 
board  member  before  and  afterward. 

"These  ecumenical  contacts  helped  me 
not  only  to  discover  but  to  appreciate 
the  values  of  other  traditions  and  the 
people  involved  in  them.  Though  they 
were  different  from  my  own  training  and 
experience,  I  nevertheless  appreciated 
how  much  they  contributed  to  Chris- 
tianity and  to  the  world." 

True  Christians:  This  is  an  important 
transition  for  one,  among  many  others 
of  the  church,  who  grew  up  with  the 
impression  that  Brethren  were  the  only 
Christians  who  were  true  Christians. 
And  even  among  the  Brethren,  only  some 
were  true  Christians  depending  on  how 
they  dressed  and  what  they  did,  so  the 
thinking  went. 

Similarly,  attending  a  Brethren  college 
and  seminary  has  been  advantageous  "In 
that  it  threw  me  in  the  mainstream  of 


what  I  was  to  be  about  for  the  rest  of  my 
life."  Also  it  helped  him  to  develop 
companions  and  associates  with  whom 
he  would  deal  in  his  ministry. 

Yet  traveling  in  the  mainstream  keeps 
one  from  profitable  experiences  useful 
in  later  associations.  "There  was  a  sense 
in  which  my  colleagues  who  went  to 
some  other  place  —  Yale,  Harvard  —  got 
a  perspective  of  the  larger  world  which 
I  don't  think  I  got." 

The  added  dimension  in  his  educa- 
tional outlook  came  in  graduate  work 
for  his  master  of  sacred  theology  degree 
at  Lutheran  Theological  Seminary,  Get- 
tysburg, Pa.,  and  in  later  seminars  for 
evangelism,  counseling,  mental  health, 
and  sensitivity  training. 

International  travel,  even  before  as- 
suming the  moderatorship,  has  enabled 
Mr.  Bomberger  to  relate  the  Brethren  to 
the  vast  problems  of  the  world.  While 
on  a  sabbatical  leave  from  his  congrega- 
tion in  1967,  he  participated  in  the 
British- American     Preachers'     Exchange 


Harold  Bomberger, 
newly  installed  as 
moderator,  leads  the 
Lincoln  Conference 
with  raised  arms 
in  the  symbolic 
observance  of 
hope.  Behind  him 
are  chorister 
Otis  D.  Kitchen 
and  immediate 
past  moderator 
A.  G.  Breidenstine 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     9 


and  studied  at  Oxford  University,  par- 
ticipated in  an  audience  with  Pope  Paul 
at  the  Vatican,  and  spent  eight  weeks  in 
the  Middle  East.  Later  he  toured  Ni- 
gerian missions,  and  this  past  July 
he  and  his  wife  observed  the  Brethren 
work  in  Ecuador. 

Of  these  travel  experiences  he  notes 
his  biggest  thrill  "was  to  see  the  church 
at  work  in  a  culture  different  from  what 
I've  been  traditionally  used  to  and  work- 
ing in. 

"I  believe  that  if  more  of  our  lay- 
men and  pastors  could  see  the  church 
at  work  in  situations  such  as  Nigeria  or 
Ecuador,  which  represent  pretty  tremen- 
dous success  stories,  we'd  be  much  more 
enthusiastic  about  our  own  work  in  our 
local  community  and  outreach." 

Certainly  Harold's  work  within  the 
pastorate  has  been  a  positive  experi- 
ence —  despite  the  later  dissolution  of 
his  first  congregation.  His  biggest  boost 
in  parish  work  is  the  importance  of  peo- 
ple and  his  individual  contact  with  them, 
despite  the  often  talked-of  frustrations, 
heartaches,  and  limitations.  "The  pas- 
torate, in  one  form  or  another,  is  going 
to  be  around  for  quite  awhile,"  he  ob- 
serves. 

Three  children:  The  Bombergers  have 
three  children,  Timothy,  working  for  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania;  H.  Lane,  married 
and  living  in  Kansas;  and  Venona  Ann, 
a  sophomore  at  Wichita  State  Univer- 
sity. Mrs.  Bomberger,  the  former  Mar- 
garet E.  Mann,  is  a  second  grade  school- 
teacher. 

And  what  of  the  future  of  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren?  What  are  the  moder- 
ator's hopes  for  the  denomination  in  the 
decade  of  the  70s? 

"I  would  hope  that  with  all  the  talent 
and  ideas  and  resources  we  have  —  and 
I  think  they're  pretty  tremendous  —  that 
somehow  we  learn  to  use  our  differences, 
rather  than  to  pull  each  other  apart, 
which  I  think  is  a  possibility  at  this 
time.  We  should  use  our  skills  in  har- 
nessing our  diversity  for  strength,  for 
service,  for  witness,  truly  for  the  cause 
of  Jesus  Christ  as  reflected  by  the  best 
in  our  heritage." 


Clergymen  help  to  resolve 
two-year  grape  boycott 


The  national  boycott  of  California 
grapes,  initiated  two  years  ago  by  Cesar 
Chavez'  farm  workers'  union,  came  to  an 
end  in  July  when  a  vast  number  of  grow- 
ers signed  contracts  with  the  grape 
pickers'  union,  the  United  Farm  Workers' 
Organizing  Committee. 

For  their  decisive  role  in  the  outcome, 
churchmen  were  both  complimented  and 
condemned,  often  the  latter  for  their 
open  sympathy  and  support  for  the  side 
of  the  workers.  Brethren  have  also  been 
related  to  the  five-year  dispute,  attempt- 
ing a  ministry  to  both  sides  in  the  move- 
ment. 

Since  February  the  National  Confer- 
ence of  Catholic  Bishops  has  been 
actively  involved  in  negotiations  between 
the  growers  and  the  workers.  It  was 
through  the  bishops'  efforts  that  agree- 
ments were  reached  to  end  the  dispute. 

Other  churchmen  also  played  de- 
cisive roles  in  reconciling  the  grape 
growers  and  workers,  including  Protes- 
tant workers  with  migrants  and  Jewish 
laymen  and  rabbis. 

The  movement,  "La  Causa,"  has  drawn 
the  support  of  white  liberals  and  black 
radicals  and  the  enmity  of  such  conser- 
vative groups  as  the  John  Birth  Society. 
But  it  has  mainly  received  the  backing 
and  sympathy  of  young  clergy  of  all 
faiths  and  several  not-so-young  church 
leaders. 

Organizers:  Some  spokesmen  for 
grape  growers  have  openly  criticized 
clergy  and  churches  for  supporting  the 
organizing  efforts  of  the  farm  workers 
and  "keeping  the  strike  alive." 

Religious  units  in  California,  they  said, 
spearheaded  the  table  grape  boycott,  but 
it  was  indicated  that  Protestant  councils 
of  churches  in  such  areas  as  Missouri 
and  Pennsylvania  also  lent  their  support 
to  the  boycott. 

The  Northern  California  Council  of 
Churches    adopted    the    farm    workers' 


cause  as  the  main  activity  of  its  migrant 
ministry,  speaking,  writing,  demonstrat- 
ing, reportedly  braving  threats  of  armed 
guards,  and  even  joining  hundreds  of 
demonstrators  in  jail  after  testing  strin- 
gent picketing  regulations. 

Though  Cesar  Chavez  is  a  Roman 
Catholic  and  has  several  priest  aides,  his 
top  assistant  is  31 -year-old  Protestant 
minister  James  Drake.  Because  of  the 
considerable  church  backing  of  "La 
Causa,"  the  farm  workers'  campaign 
often  took  on  the  aura  of  a  quasireligious 
movement. 

"I'm  here,"  one  clergyman-backer  of 
Mr.  Chavez  was  quoted  as  saying,  "be- 
cause this  is  a  movement  by  the  poor 
people  themselves  to  improve  their 
position,  and  where  the  poor  people  are, 
Christ  should   be,   and  is." 

Rabbi  Marc  Tanenbaum,  national 
director  of  the  interreligious  affairs  de- 
partment of  the  American  Jewish  Com- 
mittee, hailed  the  contract  achievement 
as  a  significant  "model  of  sophisticated, 
effective  cooperation  between  Catholics, 
Protestants,  and  Jews  joining  hands  in  the 
common  work  of  social  justice." 

Critics:  Yet  some  clerics  were  ad- 
monished to  teach  religion  and  to  stay 
out  of  farm  labor  problems. 

Some  Brethren  in  California,  grape 
growers  among  them,  were  understand- 
ably concerned  that  the  small  grower 
was  being  hurt  or  forced  out  of  business 
by  the  cost-price  squeeze,  that  the  con- 
tract demands  of  the  farm  workers' 
union  increased  the  problem,  and  that 
the  church  should  see  its  task  as  helping 
small  growers  secure  economic  justice  as 
well    as    supporting    the    farm    workers. 

Indeed,  it  was  probably  a  concern  for 
the  small  producer  that  helped  bring  the 
strike  to  an  end.  It  was  known  that  the 
consumer  boycott  had  seriously  affected 
the  marketing  of  nonunion  grapes.  One 
large  producer  noted  that  they  were  "con- 


10     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


In  San  Francisco,  above,  hundreds  of  Salinas  Valley  lettuce 

workers  launch  a  national  boycott  of  nonunion  lettuce 

after  union  leader  Cesar  Chavez,  right,  signs  contract  covering 

San  Joaquin  Valley  grape  growers  following  two-year  boycott 


cerned  that  [the  boycott]  would  actually 
destroy  a  number  of  farmers,  particularly 
the  smaller  ones." 

Help  attempted:  Although  ways  of 
helping  the  farm  workers  have  been  fairly 
obvious  for  some  time,  it  has  been  more 
difficult  to  find  ways  of  aiding  small 
growers   in   their  cost-price   squeeze. 

At  the  suggestion  of  Brotherhood 
social  justice  consultant,  Ralph  E.  Smelt- 
zer,    the    Pacific    Southwest    Conference 


board  of  administration  recently  ap- 
pointed a  committee  of  a  pastor  (Paul 
Miller,  Fresno)  and  two  growers  (Dale 
Snell,  McFarland;  Merlin  Bowser,  Fres- 
no) to  determine  the  extent  of  small 
growers'  problems  and  to  explore  ways 
in  which  the  church  might  help.  After 
lengthy  discussion  the  committee  con- 
cluded there  was  really  no  way  in  which 
the  church  could  materially  assist  small 
growers    in    their    economic    difficulties. 


Other  support  and  assistance  to  both 
growers  and  laborers  came  from  volun- 
teer service  workers.  With  the  Brethren 
ministry  to  farm  workers  in  the  San 
Joaquin  Valley  are  four  BVSers,  Rodney 
Ott,  Ulrich  Vinke,  David  Perlin,  and 
James  Lefever.  They  are  assigned  to 
the  Shepherd  of  the  Valley  Lutheran 
Church  in  Lamont  and  under  the  general 
supervision  of  its  pastor,  Russell  Paulson. 
Mr.  Paulson  in  turn  reassigns  them  from 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     11 


±news 


time  to  time  to  various  types  of  ministries 
to  farm  workers  in  the  Lamont-Delano 
area. 

Another  BVSer,  Clyde  Fahnestock, 
recently  completed  two  years  of  service 
with  Casa  de  Amistad,  a  farm  worker 
community  center  in  Brawley,  Calif.  The 
center  now  wants  only  nonwhite  leader- 
ship, and  presently  BVS  lacks  sufficient 
nonwhite  volunteers  to  meet  this  request. 

Moral  issue:  Many  observers,  espe- 
cially persons  who  supported  the  farm 
workers,  depicted  the  workers'  cause  as 
a  strictly  "moral  issue,"  a  struggle  of 
predominantly  Mexican-Americans  for  a 
living  wage  and  decent  housing.  The 
lot  of  the  migrants  who  harvest  the 
nation's  crops  has  been  one  of  oppres- 
sion, illiteracy,  and  unspeakable  poverty 
for  more  than  50  years.  Steven  V. 
Roberts  in  The  New  York  Times  wrote 
of  them: 

"The  farm  workers  were  always  the 
outcasts  of  society  —  first  the  Chinese, 
then  the  Japanese,  the  Eastern  Europe- 
ans, the  Oakies,  the  Mexicans.  They 
were  too  itinerant  to  organize  and  too 
poor  to  strike.  When  they  did  try  to 
protest,  vigilante  mobs  beat  them  down 
as  the  law  looked  the  other  way. 

"Congress  found  it  just  as  easy  to 
ignore  them.  When  the  National  Labor 
Relations  Act  was  passed  during  the  New 
Deal,  giving  workers  the  right  to  organize 
and  demand  union  recognition,  farm 
workers  were  excluded  to  win  the  votes 
of  rural  representatives.  They  are  still 
excluded." 

The  new  organizing  effort  began  when 
in  1964  a  public  outcry  finally  ended  the 
importation  of  cheap  labor  from  Mexico 
by  farm  operators  (though  the  law  has 
been  circumvented  and  unenforced). 

Boycott  hurt:  According  to  a  grower 
who  agreed  to  union  terms,  only  a  frac- 
tion of  the  total  labor  work  force  par- 
ticipated in  the  strike,  hardly  making  a 
dent  in  production,  but  the  national 
boycott  hit  growers  hard,  driving  grape 
prices  to  their  lowest  level  in  many  years. 
Yet,  overwhelming  votes  by  workers  for 
union  representation  scuttled  some  grow- 
ers'   contention    that    the    grape    pickers 


were  indifferent  to  the  union. 

It  was  the  boycott  that  made  the  dif- 
ference in  the  movement's  success.  Many 
large  cities  reported  a  decrease  in  grape 
buying  that  approached  50  percent  over 
previous  years.  In  Boston,  for  instance, 
massive  demonstrations  forced  almost 
every  large  chain  store  to  remove  all 
California  table  grapes  from  the  shelves. 

If  the  movement  seemed  hopeless  at 
times,  it  was  the  soft-spoken  Cesar 
Chavez  who  revived  it  and  brought  it 
through.  A  total  dedication  to  nonvio- 
lence and  a  refusal  to  draw  racial  lines 
have  been  hallmarks  of  the  movement. 

Mr.  Chavez  told  the  farm  workers  and 
growers  that  the  settlement  was  proof 
that  "social  justice  can  be  gotten  through 
nonviolent  means.  When  we  see  so  much 
violence  in  our  midst,  this  event  justified 
the  belief  of  millions  that,  through  the 
theory  of  nonviolent  action,  social  justice 
can  be  gotten.  We  are  proving  this  here 
every  day."  Mr.  Chavez  later  affirmed, 
"Social  change  can  be  achieved  only 
through  self-sacrifice  and  by  the  means 
of  nonviolence." 

"And  he  understood,"  said  the  Times 
writer,  "that  the  real  aim  of  the  union 
was  not  better  wages  or  working  con- 
ditions, but  dignity  and  pride.  La 
Huelga,  the  strike,  was  only  part  of  La 
Causa,  the  broader  movement  for  social 
justice." 

Democratic  change:  Rabbi  Marc 
Tanenbaum  cited  that  "while  radicals 
and  revolutionaries  were  bombing  banks 
and  other  institutions  in  their  senseless, 
anarchic  way,  seeking  to  undermine  the 
American  system,  the  Mexican-American 
farm  workers  gave  dramatic  testimony 
to  the  fact  that  nonviolent  protest,  patient 
trade  union  organizing,  and  the  peaceful 
but  imaginative  mobilization  of  public 
opinion  and  national  boycott  can  bring 
about  significant  social  change  within  the 
democratic   framework." 

Ralph  Smeltzer  noted  that  the  Church 
of  the  Brethren  is  exploring  the  pos- 
sibility of  assisting  the  farm  workers' 
committee  in  a  program  of  training  in 
nonviolence. 

Mr.    Smeltzer   was   present   when,   on 


July  29  in  Delano,  26  growers  in  the 
San  Joaquin  Valley  signed  contracts  with 
the  union  covering  more  than  6,000 
grape   pickers. 

Certainly,  Mr.  Chavez'  five-year  strug- 
gle has,  according  to  most  labor  ob- 
servers, pulled  off  the  strike  and  boycott 
of  the  century.  And  as  one  reporter  put 
it,  "They  have  laid  a  solid  foundation  for 
farm  unionization,  and  they  are  not  about 
to  quit."  For  the  most  part,  labor  ex- 
perts see  a  definite  political  trend  in  the 
farm  workers'   direction. 

But  with  most  farm  grape  pickers  now 
under  union  contract,  the  task  for  Mr. 
Chavez'  union  has  only  begun.  Four  mil- 
lion unorganized  farm  workers  still  re- 
main in  this  country. 

Several  thousand  workers  in  lettuce 
and  strawberry  fields  are  on  strike  in 
the  Salinas  Valley.  Melon  field  workers 
are  also  seeking  unionization. 

One  clergyman  stressed  that  the  agree- 
ment reached  in  the  grape  pickers'  dis- 
pute  is   "really   only   a   beginning." 

"It's  simply  a  matter  of  time,"  said 
a  Catholic  churchman  of  a  prediction 
that  farm  union  recognition  is  inevitable. 
Still,  he  indicated  that  organization  of 
other  farm  workers  throughout  the  coun- 
try might  pose  a  more  difficult  problem. 

Legislation:  "What  is  needed  now  is 
a  thorough  evaluation  of  the  whole  pro- 
cess of  farm  labor-management  relations, 
spelling  out  the  rights  and  duties  of  both 
sides.  We  need  federal  legislation  offer- 
ing protection  for  both  sides  but  espe- 
cially for  the  farm  worker,  who  has  little 
or  no  protection  as  of  now." 

Whether  or  not  the  apparent  continu- 
ing success  of  the  two-year-old  grape 
boycott  will  set  a  precedent  for  other 
farm  workers  harvesting  other  crops  in 
other  parts  of  the  country  is  difficult 
to  gauge. 

But  there  is  little  doubt  that  the  boy- 
cott will  have  an  effect  on  the  future 
plans  of  large  growers  everywhere,  who 
will  be  keeping  a  wary  eye  on  Cesar 
Chavez'  union  and  its  pledge  to  organize 
American  farm  workers.  —  From  Re- 
ligious News  Service  reports  and 
other  sources 


12     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


Meetinghouse  revisited 


When  severe  winter  weather  made 
it  difficult  for  parishioners  of  the  Indian 
Creek  Church  of  the  Brethren  to  attend 
services  at  Vernfield,  Pa.,  a  meetinghouse 
was  built  in  1843  for  those  who  lived  in 
Franconia  Township. 

Known  as  the  Klein  meetinghouse,  the 
property  was  recently  returned  to  the  In- 
dian Creek  congregation  after  being  in 
the  hands  of  the  Harley  family  since 
1926.  Services  on  a  regular  basis  were 
discontinued  in  the  meetinghouse  about 


40  years  ago  when  modern  transporta- 
tion made  them  unnecessary.  Annually 
for  the  past  38  years  a  memorial  service 
has  been  held  there. 

This  summer's  service  was  led  by 
Hiram  G.  Gingrich,  minister  in  the 
Annville,  Pa.,  congregation,  and  was 
based  on  an  ancient  German  liturgy 
which  has  since  been  translated  and 
modified  for  contemporary  use.  Chants 
and  chorales,  sung  in  German  as  in  early 
Dunkard  services,  were  led  by  90-year- 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     13 


snews 


old  Rein  F.  Gottshall,  Royersford;  a  de- 
votional address  in  German  was  given  by 
Isaac  Clarence  Kulp  Jr.,  Vernfield;  and 
Robert  C.  Bucher,  Schwenksville,  pre- 
sented a  history  of  the  Brethren  and  the 
meetinghouse. 

The  Indian  Creek  congregation  is  the 
second  oldest  Brethren  group  in  the 
United  States,  and  the  Klein  meeting- 
house is  the  oldest  unaltered  example  of 
Pennsylvania  Dutch  meetinghouse  archi- 
tecture. The  adjoining  graveyard  was 
the  first  Dunkard  burial  ground  outside 


of  Germantown  and  the  site  of  the  grave 
of  Peter  Becker,  who  brought  the  first 
Brethren  to  America  in  1719.  It  was 
Becker  who  moved  from  Germantown 
to  the  Indian  Creek  area  in  1723  and 
started  the   Vernfield   congregation. 

Built  of  pine  and  stone  from  the  sur- 
rounding area,  the  meetinghouse  was 
dedicated  on  Christmas  Day  in  1843  by 
the  Brethren,  who  were  joined  in  the 
service  by  area  Mennonites. 

The  Indian  Creek  congregation  is  or- 
ganizing   a    restoration    project    for    the 


meetinghouse  and  last  month  began  so- 
liciting donations  for  the  restoration 
work.  Ronald  R.  M.  Moyer,  Telford, 
Pa.,  one  of  four  members  of  the  congre- 
gation administering  the  project,  noted 
that  the  church  is  working  with  an  archi- 
tect on  plans  and  costs  of  the  restoration. 
Efforts  are  being  made  to  have  the  site 
designated  a  state  and  national  historical 
shrine.  And  Franconia  Township  is  look- 
ing at  a  role  in  maintaining  the  site  as 
the  beginning  of  a  historic  sites  preserva- 
tion program  for  the  township. 


14     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


Far  left:  Isaac  Clarence  Kulp  Jr.  gives  a  devotional  address  in  Ger- 
man. Center:  Old  German  Bible  used  in  the  memorial  service.  Center 
below:  Parishioners  listen  to  the  German  liturgy  of  the  service.  Below: 
Klein  Meetinghouse  and  cemetery  where  Peter  Becker  is  buried 


11-19-70    MESSENGER      15 


Many 
children 


Can  We  Afford 

a  New  Welfare  System? 


Before  Congress  this  year  will  be  far-reaching  proposals 
for  a  drastic  overhaul  of  current  welfare  programs 
aimed  at  lifting  many  people  out  of  dependency 


by  JACK  McDonald 


President  Nixon  has  called  the  present 
welfare  system  a  "colossal  failure." 
Others  far  apart  in  the  political  spec- 
trum have  called  it  the  same  and  worse. 
The  system  has  countless  critics,  almost 
no  defenders. 

Then  why  hasn't  it  been  changed? 
Why,  if  there  is  such  unanimity, 
haven't  welfare  programs  been  re- 
formed, scrapped,  or  rebuilt?  Why 
have  they  been  permitted  to  grow, 
perpetuating  their  shortcomings  and 
short-changing  recipients,  taxpayers, 
and  society? 

Those  who  have  sought  to  change 
the  system,  in  and  out  of  Congress, 
have  felt  severely  hampered  by  mis- 
understandings and  myths  about  wel- 
fare and  the  poor  that  appear  to  be 
widespread  in  the  public  mind. 

Public  opinion  polls  tell  us,  for  ex- 
ample, that  millions  of  sincere  Ameri- 
cans believe  that  the  poor  in  the  main 
are  able-bodied  but  lazy  loafers  and 
that  persons  on  welfare  could  work  but 
prefer  to  freeload  off  the  rest  of  society. 

This  myth  grew  and  became  in- 
grained in  the  public  mind  in  part  be- 


cause until  fairly  recently  no  one  reaUy 
knew  much  about  America's  poor,  who 
they  are,  and  why  they  are  poor.  They 
were  the  little  understood,  often  ig- 
nored, usually  unseen  "Other  Ameri- 
ca," about  which  author  Michael  Har- 
rington has  written. 

It  wasn't  until  the  middle  sixties,  in- 
credible as  it  may  seem,  that  the  first 
good  census  of  the  population  on  pub- 
lic assistance  was  developed.  The  re- 
sults surprised  a  good  many  people. 

The  census  showed  that  the  welfare 
rolls  —  then  totaling  some  7.3  million 
people  —  included  only  150,000  males 
old  enough  to  work,  and  that  about 
100,000  of  that  number  were  incapaci- 
tated beyond  the  ability  to  work  or  to 
be  trained.  That  left  just  50,000  able- 
bodied,  employable  males  on  the  wel- 
fare lists,  or  less  than  one  tenth  of  one 
percent  of  the  total  welfare  population. 

Of  the  rest,  2. 1  million  were  over 
65,  mostly  women  (with  a  median  age 
of  72) ;  700,000  were  either  blind  or 
so  severely  handicapped  that  they 
couldn't  work;  3.5  million  were  chil- 
dren, 900,000  were  mothers. 

The  numbers  in  each  of  these  cate- 
gories have  increased  since  that  survey 
but  the  proportions  and  percentages 
remain  the  same. 


Only  about  forty  percent  of  the  poor 
receive  assistance  under  our  present 
system,  however.  What  about  the  total 
poverty  population?  Is  it  made  up  of 
lazy  loafers?  Here  is  a  1966  break- 
down of  thirty  million  people  who  were 
poor  by  that  year's  standard  of  pov- 
erty: 

—  Almost  half  were  under  eighteen 
years  of  age. 

—  Almost  twenty  percent  were  six- 
ty-five and  over. 

—  About  twenty  percent  were  fam- 
ily heads. 

—  Almost  three  quarters  of  the  fam- 
ily heads  worked,  about  half  of  them 
full  time. 

—  Of  the  family  heads  who  did  not 
work,  about  a  third  were  ill  or  dis- 
abled, and  half  were  female  family 
heads  with  children  to  care  for. 

—  Only  100,000  able-bodied,  unre- 
lated poor  men  did  not  work. 

Despite  the  facts,  the  "lazy  loafer" 
myth  dies  hard.  The  President's  Com- 
mission on  Income  Maintenance, 
which  undertook  a  twenty-two-month 
investigation  of  public  assistance  that 
took  members  to  all  sections  of  the 
country  —  to  the  rural  Midwest  and 
South,  to  the  hollows  of  Appalachia, 
to  the  big  city  slums  —  found  it  preva- 
lent everywhere.  But  when  it  com- 
pleted its  study,  the  most  compre- 
hensive of  its  kind  ever  conducted,  the 
commission  reached  this  conclusion: 

Many  Americans  wonder  why  the 
poor  do  not  escape  from  poverty. 
The  answer  to  this  question  is  clear 
to  us:  They  usually  cannot,  because 
most  are  already  doing  as  much  as 
can  reasonably  be  expected  of  them 
to  change  their  conditions.  .  .  .  The 
simple  fact  is  that  most  of  the  poor 
remain  poor  because  access  to  in- 
come through  work  is  currently  be- 
yond their  reach.  .  .  .  Society  must 


18     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


aid  them  or  they  will  remain  poor. 

Like  the  "lazy  loafer"  myth,  a  num- 
ber of  other  misconceptions  have 
clouded  our  thinking  about  welfare  and 
poverty  and  have  proved  barriers  to 
change. 

These  are  some  of  the  most  com- 
mon: 

Myth:  Most  of  America's  poor  peo- 
ple are  black. 

The  fact:  Poverty  knows  no  color, 
race,  or  creed.  Seventy  percent  of  the 
poor  are  white. 

Myth :  American  poverty  is  exclu- 
sively an  urban  problem. 

The  fact:  More  than  one  third  of  the 
poor  live  in  rural  areas. 

Myth:  What  money  the  poor  have, 
including  tax-supported  benefits,  is 
spent  on  expensive  cars  and  other  lux- 
uries. 

The  fact :  The  poor  have  little  money 
for  such  expenditures.  The  President's 
commission  determined  that  a  family  of 
four  with  a  monthly  income  of  $284 
($3,408  a  year)  spends  all  but  $9  of  it 
for  such  basic  necessities  as  food,  hous- 
ing, public  transportation,  clothing,  and 
personal  care.  This  leaves  nothing  for 
emergencies,  for  medical  care  or  insur- 
ance, not  to  mention  such  items  as  a 
car,  a  bed  for  each  family  member, 
school  supplies. 

The  food  budget  for  such  a  family 
adds  up  to  $  1  a  day  per  person,  an 
amount  that  is  too  low  for  a  nutrition- 
ally adequate  diet  as  measured  by  the 
Department  of  Agriculture. 

One  witness  before  the  commission 
was  asked  how,  on  such  a  budget,  he 
made  ends  meet. 

His  reply:  "They  don't  meet." 

Myth:  Welfare  is  a  self -perpetuating 
dole.   Any  improvement  of  the  present 
programs  would  simply  mean  further 
drains  on  the  taxpayer,  on  the  econ- 
omy, and  on  society. 

The  facts:  Welfare  roles  can  be  re- 


duced only  by  helping  the  poor  to  help 
themselves.  This  requires  jobs,  ade- 
quate job  preparation  for  the  able- 
bodied,  and  work  incentives  for  those 
receiving  assistance.  Public  assistance 
will  always  be  necessary  for  those  who 
cannot  help  themselves. 

Poverty,  on  the  scale  and  magnitude 
that  exist  in  the  United  States,  is  not 
inevitable.  Many  adults  among  the 
able-bodied  poor  of  working  age  can 
be  helped,  through  training  and  the  set- 
ting up  of  day-care  facilities  for  chil- 
dren (as  the  Administration  proposal 
would  provide),  to  find  employment  or 
to  find  better  employment.  Still  more 
fundamentally,  the  tragic  cycle  of  pov- 
erty, in  which  the  children  of  today's 
poor  are  seemingly  doomed  to  poverty 
themselves,  can  be  broken. 

Now  after  years  of  tinkering  with  a 
patchwork  welfare  system,  after  years 
of  growing  protest  both  by  those  who 
receive  assistance  and  by  those  who 
pay  the  bill,  the  stage  appears  set  in 
1970  for  at  least  a  start  on  some  funda- 
mental reform. 

Before  Congress  this  year  will  be 
proposals  that  could  be  as  far-reaching 
in  their  effect  on  the  social  and  ec- 
onomic fabric  of  the  country  as  any  of 
the  New  Deal  era  or  since. 

The  most  recent  and  most  discussed 
proposals  call  for  a  drastic  overhaul  of 
current  programs  aimed  at  ending  pres- 
ent abuses  and  building  opportunity 
and  equity  into  a  fresh  start.  They  are 
President  Nixon's  "Family  Assistance 
Plan,"  and  the  proposals  of  the  Presi- 
dent's Commission  on  Income  Mainte- 
nance Programs,  a  commission  which 
was  appointed  by  President  Johnson 
but  which  reported  its  finding  last  No- 
vember, during  the  present  Adminis- 
tration. 

Although  literally  dozens  of  propos- 
als have  been  advanced  to  solve  the 
welfare  problem,  these  two  almost  cer- 


tainly will  be  at  the  center  of  the  debate 
this  year  in  Congress.  The  two  have 
more  similarities  than  differences. 

Both,  for  example,  would  provide 
uniform  national  minimum  levels  of 
assistance,  thus  ending  the  great 
disparities  among  states.  Now,  an 
American  in  one  state  can  receive  as 
little  as  one  sixth  of  that  which  his  fel- 
low citizens  with  the  same  needs  re- 
ceive in  another. 

Both  would  include  the  working 
poor,  the  millions  of  employed  Amer- 
icans whose  wages  are  insufficient  to 
boost  them  above  the  poverty  line. 

Both  would  provide  more  incentive 
to  work  for  those  who  are  able.  The 
Administration  plan  would  set  up  a  job 
training  program  and  fund  day-care 
centers  for  the  children  of  working 
mothers.  Both  plans  provide  for  a  sys- 
tematic scaling  down  of  benefits  as 
earnings  increase. 

Both  recognize  that  their  proposed 
benefit  levels  ($1,600  a  year  for  a  fam- 
ily of  four  plus  food  stamps  worth 
$750  in  the  Nixon  plan;  $2,400  a  year 
in  the  commission  plan)  are  too  low. 
Both  point  out  that  the  present  low  of 
$490  is  patently  inadequate  to  provide 
a  family  with  even  basic  necessities. 

Both  would  end  the  destructive  pos- 
sibility of  an  unemployed  father  having 
to  abandon  his  family  to  gain  them  an 
adequate  income  through  welfare. 

Public  opinion  polls  in  response  to 
the  Administration's  plan  (the  commis- 
sion's proposals  have  not  been  put  to  a 
poll)  were  almost  overwhehningly  fa- 
vorable on  the  broad  provisions. 

Can  we  afford  it? 

President  Nixon's  answer:  "The 
'start-up  costs'  of  lifting  many  people 
out  of  dependency  will  ultimately  cost 
the  taxpayer  far  less  than  the  chronic 
costs  —  in  dollars  and  in  national  val- 
ues —  of  creating  a  pennanent  under- 
class in  America."   D 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     19 


POUND  ME  DOWN,  LORD 


Pound  me  down,  Lord,  so  I've  got 
to  fight  back.  Splash  it  in  my  face  so 
I've  got  to  taste  it.  Surrround  me  so 
I've  nowhere  to  go  but  through  it. 

Don't  just  sit  there,  Lord,  watching. 
It's  too  easy,  just  staring  back;  but  that 
way  I'm  not  seeing,  and  I'm  certainly 
not  doing. 

Get  tough.  Lord;  I  guess  that's  the 
only  way  I'll  react.  Get  my  dander  up, 
hem  me  in,  throw  me  a  jew  fast 
punches,  and  see  what  I  can  do. 

I  don't  seem  to  be  the  type  to  go 
out  after  it,  so  I  guess  you'll  just  have 
to  put  me  in  the  middle. 

Set  me  up.  Lord,  and  then  turn  your 
back.  I  might  do  better  if  I  know 
you're  not  watching  too  closely. 


Lord,  do  you  hear  him?  —  he's  call- 
ing you  —  he's  the  one  to  whom 
nothing  much  ever  seems  to  happen. 
Life  for  him  has  become  a  mono- 
chrome: dull  gray  with  the  edges 
blurred  into  nothingness.  He  goes 
through  his  everyday  routine  —  oh, 
he's  got  his  ups  and  downs  all  right,  but 
it's  the  same  old  thing  and  he's  just 
plain  bored.  Sure,  he  loves  his  wife 
and  children  ...  he  has  a  good  steady 
job.  Just  a  regular  guy.  But  all  the 
spark  is  gone,  and  he's  moving  with 
nowhere  to  go.  Things  just  seemed 
to  come  easy  for  him:  the  proper  thing 
at  the  proper  time.  No  strings  at- 
tached. But  deep  down  he  wants  des- 
perately for  something  to  happen, 
something  to  do,  something  to  spark 
the  life  in  him  again.  He  wants  some- 
thing, anything,  to  help  him  climb  out 
of  the  endless  rut  he's  plodding  in. 

Lord,  there's  another  calling  —  call- 
ing you  with  a  voice  he's  not  quite  sure 


Foem  and  meditation  by  PRUDENCE  LENHARR 


is  even  his  own.  He  seems  to  be  mov- 
ing and  grooving  all  right,  but  at  times 
he's  convinced  it's  not  for  real.  Life 
seems  to  be  whirling  all  around  him, 
but  just  out  of  touch.  He  never  really 
feels  he's  with  it,  with  the  currents.  I . 
mean,  in  there,  actually  caught  up  in 
the  events  and  involved  with  all  the 
people  who  surround  him.  Living  has 
become  a  game  for  him:  He  takes  his 
turn,  moves  the  proper  number  of 
spaces,  knows  how  to  dodge  or  drive; 
he  lends  an  ear,  loans  a  dime,  and  col- 
lects his  $200  as  he  passes  GO.  But  he 
doesn't  really  care.  He  just  knows  the 
rules,  avoids  the  risks,  and  leaves  be- 
fore the  trouble  starts.  And  he  realizes 
it,  Lord.  He  wants  to  be  a  part  of  the 
action,  wants  it  "for  real";  he  wants  to 
cry  deep  tears  and  ache  from  laughing, 
not  just  smile  with  the  others,  never 
knowing  why.  He's  calling,  calling 
with  a  voice  buried  far  inside,  buried 
under  days  and  years  of  building  his 
crippling  facade. 

And  listen.  Lord,  there  is  still  an- 
other voice  —  a  voice  so  faint  you 
can  barely  hear  it.  It's  there.  Lord, 
just  as  desperate  as  the  others.  He's 
the   timid    one.    Lord,    the    one    who 


t.  .W 


20     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


dreams  many  dreams  because  he  knows 
he'll  never  do  them.  He  reads  the 
names  in  the  newspapers  and  sees  the 
faces  on  TV  and  he  longs  to  be  among 
them  —  out  there  "where  the  action 
is."  He  wants  to  be  on  the  battlefield  or 
in  the  ghetto;  on  some  foreign  mission 
field  or  a  reservation  somewhere  in  our 
own  Southwest;  he  thinks  he  should 
be  bedded  beneath  mosquito  netting  or 
blanketed  in  the  Andes'  heights.  He 
wants  to  risk  for  you.  Lord;  he  wants 
to  serve  you  somewhere  as  a  sacrifice 
of  himself,  but  he'll  never  go  and  he 
knows  it.  He  wants  a  chance,  any 
chance,  to  prove  he  might  be  wrong. 
Sometime,  some  moment,  some  miracle 
—  and  he'll  do  it,  do  something  that 
his  heart  and  soul  are  longing  to  show 
he  can. 

Hear  their  prayer,  Lord.  Show  them 
there  is  room  in  your  kingdom  for  the 
bored,  the  lost,  the  faint  of  heart. 

Show  him  that  you  can  shake  the 
monochrome  of  monotonous  living  in- 
to a  kaleidoscope  of  life.  Your  light. 
Lord,  holds  all  the  colors  of  the  world. 
Turn  his  heart  and  give  him  eyes  to 
see  the  designs  which  surround  him. 
Shake  your  world  into  autumn  with  its 


black  strokes  of  trees  stark  against  the 
flaming  sky.  Gather  your  light  into  the 
dazzling  white  of  a  crystal  winter,  and 
then  smiling,  melt  it  into  the  lace  del- 
icacy of  spring.  Hold  him  in  the  in- 
tensity of  summer.  Lord,  and  help  him 
to  find  his  own  design. 

And  what  about  the  second  voice? 
That  voice  calling  from  the  depths  of  a 
personality  too  long  denied.  When  did 
he  begin  boarding  up  his  life?  Why 
did  he  lock  his  heart?  What  did  he 
hope  to  gain  when  he  started  running? 
Help  him.  Lord;  you've  got  him  down. 
He  sees  it  and  is  willing  to  face  his 
emptiness.  Melt  him.  Lord,  with  the 
flame  of  your  love.  Melt  the  hard  core 
of  defense,  despair,  and  desire  that  im- 
prisons him.  Open  him  to  others  and 
to  himself.  Help  him  to  touch  and  to 
be  touched,  to  laugh  and  to  cry  and 
to  really  BE. 

And  comfort  your  timid  one.  Lord. 
Assure  him  that  he,  too,  is  there  among 
the  needy.  You  may  need  to  splash 
him  just  a  bit  to  waken  him  to  the  need, 
but  he  is  asking  for  it.  Show  him  his 
neighbors'  faces  and  let  him  read  their 
names  in  your  Good  News :  the  hungry, 
the   thirsty,   the   sick   and   alone,   the 


stranger  and  prisoner,  the  oppressed 
and  forgotten.  They're  all  around  him. 
Help  him  to  see  his  own  real  field  of 
mission. 

Hear  them,  Lord.  They're  each 
ready  for  the  struggle,  willing  to  risk. 
They  know  they've  reached  their  limit. 
Turn  them  around,  back  them  up,  give 
them  a  chance.  We  might  all  be  sur- 
prised. But  don't  judge  too  harshly, 
not  at  first.  Remember,  they're  just 
beginners  in  your  kingdom. 

And,  while  you're  about  it,  pound 
me  down,  Lord,  so  I've  got  to  fight 
back.  Splash  it  in  my  face  so  I've  got 
to  taste  it.  Surround  me  so  I've  no- 
where to  go  but  through  it.  Don't  just 
sit  there,  Lord,  watching.  It's  too  easy, 
just  staring  back;  but  that  way  I'm  not 
seeing,  and  I'm  certainly  not  doing. 
Get  tough.  Lord;  I  guess  that's  the  only 
way  I'll  react.  Get  my  dander  up,  hem 
me  in,  throw  me  a  few  fast  punches, 
and  see  what  I  can  do.  I  don't  seem 
to  be  the  type  to  go  out  after  it,  so  I 
guess  you'll  just  have  to  put  me  in  the 
middle.  Set  me  up,  Lord,  and  then 
turn  your  back.  I  might  do  better  if 
I  know  you're  not  watching  too 
closely.  D 


&^'iitiii»~ia;,i;v 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     21 


A  Letter  to  a 

High  School  Graduate 


by  CARROLL  M.  RETRY 

Dear  Graduate: 

You've  finished  high  school.  For 
several  months  you've  looked  toward 
adult  responsibilities  and  decisions. 
You're  participating  in  your  own 
future  now. 

What  brings  you  where  you  are 
now?   What  forces  have  framed  you 
and  made  you  what  you  are?     What  is 
your  hope  for  the  future? 

Our  letter  will  deal  with  the  whole 
You  —  your  history,  your  heritage, 
and  your  hope  —  and  perhaps  chal- 
lenge you. 

History 

Your  history  is  a  very  interesting 
one.  You  were  born  near  the  begin- 
ning of  the  fifties,  five  years  after  the 
world  had  rocked  and  rolled  with  the 
Hiroshima/ Nagasaki  atomic  blasts, 
now  considered  only  cap-gun  explo- 
sions when  compared  to  the  sophisti- 
cated weaponry  of  the  70s.   Our  presi- 
dent at  that  time  was  Harry  S.  Truman, 
whose  gruff,  four-letter  words  were  the 
first  of  their  kind  to  appear  in  print  in 
America's  press.  He  was  not  a  teen- 
ager. "Give  'em  hell,  Harry,"  was  the 
usual  encouragement  given  him. 

You  were  enjoying  rubber  toys,  pull 
toys,  and  building  blocks  while  wild 
Joe  McCarthy  was  looking  for  Com- 
munists under  every  bed. 

Then  came  the  easy  era  of  Eisen- 
hower, the  father-image  who  shep- 
herded us  along  in  shady  green  pas- 
tures.  He  paused  long  enough  before 
going  up  on  the  mountain  to  die  to 
warn  us  to  beware  of  the  military-in- 
dustrial complex,  which  up  until  this 
year  has  had  a  stranglehold  on  our  na- 
tion and  its  economy. 

After  Ike,  whom  everyone  liked, 
came  John  Kennedy.    He  was  really 
your  president,  because  you  were  only 
then  beginning  to  think  seriously  on 
such  matters,  and  his  children  were  the 


ages  of  your  little  brother  or  sister. 
They  were  your  First  Family,  and  per- 
haps you  remember  the  record  by  the 
same  name  that  was  so  popular  in  its 
good-natured  satire  of  the  Kennedy 
clan. 

During  those  early  years  of  your  life, 
America's  college  campuses  were  quiet 
and  uninvolved.  Vietnam  was  hardly 
a  molehill  on  the  horizons  of  our  con- 
cern, though  we  had  sent  small-arms 
supplies  and  a  few  "Cambodian-style" 
advisers  along  with  them.   Things 
were  on  a  very  small  scale  then. 

Blacks  were  called  Negroes  (hope- 
fully) and  were  for  the  most  part  con- 
fined to  the  ghetto,  a  silent,  obedient 
minority.    Space  exploration  was  not 
yet  off  the  ground.   Color  TV  was  still 
just  a  gleam  in  David  Sarnoff's  eyes. 
There  were  still  many  Americans  who 
did  not  even  have  a  black  and  white 
set,  though  perhaps  you  yourself 
watched  Captain  Kangaroo  and  Ding- 
Dong  School  in  those  olden  days.  Very 
few  folks  had  two  cars,  a  camper,  or  a 
boat  sitting  in  front  of  their  homes  — 
let  alone  a  swimming  pool.  Junior  high 
and  high  school  girls  did  not  wear  ugly 
ducklings  to  school.   Blue  jeans  were 
still  acceptable  for  boys.   Short  hair 
and  fuzzy  permanents  were  "in"  for 
girls,  and  boys  wore  hutches. 

Patriotism  meant  never  criticizing 
the  government  and  always  supporting 
the  war  if  your  country  entered  it.  A 
CO  was  a  "yellowbelly"  or,  even  worse, 
a  Communist,  because  he  took  Jesus' 
teachings  seriously  and  could  not  in 
good  conscience  fight  and  kill.  The 
economy  was  burgeoning,  and  your 
parents'  income  was  inching  up,  though 
not  as  fast  or  on  an  equal  par  with 
costs.  Pollution  was  a  word  used  only 
to  describe  industrial  dumping  in  our 
rivers. 

But  your  life  was  to  be  shocked 
when  about  Thanksgiving  time  in  your 


sixth-grade  year  President  Kennedy 
was  assassinated  by  Lee  Harvey 
Oswald,  who  in  turn  was  murdered  by 
Jack  Ruby.  A  dark  pall  settled  over 
America  and  the  world,  and  Lyndon  B. 
Johnson  went  all  the  way  to  the  White 
House,  making  hay  on  domestic  issues, 
improving  the  lot  of  black  people,  but 
stumbling,  fumbling,  and  falling  over  a 
molehill  that  grew  into  a  mountain  in 
Southeast  Asia. 

LBJ  lateraled  grudgingly  to  one  who 
had  already  retired  once  from  politics 
in  a  huff,  and  Richard  Nixon  took  the 
ball  and  walked  with  it,  uncertain  as  to 
direction  —  until  Cambodia. 

While  this  was  happening  in  Ameri- 
ca, Russia  and  Red  China  had  split 
unconditionally;  a  number  of  nations 
now  have  the  atomic  persuader;  the 
Jews  and  Arabs  are  back  at  it  as  in  the 
Old  Testament;  millions  are  starving 
in  India;  60,000  Americans  have  fled 
to  Canada  rather  than  face  killing  in 
Vietnam;  countless  revolutions  have 
taken  place  in  South  and  Central 
America,  Africa,  and  the  Near  East. 
Chiang  Kai  Shek,  as  long  as  you  have 
known  of  him,  has  been  an  island 
dweller  on  Formosa.  Great  Britain  and 
the  other  former  imperialist  countries 
have  given  up,  sometimes  grudgingly, 
sometimes  gratefully,  the  empires  on 
which,  it  was  once  said,  "the  sun  never 
sets."  This  should  be  enough  to  show 
you  what  changes  have  taken  place 
during  your  eighteen  years  of  life.  This 
is  your  history  —  up  until  now. 

Heritage 

As  to  your  heritage,  it  is  rich  in  a 
theological  way,  for  you  look  back  up- 
on the  Anabaptists  (who  stood  for  be- 
lievers' baptism),  the  Pietists  (who 
stood  for  strict  adherence  to  Christian 
moral  and  ethical  codes),  and  the  Sep- 
aratists (who  were  not  afraid  to  stand 
up  and  be  different  from  the  rest  of 


22     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


society)  as  your  theological  ancestors. 

You  come  from  the  kind  of  people 
who  would  not  bow  down  to  the  state/ 
church  complex  but  who  read  the  Bible 
for  themselves  to  see  what  direction 
their  lives  should  take.  You  come  from 
the  kind  of  people  who  saw  peace  as  a 
way  of  life  and  were  willing  to  give  up 
homes,  wealth,  and  social  status  for 
the  freedom  of  following  their  own 
Christian  consciences  in  the  matter  of 
war  and  killing.   You  come  from  the 
kind  of  people  who  were  brave  enough 
to  stand  before  kings  and  say,  "We 
must  obey  God  rather  than  men."  This 
is  your  theological  heritage. 

You  have  another  important  her- 
itage: that  of  your  own  family.  Your 
parents,  with  the  help  of  the  church 
fellowship,  have  given  you  a  priceless 
legacy  which  all  too  often  is  taken  for 
granted.  For  in  the  formal  experiences, 
whether  they  be  of  education,  religion, 
or  culture,  one  finds  the  spark  that 
ignites  his  soul  to  carry  out  some 
worthy  task. 

True,  much  of  the  personality  and 
character  that  make  up  YOU  has  not 
been  consciously  learned.  You  have 
gotten  it  by  osmosis,  and  if  you  have 
not  developed  into  a  well-rounded  per- 
son, we  do  not  place  the  blame  on  you, 
but  upon  ourselves:  your  parents,  pas- 
tor, and  friends.  If  we  have  not  suc- 
ceeded in  glorifying  the  heritage  which 
is  yours,  this  does  not  mean  that  that 
heritage  is  worthless  but  that  our  at- 
tempts were  poor.  Maybe  they  were 
also  poor  in  our  trying  to  acquaint  you 
with  your  spiritual  heritage,  but  this 
does  not  give  the  lie  to  the  heritage 
itself. 

You  are  rich  in  heritage.  Learn  to 
appreciate  it  and  give  thanks  for  it, 
teaching  its  good  parts  to  your  chil- 
dren. Your  heritage  also  touches  the 
land  in  which  we  live,  where  the  strug- 
gle continues  to  make  it  become  the 


fulfillment  of  the  ideal  dreamed  in  the 
Bill  of  Rights.   I  am  convinced,  even 
in  this  troubled  era,  that  we  are  moving 
toward  that  fulfillment  and  must  reach 
it  in  your  generation.  When  I  think  of 
the  young  people  I  know  who  have  a 
Christian  orientation  to  the  problems 
of  today,  I  am  not  afraid  for  America's 
future.   I  trust  you  as  much  or  more 
than  I  have  trusted  those  of  my  own 
generation.   So  you  have  this  heritage 
to  make  of  it  what  you  will. 

Hope 

But  all  the  yesterdays  are  past  and 
tomorrow  is  what  is  real  to  you.   It 
contains  the  most  of  the  dreams  and 
hopes  of  your  mature  life.   For  in- 
stance, finding  that  one  right  person 
and  giving  yourself  in  the  intimacy  of 
Christian  marriage;  choosing  a  voca- 
tion which  you  can  enjoy  and  live  with; 
finding  a  home  and  settling  down  in  a 
community  to  help  make  it  a  better 
place  in  which  to  live. 

You  have  already  lived  through 
nearly  two  decades :  the  Fabulous 
Fifties  and  the  Sexy  Sixties.   What  will 
they  call  the  seventies?  sophisticated? 
suffering?    spiritual?  Part  of  that  is  up 
to  young  leaders  like  you  who  will 
make  their  marks  on  our  society. 

Take  these  challenges  from  Jesus  as 
you  embark  on  your  own  voyage  of 
hope  in  a  helpless  world.   The  first  is 
this:  "No  one  lights  a  lamp  and  then 
hides  it  or  puts  it  under  a  bowl;  instead, 
he  puts  it  on  the  lamp-stand,  so  that 
people  may  see  the  light  as  they  come 
in.   Your  eyes  are  like  a  lamp  for  the 
body:  when  your  eyes  are  clear,  your 
whole  body  is  full  of  light;  but  when 
your  eyes  are  bad  your  whole  body 
will  be  in  darkness.  Be  careful,  then, 
that  the  light  in  you  is  not  darkness.  If, 
then,  your  whole  body  is  full  of  light, 
with  no  part  of  it  in  darkness,  it  will  be 
bright  all  over,  as  when  a  lamp  shines 


on  you  with  its  brightness"  (Luke 
11:33-36,  Today's  English  Version). 

The  basic  message  or  challenge  here 
is  this:  Be  full  of  light,  of  which  there 
is  only  one  source  —  he  who  claimed 
to  be  the  light  of  the  world.   Be  full  of 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  way  in  tomorrow's 
world. 

The  next  challenge  is  this :  "The  man 
to  whom  much  is  given,  of  him  much 
is  required;  the  man  to  whom  more  is 
given,  of  him  much  more  is  required" 
(Luke  12:48b,  TEV). 

The  meaning  here  is  very  clear:  Per- 
sons who  have  abilities  and  talents  are 
those  who  are  the  most  responsible  for 
their  world.  Think  of  the  areas  of 
proficiency  and  expertise  that  you 
touch.   Music,  both  instrumental  and 
vocal;  drama;  sports;  scholarship;  art; 
mechanics;  agriculture;  anunal  hus- 
bandry; debate;  literature;  writing;  and 
probably  many  more.  One  or  more  of 
these  is  an  area  where  you  shine.   Offer 
your  talents  to  God  in  the  service  of 
Jesus  Christ,  and  you  will  be  amazed  at 
what  you  can  do.  You  are  to  be  held 
responsible,  you  know! 

The  third  challenge  is  this:  "Any 
country  that  divides  itself  into  groups 
that  fight  one  another  will  not  last  very 
long;  a  family  divided  against  itself 
falls  apart"  (Luke  11:17,  TEV). 

The  meaning  of  this  challenge  as  I 
see  it  is  a  call  for  us  to  serve  in  the 
reconciliation  of  the  political,  racial, 
religious,  ethnic,  ideological,  and  age 
groups  in  our  own  country.  Without 
this  coming  together  there  will  be  no 
America  of  the  future.   But  I  believe  in 
that  future  and  in  your  interest  in  men 
reconciling  their  differences  with  one 
another  and  with  God. 

Thus  the  challenges:  be  full  of  light; 
be  resfwnsible;  and  work  for  reconcili- 
ation. If  you  take  such  challenges 
seriously,  the  letter  you  write  to  your 
children  will  sound  much  different.   D 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     23 


A  LIT/IIVY 

FOR 
THAIMKSGIVIIMG 
EVE 


Pastor:  On  this  Thanksgiving  Eve  we  are  gathered  in  this 
house  from  many  backgrounds  to  give  thanks  to  God. 

People:  The  Lord  our  God  is  one.  And  we,  too,  are  one 
in  Christ  our  Lord.  We  join  our  voices  in  praise  and 
thanksgiving. 

Pastor:  But  while  we  declare  our  oneness  in  Christ,  our 
world  is  divided.   Israelis  and  Arabs  are  divided  against 

Editor's  Note:  This  litany  has  been  adapted  from  a  Thanks- 
giving program  originally  prepared  by  Roger  Solomon,  pastor 
of  the  Lake  Ridge  church  in  New  York,  for  a  community 
ecumenical  service  last  year  that  was  attended  by  Roman 
Catholics,  Friends,  Baptists,  Presbyterians,  and  Brethren  in 
King  Ferry,  New  York. 


24     MfSSENGER    11-19-70 


one  another.  Vietnamese  and  Americans  are  divided 
against  one  another.  Blacks  and  whites  are  divided 
against  one  another.  Young  and  old  are  divided  against 
one  another. 

People:  How  can  we  be  thankful  when  our  world  is  split 
apart  with  suffering  and  hostility?  O  God,  have  you 
hidden  your  face  from  the  earth?  How  are  we  to  be 
thankful? 

Pastor:  You  have  said  that  your  creation  is  good,  but  we 
have  made  your  lakes  polluted  sewers,  put  DDT  in 
every  mother's  milk,  built  a  bomb  that  could  decimate 
the  whole  earth,  and  let  our  hatreds  poison  the  hearts 
of  men. 

People:  O  God,  when  we  consider  your  creation,  your 
heavens,  the  work  of  your  fingers,  the  moon  and  the 
stars,  what  has  man  become  that  you  are  mindful  of 
him? 

Pastor:  We  have  been  able  to  master  outer  space,  but  we 
have  not  been  able  to  come  to  terms  with  our  inner 
selves. 

People:  We  have  been  able  to  conquer  new  worlds,  but 
we  are  still  unable  to  live  in  peace  in  this  world. 

Pastor:  We  are  able  to  create  miracles  of  science,  but  we 
are  unable  to  properly  house,  clothe,  and  feed  our  fel- 
lowmen. 

People:  We  will  be  able  eventually  to  colonize  an  alien 
and  hostile  environment,  but  we  are  increasingly  unable 
to  come  to  terms  with  the  nurturing  environment  that 
is  our  home.  O  God,  to  whom  are  we  to  turn  in  the 
bitterness  of  our  failure? 

Pastor:  And  the  words  of  the  Lord  echo  through  time  to 
us:  "O  Jerusalem,  Jerusalem,  the  city  that  murders  the 
prophets  and  stones  the  messengers  sent  to  her!  How 
often  have  I  longed  to  gather  your  children,  as  a  hen 
gathers  her  brood  under  her  wings;  but  you  would  not 
let  me.  Look,  look!  there  is  your  temple,  forsaken  by 
God."  How  our  thanksgiving  has  turned  into  repent- 
ance. 


enemies?  Should  we  bless  those  who  curse  us  and  pray 
for  those  who  use  us  despitefuUy?  Are  we  all  God's 
children  —  even  communists,  Negroes,  poor  people  — 
even  us? 

Pastor  :  In  Christ  there  is  neither  Greek  nor  Jew,  bond  nor 
free,  male  nor  female.   We  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus. 

People  :  One  in  Christ  Jesus. 

Pastor:  All  one. 

People:  The  world  is  one.  All  we  on  earth  are  one. 

Pastor:  Then  why  do  you  persecute  me? 

People:  Who  are  you.  Lord? 

Pastor:  1  am  Jesus  your  brother  in  the  world  whom  you 
have  persecuted. 

People  :  Lord,  what  will  you  have  us  do? 

Pastor:  Open  your  eyes  and  you  will  be  a  new  people  and 
you  will  see  a  new  world.   Just  open  your  eyes.    Now. 

People:  Where  are  the  black  people?  The  white  people? 
Where  is  the  enemy?  Where  is  the  neighbor  1  used  to 
scorn?  Where  are  the  poor  I  dismissed  as  lazy?  Where 
is  the  long  hair  by  which  1  judged  people?  Where  is  the 
establishment  which  I  used  to  put  down?  Where  are 
the  Catholics,  the  Brethren,  the  Friends,  the  Baptists, 
and  the  Presbyterians? 

Pastor:  You  are  blessed.  For  you  have  become  blind  that 
you  might  see  a  vision  of  world  brotherhood. 

People:  We  see  our  starving  brothers  and  we  wUl  help 
them.  We  hear  the  war  victims'  cries  of  pain  and  terror 
and  we  will  try  to  stop  war.  We  feel  love  for  our  black 
brothers  and  we  will  work  for  equality  now. 

Pastor:  O  Lord,  our  God,  how  great  is  yovu:  name  in  all 
the  earth.  With  forgiven  hearts,  full  of  joy,  we  will  be 
grateful  witnesses  to  the  love  with  which  Christ  has 
loved  the  whole  world  —  even  us.   Amen. 


People:  Are  we  our  brother's  keeper?  Should  we  love  our         People:  Amen. 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     25 


day  by  day 


Blessings  counted  multiply.  Yet  how  easy  it  is  to  count 
our  troubles  instead  of  our  blessings!  In  our  home  we 
are  trying  to  check  one  another  when  we  count  the  negative 
instead  of  the  positive.  Expressing  gratitude  is  most  con- 
structive. Yet  it  so  often  doesn't  seem  to  be  the  thing  to 
do.  Telling  what  bad  luck  we've  had  or  how  uncooperative 
people  are  or  how  overworked  we  are  seem  to  be  much 
more  in  vogue.  If  a  person  is  too  happy  about  the  fun 
things  in  his  day,  even  though  there  are  plenty  of  problems, 
he  is  considered  euphoric.  Or  a  bit  manic.  Or  unrealistic 
—  as  if  the  negative  were  the  only  reality. 

In  an  effort  to  resist  this  approach  which  is  so  prevalent 
where  we  live,  we  are  trying  to  accentuate  the  positive. 
Sometimes,  for  contrast,  we  begin  saying  all  the  negative 
words  we  can  think  of  —  worry,  fear,  hate,  war,  dark,  sad, 
poverty,  illness,  pain,  filth.  Then  a  moment  of  silence  to 
check  feelings.  No  one  feels  very  high.  "Dumpy,  droopy, 
mossy,  awful"  are  some  of  the  words  used  to  describe  the 
feelings.  Then  we  all  start  tossing  out  the  opposite:  kind- 
ness, joy,  life,  light,  laughter,  bounty,  melody,  harmony, 
abundance,  love,  beauty.  After  a  session  like  that  the  droop- 
ing spirits  lift  and  the  very  air  seems  different.  (Of  course, 
it  is.)  Then  it  is  a  good  idea  to  think  back  over  the  last 
day  or  two  to  see  what  kinds  of  things  we  have  been  dis- 
cussing.   It's  very  revealing. 

Singing  is  excellent  for  giving  a  lift  —  depending  of 
course,  on  what  we  sing.    Our  little  one's  favorite  is  the 

DAILY   READING  GUIDE        November   22  -  December  5 

Sunday     Romans    8:35-39.     Despite    your    "facts,"    look    at    his   fact. 

Monday    Romans   8:24-28.     Faith   (hope)   is   trusting   and    acting   "as    if,"   not 
wishing. 

Tuesday    Philippians  4:4-7.    Act   on  the   fact  (faith),   and  the  feeling  follows. 

Wednesday    Philippians   4:8-9.    Feelings   (peace)  are   an   efFect,   not   a   cause. 

Thursday     Coiossians   4:2.     Giving   thanks   increases   power   in   prayer. 

Friday     Coiossians    3:16-17.     Thankfulness    is    part   of    power-filled    worship. 

Saturday    Coiossians  1:3,   11-13.    Gratitude  generates  problem-solving  power. 

Sunday     Romans    1:21.    Thanklessness   darkens   life. 

Monday     Psalms    69:30-33.     Gratitude    is    better    than    sacrifice. 

Tuesday    Coiossians  2:6-7.    Living  in  Christ  includes   abundant  thanksgiving. 

Wednesday    1   Chronicles   16:8-13,  35-36.     Blessings  recounted   kindle  thank- 
fulness. 

Thursday    1   Thessalonians  5:15-23.    "Do  good";  "avoid  evil";  "give  thanks." 
All  promote  wholeness. 

Friday    Matthew   15:35-37.    Thanking  before  receiving  is  a  principle  of  faith. 

Saturday     John    11:41-44.     Jesus    demonstrates    that    principle. 


tune  "Twinkle,  Twinkle,  Little  Star"  with  these  words: 
God  is  great  and  God  is  good. 
Let  us  thank  him  as  we  should. 
Let's  express  our  gratitude; 
It's  a  healthy  attitude. 
God  is  great  and  God  is  good, 
Let  us  thank  him  as  we  should. 

God  is  great  and  God  is  good, 

Let  us  serve  him  as  we  should. 

Let's  not  fuss  and  criticize; 

Let's  be  happy  gals  and  guys. 

God  is  great  and  God  is  good. 

Let  us  serve  him  as  we  should. 
We  add  other  verses  as  the  occasion  arises,  perhaps  includ- 
ing something  like  "Eliminate  the  negative,  accentuate  the 
positive." 

Apparently,  few  people,  with  today's  emphasis  on  feel- 
ing, realize  that  we  really  do  have  a  great  deal  of  control 
over  our  moods.  We  truly  can  determine  what  fills  our 
minds.  True,  morbid  pictures  come  to  our  minds,  but  we 
don't  have  to  hang  them  up.  Feeling  is  an  effect,  not  a 
cause.  Or  another  way  someone  said  it:  "Feeling  follows 
action  rather  than  precedes  it."  We  have  a  blackboard 
posted  where  anyone  can  jot  a  thought  for  the  day.  Most 
of  them  recently  have  to  do  with  the  idea  that  we  are  what 
we  think  and  do.  Proverbs  tells  us  that  "as  a  man  thinketh 
in  his  heart,  so  is  he."  Jesus  said,  "The  truth  [not  your 
feelings]  shall  make  you  free."  We  generally  tend  to  put 
feelings  first,  though  in  successful  living  they  are  put  last. 
If  we  operate  in  the  proper  order  we  will  be  much  happier: 
facts,  faith,  and  then  feelings.  So  we  try  to  assess  the  facts, 
act  on  faith  that  that's  the  way  things  are  (no  matter  how  we 
feel  about  it),  and  then  the  feelings  come  around.  Some- 
times it  takes  awhile,  but  it  really  works,  even  for  children 
—  in  fact,  especially  for  children.  But  giving  intellectual 
assent  to  any  idea  does  not  help  us  unless  we  put  it  into 
practice.  Frederich  Baile  puts  it  this  way:  "We  must  act 
the  way  we  believe  or  we  will  eventually  believe  the  way 
we  act." 

Remembering  the  good  things  in  life  helps  make  us  feel 
good.  And  the  opposite  is  true  —  an  effective  way  to  feel 
miserable  is  to  recount  troubles,  real  or  imagined.  Even  a 
good  day  will  seem  like  a  bad  one  if  we  insist  on  acting  as 
though  it  was  pretty  rough.  But  fortunately  the  opposite  is 
true  also.  Counting  blessings  instead  of  sheep  is  an  ex- 
tremely therapeutic  way  to  end  even  a  "bad"  day.  —  Don 
AND  Shirley  Fike 


26     MESSENGER     11-19-70 


ii^  speak  up 


Abortion: 

Where  Should  We  Stand? 


I  am  alive.  But  what  if  everyone  said 
I  was  dead  —  would  I  still  be  alive? 
Does  knowledge  of  life  make  me  alive? 
If  I  were  unconscious  and  were  pro- 
nounced alive,  would  lack  of  knowl- 
edge of  life  make  me  dead?  Is  life  de- 
pendent on  awareness  of  it? 

Before  the  advent  of  modern  science 
it  was  believed  that  human  life  began 
when  the  soul  entered  the  unborn 
child  at  around  four  months  of  preg- 
nancy. The  first  movements  were  able 
to  be  felt  then,  and  "quickening"  or  life 
was  said  to  have  taken  place.  Very 
little  was  known  of  what  had  been  tak- 
ing place  up  to  that  point.  It  was  not 
until  1838  that  Schwann  and  Schleiden 
were  able  to  prove  that  plants,  animals, 
and  men  are  compositions  of  cells  and 
that  growth  is  the  result  of  cell  division. 
The  laws  of  heredity  were  established 
little  more  than  a  hundred  years  ago,  by 
Mendel  in  1865.  So  knowledge  of  the 
early  stages  of  the  reproductive  process 
is  of  comparatively  recent  origin.  No 
longer  can  we  say  that  life  begins  at 
"quickening."  We  know  that  the  child's 
sex,  physical  characteristics,  and  poten- 
tial intelligence  are  determined  at  the 
moment  of  conception.  Cell  division 
begins,  growth  occurs,  and  the  embryo, 
although  lacking  a  digestive  system  for 
the  first  few  weeks,  is  able  to  take  in 
and  assimilate  food.  By  all  scientific 
criteria  the  embryo  is  alive. 

Is  a  live  embryo  the  same  as  a  live 
baby?  By  behavior  and  physical  ap- 
pearance, certainly  not.  But  then 
neither  does  the  six-week-old  infant 
bear  much  resemblance  to  the  twenty- 


one-year-old  adult.  And  as  anyone 
can  testify  who  has  ever  looked  at 
pictures  of  his  grandfather  as  a  young 
man,  the  young  adult  bears  litde  re- 
semblance to  the  old  man  he  will  some- 
day become.  Does  this  mean  that  the 
child  is  less  human  than  the  adult,  or 
the  embryo  less  human  than  the  child? 
Where  should  the  line  be  drawn? 

Graydon  F.  Snyder  of  Bethany  The- 
ological Seminary's  teaching  faculty 
has  suggested  that  perhaps  life  begins 
when  relationships  are  formed.  It 
would  follow  then  that  life  ends  when 
relationships  are  dissolved.  Just  what 
sort  of  relationship  determines  wheth- 
er a  person  is  alive  or  dead?  Does  the 
dependence  of  the  fertilized  egg  upon 
the  mother  qualify  as  a  relationship? 
Do  the  feelings  of  the  mother  regarding 
her  pregnancy  qualify  as  a  relationship? 
For  feelings,  whether  pro  or  con,  she 
certainly  has.  She  may  plan  happily 
for  the  arrival  of  her  unborn  child,  or 
she  may  plan  for  an  abortion;  but  there 
is  no  doubt  in  her  mind  that  she  has  a 
child  growing  inside  her  and  that  unless 
abortion  occurs,  either  natural  or  un- 
natural, in  a  few  months  she  will  be 
looking  into  its  baby  blue  eyes.  Does 
this  qualify  as  a  relationship?  I  think 
that  it  does. 

I  can  agree  that  relationships  are  an 
important  part  of  life,  but  I  cannot 
agree  that  a  person  can  be  judged  alive 
or  dead  on  the  basis  of  the  quality  and 
the  quantity  of  his  relationships.  What 
about  the  old  man  in  the  nursing  home, 
forgetful  and  forgotten?  What  about 
the  insane,  withdrawn  and  unaware? 


What  about  the  autistic  person,  unable 
to  form  relationships?  If  we  use  re- 
lationships as  the  criterion  for  de- 
termining life,  then  these  people  are 
dead  and  should  be  buried.  And  what 
about  the  dead  who  are  buried  but  are 
still  loved  and  remembered,  whose 
families  take  flowers  to  the  cemetery 
on  Sundays  in  an  attempt  to  maintain 
a  relationship?  Are  they  therefore 
alive? 

It  has  been  said  that  abortion  is  per- 
missible untU  the  time  the  fetus  is  able 
to  sustain  its  own  bodily  functions  out- 
side the  mother's  body.    And  yet  the 


COMMUNITY 
MENTAL 
HEALTH: 

The  Role  of  Church  and  Temple 

edited   by   Howard   J.   Clinebell,  Jr. 
foreword    by    Stonley    Yolles,    M.D. 
director,    National    Institute    of    Mental    Health 
(1964-1970) 

Authorities  in  the  clergy  and  mental  health 
profession  examine  the  vital  aspects  of 
the  church's  involvement  in  community 
mental  health:  prevention,  therapy,  the 
role  of  clergymen  in  the  Community  Men- 
tal Health  Center,  and  training  of  clergy- 
men. Churches  and  lay  leaders  will  find 
this  a  practical  guide  to  creative  partici- 
pation in  this  all-important  program. 
Paper,   $4.25 

At  your   local   bookstore 

Abingdon  Press 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     27 


ABORTION  /  continued 


child  cannot  sustain  them  for  long 
without  the  mother  or  a  mother  sub- 
stitute. The  infant  is  as  dependent  as 
the  fetus.  But  if  sucking,  breathing, 
swallowing,  and  defecating  are  to  be 
the    standards    by    which    we    decide 


A  gift  for  Christinas 


Poems  on 
"the  ancient, 
beautiful 
things- 

love,  family,  home,  the  won- 
ders of  life  and  living.  Mrs. 
Scovel  looks  squarely  at  to- 
day and  dares  to  question. 
She  has  written  other  books 
based  on  her  experiences  as  a 
medical  missionary  in  China 
and  India. 


TH£ 


■  Weight 


.OF  A, 


Leaf 

by  MYRA  SCOVEL 


Paper  over  boards  $3.50  •  Now  at  vour 
bookstore    .    THE  WESTMINSTER   PRESS 

Wilherspoon  BIdg.,  Phila.,  Pa.  19107. 
Publisher  of  The  Wsslmimler  Diclionary  of 
Ifie  B/bfe. 


CLASSIFIED  ADS 

WANTED  —  A  hiighi  school  boy  to  help  with 
mortiing  and  evening  chores  on  a  dairy  farm. 
Clean  habits.  Will  live  in  with  family.  Prefer  an 
FFA  boy.  Must  be  sixteen  years  of  age  or  older. 
Write  Box  2,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General 
OflTices,   1451   Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,   III.  60120. 

WHAT  CAN  YOU  BELIEVE  NOW?  -  New  pamph- 
let, ten  cents.  Paul  F.  Bechtold,  1602  Twenty- 
seventh   St.,  Des  Moines,   Iowa  50310. 


whether  it  is  all  right  to  kill  or  not,  then 
we  must  consider  the  person  in  the  iron 
lung,  the  person  on  a  kidney  machine, 
and  the  person  who,  unable  to  swallow, 
must  receive  intravenous  feedings.  For 
these  people,  like  the  embryo,  are  not 
self-sufficient  in  the  vital  life  functions. 
If  we  say,  "Well,  they  have  been  self- 
sufficient,"  we  had  better  be  willing  to 
turn  it  around  when  referring  to  the 
fertilized  ovum  and  say,  "It  will  be 
self-sufficient." 

Much  has  been  said  about  the  right 
of  the  child  to  be  wanted.  The  old 
have  the  same  rights,  and  yet  there 
are  probably  more  unwanted  old  per- 
sons around  than  there  are  unwanted 
children.  Is  the  fact  that  a  person  is 
not  wanted  and  is  an  embarrassment, 
a  humiliation,  a  financial  burden,  and 
an  all-around  inconvenience,  reason 
enough  to  kill  him? 

The  church  has  always  valued  hu- 
man life,  up  to  the  point  of  considering 
suicide,  as  well  as  murder,  sin.  The 
peace  churches  in  particular  have 
taken  seriously  the  commandment 
"Thou  shalt  not  kill."  And  yet  the 
question  of  abortion  is  being  seriously 
debated  within  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  as  is  euthanasia.  The  effort 
to  determine  when  life  begins  by  using 
the  criteria  of  relationships  or  self- 
sufficiency  seems  to  me  to  be  an  at- 
tempt to  find  a  way  to  kill  for  con- 
venience without  being  guilty  of 
murder.  If  we  can  rationalize  long 
enough  and  diligently  enough  we  may 
be  able  to  find  an  easy  way  out  for  at 
least  some  of  the  problems  that  beset 
mankind,  such  as  unwanted  pregnan- 
cies, senile  and  unloveable  old  people, 
the  mentally  deficient,  and  the  chron- 
ically iU.  Killing,  whether  it  be  under 
the  guise  of  abortion,  euthanasia,  capi- 
tal punishment,  or  war,  has  always 
been  an  expedient  method  of  solving 
problems.  The  fact  that  it  has  wrought 


more  problems  than  it  has  solved  is 
unfortunate. 

I  can  sympathize  with  the  problems 
of  the  unwed  mother,  the  family  with 
ten  children  and  little  money,  and  the 
woman  who  simply  does  not  want  chil- 
dren. But  if  the  church  attempts  to 
help  these  people  by  promoting  or 
condoning  abortion,  it  is  copping  out. 
The  business  of  the  church  is  loving, 
not  killing. 

If  the  church  really  wants  to  help 
people,  it  is  going  to  have  to  stir  its 
rusting  old  bones  and  get  with  it.  The 
church  needs  to  found,  promote,  and 
operate  child  day-care  centers  so  that 
mothers  can  afford  to  work  to  support 
their  children.  The  church  needs  to 
promote  and  develop  planned  parent- 
hood centers,  making  birth  control  in- 
formation and  devices  available  to 
those  who  are  either  ignorant  of  them 
or  unable  to  afford  them.  The  church 
needs  to  encourage,  help  — -  and  when 
possible  become  —  foster  parents  to 
take  care  of  children  who  are  un- 
wanted. The  church  needs  to  fight  to 
have  adoption  laws  liberalized  in  states 
where  they  are  still  archaic.  The 
church  needs  to  instill  a  social  con- 
sciousness in  its  own  young  regarding 
the  dangers  of  overpopulation.  The 
church  needs  to  stand  up  before  the 
world  with  drums  beating  and  banners 
waving  and  announce  its  presence  and 
declare  what  it  stands  for.  Now  is  the 
time  for  our  church  to  quit  feeling  sorry 
for  itself,  feeling  that  because  we  are 
small  we  must  also  be  weak. 

Life  began  with  God.  If  we  believe 
this,  it  is  not  difficult  to  reconcile  life 
with  the  scientific  facts  of  conception. 
When  a  child  is  conceived,  life  —  hu- 
man life  —  exists.  As  Christians  it  is 
our  job  to  provide  a  hospitable  world 
for  it.  Our  stand  must  be  an  affirma- 
tion of  life,  not  death.  ■ —  Sylvia 
Claytor 


28     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued  from 
inside  front  cover 


fact  that  none  of  us  can  be  completely  Chris- 
tian in  an  unchristian  world  (see  Moral 
Man  in  Immoral  Society  by  Niebuhr). 
Therefore,  we  need  to  get  on  with  the  busi- 
ness of  transforming,  recreating,  and  restruc- 
turing the  world  of  business,  politics,  inter- 
racial, intercultural,  and  international  rela- 
tions so  that  the  church's  converts  can  live 
out  their  ideals  and  convictions  in  this  world 
in  glorious  anticipation  of  the  world  to  come 
where  the  imperfections  of  the  here  and 
now  will  be  changed  so  that  the  kingdoms 
of  this  world  will  become  the  Kingdom  of 
our  Lord. 

As  one  of  the  silent  majority  who  has 
now  cried  out,  my  brother,  you  have  a  sol- 
emn obligation.  Your  letter,  like  Martin 
Luther's  95  Theses,  must  become  the  rally- 
ing point  where  Brethren  from  all  over  the 
Brotherhood  can  take  their  stand  and  save 
the  church  from  schism.  This  will  be  done 
by  holding  out  hands  to  both  those  on  the 
right  and  those  on  the  left;  by  keeping  them 
in  continual  dialogue  both  with  us  and  with 
each  other;  by  giving  each  a  sense  of  belong- 
ing to  the  Body  and  by  insisting  that  they 
not  only  need  each  other  but  that  they  need 
us,  too;  by  showing  the  whole  church  how 
to  live  with  this  tension  in  a  spirit  of  Broth- 
erhood. This  is  the  reconciling  ministry  that 
is  needed  and  which  by  your  incisive  letter 
you  and  the  rest  of  the  silent  majority  are 
so  surely  being  called  upon  to  perform. 

You  will  not  escape  the  problem  by  going 
to  another  church.  You  will  only  become 
involved  in  another  phase  of  the  same  prob- 
lem for  this  is  the  sickness  of  the  church  in 
our  time.  So,  why  not  fulfill  your  steward- 
ship as  a  layman  and  a  leader  of  men  by 
sparking  the  "dynamic  middle"  in  the  church 
where  because  of  your  heritage  you  are  best 
fitted  to  do  it? 

If  you  elect  to  do  this  I  am  sure  you  will 
discover  there  are  many  in  "Israel  who  have 
not  bowed  the  knee  to  Baal"  and  that  you 
will  be  positively  amazed  at  the  number  of 
both  ministers  and  laymen  who,  encouraged 
by  your  testimony  and  what  I  trust  will  be 
your  subsequent  stance,  will  rise  up  and 
unite  the  whole  Brotherhood  in  a  greater 
and  more  effective  witness  than  ever  before. 

DeWitt  L.  Miller 
Hagerstown,  Md. 


The  Christmas  Spirit 
Is  International... 


Capture  the  aura  of  Christmas  around  the 
world  with  THE  TREES  OF  CHRISTMAS 
— a  delightful  collection  of  trees  representing 
other  times  and  places.  23  full-color  photo- 
graphs are  accompanied  by  text  describing 
Christmas  customs  along  with  diagrams  and 
directions  for  making  the  decorations  of  each 
of  the  23  trees. 

"Not  for  several  years  has  there  been  such 
a  completely  beautiful  seasonal  book  as  this 
one  presented  with  great  simplicity  and 
charm." 

—LOS  ANGELES  TIMES  CALENDAR  MAGAZINE 

"...  a  kind  of  Christmas  tree  album  that  is 
also  a  Yule  trip  around  the  globe  .  .  ." 

—PHILADELPHIA  INQUIRER 

"...  a  magic  carpet  to  transport  the  reader, 
quickly,  from  country  to  country." 

—SAVANNAH   EVENING   PRESS 

"This  is  the  time  to  fall  under  the  spell  of 
'The  Trees  of  Christmas,'  .  .  .  It's  a  beautiful 
book  for  all  members  of  the  family  and,  if  ex- 
amined early  enough,  it's  bound  to  have  a 
memorable  effect  on  your  holiday  preparations 
this  year." 

—SAN   FRANCISCO   EXAMINER 


THE  TREES  OF  CHRISTMAS, 

gift  boxed,   $7.95 


At  your  local  bookstore 

Abuvgbon  PnESS 


11-19-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Brethren  Volunteer  Service  worker 
Norman  P.  Thomas  has  been  named  one 
of  eight  youth  members  of  the  Task 
Force  on  Draft,  National  Service,  and 
Alternatives,  which  will  report  to  this 
winter's  White  House  Conference  on 
Youth.  The  former  Oregon-Washington 
District  youth  president  has  been  work- 
ing with  the  National  Council  to  Repeal 
the  Draft  in  Washington,  D.C. 

Robert  E.  Faus,  staff  minister  at 
Wichita  State  University,  represented  the 
campus'  United  Ministries  in  Higher  Ed- 
ucation in  Denver  near  the  scene  of  the 
October  2  airplane  crash  in  which  thirty 
students  and  staff  were  killed.  For  three 
days  he  counseled  with  parents  and  sur- 
vivors and  assisted  chaplains  at  two  Den- 
ver hospitals  where  the  injured  were 
taken. 

Newly  named  to  the  National  Safety 
Council's  Conference  for  Religious  Lead- 
ers is  General  Staff  member  Clyde  E. 
Weaver,  who  is  one  of  five  new  persons 
selected  for  membership  in  the  confer- 
ence. 

Cited  recently  by  Purdue  University 
for  exceptional  achievement  in  home  ec- 
onomics was  Opal  Stech,  head  of  the 
Manchester  College  department  of  home 
economics.  The  Purdue  alumna  was  one 
of  three  to  win  the  distinguished  alumni 
award. 

Northwest  Christian  College  graduate 
Dan  Ellis  is  serving  the  Springfield,  Ore- 
gon, congregation  in  a  part-time  capacity 
this  year  while  he  takes  graduate  work 
at  the  University  of  Oregon.  .  .  .  Also  in 
the  Pacific  Northwest  Conference,  D. 
Hurst  Paul  will  continue  his  pastoral 
ministry  to  the  Lakewood  church  for 
another  year.  .  .  .  Bremen,  Ind.,  pastor 
Jack  Kline  has  been  elected  president 
of  his  city's  ministerial  association. 

Two  men  were  licensed  to  the  ministry 
recently,  Leon  HIronimus  at  the  Scalp 
Level,  Pa.,  church,  and  Ronald  L.  Clark, 
in  the  church  where  he  will  be  serving 
as  pastor,  the  Union  congregation  in 
Northern   Indiana. 


Our  congratulations  go  to  couples  who 
are  celebrating  golden  wedding  anni- 
versaries: Mr.  and  Mrs.  Estell  Wrights- 
man,  Virden,  III.;  the  F.  Millers,  Saint 
John,  Kansas;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Wise, 
Dallas  Center,  Iowa;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carl 
Myers,  Adel,  Iowa;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilbert 
Clitm,  Lima,  Ohio;  the  Weldon  Klingers. 
La  Fayette,  Ohio;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Arthur  S.  Old,  San  Diego,  Calif. 

Other  couples  who  are  observing  anni- 
versaries include  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chauncey 
Trimmer,  York,  Pa.,  fifty-two;  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Berger  Baker,  New  Enterprise,  Pa., 
fifty-five;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oscar  Stern. 
Franklin  Grove,  III.,  fifty-six;  and  the 
/.  G.  Brubakers,  Los  Banos,  Calif.,  fifty- 
six. 

POTPOURRI 

The  Flora,  Ind.,  congregation  of  Breth- 
ren marked  another  annual  homecom- 
ing this  month  with  an  informal  program 
and  a  guest  speaker,  Pastor  Ray  E.  Zook, 
Hagerstown,  Ind. 

Two  Virginia  congregations  are  ob- 
serving 125th  anniversaries  this  year. 
The  Topeco  Church  of  the  Brethren  at 
Floyd  will  celebrate  Nov.  29  with  friends 
and  former  pastors.  .  .  .  And  during  the 
1970-71  church  year  members  of  the 
Peters  Creek  congregation  at  Roanoke 
will  use  the  theme  "Lord,  Speak  to  the 
World  Through  Us"  to  guide  its  anni- 
versary activities. 

Brethren  at  Roaring  Spring,  Pa.,  dedi- 
cated   their    newly    acquired    and    refur- 


SOSUISIiliD 


Nov.   22  Thanksgiving   Sunday 

Nov.   26  Thanksgiving  Day 

Nov.   29  First  Sunday   in   Advent 

Dec.   10  Human   Rights  Day 

Dec.   20  Christmas  Sunday 

Dec.   20  Christmas    offering    for    worldwide 

missions 

Dec.   25  Christmas  Day 

Dec.  31  New  Year's  Eve 

Jan.    1  New  Year's  Day 

Jan.  6  Epiphany 

Jan.   17-24  Church   and   Economic  Life  Week 

Jan.    18-25  Week  of  Prayer  for  Christian  Unity 

Jan.  31  World   Day  for  Leprosy   Sufferers 


bished  parsonage  this  month.  .  .  .  An- 
other dedication,  reported  in  the  Oct. 
22  issue  to  occur  in  December  at  the 
Calvary  church,  Winchester,  Va.,  has 
been  postponed  because  of  building  de- 
lays. Pastor  Fred  M.  Bowman  reports 
the  selection  of  another  date  has  not 
yet  been  made.  ...  A  mortgage-burning 
ceremony  marked  a  recent  service  at  the 
Cabool,  Mo.,  church. 

Elizabethtown  College's  department  of 
religion  and  philosophy  donated  a  $500 
teaching  award  received  last  year  to  a 
faculty-sponsored  black  scholarship  pro- 
gram. "The  decision  was  prompted  by 
a  conviction  that  one  of  the  most  destruc- 
tive diseases  in  our  society  today  is  rac- 
ism," explained  department  chairman 
Stanley  T.  Sutphin.  Two  black  students 
are  now  receiving  financial  support  from 
the  scholarship  program  begun  last  spring 
by  nineteen  faculty  members  who 
pledged  $200  a  year  for  the  next  four 
years  to  underwrite  such  a  venture. 

Thirty-two  new  cards  are  being  added 
to  the  Library  of  Resources  Keysort 
Card  File.  The  cards  will  be  mailed 
after  January  1,  1971  to  churches  hav- 
ing Keysort  Card  Files. 

The  new  selection  includes  resources 
on  evangelism,  the  Fund  for  the  Amer- 
icas in  the  United  States,  ecology,  and 
denominational  and  nondenominational 
curriculum  pieces. 

Among  books  of  particular  interest 
are  Brethren  Press  offerings  Heritage  and 
Promise,  by  Emmert  F.  Bittinger,  and 
6  Papers  on  Peace,  a  symposium;  Abing- 
don Press'  Young  People  and  Their  Cul- 
ture, by  Ross  Snyder;  Unyoung,  Uncol- 
ored,  Unpoor,  by  Colin  Morris;  and 
Crisis  in  Eden,  by  Frederick  Elder. 

Other  additions  include:  The  New 
Left  and  Christian  Radicalism,  by  Breth- 
ren author  Arthur  G.  Gish,  and  Our 
Brother's  Keeper:  The  Indian  in  White 
America,  edited  by  Edgar  S.  Cahn. 

.;-       ^       ^       4.       ^ 

To  be  transcribed  into  Braille  for  the 
Ontario,  Calif.,  library  is  A  Promise  Ful- 


30     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


filled,  by  Edith  Pearl  Iredale,  published 
in  1962  by  Brethren  Press.  Four  other 
Brethren-authored  books  have  been  pub- 
lished in  Braille,  among  them  two  vol- 
umes by  Rufus  D.  Bowman  and  the  1925 
Brethren  Hymnal. 

An  ecumenical  seminar  for  clergy 
and  some  laymen  will  occur  Nov.  30  — 
Dec.  2  at  the  Center  for  Continuing  Ed- 
ucation of  Virginia  Theological  Sem- 
inary, Alexandria,  Va.  Designed  to  affirm 
the  worth  of  each  person  and  to  improve 
his  interpersonal  effectiveness,  the  sem- 
inar will  be  conducted  by  Bernard 
Haldane,  chairman  of  a  career  counseling 
firm  and  for  three  years  chairman  of  the 
Center's  career  motivation  segment.  In- 
quiries and  registrations  may  be  ad- 
dressed to  Bennett  J.  Sims,  Director,  Vir- 
ginia Theological  Seminary,  Seminary 
Post  Office,  Alexandria,  Va.  22304. 

In  Search  of  Union,  a  forty-five-min- 
ute broadcast  documentary  on  church 
union  scheduled  for  radio  network  airing 
this  month,  is  available  for  local  study 
of  the  plan  of  union  of  the  Consultation 
on  Church  Union  (COCU).  In  ten 
parts,  the  documentary  is  being  heard  on 
the  Mutual  Broadcasting  System  in  seg- 
ments which  began  Nov.  9  and  will  con- 
tinue for  two  weeks.  The  entire  produc- 
tion will  be  rebroadcast  Nov.  22.  Church 
union  study  groups  may  order  the  pro- 
grams on  a  long-playing  record  for  $2 
from  the  Consultation  on  Church  Union 
Distribution  Center,  Post  Office  Box 
989,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  19105. 


DEATHS 

Long,  Amy  L.,  Baltimore,  Md.,  on  March  1,  1970 
Maust,  John  C,  Somerset,   Pa.,  on  July  6,   1970, 

aged   75 
Malenke,   Augustus   F.   Jr.,   Parker   Ford.   Pa.,   on 

April  2,   1970,   aged  69 
Merrow,   J.    Donald,   Jacksonville, -Fla.,    on   April 

26,  1970,  aged  58 
Messersmith,  A.   T.,   South   Bend,   Ind.,   on   June 

10,   1970,  aged  78 
Miller,    Bertha   Cline,   Bridgewater,   Va.,   on    May 

17,  1970,  aged  90 
Miller,    Mary,    Mount    Aetna,    Pa.,    on    June    -1, 

1970,   aged   78 
Mohler,  Sherman,  Greenville,   Ohio,  on  Aug.   30, 

1970,   aged   80 
O'Neil,  Ralph,  Waterloo,  Iowa,  on  July  8,   1970, 

aged  77 


Full  tables.  Full  stomachs.  Full  cupboards.  Full  refrigerators.  We 
have  them  all  —  and  more  besides.  Thanksgiving  is  a  time  to  re- 
member that.   But  it  is  more.  It  goes  beyond  food  and  fullness. 

Your  Thanksgiving  Offering  to  the  world  mission  of  the  Church  of 
the  Brethren  will  help  to  assure  a  continuing  partnership  with  our 
Christian  brothers  in  India,  Nigeria,  Ecuador,  Indonesia,  and  other 
parts  of  the  world.  Be  thankful  and  celebrate!  Share  as  a  partner 
in  mission  by  giving  your  money. 

Amount  $ 

Name 

St./RFD 

City 


State 


Zip 


Congregation 
District 


{Please  enclose  this  form  w/ith  your   gift  and   send  to  Church   of  the   Brethren   General   Board, 


EDITORIAL 


Not  by  Violence 

"Hippie  held  in  five  killings." 

"130  flee  as  pilot  rams  plane  into  church." 

"The  radicalization  of  Angela  Davis." 

Such  were  the  headlines  that  greeted  one  reader  of  a 
Saturday  morning  newspaper.  The  stories  were  varied  in 
setting,  they  involved  persons  affecting  quite  different  life- 
styles, they  happened  independently  of  one  another.  But 
each  one  demonstrated  how  persons  turn  to  violence  when 
they  think  other  means  have  failed  them. 

In  California  a  young  auto  mechanic  was  arrested  and 
charged  with  killing  five  persons.  He  is  alleged  to  have  set 
their  house  on  fire  and  escaped  in  a  stolen  car  after  leaving 
a  note  indicating  that  he  was  declaring  war  on  those  who 
"misuse  the  environment."  Although  described  as  a 
"hippie,"  he  was  apparently  disliked  by  other  hippies,  who 
aided  in  his  capture.  Concerned  about  ecology,  he  was 
quoted  as  having  insisted  that  some  rich  materialists 
"should  be  snuffed." 

In  Texas  a  middle-aged  teacher,  father  of  four  children, 
urged  fire  departments  to  evacuate  all  Methodist  and  Cath- 
olic churches  in  an  area  of  the  Rio  Grande  valley.  Then 
he  deliberately  crashed  his  plane  into  a  Catholic  church. 
He  died  in  the  flames  of  the  burning  building.  His  next- 
door  neighbor  said,  "He  was  very  opposed  to  the  material- 
ism of  organized  religion."  A  policeman  said,  "He  was  a 
law-and-order  man." 

Only  a  few  years  ago  a  university  professor,  describing 
a  brilliant  young  student,  said  of  her,  "There  is  no  one  more 
nonviolent  than  Angela  Davis."  But  more  recently.  Miss 
Davis,  announcing  that  she  has  given  her  life  to  the  struggle 
for  equality  of  all  peoples,  said,  "The  first  condition  of 
freedom  is  the  open  act  of  resistance.  Physical  resistance. 
Violent  resistance." 

The  reader  of  such  news  stories  will  soon  persuade 
himself  that  he  is  against  violence.  He  thinks  of  rioting  in 
the  streets,  confrontations  on  university  campuses,  ex- 
changes of  fire  between  policemen  and  lawbreakers,  and 
worries  about  the  safety  of  his  neighborhood.  What  he 
may  overlook  is  the  prevalence  of  violence  elsewhere  in 
the  world,  a  most  devastating  kind  of  violence  financed  by 
his  tax  payments,  authorized  by  his  elected  representatives, 
directed  by  his  own  government.  And  he  may  completely 
ignore  the  subtle  kinds  of  violence  by  which  institutions 
gradually  but  inevitably  rob  individuals  of  their  humanity. 
Not  all  the  violence  of  our  society  makes  the  headlines. 
Much  of  it  operates  in  the  background,  creating  the  condi- 
tions which  drive  people  to  violence. 


So  before  we  can  effectively  counter  violence  we  need 
to  recognize  how  it  is  encouraged.  Obviously,  we  learn 
violence  by  example.  We  see  it  enacted  repeatedly  on 
television  and  movie  screens.  Violence  seems  to  be  effec- 
tive in  resolving  a  struggle  between  competing  sides.  Hope- 
fully, the  good  guys  win,  but  we  are  smart  enough  to  note 
that  they  win  not  because  they  are  good,  but  because  they 
are  stronger.  We  also  have  examples  of  violence  glorified 
in  our  history.  By  violence  our  nation  became  independent. 
By  violence  it  takes  its  place  among  other  nations,  who 
also  maintain  their  position  by  violence  or  the  threat  of 
violence. 

Should  we  be  surprised,  then,  if  some  of  our  con- 
temporaries, frustrated  in  their  search  for  freedom  and 
justice,  turn  to  violence,  especially  when  they  have  ex- 
hausted other  means  of  securing  change?  All  too  often  it 
appears  that  life  is  cheap  and  persons  are  expendable.  If 
there  is  a  general  indifference  to  human  values,  violence 
seems  less  horrible  than  it  does  when  human  life  is  regarded 
as  sacred. 


H< 


low  shall  we  try  to  counter  this  reliance  on  violence? 
To  deplore  it  may  be  necessary,  as  a  way  to  show  where 
we  stand,  but  there  are  more  significant  options.  Let's 
begin,  as  Christians,  by  teaching  and  demonstrating  non- 
violence as  a  viable  mode  of  operation.  Though  nonvio- 
lence can  offer  no  guarantee  of  success  in  many  a  power 
struggle,  it  carries  tremendous  moral  strength  and  it  often 
opens  the  way  for  reconcilation  to  take  place.  Working 
nonviolently,  let  us  be  militant  in  helping  our  brothers 
achieve  justice  and  freedom  through  every  constructive 
means  available. 

Let  us  also  challenge  any  viewpoint  or  policy  that  would 
cheapen  life  itself.  As  Christians  we  believe  that  God  cre- 
ated each  one  of  us  in  his  image,  that  each  person  is  of 
such  value  to  him  that  he  sacrifices  of  himself  for  the 
rescue  and  restoration  of  each  one.  In  Jesus  we  see  God's 
nonviolence  embodied  in  a  life  of  unselfish  service  and 
sacrifice  that  goes  all  the  way  for  others  —  and  never  re- 
sorts to  bombing,  blasting,  shooting,  or  destroying. 

But  to  follow  Jesus  means  more  than  simply  avoiding 
violence.  It  means  living  forcefully  on  behalf  of  all  persons 
and  their  humanity,  just  as  he  did.  It  means  a  commitment 
to  life,  to  the  transformation  of  life  —  not  by  might,  nor 
by  power,  nor  by  violence,  but  by  God's  spirit.  —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER    11-19-70 


WHAT  IS  THIS  SERIES?  A  set  of  curriculum  materials  designed  for  use  by  churches  and  church 
groups. 

WHAT  IS  ITS  PURPOSE?   To  help  children  and  young  people  in  elementary,  middle, 

and  secondary  schools  take  a  look  at  some  of  their  school 
experiences  and  learnings  from  the  perspective  of  Christian 
faith. 

WHEN  IS  IT  TO  BE  USED?   Any  time  during  the  week  in  a  variety  of  situations. 

Each  course  for  grades  1-10  in  the  two-year  cycle 
is  built  on  the  basis  of  32  sessions,  with  the  intent 
of  providing  study  suggestions  for  a  school  year. 

One  course  of  study  is  written  by  Brethren  autfior  MURRAY  WAGNER  Jr. 


AGE  LEVEL  COURSES 


SERIES  I 

Grades   1  and  2 

Grades  3  and  4: 

Grades  5  and   6: 

Grades  7  and  8: 

Grades  9  and   10: 
Meet 


With  Many  Hands  in  Many  Ways 
With  the  Church  on   New  Frontiers 
My  Brothers,  My  Country,  My  World 
Pieces  of  the   Puzzle 
Intersection:   Where  School  and  Faith 


SERIES   II 

Grades   1    and  2: 

Grades  3   and  4: 

Grades  5  and  6: 

Grades  7  and  8: 

Grades  9  and  10: 


Living  in  God's  World 
God  AAade   Us  a  Good  World 
Free  as  the  Wind 
Youth  —  Where  the  Action   Is 
Like  the  Crocus  (by  Murray  Wagner) 


Teacher's  Books,  $3,45  each      Student's  Books,  $1.75  each 


Basic  Books:    These  provide  background  for  teachers  of  all  grades  and  study  resources  for   llth  and   12th  graders. 

$2.50  each 
The  Gospel  and  Conflicting  Faiths  A  Christian  Look  at  Secular  Society 

On  Becoming  Children  of  God  A  Christian  Views  History 

A  Christian  View/s  Science 

Guide  Books:    Christian  Faith  and   Public  School   Learning  — A  Handbook,  $1.00 
Study  Guide  for  the  Basic  Books,  60^ 


Write  for  free  Through  the  Weel<  Series  catalog 
CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


So  Grateful  for  So  Little.  Why  is  it  that  people  who  have  so  little  (the 
Congolese,  for  example,  among  whom  the  missionary  author  lived)  are  more 
grateful  than  those  who  have  so  much?   by  Levi  Keidel.   page  2 

Ralph  Dull:  Unlikely  Politician.  He  is  a  farmer  from  Ohio,  a  Church  of 
the  Brethren  laijman,  who  last  spring  sought  his  party's  nomination  for  rep- 
resentative in  Congress.  This  peace  candidate  did  not  win  the  contest  for 
votes,  but  he  may  have  won  another  kind  of  victory,  by  Lois  Teach  Paul, 
assisted  by  Carolyn  T.  Denlinger.    page  4 

"Brother  Moderator."  For  Harold  Bomherger,  serving  as  moderator  of  the 
church  is  not  one  of  the  goals  he  has  sought  but  rather  "one  of  the  extras 
that  life  has  given  me."  Here  is  an  opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with 
the  man  who  currently  leads  the  church  and  who  will  preside  over  next  years 
Conference,    page  8 

Can  We  Afford  a  New  Welfare  System?  Spokesmen  for  quite  differ- 
ent political  persuasions  agree  that  our  welfare  system  is  inadequate  and  a 
failure.  But  reform  comes  slowly,  partly  because  of  myths  regarding  welfare 
and  the  poor,    by  Jack  McDonald,    page  18 

A  Letter  to  a  High  School  Graduate.  One  pastors  open  letter  to  grad- 
uating youth  in  his  congregation  offers  insights  and  counsel  that  could  well 
be  heeded  by  adults  as  well  as  teen-agers,  by  Carroll  M.  Petry.  page  22 

A  Litany  for  Thanksgiving  Eve.  A  responsive  reading  suitable  for  con- 
gregational as  well  as  personal  use  reflects  awareness  of  the  world  in  which 
thankful  Christians  live,  adapted  from  a  service  prepared  by  Roger  Solomon, 
page  24 

Other  features  include  a  news  report  on  the  role  of  clergymen  in  helping  to  resolve 
the  grape  boycott  (page  10);  "Meetinghouse  Revisited,"  photographs  featuring  the  Klein 
Meetinghouse  of  the  Indian  Creek  congregation  in  Pennsylvania  (page  13);  a  center- 
fold woodcut,  "Many  Children  Live  in  My  Father's  House,"  by  artist  Irving  Amen  (page 
16);  "Pound  Me  Down,  Lord,"  a  meditation  by  Prudence  Engle  Lenharr  (page  20); 
"Day  by  Day,"  by  Don  and  Shirley  Fike  (page  26);  and  "Abortion:  Where  Shall  We 
Stand?"  by  Sylvia  Clay  tor  (page  27). 


COMING  SOOA/i 


Special  Christmas  features  in  Messenger  next  month  will  include  a  short  anthology  of 
original  poems,  songs,  and  carols;  some  brief  meditations  on  the  Christ  of  Christmas, 
"Who  Was  He?';  an  imaginary  interview  with  Herod  from  the  perspective  of  almost 
2,000  years;  and  several  pages  of  seasonal  "Things  to  Make  and  Do,"  including  attractive 
cutouts  and  recipes.  Also  scheduled  for  December  are  thoughtful  articles  by  William 
Faw,  "The  Bible  Blesses  the  Poor,"  and  by  C.  Wayne  Zunkel,  "Invaded  by  Tomorrow."  VOL.    119    NO.    24 


readers  write 


THE  ART   IS   USEFUL 

As  we  sorted  things  for  a  move  recently, 
I  said,  "Don't  destroy  the  Messengers,  as 
I  often  use  the  art  I  find  there."  At  that 
moment  I  opened  one  and  saw  much  criti- 
cism expressed  in  Reader's  Write.  Please 
remember,  there  are  many  readers  who  ap- 
preciate the  variety  and  quality  of  the  art 
and  photography  in  the  magazine. 

This  is  no  reflection  on  the  articles  how- 
ever. In  fact,  the  article  on  "Why  Men 
Leave  the  Ministry,"  by  Chauncey  Sham- 
berger,  expressed  my  feelings  perfectly,  so 
naturally  I  liked  it. 

Miriam  Stauffer 
Battle  Creek,  Mich. 

RELATING   CHURCH   AND   COLLEGES 

The  September  10  issue  of  Messenger 
carried  a  special  report  entitled  "In  Search 
of  a  Church  and  College  Partnership,"  an 
interview  given  by  A.  G.  Breidenstine  re- 
garding remarks  made  at  Annual  Confer- 
ence concerning  the  church  and  its  educa- 
tional institutions. 

To  say  the  least,  I  was  greatly  impressed 
with  his  insight  into  the  needs  of  our  time 
and  of  the  vital  relationship  between  the 
church  and  its  supportive  institutions.  As 
a  layman,  I  have  sensed  for  some  time  the 
hesitance  of  the  church-at-large  to  use  such 
resources  in  giving  direction  and  counsel 
to  issues  and  programs  facing  the  church. 
To  my  knowledge  we  have  no  "feed  in"  of 
ideas  or  other  effective  means  to  evaluate 
the  ongoing  work  of  the  church  —  a  service 
which  I  feel  our  institutions  are  qualified  to 
give.  Perhaps,  it  should  be  added,  the  pro- 
cess could  be  applied  in  the  opposite  direc- 
tion. 

I  would  like  to  suggest  that  [a  special 
committee  of]  the  General  Board  evaluate 
the  above  matter  —  the  relationship  of  in- 


stitutions fathered  by  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  to  the  present  structure  of  organi- 
zation in  the  church.  It  is  my  candid  opin- 
ion that,  consciously  or  unconsciously,  we 
as  a  church  have  relegated  to  a  peripheral 
position  our  educational  institutions  in  the 
life  and  affairs  of  the  church.  .  .  . 

It  would  seem  that  unless  this  erosion 
of  goodwill  and  support  for  such  institutions 
is  not  halted,  we  will  experience  what  other 
groups  have  faced  —  the  loss  of  accumulated 
resources  and  perhaps  the  facilities  which 
contain  evidences  of  their  heritage.  This, 
I  believe,  is  worth  retaining. 

LoREN  S.  Simpson 
Westminster,  Md. 

SHOCKED 

To  say  I  was  shocked  is  putting  it  mildly, 
that  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  would  even 
go  so  far  as  to  appoint  a  committee  to  con- 
sider the  question  of  abortion.  It  is  murder, 
and  no  murderer,  so  the  Bible  says,  can  enter 
the  kingdom  of  heaven.  Instead,  a  commit- 
tee should  be  urging  the  government  to  plant 
more  crops  rather  than  let  so  much  farm- 
land lie  idle. 

If  we  murder  unborn  children,  how  long 
will  it  be  until  the  mentally  ill,  the  sick,  and 
the  old  are  murdered,  too? 

The  church  is  fast  losing  its  high  ideals 
in  even  considering  such  sins. 

Beulah  Stanley 
La  Verne,  Calif. 

PREPARATION 

This  letter  is  a  comment  on  the  article 
by  Kathy  Goering,  "I  Am  Not  Willing  to 
Wait"  (Oct.  22). 

When  I  reflect  upon  the  evil  condition  of 
the  world  at  present,  I  feel  like  swinging 
my  fists  in  every  direction.  The  difficulty  is 
that    my    seventy-eight-year-old   fists    would 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover,  2-3  UNICEF  greeting  cards;  4  Lit-Lit  greeting  cards.  Religious  News 
Ser\'ice  photo;  5  "Beggar  Leaning  on  a  Stick."  etcliing  by  Rembrandt,  courtesy  of  The  Art  Institute 
of  Chicago;  7  detail  from  "The  Hundred  Guilder  Print:  Christ  With  the  Sick  Around  Him,"  by 
Rembrandt,  courtesy  of  The  Art  Institute  of  Chicago;  8  Don  Honick;  11  (top  right)  Squire  Haskins 
photo;  (bottom)  Selective  Service  System:  13  Ronald  E.  Keener;  1415.  18-19  Janie  Russell;  26  courtesy 
of    the   William    B.    Eerdmans    Publishing   Company 

Kenneth  I.  Morse,  editor:  Wilbl'r  E.  Brumhai^'gh,  associate  editor:  Ronald  E.  Keener,  director  of  news 
service;  Linda  Beher,  editorial  assistant.  Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20,  1918  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17,  1917.  Filing 
date,  Oct.  1.  1970.  Messenger  is  a  member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious 
News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from 
the  Revised  Standard  Version.  Subscription  rates:  S4.20  per  year  for  individual  subscriptions:  S3. 60  per 
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Elgin,  111.  60120.    Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin.  111.   Dec.   3,    1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119    No.  25 


not  be  effective;  and,  what  is  worse,  I  would 
hit  the  wrong  fellows.  Quick  action  is  usu- 
ally destructive  and  unfair.  You  knock  down 
a  house  upon  which  honest  persons  have 
devoted  many  hours  of  labor.  And  don't 
forget  that  a  better  house  is  not  going  to 
grow  up  of  itself. 

I  agree  with  you,  Kathy,  that  you  should 
not  wait  until  the  "fat,  foohsh  forties"  make 
you  satisfied  with  your  own  little  comfort- 
able nest.  Your  most  important  action  at 
present  is  preparation.  "Wait"  does  not 
mean  inaction,  for  patience  and  persistence 
are  twin  brothers.  If  you  want  to  be  really 
eflfective,  learn  how  to  take  orders  from 
Jesus  Christ.  Many  reformers  languish  in 
futility  because  they  follow  humanism. 
Your  building  must  be  on  the  solid  founda- 
tion of  knowledge  of  God  and  man.  Man 
is  not  a  concoction  of  the  environment  but 
a  being  planned  and  formed  by  God.  God 
has  a  plan  for  man  and  we  should  follow  it. 

William  J.  Tinkle 
Eaton,  Ind. 

WORK   IN   A  SPIRIT  OF  SERVICE 

I  read  Mr.  John  B.  Alexander's  letter 
"Why  Hunger?"  (Oct.  22). 

If  I  didn't  have  to  make  money  to  buy 
my  needs,  I'd  gladly  work  free  in  a  spirit 
of  service  to  others,  especially  the  poor. 
If  all  would  do  likewise,  we  wouldn't  need 
money,  costly  accounting  systems,  or  taxes. 

The  profit  system  encourages  selfishness 
and  covetousness  —  the  "laying  up  of 
treasures"  for  ourselves  instead  of  consider- 
ing the  needs  of  others. 

Eldred  W.  Lowe 
De  Soto,  Kansas 

SEES   REALITY  AND   EVALUATES   IT 

If  there  was  ever  a  man  who  could  see 
reality  and  evaluate  it  honestly,  concisely, 
and  disturbingly  interestingly,  it  is  T.  Wayne 
Rieman. 

He  did  it  again  in  what,  for  me,  is  the 
finest  discussion  on  the  crisis  on  campus 
I  have  yet  run  across  (Sept.  24).  I  found 
myself  reading  it  twice  and  exclaiming, 
"Yeah,  yeah,  that's  it,  by  golly,"  while 
underlining  certain  choice  phrases.  It's  all 
there,  if  we  could  just  let  it  soak  in. 

I  would  only  add  one  supporting  com- 
ment. Given  the  present  course  of  action 
the  United  States  continues  to  follow,  per- 
meated throughout  with  militarism  —  which 
effects  I  now  realize  most  people  in  the 
States    cannot    really    understand  —  I    say 


thank  God  for  and  more  power  to  the  non- 
violent crisis  of  conscience  on  campus. 

Oh,  yes,  the  lotus  is  still  blooming.  Amaz- 
ing, isn't  it? 

Ted  Studebaker 
Di  Linh,  Vietnam 

INACTIVE  MEMBERS?     IMPOSSIBLE! 

Why  the  hypocrisy  of  our  dual  standard 
for  church  members?  Every  Bible  student 
knows  there  is  no  such  thing  as  an  "inactive 
Christian."  The  two  words  have  opposite 
meanings.  A  Christian  is  Christlike  in  all 
things,  for  whatever  he  does,  he  does  to  the 
honor  and  glory  of  God  (1  Cor.  10:31). 
To  keep  a  person's  name  on  a  list  called 
"inactive"  is  hypocritical.  It  makes  a  two- 
standard  system  for  Christians.  There  is 
only  ONE  kind  of  Christian.  "He  that  is 
not  for  me  is  against  me"  (Matt.  12:30). 
Therefore,  there  should  be  but  one  list  of 
members.  Of  course,  there  should  be  on  file 
for  historical  record  those  who  were  once 
members,  but  who  cannot  be  members  un- 
less they  are  active. 

A  member  is  one  who  is  a  structural  part 
of  an  organized  body  or  framework.  The 
heart  is  a  part  of  the  physical  body  as  long 
as  it  does  its  work.  If  it  stops  work,  it  is  a 
dead  heart.  Its  carcass  may  be  preserved  in 
formaldehyde  as  a  mummy,  but  it  cannot 
continue  as  a  part  of  the  body  and  do  no 
work.  A  brick  is  a  member  of  a  wall  as 
long  as  it  fulfills  its  purpose  of  support. 
When  it  crumbles  away,  it  no  longer  sup- 
ports the  wall  and  is  no  longer  a  member  of 
the  wall.  Oxygen  is  a  member  of  a  molecule 
of  water.  If  it  ceases  to  function,  it  dissi- 
pates as  a  gas,  is  on  its  own,  and  is  no 
longer  a  member  of  the  water  molecule. 
Salt  is  a  member  of  a  loaf  of  bread.  It 
cannot  be  a  member  of  the  loaf  and  be  in- 
active. The  mainspring  in  a  watch  must  be 
active  or  it  is  replaced  by  another  spring, 
and  its  former  activity  becomes  history. 

When  the  limb  of  a  tree  ceases  to  grow 
leaves  and  produce  fruit,  we  cut  it  off  be- 
cause it  is  dead.  It  then  cannot  be  a  mem- 
ber of  a  tree.  Read  John  15:1-6  as  further 
proof  of  my  thesis  that  one  cannot  be  a 
member  of  anything  and  be  inactive.  If  he 
is  inactive  he  is  not  a  member.  He  was 
historically,  but  not  now.  And  he  doesn't 
have  to  wait  two  years  to  find  out  he  is 
dead.  This  two-year  waiting  period  is  de- 
structive to  both  the  inactive  part  or  person 
as  well  as  to  the  body,  the  wall,  the  mole- 

Continued  on  page  25 


Page  one... 


"At  Christmas  play,  and  make  good  cheer,"  wrote  Thomas  Tusser  in  1557. 

We  like  Thomas'  advice.  It  expresses  something  of  the  quality  of  a 
family  celebration  of  Christmas.  And  so,  we've  planned  some  Christmas 
gifts  in  both  December  issues  to  help  readers  of  all  ages  enter  the  spirit 
of  a  cheerful,  celebrative  yuletide. 

"Play.  .  .  ."  This  issue  begins  with  reproductions  of  some  of  the 
Christmas  greeting  cards  being  offered  by  world  service  agencies.  Artists 
represent  five  nations  for  an  international  perspective  on  the  season. 

The  Christmas  mood  comes  alive  in  another  way  with  Janie  Russell's 
colorful  cut-outs.  Simple  instructions  suggest  ways  to  use  the  angels, 
wise  men,  sheep,  and  shepherds,  from  tree  ornaments  to  door,  window, 
or  wall  decorations.  Janie's  artwork  has  appeared  in  other  issues  of  Mes- 
senger, most  recently  in  a  monthly  calendar  feature  last  year.  She  and 
her  family  live  near  Philadelphia. 

"And  make  good  cheer.  ..."  Families  might  summon  the  warmth 
and  gaity  of  the  Christmas  season  by  staging  an  old-fashioned  taffy  pull. 
Recipes  for  taffy  and  for  some  other  unusual  seasonal  treats  are  another 
gift  to  you.  Carol  Flory  (Mrs.  Gerald),  a  member  of  the  Highland  Avenue 
Church  of  the  Brethren  at  Elgin  and  well  known  for  her  mastery  in  the 
kitchen,  selected  the  recipes. 

Tusser  concludes  his  couplet,  "For  Christmas  comes  but  once  a 
year."  However,  our  celebration  this  month  suggests  to  thoughtful  Chris- 
tians that  the  child  of  the  cradle  grew  up  to  overcome  the  cross.  And  in 
that  spirit  of  Christmas  —  less  frivolous,  perhaps,  but  equally  as  joyous  — 
WUliam  Faw  examines  the  scriptural  view  of  poverty.  The  pastor  of  the 
Imperial  Heights  congregation  in  Los  Angeles,  California,  Bill  applies 
biblical  imperatives  to  our  understanding  of  the  poor. 

In  a  different  vein,  Kenneth  Gibble  imagines  how  Herod  the  Great 
might  answer  the  questions  of  the  reporter-pastor  (of  the  Ridgeway  Com- 
munity church  at  Harrisburg,  Pennsylvania)  two  thousand  years  after  the 
event  that  threatened  his  own  kingly  power. 

More  gifts  to  you  next  issue  include  several  poets'  interpretations  of 
the  myriad  themes  of  Advent  and  Christmas;  new  carols  from  Wilbur 
Brumbaugh  and  Kenneth  Morse,  Steve  Engle,  and  Theresa  Eshbach;  and 
affirmations  of  faith  leading  from  the  question  "Who  Was  He?" 

With  these  offerings,  then,  both  lighthearted  and  thoughtful,  we  wish 
for  you  "good  cheer"  and  a  blessed  celebration. 

The  Editors 


12-3-70    MESSENGER     1 


The  Carollers  by  Barry  Wilkinson 


Christmas   Symbols    by   Ame  Larsen 


A  World  of  Art 

in  Christmas 
Cards 


In  the  bleak  and  hungry  aftermath  of  World  War  II,  a 
seven-year-old  Czechoslovakian  schoolgirl  painted  a  sunny 
picture  of  children  dancing  around  a  Maypole  and  dedi- 
cated it  to  UNICEF.  Little  Jitka  Samkova  painted  on 
glass,  because  she  had  no  paper.  It  was  her  way  of  ex- 
pressing gratitude  to  the  United  Nations  Children's  Fund 
for  the  lifesaving  food  and  medicine  it  had  brought  to  her 
village. 

That  primitive  work  of  art,  full  of  hope  for  a  brighter 
future  for  children  everywhere,  became  the  first  UNICEF 
Greeting  Card  in  1949.  Now,  twenty-one  years  later,  the 
sale  of  greeting  cards  and  calendars  provides  about  ten 


2     MESSENGER    12-3-70 


Russian  Dolls  by  Kamma  Svensson 


Sledding    by   Doris   Vallejo 


Angel  and  Dove  by  Ivan  Chermayeff 


Lead  On,  Kindly  Star  by  Kobina  Bucknor 


12-3-70    MESSENGER     3 


CHRISTMAS  CARDS  /  continued 


God  So  Loves  the  World  by  Roberto  Clave 


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ceil 

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lacl 

1^ 

lad! 


Madonna 

of  the  Andes   by  Roberto  Cloven 

Mfk 

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All 

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percent  of  UNICEF'S  worldwide  income.  Ranging  in 
theme  from  modern  to  traditional,  secular  to  religious, 
UNICEF  cards  are  adaptable  to  any  holiday  occasion. 
They  are  offered  in  boxes  of  twelve,  priced  at  $2,  with 
two  larger,  special-edition  cards  offered  at  $2.50  per  box 
of  ten.  A  beautiful  UNICEF  engagement  calendar  is  also 
available  for  $2.50,  and  the  third  edition  of  the  popular 
children's  wall  calendar  for  $1. 

For  a  free,  full-color  brochure,  write  to:  U.S.  Com- 
mittee for  UNICEF,  331  East  38th  Street,  New  York, 
N.Y.   10016. 


Two  paintings  by  a  young  Argentine  artist,  Roberto 
Claverie,  are  featured  in  this  year's  series  of  Christmas 
cards  from  Lit  Lit  —  World  Literacy  and  Christian  Litera- 
ture, a  division  of  the  National  Council  of  Churches'  over- 
seas ministries  department.  At  left  is  a  city  skyline  with 
the  star  of  the  nativity  shining,  entitled  "God  So  Loves  the 
World."  Mr.  Claverie's  "Madonna  of  the  Andes,"  above 
depicts  a  strong,  serene  Indian  mother  with  her  child, 
painted  in  deep  pinks,  purples,  and  blues.  Both  cards, 
along  with  several  others,  are  available  from  Lit  Lit,  475 
Riverside  Drive,  New  York,  N.Y.  10027. 


The  Bible  Blesses  the  Poor 


by  WILLIAM  FAW 

Blessed  are  the  poor  in  spirit,  for  theirs 
is  the  kingdom  of  heaven.  .  .  .  Blessed 
are  you  poor,  for  yours  is  the  kingdom 
of  God.  .  .  .  But  woe  to  you  that  are 
rich,  for  you  have  received  your  con- 
solation (Matthew  5:3;  Luke  6:20,  24) 

The  Sermon  on  the  Mount  begins  with 
the  strange  promise  that  the  poor, 
hungry,  weeping,  persecuted  people 
are  blessed  or  happy.  Why?  Because 
they  know  that  theirs  is  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,  that  they  shall  be  comfort- 
ed, that  they  shall  inherit  the  earth, 
that  they  shall  be  satisfied,  that  they 
shall  obtain  mercy,  that  they  shall  see 
God,  that  they  shall  be  called  sons  of 
God,  and  that  their  reward  is  great  in 
heaven. 

But  isn't  this  a  case  of  trading  pres- 
ent misery  for  "pie  in  the  sky"?  Aren't 
these  beatitudes  ways  of  telling  the 
poor  to  stay  in  their  place  and  be  satis- 
fied —  while  the  rich  are  taken  off  the 
hook,  so  they  don't  have  to  do  any- 
thing to  help  the  poor?  These  ques- 
tions may  inform  a  look  at  the  Bible's 
picture  of  what  it  is  like  to  be  poor, 
the  causes  of  poverty,  our  responsibil- 
ity toward  the  poor,  the  reward  for 
faithful  poverty. 

The  state  of  poverty 

We  notice  that  while  Luke  talks 
about  the  "poor,"  Matthew  talks  about 
the  "poor  in  spirit."  Most  scholars 
assume  that  Luke's  term  is  closer  to 


Beggar   Leaving   on    a   Stick   by   Rem- 
brandt 


Jesus'  meaning:  the  poor  —  those  with- 
out money,  food,  clothing  —  will  in- 
herit the  kingdom  of  God!  But  why 
should  the  poor  inherit  the  kingdom  of 
God,  while  "it  is  easier  for  a  camel  to 
go  through  the  eye  of  a  needle  than  for 
a  rich  man  to  enter  the  kingdom  of 
God"  (Matthew  19:23)?  There  seem 
to  be  two  reasons  given  in  the  New 
Testament:  (1)  The  poor  have  not 
acquired  all  of  the  haughty,  prideful 
self-reliance  of  the  wealthy;  and  (2) 
the  poor  are  poor  because  of  injustices 
against  them  and  thus  deserve  their 
reward. 


Matthew  stresses  the  first  reason  for 
blessing  the  poor:  The  poor  are  "poor 
in  spkit,"  that  is,  humble  and  meek. 
The  qualities  of  the  "poor  in  spirit" 
are  exemplified  by  Christ.  "For  you 
know  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  though  he  was  rich,  yet 
for  your  sake  he  became  poor,  so  that 
by  his  poverty  you  might  become  rich" 
(2  Corinthians  8:9).  And  it  is  to  be 
shown  by  Christ's  followers.  "Has  not 
God  chosen  those  who  are  poor  in  the 
world  to  be  rich  in  faith  and  heirs  of 
the  kingdom  which  he  has  promised 
to  those  who  love  him?"  (James  2:5). 

Christ  clearly  rebuked  the  material- 
ists —  whose  purpose  in  life  revolves 
around  the  acquiring  of  wealth,  better 
homes,  and  security.  He  especially 
criticized  those  who  seek  such  things 
before  seeking  —  indeed,  instead  of 
seeking  —  the  kingdom  of  God.  To 
be  humble,  to  live  a  simple  life,  to 
trust  in  God  for  security  are  clearly 
marks  of  the  Christian. 

Luke,  however,  emphasizes  the 
second  reason  for  blessing  the  poor. 
Luke  quotes  Jesus  as  saying:  "Blessed 
are  you  poor,"  and  "woe  to  you  that 
are  rich."  Luke  reflects  the  fact  that 
the  early  Christians  were  predominant- 
ly poor.  "For  consider  your  call, 
brethren;  not  many  of  you  were  wise 
according  to  worldly  standards,  not 
many  were  powerful,  not  many  were 
of  noble  birth   (1  Corinthians  1:26). 

It  is  clear  that  Jesus  came  as  a  poor 
man  to  preach  predominantly  to  poor 
men  and  women.   The  early  Christians 


12-3-70    MESSENGER     5 


BIBLE   BLESSES  THE   POOR  /  continued 

came  out  of  the  poverty  —  or  at  least 
the  lower  —  classes,  and  they  had  ad- 
vantages over  the  rich  men  when  it 
came  to  understanding  Christ's  mes- 
sage. 

The  causes  of  poverty 

But  what  does  this  say  about  the 
causes  of  poverty?  The  Bible  reflects 
most  of  the  range  of  thoughts  on  this 
subject  that  we  see  today.  In  general, 
the  core  writings  of  the  Old  Testament, 
such  as  the  Law  and  the  Prophets,  por- 
tray poverty  as  a  result  of  oppression 
and  greed,  of  calamity,  plague,  war, 
disease,  fraud,  or  credit  gauging  — 
conditions  over  which  the  victim  had 
no  control. 

In  the  early  tribal  system  there  had 
been  no  poverty  unless  the  entire  tribe 
was  poor.  All  flocks  and  land  were 
held  in  common.  The  more  the  early 
Hebrews  developed  agriculture,  and 
then  city  industries,  the  more  some 
people  lost  their  land  and  their  goods. 
There  developed  the  system  of  interest 
rates,  the  use  of  the  courts  against  the 
poor,  and  the  rise  of  social  and  eco- 
nomic classes. 

The  prophets  addressed  their  urban- 
ized society  in  light  of  the  tribal  ideal. 
Amos  spoke  of  them  that  "trample  the 
head  of  the  poor  into  the  dust  of  the 
earth,  and  turn  aside  the  way  of  the 
afflicted"  (Amos  2:7).  The  Psalms  re- 
port that  "in  arrogance  the  wicked 
hotly  pursue  the  poor"  (Psalm  10:2). 
Isaiah  wrote,  "The  Lord  enters  into 
judgment  with  the  elders  and  princes 
of  his  people;  'it  is  you  who  have  de- 
voured the  vineyard,  the  spoil  of  the 
poor  is  in  your  houses.  What  do  you 
mean  by  crushing  my  people,  by  grind- 
ing the  face  of  the  poor?'  says  the  Lord 
God  of  hosts"  (Isaiah  3:14-15). 

In  the  earlier  society  there  had  been 
no  poor;  all  were  provided  for.  But 
since   the   prophets'   time   there   have 


been  poor.  The  change  of  the  social 
structures  and  the  arrogant  devouring 
by  the  rich  and  powerful  —  taking  ad- 
vantage of  the  changed  structures  — - 
created  the  poverty  class.  Such  social 
injustices  were  seen  as  clear  cases  of 
unrighteousness  and  unfaithfulness  to 
God. 

The  Bible  is  not  unified  in  this  in- 
terpretation, however.  The  book  of 
Proverbs  —  written  later  under  the  in- 
fluence of  other  cultures  and  ideas, 
tends  to  stress  the  poor  man's  respon- 
sibility for  his  own  poverty:  "A  little 
sleep,  a  little  slumber,  a  little  folding 
of  the  hands  to  rest,  and  poverty  will 
come  upon  you  like  a  vagabond,  and 
want  like  an  armed  man"  (6:10-11) 
"a  slack  hand  causes  poverty"  (10:4) 
"the  blessing  of  the  Lord  makes  rich' 
(10:22);  "slothfulness  casts  into  a  deep 
sleep,  and  an  idle  person  will  suffer 
hunger"  (19:15). 

Yet,  while  Proverbs  stresses  that 
lazy  people  become  poor,  it  does  not 
say  that  all  poor  people  are  poor  be- 
cause of  their  own  laziness.  There  is 
a  crucial  distinction  to  be  made  at  this 
point.  Proverbs  also  displays  some  dis- 
trust of  wealth:  "He  who  trusts  in  his 
riches  will  wither"  (11:28);  and  "a 
good  name  is  to  be  chosen  rather  than 
great  riches"  (22:1). 

Responsibility  to  the  poor 

Even  with  this  tension  between  the 
Law  and  Prophets,  on  the  one  hand, 
which  stress  social,  economic,  and 
legal  injustices  as  causes  of  poverty, 
and  the  wisdom  literature,  on  the  other 
hand,  which  stresses  individual  initia- 
tive as  the  cause  of  wealth  or  poverty 
—  even  with  this  tension,  all  the 
strands  of  literature  in  the  Bible  are 
agreed  that  followers  of  Moses  and 
Christ  are  to  take  responsibility  toward 
the  poor.  Here  again,  this  responsibil- 
ity takes  different  forms. 


Where  social-economic-legal  causes 
are  stressed,  the  same  type  of  solutions 
are  urged:  The  judges  were  to  give  the 
poor  full  protection  ("You  shall  not 
pervert  the  justice  due  to  your  poor  in 
his  suit");  interest  was  not  to  be  exact- 
ed from  the  poor  ("If  you  lend  money 
to  any  of  my  people  with  you  who  is 
poor,  you  shall  not  be  to  him  as  a 
creditor,  and  you  shall  not  exact  in- 
terest from  him";  the  poor  were  to  be 
allowed  to  glean  in  the  fields  and  vine- 
yards ("You  shall  not  reap  your  field 
to  its  very  border,  nor  shall  you  gather 
the  gleanings  after  your  harvest;  you 
shall  leave  them  for  the  poor  and  for 
the  stranger";  every  three  years  the 
yearly  tithe  was  to  be  turned  over  to 
the  poor  and  needy  (Deut.  14:28- 
29ff.);  and  every  fifty  years  debts  were 
to  be  canceled,  land  was  to  be  re- 
distributed, and  slaves  were  to  be 
freed. 

Proverbs,  which  stressed  the  person- 
al initiative  which  could  make  a  person 
rich  or  poor,  still  finds  room  for  com- 
passion on  the  poor.  "Blessed  is  he 
who  is  kind  to  the  poor"  (14:21).  "He 
who  oppresses  a  poor  man  insults  his 
Maker,  but  he  who  is  kind  to  the  needy 
honors  him"  (14:31).  "He  who  mocks 
the  poor  insults  his  Maker"  (17:5). 
"He  who  is  kind  to  the  poor  lends  to 
the  Lord,  and  he  will  repay  him  for 
his  deed"  (19:17).  "He  who  closes 
his  ear  to  the  cry  of  the  poor  will  him- 
self cry  out  and  not  be  heard"  (21:13). 

Responsibility  to  the  poor  is  carried 
full-force  into  the  New  Testament. 
Jesus  told  the  rich  young  ruler,  "If  you 
would  be  perfect,  go,  sell  what  you 
possess  and  give  to  the  poor,  and  you 
Will  have  treasure  in  heaven;  and  come, 
follow  me"  (Matthew  19:21). 

One  of  the  most  fascinating  scrip- 
tures in  the  Bible  is  Luke  14:12-14: 
"When  you  give  a  dinner  or  a  ban- 
quet, do  not  invite  your  friends  or  your 


6     MESSENGER    12-3-70 


brothers  or  your  kinsmen  or  rich 
neighbors,  lest  they  also  invite  you  in 
return,  and  you  be  repaid.  But  when 
you  give  a  feast,  invite  the  poor,  the 
maimed,  the  lame,  the  blind,  and  you 
will  be  blessed,  because  they  cannot 
repay  you.  You  will  be  repaid  at  the 
resurrection  of  the  just.  The  early 
church  followed  this  command:  They 
sold  their  possessions  and  goods  and 
distributed  them  to  all,  as  any  had 
need"  (Acts  2:45).  And  "there  was 
not  a  needy  person  among  them,  for 
as  many  as  were  possessors  of  lands 
or  houses  sold  them,  and  brought  the 
proceeds  of  what  was  sold  and  laid  it 
at  the  apostles'  feet;  and  distribution 


was  made  to  each  as  any  had  need" 
(Acts  4:34). 

Reward  for  faithful   poverty 

Finally,  what  is  the  poor  person's 
reward  for  faithful  poverty?  First  of 
all,  there  is  no  more  reason  for  a  poor 
person  to  remain  poor  than  for  a  rich 
person  to  become  poor!  If  being  poor 
is  blessed,  then  it  should  be  blessed  for 
all!  The  comfortable  Christian  who 
tells  a  poor  Christian  to  "remain  poor, 
be  satisfied  with  your  lot,  don't  try  to 
change  the  system  that  is  keeping  you 
down,  for  your  reward  will  come  later" 
—  that  comfortable  Christian  is  an  ar- 
rogant   hypocrite!     If    poverty    is    so 


Deiail  from   The  Hundred  Guilder  Print  (Christ   With   the  Sick  Around  Him)  by  Rembrandl 


good,  why  doesn't  he  become  poor? 

The  dominant  calls  from  the  scrip- 
tures are  twofold:  (1)  God  supports 
those  who  are  struggling  to  eliminate 
poverty  here  and  now  (either  by 
changing  economic  structures  or  by 
selling  all  they  have  to  give  to  the 
poor);  and  (2)  there  are  dangers  in 
wealth  that  we  must  watch  out  for  — 
arrogance,  oppression,  and  complete 
self-reliance. 

How  do  we  strive  to  eliminate  pov- 
erty on  the  one  hand  and  preach 
against  materialism  on  the  other?  Does 
not  the  former  preach  materialism  to 
the  poor?  Are  we  not  trying  to  make 
the  poor  as  materialistic  as  the  rich  at 
the  same  time  as  we  are  trying  to  make 
the  rich  as  humble  as  the  poor? 

Perhaps  this  tension  is  resolved  in 
the  example  of  the  early  church  which 
made  itself  a  little  poorer  in  order  to 
bring  the  poorest  up  to  a  certain  level 
of  comfort.  The  poor  should  take  the 
initiative  to  better  themselves,  and  the 
nonpoor  should  help  clear  the  road- 
blocks from  their  progress.  At  the 
same  time  we  must  stress  that  the 
pursuit  of  wealth,  at  least  beyond  a 
certain  minimal  stage  ("our  daily 
bread"),  is  harmful  to  the  piursuit  of 
the  kingdom  of  God. 

Where  does  the  blessing  come  in? 
Even  if  you  never  escape  poverty  you 
can  know  God's  love  and  your  dignity 
as  a  human  being,  and  you  can  know 
that  you  will  find  your  fulfillment  with 
God.  And  also,  if  you  set  out  to  seek 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  aU  truth,  love, 
and  integrity  and  are  unwilling  to  sell 
your  soul  for  money  or  fame,  you  may 
well  end  up  poor  and  uncomfortable. 
Right  on!  For  you  are  receiving  what 
is  real  in  life  —  life  is  far  fuller  for 
you  than  for  the  person  who  is  empty 
in  his  heart,  though  full  in  stomach 
and  wallet.  Right  on!  For  blessed  are 
you!     D 

12-3-70    MESSENGER     7 


.Jw^ 


news 


Self-allocation  reviewed 


As  A  PRINCIPLE,  self-allocation  is  sound; 
but  the  procedures  can  be  improved. 

This  was  the  clear  impression  received 
by  the  Office  of  Stewardship  Enlistment 
after  an  evaluative  series  of  late  summer 
meetings  on  the  self-allocation  process 
with  70  Brethren  at  Harrisburg,  Pa., 
Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  Har- 
risonburg, Va.,  Ankeny,  Iowa,  and  Elgin, 
111. 

Since  1961  congregations  have  indi- 
cated in  advance  their  year's  commit- 
ment to  outreach  and  mission,  includ- 
ing district  and  Brotherhood  programs, 
thereby  providing  the  program  by  which 
the  church  receives  its  major  support. 

Many  concerns:  There  were  other 
concerns  also  for  self-allocation  in  its 
interpretation,  timing,  and  personaliza- 
tion, and  for  such  related  areas  as  institu- 
tional support,  Five-Year  Goals,  unified 
giving,  and  the  nomenclature  of  the  pro- 
gram itself. 

From  these  meetings  in  the  field  with 
Stewardship    Enlistment    staff    members 


Ronald  D.  Petry  and  Donald  L.  Stern 
were  to  come  recommendations  for  alter- 
ing self-allocation.  Any  new  directions 
would  follow  the  General  Board  meeting 
in  November. 

Perhaps  perceptive  for  the  entire  round 
of  talks  was  one  comment  in  the  Ankeny 
meeting  that  self-allocation  as  a  tech- 
nique is  not  so  much  responsible  for  the 
diminishing  returns  of  financial  support 
(a  characteristic  common  to  most  church 
groups  today)  as  is  the  inadequate  life 
of  many  of  the  congregations  themselves. 

Brotherhood  Fund  giving  for  the  year 
ended  September  30  was  some  $91,000 
under  the  year  before.  Receipts  for 
1969-70  (including  disaster  fund  monies, 
but  exclusive  of  Fund  for  the  Americas) 
were  $1,842,219  against  a  hoped-for  in- 
come of  $1,955,000.  The  Brotherhood 
budget  for   1970-71    is  $2  million. 

New  title?  The  term  self-allocation 
itself  was  felt  by  some  to  be  descriptive 
but  lacking  warmth  and  attractiveness. 
Reference  to  the  process  might  mention 


an  expression  of  commitment,  faith,  out- 
reach, mission,  or  partnership. 

Indeed,  partnership  was  seen  as  both  a 
value  and  a  problem  in  self-allocation. 
Ron  Petry  noted  some  feeling  at  the 
Harrisonburg  meeting  that  self-allocation 
is  "good  because  it  begins  at  the  local 
level  where  the  funds  come  from  and 
thus  promotes  a  feeling  of  participation." 

Still,  at  that  meeting  and  others  there 
was  a  concern  that  church  members  do 
not  feel  they  have  a  stake  in  the  goals  of 
the  General  Board;  that  perhaps  a  larger 
partnership  is  needed  in  setting  priorities. 

Personalization:  "One  of  the  concerns 
that  emerged  at  Ankeny  was  in  regard  to 
the  question  of  how  the  priorities  of  the 
church  can  be  more  personally  related  to 
our  lives,"  noted  Mr.  Petry.  A  conclu- 
sion reached,  too,  in  the  La  Verne  ses- 
sion was  that  persons  need  to  have  a 
basic  confidence  in  programs  which  they 
are  expected  to  support  and  that  such 
confidence  comes  from  their  own  par- 
ticipation. Between  such  groups  as  Gen- 
eral Board,  districts,  and  colleges,  more 
of  a  collegiality  needs  to  be  involved  in 
goal  setting,  was  one  sentiment.    Striking 


The  members  of  the  Office 
of  Stewardship  Enlistment, 
Stewart  B.  Kauffman,  Ronald 
D.  Petry,  and  Donald  L. 
Stern,  are  charged  with  en- 
listing financial  support  for 
the  Brotherhood  program, 
counseling  on  bequests  and 
endowments  and  stewardship 
education,  assisting  in  Every- 
Member  Enlistments,  coordi- 
nating Self-Allocation,  and 
interpreting  major  fund 
appeals 


8     MESSENGER     12-3-70 


a  responsive  chord  at  Ankeny  was  the 
observation  that  there  is  a  direct  relation- 
ship between  involvement  in  the  district 
and  Brotherhood  and  self-allocation  sup- 
port. 

Still  another  "outstanding  impression" 
gained  by  Mr.  Retry  from  Ankeny  was 
that  "many  people  feel  that  the  Brother- 
hood is  impersonal  and  they  have  diffi- 
culty in  relating  their  contributions  to 
ministries  that  are  geared  to  persons." 

'Side  issue':  A  common  conclusion  in 
the  series  of  meetings  was  that  self-allo- 
cation has  too  often  been  a  "side-issue," 
dealt  with  but  once  a  year,  and  then  only 
briefly. 

"It  is  difficult  to  build  enthusiasm  in  a 
15-minute  period  in  a  Sunday  morning 
service  if  this  is  all  that  is  involved  in  the 
interpretive  process,"  was  one  response. 
Indeed,  the  sentiment  appeared  to  favor 
integrating  self-allocation  into  the  entire 
stewardship  program  of  a  church,  with 
increased  interpretation  throughout  the 
year  about  what  such  financial  support 
makes  possible. 

Both  districts  and  Brotherhood  have 
perhaps  been  negligent  in  their  interpre- 
tation and  dramatization  of  the  ministries 
supported  by  the  church,  one  group  felt. 
Needed,  too,  in  interpretation  is  not  only 
the  what  but  also  the  why  of  the  church's 
various  ministries.  Said  one  participant: 
"We're  not  equipped  to  decide  how  to 
divide  the  outreach  dollar  among  the 
various  groups  that  are  seeking  it."  In 
some  instances,  churches  are  over- 
whelmed by  the  many  demands  upon 
their  dollar. 

One  plea  was  made  for  increased  as- 
sistance in  budget  building  procedures 
for  local  congregations.  "Not  being  sure 
how  to  go  about  it,  some  congregations 
do  it  poorly,  if  at  all,  particularly  in  the 
area  of  outreach,"  was  one  conclusion. 

Smaller  package:  Several  persons  in 
the  La  Verne  group  registered  the  strong 
conviction  that  one  way  to  strengthen 
self-allocation  is  to  reduce  the  load  it 
tries  to  carry.  Colleges  and  homes  for 
the  aging,  and,  to  a  lesser  extent,  camps 


should  be  omitted  from  the  self-alloca- 
tion process,  La  Verne  participants  felt. 
To  centralize  concerns  and  to  focus  on 
priorities  seemed  imperative  to  them. 

There  was  a  group  feeling  that  the 
church  needs  to  turn  its  energies  away 
from  the  institutions  that  are  now  well 
developed.  A  similar  concern  was  raised 
in  another  Brethren  college  and  home 
area,  Harrisonburg,  although  one  person 
asserted  that  while  the  church's  contri- 
bution to  the  colleges  is  small,  the  matter 
of  church-relatedness  is  symbolic  and 
still  sought.  (In  past  years  the  colleges 
have  been  a  stated  and  recommended 
part  of  congregational  self-allocation, 
while  homes  and  camps  could  be  volun- 
tarily added.) 

Goal  planning:  In  one  session,  the 
Five- Year  Goals  program,  recommended 
by  the  1964  Annual  Conference,  came 
under  criticism  as  being  useless  —  a  "tag- 
along,"  one  called  it.  Yet  there  was  senti- 
ment that  it  remained  helpful  in  goal- 
setting  in  relation  to  program,  as  well 
as  in  determining  a  per  member  dollar 
goal. 

Such  goals  ( a  second  round  was  begun 
last  year)  have  helped  a  number  of  con- 
gregations keep  Brotherhood  support  in 
proper  relationship  to  their  total  giving, 
according  to  some  testimony.  Partici- 
pants in  another  group  judged  that  the 
times  are  too  unpredictable  to  expect 
churches  to  set  five-year  goals  and  that 
two-  and  three-year  periods  might  be 
more  realistic. 

Timing:  At  the  Harrisburg  session  self- 
allocation  came  under  fire  as  too  repeti- 
tive. Instead,  a  biennial  process  might 
be  considered,  with  continuing  yearly  in- 
terpretation. In  terms  of  timing  for  the 
self-allocation  process,  normally  taking 
place  in  the  spring,  some  felt  that  it 
should  be  geared  more  closely  to  the 
total  budget  building  process  in  the  con- 
gregation. 

The  point  was  raised  at  Fort  Wayne 
that  there  is  a  relationship  between  stew- 
ardship and  evangelism,  with  the  view 
that  giving  cannot  continue  to  increase 


indefinitely  in  the  face  of  declining  mem- 
bership. 

Metaphorically,  the  conversation 
turned  to  chickens:  If  we  want  more 
"eggs,"  we  are  going  to  have  to  have 
more  "hens."  But  we  need  to  feed  the 
hens,  and  the  hens  need  to  have  a  com- 
mitment to  be  what  they  are  —  egg-lay- 
ing chickens.  The  church  needs  to  appeal 
to  individual  hens  (districts  and  congre- 
gations) rather  than  simply  addressing 
an  appeal  to  the  whole  flock  (denomina- 
tion). And  not  overlooked  in  this  process 
is  a  role  for  the  "rooster." 

A  feeling  was  aired  that  increased 
family  income  is  not  being  reflected  in 
congregational  giving;  that  more  effec- 
tive stewardship  education  programs  and 
enlistment  campaigns  are  required. 

Personal  contacts:  Too,  the  interpre- 
tation role  was  seen  as  something  going 
beyond  literature:  The  message  must  be 
carried  in  person  as  well.  Program  per- 
sonnel were  urged  to  get  into  the  church- 
es, large  and  small  where  local  parish- 
ioners would  welcome  opportunities  for 
personal  contact  with  denominational 
leadership.  For  the  same  purposes,  the 
itineration  of  missionaries  into  local 
churches  was  considered  important  in  in- 
terpretation needs. 

The  six  meetings  received  excellent  at- 
tendance, with  six  more  persons  than 
expected  attending  from  the  local  church 
at  one  session.  The  whole  experience 
was  a  positive  process,  noted  Ron  Petry. 
"The  sessions  renewed  my  conviction 
that  there  is  within  the  church  a  consid- 
erable body  of  persons  who  are  prepared 
to  give  their  best  thinking  and  their  cre- 
ative energies  to  the  developing  of  more 
effective  instruments  and  tools  for  the 
doing  of  the  work  that  we  all  share." 

He  concluded:  "I  sensed  a  bond  of 
partnership  and  a  commitment  to  mission 
that  were  a  shot  in  the  arm  for  me."  It 
is  hoped  that  the  self-allocation  process, 
upon  which  mission  and  life  in  the 
church  rest,  will  be  equally  renewed  for 
the  more  effective  worldwide  work  of 
the  Brethren. 


12-3-70    MESSENGER     9 


news 


Brethren  aid  India 
in  flood  recovery 

Described  as  the  worst  flood  in  a 
hundred  years,  a  widespread  rainstorm 
over  western  and  parts  of  central  India 
in  September  took  more  than  1,100  lives, 
killed  many  livestock,  and  inundated 
thousands  of  acres  of  crops,  causing 
severe  soil  erosion. 

The  hardest  hit  area  was  the  Broach 
district  in  Gujarat  State,  one  of  the  three 
areas  where  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
has  been  working  for  many  years.  The 
flood  of  the  Narmada  River  was  three 
feet  higher  than  the  1968  flood,  consid- 
ered then  the  highest  in  75  years. 

Responding  to  an  appeal  by  the  state 
government  for  outside  aid,  the  World 
Ministries  Commission  made  $5,000 
from  the  Emergency  Disaster  Fund  avail- 
able for  relief  and  rehabilitation. 

Brethren  mission  personnel  in  India, 
Everett  Fasnacht  and  Ishwarlal  Christa- 
chari,  conveyed  the  funds  to  Indian  au- 
thorities with  the  message  from  Ameri- 
can Brethren  that  "although  we  are 
distantly  removed  in  miles,  we  are  closely 
bound  together  in  our  common  humanity 
and  hope  that  these  funds  will  help  to 
convey  and  demonstrate  our  love  and 
concern  for  our  brothers  in  India." 

Taxes  suspended:  On  the  part  of  the 
Gujarat  government  itself,  Mr.  Fasnacht 
indicated  that  it  is  supplying  bullocks 
"to  replace  the  animals  that  have  been 
lost,  subsidizing  reconstruction  of  houses, 
distributing  grain  and  foodstuffs,  and 
foregoing  tax  collections  because  all  nor- 
mal sources  of  income  have  been  dis- 
rupted." 

In  some  areas,  land,  building  materials, 
and  subsidies  are  being  provided  for 
moving  entire  villages  from  low  lying 
affected  areas  to  higher  ground. 

The  Rural  Service  Center,  a  ministry 
of  the  Brethren  in  India  since  1950,  sent 
out  a  team  of  men  to  villages  to  rehabili- 
tate machinery,  mainly  electric  engines 
and  pumps  for  irrigation,  that  had  been 


submerged  and  left  inoperative,  said  di- 
rector George  Mason. 

After  a  month  of  disruption,  the  rail- 
way system  was  returned  to  service,  and 
the  government  is  reconstructing  bridges 
and  highways,  communications,  and  gov- 
ernment buildings. 

Further  aid:  In  other  recent  expendi- 
tures from  the  Emergency  Disaster  Fund, 
the  Brethren  contributed: 

l/*  $2,000  to  Church  World  Service 
for  transmission  to  Christian  Care  in 
Rhodesia  in  response  to  an  appeal  of 
the  Africa  Department  of  the  National 
Council  of  Churches. 

The  crisis  developed  after  the  country 
and  other  parts  of  eastern  and  southern 
Africa  had  a  year  of  little  rainfall  and 
poor  crops.  The  funds  will  go  toward 
providing  food  for  children,  ten  of  whom 
can  be  fed  a  meal  for  one  dollar. 

]/»  $5,000  to  Church  World  Service 
for  a  combined  response  to  disasters  in 
Pakistan,  the  East  Indies,  Yemen,  Cam- 
bodia, and  Laos. 

\^  $5,000,  the  second  such  payment, 
to  Church  World  Service  in  meeting  the 
balance  of  a  Brethren  commitment  to 
Vietnam  Christian  Service  work  in  that 
country. 


Prisons  provide  more 
problems  than  cures 

"Prisons  subvert  the  development  of 
an  inmate's  autonomy  by  reducing  him 
to  a  wholly  dependent  status  in  which 
every  aspect  of  his  life  is  governed  by 
rules,"  notes  a  recent  Quaker  study  on 
the  prison  system  in  use  today. 

Only  by  being  given  liberty  and  auton- 
omy can  an  inmate  strengthen  the  re- 
sponsibility he  will  be  expected  to  exer- 
cise outside  prison,  notes  the  author  of 
the  study,  David  F.  Greenberg  of  Car- 
negie-Mellon University,  Pittsburgh. 

Prisons  opt  for  close  control  and  little 
individual  initiative  because  docile, 
obedient  creatures  are  much  easier  to 
manage    than    a    group    of    responsible. 


thoughtful  human  beings.  Dr.  Greenberg 
observes.  Trouble-free  maintenance  of 
the  institution  becomes  the  goal. 

This  is  one  of  the  underlying  causes 
seen  by  Dr.  Greenberg  by  which  prisons 
cause  society  more  problems  than  they 
solve.  He  opines  that  they  should  be 
abolished,  in  the  belief  that  prisons  are 
helping  the  public  to  avoid  facing  certain 
unpleasant  problems. 

"Neither  individuals  nor  groups  wish 
to  be  reminded  of  difficult  problems," 
he  said,  "and  in  such  circumstances  they 
often  prefer  to  avoid  the  problems  by 
physically  removing  them,  or  at  least 
their  most  visible  manifestations."  Hav- 
ing no  prisons  would  force  society  to 
deal  with  many  issues  it  now  avoids, 
such  as  the  treatment  of  socially  deviant 
but  harmless  behavior. 

The  report,  prepared  for  the  American 
Friends  Service  Committee,  noted  that 
many  of  the  supposed  functions  of  pris- 
ons do  not  really  exist  or  are  based  on 
faulty  assumptions.  For  example,  the 
notion  that  imprisonment  deters  the  po- 
tential criminal  rests  on  the  belief  that 
the  decision  to  violate  a  law  is  a  rational 
one,  determined  by  weighing  the  rewards 
of  the  criminal  act  against  the  severity 
of  the  punishment.  Dr.  Greenberg  be- 
lieves that  even  in  cases  where  the  deci- 
sion to  commit  a  crime  is  made  ration- 
ally, certainty  of  punishment  is  likely 
to  be  a  more  important  factor  than  the 
severity  of  punishment. 

Alternatives  to  the  present  prison  sys- 
tem include  island  penal  colonies,  in 
which  the  inmate  may  live  with  his  fam- 
ily in  a  community;  and  small  homo- 
geneous prisons  that  relate  to  local  com- 
munities and  volunteer  help. 

Until  prisons  are  abolished,  Dr.  Green- 
berg recommends  several  reforms:  Pris- 
oners should  be  entitled  to  all  civil  lib- 
erties, should  not  receive  indefinite  sen- 
tences, should  not  be  forced  to  work, 
should  receive  cash  allowances,  should 
be  permitted  conjugal  visits.  Greenberg 
advocates  also  education  programs  that 
are  consistent  with  prisoners'  interests. 
Beyond  this,  the  proposals  have  another 
consideration  —  they  would  save  money. 


10     MESSENGER     12-3-70 


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Merlin  L.  Brubaker,  right,  received  the  commendation  med- 
al of  the  U.S.  Public  Health  Service  from  Vernon  E.  Wilson, 
administrator  of  the  health  services  and  mental  health  associa- 
tion. Department  of  Health,  Education,  and  Welfare,  in  a 
Washington,  D.C.,  ceremony.  The  award  was  made  for  his 
leadership  as  director  of  the  Global  Community  Health  Career 
Development  Program,  which  trains  physicians  and  other 
health  personnel  for  service  in  community  medicine  throughout 
the  world.  More  recently  Dr.  Brubaker  was  appointed  region- 
al adviser  for  leprosy,  venereal  diseases,  and  yaws  for  the  Pan 
American  Health  Organization.  Both  Drs.  Wilson  and  Bru- 
baker are  members  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 


Samuel  S.  Studebaker  Sr.,  Tipp  City,  Ohio,  was  one  of 
four  men  elected  to  the  Ohio  Agricultural  Hall  of  Fame  on 
the  state  fairgrounds  this  fall.  Honored  for  his  contributions 
to  soil  and  water  conservation,  Mr.  Studebaker  this  year  com- 
pleted a  four-year  stint  as  president  of  the  National  Association 
of  Soil  and  Water  Conservation  Districts.  He  is  a  former 
teacher  and  school  administrator  and  operates  a  450-acre  dairy 
farming  enterprise.  He  has  also  given  leadership  to  farm 
credit  and  dairy  production  programs.  A  member  of  the  West 
Charleston  Church  of  the  Brethren  since  1958,  Mr.  Studebaker 
has  served  as  a  church  school  teacher,  church  board  chairman, 
and  moderator  of  the  congregation. 


Four  Brethren  met  this  fall  with  Curtis  W.  Tarr,  director  of 
the  Selective  Service  System,  to  interpret  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren's  historic  position  on  war  and  to  share  recent  Annual 
Conference    decisions.     Talking   with    the    recently   appointed 


Tarr,  right,  are  Wilbur  E.  Mullen,  ministry  to  men  facing  the 
draft;  W.  Harold  Row,  Washington  representative;  Charles  M. 
Bieber,  chairman  of  the  World  Ministries  Commission;  and  Ira 
B.  Peters,  chairman  of  the  General  Board. 


12-3-70    MESSENGER      11 


news 


BRF  paper  seeks  redress 


Luckily,  the  pews  of  the  Conemaugh 
Church  of  the  Brethren  in  this  western 
Pennsylvania  town  are  padded,  for  in 
resolution  and  rhetoric  the  Brethren  Re- 
vival Fellowship  (BRF)  came  down 
hard  on  their  several  concerns  for  the 
denomination. 

For  one  visitor  to  the  one-day  annual 
meeting  in  September,  the  sessions  were 
interesting  and  sobering.  It  had  been  a 
long  time  since  he  had  heard  "Amens" 
rise  from  the  audience,  as  speakers  Olen 
B.  Landes  and  Merlin  E.  Garber  made 
presentations.  And  the  traditional,  if  sel- 
dom practiced,  kiss  of  fellowship  among 
friends  seemed  curious  if,  in  fact,  correct. 

If  there  is  a  new  or  different  mood 
among  these  more  evangelical  and  con- 
servative Brethren,  it  was  reflected  in  this 
year's  meeting.  While  1969  addresses 
centered  more  on  biblical  themes  and 
worship,  this  year  their  import  was  on 
the  "dangerous  trends"  and  the  "crucial 
issue"  within  the  denomination.  Among 
the  250  persons  in  attendance  —  up  from 
75  last  year,  but  more  in  line  with  pre- 
vious years  —  a  visitor  had  to  be  im- 
pressed by  the  number  of  younger 
churchmen  represented. 

While  not  claiming  to  be  making  spec- 
tacular accomplishments,  the  BRF  bank 
account  has  come  substantially  out  of  the 
red  since  last  year;  about  one  congrega- 
tion in  five  has  a  contact  person  for  the 
distribution  of  literature,  reaching  each 
district;  and  revivalists  are  being  sched- 
uled in  churches,  says  chairman  Harold 
S.  Martin,  York,  Pa.  Committeemen 
with  him  are  Linford  J.  Rotenberger, 
vice-chairman,  Quakertown,  Pa.;  W. 
Hartman  Rice,  secretary,  Columbia  City, 
Ind.;  James  F.  Myer,  treasurer,  Lititz, 
Pa.;  Kenneth  H.  Hershey,  Conemaugh, 
Pa!;  Howard  J.  Kreider,  Milford,  Ind.; 
and  Olen  B.  Landes,  Harrisonburg,  Va. 

Working  within:  The  BRF  says  that 
it  has  been  quietly  working  within  the 
Brotherhood  to  bring  about  revival  with- 
in the  church,  seeking  to  restore  what 
it  feels   to  be   the  missing  emphasis  on 


the  whole  man  —  his  spiritual,  physical, 
and  economic  needs.  It  is  the  former 
which  BRF  feels  has  been  lacking  in 
some  denominational  programs. 

"It  is  our  conviction  that  the  church 
has  moved  away  from  its  basic  mission 
and  that  biblical  Christianity  has  been 
supplanted  largely  by  a  liberal  theology 
with  emphasis  on  social  and  political  ac- 
tion movements  that  have  very  little  con- 
cern for  the  spiritual  needs  of  the  world," 
the  members  said  in  a  resolution. 

While  commending  the  inclusion  in 
the  1970  Annual  Conference  program 
of  evangelist  and  educator  Myron  Augs- 
burger  and  several  conservative  Brethren 
in  late  evening  sessions,  other  directions 
of  the  Conference  raised  concerns. 

Those  concerns  are  three:  the  "missing 
dimension"  of  evangelism  among  minor- 
ities in  the  Fund  for  the  Americas  in 
the  U.S.,  given  a  three-year  extension 
at  the  Lincoln  Conference  this  year;  the 
support  given  by  Conference  to  non- 
cooperators  with  the  draft  in  revisions 
of  the  Statement  on  War;  and  the  non- 
traditional  communion  service  in  the 
Saturday   night  service. 

Separate  fund:  Fund  for  the  Amer- 
icas has  been  retained  apart  from  the 
Brotherhood  Fund  so  that  the  wishes 
of  those  who  disagree  with  FAUS  might 
be  respected.  Yet  the  Lincoln  Confer- 
ence voted  to  take  from  undesignated 
reserves  (coming  from  bequests  and  un- 
assigned  income  but  not  from  the  Broth- 
erhood Fund)  that  part  of  the  next 
year's  $100,000  goal  for  FAUS  that  did 
not  come  from  contributions.  Thus,  the 
distinction  between  the  two  funds  be- 
comes less  viable  for  the  BRF. 

The  fellowship  differs  on  the  matter 
of  noncooperation  with  the  draft  in  the 
concern  for  what  they  call  a  shift  from 
biblical  nonresistance  to  social  pacifism. 
The  church's  prior  sole  position  of  al- 
ternative service,  notes  the  resolution, 
has  "satisfied  the  requirements  of  orderly 
government  and  [the]  recognition  of  the 
scriptural    principle    of    nonresistance." 


The  Conference  action,  according  to 
BRF,  aligns  the  church  "with  the  whole, 
unsavory  war  resisters'  movement  and 
raises  the  possibility  that  biblical  nonre- 
sistance will  come  into  disrepute  because 
of  its  association  with  radical  social  ac- 
tion." 

On  Communion:  The  BRF  took  issue 
with  the  Conference  communion  service 
for  being  conducted  apart  from  the  sup- 
per and  foot  washing  service,  for  the 
lack  of  a  call  for  repentance  and  self- 
examination,  and  for  the  failure  to  ex- 
clude those  who  were  not  baptized  be- 
lievers. The  remainder  of  the  service, 
intended  as  a  celebrative  worship  experi- 
ence, was  criticized  for  its  "sacrilegious 
activities  that  did  not  show  reverence  for 
the  body  and  blood  of  our  Lord," 

With  these  issues,  the  BRF  voted  188-5 
to  take  their  paper  to  the  General  Board 
and  to  the  Standing  Committee  of  next 
year's  Conference,  asking  that  it  be 
brought  before  the  delegates.  In  what 
appears  to  reflect  a  changing  mood  of 
BRF,  the  fellowship  further  resolved  that 
"if  the  1971  Conference  decides  to  con- 
tinue in  the  present  direction,  we  believe 
there  is  no  other  choice  for  us  than  to 
discontinue  support  of  the  Brotherhood 
Fund."  The  BRF  would  initiate  or  rec- 
ommend other  outreach  projects  and  en- 
courage congregations  to  support  them 
instead  of  the  Brotherhood  program. 

An  observer  later  noted  that  the  res- 
olution failed  to  provide  any  guidelines 
as  to  what  constituted  the  "present  di- 
rection" or  a  change  from  it.  Measure- 
ment of  direction  for  the  BRF,  said 
Chairman  Martin,  would  probably  fall 
within  seven  concerns:  adherence  to 
biblical  authority;  redemptive  work  with- 
in mission;  the  youth  ministry;  ecumen- 
ism that  does  not  lay  aside  Anabaptist 
and  Pietist  distinctives;  the  tension  be- 
tween pacifism  and  biblical  nonresistance; 
theological  education;  and  the  theologi- 
cal stance  of  church  literature. 

Remaining  open:  That  Annual  Con- 
ference will  —  or  can  —  respond  mean- 
ingfully to  these  concerns  might  be  ques- 
tioned. Some  issues  may  still  be  open 
to    discussion    and    persuasion    on    both 


12     MESSENGER     12-3-70 


The  church's  crucial  issue  lies  with  its  historic  identity, 
said  Merlin  Garher,  in  examining  the  positions  of  revolution- 
ary, traditionalist,  preservationist,  and  radical  believer 


sides;  others  may  be  closed.  General 
Board  and  Conference  discussion  may 
also  bring  the  perspectives  into  better 
focus  and  easier  accommodation  —  if 
not  resolution. 

Among  dissenters  to  the  resolution  was 
Olen  Landes,  who  could  not  reconcile 
the  paper's  directive  regarding  denomi- 
national support,  and  W.  Hartman  Rice, 
who  refrained  from  voting  for  difficulty 
with  the  paper's  section  on  the  draft. 

In  his  presentation  on  the  "dangerous 
trends"  in  the  church,  Mr.  Landes  reiter- 
ated, among  others,  the  "light  treatment 
of  the  Bible  as  the  inspired  word  of 
God";  violation  of  such  principles  of  the 
gospel  as  going  to  law,  taking  an  oath, 
civil  and  nonviolent  disobedience;  ecu- 
menism; and  the  erection  of  "magnif- 
icent church  houses."  In  some  of  these 
concerns  he  would  find  sympathy  from 
many  outside  BRF  thinking. 

Identity  issue:  But  it  was  Pastor  Mer- 
lin Garber,  Frederick,  Md.,  speaking 
from  a  sociological  background,  who 
made  his  listeners  most  appreciative  of 
their  pew  cushions.  The  crucial  issue  in 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren,  said  Mr. 
Garber,  is  to  determine  what  is  to  be 
done  about  the  historic  identity  of  the 


Brethren.  His  views  hit  hard  both  pres- 
ent church  leadership  and  the  Brethren 
Revival  Fellowship,  though  likely  not 
equally.  His  sympathy  showed.  Still, 
the  analysis  probably  helped  each  posi- 
tion see  itself  more  clearly. 

It  is  the  conflict  between  the  revolu- 
tionary viewpoint  (attempting  to  destroy 
the  historic  identity)  and  the  traditional- 
ist viewpoint  (attempting  to  save  that 
identity)  that  is  the  cause  of  the  present 
conflict  within  the  church,  he  said. 
Clearly,  for  him,  the  prevailing  viewpoint 
of  the  constituency  is  the  traditionalist. 

The  traditionalist  faith  was  further 
seen  by  Mr.  Garber  as  the  preservation- 
ist (seeking  simply  to  defend  established 
beliefs  —  probably  the  most  common 
within  BRF)  and  the  radical  believer 
(who  examines  the  root  of  the  tradition). 
It  is  this  latter  position  that  Mr.  Garber 
believes  "represents  the  more  nearly  true 
identity." 

As  opposed  to  the  preservationists,  the 
radical  believer  knows  that  the  "real 
danger  to  the  identity  is  not  in  an  attack 
upon  the  practices  but  in  the  departure 
from  the  principle  that  brought  about 
the  identity  in  the  first  place,"  said  Mr. 
Garber.    It  is  this  alternative  that  "can 


At  BRF  annual  meeting:  Harold  Martin  in  contemplation,  James  Myer  in  dialogue 


be  a  unifying  and  saving  force  in  our 
brotherhood." 

Onus  on  liberals?  It  may  be  that 
the  BRF  resolution  may  further  polarize 
the  first  two  positions  Mr.  Garber  out- 
lined, if  one  gives  them  credence,  less- 
ening any  opportunity  for  a  stronger 
radical-believer  presence  in  the  church. 
Harold  Martin  conceded  that  he  would 
probably  fall  within  the  preservationist 
position  and  earlier  had  contended  that 
the  onus  for  disagreement  lies  not  so 
much  with  BRF  as  with  "those  who  are 
liberal  and  insist  on  moving  the  denomi- 
nation off  its  biblical  foundations." 

The  two  positions  of  preservationist 
and  radical  believer  were  well  illustrated 
in  an  encounter  between  Harold  Martin 
and  Art  Gish  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  dur- 
ing debate  on  the  noncooperation  stance 
in  the  resolution.  Alluding  to  a  past 
statement  of  Mr.  Gish  that  he  "accepts 
only  some  of  the  Bible,"  Mr.  Martin 
noted  that  those  "who  claim  to  have  a 
biblical  basis  [as  with  the  noncooperation 
issue]  are  not  really  always  as  biblical 
as  they  claim  to  be."  While  Mr.  Gish 
retorted  that  he  accepts  the  Bible  as  the 
authoritative  word  of  God,  though  reject- 
ing some  of  its  literalism,  prior  concerns 
raised  by  James  Poling,  West  York,  Pa., 
for  the  resolution's  wording  on  non- 
cooperation,  had  been  effectively  coun- 
tered. 

In  the  view  of  one  observer  the  BRF 
resolution  might  have  been  more  helpful 
to  the  task  at  hand  had  it  proposed  vi- 
able and  specific  alternatives  for  the  sup- 
port of  the  church  rather  than  suggesting 
withholding  of  funds.  More  important, 
the  paper  moves  away  from  the  "suppor- 
tive criticism"  that  the  conservative 
Brethren  have  shared.  Their  message 
has  been  important  to  the  church;  their 
methods  may  now  hinder  that  witness, 
despite  affirmations  of  commitment. 

Merlin  Garber  urged  the  church  to 
use  the  "anvil  of  debate"  in  resolving 
differences  in  theological  perspective 
within  the  church.  As  the  issues  are 
considered  it  may  be  hoped  that  what  is 
hammered   out  are  plowshares   and  not 

swords.  R.E.K. 


12-3-70    MESSENGER     13 


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rine 


Cook  molasses,  corn  sirup,  sugar,  vinegar,  water,  and  salt, 
stirring  until  sugar  is  dissolved.  Cook  until  mixture  reaches 
265  degrees  on  candy  thermometer,  or  the  hard  ball  stage, 
stirring  occasionally.  Remove  from  heat  and  stir  in  soda  and 
butter  until  well  mixed.  Pour  into  greased  large,  shallow  pan 
and  allow  to  stand  just  until  cool  enough  to  handle.  Butter  tips 
of  fingers  well;  cut  off  pieces  of  candy  and  pull  and  twist  until 
they  change  from  brown  to  bronze  in  color.  Twist  in  preferred 
shapes  or  cut  into  1-inch  pieces.  Wrap  in  waxed  paper,  twist- 
ing ends.   Yield:  about  75  pieces. 


RASPBERRY  CRUSH 


1  envelope  unsweetened 
raspberry-flavored  soft 
drink  powder 

1   cup  sugar 

4  cups  cold  water 

1   6-ounce  can  frozen  lem- 
onade concentrate, 
thawed 


Combine  soft  drink  p^ 
until  soft  drink  powder  ant 
ade  concentrate  and  raspb 
gently  stir  in  carbonated 
Makes  10  to  12  servings. 


PINK  TAFFY 


2  cups  granulated  sugar 
Wi   cups  light  corn  sirup 

2  tablespoons  corn- 
starch 
IVz  teaspoons  salt 


1  cup  water 
Vi   cup  butter 

4  teaspoons  vanilla 

5  drops  red  food  color- 
ing 


Mix  all  ingredients  except  butter,  flavoring,  and  coloring 
in  a  large,  heavy  saucepan.  Cook  over  moderate  heat  to  240 
degrees  on  the  candy  thermometer.  Add  butter  and  cook 
slowly  to  255  degrees,  or  until  V2  teaspoon  of  the  mixture 
dropped  into  cold  water  can  be  formed  with  fingers  into  a 
firm  (or  rather  hard  but  pliable)  ball.  Remove  pan  from  heat, 
wipe  away  crystals  from  pouring  side  with  a  damp  cloth.  Pour 
the  hot  sirup  into  a  buttered  pan;  do  not  scrape  last  of  sirup 
from  pan.  Let  stand  undisturbed  until  cool  enough  to  handle. 
When  slightly  cool,  stir  in  the  flavoring  and  coloring.  Butter 
hands  well;  then  gather  candy  into  a  ball  on  pan  with  fingers 
and  knead  a  few  seconds.  Pull  and  twist  until  taffy  is  satinlike 
and  pale  in  color.  Pull  into  Vz-  to  % -inch-thick  strands;  cut 
into  1  Vi  -inch  pieces.  Wrap  individually  in  waxed  paper  or 
saran;  twist  ends.    Yield:   about  V/i   lb.  of  finished  candy. 


OLD  ENGLISH 
HOT  SPICED  CIDER 


V2   teaspoon  whole  all- 
spice 

1   2-inch  stick  of  cinna- 
mon 

6  whole  cloves 


Tie  allspice,  cinnamon. 
Heat  cider  and  brown  suga 
let  simmer  over  low  heat  a 
spicy  enough  to  suit  your  1 
piping  hot  with  dash  of  nu 


1    10-ounce    package    fro- 
zen raspberries,  thawed 

1   large   bottle   lemon-lime 
carbonated  beverage 
(approx.  3V2  cups) 


id  sugar.  Add  water;  stir 
re  dissolved.  Stir  in  lemon- 
Chill.  Just  before  serving, 
e.     Serve    over    ice    cubes. 


SNOWMAN  PUNCH 


2  cups  water 
V2   cup  sugar 
12  whole  cloves 

2  2-inch  cinnamon  sticks 

3  1-pt.  bottles  cranberry 
juice    cocktail,    chilled 


6-oz.  can  frozen  lemonade 

concentrate 
6-oz.    can    frozen    orange 

juice  concentrate 


Bring  water,  sugar,  cloves,  cinnamon  sticks  to  boiling  in 
small  saucepan,  stirring  until  sugar  dissolves.  Reduce  heat; 
simmer  5  minutes.  Cool.  Remove  spices.  When  ready  to 
serve,  pour  cranberry  juice,  spiced  syrup,  and  frozen  lemonade 
and  orange  juice  over  ice  cubes  in  punch  bowl.  Stir  to  blend. 
Makes  20  servings. 


>ves  in  a  cheesecloth  bag. 
er.  Add  the  spice  bag  and 
min.,  or  until  the  cider  is 
;move  bag.  Serve  in  mugs 
fakes  about  3V4  cups. 


CANDY  HOLLY 
WREATHS 


V4   lb.  butter  or  oleo 
26  marshmallows 
Melt  above  and  add  1  tea- 
spoon green  coloring 
Mix  in  3  cups  com  flakes 


Drop  by  small  spoonsful  onto  waxed  paper.  Take  spoon 
tip  or  handle  and  start  pushing  outward  from  center  to  make  a 
hole  —  thus  forming  a  wreath.  Put  red  candies  on  wreath  for 
holly  berries.    Let  stand  overnight  before  storing. 


CHRIStlVIAS 

IN  The  kircliEN 


Turn  to  page  28  for  instructions 


by  KENNETH  L.  GIBBLE 


The  King  Who  Got  Lost 

After  two  thousand  years  what  would  Herod 
the  Great  have  to  say  to  Christians  who  are 
celebrating  the  birth  of  another  king  who 
escaped  Herod's  wrath?  He  might  answer 
a  reporters  questions  this  way 


Why  were  you  so  angry  with  the  Wise  Men  when 
they  didn't  come  back  as  you  had  asked  them  to? 
And  why  did  you  kill  all  the  children  in  Bethlehem? 
If  you  don't  mind  my  saying  so,  that  seems  like  a 
a  pretty  barbaric  thing  to  do. 


Well,  if  you  don't  mind  my  saying  so,  I  couldn't 
care  less  for  your  opinion.  What  do  you  know  about 
being  king?   Anyway,  I  don't  remember  the  event 
to  which  you're  referring. 


What?  You  mean  you  actually  forget  the  mass 
murder  of  those  children  after  the  wise  men  came 
telling  you  about  seeing  the  star? 


A  question  like  that  just  proves  the  point.  You  don't 
know  anything  about  the  business  of  being  king. 
Very  well,  I'll  tell  you  some  things  that  may  open 
your  eyes  a  bit.  First  of  all,  do  you  know  that  I  was 
a  Jew  myself?  Many  people  think  that  just  because 
I  was  appointed  by  Rome  to  be  king  of  Palestine 
that  I  was  also  a  Roman.    But  actually  my  parents 
had  converted  to  the  Jewish  religion  and  so,  tech- 
nically at  least,  I  was  a  Jew.   But  don't  think  I  was 
in  sympathy  with  their  Jewish  beliefs.   Personally, 
all  that  stuff  about  the  righteousness  and  power  of 
the  Jewish  God  always  struck  me  as  so  much  non- 
sense.  There  really  was  only  one  power  in  my  time, 
and  that  was  the  Roman  government.   And  I  al- 
ways made  sure  my  actions  would  get  Rome's  ap- 
proval.   It  wasn't  easy,  you  know,  playing  politics 
with  such  slippery  characters  as  Cleopatra  and  Mark 
Antony  and  Augustus.    I  always  was  proud  of  my 
record  of  lasting  thirty-three  years  as  king  in  a  time 
when  everyone  and  his  brother  were  out  to  get  me. 


The  star?  Oh  yes,  the  star!  Now  I  remember.  That 
was  a  new  twist,  to  be  sure. 


What  do  you  mean,  a  new  twist? 


But  let  me  get  back  to  the  point.   You'll  forgive 
an  old  man  for  rambling.   The  thing  was,  you  can't 
imagine  a  worse  bunch  of  subjects  than  those  Jews. 
They  were  always  trying  to  make  trouble.    I  guess 
they  were  a  bit  upset  because  they  thought  I  was 
betraying  the  nation  and  the  reUgion  by  taking  my 
orders  from  Rome.   As  if  they  would  have  been 
better  off  without  Roman  rule!    Why,  with  all  those 
hot-heads  running  around  stirring  up  trouble,  they'd 
have  all  killed  each  other  if  I  hadn't  been  around  to 
clamp  down  on  them.  I  can't  remember  how  many 
troublemakers  I  had  to  have  crucified.  They  just 
wouldn't  learn. 


Of  course,  I  didn't  have  as  much  time  to  give  to 
affairs  of  state  as  I  would  have  liked.  I  have 
only  one  regret  in  my  life,  and  that  is  that  I  made 
such  a  mess  of  family  affairs.  I  had  ten  wives,  you 
know.  That  was  a  few  too  many,  even  for  a  king  to 
handle.  It  was  bad  enough  with  all  the  wives  fighting 
among  themselves,  but  add  to  that  ten  mothers-in- 
law  and  you  can  see  I  had  quite  a  problem.  I  had  to 
get  rid  of  a  few  wives  and  mothers-in-law  too. 


Oh,  there's  no  need  to  be  horrified.   They  were 
plotting  to  have  me  assassinated  so  their  sons  could 
take  my  place.   I  had  to  kill  some  of  my  sons  for  the 
same  reason.   I  had  quite  a  few  of  my  most  trusted 
aides  liquidated,  too,  because  they  started  getting 
ideas.   Being  king  is  a  pretty  bloody  business.   Now, 
don't  get  me  wrong.   I'm  not  bragging.   It's  just  that 
I  had  no  choice.   It  was  either  they  or  I  in  almost 
every  case.    And  the  record  shows  that  the  country 
had  no  really  bad  wars  all  through  my  reign,  despite 
all  my  family  trouble.   Let's  see  now,  where  was  I? 
Oh,  yes,  the  star.   My  Jewish  subjects  had  the  idea 
that  their  God  was  going  to  send  them  a  king.  He 
would  come  on  the  scene  and  take  over  everything 
and  then  set  up  his  own  kingdom.  They  called  him 
the  Messiah.  They  were  always  talking  about  this 
Messiah.  Naturally,  I  thought  it  was  just  superstition. 
But  the  trouble  was,  they  took  it  seriously.  So  when- 
ever some  hot-head  started  trouble  somewhere,  right 
away  they  all  would  get  excited.  "Oh,  it's  the  Mes- 
siah," they  would  say.   Of  course,  it  never  was,  but 
it  caused  me  a  lot  of  trouble.   I  always  saw  to  it  that 
such  problems  never  got  out  of  hand.   I  always 
nipped  them  in  the  bud,  so  to  speak. 


Oh  yes,  the  star.  That  affair  came  at  a  very  bad 
time  for  me.  A  few  of  my  sons  had  been  plotting  to 
get  rid  of  me,  and  I  had  just  managed  to  get  things 
under  control  again  when  these  foreigners  came  to 
me  and  began  asking  some  stupid  questions  about  a 
star.  As  if  I  spent  my  time  watching  the  stars  all 
night!   I  didn't  think  it  was  important  until  they  said 
this  star  meant  that  a  king  of  the  Jews  had  been  bom 
and  that  they  had  come  to  worship  him.  That  got 
my  attention,  all  right.   Oh,  not  because  I  believe  in 
astrology.  That  business  about  stars'  telling  your 
future  is  nonsense.   But  I  didn't  want  these  strange 
looking  foreigners  spreading  the  word  that  a  king  of 
Jews  had  been  born.   If  such  a  rumor  got  started, 
I'd  have  a  terrible  mess  on  my  hands.  The  news 
would  get  across  the  country  in  no  time,  and  then 
there  would  be  uprisings  and  riots.  Everyone  would 
be  saying,  "It's  the  Messiah,"  all  over  again.  So  I 
figured  out  a  way  to  keep  things  under  control.   Ob- 
viously, I  couldn't  simply  arrest  these  men  and  get 
rid  of  them.   They  were  undoubtedly  distinguished 
men  in  their  country.  If  something  happened  to 
them,  there  would  be  embarrassing  inquiries.    So  I 
decided  to  play  along  with  them.   I  called  together 
the  Jewish  religious  leaders  on  the  pretext  of  want- 
ing to  learn  more  about  the  scriptures.   It  was  a 
good  public  relations  maneuver,  and  they  always  fell 
for  it.  I  asked  them  where  the  prophets  had  pre- 
dicted the  Messiah  would  be  born.   They  said  in 
Bethlehem,  and  they  quoted  some  scripture  to  prove 
it.  Well,  I  had  those  foreigners  listening  in  on  this 
conference.   When  I  was  alone  with  them  again,  I 
really  went  into  my  act.   I  pretended  to  be  greatly 
interested  in  their  search  —  asked  all  kinds  of  ques- 
tions —  and  then  sent  them  to  Bethlehem  with 
instructions  to  report  to  me  when  they  found  the 
king.   I  figured  it  this  way.   If  they  never  found  this 
king  —  and  I  doubted  they  would,  to  say  the 
least  —  no  harm  would  be  done.  People  would  re- 
gard them  as  fools.   If  they  did  pick  a  baby  to  call  a 
king,  I  would  wait  until  they  left  the  country  and 
then  —  take  measures. 


But  about  the  star.  . 


You  mean  . 


Yes.  But  as  it  turned  out,  the  foreigners  tricked  me. 
Through  some  informers,  I  learned  that  they  had 
found  a  baby  they  said  was  the  king  and  then  had 
vanished.    So  rumors  were  already  starting  to  fly. 
The  only  thing  I  could  do  was  to  have  all  the  male 
children  in  and  around  Bethlehem  disposed  of.  That 
pretty  well  settled  the  issue.   If  there  was  a  king,  he 
got  lost  in  a  hurry.   The  rumors  stopped,  and  I 
could  turn  my  attention  to  important  matters. 


You  seem  to  treat  the  whole  thing  rather  off-handed- 
ly.  It  might  interest  you  to  know  that  those  children 
were  "disposed  of,"  as  you  put  it,  in  vain. 


He  did  not  have  a  kingdom  in  the  sense  you're 
familiar  with. 


Then  what  was  his  kingdom  like? 


It  is  a  kingdom  of  peace,  of  goodwill,  of  love  among 
all  men.  It  is  a  kingdom  in  which  people  are  kind 
and  joyful,  it:  which  life  is  fulfilled  and  men  are  free. 


And  where  did  such  a  kingdom  exist? 


What  do  you  mean? 


Well,  the  king  the  Jews  were  looking  for  —  their 
Messiah  —  turned  out  to  be  quite  different  from  the 
king  they  had  expected.  He  wasn't  a  military  figure, 
and  he  certainly  never  would  have  threatened  to 
take  your  throne. 


Not  in  a  country,  but  in  the  lives  of  people  who 
believe  in  and  are  followers  of  this  king.  These 
people  still  live  in  this  kingdom. 


Which  people? 


The  ones  called  Christians. 


You  don't  say.  Well,  things  work  out  strangely 
sometimes.  By  the  way,  I  noticed  on  my  way  here 
that  there  are  decorations  and  lights  everywhere.   Is 
there  a  holiday  going  on? 


Yes.   It's  Christmas. 


Christmas?  What's  that? 


Oh,  yes.   Christians.  I've  heard  of  them.  There  are 
quite  a  few  in  this  country,  aren't  there?  Then  your 
king,  whoever  he  is,  is  very  lucky.  He  wouldn't  have 
the  problems  I  did:  of  crime,  and  jealousies,  and 
poverty,  and  trouble  makers.  Now  I  can  see  why 
you  got  so  upset  about  the  killing  of  infants.    Ob- 
viously, your  country  would  never  be  involved  in 
that  kind  of  thing,  would  it? 


It's  a  celebration  for  the  birth  of  a  king. 


A  king!   Is  he  the  king  of  your  coimtry? 


No,  he  was  born  about  two  thousand  years  ago, 
during  your  reign.  In  fact,  he  was  the  one  those  wise 
men  were  searching  for. 


Well.  .  .  .  That's  not  quite  the  way  it  is.  We  have  all 
those  things  you  had  when  you  were  king. 


I  see.   Well,  I  must  be  going.   It  sounds  to  me  as  if 
that  king  got  lost  again. 


Yes,  it  does  at  that.    D 


Is  that  so?  Of  what  nation  did  he  become  king? 


J. 


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day  by  day 


The  first  three  fruits  of  the  Spkit  mentioned  in  Galatians 
5  are  love,  joy,  and  peace.  The  incredible  ways  in  which 
people  today  are  searching  for  them  indicates  they  are 
pretty  scarce  commodities.  Our  family  has  been  looking 
into  what  produces  them  and,  conversely,  what  is  amiss 
when  they  are  lacking. 

Children  are  very  logical  thinkers.  Fruit  indicates  a 
tree  or  vine.  Cultivating  the  tree  would  be  the  best  way 
to  assure  a  harvest  of  fruit.  So  we  are  trying  to  learn  more 
about  the  cultivation  of  the  life  of  the  Spirit. 

Where  does  the  tree  come  from?  It  is  a  gift.  In  John 
20,  the  disciples  finally  believed  in  the  resurrected  Jesus. 
The  Bible  teaches  that  this  belief  is  necessary  to  be  Chris- 
tian. Jesus,  in  recognizing  their  acceptance  of  him  as  their 
living  Lord,  said,  "Receive  the  Holy  Spirit."  His  very 
next  words  are  the  ground  rules.  "If  you  forgive  the  sins 
of  any,  they  are  forgiven.  If  you  retain  the  sins  of  any, 
they  are  retained."  Great  theological  implications  are  con- 
tained here,  but  we  proceed  on  the  basis  that  it  is  just  that 
simple:  If  we  forgive,  we  are  free,  and  we  have  also  freed 
the  one  who  sinned  against  us,  from  the  bondage  of  our 
resentment.  If  we  don't  forgive,  we  are  retaining  resent- 
ment that  will  at  some  time  cause  us  trouble. 

And  yet  how  difficult  it  seems  to  be  for  so  many  of  us 
Christians  to  forgive.  Perhaps  we  haven't  seen  the  im- 
portance of  it;  perhaps  we  haven't  known  how  to  forgive. 
And  yet  small  children  forgive  automatically.  Not  so  as 
they  grow  older.  Are  they  learning  bad  habits  from  the 
adult  world? 

Many  people  talk  about  long-term  grievances  they 
aren't  sure  are  forgiven.  Or  claim  they  have  forgiven  but 
keep  examining  the  old  wound.  Agnes  Sanford  in  The 
Healing  Light  gives  a  good  forgiveness  formula.  She  writes 
that  if  we  are  still  thinking  about  an  old  act  or  thought, 
occasionally  askmg  again  for  forgiveness,  we  must  stop 
asking  or  wondering  and  start  giving  thanks  for  forgiveness, 
whether  we  feel  it  yet  or  not.  Our  worrying  is  just  an  old 
habit  that  will  disappear  as  we  affirm  God's  forgiveness 
instead  of  our  guilt.  The  guilt  needs  to  be  recognized  only 
once. 

She  continues  with  the  problem  of  forgiving  others. 
Each  time  a  situation  comes  to  our  mind  with  negative 
emotions  against  the  wrongdoer,  we  say,  "Oh,  but  through 
the  power  of  God  I  have  forgiven  that  one  and  actually 
wish  him  well,  so  these  feelings  have  to  disappear."  And 
then  we  must  not  dwell  on  it  or  recount  the  wrong  again, 
either  mentally  or  verbally,  or  our  first  statement  will  be 
made  void.    This  is  where  most  of  us  probably  break  the 


rules.  Of  course,  forgiveness  does  not  necessarily  mean 
cooperating  with  or  condoning  someone's  actions,  but  we 
must  be  very  sure  our  attitude  towards  the  person  is  for- 
giving. 

Children  using  this  method  seem  to  have  success  more 
quickly  than  we  do,  but  it  works  for  us,  too.  It  may  sound 
a  bit  childlike,  but  children  have  much  to  teach  us  about 
kingdom  living. 

Everything  we  do  or  think  is  written  into  the  warp  and 
woof  of  our  being.  Unfortunately,  this  includes  negative 
as  well  as  positive  traits.  No  wonder  Jesus  repeatedly 
warned  against  negative  emotions.  We  disobey  and  then 
wonder  what  has  happened  to  the  fruits  promised.  Children 
in  their  simplicity  understand  the  law  of  cause  and  effect, 
even  though  they  sometimes  forget  it  or  don't  care  in 
the  heat  of  "battle." 

We  have  made  a  list  of  the  physical  diseases  that  are 
now  put  into  the  category  of  psychosomatic  illnesses.  This 
is  helpful  in  showing  children  that  Jesus  wasn't  simply 
sermonizing  when  he  told  us  how  to  live  —  he  knew  what 
disobedience  could  lead  to.  And  he  talked  as  much  about 
attitudes  as  deeds.  We  are  trying  to  grasp  fully  that  Jesus 
did  not  give  advice  because  he  was  arbitrary  but  because 
he  loved  us  immensely  and  knew  how  we  were  created  to 
live.  Going  against  creation  is  not  healthy!  An  occasional 
fruit  inspection  might  reveal  what  kind  of  seed  we  are 
sowing.  —  Don  and  Shirley  Fike 


DAILY  READING  GUIDE       December  6-19 

Sunday   Galatians  6:7-9.    A  basic  law  of  life  —  what  we  sow  we  reap. 

Monday    Galatians  5:19-21.    In  the  world  —  what  we  sow  we  reap. 

Tuesday   Galatians  5:22-23.    In  the  spirit  —  what  we  sow  we  reap. 

Wednesday    2  Corinthians  9:10-12.     In  generosity   or   selfishness  —  what  we 
sow  we  reap. 

Thursday    2    Corinthians   9:6-7.     Seed    sown    multiplies    in    kind  —  what   we 
sow  we  reap. 

Friday    2   Corinthians    5:10.     Eternally  —  what   we    sow   we   reap, 

Saturday    James  3:16-18.    Live  for  self  or   others  —  what  we   sow  we  reap. 

Sunday    Proverbs  22:8-11.    Socially  —  what  we   sow   we  reap. 

Monday    Proverbs   17:22.    Physically  —  what  we   sow  we   reap. 

Tuesday    Proverbs   17:9,   13.     In   human   relations  —  what  we   sow   we   reap. 

Wednesday    Ecclesiastes   11:1-2.    Say   it  any   way  you   wish  —  what  we  sow 
we  reap. 

Thursday    Hosea  8:1-7.    For   better  or   for  worse  —  what  we   sow  we   reap. 

Friday    Hosea  10:12-15.    A  word  to  the  wise  —  what  we  sow  we  reap. 

Saturday    Micah  6:11-14.    In  business  —  what  we  sow  we  reap. 


24     MESSENGER     12-3-70 


iiT  speak  up 


We  have  failed 
the  small  church 


The  children  of  Israel  wandered 
forty  years  in  the  wilderness,  and  it 
took  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  about 
the  same  length  of  time  to  learn  that 
it  requires  250  people  to  support  a 
pastoral  program.  Not  all  the  Israel- 
ites lived  to  enter  the  promised  land. 
Not  all  the  congregations  under  250 
members  survived  to  see  that  their 
pastoral  programs  did  not  result  in 
what  they  hoped. 

Statistics  are  not  at  hand,  but  three 
fourths  of  our  congregations  must  have 
had  fewer  than  250  members.  Where 
were  the  prophets,  seers,  and  church- 
men who  should  have  seen  that  this 
great  number  were  destined  to  fail? 
Why  did  they  have  to  learn  it  the  hard 
way? 

It  would  have  made  some  difference 
if  we  had  been  a  tithing  church.  But 
we  had  been  trained  not  to  give.  Min- 
isters served  without  pay.  Offerings  at 
worship  services  were  frowned  upon. 
"Budget"  was  not  in  our  church  vo- 
cabulary. 

When  it  seemed  that  the  day  of  the 
free  ministry  was  at  an  end,  congrega- 
tions of  all  sizes  sought  to  have  pas- 
tors. Experience  has  proved  that  our 
small  churches  simply  couldn't  support 
them. 

What  did  Annual  Conference  do 
about  it?  Apparendy  very  little.  As 
one  contemplates  what  has  happened 
to  the  small  churches,  it  is  interesting 
to  consider  just  what  occupied  the 
time  and  thought  of  the  Conference 
during  these  years. 

Then,  small  churches  contributed 
church  leaders  out  of  all  proportion  to 


their  size.  Think  of  the  ministers,  mis- 
sionaries, and  leading  laymen  in  city 
churches  who  came  from  small  con- 
gregations which  no  longer  exist. 

If  it  takes  250  members  to  support 
a  pastoral  program  and  if  we  had  hun- 
dreds with  a  lesser  number  than  that, 
it  was  sufficiently  important  that  some- 
thing be  done  for  them.  We  didn't  do 
it.  The  result  is  that  all  too  many  of 
them  have  ceased  to  exist. 

We  not  only  failed  them  in  the  past; 
we  continue  to  fail  them.  We  train 
pastors  for  larger  churches.  We  set 
standards  that  appear  astronomical  to 
the  little  church  and  give  its  members 
a  feeling  of  hopelessness.  We  say  that 
it  requires  250  members  but  set  up  no 
guidelines  for  churches  under  that.  All 
we  offer  is  built  around  a  church  with 
a  paid,  professional  ministry. 

What  is  Annual  Conference  doing 
about  it?  Very  little.  What  is  the  cen- 
tral church  staff  doing?  Nothing,  ac- 
tually, in  defining  what  a  small  church 
can  do  other  than  go  along  the  lines  of 
a  church  with  pastoral  leadership.  An- 
nual Conference  gets  excited  and  vocal 
about  racism  and  peace  but  is  painfully 
silent  about  the  little  church. 

The  movement  toward  the  yoked 
parish  simply  perpetuates  the  same 
type  of  thing  the  local  church  has  been 
doing  but  spreads  professional  leader- 
ship over  two  or  more  groups. 

There  must  be  some  better  way  for 
small  churches  to  function.  Do  we 
lack  the  wisdom  or  the  will  to  deter- 
mine what  it  should  be?  This  problem 
is  not  an  isolated  one  for  our  church. 
Most  denominations  have  the  same 
problem  —  but  that  is  poor  consola- 
tion. 

Our  lack  of  provision  for  the  small 
church  indicates  that  we  expect  it  to 
go  the  way  of  the  little  red  schoolhouse 
and  the  country  store.  —  Chauncey 
Shamberger 


READERS  WRITE/ 

continued  from   page   1 

cule,  the  loaf,  the  watch,  the  tree,   or  the 
church. 

The  only  difference  between  the  above 
illustrations  and  the  church  is  that  as  long 
as  there  is  physical  and  mental  life,  spiritual 
life  can  be  renewed  through  the  grace  of 
God  by  repentence  and  return  to  activity. 
Activity  means  to  love  God,  to  put  him  first 
above  all  other  things,  even  to  the  extreme 
of  renouncing  one's  closest  kin  if  necessary 
(Luke  14:26).  "If  you  love  me  you  will 
keep  my  commandments."  To  become  a 
member  the  sinner  must  believe,  repent, 
confess,  and  be  baptized. 

To  stay  a  Christian  one  must,  among 
other  commandmenis,  ( 1 )  "go  —  teach  — 
observe  all  that  I  have  commanded  you" 
(Matt.  28:19);  (2)  attend  church  regularly 
when  possible  (Heb.  10:25);  (3)  "give  to 
the  Lord  as  he  has  prospered  you,"  not 
until  it  hurts,  but  until  it  feels  good,  for 
"God  loves  a  cheerful  giver"  (2  Cor.  9:7). 

Since  it  is  so  easy  to  be  active  for  the  Lord 
if  we  want  to,  I  can  no  longer  partake  of 
the  hypocrisy  of  calling  a  person  active  for 
two  years  when,  by  definition,  he  is  not  even 
a  member.  Sixty  days  should  be  sufficient 
time  for  him  to  decide  whether  he  wishes  to 
be  a  part  of  the  body  of  Christ,  or  take  the 
"broad  way  that  leadeth  to  destruction."  It 
has  to  be  one  or  the  other.  There  is  no  two 
years  of  middle  ground.  One  is  either  in.  or 
out,  for  lesus  said.  "There  is  no  other  way" 
(John   14:6). 

S.  J.  Neher 
Jasper,  Mo. 


WINTER  TREES 

Bare  limbs 

Like  old  hands  thrust  out 

In  silent  appeal 

But  upward 

In  the  sure  knowledge 

Of  their  source 

And  destination. 

by   Betty   Fox  Solberg 


12-3-70    MESSENGER     25 


REVIEWS  /  BOOKS 


Jacques  Ellul:  Layman  as  Moral  Theologian 


THE    TECHNOLOGICAL    SOCIETY.      Knopf,     1964. 

$10.95     hardbound.      Vintage/Random     paper, 

$2.45 
PROPAGANDA.    Knopf,    1965.    $8.95 
POLITICAL  ILLUSION.    Knopf,   1967.    $8.95 

THE  PRESENCE  OF  THE  KINGDOM.    Seabury,  1967. 
$1.95   paper 

CRITIQUE  OF  THE  NEW  COMMONPLACES.    Knopf, 

1968.  $6.95 

VIOLENCE:     REFLECTIONS     FROM    A    CHRISTIAN 
PERSPECTIVE.     Seabury,    1969.     $4.95 

TO    WILL   AND    TO    DO.     Pilgrim/United    Church, 

1969.  $10 

THE   THEOLOGICAL   FOUNDATION   OF  LAW.   Sea- 
bury,  1969.    $1.95   paper 

PRAYER    AND    MODERN    MAN.     Seabury,     1970. 

$4.95 
THE   MEANING    OF   THE    CITY.     Eerdmans,    1970. 

$5.95 

Books  by  Jacques  Ellul  may  be  ordered  from 
the  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  OfTices,  1451 
Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,   III.  60120. 

Suddenly,  as  it  seems,  America  is  discov- 
ering Jacques  Ellul  —  the  French  lawyer 
and  sociologist  (professor  of  institutions 
on  the  University  of  Bordeaux  law  fac- 
ulty), eminent  layman  of  the  Reformed 
Church  of  France  (a  member  of  the  na- 
tional synod),  victim  of  Nazism  (dis- 
missed from  a  university  by  the  Vichy 
regime),  a  wartime  leader  and  patriot  in 
the  Anti-Nazi  Resistance  (the  experience 
which  made  him  a  confessing  Christian), 
former  politician  (as  deputy  mayor  of 
Bordeaux  in  the  late  nineteen  forties), 
proUfic  author  (twenty-one  volumes,  ten 
of  which  are  translated  and  published  in 
English)  —  biblical  student  and  lay  the- 
ologian. 

Following  upon  earlier  recognition 
which  Ellul  had  received  from  his  peers 
in  the  disciplines  of  law  and  sociology  in 
America,  as  well  as  in  Europe,  he  is  now 
being  acknowledged  as  a  major  theologi- 
cal voice  in  American  seminaries,  uni- 
versities, and  churches.  It  has  been  said 
that  Ellul  "is  destined  to  become  the 
Protestant  theologian  of  note  in  the  dec- 
a'de  of  the  seventies."  He  is  frequently, 
and  auspiciously,  compared  with  Karl 
Barth.  A  book  of  essays  in  tribute  to 
Ellul  and  analyzing  his  thought,  Intro- 
ducing Jacques  Ellul,  is  about  to  be  pub- 


lished. His  latest  work  available  in  the 
United  States,  The  Meaning  of  the  City, 
is  already  having  a  remarkably  wide- 
spread impact,  especially  when  so-called 
religious  books  are  in  a  general  decline 
in  readership  and  influence  in  this  coun- 
try. 

The  interest  in  church  and  academic 
circles  in  Ellul  is  magnified  by  the  excite- 
ment his  writing  and  thinking  are  evok- 
ing in  other  locations.  He  is  practically 
inundated  with  invitations  to  lecture  in 
America;  two  major  national  newsmag- 
azines are  considering  cover  stories  on 
Ellul;  his  work  is  much  esteemed  at  the 
Center  for  the  Study  of  Democratic  In- 
stitutions. 

I  hope,  in  the  midst  of  all  this  fan- 
fare —  which  is,  in  my  view,  wholly  jus- 
tified if  somewhat  belated  —  that  the  sig- 
nificance of  Ellul  as  a  person  in  these 


1      .^   iC? 


times,  and  especially  as  a  Christian  lay- 
man in  such  times,  will  not  be  over- 
looked by  laymen  in  American  churches. 
Those  of  us  who  are  laymen  in  the 
churches  here  have  great  things  to  learn 
from  reading  and  listening  to  Ellul,  as 
have  the  ecclesiastics,  the  professional 
theologians,  and  the  social  scientists.  But 
we  laymen  have  something  specific  to  en- 
lighten us  in  beholding  the  example  of 
Ellul  as  a  fellow  layman  whose  theology 
is  not  just  a  matter  of  what  he  thinks  or 
recites,  but  of  who  he  is  as  a  living,  acting 
human  being. 


I  am  not  implying  that  all  laymen  are 
called  to  be  theologians  (spare  us  that, 
good  Lord!),  and  certainly  there  are  few 
Christians  surviving  on  the  face  of  the 
planet  who  are  gifted  with  the  theological 
insight  and  ethical  sophistication  of 
Jacques  Ellul.  I  am  suggesting,  though, 
that  at  the  center  of  Ellul's  creative  work 
as  a  moral  theologian  and  at  the  heart  of 
his  existence  as  a  man  is  a  continuous 
encounter  between  the  biblical  word  and 
Ellul's  witness  which,  even  if  seldom  evi- 
denced nowadays,  is  in  truth  normative 
for  all  Christians  in  all  circumstances  and 
which,  incidentally,  was  the  historic  char- 
acteristic of  the  Protestant  genius  wherev- 
er, in  the  Reformation  or  since.  Protes- 
tantism has  had  integrity  in  the  gospel. 

I  think  of  this  dialectic  between  the 
biblical  story  and  the  human  drama  em- 
bodied, as  it  were,  in  a  particular  person 
whenever  I  recall  my  first  acquaintance 
with  Ellul,  about  fifteen  years  ago.  I  was 
then  still  a  law  student  and  I  had  the  for- 
tune to  be  much  involved  in  the  World's 
Student  Christian  Federation  and  related 
ecumenical  activities  which  occasioned 
my  travel  often  and  widely  in  Europe. 
Much  of  the  leadership  (significantly)  of 
the  ecumenical  movement  —  in  its  rela- 
tively early  days  —  had  been  undertaken 
by  men  and  women  who  were  survivors 
of  Nazi  totalitarianism  and  who  were,  so 
to  say,  alumni  of  the  resistance  to  Nazism 
during  the  Second  World  War.  I  had  met 
and  listened  to  many  of  these  leaders  and 
had  heard  many  times  of  Ellul,  who  was 
then  already  influential  in  Europe  and 
in  the  ecumenical  movement  not  only  for 
his  role  in  the  resistance  but  for  his  the- 
ological ethics  and  his  attempts  to  deal 
with  the  postwar  and  cold  war  realities  — 
emerging  technology,  urbanization,  the 
death  of  colonialism,  the  uses  of  institu- 
tional power,  racism,  civil  strife,  the  total- 
itarian mentality,  and  so  on  —  with  the- 
ological coherence  and  moral  sanity.  A 
book  of  Ellul's  —  it  is  his  germinal  work 
—  The  Presence  of  the  Kingdom,  first 
published  in  French  in  1948,  had  been 
commended  to  me,  and  I  had  read  and 
reread  it  with  enthusiasm.  At  last,  oppor- 
tunity came  to  meet  Ellul,   at  Bievres, 


26     MESSENGER    12-3-70 


near  Paris,  while  EUul  was  lecturing  at 
an  ecumenical  conference  there. 

He  had  set  aside  an  entire  afternoon 
for  our  acquaintance  and  conversation 
and  had  recruited  a  bilingual  friend  to 
help,  a  provision  for  which  I  was  appre- 
ciative since,  though  I  could  read  French 
well  enough,  I  was  not  fluent  in  speech, 
and  hearing  French  spoken  was,  at  best, 
a  pleasant  hardship  which  left  me  enjoy- 
ing the  sounds  but  not  comprehending 
very  many  words.  Ellul,  I  discovered, 
was  reticent  in  spoken  English,  and  the 
presence  of  the  translator  was  a  precau- 
tion he  had  made,  in  any  case,  in  his  own 
behalf. 

We  found  that  we  had  other  things  in 
common.  Physically,  Ellul  is  diminutive, 
as  am  I;  we  both,  professionally,  are  law- 


yers; we  shared  the  ecumenical  concern. 
Yet  these  similarities  receded  in  promi- 
nence as  we  began  to  converse  through 
the  translator.  I  do  not  really  remember 
anymore  what  it  was  of  which  we  spe- 
cifically talked.  I  do  recall,  vividly,  that 
after  awhile,  perhaps  a  half  hour,  it  was 
recognized  between  us  that  we  did  not 
need  a  translator,  though  Ellul  was  speak- 
ing French  and  I  English.  There  was, 
simply,  this  remarkable  rapport  —  abso- 
lute unhindered  and  uncompromised 
communication.  As  he  would  begin  to 
speak,  I  would  know  what  he  was  saying 
before  the  words  were  translated.  He 
manifestly  had  the  same  intuitive  insight 
whenever  I  started  to  talk.  Soon  we  ac- 
knowledged this  by  dispensing  with  the 
formalities   of   translation   and  we   con- 


tinued our  conversation  through  much  of 
the  remainder  of  that  afternoon  — •  each 
of  us  still  speaking  our  native  tongues, 
though  each  was  ostensibly  a  foreign  lan- 
guage to  the  other  person. 

It  was  a  most  astonishing  experience 
and,  as  I  reflected  upon  it  later,  a  truly 
edifying  one.  Something  had  broken 
through  the  ordinary  defenses  which  peo- 
ple maintain,  particularly  at  first  meet- 
ings. Something  had  enabled  us  to  tran- 
scend, in  confronting  one  another,  the 
familiar  obstacles  of  language.  More- 
over, something  had  freed  both  of  us 
from  other  pitfalls  and  hangups  in  com- 
munications so  that  the  differences  of  ex- 
perience, age,  status  did  not  inhibit  our 
realization  of  the  overwhelming  common- 
ality of  our  humanity. 


Cd^bRS^t 


,C-oN» 


xmW^  ^ 


lyvTONS 


HOPE  — Olive,  red,  and  white,  with  the  p  in  Hope 
taking  on  a  Chi  Rho  representative  of 
Jesus  Christ 


JOY  BOYS  — Three  figures  expressive  of  hope,  printed  in  black  on  as- 
sorted day-glo  colors 


CELEBRATION  —  With  letter  t  formed  in  the  shape  of  an  anchor  — an 
ancient  symbol  of  Christian  hope  —  in  blue,  black,  and 
white 

Each   button   has   spring-lock   pin 

lOc  each  button,  $1.00  per  dozen.    Postage  20c  per  $1.00 

Please  send  cash  with  order  under  $1.00 

CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  601 20 


12-3-70    MESSENGER     27 


NOTED 

ATHLETES 

SPEAK 

FOR  CHRIST 

IN   THE   PAGES   OF   THE    UPPER    ROOM 

"compassionate  understanding  is  di- 
rectly proportionate  to  good  commu- 
nications."— Bart  Starr,  Quarterback, 
Green  Bay  Packers 

"/  would  reach  out  for  help,  either  by 

prayer  or  by  a  moment  of  silence ..." 

—  Joe  Orduna,  Football 

". . .  their  coach  stepped  forward  . . . 
had  won  the  people  to  God." 

". . .  (when)  we  learn  how  to  be  'partners  working  together'  with 
one  another  and  with  God."  —  Larry  Hanks,  Coach 

These  famous  athletes  have  found  a  personal  relationship 
with  Christ .  .  .  have  made  God  a  vital  part  of  their  daily  lives. 
The  January-February  issue  of  The  Upper  Room  shares  medi- 
tations written  by  athletes.  The  above  excerpts  are  from  some 
of  them. 

For  you,  too,  there  is  HELP  from  daily  devotions  in  this  unique 
issue.  Order  the  January-February  issue  TODAY.  Use  the  Spe- 
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$1.50.  Keep  one  copy  and  give  the  remaining  nine  to  your 
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Avenue,  Nashville,  Tennessee  37203. 


and  told  the  players  they 
—  Jack  King,  Baseball 


There  are  other  ways  in  which  this  gift 
which  Ellul  and  I  received  in  our  first 
meeting  might  be  described.  RecaUing 
the  issue  of  language  at  Pentecost,  one 
might  say  that  the  Holy  Spirit  informed 
our  conversation.  Or  one  might  view  the 
transfigured  quality  of  that  afternoon  at 
Bievres  as  archtypical  of  the  new  or  re- 
newed potential  for  human  beings  which 
belongs  to  the  community  of  the  church 
of  Jesus  Christ.  I  do  not  shy  from  such 
descriptions,  but  I  think  one  can  be  more 
definite  and  concrete  about  it:  Such  an 
experience  originates  in  that  which  the 
participants  have  shared  in  common  be- 
fore they  have  ever  met.  The  preexperi- 
ence  in  which  Ellul  and  I  had  already 
partaken  was  and  is  the  Bible.  We  dis- 
covered that  day  when  we  first  met  that 
each  one  of  us  comprehended  the  biblical 
witness  as  the  story  of  mankind  and,  thus, 
as  an  ongoing  context  of  our  own  lives, 
and  not  in  some  aphoristic  or  pietistic  or 
otherwise  dead  sense,  but  as  a  constant 
identification  of  contemporary  empiricial 
reality  with  and  within  the  biblical  saga. 

Over  and  over  again  this  same  dialectic 
between  the  biblical  word  and  common 
life,  as  anyone  knows  it,  is  verified  in 
Ellul's  thinking  and  writing  and  other 
conduct.  I  rejoice  in  this  exposure  of 
and  interest  in  Ellul  and  his  work  in 
America,  because  Christendom  in  this 
land  —  especially  its  laymen  —  needs  so 
much  to  enter  into  the  biblical  witness 
and  discern  that  it  is  their  scene.  —  Wil- 
liam Stringfellow 


INSTRUCTIONS   FOR  USING 
CHRISTA/W^S  CUTOUTS   (See   page    14) 


28     MESSENGER    12-3-70 


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12-3-70    MESSENGER     29 


PERSONAL  MENTION 

Curryville  Church  of  the  Brethren 
members  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Donald  Brum- 
baugh and  their  family  were  named 
"Blair  County's  Typical  Farm  Family" 
by  the  Altoona-Tyrone,  Pa.,  Chamber  of 
Commerce. 

Middle  Pennsylvania's  first  lay  mod- 
erator, Ray  Sollenberger,  has  been  in- 
stalled in  office.  An  active  member  of 
the  Everett  congregation,  he  was  a 
former  chairman  of  the  district's  camp 
committee. 

Onetime  missionary  and  houseparent 
at  Hillcrest  School  in  Nigeria  Charles 
W.  Lunkley  has  accepted  pastoral  re- 
sponsibilities at  the  Huntington,  Ind., 
Church  of  the  Brethren.  He  comes  from 
pastorates  in  Iowa  and  most  recently  has 
raised  funds  for  mission  work  among 
lepers.  .  .  .  Also  in  Middle  Indiana, 
Charles  Zunkel  has  accepted  a  call  from 
the  Akron  church  near  North  Manches- 
ter. He  has  held  pastorates  in  Ohio, 
Washington,  Virginia,  and  Indiana. 

After  ten  years  as  pastor  of  the  Wood- 
worth  church  in  Northern  Ohio,  Richard 
D.  Speicher  has  begun  his  work  as  Prot- 
estant chaplain  at  Youngstown  State 
University,  Youngstown,  Ohio.  The 
chaplaincy  is  sponsored  by  the  Youngs- 
town Council  of  Churches. 
^     ^     ^     ^     ^ 

In  Southern  Ohio,  Edward  O.  Hepner 
has  gone  to  the  Hamilton  Church  of  the 
Brethren  on  a  part-time  basis  while  he 
attends  classes  at  United  Theological 
Seminary.  ...  In  the  same  district 
Russell  Merritt,  a  minister  in  the  United 
Church  of  Christ  in  Christian  Union,  has 
been  called  to  the  White  Cottage  church 
on  an  interim  basis.  He  is  an  employee 
of  the  Zanesville  Publishing  House  at 
Zanesville,  Ohio. 

Celebrating  his  twenty-fifth  anniver- 
sary of  ordination  Nov.  1  was  Floyd  E. 
Bantz,  pastor  of  the  Roaring  Spring 
congregation  in  Middle  Pennsylvania. 
Special  services  coincided  with  the  dedi- 
cation of  a  new  parsonage  for  that 
church. 


Licensed  by  the  Southern  Virginia 
District  in  November  was  Robert  (Bob- 
by) Grogan,  from  the  Eden  Church  of 
the  Brethren. 

Three  Elizabethtown  College  faculty 
members  have  been  selected  to  appear 
in  the  1970  edition  of  "Outstanding 
Educators  of  America:  Wayne  L.  Miller, 
dean  of  the  faculty;  John  P.  Ranck,  pro- 
fessor of  chemistry;  and  Edgar  T. 
Bittling,  a  professor  and  chairman  of 
the  department  of  business. 

Dead  at  87  is  minister  and  educator 
Clarence  H.  Yoder,  who  died  at  his  Los 
Angeles  home  Oct.  26.  He  taught  for 
three  years  in  La  Verne  College's  Bible 
department,  and  for  thirty-four  consecu- 
tive years  at  a  school  in  Fowler,  Calif. 
He  had  been  an  active  member  in  the 
Fresno  congregation. 

The  Ralph  G.  Raricks  of  Elkhart,  Ind., 
are  celebrating  their  fifty-third  wedding 
anniversary. 

POTPOURRI 

Uniting  in  yoked  parish  arrangements 
are  the  Morrill  and   Sabetha  churches 

in  Kansas,  with  William  Gahm  the  pas- 
tor. .  .  .  Also  in  Kansas,  the  Indepen- 
dence congregation  has  entered  into  a 
shared  ministry  with  the  Friends  Church 
of  Independence.  Ernest  Foster,  Friends 
pastor,  will  serve  both  churches. 

Painting,  sketching,  photography,  pot- 
tery, quilting,  and  sculpture  were  among 
creative  activities  represented  at  a  No- 
vember art  festival  at  the  Martinsburg, 
Pa.,  church.  "I  Am  Somebody,"  the 
theme,    keynoted   the    event    as   partici- 


Dec.   10  Human   Rights  Day 

Dec.  20  Christmas  Sunday 

Dec.   20  Christmas    offering    for    worldwide 

missions 

Dec.  25  Christmas  Day 

Dec.  31  New  Year's  Eve 

Jan.   1  New  Year's  Day 

Jan.  6  Epiphany 

Jan.   17-24  Church   and   Economic   Life  Week 

Jan.   18-25  Week  of  Prayer  for  Christian  Unity 

Jan.  31  World   Day  for  Leprosy  Sufferers 


pants    used    different    media    to    express 
themselves  as  persons. 

Congregations  across  the  Brotherhood 
are  marking  anniversaries.  Two  Altoona, 
Pa.,  churches  celebrated  recently,  the 
Twenty-Eighth  Street  church  its  fiftieth, 
and  the  First  Church  of  the  Brethren  its 
one  hundredth.  ...  In  the  Southern 
Plains  District,  the  Big  Creek  congrega- 
tion observed  its  seventy-fifth  anniversary 
with  special  services.  .  .  .  And  in  Cali- 
fornia, Bakersfield  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren members  joined  in  a  November 
celebration  of  a  fortieth  anniversary. 

Dedicating  a  new  church  home  at 
Enders,  Neb.,  was  the  congregation 
there,  after  extensive  remodeling  of  a 
school  building  in  Enders.  The  congre- 
gation has  opened  its  new  building  to 
the  community,  and  such  groups  as 
4-H,  the  county  historical  society,  and 
extension  clubs  have  used  the  facilities. 
Glen  R.   Davis  is  pastor. 

Southern  Indiana  Brethren  joined  the 
staff  of  the  East  Side  Christian  Center 
at  Indianapolis  in  dedicating  a  new  cen- 
ter for  community  youth  counseling, 
recreation,  and  other  teen  activities.  At 
the  same  time,  a  new  library  adjacent  to 
the  center  was  dedicated.  Youth  from 
the  Northview  Church  of  the  Brethren 
are  helping  staff  the  library,  and  Breth- 
ren Volunteer  Service  workers  are  in- 
volved with  the  center  and  library  pro- 
gram. 

At  Bethany  Theological  Seminary  per- 
sons heard  Rosemary  R.  Ruether,  as- 
sistant professor  of  historical  theology  at 
Howard  University,  lecture  on  "Radical 
Social  Movement  and  the  Radical  Church 
Tradition."  Dr.  Ruether  came  to  the 
seminary  as  this  year's  Hoff  Lecturer. 
4-      -!•      -f      -!•      4- 

Abingdon  Press  announces  the  im- 
pending publication  next  year  of  a  one- 
volume  Bible  commentary.  Interpreter's 
One-Volume  Commentary  on  the  Bible. 
Based  on  the  Revised  Standard  Version, 
the  commentary  stresses  new  interpreta- 
tions for  a  broad  readership  of  laymen, 
ministers,  and  scholars. 


30     MESSENGER     12-3-70 


The  Commission  on  Religion  in  Ap- 
palachia  (CORA),  Knoxville,  Tenn.,  re- 
ceived a  grant-in-aid  from  the  Rocke- 
feller Foundation  for  work  in  grass  roots 
economic  development  in  Appalachia. 
CORA  director  Max  E.  Glenn  indicated 
the  funds  will  be  divided  among  four 
projects,  crafts  and  co-op  development, 
communications,  industrial  development, 
and  the  Human/ Economic  Appalachian 
Development  Project. 

For  some  persons  attending  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  Commission  on  Religion 
in  Appalachia  last  month,  the  meeting 
room  assignment  for  representatives  of 
state  councils  of  churches  was  all  too 
accurate  a  description  of  their  status  in 
many  areas.  Their  assignment?  The 
Memory  Room. 

OPPORTUNITIES 

A    five-day    creative    arts    workshop 

will  engage  senior  high  youth  in  Penn- 
sylvania Dec.  27-31.  Scheduled  for 
Camp  Swatara,  the  workshop  is  designed 
to  free  youth  to  express  themselves 
through  art,  drama,  music,  and  worship. 
Youth  who  are  interested  in  attending 
the  event  may  seek  further  information 
from  Gerald  Greiner,  5710  Crickett 
Lane,  Harrisburg,  Pa.  17112.  Hurry, 
though  —  deadline    for    registrations    is 

Dec.  8. 

4.     ^     ^     ^     4. 

Students  in  theological  seminaries  are 
being  invited  by  the  Hymn  Society  of 
America  to  write  new  hymns  in  modern 
idioms  and  on  topics  relevant  to  the 
needs  of  the  current  age.  Texts  may 
develop  major  problems  facing  persons, 
such  as  man's  stewardship  of  the  earth, 
new  types  of  spiritual  and  social  min- 
istries, or  the  broadening  concepts  of 
mission  and  missions.  Proposed  texts  or 
tunes  should  be  received  by  the  society 
on  or  before  May  31,  1971,  at  475 
Riverside  Dr.,  New  York,  N.Y.  10027 


DEATHS 

Ankenman,  Laura  E.,  Norton,  Kansas,  on  Nov.  20, 

1969,  aged   90 

Bollinger,   Norman.   Myerstown,    Pa.,  on  July   14, 

1970,  aged   84 


Bowers,  Susannah    M.,   La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  July 

17,  1970,  aged  90 
Carrier,    Charles    R.,    Bridgewater,    Va.,    on    Sept. 

23,  1970,  aged  49 
Chatham.   Hugh,  Eden,   N.C.,   on  Sept.   25,   1970, 

aged  63 
Cheesman,  -Anna  M.,  Beatrice,  Neb.,  on  March  23, 

1970,   aged   77 
Cox,    Rosanna,   Winter   Park,    Fla.,    on    Sept.    28, 

1970,  aged  88 
Deardorff,  Rena  C,  La  Verne,  Calif.,  on  April  11, 

1970,  aged  79 
Eikenberry,   Lena,  La  Verne,   Calif.,   on  July   21, 

1970,   aged   88 
Eshelman,  Lorina  B.,  Mount  Joy,  Pa.,  on  Sept.  3. 

1970,  aged  84 
Fouts,  Ida,  Eldora,  Iowa,  in  July  1970 
Gerdes,  Phyllis  E.,  Dixon,  111.,  on  Aug.   12,   1970, 

aged  22 
Good,  Monroe,  Reamstown,  Pa.,  on  July  7,  1970, 

aged  76 
Guy,    Mary,    Freeport,    Mich.,   on    May    28,    1970, 

aged  83 
Hallin,    Alma,    Minneapolis,    Minn.,    on    Sept.    7, 

1970,  aged  64 
Hallin,   Wayne,   Minneapolis,   Minn.,  on  Sept.   7, 

1970,  aged  62 
Harding,  Lloyd,  Preston,  Md.,  on  June  21,  1970, 

aged  61 
Hogue,   Oval,    Dallas   Center,    Iowa,   on   June    25, 

1970,  aged  59 


Hollen.    John    A.,    Bridgewater,    Va.,    on    July    9, 

1970.  aged  89 
Howell,    Sylvia    M.,    Tavares,    Fla.,    on    Feb.    22, 

1970,  aged  75 
Huber.    Esther    Frantz,    Bellefontaine,    Ohio,    on 

.^ug.  28,  1970,  aged  80 
Kamerer,   Mrs.   Lawrence,  Pleasanton,   Kansas,   on 

March   24,    1970 
Kendell,    Maud,    Wawaka,   Ind.,   in   January    1970 
Kinsley,    Ella,    New    Carlisle,    Ohio,    on    July    14, 

1970,  aged  76 
Kirkdorfler,    Eloise,    Eldora,    Iowa,    on    July    27, 

1970,  aged  35 
Kletzly,  Louis,   Columbiana,   Ohio,  on   March   14, 

1970,  aged  80 
Link,    Donna   Berry,    Kansas   City,    Mo.,   on   Aug. 

31,   1970,  aged  35 
Lutz,   Earl,  Fort  Wayne,  Ind.,  on  Sept.   10,   1970, 

aged   65 
Sprow,    Elsie,    HoUidaysburg,    Pa.,    on    Aug.    19, 

1970,  aged  43 
Towers,  John  M.,  Wilmington,  Del.,  on  May  28, 

1970,  aged  70 
Treese,    Ida,    HoUidaysburg,    Pa.,    on    Aug.    20, 

1970,  aged  84 
Turney,   Kenneth  W.,  Sipesville.  Pa.,  on  Aug.  4, 

1970.  aged   50 
Whiteleather,  Ruth,  Etna  Green,  Ind.,  on  March 

12.  1970,  aged  75 
Wilson,    Edna,    Thornville,    Ohio,    on    Oct.     10, 

1970,  aged  64 


ON  THE  AIR 

More  than  150  television  stations  will 
air  Christmas  Is,  a  half-hour  animated 
color  special  for  children  in  prime  time 
during  Dec.  15-25.  Produced  by  the 
Lutheran  Church,  Missouri  Synod,  the 
project  combines  film  and  music  to  tell 


the  story  of  Christmas.  The  plot  revolves 
around  Benji,  a  young  schoolboy  who  is 
unhappy  because  he  has  been  chosen  to 
play  the  role  of  second  shepherd  in  the 
school's  annual  Christmas  play.  Viewers 
may  check  local  television  logs  for  date, 
time,  and  station. 

12-3-70    MESSENGER     31 


EDITORIAL 


"He  Is  the  Still  Point  of  the  Turning  World"  (TSEmot) 


And  men  of  wisdom  came,  asking,  "Where  is  the  child 
born  to  be  king?   For  we  have  seen  his  star." 

One  of  them  said,  "In  my  country  a  great  devastation 
has  been  wrought  by  winds  of  controversy.  I  no  longer 
fear  the  whirlwind  that  moves  across  the  sand  dunes  and 
the  fertile  valleys,  whipping  the  air,  snapping  at  trees,  bend- 
ing strong  branches  and  breaking  them  into  kindhng  wood. 
Nor  do  I  consider  only  the  damage  of  the  hurricane  that 
sweeps  in  from  the  sea.  Instead  I  am  overwhelmed  by  the 
bitter  arguments  that  divide  my  people,  setting  brother 
against  brother,  turning  the  elderly  against  the  young, 
woman  against  man,  tribe  against  tribe,  doctrine  against 
doctrine.  Even  our  leaders,  men  who  promised  to  bring 
us  together,  have  disappointed  us  and  further  divided  us. 

"In  my  country  the  voices  we  hear  are  shrill,  as  piercing 
as  the  knives  that  the  more  violent  ones  hold  to  the  necks 
of  their  neighbors.  We  are  at  war  within  families  and 
between  families.  Seldom  does  one  man  listen  to  the  truth 
of  another,  but  each  one  flaunts  his  anger  and  yields  to  his 
frustration.  So  that  we  eat  the  fruit  of  bitterness  and  there 
is  no  hope  for  the  future.  And  there  is  no  peace.  But  we 
have  seen  a  star  rising  far  above  the  whirlwind  that  could 
destroy  us.    Tell  me,  where  is  the  child  born  to  be  king?" 


A, 


another  one  said,  "In  my  country  there  is  also  great 
dissatisfaction  and  the  threat  of  trouble.  It  is  not  so  much 
the  whirlwind  but  the  volcano  that  we  fear.  For  far  too 
many  years,  injustices  have  prevailed  and  freedom  has  been 
denied.  We  have  made  some  efforts  to  redress  the  wrongs 
and  amend  our  ways,  but  they  may  be  too  late  and  certainly 
they  are  too  little.  The  dispossessed  and  the  oppressed  are 
militantly  clamoring  for  a  change,  and  they  threaten  us  with 
an  upheaval  in  which  the  good  life  we  cherish  will  disappear 
along  with  the  evil  practices  we  abhor.  Some  of  our  leaders 
are  convinced  that  further  repression  is  required  to  main- 
tain law  and  authority.  Others  sympathize  with  those  who 
sacrifice  everything  for  the  new  day  and  the  new  order. 
"In  my  country  we  are  fearful  and  suspicious  of  each 
other.  We  stockpile  weapons  in  our  homes  as  well  as  in 
our  armories.    Many  are  moving  away  from  the  centers 


where  violence  may  be  expected,  only  to  hear  the  rumbling 
of  the  volcano  underneath  the  patterned  lawns  of  their 
expensive  homes.  We  look  everywhere  for  security  and 
daily  become  more  anxious.  But  a  few  of  us  lifted  our  eyes 
to  the  distant  horizon  and  there  in  the  silent  distances,  far 
above  the  swelling  fires  of  our  discontent,  we  saw  that  star. 
Tell  me,  will  it  lead  us  to  the  child  born  to  be  king?" 


A, 


.nd  still  another  said,  "In  my  country  we  have  minds  of 
great  brilliance  and  craftsmen  of  great  talent.  Through 
their  efforts  and  our  own  appreciation  of  progress,  we  have 
built  a  fabulous  city.  But,  despite  all  our  planning  and 
precautions,  something  has  gone  wrong.  We  find  ourselves 
madly  racing  with  each  other,  each  trying  to  surpass  the 
other,  as  we  speed  back  and  forth  from  place  to  place,  not 
knowing  where  we  are  bound  or  for  what  reason.  It  is  as 
if  we  are  destined  to  pass  all  our  days  on  a  careening 
carousel,  a  monstrous  merry-go-round  that  turns  and  turns 
and  never  ceases,  like  the  music  we  have  heard  so  often 
that  its  rhythm  takes  the  place  of  our  heartbeats. 

"In  my  country  we  are  in  constant  motion.  Life  becomes 
a  kind  of  frenzy,  and  the  whole  world  keeps  spinning  like 
a  top  to  which  we  must  somehow  cling,  for  there  is  no 
getting  off.  Yet  we  frequently  long  for  some  fixed  point 
of  reference  to  which  we  can  return,  a  compass  by  which 
to  reorient  our  lives,  a  foundation  on  which  a  new  and 
more  stable  community  can  be  based.  And  even  in  our 
dizzy  passage  we,  too,  have  seen  that  star.  Tell  me,  where 
is  he  whose  kingdom  is  so  firmly  rooted  in  the  mind  of 
God?" 


/Vnd  it  came  to  pass  that  the  man  who  was  haunted  by 
a  whirlwind,  the  man  who  lived  on  a  volcano,  and  the  man 
who  was  disenchanted  by  progress  followed  the  star  until 
it  came  to  rest  over  the  place  where  Jesus  was  bom.  They 
bowed  before  him  as  they  would  to  the  world's  king.  As 
they  returned,  each  to  his  own  country,  they  asked  them- 
selves, "Can  we  ever  persuade  our  fellow  citizens  to  follow 
his  star  and  discover  his  kingdom?" —  k.m. 


32     MESSENGER     12-3-70 


Clarence  Jordan 

whose  down-to-earth  interpretations  of  the  New  Testament 
have  challenged  and  delighted  thousands  — 

in  these  records  and  books  —  takes  the  original  narra- 
tives, relocates  them  in  appropriate  contemporary 
settings,  and  adds  his  own  interpretations  based  on 
his  study  and  deep  insights.  Thus,  the  teachings  of 
Jesus  speak  with  new  vigor  to  the  struggles  of  our 
generation. 


RECORDS -12\  33 Vs   rpm, 

two  sides  — $3.98  each 

JUDAS  Viewed  from  an  entirely  new  perspective, 
the  tragedy  of  Judas  becomes  understandable 

THE  RICH  MAN  AND  LAZARUS  Three  parables 
—  The  Rich  Man  and  Lazarus,  The  Prodigal 
Son,  and  the  Good  Samaritan  —  present  a 
powerful  plea  to  Christians  everywhere  to  take 
down  the  fences  and  fill  in  the  gulfs  that  sepa- 
rate them  from  their  brothers 

THE  GREAT  BANQUET  These  parables,  all  deal- 
ing with  man's  attitude  toward  possessions 
and  wealth,  are  The  Great  Banquet,  The  Angry 
Banker,  The  Rich  Farmer,  and  Buried  Treas- 
ure. 


BOOKS 

THE  COTTON  PATCH  VERSION  OF  PAUL'S  EPIS- 
TLES, $4.50  cloth,  $2.50  paper 

THE  COTTON   PATCH   VERSION  OF   LUKE  AND 
ACTS,  $4.50  cloth,  $2.50  paper 

THE    COTTON    PATCH    VERSION    OF   MATTHEW 
AND  JOHN,  $4.50  cloth,  $2.50  paper 

SERMON  ON  THE  MOUNT,  $1.95  paper 


CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


A  World  of  Art  in  Christmas  Cards.  Among  the  world  service  agencies 
offering  attractive  Christmas  greetings  each  year  are  UNICEF,  a  branch  of 
the  United  Nations,  and  World  Literacy  and  Christian  Literature,  a  division 
of  the  National  Council  of  Churches,  illustrated  with  cards  by  seven  artists, 
page  2 

The  Bible  Blesses  the  Poor.  Discussions  of  poveiiy  —  its  causes  and  its 
cure  —  often  overlook  the  pertinent  insights  offered  in  the  scriptures.  Here  is 
an  overview  of  the  biblical  perspective  on  the  poor,  by  William  Faw.   page  5 

Revival  Fellowship  Seeks  Redress.  The  annual  meeting  of  the  Brethren 
Revival  Fellowship  adopts  a  paper  appealing  to  the  General  Board  and  to 
Annual  Conference  for  a  change  of  direction,  toward  "biblical  Christianity" 
and  a  "concern  for  spiritual  needs."  page  12 

Christmas  Things  to  Make  and  Do.  Six  pages  in  this  issue  are  something 
special,  including  "Christmas  Cut-Oiits  From  the  Dandelion  Studio,"  the  work 
of  artist  Janie  Russell  (for  anyone  old  enough  to  use  scissors),  pages  14  and 
18,  and  "Christmas  in  the  Kitchen,"  a  choice  of  recipes  selected  by  Carol 
Flory,  page  16 

The  King  Who  Got  Lost.  Suppose  King  Herod,  the  monarch  who  called  for 
the  slaughter  of  innocents  when  he  heard  of  Jesus'  birth,  were  to  return  after 
two  thousand  years.  How  would  he  answer  a  reporters  questions?  by 
Kenneth  L.  Gibble.   page  20 

The  Layman  as  Moral  Theologian.  In  this  book  feature  an  American 
lawyer-theologian  shares  the  reasons  for  his  enthusiasm  about  the  writings 
of  a  Frenchman,  also  a  layman  and  a  stimulating  theologian.  William  String- 
fellow  writes  about  Jacques  EUul.  page  26 


Other  features  include  news  of  self-allocation  reviews  (page  8);  aid  for  flood  recovery 
in  India  (page  10);  "Day  by  Day,"  by  Don  and  Shirley  Fike  (page  24);  "We  Have 
Failed  the  Small  Church,"  by  Chauncey  Shamberger  (page  25);  and  a  Christmas  edi- 
torial, "The  Still  Point  of  the  Turning  World"  (page  32). 


COMING  SOON 


Look  for  more  Chri/stmas  features  in  the  next  issue,  including  an  anthohgij  of  seasonal 
poetry,  songs,  and  carols,  and  affirmations  of  faith.  .  .  .  C.  Wayne  Zunkel  insists,  in  a 
message  appropriate  both  for  Christmas  and  for  the  ending  of  the  year,  that  for  Chris- 
tians, "tomorrow  is  already  here  —  in  our  midst."  VOL.    119    NO.    25 


messenger 

CHURCH  OF  THE  BRETHREN     *^  12/17/70 


readers  write 


A  GREATER  HORROR 

Richard  J.  Winsor's  "The  Automobile: 
Unguided  Missile"  (Nov.  5)  should  really 
speak  to  Brethren.  With  our  Christian  con- 
cern for  preserving  human  life  and  standing 
against  all  that  blights  and  destroys  life,  we 
should  give  more  attention  to  reducing  the 
carnage  on  American  highways. 

There  is,  though,  in  the  article  one  false 
statement  which,  because  it  is  so  frequently 
heard,  needs  correcting:  "More  people  have 
been  killed  in  one  year  on  our  highways 
than  in  the  total  Vietnam  War."  This  state- 
ment is  true  only  if  a  person  assumes  that 
Americans  are  people  and  Vietnamese  are 
not  ■ —  a  very  widespread  assumption  and 
one  without  which  this  barbarous  war  could 
hardly  continue.  I  don't  believe  though  that 
Mr.  Winsor  holds  this  view. 

According  to  his  article,  56,600  Ameri- 
cans died  in  motor  vehicle  accidents  last 
year.  According  to  Defense  Department 
figures  as  of  September  1970,  51,936  Ameri- 
can soldiers  have  died  in  the  war  —  and 
781,377  Vietnamese  soldiers  have  died  in 
the  war  (our  side  and  the  "enemy"  side).  If 
Vietnamese  civilians  are  people,  the  figures 
go  much  higher.  Edward  S.  Herman,  au- 
thor of  several  studies  of  U.S.  Vietnam 
policy,  estimates  South  Vietnam  casualties 
just  since  1965  at  1,116,000  dead  and 
2,232,000  wounded. 

We  should  be  roused  by  the  horror  of 
56,600  human  beings  killed  on  American 
highways.  But  there  is  a  greater  horror:  at 
least  a  million  and  a  half  human  beings 
killed  in  a  small  Asian  country,  mostly  by 
American  weapons. 

Dale  Aukerman 
Sunfield,  Mich. 


DRAMATIC   EXAMPLE 

I  read  with  interest  the  news  report  about 
the  earthquake  in  Peru  (Sept.  24).  How- 
ever, I  fail  to  find  mention  of  one  fact  which 
I  think  is  very  interesting  in  relation  to  the 
selection  of  personnel  by  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren  for  the  team  in  Peru. 

Though  you  mention  that  Mary  Ann 
Packer  has  been  a  BVSer  at  the  hospital  in 
Castaner,  Puerto  Rico,  you  failed  to  note 
that  Harold  Myer  and  Melvin  and  Philip 
Townsend  also  had  their  introduction  to 
Latin  America  at  Castaner.  Harold  Myer's 
father.  Dr.  E.  B.  Myer,  spent  several  years 
in  Castaner  Hospital  and  left  here  in  June 
1948.  Harold's  brother,  Ralph,  did  his 
alternative  service  here  and  is  now  in  his 
third  year  of  studies  at  the  University  of 
Puerto  Rico  School  of  Medicine.  Recently 
he  was  awarded  a  prize  as  the  outstanding 
student  in  microbiology.  After  leaving 
Castaner,  the  Myers  also  spent  time  in 
Mexico,  working  in  the  city  of  Puebla. 

Ralph  Townsend,  the  father  of  Melvin  and 
Philip,  served  as  director  of  the  Castaiier 
project  from  1957  to  1960,  [when]  our 
present  hospital  facility  was  being  built. 
Last  year,  at  Christmas,  we  had  a  visit  by 
Mel  and  Phil  and  their  older  brother, 
Rodney,  who  had  spent  time  with  the  Peace 
Corps  in  Venezuela.  Their  sister  Karen  had 
spent  several  months  working  as  a  volunteer 
in  Castaner  in  1968.  She  has  kept  up  her 
contacts  with  Latin  America  working  with 
Puerto  Ricans  in  New  York  and  later  mak- 
ing a  trip  to  Cuba  to  work  in  the  cane 
harvest  there. 

Mary  Ann  Packer,  as  you  mentioned,  was 
in  Puerto  Rico  as  a  nurse.  She  served  here 
from   1963  to   1965. 

Though  I  know  that  the  decision  of  each 


PHOTO  CREDITS:  Cover  A.  Devaney,  Inc.;  1  •'Adoration  o£  the  Shepherds:  A  Night  Piece,"  by 
Rembrandt,  courtesy  of  The  Art  Institute  of  Chicago:  2-3  "The  Adoration  of  the  Magi."  by  Giovanni 
Battista  Tiepolo,  courtesy  of  The  Art  Institute  of  Chicago:  4  "Christ  in  the  Suburbs."  by  Georges 
Rouault,  photo  by  Three  Lions;  12  "Madonna  and  Child."  by  Leonardo  da  Vinci.  Religious  News 
Service  photo;  14  courtesy  of  the  Commission  on  Religion  in  Appalachia;  15.  17  Ronald  E.  Keener;  19 
Terry  Pettit;  20  City  News  Bureau,  St.  Petersburg,  Fla.;  22  "Christ  Between  His  Parents  Returning 
From  the  Temple,"  by  Rembrandt,  courtesy  of  The  Art  Institute  of  Chicago;  25  Tom  Stack  for 
Tom    Stack    and    Associates 

Kenneth  I,  Morse,  editor;  Wilbur  E.  Brumiiauch.  associate  editor;  Ronald  E.  Keener,  director  of  news 
service;  Linda  Beher,  editorial  assistant.  Messenger  is  the  official  publication  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren.  Entered  as  second-class  matter  Aug.  20.  1918  under  Act  of  Congress  of  Oct.  17.  1917.  Filing 
date,  Oct.  1,  1970.  Messenger  is  a  member  of  the  Associated  Church  Press  and  a  subscriber  to  Religious 
News  Service  and  Ecumenical  Press  Service.  Biblical  quotations,  unless  otherwise  indicated,  are  from 
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Elgin,  111.  60120.    Second-class  postage  paid  at  Elgin,  111.  Dec.    17,  1970. 

Copyright,  Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board,  1970.   Vol.  119   No,  26 


of  these  individuals  to  participate  in  the 
team  in  Peru  is  very  much  an  individual 
decision,  I  cannot  help  thinking  that  with- 
out a  Castaiier,  the  recruitment  of  a  team 
as  fluent  in  Spanish  would  have  been  very 
difficult.  And,  though  this  is  not  the  first 
example  of  a  second  generation  in  service, 
I  think  it  is  a  very  dramatic  example  of  how 
the  years  as  a  child  abroad  can  later  bear 
fruit  in  readiness  for  just  such  emergencies. 

Ellis  J.  Shank 
Castaner,   Puerto   Rico 

BVS   IS   .   .  . 

I  am  writing  this  as  a  positive  witness  for 
what  Brethren  Volunteer  Service  (BVS)  has 
meant  to  me. 

I  come  from  a  small  farm  in  Indiana  arid 
grew  up  in  an  atmosphere  typically  Breth- 
ren. At  the  time  I  didn't  realize  how  much 
[my  background]  would  come  to  mean  to 
me. 

I  took  training  as  a  nurses'  aide,  after 
graduating  from  a  high  school  of  about  300 
students,  and  worked  for  five  months.  It 
didn't  seem  to  be  filling  the  bill.  I  was  gain- 
ing a  lot  of  experience  but  —  something  was 
missing.  I  had  gone  on  a  missionary  crusade 
to  Haiti  during  my  senior  year,  and  had 
gotten  all  "fired  up"  to  be  a  missionary.  But 
lack  of  finances  and  my  gradual  lack  of 
interest  in  further  schooling  stopped  me.  I 
had  heard  all  about  BVS  at  our  church,  and 
my  older  sister  had  served  a  year  here  in 
Virginia.  So  I  thought  I  pretty  well  knew 
what  it  was  all  about.  I  wanted  to  do 
something  different  with  my  life  and  have 
the  chance  to  be  independent  too.  BVS 
looked  like  the  answer. 

I  couldn't  have  been  more  right.  The 
training  period  at  New  Windsor  was  only 
a  small  part  of  the  tremendous  impact  my 
service  has  had  on  me.  There  I  learned 
honesty,  to  myself  and  to  others.  It  was 
great  to  be  a  part  of  a  group  of  forty 
other  people  who  knew  and  understood  me 
and  liked  me  anyway  —  for  being  me!  Proj- 
ect assignment  time  arrived  and  I  came  to 
the  project  here  in  Virginia's  First  District. 
It's  a  new  project,  and  I  have  had  the  ex- 
perience of  my  fife  —  working  as:  a  secre- 
tary, crafts  director,  cook,  song  leader, 
recreation  leader,  small  group  leader,  and 
wherever  else  I  was  needed  in  the  district 
office  and  at  Camp  Bethel.  Once  they  even 
entrusted  me  with  the  job  of  mowing  a  soft- 
ball  field  with  a  tractor  and  cycle-blade 
mower.  It  was  like  being  back  on  the  farm. 
Continued^on  page  32 


WHO  WAS  HE? 


He  was  the  Son  of  God. 

He  came  down  from  heaven. 

Kings  came  to  his  cradle. 

He  was  born  to  be  l<ing. 

He  was  the  greatest  among  men. 

He  was  loved  and  honored. 

He  was  gentle  and  loving. 

He  counseled  perfection. 

He  was  a  joyful  companion. 

He  said,  "Rejoice." 

He  said,  "Love  God  with  all  your  heart." 

He  said,  "Don't  be  anxious." 

He  said,  "Deny  yourself." 

In  him  was  life. 

He  was  an  historic  person. 

He  was  Jesus  of  Nazareth 


He  was  the  Son  of  man. 

He  was  born  in  a  stable. 

His  first  home  was  a  cave. 

He  was  the  child  of  Mary. 

He  was  the  least  among  servants. 

He  was  despised  and  rejected. 

He  made  many  enemies. 

He  was  the  friend  of  sinners. 

He  was  a  man  of  sorrows. 

He  said,  "Repent." 

He  said,  "Love  your  neighbor  as  yourself.' 

He  said,  "Count  the  cost." 

He  said,  "Ask  and  receive." 

He  died  on  the  cross. 

He  lives  today. 

He  is  Christ  the  Lord.  —  K.M. 


When  God  became  flesh  to  enter  his  world,  he  came  "a 
little  baby  thing  that  made  a  woman  cry,"  and  we  could  see 
our  Christian  faith  is  based  on  an  earthly  as  well  as  a 
heavenly  reality. 

If  you  look  in  the  window  of  a  hospital  nursery,  you 
become  aware  of  how  ordinary  birth  is  and  yet  how  splendid. 
As  each  tiny,  blanketed  baby  is  presented,  we  wait  for 
identity  to  be  given.  Who  are  you,  who  will  you  become, 
what  are  the  possibilities  for  you? 

The  birth  of  Christ  some  2,000  years  ago  in  a  stable, 
with  kings  and  shepherds  visiting  and  angels  singing,  is  not 
just  a  story  but  a  real  event.  The  birth  of  Christ  is  not  a 
secondhand  thing,  a  carried  story;  it's  a  personal  discovery 
of  identity,  for  living  relationship  with  God.  Baby  Jesus- 
Creator,  Servant-Savior,  Jesus  brought  into  history  not  only 
the  person  you  and  I  ought  to  be  but  what  God  actually  is. 
He  didn't  expound  a  theory  about  God's  design  for  human 
life.  He  lived  that  life. 

We  who  crowd  into  a  hospital  hallway  feel  hope  and 
joy  and  a  sense  of  love  because  of  the  eternal  possibilities 
in  those  babies. 

"She  gave  birth  to  her  first  born  son  and  laid  him  in  a 
manger." 

"God  so  loved  the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  son." 

Birth  is  so  ordinary  yet  so  splendid!  —  Phyllis  Carter 

HE  BRPUGHT  GOD 
INTO  HISTORY 

2     MESSENGER    12-17-70 


HE  iS  TriE  BRIDGE 


Bruce  Barton  wrote  of  The  Man  Nobody  Knows.  Albert  Schweitzer  con- 
cluded his  monumental  work  on  The  Quest  for  the  Historical  Jesus  with 
words  to  the  effect  that  there  is  mystery  about  Jesus  and  that  men  will  know 
him  only  as  they  encounter  him  in  the  experiences  of  life.  There  is  the  so- 
called  "messianic  secret"  which  has  occupied  the  scholars  through  the 
centuries.  There  is  much  of  the  paradox  and  contrast  in  his  presentation 
of  the  mind  of  God  to  men. 

Jesus  took  the  common  experiences,  decisions,  and  dilemmas  of  life 
and  wove  them  into  a  texture  of  gracious  challenge  and  blessing. 

There  is  evidence  of  a  kind  of  syncopation  or  counterpoint  in  the  way 
that  he  called  upon  men  to  rejoice  and  also  to  repent. 

It  is  evident  in  his  appeal  to  men  to  love  both  the  God  whom  they  have 
not  seen  and  the  neighbor  they  see  all  too  vividly,  and  to  love  the  self 
properly. 

It  is  evident  in  his  appeal  to  men  to  embrace  fulfillment  by  asking  and 
receiving,  yet  at  the  same  time  to  deny  the  self  and  turn  away  from  con- 
suming ambition  or  lust  for  power. 

It  is  evident  in  his  invitation  to  men  to  celebrate  their  freedom  and  be 
fulfilled,  and  yet  to  do  this  with  prudence  (count  the  cost);  in  his  accept- 
ance of  the  flask  of  precious  ointment,  the  display  of  "holy  waste,"  and  yet 
at  the  same  time  in  his  challenge  to  his  disciples  to  weigh  carefully  the 
demands  of  discipleship.  He  called  his  listeners  to  a  kind  of  holy  great- 
ness, to  the  abandonment  of  self. 

Only  one  from  God  could  combine  so  perfectly  the  paradoxes  of  free- 
dom and  challenge,  of  ecstacy  and  responsibility,  of  idealism  and  realism. 
It  took  someone  unique  to  unite  these  qualities  in  such  perfect  balance. 
He  is  indeed  the  demonstration  of  the  mind  of  God  for  us.  He  is  the  bridge 
by  which  two  worlds  are  united.  He  was  uniquely  sent  by  God  to  bring 
to  men  both  the  power  and  mercy  of  God. 

Who  was  he?  We  will  discover  him  in  the  experiences  of  life  where 
commitment  to  our  highest  and  noblest  goals  is  embraced.  —  Wiibur  R. 
Hoover 

12-17-70    MESSENGER     3 


HE  UVES...  i  UVE 


He  lived.    He  died.    He  lives  today. 

I  lived.    I  died.    I  now  live. 

By  his  dying  he  made  life  a  joy. 

By  his  living  he  took  away  fear  of  death. 

Death  had  threatened  all  my  dreams. 

Death  broke  the  bonds  of  family  love. 

Death  destroyed  potential  fame. 

Death  stole  wealth  and  treasure. 

Death  cut  short  days  of  leisure. 

In  him  I  died  to  all  these  dreams. 

Now  I  am  free  to  enjoy  life! 

His  resurrection  lets  me  love  without  possessing. 

His  resurrection  lets  me  earn  without  seizing. 

His  resurrection  lets  me  consume  without  being  consumed. 

His  resurrection  lets  me  use  my  person  without  selling  myself 

His  resurrection  lets  me  enjoy  life  without  escaping 

the  living  thereof. 
He  died.    I  died. 
He  lives.    I  live. 
I  was  ready  for  resurrection. 
He  gave  it  to  me. 
It  is  that  simple. 
That  is  good  news.  —  Graydon  F.  Snyder 


4     MESSENGER     12-17-70 


Shep  -  herds 

The    shep  -  herds 

Three    men  of 

To  -  night  we 


found  -  ed 
Saw     the 
What    is 


TriiS  iS  CHRISrMAS  MORN 


THERESA  ESHBACH 

December ,1969 


just 
great 


lone    in 
stood   in 

fame 

mem  -  ber 


and 
his 


fields,, 
maze 
for 
com 


ment ; 
tune 
ing. 


they  gazed  at  the 
new  star  bold  -  ly 
your     off  -  ' ring     to 


sky;. 


shine. 
him?_ 


A 

When 
They 

A 


star 

and 

a 

voice 

broke 

the 

qui 

- 

et 

night; 

They 

just 

at 

that 

mo    - 

ment 

a 

great 

an     - 

gel 

choir 

Sang 

knew 

it 

was 

his, 

so 

they 

hur     - 

ried 

-    ly 

came. 

With 

life 

that 

will 

shine 

just 

as 

bright 

as 

that 

star. 

Or 

shook 

prais  -  es  to 

gifts    so  ex 

one    that's  grown 


God_ 

qui 

dark. 


with 

fear 

on 

high 

ly 

fine 

and 

dim? 

Don't 

be 

a 

fraid, 

my 

friends 

Peace 

on 

the 

earth. 

my 

friends 

Joy 

comes 

to 

you, 

my 

friends 

Love 

comes 

to 

you, 

my 

friends 

For 

this 

For 

this 

For 

this 

Yes, 

this 

Christ 

mas 

Christ 

mas 

Christ 

mas 

Christ 

mas 

morn 
morn 
morn 

morn 


ims 

ver 

-    y 

nignt 

This 

ver 

-    y 

night 

This 

ver 

-    y 

night 

This 

ver 

-    y 

night 

Da 

vid's 

town 

Your 

sav  -  ior, 

Cnrist,was 

Da 

vid's 

town 

Your 

sav  -  lor. 

Christ, was 

Da 

vid's 

town 

Your 

sav  -  lor. 

Christ, was 

Da 

vid's 

town 

Your 

sav  -  lor. 

Christ, was 

born., 
born., 
born., 
born.- 


12-17-70    MESSENGER     5 


(Lament) 
Em9 


Em+4  Em 


Cmaj7 


iNNKEePER. 


STEVE  ENGLE 


Cmaj7 


Am7  Bm7 


]  J     J  JN     ^     J       IJ    J  J    I    J 


1.  Inn  -  keep-er,Inn  -  keep-er,  take  me    in,     I'm   so deep-down 

2.  Inn  -  keep-er, Inn  -  keep-er,  don't  you   hear?    Some-where  a  child  is 


^ 


Fmaj7 


Cmaj7 


r   ^^■■'  I  r 


^ 


wea  -   ry.        Seen  too much    in  the    time  I've  been. 

cry   -   ing.       How    ma  -  ny  lost    souls_     have  been  here? 


[Lively) 
G  •,_  D, 


_  om/  Em+4  Em  G  J^m_       " 

n   J    Ij     J     'II  r    ^  ^    r 


Got  an  aw-ful  load  to      car  -  ry. 
Whom have  you  left  for     dy  -  ing. 

Gmaj7 


In  -  side  your  lights  seem 


^^ 


cheer-y   and  warml 
(Slower) 

F6 


^^^^ 


In  -  side  there's  food  and      laugh  -   ter! 
Bbmai7 


'% 


Cmaj7  /T\         Am7  Bm7 

r    i[_r  J   -^     lu  ^   J    J 


Out  -  side  the  whole  world's  rag-ged  and   tornl    Peace  of  mind's  all   I'm 
E+4(maj.)      E  Em9  Cmaj7  A9  Am7 


J  J  II  J       J     j     J        J     J    I   J       J       J 

Inn  -  keep-er,     Inn    -    keep-er,         take     me  in, 


af       -       ter. 

Bm7 


EnH-4  Em 


J  I    J         J 


J   n  J 


Fmaj7 


I'm   so   deep  -  down      wea   -   ry.      Seen   too much   in  the 

Cmaj7  Am  Cmaj7  g^y  ^^^^  ^^ 


,1      I  n 


J     J     I  J     ^n 


time   I've   been.       Got  an  aw-ful  load    to       car  -  ry. 


6  MESSENGER  12-17-70 


}methingHq 


Shepherds  and  star  lovers  alike 
followed  their  intuition  and  the  light 
of  one  star,  brighter  than  before. 
Standing  before  the  child-Christ, 
they  sensed,  if  not  the  son  of  God, 
at  least  something  holy,  mysterious, 
a  deja  vu  in  the  night. 
Someone  may  even  have  said,  "Lord" 
or  "King,"  but  more  likely  they  stood 
silent  as  at  any  other  birth, 
while  somewhere  else  in  Judea 
another  child  began  to  burn 
and  did  not  know  why. 

by  Terry  Pettit 


risimas  inn 


Oh,  living  God  — 
this  is  your  home. 

This  barn  your  creche. 
These  trees  your  canopy. 

This  snow  —  when  snow 
time  comes  — 
your  blanket  —  as 
it's  ours. 


No  star  stayed  its  flight 

at  our  rooftop; 

no  frightened  shepherds  crept,  cowering, 

no  oriental  kings: 

our  world  hovered  far  away 

from  those  long  ago,  silent  nights 

on  an  eastern  plain. 

But  in  the  interstellar  space  since, 

some  bright  reflection  stowed  away 

(some  sheen  of  magi's  satin  cape?    a  glint 
from  shepherds'  pipes?) 
to  rest  at  last  in  us, 
a  shelter  in  the  yuletide  celebration. 

What  mystery  birthed  that  eve,  and  breathed 
our  pine  and  holly  air? 


Don't  let  us  put  up 

fences 

between  you  and 

yours. 


by  Linda  Beher 


by  Jo  Thebaud 


12-17-70    MESSENGER     7 


Instead  of  a  Christmas  Card 


What  Could  It  Mean? 

At  first, 

no  one  noticed. 

It  was  strange  that  they  didn't, 

but  everyone  was  busy, 

not  paying  much  attention 

to  anything  that  didn't  concern  them 

personally. 

The  innkeeper  may  have  been  the  first  to  notice. 

After  all,  wasn't  it  his  barn? 

There  seemed  to  be  a  star, 

a  very  bright  star, 

shining  directly  over  his  stable. 

It  looked  as  if, 

of  course  it  was  impossible, 

but  it  even  looked  as  if 

the  star  were  pointing  to  his  stable. 

Soon  other  people  began  to  notice 

how  odd  it  was 

to  have  a  star  that  bright. 

They  were, 

some  of  them  anyway, 

afraid  that  it  might  mean 

that  the  whole  world 

was  going  to  be  destroyed. 

Everyone  kept  asking  everyone  else 

what  it  could  mean. 

What  it  meant  right  then 

was  that  Mary  and  Joseph's  baby 

was  sleeping  in  a  straw-filled  manger 

in  a  barn 

within  the  sight,  sound,  and  smell 

of  several  animals. 

What  it  means  right  now 

is  that  Mary  and  Joseph's  baby 

was  the  Word  sent  by  God 

and  the  Word  is  love. 


Dear  Friend, 

Our  orbits  have  grown  — 

we  no  longer  meet 

by  local  circumstance 

(conferences  and  coups 

in  the  library's  deep  stacks 

or  mutual  leanings 

on  green  street  lamps). 

Any  allegiance  now 

is  not  by  chance. 

And  so  I  pause 

at  the  end  of  this  year 

to  touch,  to  call  out, 

"Friend,  I'm  here." 

by  Terry  Pettit 


Out  of  Time 


On  this  shiny  day  rippling  with  whirling  leaves, 

I  watched  you,  little  Chris,  bouncing  on  your  toes, 

flinging  your  small  arms  up 

to  the  sky, 

and  lilting  your  joy 

to  the  whole,  vast  swirly  world! 

(Once  angels  sang,  light  shone,  wisemen  hastened.) 

You  stopped  your  jubilee  just  long  enough 

to  feather-touch  my  face  with  your  gentled  hand, 

and  then  standing  quite  still,  to  stretch  wide 

your  arms. 

In  that  part-moment  trembling  out  of  time, 

your  eyes  spoke  to  my  eyes. 

(I  know  you,  Christopher.    I  know  you  now!) 


by  Jeanne  L.  Donovan 


by  Emily  Sargent  Councilman 


From   "Voices   International,"   copyright  ©   1968. 
Used   by   permission. 


8     MESSENGER    12-17-70 


GOOD  NtWS  Foil  You 


KENNETH  I,  MORSE 

Refrain 


^^ 


WILBUR  E,  BRUMBAUGH 

Gm  C7      ^         F  Bb 


^ 


There's  good   news   for    you, good  news,_  good 

F  Si       ^  <^7  F  F  Bb 


£ 


news       for 

F  Dm 


^ 


you       and    all       the       world.     There's     a        time        of        joy, great     joy, 

Gm  C7       X  F  Bb  F  Bb  C7  F 


J     q  w 


^ 


_  great joyi  great    joy   for      all   man  -  kind. 


(C7) 


Bb 


G7 


W 


J   J   J   J 


0  * * — 

1.  Don't  be   scared,  you   shep-herds  ,God has  heard  you  pray-ing 

2.  Hear  the    song  of  glo-ry,  Sung_  from  high -est  heav  -  en 

3.  You   can    cease  your  cry-ing.  War  -  fare  will   be  end-ing 

4.  He's   a     child  for  hold-ing.  He's_  a   star  for  guid-ing 


Dm7 


W^ 


Lis-ten  to    the  an -gels. 

For  the  ba  -  by  Je  -  sus , 

Peace  on  earth   is  pro-mi sed. 

He's  the  hope   you  long  for. 


Hear_what  they  are  say-ing:  There's  good 

Who to  earth  is  giv-en. 

God his  Son  is  send-ing. 

He is  love  a-  bid-ing  . 


12-17-70  MESSENGER  9 


feel-ing  of  joy? 

men  of  good  will ._ 
hood  a  -  mong  inen._ 
hope  and  our  joy._ 


rriE  MFaNiNG  OF  CHRISTMAS 


STEVE  ENGLE 

Em 


m 


^J  Mr  J-    s> 


the  mean-ing  of  Christ  -  mas?, 

the  mean-ing  of  Christ  -  mas., 

the  mean-ing  of  Christ  -  mas.. 

the  mean-ing  of  Christ  -  mas.. 


Why     this       great 
New     life         to 
Peace, broth  -  er  - 
Christ  is         our 


-^— ggjT  Y     ]    r      _  I  .1     r"™^"^^ '  ' '  I    — ^ — 

•'JJ1I  'I  J^I*JJJJ        >^ 


Where-fore   this   hap  -  py  oc  -  ca  -  sion?_ 

Though  dark   and  doubt-ing  o'er-take    us, 

Though  strife  and  hate  do  sur-round    us, 

Love,  peace,  the  good  news  re-sound  -  ing — 

CHORUS 

C  F  C 


m 


?=^3 


^p^ 


for  one  ba  -  by  Boy? 

a  -  mong us  still._ 

the  mes-sage  a -gain 

the  world_    re-joice. 


Hal     -    le-lu 


ia:_  Hal  - 


■&--'' 

7 

C 

F 

1 ^ 

c 

r- 

^.,        ' 

'f 

G7 

Am  (or   c;*' 

\Jl 

1           i 

—^ 

1 J      ^"    > — P-^ 

[—^ 0 ^ ffl 

-© — 1 

1 

J 



J <^ 

— " 4 

' — a 

' — ^ \ 1 

—\ F \ Ml 

jf 

~ 

1 

lu - iai 


Hal 


le  -lu 


ial Hal     -    le-lu-ial 


r   r   1^ '" 


^    (rngjnr) 


\'     r   r 


P^^^^ 


(Hal   -   le 


lu 


ia:)* 


*  The  second  ending  is  optional.      If  using  only   the  first  ending,   end  with 
a   "C"   chord  instead  of   "A"  minor.      Either  way,    the  chorus  should  be  sung  twice 
after  each  verse.      Also,    the  last  verse  may  be  sung  at  a  slower   tempo. 


•  Oil 


*  M  '   (  t 


it 

* 


i  * 


>  ► 

i  > 


~l 


10     MESSENGER     12-17-70 


Where  the  Boys  Are 

Where  the  boys  are 

Christmas  comes  ahead  of  time. 

When  it's  ten  A.M.  in  Chicago, 

it's  already  Christmas  in  Saigon. 

That  they  should  hear  it  first 

is  just 

as  we  have  prayed. 

by  Howard  W.  Winger 


A  Ritual  to  Read  to  Each  Other 

If  you  don't  know  the  kind  of  person  I  am 

and  I  don't  know  the  kind  of  person  you  are, 

a  pattern  that  others  made  may  prevail  in  the  world 

and,  following  the  wrong  god  home,  we  may  miss  our  star. 

For  there  is  many  a  small  betrayal  in  the  mind, 
a  shrug  that  lets  the  fragile  sequence  break 
sending  with  shouts  the  horrible  errors  around  us 
storming  out  to  wreck  through  the  broken  dyke. 


And  Bypass  Herod! 

Lacking  a  star, 
nevertheless  — 
we  must  bring  gifts. 


Faith  —  however  lamed. 
Hope  —  however  strained. 
Love  —  however  stained. 

For  His  delight.  He  said - 
is  to  receive  our  gifts  — 
and  give  us  — 
bread. 

by  Jo  Thebaud 


And  as  elephants  parade  holding  each  elephant's  tail, 
but  if  one  wanders  the  circus  won't  find  the  park, 
I  call  it  cruel  and  maybe  the  root  of  all  cruelty 
to  know  what  occurs  but  not  recognize  the  fact. 

And  so  I  appeal  to  a  voice,  to  something  shadowy, 
a  remote  important  region  in  all  who  talk: 
though  we  could  fool  each  other,  we  should  consider  — 
lest  the  parade  of  our  mutual  life  get  lost  in  the  dark. 

For  it  is  important  that  awake  people  be  awake, 

or  a  breaking  line  may  discourage  them  back  to  sleep; 

the  signals  we  give  —  yes  or  no,  or  maybe  — 

should  be  clear:    the  darkness  around  us  is  deep. 

by  William  Stafford 

From  "The   Hudson   Review."    Used   by   permission. 


12-17-70    MESSENGER      11 


/ 


1 


A  Walk  on  Christmas 

To  walk  anywhere  in  the  world,  to  live 
now,  to  speak,  to  breathe  a  harmless 
breath:    what  snowflake,  even,  may  try 
today  so  calm  a  life, 
so  mild  a  death? 


Out  in  the  winter  once, 

walking  the  hollow  night, 

I  felt  a  burden  of  silver  come: 

my  back  had  caught  moonlight, 

pouring  through  the  trees  like  money. 

That  walk  was  late,  though. 

Late,  I  gently  came  into  town, 

and  a  terrible  thing  had  happened: 

the  world,  wide,  unbearably  bright, 

had  leaped  on  me.    I  carried  mountains. 

Though  there  was  much  I  knew,  though 

kind  people  turned  away, 

I  walked  there  ashamed  — 

into  that  still  picture 

to  bring  my  fear  and  pain. 

By  dawn  I  felt  all  right; 

my  hair  was  covered  with  frost; 

the  light  was  bearable;  the  air 

came  still  and  cool. 

And  God  had  come  back  there 

to  carry  the  world  again. 


Lento  Pede 


In  night  of  flashing  omens, 

when  all  the  trains  are  home 

and  shoppers  have  gone  from  the  plaza 

and  the  cup  goes  around  in  the  church  house 

at  the  time  of  the  lighting  of  candles, 

then  Christmas  on  soft  foot  comes 

to  settle  on  chimneys  and  rooftops, 

a  dove  on  an  olive  branch 

with  message  of  peace 

to  men  of  goodwill. 

by  Howard  W.  Winger 


Since  then,  while  over  the  world 

the  wind  appeals  events, 

and  people  contend  like  fools, 

like  a  stubborn  tumbleweed  I  hold, 

hold  where  I  live,  and  look  into  every  face: 

Oh  friends,  where  can  one  find  a  partner 
for  the  long  dance  over  the  fields? 

by  William  Stafford 

From   Ihe   "Chicago  Tribune   Magazine,"   December   22,    1968.     Used   by   permission. 


12-17-70    MESSENGER      13 


In  partnership  on  poverty 


Brethren  who  are  working  in  Appala- 
chia  —  a  region  often  identified  with  pov- 
erty —  caucused  in  Montreat,  N.C.,  in 
late  October  and  found  a  commonality 
of  interest  in  their  woric  and  concern 
for  the  poor  of  the  thirteen-state  region. 

It  was  the  first  time  that  their  pov- 
erty-related work  had  brought  them  to- 
gether as  a  group:  21  Brethren  and 
BVSers,  three  district  executives,  and 
four    Brotherhood    staff   members. 

Still  there  are  more,  at  least  40  Breth- 
ren working  in  Appalachia,  an  area  that 
involves  seven  Brethren  districts,  in  part, 
from  New  York  to  Mississippi.  The 
caucus  was  facilitated  by  the  annual 
meeting  the  next  two  days  of  the  Com- 
mission on  Religion  in  Appalachia,  an 
organization  in  which  Brethren  have  par- 
ticipated financially  and  helped  create. 

In  mission:  The  commission  —  or 
CORA  —  was  created  four  years  ago  to 
unite  the  church's  mission  activities  in 
Appalachia  through  relevant  efforts  that 
are  indigenous,  innovative,  and  ecumeni- 
cal. As  such  it  is  an  instrument  of  its 
17  communions  and  14  other  compo- 
nents, not  a  separate  agency.  "CORA 
is  the  Church  of  the  Brethren  in  Appa- 
lachia, if  you  wish  it  to  be,"  said  its 
executive  director,  Max  E.  Glenn,  in 
consultation   with   the   Brethren. 

The  question  for  Brethren  was  what 
shall  be  their  continuing  presence  and 
program  in  Appalachia.  Presently,  only 
the  Flat  Creek  Mission  in  Kentucky  is 
a  Brotherhood  project  (with  major  sup- 
port from  Southern  Ohio  District).  Yet 
there  are  at  least  a  dozen  BVSers  pro- 
vided to  other  agencies,  perhaps  17 
Brethren  employed  as  stafl"  by  agencies, 
and  three  Brethren  students  engaged  in 
Appalachian  studies.  Some  $40,000  now 
being  spent  with  40  Brethren  in  Appa- 
lachian programs  brings  a  return  invest- 
ment  of  $240,000,   if  computed   at   the 


pastoral  salary  level  —  a  tremendous  re- 
turn on  a  minimal  investment. 

No  model:  It  became  clear  in  the 
Brethren  caucus,  and  later  in  CORA 
meetings,  that  there  is  no  self-understood 
model  of  who  the  poor  are  or  what  their 
needs  are.  From  state  to  state  and  area 
to  area,  they  vary.  It  appeared  incon- 
gruous that  in  the  CORA  meetings  the 
poor  were  unrepresented;  rather  it  was 
a  meeting  of  denominational  and  judica- 
tory   (district)    clergymen    and   officials. 

But  it  was  clear  that  directions  for 
the  poor  could  not  be  formed  without 
their  input.  CORA  chairman.  Episcopal 
Bishop  William  E.  Sanders,  pointed  out 
that  "whatever  we  do,  we  don't  do  for; 
we  do  with." 

The  work  being  done  by  Brethren  in 
Appalachia  varies  considerably.  From 
the  mission  situation  at  Flat  Creek  where 
Dwayne  Yost,  Mark  Wampler,  and  Hen- 
ry Ledford  are  involved;  to  the  Lend- 
A-Hand  Center  of  Irma  Gal!  at  Walker, 
Ky.;    to    the    Jackson/Clay    Community 

Max  Glenn:   Focusing  on  13-state  region 


Action  Group  (OEO)  where  David 
Hubcr  is  a  director;  to  the  South  Wil- 
liamson Appalachian  Regional  Hospital 
where  Dr.  Fred  Wampler  is  on  the  clinic 
staff;  to  the  mission  church  at  Surgoins- 
ville,  Tenn.,  where  Rebecca  Swick  pas- 
tors. Brethren  are  relating  to  the  prob- 
lems of  poverty  in  Appalachia.  In  each 
of  these  programs  Brethren  other  than 
those  named  work  also. 

Junior  partnership:  The  work  varies 
from  social  services  to  economic  devel- 
opment to  social  action  for  social  justice. 
Ralph  E.  Smeltzer,  Brotherhood  social 
justice  consultant,  said  that  several  styles 
are  exhibited  in  the  work:  paternalism, 
self-determination,  and  partnership.  It 
is  a  junior  partnership  in  the  self-determi- 
nation process  that  the  church  should 
seek  with  the  poor,  Mr.  Smeltzer  be- 
lieves. 

Most  Brethren  are  involved  in  social 
services  and  economic  development, 
though  persons  like  Dave  Huber  are  as- 
sisting the  poor  to  meet  their  own  needs, 
by  challenging  political  structures  and 
social  custom. 

CORA  itself  is  attempting  to  find  its 
way  among  the  approaches.  In  the  past 
year  the  commission  has  operated 
SEPI,  a  task  force  on  Social,  Economic, 
and  Political  Issues.  Over  the  next  18 
months,  100  "encounter  weekends"  will 
be  formed  of  persons  from  various  voca- 
tional, socioeconomic,  and  age  back- 
grounds for  in-depth  discussion  of  their 
common  concerns,  around  the  theme  "A 
Decent  Life  for  All." 

Unresolved  is  the  challenge  of  whether 
CORA  should  participate  in  direct  politi- 
cal action.  The  debate  was  stimulated 
during  the  weekend  by  Dr.  Earl  C. 
Brewer  of  Emory  University,  suggesting 
such  an  approach.  Bishop  Sanders  came 
down  on  the  other  side,  preferring  that 
CORA  assume  a  talk-confrontation  role, 
reforming  and  challenging  the  Church, 
but  refraining  from  direct  political  action. 

One  Brethren  person  suggested  that  if 
CORA  fails  to  take  such  action,  directly 


14     MESSENGER     12-17-70 


CORA   chairman   Sanders:   Working   with,   not   for         Local,  district.  Brotherhood  leaders:  Dwayne  Yost,  Ron  Wine,  Ralph  Smeltzer 


Among  Brethren  working  in   Appalachia:    Dr.   Fred  Wampler  Jr.,  Julian  Griggs,   Steve  Rickleff,  Joyce  Longenecker,  Irma  Gall 


confronting  the  political  and  social  pro- 
cesses which  perpetuate  poverty,  then 
CORA  should  support  the  program  of 
the  Council  of  the  Southern  Mountains, 
which  is  taking  this  approach.  A  Breth- 
ren, Julian  Griggs,  is  a  member  of  the 
Council's  staff  and  recently  directed  the 
CSM   technical  assistance  program. 

The  CSM  is  what  CORA  is  not.  In 
a  recent  organizational  restructuring, 
CSM  program  is  now  operated  largely 
by  poor  people,  less  by  outside  agencies. 
For  this  move  CSM  has  lost  sizable 
foundation  support  that  sustained  its  pro- 
gram. Put  more  frankly,  CSM  is  the 
voice  of  the  poor  speaking;  CORA  is 
the  establishment  speaking  with  and  on 
behalf  of  the  poor. 

WMC  support:  World  Ministries  Com- 
mission of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren 
has  contributed  $300  to  the  Council 
budget  and  may  be  asked  to  supply  a 
BVSer  to  assist  its  staff.  Some  years  ago 
two  BVSers,  Donna  Greiner  and  Arnold 


Groff,  served  with  CSM. 

"The  Council  is  carrying  on  a  signif- 
icant pioneering  task  in  helping  the  poor 
people  of  Appalachia  to  organize  them- 
selves and  to  express  their  concerns," 
Ralph  Smeltzer  observed.  "We  hope  that 
many  Brethren  persons  in  Appalachia  are 
already  members  and  that  more  will  join. 
If  Brethren  will  participate  at  every  pos- 
sible level  of  the  Council's  program,  they 
can  help  the  Council  play  a  progressive 
role  in  supporting  the  people  of  Appala- 
chia while  learning  much  from  this  ef- 
fort." 

Mr.  Smeltzer  is  a  member  of  the  Coun- 
cil and  serves  on  the  Poor  People's  Self- 
Help  Commission. 

Two  goals:  From  its  start,  CORA 
has  had  the  two  priority  goals  of  combat- 
ting poverty  and  creating  community.  Its 
approach  has  been  through  task  forces 
on  issues  and  needs,  "collegiate"  staff 
(loaned  by  communions  for  specific 
tasks),    and    experimental    demonstration 


projects.  It  has  had  a  successful  program 
in  its  first  four  years,  abetted  largely  by 
its  able  executive  director  Max  Glenn. 

From  their  caucus,  the  Brethren  sug- 
gested a  third  CORA  goal,  one  of  con- 
gregational renewal,  built  around  a 
broader  concept  of  the  nature,  mission, 
and  ministry  of  the  church.  Ralph 
Smeltzer  suggested  that  CORA  work  at 
"sensitizing  congregations  in  creating 
community  and  combatting  poverty  from 
a  biblical  and  theological   viewpoint." 

The  Brethren  saw  church  renewal  as 
a  part  of  CORA's  own  imperative  of 
dealing  with  the  religious,  moral,  and 
spiritual  implications  inherent  in  Appa- 
lachia's  economic,  social,  and  cultural 
conditions.  Said  Bishop  Sanders:  "Pov- 
erty has  its  spiritual  implications  —  it  is 
the  death  often  of  the  spirit." 

Beyond  this,  the  Brethren  saw  their 
denomination's  role  in  CORA,  through 
larger  financial  support  (particularly 
from  district  boards),  as  providing  a  col- 


12-17-70    MESSENGER      15 


legiate  staff  member  and  task  force  par- 
ticipants, and  Brethren  Service  volunteers 
to  CORA  staff  and  programs. 

Brethren  gathering:  Furthermore, 
plans  are  being  explored  for  a  conference 
next  spring  of  the  seven  Brethren 
district  executives  and  related  Appala- 
chian area  workers  to  examine  church 
renewal  for  Appalachian  congregations 
and  to  assess  an  expanded  mutual  rela- 
tionship between  CORA  and  the  Brethren 
districts. 

Church  of  the  Brethren  involvement 
was  broadened  in  CORA  with  the  elec- 
tion of  Ronald  K.  Wine,  Southeast- 
ern District  executive,  to  a  three-year 
term  on  the  commission's  board  of  di- 
rectors. 

Manpower  resources,  an  historic  em- 
phasis on  reconciliation,  a  flexible  re- 
sponse to  need  evidenced  through  other 
agencies  —  these  were  seen  as  particular 
Brethren  strengths  in  Appalachian  work. 

On  the  minus  side  were  noted  lack 
of  interpretation  of  the  needs  of  Appa- 
lachian congregations,  more  communica- 
tion among  Brethren  in  Appalachian  pro- 
grams, and  additional  recruitment.  Sug- 
gested, too,  was  more  involvement  of 
Brethren  colleges  in  Appalachian  studies, 
especially  nearby  Bridgewater  College  in 
Virginia. 

Personnel:  Caucus  participants  felt 
that  the  Brethren  could  make  their  great- 
est contribution  not  in  program,  but  in 
personnel:  not  in  more  missions,  but  in 
more  individuals;  not  in  institutions,  but 
by  personal  example.  Such  persons  as 
Irma  Gall  and  Julian  Griggs,  working 
in  their  own  programs  or  with  related 
agencies  ministering  to  the  poor  or  with 
the  poor,  should  be  recognized  as  part 
of  the  "extended  ministry"  of  the  church, 
it  was  pointed  out. 

Though  CORA  claims  no  ties  to  the 
National  Council  of  Churches,  an  ob- 
server noted  that  the  commission  is  the 
"most  ecumenical  body  I've  been  associ- 
ated with"  —  drawing  in  Roman  Cath- 
olics, Southern  Baptists,  all  three  Luther- 
an  bodies   among   the    17   communions. 

To  its  credit,  CORA  has  succeeded  in 
effecting   a   unified   effort  in  mission  by 

16     MESSENGER    12-17-70 


a  widely  diverse  group  of  religious 
bodies.  Not  only  have  churchmen  been 
brought  together  for  dialogue  and  action 
on  Appalachian  needs,  but  CORA  has 
also  produced  a  regional  dialogue  among 
various  government  agencies  working  in 
Appalachia. 

Basic  dilemma:  The  leadership  that 
government  gave  to  the  antipoverty 
movement  in  the  1960s  is  passing  to  the 
church  in  the  present  decade  —  or  it 
will  lose  its  momentum.  Approaches  dif- 
fer, to  be  sure.  Where  government  and 
industry  have  believed  that  the  answer 
to  poverty  and  hunger  is  in  jobs  and 
more  services  for  the  poor,  the  churches 
see  powerlessness  as  the  basic  dilemma. 

George  H.  Esser  Jr.,  program  adviser 
to  the  Ford  Foundation  and  a  speaker 
at  the  CORA  meeting,  said  earlier  this 
year,  "It  is  not  only  the  question  of 
poverty  or  of  hunger:  it  is  a  question  of 
real  exploitation  of  land  —  of  people 
denied  access  to  power.  .  .  .  (Appalachia 
is)  an  area  where  for  over  a  century 
of  history  we  have  allowed  economic  and 
political  power  systematically  to  degrade 
people."  The  demand  for  help  in  the 
leadership  of  poor  people,  said  Mr.  Esser, 
is  coming  to  the  churches. 

"Theology  will  be  learned  only  in  min- 
istry," Bishop  Sanders  said  in  his  presen- 
tation. "It's  not  enough  to  respond  to 
man's  material  needs.  Our  ministry  is  a 
ministry  to  the  whole  man  in  his  entire 
environment."  For  many  Brethren  these 
are  the  right  words,  the  proper  direction. 

But  Dr.  Earl  Brewer  cautioned:  Set- 
tings for  discussion  "in  groups  ranging 
from  the  poor  and  powerless  to  the 
wealthy  and  powerful  could  become  a 
living  context  for  revitalized  biblical 
study  and  theological  reflection."  But 
heaven  help  us,  he  said,  if  such  study 
and  reflection  are  "not  tied  to  some  op- 
erational scheme  in  the  life  of  the  living 
church." 

Throughout  Appalachia  the  Brethren 
have  had  an  involvement  among  the 
poor.  It  remains  to  be  seen  if  they  can 
provide  a  commitment  and  strategy  for 
mission  in  partnership  with  the  poor.  — 

R.E.K. 


Of  the  30,000  persons  in  Jackson  and 
Clay  counties  in  Kentucky,  73  percent 
live  with  incomes  of  less  than  $3,000. 
Many  of  them  are  unemployed  and  on 
welfare,  live  in  substandard  housing,  are 
rejected  for  health  reasons  by  Selective 
Service,  and  have  little  education.  Con- 
fronting these  conditions  is  David  Huber, 
former  BVSer  and  a  McPherson  College 
graduate,  who  is  director  of  training,  re- 
search, and  program  development  with 
the  Jackson/ Clay  Community  Action 
Group  (CAA),  an  agency  of  the  U.S. 
Office  of  Economic  Opportunity.  Dave 
has  been  with  the  OEO  program  since 
February  1969  and  recently  wrote  these 
observations  about  the  poverty  of  his 
area  of  Appalachia. 

Coal,  timber,  and  farming  have  pro- 
vided the  two-county  area  with  its  only 
developed  natural  resources.  But  coal 
and  timber  are  very  nearly  depleted  and 
farming  is  uneconomical  in  today's 
mechanized  society.  With  this  natural 
economic  structure  absent,  state  and  fed- 
eral funds  amounting  to  millions  of  dol- 
lars flow  into  the  area  through  the  school 
systems,  public  assistance  offices,  high- 
way and  health  departments.  Veterans' 
Administration,  and  labor  department 
programs.  And  the  poor  continue  to 
be  dependent  upon  someone's  decision  — 
generally  the  local  politician's  —  and 
upon  someone's  discretion. 

In  the  past,  politics  and  the  control 
of  political  office  have  reigned  supreme 
in  the  manipulation  of  the  people  and 
of  the  money.  Consequently,  about  60 
families  in  Jackson  County  receive  about 
40  percent  of  the  county's  income.  A 
very  similar  situation  exists  in  Clay 
County. 

"What  a  task!"  In  this  arena  of  ec- 
onomic destitution  and  political  dynasty 
the  CAA  develops  and  implements  "a 
local  strategy  to  stimulate  a  better  focus- 
ing of  federal,  state,  local,  and  private 
resources  on  the  goal  of  eliminating  pov- 
erty." What  a  task!  For  the  officials 
controlling  money  resources  are  dedi- 
cated to  retaining  political  control,  and 
any  move  on  their  part  toward  eliminat- 


The  politics  of  poverty 


ing  poverty  would  weaken  that  control. 

If  one  does  not  choose  to  fall  into 
the  lines  of  political  patronage,  further 
controlling  the  poor  rather  than  helping 
them,  one  must  forget  about  funds  and 
cooperation  from  those  sources  and  work 
with  the  other  resources  available  to 
him  —  namely,  federal  OEO  money,  pri- 
vate aid,  and  the  numbers  of  poor  in 
this  area.  Because  the  Jackson/ Clay 
CAG  has  taken  this  route,  a  week  has 
not  passed  in  a  year  and  a  half  in  which 
some  state  or  local  politicians  have  not 
tried  to  push  out  the  Community  Action 
Group. 

There  are  two  basic  ways  to  deal  with 
poverty:  undermining  the  causes  and 
working  on  the  conditions.  To  put  it 
another  way,  we  can  deal  with  such 
things  as  creating  jobs  for  people,  organ- 
izing people,  and  educating  people  in  all 
areas  of  life;  or  we  can  provide  them 
with  food,  clothing,  and  shelter.  Few 
can  argue  with  the  latter  type  of  pro- 
grams, especially  if  one  does  the  "serv- 
ice" and  shuts  up. 

The  politician  especially  likes  this  pro- 
gram if  he  controls  it,  because  he  may 
be  able  to  say  to  a  very  needy  family, 
"Sure  I'll  give  $20  (of  this  program 
money)  for  food  if  your  family  votes 
for  me  next  time,"  providing  the  family 
has  several  votes.  If  the  family  does  not 
have  the  votes,  it  may  need  to  return 
$5  (under  the  table)  to  the  giver.  Poli- 
ticians love  services,  love  other  people 
for  playing  their  game  because  they  know 
how  to  deal  with  it,  and  love  others  who 
"serve  and  shut  up"  because  there  are 
no   changes.    These   are   safe   programs. 

Unsafe  projects:  What  about  dealing 
with  the  causes  of  poverty,  such  as  the 
lack  of  jobs,  lack  of  education,  and  the 
lack  of  "independent"  Southeastern  Ken- 
tuckians  working  together?  These  are 
things  that  cannot  be  worked  on  "safe- 
ly" since  they  cause  change  —  the  one 
thing  that  a  politician  does  not  want. 

Why  do  these  result  in  change?  What 
happens  when  a  person  earns  his  money 
at  an  independent  job  rather  than  getting 
a  welfare  check  which  is  subject  to  a 
politician's   okay?    What  happens  when 


Dave  Huber:  Working  at  poverty's  causes 

the  poor  are  educated  and  find  out  from 
the  "book"  who  or  what  governs  his 
eligibility  for  the  welfare  check?  What 
happens  when  several  people  find  out 
this  information,  tell  others,  and  organ- 
ize into  a  group? 

In  all  cases,  a  few  individuals  —  prob- 
ably politicians  —  lose  some  of  their  con- 
trol, power,  and  money.  From  this  loss 
a  better  democracy  results,  people  make 
decisions  governing  their  lives,  and  they 
can  help  to  eliminate  their  problems  rath- 
er than  having  others  dictate  the  exact 
things  that  will  hold  them  down. 

Causes:  The  Jackson/Clay  CAG  has 
made  a  concerted  effort  to  deal  with 
the  causes  of  poverty.  Because  of  this, 
it  has  run  into  "hot  water"  with  local 
politicians  who  fight  social  change. 
Along  with  the  traditional  "safe"  services 
such  as  emergency  food  and  medical 
services  and  self-help  home  repair  proj- 
ects, the  CAA  spends  most  of  its  time 
with  community  organization,  economic 
development,  and  Head  Start. 

Community  organization  is  an  agent 
for  change.  If  poverty  should  ever  be 
eliminated,  it  will  be  a  result  of  change. 
In  Jackson  and  Clay  counties,  the  follow- 
ing changes  would  be  necessary:  Com- 
parable to  U.S.  averages  (1)  the  people 
must  maintain  a  stable  income  and  must 
use  their  incomes  to  the  best  advantage; 
(2)  services  must  be  geared  toward  peo- 


ple, not  politics;  and  (3)  representatives 
must  represent  the  people,  not  bought 
votes.  The  efforts  of  the  CAA  look 
toward  stabilizing  incomes  and  creating 
services.  Number  three  is  too  touchy 
for  OEO  to  deal  with,  since  it  is  a  gov- 
ernment program  itself. 

Regarding  the  gearing  of  services 
toward  people,  not  politics,  the  CAA 
runs  head-on  into  the  glare  of  local 
politicians.  What  else  would  happen 
when,  through  a  concerted  effort  of  CAA 
employees  and  poor  people,  a  local 
school  administration  was  caught  dupli- 
cating public  and  private  revenues  for 
school  lunches?  What  else  could  happen 
when  the  poor  as  a  group  confront  a 
school  superintendent  about  his  ordering 
a  bus  without  brakes  to  drive  a  load  of 
children  some  30  miles  over  moun- 
tainous terrain?  What  would  you  expect 
to  find  when  a  group  of  poor,  knowing 
how  the  public  assistance  program  is  sup- 
posed to  work,  tell  the  public  assistance 
officials  that  they  expect  it  to  be  carried 
out  that  way? 

Economic  development  is  a  new  pro- 
gram for  the  CAA.  It  is  now  known 
that  OEO  cannot  do  everything  that 
needs  to  be  done  in  Jackson  and  Clay 
counties  to  gain  economic  stability. 
About  15,000  jobs  are  needed  to  do  that. 
Consequently,  a  Community  Develop- 
ment Corporation  (CDC)  has  been  set 
up  to  take  advantage  of  resources  from 
OEO,  Special  Impact  OEO,  Small  Busi- 
ness Administration,  Kentucky  Industrial 
Development  Fund  Association,  and  oth- 
ers. The  CDC  is  guaranteed  to  be  made 
up  of  a  majority  of  poor  people,  so  that 
politicians  cannot  control  it.  Such  a 
group  will  allow  the  poor  to  take  the 
action  they  need  to  get  jobs  and  to  con- 
trol their  own  destinies.  The  CDC  is 
currently  attempting  to  bring  business 
in,  expand  present  businesses,  and  de- 
velop new  ones. 

Fighting  poverty  is  in  no  way  easy. 
We  all  will  make  mistakes,  and  certain- 
ly not  everyone  is  even  sympathetic.  But 
if  we  are  truly  going  to  help  our  fellow- 
men,  it  is  not  only  a  need  on  our  part, 
it  is  also  a  responsibility. 

12-1770    MESSENGER      17 


■^ 


Brethren  return 

to 'real  way'  of  study 

Concerned  over  the  format  of  the 
new  Brethren  adult  church  school  guide, 
one  parishioner  wrote  that  he  would 
"surely  love  to  get  back  to  the  real  way" 
of  Bible  study. 

The  "real  way"  for  him  meant  return- 
ing to  the  quarterly  to  which  he  had  been 
accustomed  for  many  years.  A  point  of 
contention  for  him  and  others  has  been 
the  dropping  of  the  scripture  that  was 
printed  in  the  former  Adult  Quarterly. 

It  was  in  an  attempt  to  help  Brethren 
return  to  the  "real  way"  of  Bible  study 
that  A  Guide  to  Biblical  Studies,  the  new 
quarterly  inaugurated  in  September,  dis- 
continued reprinting  the  scriptures. 

"Years  ago  Brethren  carried  Bibles 
with  them  to  church  and  studied  them 
extensively,"  responds  Kenneth  Shaffer, 
editor  of  the  Guide. 

Questions  have  come  also  from  per- 
sons who  assumed  that  the  Guide  was 
not  based  on  the  International  Sunday 
School  Lessons.  Although  that  fear  was 
unfounded,  some  confusion  arose  when 
the  switch  was  made  from  the  Quarterly 
to  the  Guide,  requiring  a  reshuffling  of 
lessons.  With  the  second  issue  (Decem- 
ber-January-February) of  the  Guide  now 
in  use,  the  international  lessons  are  back 
on  schedule  with  the  Guide. 

Writers  for  the  lessons  through  De- 
cember have  been  James  C.  McKinnel, 
New  Paris,  Ind.,  and  Kenneth  L.  Gibble, 
Harrisburg,  Pa.  Preparing  the  January 
and  February  lessons  are  Robert  W.  Neff, 
Villa  Park,  111.,  and  Glen  E.  Norris, 
Elgin,  III. 

While  there  is  somewhat  less  material 
for  teacher  interpretation  (with  discon- 
tinuation of  Leader  magazine),  the  sec- 
tion on  "Interpreting  the  Bible"  and  a 
bibliography  will  prove  to  be  valuable 
aids,  Mr.  Shaffer  observes. 

Underlying  the  purpose  of  the  Guide 
is  a  concern  that  Bible  study  be  dialogi- 
cal  between  the  scriptures  and  ourselves. 
Attempting  to  shun  the  lecture  method, 
the  new  Guide  aims  at  causing  serious 
study  of  the  Bible  by  the  church  class. 

18     MESSENGER     12-17-70 


P  commenlary 


Terry  Pettit's  story  begins  a  new  fea- 
ture in  these  pages  called  Commentary, 
a  style  of  reporting  intended  to  provide 
perspectives  beyond  traditional  news. 

Imagine  that  you  are  looking  at  an  old 
daguerreotype  of  a  group  of  people  sit- 
ting on  hand-carved  benches  around  a 
hardwood  table.  The  people  look  healthy 
in  a  rough  sort  of  way.  The  men  have 
full  beards,  their  sleeves  are  rolled  to 
the  elbows,  and  one  of  them  is  wearing  a 
black,  broad-brimmed  hat.  The  women 
seem  strong.  They  are  not  wearing 
makeup,  and  in  their  arms  and  tugging 
at  their  long  dresses  are  mop-headed  chil- 
dren. 

It  could  be  a  gathering  of  Brethren 
several  years  ago,  a  family  get-together 
after  church.  But  this  is  taking  place 
in  1970.  It  is  not  the  work  of  Mathew 
Brady,  the  nineteenth-century  photog- 
rapher, but  rather  a  gathering  of  real 
people  in  a  small  restaurant  in  Taos, 
N.M.,  a  village  resting  on  a  7,000-foot 
mesa  in  the  heart  of  the  Sangre  de 
Christo  Mountains. 

By  now  you  have  probably  read  some- 
thing about  Taos  in  Time,  Life,  or  News- 
week. Or  perhaps  you  saw  some  of  these 
same  people  in  a  television  documentary 
that  tried  to  explain  why  people  were 
leaving  the  cities  and  moving  to  Taos  or 
places  like  Taos.  Or  perhaps  you  knew 
that  much  of  the  footage  for  the  movie 
Easy  Rider  was  shot  in  the  Taos  area 
and  that  the  producer-star  of  the  movie, 
Dennis  Hopper,  has  recently  settled 
there.  Or  perhaps  you  knew  that  D.  H. 
Lawrence  lived  and  wrote  on  his  ranch 
20  miles  from  Taos,  or  that  Kit  Carson 
settled,  traded,  and  some  say  massacred 
from  Taos.  Or  maybe  you've  heard  none 
of  this  information  and  misinformation. 

What's  true?  I  have  been  to  Taos 
three  times,  once  for  an  extended  stay, 
and  I  must  honestly  say  that  while  I  have 
observed  much,  I  really  don't  know 
what's  going  on  there.  But  then,  I  live 
near  Chicago  all  of  the  time,  and  I 
haven't  been  able  to  figure  it  out  either. 
I  do  know  that  much  of  what  I  have 
read  about  Taos  strikes  me  as  untrue. 


And  I  also  know  that,  like  all  of  the 
Indians,  Spanish-Americans,  Anglo  busi-l.t 
nessmen,  artists,  and  hippies  who  call 
Taos  home,  I  like  Taos  better  than  1 
like  Chicago;  and  for  the  same  reasons 
that  I  like  any  small  town  better  than 
any  of  the  Chicagos.  But  I  don't  think 
I  knew  quite  why  I  felt  this  way  until 
I  met  one  man  who  left  Chicago  to  begin 
a  new  life  in  Taos. 

Ron  Kalom  is  a  Jew.  He  is  a  big  man 
with  a  big  frame,  but  it  is  only  after 
you've  been  around  him  awhile  that  you 
notice  he  is  really  lean.  That  may  be 
because  he  has  a  full  beard  and  is  often 
wearing  a  hat,  or  because  he  has  a  strong! 
voice  (he  once  studied  to  be  a  rabbi 
and  can  chant  with  authority),  or  be- 
cause the  place  he  works  in  is  small,' 
and  people  come  to  the  place,  the  House 
of  Taos,  because  of  him.  He  fills  the 
house,  and  so  he  is  a  big  man. 

Moral  living:  Ron  Kalom  left  Chicago 
two  years  ago  because  he  was  convinced 
that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  live  a 
moral  life  in  a  big  city  where  the  evil 
that  confronted  a  man  every  day  was 
so  impersonal,  so  large,  and  so  removed 
from  any  response  that  he  might  have 
to  it.  He  feels  that  there  is  no  way  a 
man  can  effectively  confront  the  bureac- 
racies  that  make  decisions  on  whose 
home  will  be  torn  down  to  make  room 
for  a  swanky  apartment  complex;  there 
is  no  way  a  man  can  confront  the  close- 
ness of  city  living,  and  the  results  of 
that  closeness  and  inadequate  living. 

And  so  a  man  becomes  frustrated,  he 
compromises,  and  in  the  end  he  is  so 
confused  that  he  doesn't  know  if  he 
himself  is  acting  morally.  He  becomes 
so  angered  at  the  structures  he  cannot 
influence  that  he  loses  any  perspective- 
he  might  have  on  his  own  morality. 

Most  people  "adjust"  their  values  to 
fit  what  the  city  requires;  others  are  try- 
ing so  hard  just  to  survive  that  they  do 
not  have  the  luxury  of  making  decisions 
from  any  value  system.  Ron  Kalom,  a 
35-year-old  administrator  for  the  YMCA, 
left  Chicago  with  his  wife  Carol  and  their 
daughter  Noelle.  They  stopped  in  Taos 
on  their  way  to  California  and  stayed. 


The  House  of  Taos  Ay  Terry  pettit 


The  place  that  Kalom  works  at  is 
the  House  of  Taos,  a  cafe-cotTeehouse 
where,  from  12  noon  until  the  W.C. 
Fields  movie  ends  late  in  the  night,  you 
can  eat  (on  those  hand-carved  benches) 
pizzas,  sandwiches,  ice  cream  cones,  and 
tossed  salads,  and  drink  soda  pop,  coffee, 
and  hot  cider.  Or  then  again  you  might 
bring  in  your  own  drinks,  and  maybe  a 
guitar,  a  dulcimer,  or  a  banjo  —  it  really 
doesn't  matter,  because  food  is  only  one 
of  the  reasons  for  going  to  the  House 
of  Taos  and  probably  not  the  most  im- 
portant if  you've  been  there  before. 

I  first  met  Kalom  two  summers  ago 
when  I  was  a  second-year  seminary  stu- 
dent doing  my  field  ministry  in  northern 
New  Mexico.  I  was  employed  by  the 
Taos  Ecumenical  Area  Ministry  to  min- 
ister to  vacationers,  the  youth  of  one  of 
the  local  churches,  hippies,  and  anyone 
who  would  listen.  Kalom  must  have  been 
a  little  suspicious  of  me  when  I  first 
introduced  myself  and  my  assignment. 

Comradeship:  He  had  been  in  social 
work  too  long  not  to  know  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  develop  a  rapport 
and  trust  with  any  community  in  only 
three  months.  But  possibly  because  I 
sensed  this  myself  and  told  him  so,  and 
partly  because  we  were  both  from  Chi- 
cago and  had  similar  interests  (we  had 
even  eaten  in  the  same  delicatessen  on 
the  north  side),  and  partly  because  we 
are  both  ritual  men,  we  became  friends. 

In  the  little  back  room  behind  the 
kitchen  Kalom  taught  me  to  read  the 
Hebrew  alphabet  while  he  was  making 
pizzas,  and  by  the  end  of  the  summer  I 
could  read,  though  not  understand,  the 
first  few  lines  of  Genesis. 

He  also  came  twice  to  the  Bible  school 
class  that  I  was  helping  with  and  chanted 
in  Hebrew  for  the  children  who  were 
studying  world  religions.  But  most  of 
the  time  I  saw  him  at  the  House  of  Taos, 
which  is  really  an  extension  of  himself. 

The  House  is  open  every  day,  and 
some  of  the  same  people  may  drop  by 
every  day:  a  gallery  owner  and  his  two 
teen-age  sons,  some  people  from  one  of 
the  nearby  communes,  an  old  Indian 
from  the  pueblo.    But  there  are  always 


Ron  Kalom 

new  faces,  tourists  looking  for  directions, 
people  who  don't  know  how  long  they'll 
be  in  town  but  feel  comfortable  there. 
And  Ron  Kalom  is  there  every  day,  mak- 
ing pizzas,  giving  directions  when  people 
ask  for  them,  and  some  Old  Testament 
theology  when  a  newcomer  pops  off 
about  a  little  name-calling  he  received 
when  he  walked  across  the  plaza. 

Tired  of  rhetoric:  It's  not  that  Kalom 
doesn't  share  the  same  frustrations  about 
what  is  happening  to  America  with  the 
young  people  who  come  into  his  restau- 
rant —  he  does;  that's  why  he  left  Chi- 
cago. But  he  doesn't  like  people  to  com- 
plain about  little  things.  He's  tired  of 
rhetoric,  revolutionary  or  otherwise,  and 
in  Old  Testament  fashion  he's  likely  to 
tell  them  to  shut  up  and  work  their 
tails  off  for  what  they  believe  in. 


"At  the  end  of  a  day  you  should  be 
exhausted,"  he  will  say.  "You've  got  to 
lust  after  your  life.  You've  got  to  lust 
after  your  woman  and  your  children 
.  .  .  ,"  and  he  will  continue  this  life 
chant  until  his  point  is  made  and  then 
retire  to  the  kitchen  to  make  another 
pizza,  and  if  you  were  on  the  receiving 
end  of  his  argument  you  feel  renewed, 
a  little  guilty,  but  mostly  eager  to  work 
and  sweat  and  grab  hold  of  things.  And 
you  have  a  feeling  that  maybe  this  guy 
belongs  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  that 
following  Micah  maybe  there  should  be 
a  book  called  Kalom. 

He  is  a  man  who  because  of  his 
warmth,  his  openness,  his  biblical  tradi- 
tion, has  provided  some  sense  of  order 
to  a  small  community  that  is  kind  of  a 
catchmitt  for  people  with  broken  visions. 
It  is  a  sense  of  order  that  comes  not 
from  any  superficial  conservatism  or  loy- 
alty oath,  but  rather  from  a  man  who 
is  actively  living  and  working  at  his  vi- 
sion of  being  open  to  all  people. 

The  sign  above  the  front  of  the  House 
of  Taos  is  lettered  in  blue.  And  so  when 
I  think  of  that  building,  blue  is  the  first 
color  that  comes  to  mind,  because  like 
the  rest  of  the  buildings  in  Taos  the 
House  is  constructed  of  the  pinkish- 
brown  adobe  that  is  native  to  that  area, 
the  same  pinkish-brown  that  colors  the 
sky  in  the  evenings  and  is  often  the 
complexion  of  the  people  who  work  that 
earth.  So  the  blue  letters  take  on  an 
added  importance  —  they  would  be  lost 
in  the  myriad  of  super-hamburger-gaso- 
line signs  that  line  our  suburbs,  but  in 
Taos  against  the  backdrop  of  the  ever- 
present  pueblo,  the  blue  is  evident  and 
lingers. 

In  the  late  evenings  when  everyone 
has  eaten  or  at  least  all  the  requests  for 
food  have  been  taken,  Ron  Kalom  sits 
under  the  sign  on  a  round  millstone  that 
grows  out  of  the  front  of  the  House 
of  Taos.  Sometimes  he  is  sitting  alone 
petting  his  dogs  Bacca  and  Sarah:  at 
other  times  he  is  talking  to  a  friend  or 
a  person  who  will  become  a  friend,  but 
often  he  is  just  sitting.    He  is  present. 


12-17-70    MESSENGER      19 


news 


Brethren  will  gather 
on  Suncoast  next  year 

Contrary  to  the  adage  applied  to  most 
urban  cities,  St.  Petersburg,  Fla.,  ap- 
pears to  be  a  great  place  to  visit  and  to 
live.  If  one  is  less  prone  to  accept  this 
view  on  the  strength  of  the  city's  opti- 
mistic press  releases,  he  might  verify  it 
in  the  numbers  of  fellow  Brethren  living 
there  now,  most  in  retirement. 

This  Suncoast  city  will  host  the  185th 
Annual  Conference  next  June  22-27.  Its 
much-talked-of  climate  will  offer  an  extra 
inducement  to  families  wishing  to  com- 
bine a  vacation  with  attendance  at  Con- 
ference. 

The  focal  point  for  Conference  events 
will  be  Bayfront  Center,  a  $5  million 
auditorium-arena  complex,  fronting  on 
Tampa  Bay.  Remembering  previous 
Conference  sites.  Brethren  will  appre- 
ciate the  1,500-car  parking  lot  surround- 
ing the  center. 

The  center  is  designed  to  accommo- 
date three  major  events  at  the  same  time 
—  in  the  arena  where  the  Brethren  will 
be  meeting,  an  auditorium,  and  the  con- 
vention-banquet   rooms   upstairs. 

The  central  Florida  area  has  been  a 
refuge  for  many  retired  Brethren,  a  num- 
ber living  in  the  Orlando,  Sebring,  Tam- 
pa, and  St.  Petersburg  areas.  There  are 
Brethren  congregations  in  each  of  these 
cities,  and  13  in  the  Florida  district. 
Edgar  S.  Martin  pastors  the  St.  Peters- 
burg church. 

The  city's  oldsters,  accounting  for  one 
third  of  its  225,000  population,  have 
been  received  with  mixed  blessing.  Re- 
cently the  city  has  been  trying  to  alter 
its  image  —  "God's  waiting  room,"  as 
a  story  in  Time  magazine  has  put  it  — 
by  appealing  to  a  younger,  more  con- 
temporary group.  The  intent  has  been 
to  provide  a  more  balanced  community. 
Reference  to  the  city  through  its  publicity 
as  "St.  Pete"  has  been  an  attempt  to  con- 
vey the  concept  of  its  attractiveness  to 
young  families. 

The  visitor  wishing  to  tuck  in  some 
vacationing  along  with  the  business  and 


St.  Petersburg's  Bayfront  Center,  in  foreground,  where  Brethren  will  gather  in  1971 


activities  of  Conference  will  find  fishing, 
beaches,  tennis,  and  golf  not  far  distant. 
Near  the  Bayfront  Center  are  two  major 
hotels,  the  Princess  Martha  and  the  St. 
Petersburg  Hilton,  now  being  constructed 
and  expected  for  occupancy  before  the 
opening  of  Conference.  There  are  numer- 
ous other  accommodations  too,  includ- 
ing camping  sites  and  —  are  you  ready? 
—  boatels. 

Among  the  city's  attractions  are  the 
Aquatarium,  reputed  to  be  the  world's 
largest  marine  attraction  .  .  .  HMS 
Bounty,  of  the  MGM  "Mutiny"  film 
.  .  .  Fort  De  Soto  County  Park,  an  his- 
torical fort  where  tent  and  trailer  camp- 
ing sites  are  available  .  .  .  Museum  of 
Fine  Arts,  including  nine  modern  exhi- 
bition galleries  and  three   authentic  an- 


tique period  rooms  .  .  .  Orchid  Garden 
.  .  .  planetarium  and  observatory  on  the 
St.  Petersburg  Junior  College  campus 
.  .  .  wax  museum  ...  an  historical  mu- 
seum .  .  .  Sunken  Gardens,  exhibiting 
exotic  flowers  and  plant  life  and  includ- 
ing "King  of  Kings,"  a  biblical  wax  fig- 
ure display  .  .  .  Tiki  Gardens. 

The  city  has  many  churches  of  all 
faiths  and  four  schools  and  colleges,  in- 
cluding Florida  Presbyterian  College.  St. 
Pete  is  called  Sunshine  City  for  good 
reason:  The  afternoon  newspaper  dis- 
tributes its  newsstand  edition  free  if  the 
sun  has  not  shone  by  its  2  p.m.  press 
time  each  day. 

Brethren  last  assembled  in  Florida  for 
Annual  Conference  in  1947  at  Orlando, 
when  Rufus  D.  Bowman  was  moderator. 


20     MESSENGER     12-17-70 


In  the  Brotherhood: 
The  church  is  people' 

Taking  seriously  its  concern  for  mis- 
sion in  the  community,  Peace  Church  of 
the  Brethren,  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  has 
participated  in  the  forming  of  Social 
Concerns,  Inc.,  with  the  downtown  Meth- 
odist church  and  a  small  Negro  Baptist 
church. 

Social  Concerns,  Inc.,  will  serve  as  an 
umbrella  group  through  which  the  three 
congregations  might  relate  to  the  poor 
of  the  community.  They  envision  the 
organization  of  subsidiary  groups  in  legal 
aid,  child  care,  and  low-income  housing. 

The  organization  developed  from 
Peace  church's  prior  involvement  with 
the  city's  senior  citizens.  Working 
through  a  then-functioning  Community 
Action  Program,  the  church  became  a 
meeting  place  on  Wednesday  afternoons 
for  activities  of  the  area's  older  residents. 
The  church's  work  sparked  similar  in- 
volvement by  two  other  churches  in  the 
city.  Up  to  90  persons  participate  at 
Peace  church  each  week. 

Says  Pastor  Dale  E.  Shenefelt  of  his 
five-year-old,  132-member  congregation, 
"We  believe  that  the  church  is  people  and 
that  we  must  be  involved  with  people 
and  not  just  a  building  and  a  program 
in  it." 

Shared  ministry:  For  ten  weeks  last 
summer,  Skyridge  Church  of  the  Breth- 
ren and  Judson  Baptist  Church,  both  in 
Kalamazoo,  Mich.,  met  together  for  wor- 
ship. Their  shared  experiences  date  from 
the  winter  of  1964-65  when  they  spon- 
sored a  community  forum.  Other  forums 
and  an  exchange  of  pastors  have  fol- 
lowed. 

Skyridge's  pastor,  John  Tomlonson, 
noted  the  commonality  of  the  two  con- 
gregations in  that  they  are  both  mission 
projects  of  their  denominations  and  are 
located  within  two  miles  of  each  other. 
Both  share  a  failure  in  meeting  the  pro- 
jected growth  rates  set  for  them,  he  said. 

They  are  similar,  too,  in  the  character- 
istics of  their  members,  their  openness 
to    innovation    in    worship    and    service, 


their  concern  with  their  community,  and 
their  theological  orientation  in  the  Ana- 
baptist traditions. 

Evaluating  the  joint  summer  services, 
one  regular  participant  saw  less  agree- 
ment on  theological  points  than  he  ex- 
pected but  liked  the  diversity  and  differ- 
ing styles.  A  communion  service  was 
conducted  by  each  church  in  the  other's 
meetinghouse,  and  participation  was  en- 
couraging. 

What  of  the  future?  Options  from 
more  shared  experiences  to  organic  merg- 
er have  been  discussed.  But  moves  for 
merger  will  need  to  come  from  the  pa- 
rishioners. Until  then  their  past  experi- 
ences call  for  deeper  sharing. 

Travel  camp:  Coventry  Church  of  the 
Brethren  near  Pottstown,  Pa.,  has  often 
been  the  object  of  historical  tours  for 
Brethren.  But  the  youth  of  Coventry, 
encouraged  by  their  pastor,  Wilbur  A. 
Martin,  decided  to  see  a  few  other  "land- 
marks" of  the  Brotherhood. 

With  two  cars  and  two  trailers  the 
youth  visited  the  York,  Pa.,  First  church, 
the  New  Windsor  Service  Center,  the 
denomination's  General  Offices  at  Elgin, 
III.,  and  Bethany  Theological  Seminary. 
Noting  the  privilege  for  the  youth  in 
becoming  acquainted  with  a  few  of  the 
institutions  of  the  church,  Mr.  Martin 
remarked  that  "if  Coventry  is  to  continue 
her  history,  she  must  keep  writing  it  in 
her  youth  of  today." 

Mexico  camp:  Last  summer  23  work 
campers  from  six  denominations  and 
three  leaders  helped  build  a  public  bath 
house  and  make  major  improvements  to 
the  Apostolic  Christian  Church  at  Porte 
Penasco,  Sonora,  Mexico.  Camp  director 
was  Robert  E.  Walters,  pastor  of  the 
Phoenix,  Ariz.,  First  Church  of  the 
Brethren. 

Their  week-long  project  received  the 
praise  of  the  town's  mayor  who  called 
it  the  greatest  week  that  they  had  ex- 
perienced. On  the  final  day  the  church 
cooked  dinner  and  supper  and  held  a 
fiesta  in  between.  Each  church  group 
sang  songs,  and  the  work  campers  re- 
sponded with  "They  Will  Know  We  Are 
Christians  by  Our  Love." 


Christian  seminar 
on  political  security 

When  there  is  tension  between  citizen- 
ship and  faith,  between  national  prior- 
ities and  Christian  priorities,  how  is  each 
served? 

This  is  an  underlying  matter  for  Chris- 
tians concerned  about  national  and  inter- 
national political  life.  It  will  also  involve 
youth  aged  16  and  above  who  participate 
in  the  Christian  Citizenship  Seminar  Jan. 
24-29,  1971,  sponsored  by  the  World 
Ministries  and  Parish  Ministries  commis- 
sions of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren. 

The  seminar  in  Washington,  D.C.,  and 
New  York  City  is  obstensibly  pro- 
grammed to  help  youth 

\^  observe  the  legislative  and  executive 
processes  of  American  government  and 
to  evaluate  them  from  the  viewpoint  of 
a  Christian; 

]^  develop  a  point  of  view  on  a  few 
current  national  and  international  issues, 
on  the  basis  of  information,  alternative 
points  of  view,   and  Christian   faith; 

l^  develop  ways  of  expressing  their 
Christian  concerns  on  these  issues; 

]^  engage  in  some  appropriate  form  of 
political  action  during  the  seminar. 

With  its  theme,  "New  Perspectives  on 
Security,"  the  seminar  will  deal  with 
American  and  international  security, 
arms  build-up,  military  appropriations, 
conscription,  and  technological  and  socio- 
logical development. 

Information  on  leadership,  costs,  and 
registration  is  now  in  the  hands  of  pas- 
tors, youth  advisers,  and  witness  com- 
mission chairmen  of  local  congregations. 

Of  faith  and  citizenship  in  tension, 
John  G.  Fike  explains:  "It  is  still  unclear 
where  the  Christian's  work  for  the  king- 
dom and  the  citizen's  concern  for  his 
nation  best  fit  together."  Mr.  Fike  and 
Ralph  E.  Smeltzer  are  the  Brotherhood 
staff  members  organizing  the  seminar. 

The  seminar  planners  are  also  seeking 
persons  in  the  Brotherhood  who  might 
be  trained  in  citizenship  experiences  for 
leadership  in  regional  or  national  semi- 
nars in  future  years. 


12-17-70    MESSENGER     21 


^^'Mfe- 


Invaded  by  Tomorrow 


by  C.  WAYNE  ZUNKEL 

He  has  scattered  the  proud 
in  the  imagination  of  their 
hearts, 
he  has  put  down  the  mighty 
from  their  thrones, 
and  exalted  those  of  low 
degree; 
he  has  filled  the  hungry  with 
good  things, 
and  the  rich  he  has  sent 
empty  away 

Mary's  song  is  thought  to  have  been  a 
hymn  sung  in  the  early  church. 

What  a  strange  hymn  it  is.   The 
verbs  indicate  something  which  has 
already  taken  place.  Yet  to  read  it,  you 
know  those  things  haven't  happened 


yet.   It's  all  nice  poetry,  but  it  just  isn't 
true.    It  doesn't  make  sense. 

Yet  the  New  Testament  is  always 
talking  this  way. 

The  disciple  Peter  stood  up  on  the 
day  of  Pentecost  and  said,  "Today  is 
the  day  spoken  of  by  the  prophet  Joel 
when  he  said,  'In  the  last  days  I  will 
pour  out  my  spirit  upon  all  flesh,  and 
your  sons  and  daughters  shall  see 
visions,  and  your  old  men  shall  dream 
dreams.'  "  They  didn't  believe  God's 
kingdom  would  come.   They  believed 
it  had  come.  It  is  here,  even  as  Jesus 
had  said,  "in  the  midst  of  you." 

We've  heard  this  in  "The  Hallelujah 
Chorus"  from  Handel's  Messiah:  "The 
kingdom  of  this  world  is  become  the 
kingdom  of  our  Lord  and  of  his 
Christ.  .  .  ." 

What  does  it  mean? 

All  of  our  Bible  commentaries,  even 
the  most  recent,  aren't  a  bit  of  help  in 
understanding  this.    The  Interpreters' 
Bible  —  all  twelve  expensive  volumes 


—  ignore  the  problem.    Only  recently 
has  there  begun  to  emerge  a  realiza- 
tion that  there  is  a  central  theme  to  the 
New  Testament  scriptures  which  we 
have  ignored  or  overlooked. 

Larry  Kuenning,  a  student  at  Man- 
chester College,  wrote  a  little  pamphlet 
entitled  "The  War  Is  Over."  He  recalls 
that  on  January  8,  1815,  British  troops 
had  landed  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  and  moved  against  New 
Orleans.  They  met  American  forces 
led  by  Andrew  Jackson,  and  many  men 
were  killed  in  the  battle  that  followed. 

The  defeat  of  the  British  on  that  day 
was  long  remembered  in  story  and 
song,  but  none  of  the  songs  mentions 
that  the  Treaty  of  Ghent  had  been 
signed  on  December  24,  1814  —  two 
weeks  before  that  battle  took  place. 

Men  fought  and  killed  and  died 
because  no  one  had  heard  that  the  war 
was  over. 

It  is  like  the  doctor  who  stands  at  the 
bedside  of  a  terribly  sick  man  and 


22     MESSENGER     12-17-70 


announces  to  the  family  that  the  fever 
has  broken  and  the  battle  for  the  man's 
life  has  been  won.  The  man  is  still 
flat  on  his  back  in  bed.   He  is  still 
weak.  He  is  still  unable  to  move  about 
as  he  did  before.   But  the  doctor 
knows,  and  the  family  believes,  that 
from  this  point  on  the  movement  will 
be  in  the  direction  of  health. 

To  look  to  Jesus,  the  scriptures  say, 
is  not  to  look  over  our  shoulders  into 
the  past.  To  look  to  Jesus  is  to  look 
ahead.   What  God  was  sharing  with  us 
was  not  a  past  greatness  but  the  fu- 
ture, "tomorrow  incarnate."  Colos- 
sians  calls  Jesus  "the  firstborn  of  all 
creation."  It  says,  "He  is  the  beginning 
...  in  him  all  things  hold  together." 
He  is  what  tomorrow  is  all  about.  Jesus 
is  what  God  had  in  mind  when  he 
placed  humans  on  this  earth. 

Christians  have  long  talked  about 
the  end  of  history,  about  "last  things," 
what  they  call  "eschatology."  But 
today,  it  has  begun  to  occur  to  us  that 
what  the  scriptures  are  talking  about 
is  "realized  eschatology."  Tomorrow 
is  already  here  —  in  our  midst.    Peter 
said,  "These  are  the  last  days  in  which 
we  are  to  dream  great  dreams  and 
live  out  God's  truth." 

The  theme  of  the  New  Testament  is 
not  "back  to  the  Bible,"  not  to  return 
to  some  golden  days  of  yesteryear. 
Nor  is  it  patiently  waiting  for  some  new 
day  which  God  will  finally  give  us. 
The  mood  of  the  New  Testament  is 
that  the  future  is  already  in  our  midst. 
And  all  we  need  to  do  is  claim  it.  All 
we  need  to  do  is  lay  hold  of  all  the 
things  we  ultimately  want .  .  .  now. 

Krister  Stendahl,  dean  of  Harvard 
Divinity  School,  has  talked  of  "Messi- 
anic license,"  what  he  calls  freedom 
which  comes  to  us  as  Christians  to 
"play  heaven  on  this  dirty  earth."   We 
have  been  granted  permission  by  God 
and  we  receive  this  permission  most 


clearly  in  Jesus  Christ,  to  presume  to 
begin  to  live  now  as  God  ultimately 
wants  all  his  children  to  live.   We  are 
to  be  "colonies  of  heaven";  we  are 
pilgrims,  Hebrews  2  puts  it,  who  have 
here  "no  abiding  place."  We  are  to 
pray  and  live  that  rash,  bold,  audacious 
prayer  of  Jesus,  "Thy  kingdom  come, 
thy  will  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  in 
heaven.  .  .  ."  How  could  anyone  pre- 
sume that  life  on  this  earth  could  begin 
to  be  lived  as  it  is  in  heaven?  But 
those  are  the  terms  in  which  Jesus 
would  have  us  think. 


a 


'ur  nation  was  founded  by  pilgrims, 
immigrants  who  came  here  seeking 
religious  freedom  and  escape  from 
European  military  systems.   Today 
more  American  young  men  have  fled  to 
Canada  to  escape  our  military  system 
than  there  are  young  men  in  alternative 
service.  All  of  us  are  pilgrims.  We  are 
never  completely  at  home  in  the  cul- 
ture and  the  world  about  us. 

The  book  of  Hebrews  calls  us 
"strangers  and  exiles  on  the  earth,"  like 
Abraham  who  left  his  home  and  set 
out  for  a  new  land,  not  knowing  where 
he  was  to  go.  Like  Abraham,  we  too 
live  in  "the  land  of  promise  as  in  a 
foreign  land."  We  live  in  the  midst  of 
friends  and  a  nation  and  a  local  com- 
munity.  We  go  to  school,  we  transact 
business,  we  raise  children,  we  eat  and 
sleep.  Yet  we  are  citizens  of  another 
country,  another  kingdom.  Another 
loyalty  calls  us.  Another  trumpet, 
another  drumbeat  are  in  our  ears. 
Within  us  is  a  burning  vision  of  a  better 
life,  a  different  kind  of  nation  —  a  life 
and  a  nation  which  will  never  fully 
come  but  which  vvill  always  be  in 
process,  always  on  its  way  to  realiza- 
tion. 

A  generation  ago,  some  great  reli- 


gious thinkers  —  men  like  Reinhold 
Niebuhr  and  John  Bennett  and  others 
—  were  saying  to  us  that  the  teachings 
of  Jesus  portray  a  pure  ethic.   The 
New  Testament  asks  unconditional 
love,  purity,  truth.    But,  they  argued, 
in  the  real  world  we  cannot  live  that 
way.   We  must  choose  between  evils. 
We  must  choose  the  lesser  evils  where 
possible.  War,  they  said,  was  a  lesser 
evil  than  Hitler's  tyranny.  They  chose 
war  and  tried  to  defend  it. 

But  the  new  view  which  has  emerged 
teaches  a  frightful  and  wonderful 
ethic.    It  says  the  old  ethic  of  com- 
promise is  not  what  Jesus  was  talking 
about.  Jesus'  ethic  does  not  make 
room  for  a  watering  down  of  God's 
truth. 

It  says  to  us  that  you  and  I  don't 
have  to  be  a  part  of  a  dying  culture 
about  us,  any  more  than  first-century 
Christians  went  down  with  the  dying 
culture  around  them. 

We  used  to  work  at  this  in  high 
school  when  some  of  us  would  sit 
around  campfires  and  ask,  "What  kind 
of  life  does  God  want?  What  should 
the  new  culture  be  like?  What  things 
should  be  changed?  What  kind  of 
songs  would  we  sing?  What  kind  of 
recreation  would  we  have?  How  would 
people  resolve  their  differences?" 

Each  of  us  can  do  this  on  his  own, 
and  we  can  do  it  together.  We  can 
begin  in  our  own  way  to  live  out  the 
tomorrow  that  God  would  give  us 
today. 

For  example,  every  other  person 
where  you  work  may  be  untrue  to  his 
or  her  wife  or  husband,  but  you  can 
build  a  solid  home.   One  of  my  friends 
in  Washington,  D.C.,  said,  "I'm  the 
only  man  in  my  entire  oflfice  who 
claims  to  be  in  love  with  his  wife. 
They  laugh  at  me,  but  it  doesn't  bother 
me.   I  know  I  have  a  relationship 
which  they  secretly  wish  they  could 


12-17-70    MESSENGER     23 


TOMORROW  /  continued 

also  have  with  their  wives." 

Every  other  student  in  the  classroom 
may  cheat  on  his  tests.  Every  other 
person  at  work  may  lie  to  the  custom- 
ers. A  friend  says,  "The  automobile 
business  is  a  difficult  one  to  be  honest 
in.  But  I'm  doing  my  best  to  be  honest. 
I  lose  some  customers  the  first  time 
around,  but  I  figure  I  more  than  make 
up  for  it  on  repeat  customers." 

Every  other  friend  of  yours  may 
abuse  his  body  with  drugs,  including 
alcohol.    Alcohol  also  is  a  mind-alter- 
ing drug.  Lady  Astor  said,  "One 
reason  I  don't  drink  is  that  I  want  to 
know  when  I'm  having  a  good  time." 
In  a  culture  that  defines  so  much  of  its 
fun  in  terms  of  scrambling  the  mind 
and  clobbering  the  body,  on  your  own 
initiative  you  can  begin  to  be  free  of  all 
that.  You  can  find  enjoyment  which 
doesn't  leave  you  with  a  throbbing 
head,  an  anxious  tummy,  or  a  dark 
brown  taste  in  your  mouth  on  the 
morning  after. 

It  means  a  new  kind  of  witnessing. 
A  new  boldness  and  confidence. 

The  time  was  when,  in  talking  with 
friends  or  in  trying  to  enter  into  con- 
versation with  strangers,  they  would 
ask  us  how  we  felt  about  some  con- 
troversial topic,  and  we'd  try  to  see 
where  they  stood  before  we  committed 
ourselves  too  far.  No  more.  To  begin 
to  live  tomorrow's  life  now,  this  new 
style  would  have  us  tell  the  other  per- 
son exactly  where  we  stand.   All  the 
hedging  is  gone,  and  immediately  we 
can  plunge  directly  into  the  heart  of  the 
discussion.   We  are  freed  from  playing 
little  games,  freed  to  meet  life  directly 
and  in  earnest. 

The  disciples  lived  with  this  kind  of 
confidence:  "wise  as  serpents  and 
innocent  as  doves."  They  lived  without 
fear,  knowing  that  they  belonged  to 
the  future.   Tomorrow  was  already 
theirs. 


We  are  tempted  to  say,  "The  scrip- 
tures are  so  idealistic.   They  can  never 
work."  Or  we  say,  "If  everybody  else 
lived  as  the  Bible  says,  then  we  might 
be  able  to  live  by  its  impossible  ethic." 

The  new  understanding  would  say 
the  scriptures  are  the  only  realism. 
Only  Jesus'  way  can  work.  If  you  are 
going  to  wait  to  be  good  until  everyone 
else  is  good,  you  will  be  the  last  evil 
person  on  this  earth. 

The  new  view  says  we  don't  have  to 
wait  to  live  the  New  Testament  affir- 
mation that  "in  Christ  Jesus  there  is 
neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  neither  black 
nor  white,  neither  slave  nor  free,  that 
God  has  made  of  one  blood  every 
nation  of  men."  We  can  begin  right 
now  to  erase  all  color  barriers  and 
accept  all  of  God's  family  whatever 
their  skin  color. 


a 


,1  the  outset  of  World  War  II,  Ora 
Huston  stood  in  a  pulpit  and  preached 
a  sermon,  "I  have  not  declared  war." 
We  don't  have  to  wait  for  the  world  to 
have  done  with  war.   We  can  declare 
peace  this  minute  and  begin  now  to  live 
that  way.  Today  we  can  become  citi- 
zens of  a  kingdom  which  includes  all 
the  family  of  man.   A  young  man  sev- 
eral years  ago  renounced  his  U.S. 
citizenship  and  said,  "Today  I  became 
a  citizen  of  the  world."  Jesus  was 
accused  of  treason  because  he  called 
people  to  say,  "Today  I  become  a  citi- 
zen of  the  kingdom  of  God." 

And  the  church,  in  New  Testament 
terminology,  is  the  microcosm,  the 
miniature  example  of  what  the  future  is 
all  about.  As  Christians  we  "must  live 
the  vision  that  shone  on  Jesus'  face." 
We  are  to  spell  it  out,  to  demonstrate 
to  all  the  world  the  love,  the  concern, 
the  dedication  and  faithfulness,  the 
goodness,  the  courage,  the  joy  and  the 


freedom,  the  direction  which  all  the 
world  must  one  day  come  to  know. 

Theologians  call  the  new  view  "the 
theology  of  hope."  But  notice  how  it 
all  is  rooted.    What  this  simple,  quiet, 
country  girl,  Mary,  says  is  shocking  — 
almost  revolutionary.  People  call  it 
radical.  And  it  is  radical.  Radical 
means  "to  return  to  the  root."  And  the 
mother  of  our  Lord  has  done  just  that. 
Mary  can  have  such  an  unshakable 
faith  in  the  future,  she  can  be  so  pre- 
sumptuous, so  bold  as  to  tell  it  like  it 
is,  so  free  and  uncompromising,  be- 
cause her  faith  is  not  rooted  in 
humanism. 

Mary  begins  her  song,  "My  soul 
magnifies  the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  re- 
joices in  God  my  savior."   Her  hope 
for  the  future  does  not  rest  with  any 
economic  or  social  or  psychological 
theory,  or  with  any  movement  or  politi- 
cal power  or  in  any  human  being. 
What  will  happen  does  not  rest  on 
human  logic  or  strength  alone,  but  on 
God. 

In  our  own  strength  we  soon  lose 
heart  and  become  bitter.   "Did  we  in 
our  own  strength  confide,  our  striving 
would  be  losing."  Not  in  our  power  — 
only  in  God's  power  can  any  person 
be  truly  free  to  bring  the  future  into 
today. 

"My  spirit  rejoices  in  God  my  savior 
because  he  has  regarded  the  low  estate 
of  his  handmaiden."   Goodspeed 
translates  it,  "For  he  has  noticed  his 
.^lave  in  her  humble  station." 

God  has  regarded  our  low  estate. 
He  has  visited  us.   His  mercy  is  on 
those  who  fear  him.   He  has  made  all 
things  new.  Even  now  are  set  in  mo- 
tion the  events  which  will  transform 
our  world  and  make  it  whole  again. 
Never  again  can  the  world  settle  back 
comfortable  in  its  old  way  of  living.   It 
has  caught  an  unforgettable  glimpse  of 
.something  better.    D 


24     MESSENGER     12-17-70 


day  by  day 


Every  home,  including  ours,  that  sincerely  tries  to  be 
Christian  has  to  face  moments  of  disharmony.  Wherever 
mind  rubs  with  mind,  life  to  life  and  elbow  to  elbow  in  the 
daily  routine  of  activities,  there  are  bound  to  be  irritations 
and  inconsistencies.  If  we  are  honest,  we  can  claim  no  su- 
perior rank  of  success.  Indeed,  our  near  failure  many  times 
sends  us  to  our  Lord  for  more  wisdom,  strength,  and  love. 
One  thing  we  have  noted  quite  clearly,  however:  In  such 
situations  as  vacationing  together,  traveling  in  a  car,  con- 
versing about  the  table  at  mealtune,  deciding  what  program 
shall  be  selected  on  TV  or  who  shall  have  priority  when  an 
article  of  clothing  needs  to  be  purchased  from  a  limited 
budget,  determining  equitable  work  loads  for  all  members 
of  the  family  —  the  pronouns  "I"  and  "me"  are  greatly 
overworked.   This  always  shows  a  bent  toward  self-regard- 


ing rather  than  other-regarding.  Carried  to  extreme,  any 
involvement  of  self-centered  egos,  be  it  in  persons,  churches, 
or  nations,  needs  the  soothing  of  understanding,  forgiveness, 
and  reconciliation.  How  is  such  reconciliation  begun  in  the 
family  and  fostered  in  all  human  relationships?  Here  are 
some  suggestions: 

1 .  Let  each  member  of  the  family  settle  in  his  mind  that 
he  or  she  is  but  one  person,  (though  important),  and  that 
no  family  can  revolve  around  one  person's  ideas  and  dicta- 
tion. It's  the  family  happiness  we're  after,  not  the  ego  satis- 
faction of  one  member. 

2.  Grow  to  respect  the  other  person's  point  of  view, 
though  you  may  at  times  disagree  with  it  sharply.  Disagree- 
ment gives  us  no  ground  to  become  disagreeable  with  the 
other  as  a  person. 

3.  Practice  the  seemingly  difficult  thing  for  us  of  saying: 
"In  this  situation,  I  was  wrong."  It  is  helpful  if  we  parents 
remember  this  and  do  not  always  expect  the  children  to 
begin  the  conciliatory  act  of  harmony. 

4.  Where  there  are  sharp  differences,  practice  Matthew 
18:15  and  following  verses.  If  we  keep  the  communication 
lines  open  in  a  loving  way,  we  shall  not  seek  so  much  to 
prove  the  other  person  wrong,  but  to  heal  the  wounds. 

5.  Determine  to  keep  emotions  cool.  It's  when  emotions 
get  out  of  hand  that  tempers  flare,  unkind  words  are  said, 
and  the  disharmony  is  prolonged. 

6.  Don't  allow  any  differences  to  drag  on,  unmet  and 
unsolved.  Settle  them  today.  Tomorrow's  load  will  be 
sufficient  for  tomorrow,  without  adding  today's  load  to  it. 

7.  Pray  about  your  differences  and  misunderstandings. 
To  close  the  day  this  way  means  we  can  arise  to  a  new, 
unspoiled  day  again.  —  Byron  and  Zola  Miller 


DAILY  READING  GUIDE      December  20 -January  2 

Sunday    Genesis   27:30-45.     Esau   is   an   Old   Testament  example   of   ill   will. 
Monday    Luke   15:25-32.    The  elder  son  is  a   New  Testament  example  of  ill 

will. 
Tuesday    2  Corinthians  5:18-19.    God  calls  us  to  be  reconcilers. 
Wednesday    Psalm   133:1-3.    Happiness  is  in  unity. 

Thursday    John   14:27.    Peace  with  others  begins  with  peace  of  God  within. 
Friday    2  Timothy  3:1-5.    Here  are  things  that  make  for  disharmony. 
Saturday    Matthew   7:1-5.     Judging   one   another   is   an    ill    practice. 
Sunday    1   John  4:7-12.    Love  is  of  God. 

Monday    1    Corinthians   13:4-7.    Paul  names  qualities  of  a   loving   heart. 
Tuesday    Ephesians  5:21-6:4.    How  can  we  develop   loving   relations   in  the 

family? 
Wednesday    Matthew    18:21-22.     Forgiveness   of   others    is   to   be    unlimited. 
Thursday    Matthew  7:12.    The  Golden   Rule  will  work  in   all   situations. 
Friday    Matthew   5:38-42.     Practice   second-mile   religion   in    all   relationships. 
Saturday    Romans   12:9-21.    How  can   peaceful   living   be  practical? 


12-17-70    MESSENGER     25 


FROM  THE  GENERAL  BOARD 

In  November  meetings,  initial  steps 
were  taken  by  the  General  Board  to 
create  a  special  investment  team  for 
engaging  business-minded  Brethren  in 
the  development  of  minority  enterprises. 
Using  guidelines  from  the  Fund  for  the 
Americas  in  the  U.S.,  the  new  effort 
will  seek  to  establish  a  minimum  base  of 
$50,000  before  issuing  investments.  In 
addition  to  providing  monetary  assis- 
tance, the  investors  will  work  closely 
with  recipients  and  share  with  them  in 
a  consultative  role. 

•J-     ^      4-     +     -S- 

Greater  voice  and  visibility  to  district 
offices.  Those  were  the  emphases  of  a 
special  report  to  the  board  assessing  the 
role  of  district  leadership.  General 
Staff  member  Hubert  R.  Newcomer  said 
in  his  report,  "District  executive  leader- 
ship is  becoming  better  trained  and  more 
professionally  responsible  and  account- 
able." But  he  also  noted  that  currently 
there  is  no  deliberate  way  for  their  voice 
to  be  heard  in  decision  making  and  pro- 
gram planning  of  the  General  Board. 

•;-    •!•    4*    -J*    4- 

Rehabilitation  efforts  are  continuing 
several  months  after  Hurricane  Celia  hit 
the  Corpus  Christi,  Texas,  coast.  Espe- 
cially in  need  of  assistance  are  the  poor 
Mexican-American  families  who  have 
few  resources  to  begin  life  anew.  In  re- 
sponse the  Executive  Committee  of  the 
General  Board  authorized  the  expendi- 
ture of  $6,500  from  the  Emergency  Dis- 
aster Fund  for  the  services  during  the 
next  nine  months  of  a  former  VISTA 
volunteer  who  has  been  working  in  the 
area,  and  of  a  Brethren  Service  volunteer 
for  twenty-two  months. 

PERSONAL  MENTION 

Ralph  G.  McFadden,  executive  secre- 
tary of  the  Mid-Atlantic  District,  has 
resigned  to  join  a  consulting  firm  work- 
ing with  industry  and  agencies  on  social 
programs.  .  .  .  General  Board  member 
and  Indiana  farmer  Everett  Mishler  has 
been  elected  assessor  of  Elkhart  County. 
His  four-year  term  begins  Jan.  1. 


Assigned  to  Waka  Schools,  Nigeria, 
for  a  three-year  period  under  the  Men- 
nonite  Central  Committee  are  Alan  and 
Nancy  Kieffaber  of  Akron,  Ohio.  .  .  . 
Three  other  Brethren  have  also  been 
placed  by  MCC,  David  and  Lucina  Bru- 
baker,  Mount  Joy,  Pa.;  and  Kenneth 
Schildt,  Spring  Grove,  Pa.  All  are  in 
two-year  teaching  positions,  the  Bru- 
bakers  at  Fortune,  Newfoundland,  and 
Mr.  Schildt  at  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Currently  charged  with  opening  a 
new  program  in  Nigeria's  South  East 
State,  Marion  Bricker  continues  his 
work  with  the  Christian  Council  of  Ni- 
geria. In  his  second  term  with  that 
group,  the  Astoria,  111.,  man  has  been 
an  administrator  of  a  field  relief  and 
rehabilitation  team. 

Celebrating  a  100th  birthday  in  Oc- 
tober was  Samuel  G.  Reinhold  who  lives 
at  the  Brethren  Home  at  Neffsville,  Pa. 

Exchange  student  Raul  Moreno  of 
Mexico  is  the  first  La  Verne  College 
recipient  of  the  Layne  Foundation  Schol- 
arship for  preministerial  students.  For 
full  tuition,  the  scholarship  is  expected 
to  be  renewed  as  long  as  the  young  man 
stays  at  La  Verne. 

Called  for  the  third  time  to  the  Alli- 
ance Church  of  the  Brethren  in  North- 
ern  Ohio   is   Richard   Overly,   who   re- 


^jsMmm 


Dec.  20 

Christmas  Sunday 

Dec.   20 

Christmas    offering    for    worldwide 

missions 

Dec.   25 

Christmas  Day 

Dec.  31 

New  Year's  Eve 

Jan.   1 

New  Year's  Day 

Jan.  6 

Epiphany 

Jan.   17-24 

Church   and   Economic  Life  Week 

Jan.   18-25 

Week  of  Prayer  for  Christian  Unity 

Jan.  24-29 

Christian  Citizenship  Seminar,  Wash- 

ington,   D.C.,    and    New    York 

Jan.  31 

World   Day  for  Leprosy  Sufferers 

Feb.   7 

Race   Relations   Sunday 

Feb.   7 

Boy    Scout    Sunday 

Febi   21-28 

Brotherhood    Week 

Feb.   24 

Ash  Wednesday 

Feb.  28 

First  Sunday  in   Lent 

places  Dean  Huntley.  Pastor  Overly 
served  the  Alliance  congregation  part 
time  from  1957  to  1960  and  from  1963 
to  1966.  He  has  had  other  pastorates 
in  Michigan  and  Ohio. 

Our  congratulations  go  to  couples  who 
are  celebrating  golden  wedding  anniver- 
saries: Mr.  and  Mrs.  Calvin  Hoffer, 
Johnstown,  Pa.;  Mr.  and  Mrs.  H.  N. 
Whitten  Sr.,  Goode,  Va.;  and  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  George  W.  Winters  Sr.,  Salisbury, 
Pa.  .  .  .  Marking  a  fifty-first  anniversary 
are  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Edward  Zumbrum, 
Hanover,  Pa.;  a  fifty-fourth,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Milton  Lohr,  Stoystown,  Pa.  .  .  . 
Also  observing  anniversaries  are  the 
David  Wilsons,  Modesto,  Calif.,  fifty- 
seven;  the  Claude  Millers,  Hanover,  Pa., 
fifty-nine;  and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  M.  D.  Hild, 
Cando,  N.D.,  sixty-five. 

POTPOURRI 

Bakersfield  Brethren  celebrated  a 
fortieth  anniversary  Nov.  29  by  remem- 
bering its  beginnings  when  meetings 
were  held  under  a  large  tree,  and  by  a 
fellowship  meal  and  Thanksgiving  love 
feast. 

Brethren  families  in  Northern  Col- 
orado are  meeting  in  a  fellowship  group. 
Twenty  to  thirty  families  from  Fort 
Collins,  Greeley,  Loveland,  and  Windsor 
have  elected  a  moderator  and  a  pastor 
and  are  working  at  gaining  recognition 
by  the  district  as  a  fellowship. 

A  tri-church  fellowship  group  meets 
weekly  in  the  Sunfield,  Mich.,  area  as  a 
result  of  reviving  the  old  practice  of 
churches'  holding  joint  fall  meetings. 
Participating  are  members  of  the  Wood- 
land, Sunfield,  and  Hope  churches. 

At  Northern  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 
District's  annual  meeting  three  congre- 
gations. Pine  Creek,  Pleasant  Grove,  and 
Sterling,   were   disorganized. 

OPPORTUNITY 

High  school  youth  who  have  com- 
pleted tenth  grade  will  want  to  note  the 
Jan.   24-29   Christian   Citizenship  Sem- 


26     MESSENGER    12-17-70 


inar  to  be  held  in  Washington,  D.C.,  and 
New  York.  Interested  adults  may  also 
attend.  Visits  to  Congress,  congressional 
hearings,  the  State  Department,  and  the 
Supreme  Court  in  Washington,  and  to 
the  United  Nations  in  New  York  will 
help  persons  understand  the  Christian's 
reponsibility  for  good  government.  Sem- 
inar leaders  will  include  congressmen, 
government  executives,  diplomats,  and 
representatives  of  the  press,  racial  groups, 
and  the  church.  To  be  held  in  two 
sections,  the  seminar  will  begin  both  in 
Washington  and  in  New  York,  with 
section  groups  exchanging  places  in  mid- 
week. For  more  information  and  regis- 
tration forms  persons  may  contact  pas- 
tors or  write  Christian  Citizenship  Sem- 
inar, 1451  Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  111. 
60120.  The  deadline  for  registrations  is 
Jan.  4. 

CONTRIBUTORS  TO   THIS   ISSUE 

Persons  who  helped  prepare  this 
special  Christmas  gift  to  our  readers  in- 
clude two  pastors,  Phyllis  Carter,  Gen- 
eral Board  member  and  part-time  pastor 
of  the  Bethel  Center  Church  in  Middle 
Indiana;  and  Wilbur  R.  Hoover,  pastor 
of  the  Warrensburg,  Mo.,  congregation. 
.  .  .  Graydon  F.  Snyder,  a  member  of 
the  Bethany  Theological  Seminary  teach- 
ing faculty,  has  written  other  articles  for 
Messenger.  .  .  .  Theresa  Eshbach  lives 
in  Linthicum  Heights,  Maryland,  where 
her  husband  Warren  is  pastor  of  nearby 
Friendship  church.  .  .  .  Former  Brethren 
Volunteer  Service  worker  Steve  Engle 
fulfilled  his  alternative  service  obligation 
at  the  La  Verne,  Calif.,  Church  of  the 
Brethren  and  stayed  on  there  in  a  youth 
ministry.  .  .  .  The  work  of  Maine  poet 
Jo  Thebaud  has  appeared  in  other  issues. 
.  .  .  Howard  W.  Winger  of  Park  Forest, 
111.,  edits  the  Library  Quarterly  and 
teaches  in  the  graduate  library  school  of 
the  University  of  Chicago.  .  .  .  Former 
Civilian  Public  Service  assignee  at  the 
General  Offices  William  Stafford  is  on 
leave  from  his  teaching  post  at  Lewis  and 
Clark  College  in  Oregon  while  he  serves 
an  assignment  as  consultant  in  poetry  for 
the  Library  of  Congress. 


NEWS 


The  Christ  event  is  the  greatest  news  of  all  time!  The  best  thing 
that  ever  happened! 

Contributions  to  the  Brotherhood  Fund  make  it  possible  for  ir 
dividuals  and  congregations  to  extend  their  ministry  far  beyond 
the  local  scene.  Share  in  the  present-day  spreading  of  the  Good 
News.  Give  in  joy  and  celebration  that  sister  churches  overseas 
are  developing  leaders,  establishing  their  own  identity,  and 
growing  in  strength. 


caBDginjaag  ©[^[^[iEOGa®  d<d^®^ 


Name 


Street/RFD 
City  


State 


District 


Zip 


Congregation  

Please  send  this  form  with  your  gift  to  Church  of  the  Brethren 
General  Board,  1451   Dundee  Ave.,  Elgin,  III.  60120 

12-17-70    MESSENGER     27 


Source  Books 


on  Brethren  history 


•X- 


Two  in  a  series  of  four  to  be  publislied 


•3f 


European  Origins  of  the   Brethren 

Donald   F.    Durnbaugh. 


$5.95 


This  is  a  reprint  of  the  original  book  published  in 
1958.  Produced  in  connection  with  the  250th  an- 
niversary of  the  beginning  of  the  Church  of  the 
Brethren,  it  affords  a  firsthand  and  intimate  look 
into  the  early  years  of  the  eighteenth  century  in 
western  Europe.  Little  known  or  unknown  facts 
about  founder  Alexander  Mack  and  others  of  the 
early  Brethren  come  to  light  in  a  new  and  fresh 
way  as  the  documents  of  their  own  period  of 
history  are  read.  The  author  and  his  wife  did 
extensive  research  in  the  archives  of  Europe  and 
translated  these  documents  from  the  German, 
Dutch,  and  French.  Illustrated  by  many  photos 
and   photostats. 


^ 


The   Brethren   in   Colonial  America 

Donald    F.    Durnbaugh. 


$10.00 


The  experiences  and  the  thinking  of  the  Brethren 
from  the  time  of  their  settlement  in  Pennsylvania 
to  the  years  immediately  following  the  Revolu- 
tionary War  are  portrayed  in  this  book. 


The  otlier  two  books  in  tfiis  projected  series, 
witii  publication  dates  not  yet  determined,  will 
cover  the  years  following  the  close  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War  and  the  transition  from  the  eigh- 
teenth to  the  nineteenth  century  on  into  the  last 
decades  of  the  nineteenth  century. 


•X- 


Church    of   the   Brethren    General    Offices,    Elgin,    Illinois   60120 


28     MESSENGER    12-17-70 


INDEX  1970 


Listed  on  the  next  pages  are  articles,  poems, 
editorials,  and  names  of  contributors  which  ap- 
peared in  MESSENGER  during  1970.  Classifica- 
tions have  been  made  according  to  author  and 
subject  matter.    Numbers  indicate  issue  and  page. 

AUTHORS 

Albright,   Anne    10-9 

Allen,  Robert   4-11 

Amen,    Irving    24-16 

Anderson,  Margaret  J 6-22 

Augsburger,  Myron  S 19-6 

Aukerman,    Dale    7-13 

Aul^erman,   Ruth    23-22 

Bantz,   Floyd   E 6-25,   1 9-22 

Barnes,    Edith    20-25 

Barnhart,   Wilbur  S 1-29 

Beher,   Linda    2-6,   12-12,  23-29,   26-7 

Bergfeld,  Annabelle  Wagner   12-15 

Bixler,    R.   Russell    8-17 

Black,   Harold   Garnet   4-22 

Blough,  Dorris 14-26 

Brandt,   Harry   A 19-9 

Breidenstine,  A.  G 7-19,   12-6,   16-16 

Brightbill,  Alvin   F 11-9 

Brumbaugh,  Doris  M 10-29 

Brumbaugh,  Wilbur  E.   ..   5-16,  12-16,  20-12,  26-9 

Bryant,  James  M 15-24 

Bubel,   Patricia  Roop   8-26 

Bucher,  Glenn  R 4-24 

Burnett,  Howard  J 4-23 

Carter,    Phyllis     26-2 

Clapper,  V.  Grace 21-26 

Clark,   Ronald    20-32 

Claytor,  Sylvia    24-27 

Coffman,  McKinley    22-29 

Conner,  Carol   6-21,  15-26,  17-26 

Conner,  Carol  and  John   3-26,  4-26 

Cook,  Bernice  Hoover 3-22 

Councilman,   Emily   Sargent    ..     18-11,   20-3,   26-8 

Cousins,  Norman   6-16 

Daehlin,   Marlene    11-2 

Daves,  Michael 10-24 

Deeter,  Allen   C 20-22 

Denlinger,   Carolyn   T 24-4 

Dick,  La  Vernae  J 2-20,  11 -23,   15-20 

Donovan,   Jeanne    5-12,   8-10,    19-2,   26-8 

Durnbaugh,  Donald  F 8-23 

Ediger,  Peter  J 13-20 

Eller,   Vernard    9-2 

Emerson,  Elizabeth  H 5-9,  12-15 

Engle,   Steve    17-9,    26-6,    26-10 

Esau,  John    22-4 

Eshbach,   Theresa    26-5 

Eshleman,  J.  Ross 23-10 

Fancher,  Donald  E 8-2 

Fancher,  Doris   8-2 

Faw,  William  R 7-8,   15-27,  25-5 

Fike,  Don  and  Shirley 

5-26,   10-20,   17-13,  22-21,  24-26,  25-24 

Fike,  Earle  W.  Jr 7-5,  22-20 

Flora,   Samuel    H.   Jr 13-27 

Flory,   Carol   25-16 

Flory,    Daniel    and   Nancy    1-20,  3-28 

Flory,  Wendell   2-10 

Ford,  Leighton    2-2 

Frantz,  M.  R 14-25 

Gardner,  Richard  B 7-28 

Gibble,  Kenneth  L 25-20 

Gibbs,    Mark     8-7 

Goering,   Kathy    22-13 

Goldberg,  Arthur  J 9-21 

Good,  Patricia    1 4-25 

Greenawalt,  Mary   6-8 

Gregory,  Ruth    15-11 

Griggs,  Nita   5-6 

Groff,  Paul  L 3-27 

Groff,  Warren  F 8-19 

Guthrie,   Ellis   G 15-24 

Hale,  Robert 15-10 

Hastings,  Robert  J 14-20,  21-7 


Helman,  Patricia  Kennedy 2-25 

Heminger,  Ross  A 7-19 

Herod,   Bill   1-27,  2-24,  2-25 

Hesse,  Clarence  G 3-25 

Hogan,  Herbert   8-18 

Hollinger,  Evelyn 21-14 

Hoover,    Wilbur    R 26-3 

Howell,  La  Vonna    12-15 

Huffman,  Clifford  B 7-16 

Humphrey,  J.   F 18-1 1 

Hunter,  Dan   12-25 

Huntley,  Wayne 9-25 

Hursh,   Donald   F 1-21 

Jarboe,  Russell  E 17-27 

Johnson,   Roy  A 8-16 

Judd,  J.  Wayne 18-26 

Keener,  Ronald  E 21-2 

Keidel,   Levi    24-2 

Keim,   Howard   H 14-28 

Kennedy,  Joseph  W 8-14 

Kissinger,  Warren  S 1-28 

Kreider,  Alice    8-2 

Kreider,  David   8-2 

Kuhns,  William    1-2 

Landrum,   Richard   L 15-2 

Lauderdale,  Kerby   7-20 

Lenharr,  Prudence  Engle 15-1 1,  24-20 

Livingston,   Richard   A 9-27 

Long,  Inez 3-5,  22-10 

Long,  Norman  and  Kay   

4-9,  11-13,  14-27,  15-23,  18-20 

McDonald,  Jack   24-18 

McNeill,   Robert  H 23-7 

Martin,  Harold  S 18-21 

Martin,  Noah  S 7-6,  22-22 

Mason,   Floyd   R 18-9 

Miller,  Donald  E 10-26 

Miller,  L.   Byron   2-27,  8-9 

Miller,  L.  Byron  and  Zola    

13-28,   20-13,   21-13,   23-13,   26-25 

Miller,  Lena    2-26 

Miller,  Warren   E 8-15 

Miller,  William  Robert   

3-25,  11-26,  8-24,  13-24,  16  25 

Million,  F.  Blake  and  Gladys   16-22 

Mitchell,  Olden  D 5-27 

Mitchell,  S.   Earl   7-17 

Mock,  Robert   6-26 

Morgan,  Ronald  K 7-3,  21-22 

Morse,   Kenneth   1 1-32,   2-32,  3-32,  4-32, 

6-32,    7-32,    8-32,    9-32,     11-32,     12-32,     13-32, 

14-32,   15-32,   16-1,    17-32,    18-32,   19-32,   20-32, 

21-32,    22-32,    23-32,   24-32,    25-32,    26-1,    26-9 

Mow,  Anna  B 7-21,  12-2 

Munro,   Winsome    5-32 

Neff,  Robert  W 19 

Ogutsch,   Edith    2-24 

Olsson,  Karl  A 16-23 

Oltman,  Berwyn   L 6-27 

Ovall,  James  L.  Sr 12-11 

Parker,  Martha  N 3-6 

Paul,   Lois  Teach    24-4 

Petcher,   Esther    17-28 

Petrosky,  Anthony  R 15-29,  22-24 

Petry,  Carrol   M 24-22 

Pettit,   Terry    4-10,  7-24,  9-23,   13-11, 

15-18,  18-2,  18-13,  23-13,  26-7,  26-8,  26-18 
Pomeroy,  Dave   2-28, 

4-28,    9-28,    11-28,    13-25,    19-28,    20-26,    22-27 

Priddy,    Mollie    13-26 

Read,  Carl  H 20-8 

Replogle,  A.  Jay    20-28 

Rhoades,  Ruby 21-20 

Richardson,   Bert  G 8-15 

Rieman,  T.  Wayne   11-5,  20-10 

Roche,  Douglas  J 22-2 

Roop,  Eugene  F 1 8-6 

Rosenberger,  W.  Clemens 21-28 

Ross,  Jimmy  R 15-7 

Royer,  Howard  E 1-12 

Russell,  Janie    25-14 

Sauls,  Albert  L 12-27 

Seese,  Nelson  M 1-6 

Shamberger,  Chauncey   14-24,  25-25 

Shelly,  Maynard 4-2 

Shingleton,   Eldon  and   Ruth   

6-20,  7-23,  9-11,   12-26,   16-32,   19-25 


Shoemaker,  W.  Warren 13-9 

Simmons,  James  W 21-24 

Simmons,  M.  Corinne   Hoff   3-23,   10-21 

Simpson,  Judy   3-25 

Skaggs,   Ralph    1-24 

Slough,  Leiand   8-6 

Snyder,  Graydon  F 3-8,  7-10,  26-4 

Solberg,   Betty   Fox    15-11 

Sollenberger,  Ray  and  Elaine 2-23 

Solomon,    Roger    24-24 

Stafford,    William     26-11,    26-13 

Statler,  Ruth  B 9-22,  15-10 

Stern,  Carrie    3-23 

Stern,  Irven  F 7-22 

Storer,  John  M 3-11 

Stringfellow,   William    25-26 

Stutzman,  Richard    8-20 

Swartz,  Fred  W 3-24,  17-3,  23-4 

Thebaud,  Jo 2-24,   18-11,  26-7,  26-11 

Thomas,  M.  M 9-8 

Thomas,  Norman  L 17-10 

Thompson,  Joel   K 19-26 

Thompson,  Roma 9-5 

Tomlonson,  James   4-28 

Tooker,  Royce    6-18 

Tully,  Robert  W 1 1-27 

Turnidge,  Ralph   1-24 

Urhobo,  Emmanuel 13-2 

Valencourt,  J.   Roy    4-19 

Waas,  David  A 21-11 

Wagner,  Murray  L 7-18 

Walker,  Ernest  H 5-2 

Walker,  Josephine  C 19-11 

Wampler,  Charles  W 15-28 

Weaver,  James  E 1 1-25 

Weimer,   Glen    10-21 

White,  Amy   9-24 

Wieand,  David  J 11-10 

Wilson,  Leiand   17-6 

Wilson,  Sara  G 15-10 

Winger,   Howard   W 26-1 1 ,   26-1 3 

Winsor,  Richard  J 23-26 

Young,  Dale  A 16-24 

Zeigler,  Carl  W 10-19 

Ziegler,  Edward 5-7 

Zunkel,  C.  Wayne   12-9,  26-22 

Zunkel,  Charles  E 5-10 

SUBJECT  MATTER 

ANNUAL  CONFERENCE 

Anchor's  the  Way!   16-14 

Annual   Conference   70:   The    Issues,   Debat- 
ed  and   Decided    16-2 

Annual    Conference    70:     The     Issues,     De- 
clared   and    Discussed     16-7 

Annual  Conference  70:  The  Theme,  Defined 

and  Celebrated    16-11 

Brethren    Will    Gather    on    Suncoast    Next 

Year   26-20 

Celebration   at  Lincoln    7-14 

Christian  Priorities  for  the  Seventies,  A.  G. 

Breidenstine     16-16 

Conferring  in  Lincoln:  The  Business  in  Brief  13-15 

The  Essence  of  Hope   1 1-21 

Faith    Is    17-14 

Field    of   Choices    1 1-20 

A   Hope  for   Peace   16-20 

Lincoln   Communicators    21-17 

BIBLE 

An  Ecology  of  Hope:  The  New  Life  of  Cre- 
ation,  Leiand   Wilson    17-6 

Facing    the    End    of    the    World,    Fred    W. 

Swartz     23-4 

Her   Shorthand    Drawings    Illustrate    a    Best 

Seller,  Margaret  J.   Anderson    6-22 

Hope  and  the  Moral  Life,  Allen  C.  Deeter  20-22 
Hope  and  the  Resurrection,  Eugene  F.  Roop  18-6 
Hope  and  the  Social  Order,  Floyd  E.  Bantz  19-22 
The  King  Who  Got  Lost,  Kenneth  L  Gibble  25-20 
The  Magnificence  of  Jesus,  Harold  S.  Martin  18-21 
The  New  English  Bible,  David  J.  Wieand  .  11-10 
Obedience  or  Disobedience:  An  Under- 
standing of  Romans  13,  Graydon  F.  Sny- 
der            3-8 

Promise  and  Mission,  Richard  L.  Landrum   .      15-2 

12-17-70    MESSENGER     29 


Rembrandt:   His  Drawings  and   Etchings  for 

the   Bible    6-2 

The  Song  of  the  Shepherd    10-23 

Translating  the  Word    6-12 

The     Urgency     of    Celebration,     Ronald     K. 

Morgan     21-22 

Whatever  You  Ask,  C.  Wayne  Zunkel 12-9 

BOOK   REVIEWS 

Agonizing    Dilemmas  —  No    Easy    Answers, 

Harold  Z.  Bomberger    22-25 

Brethren    Authorship    6-13 

The  Church  of  the  Wider  Community,  War- 
ren  S.    Kissinger    1-28 

A  Concise  History  —  With  Interpretation, 
Donald    F.    Durnbaugh    

Creativity  Out  of  Chaos,  Karl  A.  Olsson   .  .    16-23 

Devotions  for  Activists  of  All  Ages,  Samuel 
H.   Flora  Jr 

Facing  the  Questions  That  Death  Raises, 
Floyd    E.    Bantz    

Faith:  Willing  Response  to  Experience,  Rich- 
ard  A.   Livingston    

Have     You     Met     These     Children?      Mary 

Greenawalt    6-8 

Honest  Prayers   From  Parish   and  City,  Paul 

L.   Groff    3-27 

It's  the  Real  Thing,  Albert  L.  Sauls    12-27 

Laws    to    Obey    or    a    Compass    to    Guide? 

Howard    H.    Keim    14-28 

The   Layman    as   Moral    Theologian,   William 

Stringfellow      25-26 

Looking  for  Reference  Books?  James  E. 
Weaver     11-25 

The  Meaning  of  Prayer,   Byron  Miller    ....      2-27 

Opening   the   Way   to   Loving,   W.    Clemens 

Rosenberger     21-28 

Power,    Excitement!     And    in    a    Children's 

Bible,  Too,  Linda   Beher   23-29 

Renewal   and  Mission,  Olden   D,   Mitchell..      5-27 


The  Significance   of   Paul   Tillich,   Donald   E. 

Miller    

Toward  a  Vital  Ministry,  Berwyn  L.  Oltman 
Understanding    the    Now/New    Generation, 

James   Tomlonson    

The  Volatile  Campus  Scene,  Robert  Mock 
Why    Do   Renewal    Attempts    Fail?     William 

Faw     

The    World    of    the    Gospel    Critic,    Richard 

B.    Gardner    

BROTHERHOOD   AND   RACE 

Are  You  Willing  to  Give  Your  Lives?  Mar- 
lene   Daehlin    

Encounter    at   Germantown    

Fund  for  the  Americas  in  the  U.S.:  To 
Share    Our    Cup    

International    Flow    

Moments   of   Truth    

To  the  Front  Lines  of  the  World's  Problems, 
Robert    H.   McNeill    

White    Racism    in    1970,   McKinley    CofTman 

CHILDREN'S   PAGE 

American    Indian    Puzzle,    Carol    and    John 

Conner    

New  Testament  Crossword,  Carol  Conner   . 

Sing   Unto  the   Lord!    Carol   Conner    

Varied    Vacations,    Carol    Conner    

Winter  Puzzle,  Carol  and  John  Conner    .  .  . 

CHRISTIAN   LIVING 

The  Automobile:  Unguided  Missile,  Richard 
J.    Winsor     

Conflicts  Are  for  Growing,  La  Vernae  J. 
Dick     

Everyone  Needs  to  Be  Stroked,  La  Vernae 
J.   Dick    

Faith   Looks  Up,   Edith   Barnes    

Faith   Looks  Up,  Wilbur  S.  Barnhart   


Faith   Looks  Up,  Howard  J.  Burnett    4-23 

10-26           Faith    Looks   Up,   V.   Grace   Clapper    21-26 

6-27            Faith   Looks   Up,  Clarence  G.   Hesse    3-25 

Faith   Looks   Up,   Floyd   R.   Mason    18-9 

4-28           Faith   Looks   Up,   Esther   Petcher     17-28 

6-26            Faith   Looks   Up,   Mollie   Priddy    13-26 

Faith    Looks   Up,   Corinne   Hoff  Simmons    ..  10-21 

15-27           Faith    Looks   Up,   Leiand   Slough    8-6 

Faith   Looks  Up,   Robert  W.  Tully    1 1-27 

7-28            Faith   Looks   Up,   Charles  W.  Wampler    15-28 

Faith   Looks   Up,  Amy  White    9-24 

Faith   Looks  Up,  Dale  A.  Young    16-24 

How  to  Eat  Less  and  Enjoy  It  More,  Dorris 

11-2                Blough    14-26 

12-18            In   the   Land   of  the   Living,   Noah   S.   Martin  22-22 

Invaded    by    Tomorrow,    C.    Wayne    Zunkel  26-22 

17-17           The  Joy   of  Believing,  M.   M.   Thomas    9-8 

15-14  Let  Me  Dissent  From  Despair,  T.  Wayne  Rie- 

12-19                man     11-5 

Stand   Fast  as   Free  Men,  Charles  E.   Zunkel  5-10 
23-7           We    Need    Courage   to    Fulfill    Our    Calling, 

22-29                Ralph    Turnidge     1-24 

CHRISTMAS 

Christmas     Cut-Outs     From     the     Dandelion 

3-26                Studio,    Janie    Russell     25-14 

6-21            Christmas   in  the  Kitchen,  Carol   Flory    ....  25-16 
He     Brought     God      Into     History,     Phyllis 

Carter     26-2 

He  Is  the  Bridge,  Wilbur  R.  Hoover    26-3 

He  Lives  ...  I   Live,  Graydon  F.  Snyder   .  .  26-4 

Who  Was  He?    K.  M 26-1 

A  World  of  Art  in  Christmas  Cards 25-2 

23-26 

CHURCH 
11-23  The  Church  Confronts  Secularism,  Myron  S. 

Augsburger    19-6 

2-20           CPC's  Cold   War    10-16 

20-25            The  Church  in  Transition,  Wayne  Huntley    .  9-25 

1-29           Detroit:   The  Turn   of  an   Era    2-12 


CtUbRA^T^ 


Xoww 


l\)Nic^'^^ 


>MiT\iB) 


lyvtor^s 


HOPE  —  Olive,  red,  and  white,  with  the  pin  Hope 
taking  on  a  Chi  Rho  representative  of 
Jesus  Christ 


JOY  BOYS— Three  figures  expressive  of  hope,  printed  in  black  on  as- 
sorted day-glo  colors 


CELEBRATION  — With  letter  t  formed  in  the  shape  of  an  anchor  —  an 
ancient  symbol  of  Christian  hope  —  in  blue,  black,  and 
white 

Each   button   has   spring-lock   pin 

10c  each   button,  $1.00  per  dozen.    Postage  20c  per  $1.00 

Please  send   cash  with  order  under  $1.00 

CHURCH  of  the  BRETHREN  GENERAL  OFFICES,  Elgin,  Illinois  601 20 

30     MESSENGER    12-17-70 


HO 


Envoy    at   the   Vatican    16-26 

Impressions  of  Woodcrest  Community,  Ter- 
ry   Pettit     18-2 

Is    the   Task   to   Build    A    Church?     Joel    K. 

Thompson     1 9-26 

Marketplace   Ministries,   Linda    Beher    12-12 

A  Ministry  on  Two  Levels,  James  M.  Bryant  15-24 
The    Shape    of    the    Future    Church,    A.    G. 

Breidenstine     12-6 

Spiritual    Renewal    Begins    With    Ourselves, 

A.  Jay   Replogle    20-28 

Take  Up  Your  Cross  .  .  .  And  Relax!    Mark 

Gibbs    8-7 

The   Uniting   Church    10-16 

CHURCH  AND  THE  ARTS 

Celebration   of   Hope    15-3 

A   Dream  Can   Burn,  Terry   Pettit    4-10 

Early  Christian  Symbols,  Graydon  F.  Snyder  7-10 
"For   Love    Is   Strong   as   Death,"   Wilbur   E. 

Brumbaugh     12-16 

"In  the  Beginning,"  Ruth   Aukerman    23-22 

"Many      Children      Live      in      My      Father's 

House,"    Irving   Amen    24-16 

Ministry   of  Art  Stresses  Conviction    19-21 

Ralph    Holdeman:    Creator    of    Redemption 

Sculpture,   Terry   Pettit    7-24 

Signs  of  the  Times,  Jeanne   Donovan    ....  5-12 
"They  Shall  Repair  the  Ruined  Cities,"  Wil- 
bur  E.   Brumbaugh    5-16 

CHURCH   HISTORY 

A  Catholic  Looks  at  the  Reformation,  Doug- 
las J.  Roche 22-2 

In    Gratitude    to    Prince    Henry,    J.    Wayne 

Judd      18-26 

The  Inglenook:  Journal  for  a  Gentler  Time, 

Jeanne  Donovan    19-2 

CHURCH   OF  THE   BRETHREN 

Alive   and   Moving    10-18 

Appointments    Made     17-21 

Bethany   Seminary:   Class  of   1970    15-16 

A    Big    Event   That    Made    Us    Silent,    Terry 

Pettit     23-14 

Brethren  Run  the  Town,  Evelyn  Hollinger   .  21-14 

BVS   Branches   Out    4-15 

Christian  Seminar  Theme  on  Political  Se- 
curity        26-21 

Congregational    Briefs    20-18 

District    Developments    1-14 

The    Fund's    Future    12-22 

A    Generation    Bridge     4-20 

Growth    for   Friendship    21-16 

Guide   Returns   Brethren   to  "Real  Way"  of 

Study      26-18 

A  High  Priority  for  New  Testament  Bap- 
tism,   Ellis   G.   Guthrie    15-24 

In   the   Brotherhood    13-18 

Meetinghouse    Revisited     24-13 

New  to  General   Board    23-21 

On  Shaping  the   Brethren  Witness    10-12 

On   Sharing   the   Cup    4-14 

On  the  Summer  Pastorate    19-1-4 

One    Parish's   Response    2-18 

Parishes   and   Space    5-24 

The   Pastoral   Call,  Terry   Pettit    15-18 

Peace   Is  No  Excuse   17-16 

Perspectives  on   the  70s    7-16,  8-14 

Polish    Unit   Arrives    13-16 

A  Real   FISH   Story    2-18 

Reclustering   for   Parish   Concerns,   Earle  W. 

Fike   Jr 22-20 

Revival   Fellowship  Seeks   Redress    25-12 

Saying  "No"  to  War    11-14 

Schwarzenau  Is  Still  a  Place  for  Pilgrimage, 

Nelson    M.    Seese    1-6 

Seven    Words    for    the    Seventies,    General 

Staff    14-1 

The  Spirit  Should  Not  Grow  Old    9-18 

Summer    Celebration     18-15 

Thanks   From   Vietnam    1-15 

Trends   Downward    8-13 

Within   the    Family    4-20 

CHURCH  OVERSEAS 

The  Baileys:   "Family    Is  Well"    20-20 


The  Bridge  in  Berlin,  Royce  Tooker 6-18 

Houseparents      for      35      Children,      Roma 

Thompson     9-5 

India     Forms     New     Church;     Brethren     Is 

Named    Bishop    22-14 

Ministry   Amidst   Reform    16-28 

Missionary    Movements     18-15 

Perplexing    Paradise:    The    View    From    the 

Kasbah    5-20 

Rekindling  Self-Esteem,  Merle  Crouse    ....  23-19 

Relief   in    Nigeria    8-12 

The  Role  of  the  Church  in  Postwar  Nigeria, 

Emmanuel    Urhobo    13-2 

The  Route  to  Reform   11-15 

Steps   in   Conciliation    17-15 

Upon    Discovering    Latin    America,    J.    Roy 

Valencourt      4-19 

CURRENT   ISSUES 

Abortion:    Where   Shall   We    Stand?     Sylvia 

Claytor      24-27 

Assessing  the  Crisis    13-16 

Between   Left  and   Right,  Maynard  Shelly    .  4-2 

The  Bible   Blesses  the  Poor,  William   Faw    .  25-5 

Broadening   the   Objector   Stance    18-17 

Can    We    Afford    a    New    Welfare    System? 

Jack   McDonald    24-18 

Communication   Over   a   Coffee   Cup,    Linda 

Beher    2-6 

Conscience  and  Alaska,  Arthur  J.  Goldberg  9-21 

Creation's   Story   Retold    18-18 

The   Earth   Is  the   Lord's,  John   Esau    22-4 

Filling  the  School   Lunch   Bag    20-15 

A   Holy   Crusade?    8-12 

Hunger  Is,  Ernest  H.  Walker   5-2 

James  Forman  and  the  Jubilee  Year,  Robert 

W.   NefT    1-9 

Man:     Earth's     Deadliest     Peril,     Robert     J. 

Hastings      21-7 

The  Mounting  Crisis  of  Environment,  How- 
ard  E.   Royer    1-12 

Obedience  or  Disobedience:  An  Under- 
standing of  Romans  13,  Graydon  F.  Sny- 
der      3-8 

On     Choosing    to    Be    Changed,     Carl     W. 

Zeigler    10-19 

On   Sustaining   Life    5-18 

One   View   of  Cuba    19-20 

Respect  for  the  Laws  of  the  Land,  W.  War- 
ren  Shoemaker    13-9 

The  Road  to  Scngmy,  Norman  Cousins    .  .  .  6-16 
A    Subtle    Persecution    Is    Coming,    Bernice 

Hoover  Cook 3-22 

Tax   Exemption   OK'd    13-17 

Toward   Ending  the  War,  Terry   Pettit   ....  13-12 
What  Can  We   Expect  From  the  Seventies? 

William  Kuhns 1-2 

DOCTRINES   AND  THEOLOGY 

Come  Down  From  the  Attic,  David  A.  Waas  21-11 

The  God  of  Discontent,  Glenn  R.  Bucher   .  .  4-24 

Man  Alive!    Dale  Aukerman    7-13 

Moses  and  the  Mad  Morality,  Vernard  Eller  9-2 
The    Real    Christ:    Where    Is    He?     Peter   J. 

Ediger     13-20 

EASTER 

Celebration    Is   a    Style   of    Life,    Ronald    K. 

Morgan     7-3 

Communion   Prayers,   Earle  W.   Fike  Jr.    ...        7-5 
It  Was  the  Ninth  Hour,  Noah  S.  Martin    .  .        7-6 

ECUMENICITY 

A  Catholic  Looks  at  the  Reformation,  Doug- 
las  J.    Roche    22-2 


The  Changing  Ways  of  Ecumenism 


20 


The   Ecumenical   Scene    12 

Envoy  at  the  Vatican    16 

Structuring    Ecumenism     18 

The   Uniting   Church    10 


16 


EDITORIALS 

Born  to  Be  Born  Again  and  Again   2-32 

The   Church  —  How   Goes    It?    16-1 

A  Dream  or  a   Nightmare?    4-32 

A  Fateful  Decision  to  Widen  the  War   12-32 

A   Few  Specks  of  Sawdust    21-32 


How  Many  Deaths  Will   It  Take?    13-32 

Images  of  Hope,  Drum,  Direction,  poems   .    18-32 

Is  There  No  Balm  in  Gilead?    22-32 

Moral    Breakdown  —  Is    This    the    Price    of 

War?     1-32 

A  New  Interpretation  —  But  the  Draft  Re- 
mains        15-32 

No  Time  to  Opt  Out,  Kenneth  I.  Morse  and 

Ronald  Clark   20-32 

Not  by  Violence   24-32 

On  Reviewing,  Rejecting,  Reconciling  ....  23-32 
A  ParabL'  for  the  Start  of  the  Church  Year  19-32 
Perspectives  on  an  April-Foolish  Census   .  .      9-32 

A   Plea  for   Risk   Evangelism    3-32 

A    River    Flowed    Out   of   Eden    and    Listen, 

poems     6-32 

The  Season  of  Glad  Songs  Has  Come   ....      7-32 

The  Still  Point  of  the  Turning  World    25-32 

Take  Courage,  Winsome  Munro    5-32 

A   Time   to   Keep   Silence  —  and    a   Time   to 

Speak    11-32 

To  Know  and  Not  to  Know,  the  presidents 

of  the  World  Council   of  Churches    ....    10-43 

Turning    the    Tables    17-32 

The  Vital  Center   14-32 

Yes,  There  Are  Other  Options    8-32 

EDUCATION 

Bethany  Seminary:  Class  of  1970    15 

College  Aid   on   Trial    

The    Crisis    of    Conscience    on    Campus,    T. 

Wayne   Rieman    20 

A  Day  In  the  Long  Hot  Summer  Norman  L. 

Thomas     17 

Europe-Bound   for  Study    15-13 

Getting   Down   to   Earth    21 

In  Search  of  a  Church  and  College  Part- 
nership       19 

Ministry  of  Art  Stresses  Conviction    19 

Study   Resources    6-12 

Turmoil  on  Campus:  An  Assessment  of  the 

Causes  of  Violence,  Carl   H.   Read    20-8 

The    Volatile   Campus   Scene,    Robert    Mock     6-26 

EVANGELISM 

Evangelism   for   Today    9-12 

Evangelism  In  a  Day  of  Revolution,  Leigh- 
ton    Ford    2-2 

A  Healthy  NAE  Gathers 15-14 

In  the   Land   of  the   Living,  Noah   S.   Martin  22-22 

A  Plea  for   Risk  Evangelism,   K.M 3-32 

FILM   REVIEWS 

Catch-22,  Dave  Pomeroy    19-28 

Joe,   Dave   Pomeroy    22-27 

A  Man  Called   Horse,  Dave  Pomeroy   13-25 

Marooned,  Dave  Pomeroy   1 1-28 

They     Shoot     Horses,     Don't     They?      Dave 

Pomeroy     4-28 

Tick  .  .  .  Tick  .  .  .  Tick,  Dave  Pomeroy      .  .  9-28 

Trilogy,   Dave   Pomeroy    2-28 

"Z"  —  Film    Treatment    of    Conscience    and 

Compromise,    Dave    Pomeroy    20-26 

HOME  AND   FAMILY 

Champions  of  Children,  Josephine  C.  Walk- 
er        19-11 

Family  Life-Styles  in  the  70s,  J.  Ross  Eshle- 

man     23-10 

Heart  Beat  Again,  Emily  Sargent  Council- 
man           20-3 

1  Am  Not  a  Mother,  Doris  M.  Brumbaugh        10-29 

A   Look   at   Your   Child's   World,   Donald    F. 

Hursh    1-21 

A    New    Home   for   Stephen,    Patricia    Roop 

Bubel    8-26 

Out  of  Two  Backgrounds:  A  Future  Togeth- 
er, Anna  B.  Mow   12-2 

The  Two-Child   Family  Movement   4-5 

When   Grandparents  Are  of  Another   Faith, 

La   Vernae   J.   Dick    15-20 

When     Your     Teen-Ager     Rebels,     Michael 

Daves    10-24 

LAY  LEADERSHIP 

A  Greater  Role  for  Women  in  the  Church? 

Robert  J.   Hastings    14-20 

12-17-70    MESSENGER     31 


The  Church  Abroad    6-14 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Gratitude  in  Every  Season,  M.  R.  Frantz  .  .  14-25 
Growing     Up     and     Growing     Old,     Carrie 

Stern     3-23 

The   Rent   Is  Due!    Patricia   Good    14-25 

Should  Church  Camps  Be  Smaller?    F.  Blake 

and    Gladys   Million    16-22 

A  Trip  Through  Red  China,  Wendell  Flory  2-10 
We   Have   Failed   the   Small   Church,   Chaun- 

cey   Shamberger    25-25 

Who   "They"  Are,   Fred   W.   Swartz    3-24 

MISSIONS 

Confronting  Power  in  Latin  America   23-16 

Learning  to  Live  in  Mission,  Donald  E.   and 

Doris   Fancher,    David    and   Alice    Kreider  8-2 

Rekindling  Self-Esfeem,  Merle  Crouse    ....  23-19 

MUSIC 

Good  News  for  You,  Kenneth  I.  Morse  and 

Wilbur    Brumbaugh     26-9 

I  See  a  New  World  Coming,  Steve  Engle   .  17-9 

Innkeeper,  Steve   Engle    26-6 

The  Meaning  of  Christmas,  Steve   Engle    .  .  26-10 
Music   for    Listening  —  New    and    Old,    Wil- 
liam  Robert  Miller    11-26 

Music   to   Worship   With    and   to   Think    By, 

William    Robert   Miller    16-25 

Songs  and  a  Portrait,  William  Robert  Miller  3-25 
Sounds  From  Berlioz,  Blake,   and  a   Baptist, 

William    Robert   Miller    8-24 

Summery  Music,  William   Robert  Miller    ...  13-24 

This    Is    Christmas    Morn,    Theresa    Eshbach  26-5 

NEWS 

After   Twenty-Five   Years    15-13 

The    Believers'   Story     1-18 

Celebration   of   Unity    2-19 

Cotton  Patch  Crusader   1-18 

The    Deadly    Virus    9-16 

In    Partnership    on    Poverty     26-14 

Nonviolence   Gains   Support    16-26 

Normal   Volunteers   in   a   Research   Hospital, 

Richard   Stutzman    8-20 

Peace   Has  a   Realism    19-15 

Peace    Parley    Delayed    4-17 

Peru  Strives  for  Recovery    15-12 

The   Politics  of  Poverty    26-17 

A  Program   for   Life    4-17 

Revealing   a   Bit  of  "Madness,"  Terry   Pettit  18-13 

The  Risk  of  Offense   4-16 

The    Scene    From    the    Human    Side    of   the 

Street    11-16 

Selective  CO   Upheld    4-16 

Signs   of   the   Times    1-16 

Sunday   Specials  Slated    2-19 

Turn  of  an   Era    1-19 

PASTORAL  MINISTRY 

Fire  Still  in  My  Bones,  Edward  Ziegler  ...  5-7 
How    to    Live    With    a    Pastor,    James    W. 

Simmons     21-24 

Is  Pastoral  Calling  a  Vanishing  Art?    Ralph 

Skaggs    1-24 

The   Pastoral   Call,  Terry   Pettit    15-18 

Toward  a  Vital  Ministry,  Berwyn  L.  Oltman  6-27 

A  View  From  the  Bottom  Rung,  Inez  Long  3-5 
Why    Men    Leave    the    Ministry,    Chauncey 

Shamberger    14-24 

PERSONALITIES 

And  Then  the  Fun  Began,  Anne  Albright   .  10-9 

"Brother  Moderator,"  Ronald  E.  Keener  .  .  24-8 
A  Christian  Stands  Over  Against  the  World, 

an   interview  with  Arthur  G.  Gish    17-22 

A  Gift  of  Years,  Fred  W.  Swartz   17-3 

The   House   of  Taos,   Terry   Pettit    26-18 

I-    J.    Sanger's    Views    of   a    Vanishing    Amer- 
ica, Ronald  E.  Keener 21-2 

In   Search    of    a   Church    and    College    Part- 
nership        19-16 

The   Layman   as   Moral   Theologian,   William 

Stringfellow      25-26 

Man  of  the  Soil  —  Man  of  Faith,  Jimmy   R. 

Ross    15-7 


Meet  Midway's  Rebecca  Swick,  Terry  Pettit  9-23 

One  Man's  Pilgrimage    17-16 

Ralph   Dull:    Unlikely    Politician,    Lois   Teach 

Paul     24-4 

Rejecting    Symbolism    20-14 

Return   to   Germany    5-23 

Robert  Horton:  "While  the  Fire  Burns  ..."  9-14 
To    the    Front    Lines    of    the    World's    Prob- 
lems,  Robert   H.   McNeill    23-7 

Turns  in  the  Road,  Harold  Garnet  Black   .  .  4-22 
The    UN    at    25:    A   Conversation   With   An- 
drew  W.   Cordier    22-16 

Up  From  the  Ruins   5-22 

POETRY 

Ambivalence,    Annabelle    Wagner    Bergfeld  12-15 

And    Bypass    Herod!     Jo    Thebaud     26-1 1 

As   If.    As   Is   Now,   Robert  Allen    4-12 

The   Blacker    Boys,    Robert   Allen    4-12 

Brother   Hood?    John  M.  Storer    3-11 

Christ   Is  Alive,   Ruth   Gregory    15-11 

Christmas    Inn,   Jo   Thebaud    26-7 

Commitment,  Betty  Fox  Solberg    15-11 

The  Committee,  Ruth  B.  Statler 9-22 

Crucified,   Anthony    R.   Petrosky    22-24 

Deaf  Lover,  Mute  Lover,  Robert  Allen   ....  4-13 

Exploration,    Elizabeth    H.    Emerson     12-15 

The   Feeling,   Lena  Miller    2-26 

For    One    Very    Young    Met    Today,    Emily 

Sargent  Councilman    18-11 

God,  Grant  Me  the  Grace  of  a  Tree,  Wilbur 

E.    Brumbaugh     20-12 

God    Is   Flame,   Glen   Weimer    10-21 

How   Whites  Should    Read   the   Black   Mani- 
festo So  as   to   Gain   Pride   While   Losing 

Money,   Robert  Allen    4-11 

1   Hear  a  DifFerenf  Drummer,  Bill   Herod    ..  1-27 

Incredible!    Martha  N.  Parker    3-6 

Instead    of   a   Christmas    Card,   Terry    Pettit  26-8 

Is  My  Schooling  Never  to  End?    Jo  Thebaud  2-24 

If  Was  Not  Much,  La  Vonna   Howell    12-15 

The  Kenapocomoco   No  Mighty   River,  J.   F. 

Humphrey     18-1 1 

Lament  of  an  Alumnus,  Robert  Allen   4-11 

Lento   Pede,   Howard   W.   Winger    26-13 

Lilacs  Out  of  a  Dead  Land,  Jeanne  Donovan  8-10 
Locked   Doors,   Prudence  Engle   Lenharr    .  .  . 

Man,    Robert    Hale    

May  4,   1970,  Sara  G.  Wilson    15^ 

Mind-Bending  Threads,   Bill   Herod    2 

Out  of  Time,  Emily  Sargent  Councilman   .  .  26-8 

Petition,    Patricia    Kennedy    Helman    2-25 

Prayers    for    the    Working    Woman,    Ruby 

Rhoades    21-20 

A    Ritual   to   Read    to    Each    Other,    William 

Stafford     26-1 1 

S.O.S.,    Edith    Ogutsch    2-24 

Shelter,    Linda    Beher    26-7 

The   Shepherd,   Ruth   B.   Statler    15-10 

Something   Holy,  Terry   Pettit    26-7 

Surrounding  Servants,  Anthony  R.   Petrosky  15-29 
Though    Blackness    Speaks    a    Blue,    Robert 

Allen     4-13 

Through   a   Mirror   .   .   .   Clearly,   William   R. 

Faw     7-8 

To  Dead  Black  Souls,  Robert  Allen 4-11 

To   My    Mother    and    Father   on    Their    25th 

Anniversary,  Terry   Pettit   13-11 

Upside  Down,  James  L.  Oval!  Sr 12-11 

Waiting,   Judy   Simpson    2-25 

A  Walk  on   Christmas,  William  Stafford    ..  26-13 

Wastelands   Revisited,   Harry  A.   Brandt    ...  19-9 

What  Could   It  Mean?    Jeanne  Donovan    .  .  26-8 

Where   the   Boys   Are,   Howard   W.   Winger  26-11 

Whom  Did  You  See?    Elizabeth  H.  Emerson  5-9 
Will   the   Tender    Plant   Grow   Again?     Nita 

Griggs     5-6 

The   World   Turns,   Bill   Herod    2-24 

You  Are  the   Frame,  Jo  Thebaud    18-11 

PRAYER 

Communion   Prayers,   Earle  W.   Fike  Jr.    ...  7-5 
I   Was  Ministered   Unto,   Corinne   Hoff   Sim- 
mons       3-23 

The  Meaning  of  Prayer,  Byron  Miller    ....  2-27 

Pound   Me    Down,    Lord,  Prudence    Lenharr  24-20 


We    Have    Knowledge    but    Lack    Wisdom, 
Alvin    F.    Brightbill    

THANKSGIVING 

A     Litany     for     Thanksgiving     Eve,     Roger 

Solomon      

So  Grateful   for  So  Little,   Levi   Keidel    .... 


24-24 
24-2 


WORSHIP 

Day    by    Day,    Don    and    Shirley    Fike    5-26, 

10-20,   17-13,  22-21,  24-26,  25-24 

Day  by  Day,   Daniel   and  Nancy  Flory   1-20,  3-28 

Day  by   Day,  Norman  and   Kay   Long    4-9, 

11-13,   14-27,   15-23,  18-20 

Day  by   Day,   L.  Byron   and  Zola  Miller   .  .  .  8-9, 

13-28,   20-13,   21-13,  23-13,  26-25 

Day  by  Day,  Eldon  and  Ruth  Shingleton   .  .  6-20, 

7-23,  9-n,    12-26,    16-32,  19-25 

Day  by  Day,  Ray  and  Elaine  Sollenberger   .  2-23 

YOUTH 

And  I've  Got  a  Lot  to  Live?  Dan  Hunter  .  12-25 
A   Day   in   the    Long    Hot   Summer,    Norman 

L.    Thomas    17-10 

Everyone  Must  Do  His  Own  Growing,   Inez 

Long    22-10 

I  Am  Not  Willing  to  Wait,  Kathy  Goering  22-13 
A  Letter  to  a  High  School  Graduate,  Carroll 

M.    Retry    24-22 

The   Other   America    21-15 

Understanding    the    Now/New    Generation, 

James   Tomlonson    4-28 

Youth  Says  "No"  to  the  Draft 23-15 

Youth  vs.  the  Establishment,  Russell  E.  Jar- 

boe      17-27 


READERS  WRITE  /  continued 

My  project  director  had  to  put  up  with 
a  lot  from  me,  though,  because  of  my  love 
of  going  barefooted  and  of  Hondas.  Some 
days  I  worked  fourteen  hours  straight,  not 
because  I  had  to  but  because  there  was  so 
much  I  saw  to  be  done. 

Right  now  I'm  working  in  two  small 
churches  just  outside  of  Roanoke,  with  their 
youth  groups.  This  is  a  part  of  my  project 
too,  trying  to  stir  up  interest  in  the  church 

—  and  showing  youth  that  there  is  a  lot  of 
good  in  the  church  and  a  lot  that  they  can 
do. 

It's  been  rewarding  because  I've  been  in 
five  different  churches  already,  in  as  many 
weeks,  and  I've  seen  many  positive  things 
started.  I  get  upset,  discouraged,  impatient, 
and  sometimes  very  lonely  —  but  never 
would  I  trade  all  the  heartaches,  joys,  friend- 
ships, and  experiences  I've  had.  I  can  only 
say  that  BVS  has  had  an  impact  on  me 
that  has  changed  my  life  and  given  it  some 
positive  direction.  Seven  hundred  miles 
away  from  home  and  not  knowing  a  single 
soul  really  gave  me  time  to  look  at  myself 

—  and  also  to  gain  a  closer  and  more 
meaningful   faith  in  my  God. 

A  few  weeks  ago  I  was  accepted  by  an 
airlines  school  and  have  started  a  corre- 
spondence course  from  them.  My  project 
will  be  over  before  I  know  it,  and  I'll  be 
pursuing  my  career  —  but  I  will  never  for- 
get the  people  and  the  experiences  I've  been 
enriched  from.  How  could  I  forget  some- 
thing that  has  made  God  come  alive  to  me! 

Irene  Kay  Blosser 
Roanoke,  Va. 


32     MESSENGER    12-17-70 


HOW 

TO  BE 

IN  PARTNERSHIP 

WITH 

CHRIST 


If  you  are  one  of  the  many  people  who  are  excited  by 
the  worldwide  ministry  of  the  Church  of  the  Brethren, 
and  would  like  to  be  in  partnership  with  Christ  through 
those  who  serve,  here  is  your  invitation. 

You  too  can  serve  by  investing  your  money  in  a  Church 
of  the  Brethren  Gift  Annuity.  By  so  doing  you  will  have 
the  satisfaction  of  helping  others  while  you  help  your- 
self. 

Depending  on  your  age,  a  Church  of  the  Brethren  Gift 
Annuity  can  pay  you  a  lifetime  income  as  high  as  8% 
while  at  the  same  time  helping  carry  on  a  vital  service 
at  the  many  places  touched  by  the  church's  ministry. 

While  your  gift  makes  you  a  partner  with  hundreds  of 
persons  who  serve  in  the  United  States,  Nigeria,  India, 
Indonesia,  Europe,  and  in  other  places,  you  receive  a 
generous  income  promptly  paid  twice  a  year. 

You  may  also  desire  to  employ  a  will  to  make  a  gift  to 
the  worldwide  work  of  the  church.  In  this  way  your 
partnership  in  God's  work  continues,  even  after  your 
death. 

The  Stewardship  Enlistment  Office  of  the  General  Board 
is  eager  to  help  you  with  these  matters. 


Office  of  Stewardship  Enlistment 

Church  of  the  Brethren  General  Board 

1451   Dundee  Avenue 

Elgin,  Illinois  60120 


Please  send  me  the  booklet: 

n    Giving  Through  Gift  Annuities 

n    37   things    people   "know"    about   wills   that 
aren't  really  so 

Name  

Date  of  Birth 

month  day  year 

Address   


City. 


.  State . 


Zip. 


LOOK  FOR  THESE  FEATURES  IN  THIS 


messenger 


who  Was  He?  Christmas  is  a  time  for  affirmation,  for  stating  one's  faith  and 
recounting  ones  experience  relating  to  the  child  of  Bethlehem.  Here  are 
afBrmations  by  Phyllis  Carter,  "He  Brought  God  Into  History"  (page  2);  by 
Wilbur  R.  Hoover,  "He  Is  the  Bridge"  (page  3);  and  by  Graydon  F.  Snyder, 
"He  lives  ...  I  Live"  (page  4) 

Christmas  in  Music.  Messengers  little  anthology  for  the  season  continues  with 
four  original  songs  and  carols.  "This  Is  Christmas  Mom,"  by  Theresa  Eshbach 
(page  5);  "Innkeeper,"  by  Steve  Engle  (page  6);  "Good  News  for  You,"  by 
Kenneth  Morse  and  Wilbur  Brumbaugh  (page  9);  and  "The  Meaning  of 
Christmas,"  by  Steve  Engle  (page  10) 

Christmas  in  Poetry.  "Something  Holy,"  by  Terry  Pettit,  "Christmas  Inn,"  by 
Jo  Thebaud,  and  "Shelter,"  by  Linda  Beher  (page  7);  "What  Could  It 
Mean?"  by  Jeanne  Donovan,  "Instead  of  a  Christmas  Card,"  by  Terry  Pettit, 
and  "Out  of  Time,"  by  Emily  Sargent  Councilman  (page  8);  "Where  the 
Boys  Are,"  by  Howard  W.  Winger,  "A  Ritual  to  Read  to  Each  Other,"  by 
William  Stafford,  and  "And  Bypass  Herod!"  by  Jo  Thebaud  (page  11);  "A 
Walk  on  Christmas,"  by  William  Stafford,  and  "Lento  Pede,"  by  Howard  W. 
Winger  (page  13) 

In  Partnership  on  Poverty.  MaiJij  of  the  forty  Brethren  working  in  Ap- 
palachia  came  together  in  late  October  in  connection  with  the  annual  sessions 
of  the  Commission  on  Religion  in  Appalachia.  a  report  by  Ronald  E.  Keener, 
page  14 

The  House  of  Taos.  Ron  Kalom,  in  both  an  Old  Testament  and  in  a  quite 
contemporary  way,  brings  some  sense  of  order  to  a  small  commtmity  where 
people  often  bring  their  broken  visions,    by  Terry  Pettit.    page  19 

Invaded  by  Tomorrow.  Not  many  people  seem  to  know  —  or  act  as  if  they 
know  —  that  God  has  already  visited  us  and  tomorrow  has  already  come,  by 
C.  Wayne  Zunkel.    page  22 

Other  features  include  "The  Politics  of  Poverty,"  observations  by  David  Huber  (page 
16);  an  introduction  to  St.  Petersburg,  Florida,  site  of  the  next  Annual  Conference 
(page  20);  a  round-up  of  activities  "In  the  Brotherhood"  (page  21);  and  "Day  by  Day," 
by  Byron  and  Zola  Miller  (page  25). 


COMING  SOON 


Look  for  a  new  feature,  "Take  It  From  Here,"  an  activity-centered  series  by  Glee  Yoder 
designed  to  encourage  the  creative  participation  of  most  members  of  the  family.  .  .  . 
Lyle  E.  Shatter  makes  ten  predictions  about  the  events  and  emerging  trends  with  which 
churches  will  have  to  deal  in  1971.  .  .  .  "Lindsay  Is  Lively,"  reports  Edward  K.  Ziegler 
about  a  rural  church  in  California  which  is  responding  to  local  needs  and  opportunities.  VOL.    119    NO.    26